Blessed or Stressed

If not circumspect, we can easily get caught up in the busyness/rush/stress of life.......in particular the time of year-the holiday season.  During the holidays our goal should be to dwell more on the gratitude of Jesus birth and not of focusing on the details, the perfect gift, party, foods, decorations.....and so on--Does this sound a little familiar?  Martha comes to mind  (Luke 10:38-42), she was so consumed with the tasks at hand (not necessarily a bad thing), however, she lost sight of One more important.....the visiting Jesus.  What matters most is the need and opportunity to seek Jesus and spend time with Him-a lesson Martha learned.  I challenge all of us to contemplate regularly the following:  What are we seeking;  What is important;  What do we spend our time and energy on.  May we always be thankful and train our hearts (as well as our children, and others we come into contact with during our precious lives) towards our Savior-instead on inconsequential/temporary matters (Colossians 3:2). We are so blessed to be a child of the Almighty God....let's not miss out through the busyness/stress.
Blessings in your pursuit.......TO

Light It Up!

I often wonder am I truly being the light of Jesus that God expects me to be.  Is my life (through Jesus) so non conforming to this world, that others will see the glory of Zion and be drawn to Him.  Isaiah 60:1-3 says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.   Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.  Jesus is the light of this world, a constant, our Redeemer and Saviour.  May we always allow Jesus to shine in our lives so boldly that others will seek this joy and salvation.  As we ask, seek and knock......may God fill us with His presence.  May my goal in life be to-- Light It (the world) Up for the sake of Christ.  Daniel 12:3,   Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

Attention (Gift of Listening)

     We live in a world of "busyness" and something else I refer to as "technological deafness".  There are many daily items/activities that compete for our attention......some good, others not.  Multi-tasking has come to the forefront in order for us to feel we are maximizing our energy, time and efforts.  While this is sometime somewhat unavoidable/necessary in accomplishing tasks at hand, it can be very detrimental to our communication process.  This leaves gaps, chances for misunderstandings and selective hearing tends to rule.  Time, people, relationships are vital to us........the goal should be to place our efforts where most important.  This should include: our faith/time with God, our family (spouse, children, extended family), other relationships/serving, work/providing.  A tall order for our daily lives where time seems to quickly vanish.  In the scheme of life on this earth, we are but a vapor and  time is short.  May we make it a habit to stop and give out UNDIVIDED attention in our relationships.  To me, this is a most precious gift to give someone.....indicating they are important and we care for them by setting aside other priorities and for the time it takes to fully/completely LISTEN.  I need God's help, mercy and blessings in this matter--I'm certain all can relate.
     We all long to be wanted/heard/loved by those dearest and special to us.  We always EXPECT others to LISTEN TO US- this includes our God (Psalm 54:2). We offer prayers, expecting answers we want (Psalm 17:6).  If we have these desired outcome from others, why do we struggle with the busyness/technology gadgets when we are here to serve and not be served.  May we always avoid being PHYSICALLY PRESENT, yet MENTALLY ABSENT......by extending the GIFT OF ATTENTIVE LISTENING ( Luke 2:46).  Blessings in your pursuit.......TO

FMEOJ

WHAT?    I am usually curious of acronyms.  I work in a government setting, so I have ample opportunities to discover new acronyms--there seems to be one for just about anything.  Often times they spell out an actual word, other times they look like this title.  When I see unfamiliar acronyms, I find myself tantalized to figure it out, trying my best to match possible words pertaining to the material at hand that could encompass this shortcut meaning.
So, FMEOJ-are you like me and have attempted to solve?  Well, here it is....Fixing My Eyes On Jesus!  This should be our daily goal, our modus operandi (MO), seeking God to fend off Satan's temptations.  In Matthew 14:29-30, Peter takes his eyes/focus off Jesus on the water and begins to sink.  That is what happens in our lives as we fixate on other means in an effort to satisfy us.  God's loving grace is sufficient-even during those difficult trials we face.....do we live like we believe this?  I often fail especially when I do not FMEOJ and try to resolve issues my way.  We need reminded often.  May we truly seek Him first, look to the Lord, thanking and praising Him in the good times and the bad.  Proverbs 4:25-27 suggests similar advise.......Let your eyes look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.  Blessings in your pursuit.......TO

