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Posts Tagged ‘Where did you find God today’

Choose what I chose

Posted in Biblical, Devotional, tagged , , , , , , , on December 15, 2014| 1 Comment »

samuel davidAs I read the story of Samuel’s anointing of David, God whispered something into my soul. “I led Samuel to choose what I chose.”

In 1st Samuel 16, the prophet knows he is to anoint the king who will replace Saul. God tells him to head for Jesse’s land and that He will show him to anoint. Samuel arrives and discovers Jesse’s eldest son. Ah, ha. Surely…but God says, “No. You see the outwards appearance but I see into a person’s heart.” On down the line, Jesse eyes each of the sons only to keep hearing the same answer.

Believing God called him to anoint someone on Jesse’s land, he asks the question. Who else is around? Lo and behold, the youngest who was away tending the sheep is the one God has chosen.

Samuel could have saved a lot of time by asking God right off the bat to show him the one God wanted. But he didn’t. So he went through the process of elimination. God, in His infinite patience sat back and played along.At least Samuel kept asking in faith instead of being a bit disappointed when He said, “Nope, not that either.”

It makes me wonder how many times I hear God say no, but instead of having the tenacious faith to keep asking, I hang my head and walk away. Perhaps,like Samuel, God is eliminating the plans He knows I have so I can then, out of options, focus on His better one.

gifts-page-001It’s like going to the Christmas White Elephant party and being the last to choose a prize. Do you go for the obvious choices, already revealed, or hold out for the one left over? It may be the best of them all, and the one you hoped to get–except you just didn’t know it.

Yet, how much better is it to ask God, “Which one?” before you act at all?

The next time you hear God say “no”, will you be bold enough to ask Him to show you the “yes” ? Or, like Samuel, will you waste time pointing to what you think God wants.

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Surely…I was unaware

Posted in Biblical, Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on December 10, 2014| 4 Comments »

As part of my Advent devotionals, I read the account in Genesis of Jacob’s ladder. One verse jumped out at me:

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”  (28:16)

How often are we not aware that God is in this place – be it church, the shopping mall, our work place, our homes or standing in a long, long line when we are rushed for time? We get so caught up in the pressing issues of now, we fail to see the eternal.  Yet Our Lord Is always present.  We just need the faith-eyes to find Him.

580569_667084729976622_1695637681_n. It may not be this obvious – as some of these photos floating around Facebook indicate.

god in the clouds

But HE is present in our lives —

through us, near us, in us.

It reminds me of a hymn we used to sing often in another church I attended- Surely the Presence of the Lord is in This Place by Lanny Wolfe …http://www.sharefaith.com/guide/Christian-Music/Hymns/Presence-of-the-lord.html

270 blog entries ago I started to point out where I found God in my life. I hope it has encouraged you to seek Him in yours.

This holiday season is in full gear with shopping, parties and cooking. It can become stressful.Trite as it may sound, I pray that each day you find the “reason for the season.”  But even more, I pray you will point others to that as well through your attitudes, words and smiles. May others think after their encounter with you, “Surely the Lord is in this place and I was unaware…until now.”

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Come

Posted in Devotional, tagged , , , , on December 3, 2014| 2 Comments »

Advent is here– the season where we prepare for Jesus’ coming. In fact, adventus means just that- come.   

 ID-10057677As a babe, God in human form. One analogy is the watchmaker became a watch.  HE came to show us a better way. HE came to guide us into Truth. And HE was born who HE could die- for each of us.

 

 

As the eternal jujudgedge at the end of the ages when HE returns for his own. Often referred to as the Second Coming, this is when HE will separate the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the shaft, the faithful from those who have yet to believe. But HE is also our advocate, who offers up our defense before the throne of Heaven. Since we know not when this age will pass away or when Our Savior will return, we must be prepared. Advent reminds us to both be the voice crying in the wilderness for others to repent, and also to prepare our own hearts and souls.

