Posted in Christian on March 15, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Amen, Steve, Amen
Father, I fall on my face before You in worship this morning. Please forgive me for those times I’ve treated You as though You were my servant, somehow expected to meet my demands. I am Your servant, Lord, and I humbly bow before You today. Amen.
Posted in Christian on February 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
Sometimes we hear a Scriptural verse so often, it loses its impact. Take John 3:16, for example.
This was true for me for Psalm 46:10. I have it on my bulletin board near my computer and see it every day, yet way too often I do not take it seriously. In fact, I am anything but “being still”. I know He is God, but do I let that absorb deep into my soul? Breaking down the verse renewed its meaning for me.
Be still and know that I AM . . . Even though I know He is God, do I let Him be God over my life, or do I, more often than not, put Him on the back burner until I need His presence? He is my Father and Provider, My Lord and Savior, Omnipotent Creator, King of all kings. When Moses asked Him what His name was, God replied I AM. Jesus told the Pharisees that before there was Abraham I AM. He is here and now, not just in the Bible stories of the past. He is forever present, be it two thousand years ago or two thousand years from now. There is nothing that is more powerful than He, and He is in control. Be still and know . . . know not just with my brain, but with every fiber of my being. To know is to be certain, without a shadow of a doubt, or an ounce of hesitancy. We say, “I know for a fact . . .” when we are adamant about something. Do I know God? How can I know Him better? The answer is simple – by spending time with Him. That means I don’t do all the talking in my prayer life, but I stop and listen. And to listen, I must . . . Be still. . . How very easy, and yet very hard. To be still is also for me to be silent. Silence is hard to achieve in today’s world. We are surrounded by noise. But often it is only in silence that we can hear the powerful voice inside of us that we know is not from us. Being still requires effort, a conscious act of not being distracted. But, when you get right down to the heart of the matter, this is where you can find God and understand He has always been right there. Be – that is all God requires of us. We just need to be what we were created to be. Jesus’ death on the cross restored the relationship of man to God before the Fall of Adam and Eve. It returns us, through Christ’s blood, to our natural state of grace once we accept Him as Savior . But, our human nature mucks that up, doesn’t it? So, we need to remember to just be. Our merciful God accepts us as we are, with all our short comings and all our faults, and through the eyes of His Son, sees us as pure, blameless and made worthy when we come into His presence and ask for forgiveness. We don’t need to be perfect- Christ makes us that way. We only need to be willing to “be”.If a Bible verse starts to lose its impact, dissect it down. Read each word and find new meaning, with God’s help. Scripture is alive and breathing with His Spirit. We are not to just read it, but to digest it, make it a part of us, and live it.
Posted in Christian, tagged God's will, good intentions, Julie B Cosgrove, thy will be done, Where did you find God today, why bother on February 21, 2014| 2 Comments »
“I know he meant to help.” Jane shook the packet of sweetener like a red flag in front of a bull. “But he folded all the towels wrong. I had to redo them all so they’d hang right on the racks in the bathroom before our guests arrived. I barely had time to get my shoes on before the doorbell rang.” She clinked her spoon in her coffee cup a bit a faster. “If he’d only just do it my way. There’s a reason I do things the way I do, you know?”
Her friend patted Jane’s hand. “I know what you mean. Bob tries, but I have to constantly go behind him. He just doesn’t clean the way I like. You’d think after umpteen years of marriage he’d have learned. But, noooo…” She nudged the salt and pepper shakers on their table to line up with the flip folder of desert and drink offerings. “Yesterday, I caught him rinsing the dishes with the sponge I use to scrub the bathrooms. Ugh!”
Good intentions. Sometimes they don’t amount for much. Ah, but I hear you say, “They tried. Doesn’t that count for something? Do their wives have to be so picky? Isn’t it the thought that counts?”
And the poor husbands who tried to help. Bet their heads hung a bit lower. Maybe they sighed and thought, Why bother? I can never please her. Perhaps. Or maybe they just chuckled inside because, after all, they know their wives. Human relations are a sticky thing. We each have agendas, and none of us are perfect.
