..........taken to the Cleaner

Psalm 51:10, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."   We often feel we must clean-up before some event (e.g.  our home before a visit from family/friends, perhaps watch what we eat  before an annual physical/Dr. visit) and we ‘think' we must clean up our lives before we come to God.  The Bible tells us that we can never be clean enough/sinless no matter what we do....simply put, it's not about what 'we' can/cannot do!  God wants us to come as we are, humble ourselves, be obedient(not without sin as that is not possible).  Then, He will do the ‘cleaning’ as we search Him and live obediently.    Blessings in your pursuit.......TO

Ask........for empty jars!

2 Kings 4:1-7

This story now speaks clearly to me. God often plans to meet our needs through others. Yet if we keep problems to ourselves, we might hinder His plan to bless our friends and broadcast His faithfulness. I'm learning to deny the lies of a prideful spirit in exchange for a humble plea for help. I need to  trade my fierce independence for God's plan of community.  The widow did as Elisha instructed. When she returned home, she started pouring. As each jar filled, her sons brought her another. They filled every borrowed jar with oil. Elisha then told her to sell the oil, pay the creditors and live off the rest. She did.  What is interesting about this story is that the quantity of the miracle oil was in direct proportion to the number of neighbors she asked for help.  If she had simply asked a few, that's all she would have received.  She was instructed to ask many, and she abundantly received.  The more people the widow asked for help, the greater God's provision.  James 5:16, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective……..It's past time to take off the masks, humble ourselves, submitting all to God.......sharing one another's burdens in love.  Blessings in your pursuit…….TO

Growth Opportunities

Trials.......those faith challenges(illness, loss of job,  unfaithful spouse, unanswered prayers(at least the way we want them answered)…….. We must believe that God will answer. He will conclude   "yes," "no," or "not right now." He is able, ready and willing to answer our prayers — here is the catch — as He sees fit and to grow us to be more like His Son in the process.  “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."- Jeremiah 33.  I must not merely seek the answer to my prayer. Instead, I must seek a deeper relationship with the answer Giver.  Realize how significantly God can use inconvenience, interruption, and unlikely twists ……… Psalm 38:15, "I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God." Romans 8:25, "But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.  What a powerful, loving and patient Creator we can know through obedience.  What a friend we have in Jesus-the old hymn reminds us.  One we can lean upon during the trials.  This is not an easy task for we humans.  I struggle, and I surmise all do.  We may doubt, demonstrate fear and frustration, or even have sinful thoughts/attitudes.  Yet, we must believe in His faithful promises.  May we all thank God for His perfect plans... His perfect timing... and the perfect way His development happens in those times of waiting/searching.  Blessings in your pursuit…….TO

Remaining a Kid/Being Childlike!

I have often been labled as a big kid from close family and friends.  I believe it can be beneficial, even healthy (physically and mentally) to have that mindset if properly kept in perspective.  Of course there are times when that would not be appropriate as we need to grow and mature intellectually to effectively handle situations,decisions and trials as adults.  What about spiritually?  We are commanded to mature in our faith and knowledge of God’s word-which can only come via effort/time spent in His Holy Word.  Yet, there are several instances where Jesus  teaches us to be like children………..these are matters of the heart, our attitudes(Matt 18:1-4).  Characteristics we could improve by remaining childlike in heart include:  forgiveness- small children typically do not hold grudges-at least not very long; humbleness;  pureness;   more- trusting, gentleness, gratuitous, patient, kindness, and compassion. What can result is a life steeped in prayer, joy, service, and love towards others.  All this helps to remind me that, just as a child is in need of caring/loving earthly parents, I need to acknowledge  I am a child of God and dependant upon His care, love, compassion, patience, mercy………..……the list could go on.  May we never lose the heart of a child-spiritually.  Blessings in your pursuit…….TO

Engaged in Reverse

We are taught to look forward, move ahead, and focus on the future.  In some matters this is proper good advice.  The problem is that this can cause us to quickly forget and lose focus.   Some things need to be on constant recall-in 'reverse' so to speak.   Otherwise, we may lose heart and forget/take for granted what our God does/has done for us.  I believe we should often reflect on our abundant blessings and faithful moments from God.  God may very well put us in ‘reverse’ to help remind us of His love and care.  That is where I find myself-a time in reverse.  I have had a blessed life with little to no major issues.  That has changed drastically!  The past 3 years have been anomalous-very challenging with a multitude of setbacks.  I have complained, I have questioned God(the WHY?’s), I have doubted, I have struggled.  Yet, this has been a time of valuable spiritual growth/refocus of what God expects from me.  Difficulty, sadness, loneliness, anger have been a part of this process.  I was reminded today that I need to ask myself ‘what am I going to do?’,  and stop  concentrating on ‘why’.  Hosea 12:9 says, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again, as in the days of your appointed feasts."   The Israelites had lost focus, forgotten what God had done for them.  God taught them here the importance of remembering His faithfulness and what happens when we ‘move forward, look ahead and forget’.  I still struggle, I don’t understand.  As God continues to mold me and through searching His powerful words/scriptures, He will get me to where he expects my heart— humbleness, total surrender and trusting  His current direction of my life.  Not easy, but a spiritual renewal.  Blessings in your pursuit…….TO

Who's In Your House?

For some reason when I read 1 Peter 2:4-8 I kept thinking of the Papa John slogan,’Papa’s in the house’.  To paraphrase, this passage tells us that when we come to the Living Stone-we become living stones being built into a spiritual house through Him/Jesus Christ.  This steered my mind into wondering, who is really in my ‘house’- this fleshy shell that harbors ‘me’.  Is it a life thirsting and seeking God, or is one of seeking earthly gain?  Our ‘house’ is a reflection of one's true heart.   Who is my leader, master, Lord?  Is it something of this earth, or is it truly God and His Son, Jesus Christ?  If we are living in true obedience, our ‘house’(lives, hearts, soul) made of flesh, should be formed and steeped with the Holy Spirit-the spirit of God-the cornerstone/capstone of life.  Is our Heavenly Father your 'Papa', and is He  truly in your 'house'.?  Blessings in your pursuit…….TO 

Top to bottom…….what’s within me?

There is a song from one of my many favorite ‘older’ groups-Toto.  It's called ‘Bottom of your soul’.  The last part of the chorus says, “Always remember the voice in your head,  Speaks to you when you're alone,   And it comforts you,  From the top of your heart to the bottom of your soul."  When I listen to this I usually pause and reflect on what is presently flowing within me-from the top of my heart to the bottom(deep within) my soul. What influences(worldly/Satan or heavenly/God) am I tailoring to.  Am I filled with self motives or compassion/ love towards others-filled with Jesus?   Colossians 3:12 says, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."  Also, 1 Corinthians 13:2-8 says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.   As I have aged,  I listen more intimately to terminology in songs, wondering what inspired the artist –what this meant to them.  Thus, not only am I somewhat more selective in what I listen to, I find it uplifting when a song or a part of one causes me to challenge my spiritual walk.  This song has me asking myself, ‘is worldliness or the comfort of the precious gift of the Holy Spirit resonating from my heart to deep inside my soul’? Blessings in your pursuit…….TO