How's your joy? Are you a little less than joyfull these days? Do you have a deep, sense of contentment that makes you smile at life, even when there's really nothing to smile about?
If not, why not?
Well, after reading my Bible this afternoon, I figured out what might happen to my joy on occasion, and surprisingly enough, it has nothing to do with anyone or anything else around me. It's a burden of my own making - unconfessed sin. Ps. 32 says, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit." In other words, the man (or woman) who is "confessed up" is a "blessed" man or "joyful" man.
I think our joyfulness all goes back to a realization of Who God is and what He has done for us. When we confess our sins before Him, we are in essence recognizing His authority over our lives, our completeness in Him, our helplessness to be holy without Him...and the list goes on and on. When we get that...when we REALLY get that...we can't help but be joyful!
So, let's try this out. Let's beg God to show us our sin - the behaviors that aren't righteousness behaviors - the words we speak that aren't pleasing - the attitudes of our hearts that are less than holy. Then, when He does, let's really deal with them. Let's be sure not to pretend that those things "aren't that bad," and slap some sugar icing over poison. Instead, let's confess those things to Him. Tell Him we know that they are sin and are straining our relationship with Him. Then, let's repent from them - turn from those behaviors, and see what happens to our joylessness!!!
Father, I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ and for myself - that we would really get this JOY thing. You've called us to be a joyful people, now help us be what you've asked by showing us our sin. Then, Lord, give us strength to confess and repent, running to You for forgiveness. Thank You, Lord, that You will honor this request. Praise You, Jesus. Praise You.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The Long Arms of Love
Not too long ago, we got a call that Steve's dad was in CCU at a hospital in GA. He'd had a "Widow Maker's Heart Attack." The name still gives me the creeps. During the attack, his 6'4" frame fell to the concrete face-first, causing his brain to swell and his lungs to fill with fluid. It didn't look good, and even though I was having serious pain in my leg (I'd had surgery a week earlier), we both knew Steve HAD to go.
In hind's sight, I think God didn't want me to go to GA, because if I had felt ANY better, I would have hauled myself into the car and stayed by my husband non-stop. BUT, God evidently wanted Steve to be able to focus on his family this trip and not focus on taking care of me. So, Steve packed a few things and left...without me.
I don't know if any of you have ever been in a place like that before. I'm sure you have. It's a very "alone" feeling...not knowing what's going to happen to your loved one...hurting for yourself, but hurting more for the one who you love...not being able to "be there" to help comfort and strengthen your family member. My heart desperately ached for my husband...for all that he was going through and would have to go through when he got to GA.
And I was here, in NC, hours and states away.
It was during this time that God reminded me of a verse He had shown me many years ago when I battled a similar "helpless" feeling. Is. 59:1 says Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear.
I couldn't physically be there for Steve...for Dad...for anyone...but GOD could. His arms are not short like mine. My arms barely reach a few inches in front of me, but nothing hinders the long arms of God. He could wrap a hug around my husband, when he needed it. God could hold Steve's hand, while he sat in the waiting room. He could hold Steve's head up, when he was too tired to do it himself.
And He did.
Truly, God's arms are not too short to save...to reach out to you and into your situation. Beloved of God, you may be unable to "be there," but God is already there, using His arms to minister to the ones you love through your prayers for them. Remember that today.
Praise You, Father that You are big enough to reach out...big enough to fulfill every need that could ever grab us and take us by surprise. Thank You that You hold our very life and the lives of the ones we love in Your hand, and You gently wipe our furrowed brows and assure us of Your love. Praise You, Jesus. Praise You.
Oh and if you're wondering...Steve's dad is doing well. He is truly a miracle, seriously. Even the doctors are amazed - not just that he's alive, but that he's doing as well as he is.
In hind's sight, I think God didn't want me to go to GA, because if I had felt ANY better, I would have hauled myself into the car and stayed by my husband non-stop. BUT, God evidently wanted Steve to be able to focus on his family this trip and not focus on taking care of me. So, Steve packed a few things and left...without me.
