Too Tired to Serve?

Jesus understands what it's like to be human. After all, he took on bodily form and lived in this world amongst humanity.

Today, I want you to think about what is like after an exciting, eventful time; you've been running on adrenaline because everything's going great. You have lots energy, you're accomplishing many necessary projects, and your outlook on life is, "I'm on top of the world right now! I could stay and live here forever!" You know what I'm talking about! Major life events, like marriage, a newborn child, or a new home, can all be sources of ecstatic emotional highs. Then suddenly, the moment comes when the great feelings wear off and you're left with the ordinary, the mundane routine of life as it was before. For some of us, this change from excitement to the ordinary can bring a sense of anxiety. You feel like you're left with an emotional vacuum where once fullness was.

In Matthew chapter 6:30-32 we see Jesus, knowing the state of euphoria that His disciples were experiencing from a successful mission trip, attempting to lead them to a quiet place where they could rest for awhile. He knew they needed to wind down and eat some food and get some rest so they would have strength to go back to their normal daily routine.

But what happens next is very interesting. Many people who saw them leaving in a boat ran and arrived at the spot ahead of them. Now, if that was me, and say I had just landed on the beach of a nice quiet island to have some "down" time, some R&R, some sweet relief from all of the pressures of life; if I arrived there only to find a crowd there to greet me with a load of work which I had just left behind, you know what I'd be thinking? "Are you kidding me?"  my thoughts would shout! "Seriously, I thought I just left this all behind! Don't you people know I'm tired and need some rest? Jesus told me I needed some sleep! Don't you ever think of anyone but yourself?" 

Moms can relate to this when it comes to taking care of their little ones. You just have a moment to sit and relax and there's a child who shows up and needs your help! (By the way Moms, did you know that carrying for your little ones is a ministry unto the Lord?)

Back to Jesus and His disciples: Jesus' response is amazing! Not for one moment does He feel resentment towards the people who need His help. He felt compassion for them, He saw them as they were, lost sheep without a shepherd to guide them. And instead of a sigh of resentment, He began to teach them.

Moms - sometimes all your child needs is a teaching moment. You may have just fed them, bathed them and played with them, but now they show up with a book and want you to read! What better opportunity to take out a Bible storybook and use it to teach them about how wonderful God is!

Serving moments come along when we least expect them, and often they come in disguise. They'll come as a tired husband, who's worked hard all day and needs a welcoming wife to bless him with a welcoming smile and kiss when he comes through the door. They'll come as a little child who needs Mommy's attention again! They'll come as a fellow worker who needs a helping hand. Serving moments come in many shapes and sizes, and test our patience and ability to put our self aside to be a blessing to someone else.

Jesus and His disciples did finally get the rest and refreshment they desperately needed, but not until they first spent some time ministering to the needs of the lost and lonely.

Let's make more of an attempt to think about others before ourselves, putting their needs before our own. God will bless you with the needed strength to serve, and supply you the blessing of needed rest as well. Don't lose those precious moments that come your way today!

Take care and God bless!

The Importance of Joy

We had experienced a very fun afternoon with our grandchildren; Smiley face chocolate

chip pancakes with Butter Tart ice cream for lunch, peeping through binoculars from the

deck into the backyard, riding down the hill in Amma's new gardening wagon, then more

rides in the wagon (including the dog), attached to Papa's riding lawn mower! What a

blast; Riding, laughing and enjoying sweet things to eat! Who needs the fair or an

amusement park when you can create fun in your own backyard!?

I'm reminded through these fun moments at how important joy is. The Bible says in

Nehemiah 8:20, "The joy of the Lord is my strength."

But how can we experienced joy, especially when we are hearing so much bad news nowadays, this world is becoming a darker place, and even as we face our own brokenness and pain?