 

 

Woman MeditatingThirdly, His Spirit comes into our hearts, dwells in us and through us. Advent is the beginning of the Christian Year, and it is our time to make resolutions. Are we diligently praying? Do we carve out time for reading HIS word and reflecting upon it? Are we disciplining ourselves with good habits and sloughing off the old ones that lead to sin?  When others look at us and to us. does Christ shine through?

 

 

 ADVENT is more than preparing for Christmas – it is preparing for eternity.  This is something we should do each and every day – Advent is a reminder to look for God’s  shoulder-tapping in your life, and to ask Him to come into your heart, your day and your life.

                       MARANATHA – Come Lord Jesus 

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Why Gather?

Posted in Life Experiences, tagged , , , , on November 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »

MAY YOU FIND GOD AT YOUR TABLE THIS THANKSGIVING…and every day. He is waiting to be Invited.thanksgiving

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Grace is Grits

Posted in Devotional, tagged , , , , on November 10, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Note: this was an article I received in an email from Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders – Julie

By Amanda Scott

Our priest years ago told a story about his time in seminary school in Virginia. He and a friend from up north decided to travel to Georgia, his home state.  Along the way they stopped at a Waffle House.  They placed their orders and continued chatting.  When the waitress brought their orders, the friend was surprised to find a mess of grits on his plate.  “Excuse me, I didn’t order these grits,” he said. “That’s okay,” the waitress replied. “Well, I’m not paying for them.” The waitress looked puzzled.

It turned out that every meal came with a free side of grits.  Finally, the mystery was solved and the seminarians realized that Grace is like grits.  You don’t have to ask for it and you get it for free!

A recent article by LifeWay Research revealed that 71% agree that people first seek God then He responds with grace, meaning a majority of people don’t know grace is like grits!

graceisgrits2If I ever forget that, I have Jasmine to remind me.  She shared her story with our most recent team. As a child, Jasmine was sexually abused by her father.  Eventually, she escaped the continued abuse, drugs, beatings, and prostitution that engulfed her life.  Today she is almost two years drug free, she is working for the LAMB Institute, and is volunteering for our Alonzo Movement.  “I always believed God loved me,” Jasmine says.  No one had ever told her that, so how could she know God loved her?  Pure grace.  This grace, a free and unasked for gift carried her through her worst times, and it lifts her up today.  Jasmine’s unconditional love shines through and impacts others around her.  She passes God’s grace to her son, Lester.

I urge you to be among the 29% who know that grace is like grits.  Give thanks to God that we don’t have to ask or pay for his grace in order to receive it.  God makes the first move.  He offers His grace first and always. And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  John 1:16-17

 

Amanda Scott is a SAMS missionary serving in Children’s Ministry at the LAMB Institute in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

 

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Tea Time

Posted in Christian, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on November 7, 2014| 4 Comments »

Would you think me crazy to say I found God today in my tea cup?

IMAG0126As many of you know already, I ‘m an avid Anglophile. I was weaned on Earl Grey and milk…well, almost. It has always been my comfort drink. When I am hurting, physically or emotionally, just wrapping my fingers around the warm mug and inhaling the soft scent of the tea relaxes me. Then that first creamy sip…hmmm. The world is a better place.

Now, I can drink tea without the cream, but somehow it is not as the same. The swirling white liquid changes the color, the texture and enhances the taste in my opinion. It makes it oh, so much better.

This here is where the God part enters the picture.

My faith acts in much the same way. When I am hurting or frustrated I can wrap my soul around His Spirit. It envelops me and  swirls through me. Immediately, I feel as sense of calm flow over my shoulders and down my back.  When, through prayer, I drink in this holy peace, I begin to feels its effects from the inside out.

I suppose I could exist without my faith. Many people do. They drudge through life with a fatalistic, self-orientated attitude.  But like the cream in my tea, faith enhances my life. It recolors it, IMAG0127enriches its flavor, and makes my day more appealing, no matter what happens.  I really prefer having that dash of soul-cream in my day.  When I pray to my Lord and read His word, it as if I am swirling goodness into my life.

As the tea warms my belly, faith warms my soul.

