I love this song and wanted to share it - just a reminder that God is not finished with us yet! :)
(I don't know how to embed photos so go to this link!)
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Quiet Time with the Lord
I found a few tips for getting into a routine of spending time with God every day. I think we all could use some help with that! It's so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and miss this important part of knowing God.
(These were all taken from an article by Lysa TerKeurst.)
1. Be honest with God and admit your struggle. Ask God to give you the desire to set aside time to be with Him.
2. Start with just a small amount of time. Even if it is just 5 minutes at first, give this 5 minutes solely to the Lord without any other distractions. Over the next weeks and months, your desire for more time with Him will increase.
3. Use a version of the Bible that lends itself to study. I use the NIV Life Application Study Bible and I love it. It helps me understand the context each book was written in and gives me commentaries to understand specific verses.
4. Ask God for understanding as you read the Bible. When I first started reading the Bible I had a hard time. So, I started praying that God would open my spiritual eyes to see the truths in a life changing way for me.
5. Write some of the verses that seem most applicable to your life on 3x5 cards and use them in your prayers. For example, Matthew 6:19-20 says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven." So, I could use this verse in my prayer time by praying, "God, help me to know how to store up treasures in Heaven. Help me to relinquish my tight hold on my earthly possessions so I can use them to build Your kingdom now. Show me how to best use that which You have blessed me with. Give me Your mindset for the money I have."
6. Get involved in a Bible Study with friends. This will help hold you accountable to getting your study time done and will open up great discussions to deepen everyone's understanding of applying God's truths to everyday life.
7. (This one helps me!) Journal conversations with the Lord. Keeping a prayer journal helps you stay focused as you pray since you are writing down your prayers. It also is a cool way to look back and see how God has answered past prayers.
(These were all taken from an article by Lysa TerKeurst.)
1. Be honest with God and admit your struggle. Ask God to give you the desire to set aside time to be with Him.
2. Start with just a small amount of time. Even if it is just 5 minutes at first, give this 5 minutes solely to the Lord without any other distractions. Over the next weeks and months, your desire for more time with Him will increase.
3. Use a version of the Bible that lends itself to study. I use the NIV Life Application Study Bible and I love it. It helps me understand the context each book was written in and gives me commentaries to understand specific verses.
4. Ask God for understanding as you read the Bible. When I first started reading the Bible I had a hard time. So, I started praying that God would open my spiritual eyes to see the truths in a life changing way for me.
5. Write some of the verses that seem most applicable to your life on 3x5 cards and use them in your prayers. For example, Matthew 6:19-20 says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven." So, I could use this verse in my prayer time by praying, "God, help me to know how to store up treasures in Heaven. Help me to relinquish my tight hold on my earthly possessions so I can use them to build Your kingdom now. Show me how to best use that which You have blessed me with. Give me Your mindset for the money I have."
6. Get involved in a Bible Study with friends. This will help hold you accountable to getting your study time done and will open up great discussions to deepen everyone's understanding of applying God's truths to everyday life.
7. (This one helps me!) Journal conversations with the Lord. Keeping a prayer journal helps you stay focused as you pray since you are writing down your prayers. It also is a cool way to look back and see how God has answered past prayers.
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Day I Sat in God's Lap
I read this devotion this morning and thought it worth sharing! Have a wonderful day!
(by Tracie Miles)
"Come near to God and he will come near to you." James 4:8a (NIV)
A couple months ago, I found myself in despair. I had been hurt and felt betrayed by a friend. How was I going to fix the issues I was suddenly facing? My heart and mind were overwhelmed with the storm that had unexpectedly raged into my life.
One Sunday afternoon, I was feeling especially sad and worried about it. To hide my tears from my family, I wandered quietly into the solace of my bedroom. It was a rainy day and the room was dim, so I clicked on the lamp beside my bed. As the warm glow of light bathed the room, my eyes fell upon the little glass box a sweet friend had given me a few weeks earlier.
This beautiful engraved box, wrapped in a soft yellow bow, was filled with little slips of carefully folded papers, and on each slip of paper was an encouraging Bible verse. This would have been a wonderful gift in itself, but to make it even more special, my friend had inserted my name into each of the verses. When I read them, I felt as if God was speaking directly to me, as if He was calling out to Tracie, by name.
As I sat quietly alone in my bedroom unfolding each little slip of paper, tears streamed down my face. I read every verse silently, asking God to hear my prayers, comfort me, take away my hurt, and show me the way.
After a few minutes of intense prayer and focus, I became aware of God's presence in the room.
I felt Him wrap His holy comforting arms around me and pull me into His presence. Suddenly, an idea popped into my mind. Instead of putting the papers back in the glass box after reading them, I spread them out all around me. Most were in front of me so I could read and focus on them over and over. But I placed several to my right, se veral to my left, and even put a few behind my back.
