Easier Said Than Done...

Sometimes, God's purposes are made immediately clear. Sometimes we practice waiting and growing until His plan is revealed. Many times, we wait long enough that purpose either pops up unexpectedly or not at all causing the wait to be that much harder. I have experienced all of these in varying degrees, and I'd have to say the first scenario is my favorite. However long God has for us to wait, the part He hopes we will focus on is the journey, the process in the waiting. It is extremely easy, however, to become indifferent, complacent, and lukewarm when the waiting is long.
Revelation 3:14-22
"Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea:
“The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God’s creation says: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be committed and repent. Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me. The victor: I will give him the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also won the victory and sat down with My Father on His throne. Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Spent the day with a great friend today. During breakfast, we looked at this passage together. We talked about the choice to answer Jesus' call and open the door to Him...and, if we choose NOT to respond to HIM we are in fact responding to Satan. Satan will fill any bit of our heart that is left open...Choosing anything other than Christ to fill our hearts, is choosing Satan. We must, therefore, choose to look at ALL things through the lens of the Holy Spirit and listen for Jesus' knock on the door of our hearts because our actions, deeds, works, whatever, are NOT going to get us anywhere but tired. Jesus will not rest until we respond and when we respond, we are able to rest! It's when we are able to rest in Him that our works and deeds become a blessing rather than a trial. God provided the opportunity after breakfast to join another friend and volunteer our time and talent to put into practice His call to show Jesus to others...a task we are all called to as soon as we say "yes" to Jesus' knocking and welcome Him into our hearts. Throughout the day, I've reflected on the thoughts of the morning and God has granted me sight into His purpose for this day; to show me, I believe, that today is the day that matters! Yesterday is dead and gone. Tomorrow has worries of its own. Today is the day the Lord has made, His mercies are new every morning!!!
Not that this is a new thing...Popular culture tells us to live for today, for tomorrow we die...the point is, what will you DO with today? Will you use this day, this hour, this moment, to reach others for Christ?
Jesus calls us to boldly approach the throne of grace (Heb 4:16) so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time. God fills us so that we may then boldly share His truth with others. As I come closer to my first overseas mission trip I am comforted and strengthened by this truth! I know that I can confidently and boldly approach the throne of grace so that I may be filled with grace to boldly share Christ with the people of Penzance, England! I see each day how God is preparing my heart for this trip. Not all is it is easy. There is some refining - a bit of fire to walk through along the way - which is never easy or fun. God's molding of my character has become a new joy every evening...just to look back on the day and choose to find the good that god has uncovered in my heart!
We are all a work in progress, and sometimes the waiting is long, but God is faithful to complete the work He started in each of us and calls us only to be faithful to follow His lead. We don't go blindly...He's with us always, even to the end of the age.

Have you seen the new...?!

Well, it has been a long time, friends!  December seems so long ago.  God has done so much, yet it seems there has been so little to share...Sometimes floating through a quiet season waiting for an answer to prayer is  indeed an answer to prayer.  Much has been on my mind, and there have been several times I have sat down and opened this page and began to write...then something always stops me.  This blog has been an outlet in so many ways over the past two years (my first post was Easter Sunday two years ago!) yet I somehow lost sight of the true goal and purpose to WHY I write...To share the joy and peace and wonder of Christ with anyone willing to read along with me.  Today, God has burst through my personal wall with a small gleam of purpose.  Over the bast several months I have allowed the enemy to infiltrate my resolve and fill my heart with the blackest lies, fear, worry and doubt...the TRUTH is, I have overcome!  John 16:32-33 tells us that we may have peace.  Even though we will have suffering, we are told to be courageous, for Jesus has conquered the world!  The very power of Jesus name is enough to cast out every unwanted darkness and flood the mind, body, and spirit with healing light IF we allow it to come in!
I was watching Enchanted today...the princess movie where the heroine is tricked and falls into modern day New York and makes her dresses out of the curtains and a rug...Patrick Dempsey is there...anyway, it made me think about all the times I get excited to tell everyone I know about the new product I just discovered or the sale or deal I found.  And we all do this, right?  We gush over the new recipe we found or the new shop that just opened.  We share "deals" websites and how to get bulk items delivered to your door and the latest technological device and by the way, where did you get those shoes!?!  It's wonderful to be able to share new information with our friends and family, information that has in some way bettered our lives; we love to share it because we think we will have helped them and made their lives better in some way.  This sharing comes so naturally to so many of us...why do you think that is?  What information could be SO important that we are "pre-programmed" to share it!?!  You guessed it!  Jesus!  The One who died for us all to save our souls and cover our sins so that we might have relationship with the Father!
...p.s. I just did this with my Mom and told her about the wonderful new Greek yogurt with chocolate, it's Chobani and it's fantastic!...and now, I've shared with you!
If it's this easy to share about yogurt, or any other product, why does it seem so difficult to share about Jesus-the ONE who has TRULY transformed our lives?
I'm not saying it's wrong in any way to share the wonderful discoveries that have changed our lives.  It's NORMAL to share what we love!  The POINT is, do we think Jesus is one of those wonderful discoveries, and WILL we share Him?
So, with the goal in mind...to SHARE Christ, I wish to share with you a new season God has brought me to. I am headed on my first overseas mission trip in ONE MONTH from today!  I am going with a small group from my church to Penzance, England to share the gospel and help a growing church!  I am so excited for God to rip me out of my comfortable complacency and stretch me and grow me closer to Him and closer to His likeness.  There is still much to be done before the trip, still support to be raised, still meetings to have, still a passport to receive, and many other bits, but I leave all of this in God's hands because He is sovereign and He will take care of every detail to meet HIS expectations.  I look forward to allowing God to speak through me as I diligently seek to fill my heart with Him until He overflows into EVERY moment, relationship, and conversation in my life!  There's a challenge in there for me as well as for you!  Will WE diligently work to make Jesus the topic of conversation as we share the wonders that have changed the way we live our lives...HAS Jesus CHANGED the way you live your life the way your iPhone has?  Think about it.

Happy to be back friends.  God is SO faithful to bring us through hard times and into His time.  Have a great week.