Of course, there are times I just want to bask in a good cup of tea–just because.  Nothing is making me anxious. My aches and pains are minimal. Life is chuggin’ along just fine. Get the connection? I knew you would.

Enjoy some tea time with your Lord today.

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In a Word…thanks

Posted in Biblical, Devotional, tagged , , , , , on October 29, 2014| Leave a Comment »

ID-10031659I prayed, “I need to blog today. God, show me where to find You so I can lead others to now Your Truth.”  The Spirit nudged me to  open to Philippians – my all time favorite book in the Bible.  A warmed smile slid across my lips as I logged into the Bible app on my e tablet, selected 1:1 and began to read. Then, verse 12 jumped off the page into my heart.

                              Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.

Paul was imprisoned, in chains. Roman jails were not the best places in the world to be. Dank. Damp. Rats. Stink. But Paul’s attitude certainly did not match his surroundings.

Does mine? When something unfair, or wrong, or bad happens to me, is my attitude like Paul’s? Is it yours?

When life happens, do I point to my Lord in trust, believing He is to be glorified in every situation, instead of whining and turning the attention to poor little me?  Not to step on toes, but I’ve read a great deal of bellyaching on Facebook lately: aches, pains, pity me for my chronic syndromes, flat tires, flooded laundry rooms, bad politicians…. What if we all instead posted, “I wait with anticipation on how God will bless me and others through this.”

What if we truly, as Paul states, give thanks in all circumstances (I Thessalonians.5:18)  (Philippians 4:6) ?

Right now, things are great. I have signed a contract for a third novel in 18 months and am soaring on the blessings of my dreams being fulfilled. Requests for my lectures and workshops are increasing. But, this life is not perfect. Tragedy will hit. Heartaches will come, and so will the getting-older aches,pains and illnesses.

I have this prayer today. May I advance the Gospel in each and every incident, good or bad. Join me in that prayer, won’t you?

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Hazed

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged , , , , , on October 22, 2014| 2 Comments »

It seemed clean. I could see through it just fine…until I turned my car into the rising sunlight. IMAG0118

Oooh, the hazy smudges, minuscule dead bug guts, road dirt. It glared at me — literally.  The brilliance of the rays accented the dirtiness of my car glass, making it hard for me to see beyond the filminess. It clouded my view.

So, as I waited for the light to change to green, I pushed the button on the wand to the right of my steering wheel, and squirted window cleanser on the outside of the shield. Then I flipped my wipers on full speed. Back-forth, back-forth, back-forth.

Well, that worked a bit. But, I realized there was haze on the inside as well. It was a residual of my breathing, mixed with fumes from the plastic dashboard, dust that slipped through the AC filter, and lint off my clothes. (Yeah. I Googled it to find out.)  Okay, maybe a few fumes from the cheeseburger and fries I got  at the drive-thru last week as well. I confess.

I grabbed a sleeve of my sweater (I didn’t have a rag) and wiped over the inside of the windshield in a tight, circular motion. Aha. Clarity. No more glare. Both sides cleaned…not perfect, but definitely a vast improvement.

Is that not indicative of our lives? Some dirt gets slammed into us- the offensive language or scenes on our TV shows that slip into the script. That touch of gossip we overheard in the restroom at work. The local news that has to relay all the ugly details. The younger coworker who is dressing in too tight clothes that accent the fact they work out–a lot.

Other things dirty us from our inside. Anger, jealousy a revengeful thought, a slight pilfering of office supplies, forgetting to pray before we dash out the door to face the world. negative self-talk.

Both work to form a haze over our witness. People cannot see Christ as clearly in us. And as each little thing accumulates over time, it may be hard for us to notice the view has become obscure.

It works both ways. Our view of the world may not be as clear. We begin to think –  Is it really all that bad nowadays? Perhaps times have changed,and so should my opinion. People seem more tolerant, maybe I should as well. It’s okay if I sleep in on Sunday, again. Everyone else does.

Our judgement has become clouded. That is until the Light of His Truth blares into our lives.

