Heartbroken to Humble

 

     The first time I really sought out God, I was on my knees. It was a time of deep grief, confounding disbelief and overwhelming doubt. I fell to my knees, because I had nowhere else to go. When I hear of a loss, or a prayer request, a tragedy, or of someone’s suffering, my first prayer, in addition to requests for healing or comfort or peace is to pray for the person to find Jesus.

     Going to our knees is not always a choice for us. It may be the only place left to go. Is God there? Is He real? For me, after all of these years, it is the place I choose to go first, with a grateful heart. Humility comes by recognizing God for who He is and recognizing how much we need Him.

     When we fall or stumble, our merciful God has an answer.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.  James 4:10

      With God’s help, we take the focus off of ourselves and put our eyes on Him and on others. That is all He asks of us. It is our purpose. It is our call. Serving God and serving others. Everything is upside down in God’s world. First is last. The least is the greatest.

Then He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes Me and whoever welcomes Me welcomes the one who sent Me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.” Luke 9:48

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.  Romans 12:10

    Impossible on our own? Yes. Possible with the one who lifts us up and sends us out? You betcha!

Dear Lord,

Give us humble hearts today. Take our focus off of ourselves and bring us to our knees before You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Praise In Despair

 

     It’s so difficult to praise God when we are suffering. When grief overwhelms. When we are going through treatment. When someone we love isn’t doing well. The list goes on. But even in the darkness, praise brings us to a place beyond anything on earth. It brings us to heaven, where we find hope. God explains in His word, the sacrifice of praise.

 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that openly confess His name.  Hebrews 13:15

     Can we praise Him through the darkness? King David did.

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:5

     Somehow, over time, God replaces our despair as we continually look to Him.

Provide for those who grieve in Zion, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.  Isaiah 61:3

     The verse above is filled with hope. God fills us on the inside. He gives us a crown of beauty instead of ashes, joy in place of mourning, and our praise replaces our spirits of despair. What beautiful promise these words hold for us!

Father,

You are in heaven waiting for us to arrive home. Fill our spirits with joy, beauty and praise. We trust You with it all.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Look Up Not Down

 

     Jesus turns the world upside down. He turns us upside down, shakes a few things loose, sets us back up, and after the dizziness subsides, we look around and nothing is the same. This week allow God to show you a new perspective, a topsy-turvy, inside-out and upside-down beginning. Let’s begin with praise.

     Praise to begin and end your day:

They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening. 2 Chronicles 23:30

     Praise for all He has created:

All the earth bows down to You. They sing praise to You, they sing the praises of Your name. Psalm 66:4

     Praise with hope:

As for me, I will always have hope. I will praise You more and more.  Psalm 71:14

     Praise to the next generation:

Then we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture, will praise You forever from generation to generation we will proclaim Your praise.  Psalm 79:13

     Praise for His love:

Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good and His love endures forever.  Psalm 106:1

     Praise for His word:

May my lips overflow with praise, for You teach me Your decrees. Psalm 119:171

     Praise for your life:

I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful. I know that full well. Psalm 139:14

     Praise for who He is:

Praise him for His acts of power, praise Him for His surpassing greatness. Psalm 150:2

Dear Father in Heaven,

We thank you for the gift of praise. Turn our lives around to seek You above all else whatever the circumstances.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Prayer

 

     A prayer begins our relationship with Jesus as Savior. It is a necessary part of life to keep our relationship with Him growing and active. Prayer changes circumstances, heals hearts, intercedes for friends and family.

     Do you find yourself trying to pray and something comes immediately to mind? Suddenly you remember an e-mail you have to answer or the phone just happens to ring as you begin your time with God.The quiet intimate time with Jesus seems impossible until it becomes a habit. The habit will eventually become the time you look most forward to, the quiet time to get to know and understand the voice of Christ.

     Jesus is always with us. That fact allows us to pray in the middle of a meeting, in a line at the post office, as we remember a sick friend, or witness an accident. Praying can be habitual and part of our existence, as we practice the presence of God. 

Pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:17

     Satan would love to distract us enough, keep us busy enough, make us comfortable enough, make us worry enough, build our pride enough, keep us uncertain enough, to believe we don’t need to pray or believe we have no time to pray. Let prayer become a priority. Find a special time each day for prayer and Bible time. Those two things, understanding and studying God’s word and sitting in His presence in prayer will change your life forever. This relationship with Jesus gives us joy and hope. Don’t do this out of guilt or obligation, but because this relationship will become one of joy and anticipation.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

     Prayer has great power, the power that first connected you to Jesus. The Holy Spirit within you will guide you into prayer, how to pray, what to pray and who should be included in your prayers. It is an honor to pray for others, and if someone prays for you, you are blessed indeed.

     I am pausing in my writing, right now, to pray for each reader. May Jesus fill your hearts and mind with blessings in the joy and hope of His salvation and love. And I thank you, dear friends, for the ways you have prayed for me and our family.

Dear Father,

Let each person reading these words feel Your presence in a new and powerful way. I pray those “Holy Spirit shivers” are running up and down as we unite together in praising You and in believing in the power of prayer and basking in Your mighty presence.