I don't know if any of you have ever been in a place like that before. I'm sure you have. It's a very "alone" feeling...not knowing what's going to happen to your loved one...hurting for yourself, but hurting more for the one who you love...not being able to "be there" to help comfort and strengthen your family member. My heart desperately ached for my husband...for all that he was going through and would have to go through when he got to GA.
And I was here, in NC, hours and states away.
It was during this time that God reminded me of a verse He had shown me many years ago when I battled a similar "helpless" feeling. Is. 59:1 says Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear.
I couldn't physically be there for Steve...for Dad...for anyone...but GOD could. His arms are not short like mine. My arms barely reach a few inches in front of me, but nothing hinders the long arms of God. He could wrap a hug around my husband, when he needed it. God could hold Steve's hand, while he sat in the waiting room. He could hold Steve's head up, when he was too tired to do it himself.
And He did.
Truly, God's arms are not too short to save...to reach out to you and into your situation. Beloved of God, you may be unable to "be there," but God is already there, using His arms to minister to the ones you love through your prayers for them. Remember that today.
Praise You, Father that You are big enough to reach out...big enough to fulfill every need that could ever grab us and take us by surprise. Thank You that You hold our very life and the lives of the ones we love in Your hand, and You gently wipe our furrowed brows and assure us of Your love. Praise You, Jesus. Praise You.
Oh and if you're wondering...Steve's dad is doing well. He is truly a miracle, seriously. Even the doctors are amazed - not just that he's alive, but that he's doing as well as he is.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Seeking and Finding Good News in the Garden
Squash bugs...the name just naturally lends itself to "squashing bugs," don't you think?! I've actually not been squashing too many of them. Instead, I have developed a better plan for dealing with the little critters bent on destroying my plants.
Earlier in the summer, I tried using Neem Oil to get rid of the pests, and it did a pretty good job killing off the little ones. The big ones, however, seem to be wrapped in some pretty tough armor, adding new meaning to the phrase, "thick-skinned."
I still use the Neem Oil every other week, but the rest of the time, my plan is simple. Kill as many of them as I can, before they destroy my crop. They're avid feeders, killing plants within just a few days. The bugs suck the juices from the stem, causing the plant to wilt and the fruit to rot on the vine. Miserable, I say...just miserable.
So, to fight an infestation of these bugs, you have to have a plan...and I do! First of all, when I see any bug eggs, I immediately tear off the portion of the leaf they're on and shove it into my container of soapy water. Sounds simple, right? Well, it's not as easy as it sounds. The bugs are smart and most of the time, they lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves to protect them. So I can't just rely on removing the ones I see at first glance. I have to turn the leaves over, as well as check the base of the plant. Doing this requires some patience and fortitude, because squash plants have a rough outer covering, that can cause itching and burning of the skin.
After I have sufficiently found as many eggs as I can, I flood the base of the plant with water. In a few seconds, the adult bugs who spend most of their time hiding in the mulch, scramble to get to higher ground, so they can breathe. At that point, I meticulously pick them off one by one (yes, I know this sounds gross, but they don't bite and it's me or them!) and put them in my container of soapy water. After I've done this, I go back and check the plants again, because sometimes the squash bugs will climb to the very top of the plant to dry out after getting soaked.
This morning, while doing this, a thought came to me - I should seek out the sin in my life and destroy it, as desperately as I seek out and destroy these bugs. Doing that will take time, patience, energy, focus, sacrifice, and diligence. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that seeking out sin is not Biblical. Scripture does tell us to confess our sin and be forgiven (I John 1:9), but as far as "seeking sin," I just couldn't find any ground to support that thought.
However, I did find something else along the same lines. Instead of "seeking" my sin, the Word tells me to "seek" God. Over and over again, I came across verses like Deut. 4:29 which says, But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him, if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul and Lamentations 3:25 which says, The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,to the soul who seeks Him.