It may be a sermon, a passage in Scripture, or wisdom from a well meaning friend. Perhaps that small inner voice you know is not from your brain waves. Something throws a glare onto the filthiness you have collected in your life.

Time to wipe it clean…

  • On the outside by being more diligent to keep away from temptations.
  • On the inside to make sure we wipe the slate clean before we retire and seek God’s forgiveness, and perhaps other people’s as well, for any wrong we have done.

Next time the Son shines, it will be clearer to others, and to ourselves, that we are truly His followers. No more haziness.

 

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Why New?

Posted in Biblical, Devotional, tagged , , , , , on October 16, 2014| 2 Comments »

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? In looking over the Psalm assigned to be read for this Sunday, the first verse caught my attention:

             O Sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the whole earth.  (96:1)

 

Why should we sing unto the Lord a NEW song?   I doubt if it means to sing Contemporary (CCM) over the old familiar hymns.  Actually, neither existed when David penned this verse thousands of years ago,  He wrote many of the psalms, and they were all “new” at one time.

Perhaps it is because the birds rise and sing with the sun. Maybe David took that as a hint that we should arise and praise God as well.

Another nugget of Scripture popped into my head-

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.    Lamentations 3:22-24

Okay, Biblical scholars, I realize Lamentations was written centuries after David’s Psalms, but that to me is one of the proofs that the Bible is alive and God-breathed, as it states in Paul’s second letter to Timothy. So follow me here…

If God’s mercies are NEW every morning, and if we do as is suggested — not to let the sun set on our anger but rather pray it out before retiring so we can sleep  in peace — then we can sing a new song every morning. Each day can be a fresh start. No need to carry over yesterday’s angst, regrets and sins.

I am going to personally renew the commitment to end each day wiping the slate clean with my Lord,  just before my eyes close, by asking Him to give me a new morning when my eyes pop open again.

And I know He will. Because, great is His faithfulness.

Lord, may I be as faithful to You.

 

 

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UpRighted

Posted in Christian, Devotional, Nature, tagged , , , , , on September 30, 2014| Leave a Comment »

IMAG0086Here in North Texas we are plagued with black beetles. Our cleaning crew at the Church can sweep diligently, and within hours, the sidewalks and floors are spotted with them again–all on their backs, wiggling their little six legged bodies. (Obviously the bug man’s spray works.)

When I first began to work here, my heart bled for these poor bugs who crawled over the invisible poison seeking water and shelter. I hated to see them suffer. So, I would diligently take a leaf or piece of paper and try to flip them over. Maybe if they had enough life left in them to keep flaying their legs, they’d be all right if they could just crawl away. Inevitably, the little guys would flip on their backs again and flay away.

I don’t know why God designed them to die on their backs, and I hope they are spared suffering- that it is just instinct to wiggle to the end since they have no emotions. But, it brought home a valuable lesson. Often, I see others suffering. Many are Christians. They seem to be flaying and are unable to right themselves, just like these beetles. No matter what I do– pray, help, talk– they seems to be stuck in that situation or slump.

I know now that God has placed them there for a reason even though I don’t know why. It may be to draw them to Him, to diminish their pride, to correct their path… that’s between them and God. But I ‘m confident He never takes His eyes off of them, because when I was flaying on my back, unable to upright myself, I felt my Lord’s presence hovering nearby. I heard His whisper, “Hang in there. I’m here.”

No matter how hard I try, I can’t turn my friends upright.  But I know the One who can…and will in His own timing if they can just hang in there and keep having faith. It may happen on this earth or in Heaven. In the meantime, there is one thing I can do–pray them through it.

Like the beetles, we may not be able to flip over on our own, or even with the help of a well-meaning friend. Unlike the beetles, we have a choice of how we spend our time on our backs. Will we wiggle and squirm, or peacefully rest in the assurance that God has purposed our struggles? Our destiny, if we have accepted Jesus into our hearts, is not death. It is life beyond this world. That is the when all will be righted for good. We will never be flaying on our backs again.

 

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