Seek the Lord....a phrase that seems to be ringing over and over in my mind. Several times I have posted Deuteronomy 4:29 on my Facebook profile because those words just "follow" me around. "But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (NKJV).
In this passage (Deuteronomy 4:15-40) Moses was talking to the Israelites about the dangers of idolatry and the consequences of such practice. The "there" is referring to places that the Israelites would be scattered other than the Promised Land. Here are my thoughts concerning this passage, and how I feel God is speaking to me.
"There" can be a lot of places and there are many reasons and circumstances that would cause us to be "there" instead of the "promised land" that God has for us. Take a moment and think about a time when you made a bad choice or someone around you made a bad choice. How did you handle the consequence when you were faced with being "there"? Maybe you are "there" now...insecurity, pride, loneliness...just a few "theres" that can take our focus off God and keep us from receiving all He has for us.
What does seek mean? The dictionary says it means "to resort to: go to" or "to go in search of" (Merriam-Webster). When we find ourselves in our "there" do we go searching for God? Do we diligently look for Him or what He is trying to say to us? Are we looking for God even when His promises are being realized or do we say "thank You" and then forget about Him for awhile until something scatters us from His promises?
While I know that God is telling me to seek Him because of the "there" places that I have been, I also know that He is telling me to seek Him to keep from going to other "theres". For at least a month, maybe two, I have wanted to write about this. I have been thinking and trying to write it out in my head....searching for the right words to say. I want God to be a very integral part of my everyday life. I don't want to set Him aside after my quiet time or Bible study. I believe God is telling me to look for Him in every part of my life. To develop my RELATIONSHIP with Him, not my religion.
Of course, there are a hundred reasons why I don't seek Him as much as I should. More often than not because I don't want to hear, much less do, what He is telling me to do. Obedience is not my strength. But I have found (and keep finding) that if I can just squash my pride and take those steps to where He is leading me, I will not be disappointed.
Friends, seek the Lord, being in His presence will not return void and will not take you "there".
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
The Right Word at the Right Time
The other day when I was spending time with the Lord, I ran across the scripture below. It is significant to me because I am really struggling with this whole being single thing. I want to be married, I want to have a partner and I know that God has the right person for me, but it is SO hard to wait, especially when you feel like you have been waiting for what seems like an eternity (not that I have been single long, just including the time that I spent in my marriage hoping that it could be saved) and there is no one there for you to even try to get to know. But I know that God knows my every thought and desire. He knows all that He has in store for me and for you. The passage below may or may not be meaningful to you, but it was what I needed that day.....
Isaiah 54: 4-8
"Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband - the Lord Almighty is His name - the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth. The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit - a wife who married young, only to be rejected, says your God. 'For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compasion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,' says the Lord your Redeemer."
Isaiah 54: 4-8
"Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband - the Lord Almighty is His name - the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth. The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit - a wife who married young, only to be rejected, says your God. 'For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compasion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,' says the Lord your Redeemer."
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Fear
The other day while I was driving down the Spur (the stretch of road between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg) I thought about how before I moved here (and even for a little while after) I got extremely nervous driving on that road. But now that I drive it every day, it doesn't make me nervous or scarred anymore.
God's word says that He has not given us a spirit of fear but one of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). How many times do we let the fear overtake us rather than using the power, love and wisdom that God gives us.
What if I had given over to my fear of driving on curvy roads? This fear could have kept me from moving to TN which would have caused me to miss out on so many blessings and good things that God had planned for me.
How does fear impact your life? Do you let it keep you from doing things that you want to do or that you feel God calling you to do? Or, do you press on despite the emotion?
At this moment, I am intimidated by being a single mom. Tons of questions go through my mind that I don't have the answers for, but I will choose not to let this fear control me or keep me from moving forward. I will do what 2 Timothy 34:4 says and seek the Lord because He will hear me and deliver me from ALL fear.
Scripture
Psalm 27:1
1 John 4:18
Proverbs 29:25
God's word says that He has not given us a spirit of fear but one of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). How many times do we let the fear overtake us rather than using the power, love and wisdom that God gives us.
