MOVING DAY

Time to go! Time to grow

I trust that this blog  inspired you, challenged you and made you think.  Since January 2009, I enjoyed posting and hearing from you all.

 You can now find me publishing the good news of the gospel on  www.nuggetsforliving.org.

See you there!

Who do you think you are?

Okay, so I’m reading the story of David and Goliath right? And I find this interesting thing happening; I’m cracking up and rooting for David. Now, I’ve read this story before and heard of it more. Many people know this story or have heard of it as a classic bible story. There’s even a cartoon formed after it on Christian TV, anyway you get the picture. This time though, the story is different and that’s exactly my point. The Bible is so cool and unique in that you can read it over and over, yet each time it’s possible to gain insight previously veiled.  Has the story changed? No, but I have. I have more experiences coupled with changed perspectives that happen with time, so the story now reads differently and I’m cracking up as I read it and commenting out loud to myself like… “You  tell him  David!”

Then it occurs to me. What does this story have to do with me? How can or should I apply this to my life?

David was the least of Jesse’s sons according to presentation to the prophet Samuel. He wasn’t all that tall and he was a shepherd. Yet God had his eye on him because of the relationship he established with God in His alone time tending the sheep. Imagine that, an unpopular youngest son, a worshiper from an alone place called to the forefront. No, selected by God to succeed King Saul as the next King of Israel, but before that He would prove His courage through a series of trying events. One of which was taking down Goliath.

Here’s what totally floats my boat. For forty days the army of Israel was being taunted by this mammoth warrior of the Philistines, Goliath. He had riddled them with fear and no man would withstand Goliath, until David. David appeared on the scene by chance it seems and learned of the standoff to which he replied, ”Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”I Sam 17:26 b. David was bold because He knew who he was. He had taken down a bear and a lion and most importantly he knew the presence of his God, so to hear of the challenge only caused him to draw on his reservoir of experiences.

 Who do you think you are? Your answer has everything to do with what you can accomplish.

But the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. Daniel 11:32b

Go ahead and ask

Look what I stumbled upon today:

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. John 14:13-14 KJV

I can remember the first time I realized this scripture could be taken literally. I was a stay at home mom and I really wanted a new kitchen table.  This may not sound like a big deal to you, but we had made a choice to live on one income while I raised our young daughter.  This meant sacrifice on several levels, one of which was a furniture fund. I had a kitchen table, but I wanted this newer cooler one I had seen and it simply was not in the budget.

I sat on the side of my bed looking out at the big tree on the front lawn and I prayed “Lord your word says that

if I ask any thing in your name you will do it that the Father may be glorified. I am asking you for the new kitchen table in Jesus name, Amen.”

Guess what happened? I’m not sure how much time passed, but in  a short while, my Heavenly Father put it on the heart of a loved one to gift me with that new table! This is a true story. If I were to create a list of such prayers over the course of my faith journey, it would be rather long.

Praise the Lord! He is a Father who hears, cares and grants good gifts to His children.  Are you His child?  Go ahead, ask!

Lessons in Patience

The other day I went to a nearby grocery store. I had already picked up most of my items from another store, but just needed a few more things from this store in particular.  I was off that morning and not necessarily in a hurry.  I got my items, probably less than ten and moved toward the check out lanes. This store has regular check out lanes as well as the self-checkout for easy exiting, nonetheless, I got in line behind someone with quite a bit of grocery in their cart. No problem. Remember,  I wasn’t  in a hurry. 

I took the opportunity to check out the center photo spread of Sandra Bullock’s new baby Louis…wow. Then it occurred to me that someone was behind me “huffing and puffing” obviously shifting from one foot to the next when I turned to see a very stressed out woman jerk her cart out of line behind me and floor it to the self check out lanes.  This observation caused me to look into my own cart. I assessed that I too could self check out, afterall, I didn’t have that many items.  So I exited the line I was in and leisurely strolled over to self-chekout.