As I sat on my bed, fully surrounded on every side by holy words, God impressed upon my heart that I was virtually nestled into His lap; the lap of my heavenly Father. The thought nearly took my breath away.
What an awesome privilege to be positioned right smack in the middle of God's Word. To be sitting in the lap of the One who created me. To be entirely physically surrounded by His truths. To see His written promises speaking specifically to me.
I realized I wasn't merely surrounded by slips of paper. I was surrounded by countless reassurances that He heard my prayers. What a gentle reminder that I needed to put my trust in Him, and I really could find rest in Him.
I thanked God for reminding me that when I seek Him, I will find Him, and for helping me see just how alive His Word really is.
Dear Lord, thank You for who You are. For the privilege of getting to spend time with You and sit qu ietly with You. Thank You for engaging in conversation with me, a broken and needy soul. Help me have the strength through You to overcome the obstacles that Satan would love for me to trip over. Give me the passion and commitment to continue seeking You with all my heart, even when life gets tough or people disappoint me. Thank You for always being there when I need You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
(by Tracie Miles)
"Come near to God and he will come near to you." James 4:8a (NIV)
A couple months ago, I found myself in despair. I had been hurt and felt betrayed by a friend. How was I going to fix the issues I was suddenly facing? My heart and mind were overwhelmed with the storm that had unexpectedly raged into my life.
One Sunday afternoon, I was feeling especially sad and worried about it. To hide my tears from my family, I wandered quietly into the solace of my bedroom. It was a rainy day and the room was dim, so I clicked on the lamp beside my bed. As the warm glow of light bathed the room, my eyes fell upon the little glass box a sweet friend had given me a few weeks earlier.
This beautiful engraved box, wrapped in a soft yellow bow, was filled with little slips of carefully folded papers, and on each slip of paper was an encouraging Bible verse. This would have been a wonderful gift in itself, but to make it even more special, my friend had inserted my name into each of the verses. When I read them, I felt as if God was speaking directly to me, as if He was calling out to Tracie, by name.
As I sat quietly alone in my bedroom unfolding each little slip of paper, tears streamed down my face. I read every verse silently, asking God to hear my prayers, comfort me, take away my hurt, and show me the way.
After a few minutes of intense prayer and focus, I became aware of God's presence in the room.
I felt Him wrap His holy comforting arms around me and pull me into His presence. Suddenly, an idea popped into my mind. Instead of putting the papers back in the glass box after reading them, I spread them out all around me. Most were in front of me so I could read and focus on them over and over. But I placed several to my right, se veral to my left, and even put a few behind my back.
As I sat on my bed, fully surrounded on every side by holy words, God impressed upon my heart that I was virtually nestled into His lap; the lap of my heavenly Father. The thought nearly took my breath away.
What an awesome privilege to be positioned right smack in the middle of God's Word. To be sitting in the lap of the One who created me. To be entirely physically surrounded by His truths. To see His written promises speaking specifically to me.
I realized I wasn't merely surrounded by slips of paper. I was surrounded by countless reassurances that He heard my prayers. What a gentle reminder that I needed to put my trust in Him, and I really could find rest in Him.
I thanked God for reminding me that when I seek Him, I will find Him, and for helping me see just how alive His Word really is.
Dear Lord, thank You for who You are. For the privilege of getting to spend time with You and sit qu ietly with You. Thank You for engaging in conversation with me, a broken and needy soul. Help me have the strength through You to overcome the obstacles that Satan would love for me to trip over. Give me the passion and commitment to continue seeking You with all my heart, even when life gets tough or people disappoint me. Thank You for always being there when I need You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Friday, October 9, 2009
"Where was Joseph when Jesus was crucified?"
This question came up Wednesday night during our discussion of Joseph. This link was recommended by Pastor Dan... read up!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
A snapshot of Matthew (Chapter 2)
Key Verse:
As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. 'Follow me,' Jesus told told him, and Levi got up and followed him." (Mark 2:14)
Strengths and Accomplishments:
- Was one of Jesus' 12 disciples
- Responded immediately to Jesus' call
- Invited many friends to his home to meet Jesus
- Compiled the Gospel of Matthew
- Clarified for his Jewish audience Jesus' fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies
Lessons from his life:
- Jesus consistently accepted people from every level of society
- Matthew was given a new life, and his God-given skills of record-keeping and attention to detail were given new purpose
- Having been accepted by Jesus, Matthew immediately tried to bring others into contact with Jesus
(Taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV)
As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. 'Follow me,' Jesus told told him, and Levi got up and followed him." (Mark 2:14)
Strengths and Accomplishments:
- Was one of Jesus' 12 disciples
- Responded immediately to Jesus' call
- Invited many friends to his home to meet Jesus
- Compiled the Gospel of Matthew
- Clarified for his Jewish audience Jesus' fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies
Lessons from his life:
- Jesus consistently accepted people from every level of society
- Matthew was given a new life, and his God-given skills of record-keeping and attention to detail were given new purpose
- Having been accepted by Jesus, Matthew immediately tried to bring others into contact with Jesus
(Taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV)
A snapshot of Joseph (Chapter 1)
Key Verses:
“Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit’” (Matthew
Strengths and Accomplishments:
- A man of integrity
- A descendent of King David
- Jesus’ legal and earthly father
- A person sensitive to God’s guidance and willing to do God’s will no matter what the consequence
Lessons from his life:
- God honors integrity
- Social position is of little importance when God chooses to use us
- Being obedient to the guidance we have from God leads to more guidance from him
- Feelings are not accurate measures of the rightness or wrongness of an action
(Taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV)
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
A Different Way to Look at Suffering
Thanks to Mandy for sharing this devotion this morning!