But, what about when we try to do something for God? Do we really know how He wants it done? We pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “thy will be done.” Do we mean it, or do we think more often than not, “Please bless my efforts as I do this my way. After all, it’s the thought that counts. I am trying to do this for You the best I can.” And when our efforts turn out less than perfect, we sigh and think, Why bother. I am not the right person for this ministry. God, why did you choose me?
The problem is, like the good-intention husbands, we are doing it the best we can, not not the best way He wants. Our Lord is perfect in all things. He knows the most excellent way things should be accomplished. There is a reason for each thing He allows to happen, each turn He wants us to take on the road, each lesson we are to learn along the way. Yet how often do we try to “do it for Him” and help out without asking Him how He wants it done? If we can learn that His ways are not our ways, and take the time to discover how He wants things done, then the outcome just might be better, don’t you think?
I struggle with perfection, which is silly because, as a human being, that is not a possible goal. But, I am learning if I do my perfect God’s will, and go in prayer to Him often to discover His instructions for the task He has given me, then its outcome is one more worry I can dismiss from my brain. Good intentions are great, but following directions is better.
What if that husband had asked beforehand, “Now tell me how you like the towels folded?” I hope that wife would not have rolled her eyes and huffed, “Never mind. I’ll do it.” I hope she’d have the grace to patiently show him. Their relationship would be a great deal more loving if she did. But then, well, we are all human.
However, we can always go to God and not worry about receiving a heavy sigh or an eye-roll. Even if we have to go to Him more than once and ask for instructions again and again. In fact, I think at least in my case, He wants me to do that. He wants to give me the directions step by step so I don’t try to veer off onto my own tangent and think my way is okay. That just leads to the road for disappointment.
Our patient Lord sees our good intentions, but wishes to perfect them in His grace. So He is always there to correct us, guide us and teach us, no matter how many tries it takes to line up our deeds with His will. So, if the things you are doing for God are not turning out the way you planned, go back to Him and reconnect with His plan. Then your good intentions will be God’s intentions.
That’s the message I found today from God. It is in this prayer –
“Give us the help of your grace, that in keeping your commandments we may please you both in will and deed..” from the Collect for the Sixth Sunday in Epiphany
Posted in Christian on February 19, 2014| 1 Comment »
This is an amazing story of people finding God in the middle of their suffering. Would you have found Him there?
We never know how strong our faith is until it is tested. When we find ourselves tested will our faith be deeply rooted and unwavering or will it be easily swayed? We find out where our faith stands when we face sufferings.
3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
My dear friends, Robert and Christie, know what it means to suffer. Robert’s ankle was shot in a hunting accident and yesterday he had a below the knee amputation. I was blessed to visit them in the hospital the day before the surgery. Robert and his wife, Christie, are living examples of the above verse in Romans. Their suffering has produced endurance. In the…
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Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged God loves you, God's timing, Julie B Cosgrove, pray, Where did you find God today on February 4, 2014| Leave a Comment »
After a two-hour drive, minus one pit-stop, my friend and I pulled up to the church in a strange town where in another month’s time we would be conducting a workshop for the women of my denomination. It had not been a good morning so far. The gas pump ran out of gas. so I grumbled as I had to pay $2.24 and then get in the car, back around, go to another gas station and fill the car the rest of the way. Then, It seemed that every slow driver in a 100 mile radius had descended on the highway in front of me. Grrr. And of course, every traffic light turned red just as I pulled up. And, when my bladder told me I probably should stop at a convenience store before arriving at the church, I grumbled again. “Sorry, I told my friend. I hate to be late, but…”
I decided to get a cup of coffee, because it seemed rude to use the facilities and not buy something. Besides, there was no one else at the counter, so what was another thirty seconds, right? But, of course, I had to wait for the cashier to get more change, As he tapped the bankers roll of quarters, my lips curled into a smile. But my mind screamed, Hurry, hurry.
But, at last we arrived at the church grounds. I looked at my dashboard clock. Five minutes to spare. I asked my friend who rode shotgun, “How could that be when I’ve been running late all morning?”