What if I had given over to my fear of driving on curvy roads? This fear could have kept me from moving to TN which would have caused me to miss out on so many blessings and good things that God had planned for me.
How does fear impact your life? Do you let it keep you from doing things that you want to do or that you feel God calling you to do? Or, do you press on despite the emotion?
At this moment, I am intimidated by being a single mom. Tons of questions go through my mind that I don't have the answers for, but I will choose not to let this fear control me or keep me from moving forward. I will do what 2 Timothy 34:4 says and seek the Lord because He will hear me and deliver me from ALL fear.
Scripture
Psalm 27:1
1 John 4:18
Proverbs 29:25
Monday, September 13, 2010
Whitewashed Walls
The Apostle Paul called a high priest a "whitewashed wall" because of his contradictory statements and condemning attitude. Jesus also called a group of people "whitewashed" meaning that their outward appearance seemd true and right but inwardly, they had much to be desired.
Has the church today become "whitewashed"? Do our outward attitudes and ways reflect the love of God and the people that He calls us to be?
Too many times we get in our own circles and lives, and fail to be what Jesus has called us to be. Do we reach out to others? Do we really care about them and the struggles or issues that they may be dealing with, or are we quick to eliminate anyone who doesn't talk, act or think like we do. How many people cross our paths that we ignore because they don't fit the description we have about who we should hang out with, or because they don't have perfect lives? Are we sending the message that they should "fix" themselves and then (maybe) they could become our friend?
People are hurting. This world now more than ever needs for us, CHRISTIANS, to reach out to them, to offer them hope. Too many times I have heard about people being turned away because the council that they sought in church said, "I don't want to get involved". If it is not the Pastors', Elders', church members place to get involved when the lost, hurting, sometimes desperate are seeking help, then whose is it?
What about our friends and family? Can they open up to us and talk about probems and struggles without fear of rejection or do they have to keep a certain facade to remain in our groups?
Jesus came into this world to save us, not condemn us. Let us not condemn others by not reaching out to them.
Father, I thank you for opportunities to reach out to others. I pray that we would indeed, not live in this world to condemn, but that we would offer the light and hope that is found in Your Son, Jesus. Let us check ourselves that we will not become like whitewashed walls. That our outward "appearance" will reflect Your inward love. In Jesus' merciful name, Amen.
Scripture References:
John 3:17
Matthew 23: 27-28
Acts 23:3
Romans 8:1
Has the church today become "whitewashed"? Do our outward attitudes and ways reflect the love of God and the people that He calls us to be?
Too many times we get in our own circles and lives, and fail to be what Jesus has called us to be. Do we reach out to others? Do we really care about them and the struggles or issues that they may be dealing with, or are we quick to eliminate anyone who doesn't talk, act or think like we do. How many people cross our paths that we ignore because they don't fit the description we have about who we should hang out with, or because they don't have perfect lives? Are we sending the message that they should "fix" themselves and then (maybe) they could become our friend?
People are hurting. This world now more than ever needs for us, CHRISTIANS, to reach out to them, to offer them hope. Too many times I have heard about people being turned away because the council that they sought in church said, "I don't want to get involved". If it is not the Pastors', Elders', church members place to get involved when the lost, hurting, sometimes desperate are seeking help, then whose is it?
What about our friends and family? Can they open up to us and talk about probems and struggles without fear of rejection or do they have to keep a certain facade to remain in our groups?
Jesus came into this world to save us, not condemn us. Let us not condemn others by not reaching out to them.
Father, I thank you for opportunities to reach out to others. I pray that we would indeed, not live in this world to condemn, but that we would offer the light and hope that is found in Your Son, Jesus. Let us check ourselves that we will not become like whitewashed walls. That our outward "appearance" will reflect Your inward love. In Jesus' merciful name, Amen.
