Great God

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:7-11

I know that it would be good if God said, "Yes," to all my requests. It would be good if God did everything in my life in a way that I envision it. Instead, he wants what is great. It was good that Jesus walked on this earth teaching and doing miracles. It was great that he died for the salvation of the whole world.

I sense a little sadness in God's heart because he is asking a great sacrifice of us. He is asking us to be led by his Spirit, rather than do all those things that look good in our eyes and the eyes of others. Then he can bring about what is great.

All around us voices are calling. It has caused a lot of confusion. God is asking us to keep our eyes on Jesus. These voices could distract us from the course that God has for us. Some are sins, but others are "good" things. God has great. We are going to have to trust his judgment because his ways don't always make sense to us. We can't trust our own understanding. We need to trust God. (Proverbs 3:5-6) We serve a GREAT GOD.

He is Calling Your Name

"He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all of his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." John 10:3b-4 NIV Bible
Where are you today? Are you sitting on God's lap? Are you running the race with Jesus? Are you in the middle of a storm? Wherever you are right now, Jesus is calling your name. Even if you can't hear, he is still calling your name. Know this. Respond in faith. His voice is very powerful. When he speaks, it isn't just words. His words go from his mouth to you and are a pathway straight to his heart. They are living. Step on to this pathway of life and let him pull you close to his heart. You are not alone. You are wanted. You are his beloved. You are understood. You are valued. He loves to speak your name because you mean so much to him. Your home is in his heart. Live there, where you are safe from the storm. All around you hard things are happening. Don't give up. Listen. I hear him calling your name.

God Must Be True

"God must be true, though every human being is a liar." NAB Bible

This morning, discouragement wanted to come from every angle. Then my husband and I read the above scripture. It was a perfect example of how God's word is living. It jumped right in my heart and started beating the tar out of the discourager. God is true. God is faithful. God is good. God's goodness and holiness stood there like a beacon of hope that darkness had no power over. I found myself declaring things like, "I will not be bullied by weight gain. I will not be bullied by incomplete work." Everything that was trying to make me discouraged started losing it's grip.
As I went through my morning God continued to sing to me about how he is my hiding place. Nothing I desire compares to him. My help comes from God, the creator of the earth. God was being faithful to me. God was being my rescuer. The last verse he gave me before I started writing this is from the book of Job. " I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand upon the earth." Job 19:25

You Are A Light

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you." Isaiah 60:1-2 NIV Bible
You are the light of the world. Wherever you go you take the glory of God. I woke up in the night thinking about the people that have gone to Haiti to help and then have returned to a prosperous nation. Believe it or not, this is very difficult. You reconsider your whole existence. Here you are in a comfortable home with a full stomach. Out there people are suffering horribly. It isn't fair. How should you live in this world of contrasts? Walk in the truth. Your light has come. The glory of the Lord has risen upon you. This light is needed everywhere. God may send you somewhere foreign to serve temporarily or permanently. On the other hand, he may call you to be a typical citizen with a typical job. The light of God is needed in both places. Give where God leads you. Serve where God calls you. Be who God made you. Keep your eyes on God, the source of your light. You will shine. The lives of the people around you will be better because you are in their midst. Look up. God is smiling at you. Receive his smile and walk in dignity.

We Trust In The Name Of The Lord Our God

"Some trust in Chariots and some horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7 NIV Bible

God likes to talk to me using songs and scripture. These are the words that I woke up to this morning. They really encouraged me. I am trying to start a business and run a non profit, while working part time. I have felt very inadequate for these tasks.That is a good thing. I can't trust in my assets. I have to trust in God.
Here is an example of his provision. For the last two days, when I was very busy, God has inspired me to fix simple and delicious dinners that I "happened" to have the ingredients for. Then when I went to Curves to exercise, a lady on the circuit with me just "happened" to tell me an important piece of information that I needed to hear. We are complete in God. When we are weak God is strong. Part of me wants to be a super woman. Instead, God made the two of us a super team. He didn't give me the chariots or the horses. He gave me the name of the Lord our God. With God on our team we can't do anything but win. In fact we are more than conquerors.

Our Purpose For Existence

Our purpose for existence is to be loved by God. One day when I was super depressed, I just didn't understand why we exist. I had always thought I was here on planet earth to do some great work. Well, in my depressed state, I was pretty much just surviving. No good works were coming from me.
I thought of a man that was really strange and had no friends and wondered why he existed. I thought of my mother in law with Alzheimer's disease. She couldn't take care of herself in anyway. What was her reason for being here. At this point I was sobbing. "God," I cried out, "what is our purpose for existing?"
Then I heard God's sweet, gentle answer that changed my life forever. "You were made to be loved by me. If all you do is sit on my lap and let me tell you how much I love you, I will be pleased with your life."