Just like fruit, joy needs time to grow! We do not always experience joy in times of pain and misery. But there are certain things we can do to grow joy, even in times of hardship:

Watch your thought life:

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or

praiseworthy—think about such things...... think on these things" Philippians 4:8

Be thankful:

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever." Psalm 136:1

Give Jesus your broken heart:

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’S favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Isaiah 61:1-3

What a beautiful promise – the oil of joy for mourning! I have experienced this kind of healing in my life from the Lord. How about you? Have you given the Lord your heartache and pain and allowed Him to fill you with His joy? Don’t put it off – give Him your heartache today, and He will fill you His joy!

RAIN and WEEDS

Recently I was picking the weeds around our yard that seemed to have popped up overnight from all the rain that had fallen. Then it dawned on me that rain is most welcome for the plants and vegetation that we WANT to see grow and thrive; BUT it also causes vegetation to sprout that we would rather not see. It's a lot of work, keeping up with those pesky plants! But, they are so much easier to pull out when they are small! If you give them time to grow, their roots will grow deeper and stronger. Then they become more difficult to remove.

The rain spoken about in scripture is likened to the Lord's working in our lives. It says in Hosea 6:3 "... He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains watering the earth." (NIV)

The Holy Spirit faithfully works in our lives to bring spiritual growth and fruit. Then we find that as He is working, He also reveals pesky character traits that pose problems when we do not deal with them. Like weeds in a garden; if you don't take the time, care and effort to keep up with negative qualities in your character they will soon grow unchecked and out of control. This causes a greater amount of work, effort and time in the long run! For example; if you've seen the weeds of anger, self-pity, or greed popping up, but do not take the time to pull them out of your heart quickly, they can grow into resentment, bitterness and the endless seeking for more of the things money can buy!

For more helpful insight as to "weeds" and "good plants" in your life read Colossians chapter three.

Take time to evaluate the garden of your heart today!

HOME SWEET HOME!

They say, "Home is where the heart is!" I concur! There's no place quite like home! It's where your security lies, where you can feel at ease, let your hair down, put your feet up; in a nut shell, it's where you can be yourself!
The best and the worst comes out of us at home. We tend to be on our best behaviour elsewhere, but at home, well - you know! You can wash your make-up off, take your earrings out, put your jammies on and simply "chillax"!

I imagine that's partly what I'll feel like when I reach my final home, heaven. Similar to walking in the door of my home after a busy day of running errands;  a gentle sigh of relief, a feeling of peace and tranquillity, time to rest and wind down, my work is finally done - that's the feeling I imagine I'll have when I arrive through eternity's door!
Coming home is also a time to enjoy the fruits of my labour. My husband and I have worked really hard creating beautiful gardens around our property. There are bushes, trees, flowers, a fountain and a few well placed cement figurines. There are bird feeders and bird houses, plants to attract butterflies and arbours with climbing, flowering plants. With all of the time and effort and hard work it's been to create and maintain these gardens, it's so nice just to sit under the awning on our back deck and enjoy the beauty of God's creation. This I also liken to our home in heaven. After all of our hard work here on earth, as tedious at times as it may seem, we will truly enjoy experiencing the fruit of our labours there.
Here are a few scriptures to show this truth:
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9)
"One who does righteousness reaps a sure reward." (Proverbs 11:18)
"Whatever you work at, do with all your heart, as working for the Lord.... you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward." (Colossians 3:23 & 24)

I'd like to encourage you today to find the place of peace in your heart, that little bit of heaven here on earth that the Lord gives those who trust in Him. Jesus promised His peace to us; He said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:23)

There is a place in God's heart where we can feel at home, a place of rest He's created for those who trust in Him. That place is the truest, sweetest and best, "Home Sweet Home" that there ever is!  

Hebrews 4:9-11 "So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labours, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest." 

Right In Front Of Your Eyes!

"It's right in front of your eyes," you exclaim to the person you're asking for help to hand you something! For some reason they just can't see it! Frustrating isn't it?

Do you ever ask for help finding something while grocery shopping, only to see the item just before the grocer points it out? Meanwhile it was there, right in front of you while you were asking! I feel so silly when I do that, but just chuckle and say, "Oh my goodness! It's right in front of my eyes!"  