Scripture References:
John 3:17
Matthew 23: 27-28
Acts 23:3
Romans 8:1
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Court Tomorrow
Well, our new court date has arrived. I called Friday to make sure that it wasn't recheduled again but had to leave a message. I did not hear back from them, so, I will show up at 8:30 in the morning and hope it goes smoothly. I have been thinking a lot about what it might be like after our hearing...probably not much different than it has been except I will be single...I haven't worn a wedding band in over a year so I don't have to get used to that not being there. Although, sometimes there feels like an empty space on that hand. It is a little surreal, but I know that I have to make this change....maybe for some wrong reasons but mostly because I know that I absolutely did everything that I was supposed to for my marriage. Please say a prayer for both of us. I will let you know how it goes.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Children
Psalm 127:3 "Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward".
Tonight as I was trying to get in a walk on my treadmill the boys seemed to go wild. Joseph was sitting at his desk working on a project and Zach was sitting at the table supposed to be writing a couple of his sight words. But all they could do was aggravate each other...I kept pulling my headphones off and stopping the treadmill to tell them to cut it out! Finally after 20 minutes I gave up walking and turned everything off. There are more events to the night but I am going to stop there (mostly because it got a little ugly before it got better..lol) because the verse above came to mind. I immediately thought about writing a post on this verse.
Our children are a gift, a heritage, that we must cherish and take care of. Even when they are driving us crazy and we are yelling just as loud as they are. There are times when I am completely overwhelmed by work, school and being a mom. But, just as the Lord reminded me tonight, these boys are gifts to me.
As we were settling down I felt like I should talk to them about how this night had gone. I pulled out a children's devotional book and you would never believe what I opened it up to....a devotion titled, "Is it OK to slam the door when I'm mad". It was about controlling our emotions and how we should act when we get angry about something. Very appropriate, and not by accident (although I did not deliberately open it to this passage). God knows what we need to hear and when we need to hear it.
Just as one more confirmation for the night....when I sat down to write this I wanted to look Psalm 127:3 up in two different translations of the Bible to see if they used different wording. When I opened my NIV Bible, it was on a page with a side note entitled, "Our Children". It talks about how David prayed for children in this passage of scripture: "Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace" Psalm 144:12.
God was giving me lessons tonight, just like I was trying to give my boys. I am so very thankful for Joseph and Zach, and also for a Father who speaks to my heart and knows just what I need. After all, I am His heritage.
Tonight as I was trying to get in a walk on my treadmill the boys seemed to go wild. Joseph was sitting at his desk working on a project and Zach was sitting at the table supposed to be writing a couple of his sight words. But all they could do was aggravate each other...I kept pulling my headphones off and stopping the treadmill to tell them to cut it out! Finally after 20 minutes I gave up walking and turned everything off. There are more events to the night but I am going to stop there (mostly because it got a little ugly before it got better..lol) because the verse above came to mind. I immediately thought about writing a post on this verse.
Our children are a gift, a heritage, that we must cherish and take care of. Even when they are driving us crazy and we are yelling just as loud as they are. There are times when I am completely overwhelmed by work, school and being a mom. But, just as the Lord reminded me tonight, these boys are gifts to me.
As we were settling down I felt like I should talk to them about how this night had gone. I pulled out a children's devotional book and you would never believe what I opened it up to....a devotion titled, "Is it OK to slam the door when I'm mad". It was about controlling our emotions and how we should act when we get angry about something. Very appropriate, and not by accident (although I did not deliberately open it to this passage). God knows what we need to hear and when we need to hear it.
Just as one more confirmation for the night....when I sat down to write this I wanted to look Psalm 127:3 up in two different translations of the Bible to see if they used different wording. When I opened my NIV Bible, it was on a page with a side note entitled, "Our Children". It talks about how David prayed for children in this passage of scripture: "Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace" Psalm 144:12.
God was giving me lessons tonight, just like I was trying to give my boys. I am so very thankful for Joseph and Zach, and also for a Father who speaks to my heart and knows just what I need. After all, I am His heritage.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Vacation 2010
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