"Be still and know that I am God." God ~ Psalm 46:10

Monday, March 28, 2011

Complacency vs the Great Commission

  
Photo of Church This is part 3 of a 3-part blog on complacency. In Part 1, we looked at how being complacent keeps us from having a closer walk with Jesus. In Part 2, we found out what happens if we are complacent in our tithing. In Part 3, we will look at reasons for complacency in bringing others to know God.

In the Bible, it is written:  “He (Jesus) said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 15-16 This verse describes what is referred to as the “Great Commission”.

Still, it can be a bit scary to stick out our necks for God, especially if we are unsure of another’s view on the subject. We don’t want to appear as a “Jesus Freak”, being a freak in the worst use of that term. I know what that feels like. When I was a teen,

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Complacency in Giving vs. Our Commitment to God

Tithing can really test our commitment to God; it also can hurt us financially ~ and I don’t mean that by giving we will have less money, but I’ll get to that in a bit.

It tests our commitment to God because, per biblical scripture, we know that giving is something he’s outright asked us to do, yet we often find it difficult to part with our time, talent, or money for the benefit of others. But if we think seriously about our faith, many of us follow God and believe in Jesus because of the tremendous love we find in him. God is over-abounding with love, and his wish is that we also are over-abounding with love. Let's see what that means.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Complacency ~ How it Hampers Faith

bibles
The heart of the discerning
acquires knowledge
Prov. 18:15
Complacency. The word came up in a church council meeting this week, regarding how easy it is for us to fall into it when it comes to our faith.

Oddly enough, the word traveled through my dreams last night. Over and over again I heard it, coupled with thoughts about finding a way to write about it. So here goes:

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Praying for More Miracles ~ Baby Found in Japan Gives Hope

A soldier smiles as he holds a four-month-old baby who survived the Japanese tsunamiPray for Japan! Pray for more miracles like this one. What a beautiful story!
The Lord saves those who are crushed in spirit 
Psalm: 34:17

Friday, March 11, 2011

Sometimes there are no words...sigh...there are no words to describe the sorrow that we feel for the people suffering from horrific tragedies, as we see in Japan today ~ an earthquake big enough to create a potential tsunami in the United States.

We don’t understand why these tragedies happen; why innocent people are lost. We have no capacity to understand. The only words that come to mind are from my bible:

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

And

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

Thursday, March 10, 2011

How to Renew a Right Spirit

As a Christian, I am thankful for the fragment of verse in Psalm 51:10 ~ “Renew a right spirit within me.”

As life would have it, we can sometimes get a little grumpy. It could be the old cliché that we woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, the sky is too gray for us today, or the dog peed on the carpet (again!). Sometimes we are grumpy because we feel we’ve failed someone, or even ourselves.

That last one is a double whammy. For example (and I know of this from experience, but I’ll try to keep this in the all encompassing “you” perspective):

Monday, March 7, 2011

Holy Spirit Rocks Church to Save Children

I'm still high on it! Yesterday, my church (Servant of Christ) held a special service and outreach for the NSAMBYA EX-STREET CHILDREN ORGANIZATION (NESCO), an organization that is working hard to save children, orphans, from living on the streets of Uganda.

These children, out on their own with no one to care for them, their parents either dead from AIDS, or long gone, eat out of garbage cans, doing anything they can to survive. To some of these children, it is the only life they can remember having. There are 2.9 million orphans in Uganda. So what happened yesterday was a miracle!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

How Well-Aquainted Are We

The Christian poet, Evangeline Fedor, in her “For Prayerful Reflection” collection said, “The Lord is acquainted with all our ways.” I read that just as I was considering Psalm 139, in which David speaks of how well God knows us. It’s like a parent who knows and loves her own child ~ and you can imagine how deep and far-reaching that is! ~ but God’s relationship with us goes far beyond that love and knowledge.

And like an earthly parent, God loves us unconditionally, guides us, protects us, and doesn’t give us everything we want ~ because it might not be good for us. When our prayers don’t seem to ignite an immediate answer, it could be

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Using Strengths to Overcome Fear

A lot can be said about overcoming fear, and as I studied my devotion and the bible this morning, I felt that the Lord wanted me to write more on it. Yesterday, I talked about my daughter and her fear of giving a presentation at school. As a follow-up on that subject, I’m happy to inform you that she suddenly, surprisingly, developed a whole new attitude. She decided that she was, “just going to do it and get it over with.” She seemed to have resolved the issue in her mind and become confident enough to move forward. I had prayed that God would talk with her, because she didn’t appear to be listening to my advice. Apparently, he did just that!

Still, being the mother that I am, I reminded her that she already had a leg up on presenting because of other skills she possessed and performances she has done—training and competing in gymnastics with many, many people watching, or at a piano recital. It seemed to further boost her confidence.

Isn’t it the same for us adults? We have experiences, strengths, and talents that God has already given us; attributes that we know about ourselves to be true. In facing our fears or any uncertain circumstance we can rely on those things and move forward, even going head on into the uncertainty (the abyss?), trusting ourselves for that which we can and relying on God for the rest. (See yesterday's blog, "God Takes Hold", for bible verses of God’s promises for overcoming fear.)

If only we ask God for the wisdom and courage to pursue that which scares us, he will provide it. But we must ask for it. One small challenge may be the stepping-stone to a greater one, but with each experience, we become more prepared to handle the next. Thank God for experiences, good or bad, and know that they are the gist of building our character and spiritual maturity.

Let us pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, I know you are here for me, to love me and guide me, unceasingly. Forgive me in my humanness that sometimes keeps me from believing whole-heartedly in the power of your love and ability to provide for me in all things. Help me to seek and find comfort in your Word, to trust in you, and to use the strengths you’ve already positioned in my life to the best of my ability, relying on you for the rest. Thank you, Lord, for being with me as I face all uncertainty, and like a child, I will move forward in that confidence. Amen.

May God bless your day!