A Different Way to Look at Suffering, by Micca Monda Campbell.
Jesus had a unique way of clearing up misconceptions by helping people see truth as it was meant to be. For example, in John 9 we find Jesus refuting the traditional explanation of suffering when His disciples point to a man born blind and ask, "Who sinned, this man or his parents?" In other words, they wanted to know Why did he deserve blindness? Jesus answers frankly, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."
The disciples looked backwards to find out why the man was blind. Jesus redirects their attention by pointing forward and upward with a new and different perspective.
Usually, our response to challenges or suffering is determined by our perspective. When our focus is inward on ourselves or outward on circumstances, our natural response is fear, insecurity, grumbling and despair. I know. I've been there far too often. Have you?
Yet, Jesus redirects our questions and our focus. In doing so, it causes us to see suffering in a new light that disproves the old tradition. Not all suffering is a direct result of sin. Pain has a higher purpose in our lives. It's not necessarily there because we deserve it. It's to reveal God's glory.
Suffering is meant to refine us. James says it makes us "perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (1:4b, ESV). Pain drives us to seek the heart and will of God.
Perhaps you and I have been going at it all wrong. We've been looking backwards in the rearview mirror of life asking, "Why? What did I do to deserve this?" Instead, we should look forward and up asking, "What's the purpose of my pain? What's the end result? What is God trying to do, accomplish, or teach me?"
These types of questions enable us to hold out hope for the future. They remind us our suffering can be transformed or redeemed. Tragedies and hardships like the loss of a spouse, a child, a limb, a job, or a home can be used to display God's work and make us more like Jesus.
Isn't it time you and I looked up? An upward focus brings about a supernatural response that reflects trust and confidence in God, as He brings about His glorious work in each of us.
Dear Lord, give me a new perspective today. Help me see the real meaning of my suffering. Enable me to trust You with the good work You are accomplishing in my life through this pain. I long for You to be glorified in this trial. Give me the strength I need to make that happen. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
A Different Way to Look at Suffering, by Micca Monda Campbell.
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." John 9:3
Jesus had a unique way of clearing up misconceptions by helping people see truth as it was meant to be. For example, in John 9 we find Jesus refuting the traditional explanation of suffering when His disciples point to a man born blind and ask, "Who sinned, this man or his parents?" In other words, they wanted to know Why did he deserve blindness? Jesus answers frankly, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."
The disciples looked backwards to find out why the man was blind. Jesus redirects their attention by pointing forward and upward with a new and different perspective.
Usually, our response to challenges or suffering is determined by our perspective. When our focus is inward on ourselves or outward on circumstances, our natural response is fear, insecurity, grumbling and despair. I know. I've been there far too often. Have you?
Yet, Jesus redirects our questions and our focus. In doing so, it causes us to see suffering in a new light that disproves the old tradition. Not all suffering is a direct result of sin. Pain has a higher purpose in our lives. It's not necessarily there because we deserve it. It's to reveal God's glory.
Suffering is meant to refine us. James says it makes us "perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (1:4b, ESV). Pain drives us to seek the heart and will of God.
Perhaps you and I have been going at it all wrong. We've been looking backwards in the rearview mirror of life asking, "Why? What did I do to deserve this?" Instead, we should look forward and up asking, "What's the purpose of my pain? What's the end result? What is God trying to do, accomplish, or teach me?"
These types of questions enable us to hold out hope for the future. They remind us our suffering can be transformed or redeemed. Tragedies and hardships like the loss of a spouse, a child, a limb, a job, or a home can be used to display God's work and make us more like Jesus.
Isn't it time you and I looked up? An upward focus brings about a supernatural response that reflects trust and confidence in God, as He brings about His glorious work in each of us.
Dear Lord, give me a new perspective today. Help me see the real meaning of my suffering. Enable me to trust You with the good work You are accomplishing in my life through this pain. I long for You to be glorified in this trial. Give me the strength I need to make that happen. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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