In Jesus powerful name we pray,

Amen

Power

 

     The moment we become believers we receive the power of the Holy Spirit. That spiritual power is beyond this world, beyond what we see with our eyes, or hear with our ears. It is a deep and abiding force that guides us through the rest of our lives. The breath and Spirit of Christ rests upon us. It is beyond our natural abilities. It is supernatural

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1;13

     Yes, that moment you first believed the Holy Spirit was given to you. Are you ready to hear more about this great power? These next verses never fail to fill me with awe and wonder at what He offers freely when we believe that He exists and died and rose again for us. Paul is praying this prayer for his brothers and sisters in Ephesus. Let this be a prayer for you today. Let it soak into your heart.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at the right hand of the heavenly realms. Ephesians 1:18-20

     The same power that raised Christ from the dead is given to us?! Resurrection power. I could use a little of that each and every day. You, too? Feel that great power in prayer, through your struggles, beyond your circumstances and in trusting His ability to use all things for His good. We may not understand it all until we are in heaven, but all of this, every single thing in our lives will not go to waste. Every bit of it will be, somehow, in some way, used for His glory. Believe it!

Dear Lord,

We don’t see all things clearly now. It becomes muddled in our daily existence, but we trust You. One day we will see it all and understand how you used us in unexpected ways. Tune us in to our Holy Spirit power today and every single day for the rest of our lives. Teach us how to be in constant contact with You and to share the power of Your great love with others.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Plan

 

     There is no other person on the planet like you. God’s plan for your life is different from any other. You were born at just the right time, for just the right season, for just these moments. You are gifted with a certain personality type, with natural, in-born gifts to share, and when the Holy Spirit comes to live within you, God enhances all of our attributes with gifts of His own, gifts of the Spirit. These gifts are to be used for the common good. (See 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and Romans 12 for the gifts of the Spirit)

     God’s plan will fit perfectly, with great precision, with who you are and where you are and with what you do best. Do you make a plan or go with the flow? Are your decisions based on logical thinking or from the heart? Do you connect with the world with your five senses or intuition? Gifted in administration? Love to entertain? Are you quiet and prefer one-on-one conversation to a crowd setting? Love to teach or to stay behind the scenes setting up for the meeting? Are you meant to shepherd a small group or use your Biblical knowledge to help others? Are you a singer?

     All of these and more can be used to influence the kingdom of God. The community of faith works together as a body. Jesus is the head, and we make up the other parts. Just as our body cannot function without all of its working parts, so our communities cannot function without all of us working in unity.

     The beautiful thing, well, one of the many beautiful things about the body of Christ, is that God gives special honor to the unseen, less-focused-on gifts. Do you pray for others continually? Maybe you sharpen the pencils in the pews. Or you come early and stay late before and after the meetings and no one knows what you are doing. You are highly honored by our God.

     God’s plan is just right. Not too much, not too little, a one-of-a kind blueprint that fits you like a glove. And He will give you the power to do what you are meant to do in ways that may seem impossible without our Creator. He will pull out all of the stops to influence His children on earth. He needs you, and we are in it together.

If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.  1 Corinthians 12:26-27

From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  Ephesians 4;16

     Discovering your gifts and doing your part is an awesome adventure. As you read God’s word, He will show you the way you should go.

Dear Jesus,

We thank you for each part of the body of Christ all over the world. How you orchestrate all of us to work for Your kingdom is beyond our imaginings. Show us our part. Are we your eyes focused on a hurting world? Are we Your hands offering a loving touch to someone in need, or Your feet going to unsaved parts of the world? We all share Your great and powerful heart in love.

Amen

 

Purpose

 

     How do we find purpose on earth? What is it all about? If Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, what does He expect from you and me? He gave up everything to give us all new life. I know I have nothing to give in return. There is nothing we CAN do, nothing God needs. He is everything and He holds everything in His mighty hands. What He wants and asks from us is to have a relationship with Him.

     As we get to know Jesus through His word and through prayer, our purpose begins to become clear. Knowing Him, putting Him first, recognizing we can’t do anything without Him, finds us surprisingly able to do things we could not imagine. Our confidence is in Him, rather than in our imperfect selves.

     He may use our stories, our sufferings, our lives as a testimony to others. People may notice a change and ask us about the hope within us. We may speak boldly about our faith to the people God places in our lives. Jesus may even ask us to reach out to someone we don’t like very much. We can’t do it on our own.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

     Get to know Him. Open up the Good book. Imagine a new life filled with possibilities. Most of the thoughts in our head, what we worry about, compete for, save to buy, work towards, will not come with us into heaven.

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to the power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20

     When we meet Jesus, He will burn up the things that are no longer needed as we walk through those pearly gates. But the things we did with Him and for Him and through Him? They will be refined like gold, beautiful and lasting. Good enough to last forever.

Their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved-even though only as one escaping through the flames.  1 Corinthians 3:13-15

     This work is not anything we can do on our own, but only with Jesus, the foundation. He shows us what to do and how to do it, through His Holy Spirit, through His mighty word, through our time of prayer.

     Ready to give it a try, this purposeful life? It comes down to the heart and His love.

As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.  Proverbs 27:19

     What is the condition of your heart? Let it melt into a life with Christ.

Dear Jesus,

You give our lives meaning and purpose. Show us how to take the next step. Help us focus on Your love and getting to know You more intimately. We are one in spirit with You and the Father when we believe.

Amen