It seems as though some things are only found after we ask for help. I wonder why that is! Hmmm!

The Apostle Paul was a zealous man, eager to assist the religious leaders to irradiate their nation of what they saw as infectious heresy. He had been trained at the feet of the top religious leader of his time and he was steeped in the culture of Judaism. He was vehemently set on ridding Israel of all who left Judaism to follow Jesus, who had so radically changed the hearts and thoughts of his followers. So vehement was Paul, that he was granted permission to search  from house to house, and town to town to drag to prison all who followed Christ. Paul, whose name was actually Saul at the time was 100% convinced that he saw the whole scenario clearly, until one day, in one moment of time his direction was changed completely! Jesus met Saul on the road to Damascus. He appeared in a bright light, as bright as the noon day sun. But do you think the brightness of the light caused Saul to "see the light"? No, it took more than that. Saul also had to ask for direction. When Jesus asked Saul, " Why do you persecute me?" Saul had to request who was speaking to him and what it was that Jesus required of him. And when Jesus told him where to go, what to do and to wait, he simply obeyed. He waited for three days, not eating or drinking anything. As focused as he was in his cruelty, so he became as he waited. He must have been doing an awful lot of soul searching! He knew that he was being confronted face to face with the one who he has been fighting against. Oh, the questions that must have gone through his head! "I need to understand! What is going on? "How could I have been wrong? How could I not have seen this before? Who really is this Jesus and what does he want with me?"

Well, Jesus did answer all of Paul's questions and he called him to become not only a disciple, but an apostle; to help open other blind eyes to see the light of the gospel of Christ and to be changed from a life of sin to righteousness. The Lord sent a disciple named Ananias to  pray for Paul and when he did, something like scales fell from his eyes. It was as though he could see for the first time, although the truth of Jesus Christ was always there, right in front of his eyes!

How about you? Have you been searching for something you need, only to find you're at a dead end? Do you realize yet that it's time to cry, "Lord, help me to see what you want me to see!" When you ask, you will discover that what (or who) you needed is right in front of you, although you never realized it! Let go of your pride, and take some time to allow the Lord to search your heart and mind, and to reveal His ways to you. Jesus will be there for you when you stop fighting Him and start asking for His help. It's HIM you've needed all along!

Psalm 139: 23 & 24
"Search me oh God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts. See if there be a wicked way in me, and let me in the way everlasting."

God can Use a Turkey!

"You turkey!" we say when a friend or family member does something goofy or mischievous. Then we all laugh and brush off the minor misdemeanour's.

But the other day God used not one, but a whole flock of wild turkeys to lift me up! “Huh? How’d they lift you up?” you ask. Well, they didn't literally LIFT me up, but they lifted my spirits!

Pretty weird huh? How can a flock of turkeys lift your spirits you ask? Let me tell you…

So, I was actually having a really difficult day. I was feeling very depressed and sadness covered my soul like thick darkness. Nothing seemed to matter. My soul was in anguish over some of the grief that I carry in my heart and it was especially keen on piercing through any and all of the good in my life. I was feeling as though there was only despair, no hope.

My husband and I were travelling home on a county road that same day and suddenly he exclaimed, “WHAT is THAT?” I looked and shouted, “Wild turkeys!” He pulled over and I grabbed the binoculars that we keep handy in the vehicle. The sight was really amazing! There was a harem of several turkeys in a farmer’s field on the other side of the road and two toms were displaying their tail feathers in a very extravagant manner while presenting a little dance for the females. They were sizing each other up and at the same time trying to impress all of the “ladies”. I was just wishing that I had my good camera when I remembered it WAS in the vehicle; I had forgotten to take it in a couple of weeks previous. I triumphantly scrambled to the back of the Jeep to grab them, hopped outside and began snapping away! Wow! What a rush! It was truly a great experience seeing all of these wild creatures in action! We ended up crossing the road, walking down a ditch, across a makeshift little bridge and through part of a field to the edge of a tree line to try to get a closer look; but as smart as turkeys are, they already were far ahead of us in reaching the other end of the next field!