Recipe For Life

Those who know me best, are aware  that I am no stranger to the kitchen and  I do not mind cooking--especially desserts.  I recently came across this fantastic recipe I wanted to share.  This one is more important than any food variety.
RECIPE FOR LIFE  (Author Unknown):
Begin with a bowl of JOY
Add a heaping spoonful of GRATITUDE
Fold in a dollop of KINDNESS
Stir in a handful of FORGIVENESS
Sprinkle liberally with LOVE and cover with PEACE
Always serve with a large side of FAITH
Feed others, your family and yourself DAILY
Leave a SPIRITUAL LEGACY of God's LOVE and GRACE

While the earthly author may be unknown, we know where the principles of this teaching and examples come from..........our HEAVENLY FATHER.
Blessings in your pursuit.......TO
 

Entertained by.......?

Why do I make ‘entertainment choices that I know my Heavenly Father does not approve and considers it sin?………that same  sin that His only son,  Jesus,  went to the cross, dying for these iniquities.   Our modern society is infatuated  with being entertained.  We Christians are not to conform to worldliness, we are to be different, a shining light reflective of Jesus--(Matt 5:14-16; Acts 13:17).  Lev. 20:26 says, "You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own"  God makes it clear that the wages of sin is eternal death-do I really embrace this and think of Godliness and purity when I make my ‘entertainment’ choices.  I do not watch much TV, but one of my favorite sitcoms was Seinfeld.  While I found each cast member very talented and humorous, the majority of the episodes comprise of sinful connotations-I am weaning myself from this once favorite ‘entertainment’ option.  It’s disappointing there are not more wholesome venues—Thank God for Sherwood Baptist Church and their movies as well as others.  I admire folks like actor Kirk Cameron who has put his talents to work for the Lord.  All Christians collectively should and must stand firm, take action and support one another.  How lightly we often treat sin today!  Why have we conformed to watering down Biblical standards and what is acceptable? Jesus, the Lamb of God, paid the ultimate price in giving His life.  He allowed His own blood to be shed so that He could be the Sacrifice of all sacrifices.  He was the final and complete sacrifice.  Jesus' death set us free from sin and death and paved our way to a life of holiness.  That is the cost of sin and the price of forgiveness.  I  have a choice to make.  I could continue to laugh at things that the Bible clearly calls sin and turn my back on the gift that I had been given, or I can choose holiness. I'm sure this will be an ongoing struggle as God calls me to evaluate my entertainment, but I'm choosing to win one small victory at a time.  Do not conform.......be the light of Jesus.  Blessings in your pursuit of choosing your entertainment…….TO

Entitled or Entrusted

I occasionally listen to talk radio in an attempt to keep abreast of current events.  What is disheartening though is that controversy and argumentative discourse is the norm.  Whether it be from listeners calling in or from the host, I cannot help but feel as though most people believe we are entitled  to wealth, health, satisfaction to all needs/wants, etc.  The truth is that while certain rights were drawn up in our Constitution and have endured throughout our history, we are not promised or guaranteed such a life.  What we do  have-which is usually an abundance here in America, are blessings from our Almighty God.  He has entrusted these to us for the purpose of serving others and to praise and glorify our God.  Luke 12: 48b says, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.  Luke 16:1-15 illustrates on being good stewards of what God provides.  The challenge that I must battle is what attitude am I showing to those around me when life is not dealing the cards I think I am ‘entitled’ to?  Do others here me complaining, doubting, being negative?  Or do I, no matter the circumstances, display thankfulness for the blessings I have been entrusted with?  Do I demonstrate trust and obedience to God during the storms.  This is another constant battle that I struggle with especially with the entitlement tone which seems to inundate our daily lives and society. The good news, God is faithful in His promises to the obedient.   Blessings in your pursuit…….TO