As we got out of the car, I noticed a woman sitting on a bench under a tree. At first I thought she might be one of the ladies we were supposed to meet to go over the logistics of the workshop. Maybe she was early, too 
and didn’t have a key. I said, “Hi”.
The woman’s shoulders almost folded into her torso. She gave me a quick glance, then her eyes darted back to her hands. “It’s so peaceful here. Is it okay if I just sit?”
It was then I noticed her red nose and eyes. She was crying. I looked at my friend. I think we both sensed that if the two of us approached this distraught person, it might overwhelm her. My friend discovered the door was unlocked, nodded, and slipped inside.
I walked over to the crying young woman and asked if I could pray with her. She shrugged. “I guess.”
She appeared uncomfortable. So, I told her I was visiting from out-of-town and gave her my first name. Her face relaxed a bit, as if she was relieved I might not know someone who knew her, the way small towns often work. She gave me her first name. I sat beside her, put my arm around her and held her. SIlently, I asked the Holy Spirit to give me the words to say out loud that would comfort her. I heard the message, “Tell her I love her.I always have and I always will.”
As I prayed that, I felt her body ease. After I said, “Amen.”, she whispered, “Thanks. How did you know what to pray for?”
I blinked back my own tears. “God did that. He told me what to pray. Trust me, He loves you more than you can ever imagine. He will never, ever stop, no matter what. So, hang in there, okay?”
As I walked into the church meeting hall, a sudden surge of humility flooded me. I was on God’s schedule, not my own. By His grace, I arrived just in time to meet this young woman, and pray with her. I thanked God for orchestrating my journey just right so as to put me there when He did– especially after the frustrations of the morning.
I will continue to pray for that young woman until God tells me I no longer need to do so. I don’t know why she was crying. I didn’t think it was up to me to ask. But God knew, and He used me to reach into her heart and offer her a ray of hope by giving me the words she needed to hear.
Despite everything else that went wrong that day, He turned it to good by giving me five minutes to spare.
What will He give you today to let you know He is there, and He cares?
Posted in Christian, Devotional, tagged footprints, Julie B Cosgrove, let God in, stand at the door and knock, Where did you find God today on February 1, 2014| 5 Comments »
They have been there for several weeks, even after a few misty, rainy days and even more sunny ones. Five footprints – left, right, left, right, left – follow from the portico to the double red doors that lead into the church grounds where I work. When the doors are opened, the concrete pathway continues through an enclosed meditation garden, known as the Garth, and then up a few steps into the church building. Except the footprints do not continue along that path. They stop at the threshold of the front double doors.
Now, logic tells me they were made on a very rainy day in early January when there was heavy traffic coming in for a funeral. But here is the weird part. There were many rainy, muddy footprints made that day, and all except these have washed or worn away. Another funny thing? These impressions on the concrete look as if someone was not wearing shoes
. I promise you, no one came to that funeral in January barefoot. Or did He?
In the Book of Revelation 3:20, Jesus claims that He stands at the door and knocks. He is a gentleman. We have to let Him in…even into our places of worship. Was Jesus allowed in that day? I am sure He was. So why have the footprints remained? And why do they stop at the door? You tell me.
The message I received is this: Each day as I walk to those red, double doors, the footsteps remind me that I have a choice. Do I let my Lord come in through those doors and into my office with me? Or do I leave Him at the threshold and try to get through the day alone? Despite the fact that I work in a place of worship,. I still must allow Jesus into my everyday life…every day. I can choose to have a bad day, or a God-filled, blessed one. It all depends on my perspective.
The same is true for anyone who enters, be it for work or worship.
I found God in five footprints that will not wash away. Where have you found Him today?
Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged 2 Corinthians 12, draw near to God, Julie B Cosgrove, Lori Benka, thorn in flesh, Where did you find God today on January 23, 2014| Leave a Comment »
I read this in a blog I follow by Lori Benka –
2 Corinthians 12:8-9 says:
“Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Let me give you a little background about Paul leading up to this verse. Scripture tells us that Paul was a great man of God. His ministry was growing and he performed many miracles through the power of Christ. But we see that Paul had something that was bothering him. It bothered Paul so much that he prayed three times for it to be removed. We are told about this “thorn in the flesh” that was very grievous to Paul. It is uncertain what the “thorn in the flesh” was, but many scholars believe it could have been acute bodily pain or sickness. Some even believe it could have been spiritual in nature – such as a temptation or persecution from an individual that constantly harassed Paul. In any case, He was growing very distressed.