When I seek after God - when I spend time getting to know Him - when I use my time, patience, energy, focus, sacrifice, and diligence to find Him - He will show me the dark, hidden things in my life that need to be removed and destroyed. HE will reveal my sin, so that I can confess, be forgiven and bear much fruit. If I just focus on getting rid of my sin without focusing my eyes on the Savior, sure, I might find a few obvious trespasses here or there, but the dark, hidden things will stay covered. By focusing on God and building my relationship with Him - by seeking Him with everything that I am - the dark, hidden things will surface automatically...things that I never could have found in my own seeking.
So, I challenge myself and you too, Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon Is. 55:6-7.
Dearest Jesus, give me the determination and desire to focus completely on You...to seek after You with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength...to spend time (lots of time)in Your Word, getting to know You. And then, Lord, may I repent of the sin that surfaces and be forgiven. Thank You, Lord that You will bring light to the darkness. I praise You, Jesus. I praise You.
Earlier in the summer, I tried using Neem Oil to get rid of the pests, and it did a pretty good job killing off the little ones. The big ones, however, seem to be wrapped in some pretty tough armor, adding new meaning to the phrase, "thick-skinned."
I still use the Neem Oil every other week, but the rest of the time, my plan is simple. Kill as many of them as I can, before they destroy my crop. They're avid feeders, killing plants within just a few days. The bugs suck the juices from the stem, causing the plant to wilt and the fruit to rot on the vine. Miserable, I say...just miserable.
So, to fight an infestation of these bugs, you have to have a plan...and I do! First of all, when I see any bug eggs, I immediately tear off the portion of the leaf they're on and shove it into my container of soapy water. Sounds simple, right? Well, it's not as easy as it sounds. The bugs are smart and most of the time, they lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves to protect them. So I can't just rely on removing the ones I see at first glance. I have to turn the leaves over, as well as check the base of the plant. Doing this requires some patience and fortitude, because squash plants have a rough outer covering, that can cause itching and burning of the skin.
After I have sufficiently found as many eggs as I can, I flood the base of the plant with water. In a few seconds, the adult bugs who spend most of their time hiding in the mulch, scramble to get to higher ground, so they can breathe. At that point, I meticulously pick them off one by one (yes, I know this sounds gross, but they don't bite and it's me or them!) and put them in my container of soapy water. After I've done this, I go back and check the plants again, because sometimes the squash bugs will climb to the very top of the plant to dry out after getting soaked.
This morning, while doing this, a thought came to me - I should seek out the sin in my life and destroy it, as desperately as I seek out and destroy these bugs. Doing that will take time, patience, energy, focus, sacrifice, and diligence. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that seeking out sin is not Biblical. Scripture does tell us to confess our sin and be forgiven (I John 1:9), but as far as "seeking sin," I just couldn't find any ground to support that thought.
However, I did find something else along the same lines. Instead of "seeking" my sin, the Word tells me to "seek" God. Over and over again, I came across verses like Deut. 4:29 which says, But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him, if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul and Lamentations 3:25 which says, The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,to the soul who seeks Him.
When I seek after God - when I spend time getting to know Him - when I use my time, patience, energy, focus, sacrifice, and diligence to find Him - He will show me the dark, hidden things in my life that need to be removed and destroyed. HE will reveal my sin, so that I can confess, be forgiven and bear much fruit. If I just focus on getting rid of my sin without focusing my eyes on the Savior, sure, I might find a few obvious trespasses here or there, but the dark, hidden things will stay covered. By focusing on God and building my relationship with Him - by seeking Him with everything that I am - the dark, hidden things will surface automatically...things that I never could have found in my own seeking.
So, I challenge myself and you too, Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon Is. 55:6-7.
Dearest Jesus, give me the determination and desire to focus completely on You...to seek after You with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength...to spend time (lots of time)in Your Word, getting to know You. And then, Lord, may I repent of the sin that surfaces and be forgiven. Thank You, Lord that You will bring light to the darkness. I praise You, Jesus. I praise You.
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