God will use different things, people and circumstances to lift up our spirits! He works in mysteries, and also uses the simple things of life to encourage us at our lowest times.

Look at what David said in Psalm 3:1 & 2 – “Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me “There is no help for him in God.”  

What hope is there if even God will not help? Do you sometimes feel that way; as though your circumstances are saying that there’s no way out, that even God cannot help you, in fact - He’s against you too?

But listen to what David says next in verses 3 & 4, “But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.” Isn't that beautiful and encouraging? The Lord is the one who lifts up your head! In other words, when your head is hanging low in despair, He’s there to lift it up!

So – back to the turkeys! The thing that I wanted to share with you was that after this encounter with nature, I simply felt better! I had a sense of joy and excitement, my heart was encouraged! Now, this may not have been the case for you if you had seen some wild turkeys, but God knows what each of us needs. He touches each of us in very personal ways. God knows that I love His creation and nature photography, and He gave me a chance that day to set aside my feelings of doom and despair and trade them in for His joy! Nehemiah 8:10 says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength”. I received joy from the Lord through those turkeys that day, and as foolish as that may seem to some, it was a miracle of His grace to me!

May you receive encouragement from these words I have written here today, and may the joy of the Lord be your strength!!!

Eve and the Earmark of the Modern Age

The ear mark of the modern age is SELF and self is where sin begins. But this phenomena is not really so modern.  Self is where sin began. The tempter beguiled Eve to think that there was something really good that she was missing out on. Before he came by that day, she may never have paid much attention to THAT specific tree in the middle of the garden. It was a given that it was dangerous , because God had warned about its fruit. Then the beautiful creature sweet-talked her into trying it out. He was so smooth, so very sweet, and he seemed to really care about what Eve was missing out on! He caused her attention to be turned towards THAT tree. Then, without warning the snare he had set caught her; she decided that the tree being so beautiful, and the fruit so appealing, NEEDED to be enjoyed!  She simply MUST try it! She wasted no time in reaching out as fast as she could, before she had too much time to think about it, grabbed one of the luscious fruits and sunk her teeth into it, allowing the flavorful juices to burst over her taste buds. It was sweeter than she expected, and momentarily she felt quite happy! She also felt a little twinge of something she was not familiar with, something that made her feel bad, but she pushed that aside so that she could quickly have her husband try the fruit as well.  And it just so happened at that moment that he was right there beside her! "Adam! You've just GOT to taste this fruit! It's so delicious! My new friend told me about it! Apoarently it's not as dangerous as we thought!" She practicality shoved the fruit into his hands and up to his mouth, so he wouldn't think too much about it. She was determined he experience what she was experiencing, that he share in her happiness and also this new found "strangeness" that she didn't know what to make heads or tails out of! So Adam, wanting to please his wife, took a bite of the fruit she had offered to him. At the same moment the tantalizing juices poured over his tongue, he suddenly became aware of that same strange feeling that Eve was experiencing. It made him feel..... afraid..... But what was he afraid of? He hadn't ever felt that before! "Eve! We're naked! Oh no! God of is going to meet with us soon! We can't greet him like this! We must hide!"
You know the rest of the story. Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together to cover their nakedness, made excuses for their disobedience, and had to leave the only home they had ever known to live out the remainder of their existence exposed to all sorts of dangers, heartache and pain.
Today, we experience the same temptation, sin and heartache that Adam and Eve did. And it all boils down to this; We either obey or reject God's word. The Bible says, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) And, "All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah53:6)
In our own strength we fail. We need Jesus! And the sooner we accept this fact, the better off our lives will be!
Let's be thankful today to God for redeeming us through His Son Jesus. But let's also remember to be aware of the sweet-talker who can "transform himself into an angel of light". Let's not be tripped up by the deception of the modern age, that our own ways and our own thoughts are better than Gods! If the way you're living doesn't match up with His word, it's time to make a change!