After Paul prayed three times for this thorn to be removed, we see that God didn’t remove it. It is at this point that I ask myself why didn’t God answer Paul’s prayer? He was a faithful servant full of faith and yet, God didn’t remove the very thing that was distressing him the most. God’s answer to Paul is that His grace and strength would be sufficient for him to bear through the pain. Paul was drawing closer to God with his “thorn in the flesh.” Could it be that sometimes our prayers are not answered quickly because God is wanting to use our circumstance to draw us closer to Himself?
I think about a medical diagnosis that I have been praying about for thirteen years to be taken away. I don’t like the pain and uncertainty that comes along with the disease. But as I look back, I realized that every time I would have a flare up, I would begin to press into God more by praying and reading the Bible. The “thorn” was actually bringing me closer to God. I realized when I was weak and feeling like I couldn’t go on anymore, was when God would demonstrate His power to me the most. God’s grace flooded over me to allow me to push through my circumstances. Although unpleasant, I begin to see that my “thorns” act as an aid rather than a handicap….
What amazing insight! Please read the rest of her blog at http://lorilbenka.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/why-wont-you-remove-this-thorn-lord/#like-320. It will bless you! And if you know someone in pain right now, share this with them. It just may be the comforting thing they need to hear.
Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged challenges, God is in control. Where Did You FInd God Today?. Julie B Cosgrove, God is my strength, let Christ carry your burden, life's burdenss, path, Psalm 24 on January 12, 2014| 1 Comment »
Where did I see God today? It was in the eyes of several women.
I saw Him dancing in the eyes of an elderly woman who still loves life, even though she limps with a cane. She puts others ahead of herself in conversations, in deeds, and in her prayers.
I saw God in another woman who is in her second year of widowhood.Her shoulders aligned a bit straighter. Her mannerisms appeared more settled and relaxed, and laughter glistened in her eyes. Being a widow myself, it is always good to see another who has scaled the steep walls of the grave’s grief and is now basking above in the sunshine of God’s care.
And I saw God in the eyes of a dear friend and her husband who went through a horrendous car accident and spent weeks in recovery. My heart warmed as they exchanged the glances of a deeply committed love while playing with their grandchild.
Finally I saw My Lord in the smiles of a single mom who has finally learned if you place Christ first in your life, then all else will fall into place- kids, finances, even loneliness in the middle of the night.
All very different women. Yet all have one thing in common- a blossomed faith that has enabled them to overcome the circumstances life has dealt them. All, like me, had been weak but are now strong in Christ because they chose to yoke to Him and have let Him carry their burdens.
Knowing of their pasts, as I witness each stroll the path God had given them with joy in their faces and peace in their countenance, it has strengthened my walk with Him as well.
Where do I see God? At work in these women whom I cherish. I thank Him for letting our paths intersect.
When faced with a 
challenge in your life, which path will you choose? The one in which you try to handle it on your own, or the ones these wise women took?
Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me for You are God My Savior and my hope is in You all day long. Psalm 24:4-5
Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged Do GOd's will, Holy Spirit, Jesus, John the Batizer, Julie B Cosgrove, obey, This is my Son for whom I am well pleased, trust, Where Did You Find God on January 9, 2014| Leave a Comment »
John stands knee-deep in the river, day after day. He feels this inner fervency to draw people to repent. So much so that he lives off the land and sleeps under the stars. Relentlessly, he cries out, taking no notice of how he is received. Maybe, just maybe a few will respond.
Then, one day, the Son of 
God, for whom he has been preparing others to receive, arrives and wants to be baptized as well. John says, “Uh, no. You are the one who should be doing this to me. I am not worthy to untie your sandals.”