 I could see the hurried woman who had dashed out of line behind me seconds earlier. Her face was drawn, brow furrowed. She was obviously in a hurry and extremely agitated. I saw an open line and began to scan my less than ten items when I heard some commotion from her lane as she hurriedly checked out. something hadn’t scanned correctly, something was priced wrong. As I finished my order, paid-bagged my items. I looked over my shoulder to see that harried woman, now in the customer service line trying to sort out what went wrong at the self-checkout. As I exited the store, way ahead of her and still calm, this came to me……lessons in Patience

Take it easy, moving fast doesn’t make you first

Drive at the speed limit. You’ ll get there at the same time the person races around you does if not before.

Don’t respond to everyone’s hysteria around you. Let them process their anxiety for themselves.

Keep your priorities straight.

 

 

 

Only the courageous

Now therefore come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, “Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’” So 22,000 people returned, but 10,000 remained. Judges 7:3

God had Gideon sift through the large number of men of battle using a series of tests. The first one mentioned above was a voluntary admission. Everyone who was afraid to enter into battle with the Midianites could dismiss themselves.

Salvation

Surely His salvation is near to those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, [and is ready to be appropriated] that [the manifest presence of God, His] glory may tabernacle and abide in our land.  Psalm 85:9

Salvation is near those who conduct themselves in reverence to God, so that He may dwell in the Land. God’s agenda is salvation, deliverance, residence on the earth through His son Jesus Christ alive in believers.

Embrace Salvation

Be a facilitator of salvation to someone else

Listen for a change

I will listen [with expectancy] to what God the Lord will say, for He will speak peace to His people, to His saints (those who are in right standing with Him)–but let them not turn again to [self-confident] folly. Psalm 85:8 amplified

Everybody’s talking. Everyone has a perspective, a point of view. Many people make a good point of their arguments. One thing is for sure, no one human knows everything. God does. He knows your end from your beginning and everything about you. He knows why you’re still living and breathing and how to guide you into optimal living.  Optimal living for you according to His plan, not your ideal, but you’ve got to listen. Open His word and listen. Then after hearing do what you heard. A common mistake believer’s make is to seek God for guidance then superimpose their will, wants and desires over His. He will allow this, but at what cost. The consequences of following after the counsel of our own hearts are hard and difficult to manage.

Listen for a change.

 Lord don’t let presumptuous sin rule me, instead, order my steps in your word.

Take courage

Courage to live uncompromisingly for God

Courage to speak for the Master

Courage to say “No”

Courage to wait

Courage to think for yourself and speak up

Courage to make difficult decisions and own them

Courage to face opposition and not retreat

Courage to win

Courage to succeed

Courage to prosper

Take courage!

Roll Call in the City of God

¹ON THE holy hills stands the city [of Jerusalem and the temple] God founded.

    ²The Lord loves the gates of Zion [through which the crowds of pilgrims enter from all nations] more than all the dwellings of Jacob (Israel).

    ³Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah [pause, and calmly realize what that means]!

    ⁴I will make mention of Rahab [the poetic name for Egypt] and Babylon as among those who know [the city of God]–behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia (Cush)–[saying], This man was born there.

    ⁵Yes, of Zion it shall be said, This man and that man were born in her, for the Most High Himself will establish her.

    ⁶The Lord shall count, when He registers the peoples, that this man was born there. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!  Psalm 87:1-7

    ⁷The singers as well as the players on instruments shall say, All my springs (my sources of life and joy) are in you [city of our God].

Driven by purpose

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19

Did you know that the heart has memory? Indeed it does. The heart remembers joy, pain, struggle. It holds an emotional snap shot of such. It can also enslave the one who meditates on the hurdles rather than focusing forward.  As the Shunammite woman(2 Kings 4:24) instructed her transportation to the priest’s house after the death of her son, “Drive! Go forward! Slack not!”