There are several very heavy things weighing on me today. My mom reminded me that God is the Blessed Controller of All Things. I really need prayer. I can't give very many details but here is a list:
1. Jeff is in need of administrative help. He seems to handle this well but it has been weighing heavily on me for several months.
2. There are so few people responding to the missionary calling these days. The needs and opportunities for long-term workers are so many but those who do respond only want to come short-term.
3. Micah fell hard while ice skating and went by ambulance to the emergency room. She has a badly sprained ankle but there is no one to help take care of her.
4. My sister's best friend passed away suddenly a few days ago.
5. A wedding and a church...
6. Upcoming deployment
7. My best friend's husband has Alzheimers
8. My mom is going to have knee surgery tomorrow and my dad will have some other health related tests.
9. There are other things too. I feel very overwhelmed today.
Lord, give me wisdom. Show me what to do. Have mercy.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Tho He Slay Me... by Os Hillman
This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did. -- 1 John 2:5b-6
When Christ came to earth, He came to bring to mankind the gospel of the Kingdom. Over the centuries, the Church has tended to emphasize only a portion of the gospel. That portion is the gospel of salvation. (However), Jesus came that we might have more than just salvation. He came to give us a whole new life that was accompanied by signs, wonders, and His Spirit living in us and revealing Himself to us daily. He came so that we might walk on this earth as He did. If our lives are not reflecting the same things as Jesus' did, we must ask why? I have noticed (three distinct types of believers) throughout my 24 years of walking with Christ.
First, many of us come to Christ out of a need for salvation. Our hearts have been touched by His call on our lives. We reason and analyze the claims of Christ and make a decision for Him. It is the convenient time to accept Him in our lives. This first stage is often characterized by a “Bless me, Lord” attitude toward God. It is the first stage that primarily brings salvation into our lives. Some never really go past this first stage.
The second stage is the crisis stage. A crisis takes place in our lives, and we are motivated to seek Christ with a whole heart. However, this motivation is not out of pure love for Christ; rather, it is motivated by the desire to get out of the pain of living. The motivation is to solve the “what” versus the “why” in my life at the time. This stage is best characterized as “Help me, Lord.”
In the third stage we begin to experience the gospel of the Kingdom. It is the place where Jesus resided in His walk with His heavenly Father. It is the (place of conviction). The numbers of people who live at this level are quite few, but these people are experiencing the reality of a walk with God that is foreign to all others. They are seeing daily occurrences of His involvement in their lives. They're motivated by a deep love for Him. They know Him. These people have an attitude characterized by these thoughts,
Where are you today? Have you merely accepted His salvation to simply float along? Or do you seek Him with a whole heart only when a crisis occurs? His desire is for you and me to live a life of conviction, (motivated) by our love for Him and His love for us. This is where we will experience the gospel of the Kingdom.
[Note: I think there is another step in this process. After we have prayed for God to bless me and help me, we reach a point where we pray “Use me, Lord.” We often want to be busy for the Lord and serve God before we want Him to have us completely.]
When Christ came to earth, He came to bring to mankind the gospel of the Kingdom. Over the centuries, the Church has tended to emphasize only a portion of the gospel. That portion is the gospel of salvation. (However), Jesus came that we might have more than just salvation. He came to give us a whole new life that was accompanied by signs, wonders, and His Spirit living in us and revealing Himself to us daily. He came so that we might walk on this earth as He did. If our lives are not reflecting the same things as Jesus' did, we must ask why? I have noticed (three distinct types of believers) throughout my 24 years of walking with Christ.
First, many of us come to Christ out of a need for salvation. Our hearts have been touched by His call on our lives. We reason and analyze the claims of Christ and make a decision for Him. It is the convenient time to accept Him in our lives. This first stage is often characterized by a “Bless me, Lord” attitude toward God. It is the first stage that primarily brings salvation into our lives. Some never really go past this first stage.
The second stage is the crisis stage. A crisis takes place in our lives, and we are motivated to seek Christ with a whole heart. However, this motivation is not out of pure love for Christ; rather, it is motivated by the desire to get out of the pain of living. The motivation is to solve the “what” versus the “why” in my life at the time. This stage is best characterized as “Help me, Lord.”
In the third stage we begin to experience the gospel of the Kingdom. It is the place where Jesus resided in His walk with His heavenly Father. It is the (place of conviction). The numbers of people who live at this level are quite few, but these people are experiencing the reality of a walk with God that is foreign to all others. They are seeing daily occurrences of His involvement in their lives. They're motivated by a deep love for Him. They know Him. These people have an attitude characterized by these thoughts,
“Have me, Lord; though He slay me, still will I trust Him.”
Where are you today? Have you merely accepted His salvation to simply float along? Or do you seek Him with a whole heart only when a crisis occurs? His desire is for you and me to live a life of conviction, (motivated) by our love for Him and His love for us. This is where we will experience the gospel of the Kingdom.
[Note: I think there is another step in this process. After we have prayed for God to bless me and help me, we reach a point where we pray “Use me, Lord.” We often want to be busy for the Lord and serve God before we want Him to have us completely.]
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Hearts Ablaze!
So they said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts ablaze within us while He was talking with us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us?” -- Luke 24:32This verse was in my Bible reading this morning. Imagine, walking along and talking to Jesus and having Him explain the Old Testament and God's plan of salvation for the world. As I talk to the Lord and read the Word daily, I want my heart to be ablaze.
Today is my 50th birthday which I actually think is pretty exciting. I feel better today than I did a year ago when I was going through all my thyroid problems and radiation. I feel better than 2 years ago when I was so hyperthyroid I was crying and panicking all the time. I am enjoying life quite a bit at this time because I am in the Word daily, eating according to a low glycemic index diet and exercising. It feels as if the fog in my mind has lifted. And the work of the ministry is bringing me great joy, even though we are going through some very tough issues. The only thing I hunger and thirst for these days is more of Jesus and His Word. It is like cold water on a hot day, I can't seem to get enough.
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