But Jesus tells him this is what must be done, and there is purpose in it. I can picture him as he looked into John’s eyes. I almost hear him say, “Trust me on this. You have to do this. You’ll see why in a minute.”
As he is baptized, the Holy Spirit comes to bolster Jesus through the next three years of grueling ministry. God anoints Him for the task. He confirms that Jesus is His Son.
Jesus’ baptism has another purpose as well. It’s is also a foreshadowing of Jesus passing that same Holy Spirit on to each believer who is baptized in His name and receives Him into their lives. While John baptized for repentance of sins, Jesus takes that and turns it into so much more. John’s baptisms was temporary and temporal. Jesus’s obedience turned it into a divine and eternal action of our loving and willing-to-forgive Father in Heaven.
Have you ever felt inadequate for a ministry God has called you to do? Then you can relate to John. But just as Jesus told John that what he was asking him to do was purposeful and necessary, so He tells you. Just do it, trust and then watch what happens. Christ can take your simple acts of obedient talent and manifest Himself into them so they become significantly more than you ever imagined.. He did it with water jugs at a wedding, with a boy’s meal of fish and bread, and with two pieces of wood tied to make a cross bar in which to punish thieves and murderers.
So, do what Christ is calling you to do, no matter how insignificant it makes you feel. Obey His command. Perhaps the skies won’t open up and an illuminated dove descend. But God will nod and say, “This is my child, with whom I am well pleased.”
Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged follow, Julie B Cosgorve, Light of Christ, shine before others, star, Where did you find God today on January 7, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Isaiah 60:1-3
How do you react when a bright light hits your eyes? If it hits you too soon all at once, you see nothing but the aura of the light. You may feel blinded and disorientated. Do you cover your eyes to block it out? Or, do you blink and squint as you wait for your pupils to adjust before you can take it all in? I guess it depends on if you want to(pardon the 1970’s era pun, man) see the light or not.
For many out there, Christ, the way some reveal Him, can just too bright for them. They are used to the darkness. So they won’t look. They turn their heads away. To try to gaze on Him can ache. His brightness makes them adjust how they see things. Why bother?
But, two millennia ago, three kings, a.k.a. wise men, did look – and follow. But you see, they had been searching a while. They had heard of the prophecies. They wanted to see the King of kings. They had trained their eyes to scan the heavens. Then they found a star which was brighter than the others, enough to be noticeable, to lead them down that path. It took a while. Even then, when they found Jesus, he was not what they expected.
I think too often we Christians blast our non-believing acquaintances with too much light too soon. They feel as if they are in a police interrogation room. They become defensive, nervous. Afraid their wrongdoings will be exposed, they squirm, look away, or refuse to react at all. True, it worked for Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, but that is not the norm. He was a radical man embarked on a radical ministry. He needed a radical experience to jolt him into changing directions. Most people are not that way.
God didn’t blind the earth with light to announce His coming. He spoke through prophets and told the people to watch for the signs. In His perfect timing, He sent a light in the sky pointing to Himself in the form of a human. Gradually over time, that Light shone in Him brighter and brighter as He grew into manhood, walked, talked, ate, healed, forgave and died.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16
That should be our example. Speak it, yes, but most of all live it out. Show what you know– walk like you talk– live what you believe. Give the non-believers’ eyes time to adjust. Those who have seen the signs and are searching will follow. The others may turn away for now, but most likely they will be drawn to look again at another time.
Epiphany means to reveal. I think evangelism should be an everyday event–the natural outgrowth of our life in Christ. If we are living out the Gospel, then people adjust to that and it won’t seem so harsh and glaring. They will see Him softly shining through our attitudes towards our everyday ups and downs. They will see His love glisten through our actions as we put them, and others, before our own needs. They will see that we are different somehow. We have an unwavering strength and unconditional peace. Slowly, they will begin to watch, and then be drawn to Christ living in us, and finally follow.
Let’s not be a spotlight on their sins, but a warm-glowing beacon that peaks their curiosity, and then, like the Epiphany star 2,000 years ago, leads them to Him who can wash them white as snow.
Shine, Jesus shine.
Where Did You Find God Today? 