Sunday, March 27, 2016

THOUGHTS ABOUT MY RISEN SAVIOR, MY LOVING SHEPHERD


   
     

   
 


Many times when we are flying to or from Europe (because it is usually at least seven or eight hours over the Big Pond), I like to meditate on Scripture and then talk to the Lord about what that Scripture means to me.  

One of my all-time favorite sights in the world is when the very first sign of daybreak can be seen as we fly East. Oh, to be a pilot at that time of day!!! J The horizon is a very thin ribbon of light all across the world…all the rest is dark…above and below the line. I love to say to Brant: “God did it again…a new day.” Wow! Our Savior is alive. He has given us so much to enjoy.

On one flight in 2010, I was meditating on one of my very favorites…Psalm 23. Probably thousands of writers have expressed their thoughts about this song of David. This Psalm can fit any person and any occasion…so here is my meditation on Psalm 23 as a woman:

The Lord is my personal guard and companion; I shall not be afraid.

He makes me to lie down and sleep in peace and safety at night.

He comforts my soul with His Word.

He leads me to make right choices when there is no one else to guide me.

Even though I face death, my omnipresent, omnipotent guard and companion is with me and I will not fear.

His love and mercy completely fill my days with goodness…knowing I will be in Heaven with Him forever.


Maylou Holladay

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Beauty

When I was a teenager, older women told me it was more important to be beautiful on the inside than on the outside. With all my insecurities, I wanted to believe that, but I had my doubts. Part of me believed that idea was a cop out for ugly girls. For me, it wasn’t enough for God to see my beauty. I wanted people to see it too! So, although it sounded selfish, I went on to pursue becoming beautiful outwardly.
   But beauty is an elusive thing. You can’t pin it down. It cannot be measured by science, and people differ on what they think is beautiful. People can actually develop a taste for ugly things. But some things are so radiant, they startle us, and we know it’s beautiful.
God personifies beauty. The Scriptures describe Him in beautiful terms: bright as the sun, glorious, magnificent, etc. And He made many beautiful things. Clearly, God enjoys beauty, so why should I not desire it too? Don’t most women have a natural desire to beautify their world, first in their own appearance and then in their surroundings?
We can take a cue from nature on where to begin. When I stand in an open field at night looking up at the stars, the incredible beauty of the sky causes me to think of how magnificent our great God is! The same thing happens when I stand on a beach looking out at the vast ocean or in the woods looking up at majestic mountain. I think if God’s Creation is this amazing, how much more amazing He must be! I see Him big and powerful! When people look at us, they should see a reflection of some of God’s attributes. All of the beauty of Creation points to Him, and my beauty should too.
Genuine beauty begins in our hearts, manifests outwardly, and always points to Him. I’m asking God to make me beautiful as He is beautiful – in wholeness and truth with the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control - Galatians 5:22-23). Although these are inward qualities, I believe they will come out in our actions, words, and even in our appearance. Being beautiful on the inside really does make us beautiful on the outside. (I’m a work in progress!)
The Apostle Paul says this, “And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.” I Timothy 2:9-10 NLT

So, if you’re feeling unattractive today, don’t worry! There’s hope! The best part is that it’s God’s work in us if we allow Him to do it.
Joyce Hague

Monday, March 14, 2016

Face Time

Today, I needed to unload the Diaper Genie (trash can for diapers), and Lee is usually content to lie for at least a couple of minutes by himself if he is already in a good mood. But by the time I got back from taking the trash out (two minutes tops!), he was fussing. As soon as I bent down near to him and talked to him, his little face lit up with the sweetest smile. All he needed was a little "Face Time." Babies at this age love faces. They don’t care as much about toys or other distractions. They want to interact with people, especially their parents.

It has struck me that I want to be like Lee and never want to grow tired or bored of face time with my Father in heaven. And yet, I am often too busy or find distractions in this world that I make more important than seeking Him. Little Lee wants face time just about every moment he is awake. What if I were that eager and seeking my Father that frequently?

1. Worries would vanish. I have found, like Lee, that when I cry out and seek my Father’s face that I find great joy and whatever I am concerned about just disappears. When we seek the Lord, Matthew 10:24-25 tells us that we do not need to worry about all the daily necessities of life because God will make sure we are provided for. In Psalm 27, the psalmist is fearing for his safety and even his life, yet he speaks of seeking the Lord’s face and finding the strength and safe refuge he needs.

2. My joy would be full. Psalm 16:11 says, “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” Again, I am convicted by Lee. The delight that lights up his face when he sees us is precious. How the Father must long for us to come to Him to find joy that we can find nowhere else! I sometimes think He must be gently shaking His head as I try to fill my heart and life up with other things, wanting me to just seek His face and find the truest joy in His presence.

When I am diligent about seeking God, I find that joy in God every day, and my load seems so much lighter. Peace tends to reign more in my heart than worry, and I believe that I am more of a blessing to others because I am fulfilled. But oh, the distractions! How easy it is to get entangled and forget to seek our Father’s face. If you find yourself overwhelmed, worried, snippy, or if you are facing something that you can’t see your way around, seek your Father’s face. He does not hide, and He is waiting to fill you with joy, provide for your needs, and walk with you through whatever you are facing. I know I am in desperate need of this Face Time as well these days. Let us seek His face with all our hearts, dear sisters, and share with each other the joys, answers, and peace that He brings to encourage each other to keep doing it!


--Judith Graham

Sunday, March 6, 2016

God’s Sovereignty and My Story

“The sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which the saint rests his head.” I have found this quote by C.H. Spurgeon to be true in my own life. When I tend to worry about the future, I remember God’s sovereignty, His control over all things, and that gives me peace. God doesn’t simply know the future; He controls it. He ordains the things that happen to me and to those I love.

“My frame was not hidden from You, when I was being made in secret, […] Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.” (Psalm 139: 15-16)

Recently I was in the middle of a fiction book that was occupying my thoughts  even when I wasn’t reading. In the midst of those thoughts, my mind returned to a real life situation, and for a split second, I thought that, in this real life matter, like in a book, I could just look ahead, or continue ‘reading’ to see how it played out. I immediately came back to my senses. This was life; it was not a book. The story of this situation was not yet written; I couldn’t know what would happen. Perhaps time would tell, but I would perhaps never know exactly how that situation played out or the why behind it.

Yet then God sweetly reminded me that this situation I was pondering, like a story, does have an Author, and that things don’t just happen haphazardly. Just as a writer of a well-written book carefully plots out his story and has a purpose for every scene in his book, so our Father uses every event in our lives to weave the story He is writing. This is what His sovereignty does for us.  I don’t know the future, and I can’t look ahead to see. But God is sovereign; He is on the throne, and this truth challenges me not to live in worry and fear. Instead I trust in the One Who created this world and all living in it, Who sustains everything by His power, and Whose very word accomplishes His purposes.

“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass. I have purposed, and I will do it.” (Isaiah 46:9-10)

I don’t know what lies ahead. But while I don’t know the details of the story that God is writing in my life, I do know the last page. If you’re like me, as long as I know a story ends well, I can keep reading the book despite hardships and tragedies the author may include. I just want to know everything comes out right in the end.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth […] And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:1-5)

And this ‘ending’ is really only the beginning of a story in which, as C.S. Lewis describes it, every chapter is better than the one before.


-- Amy O’Rear

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

HE'S BEEN FAITHFUL!

HE’S BEEN FAITHFUL
            This morning I have been overwhelmed with God’s faithfulness to me.  I so often fail Him, but He has been faithful to me.  I want to share the Scriptures that have taken root in me.  I plan to memorize these this week so I can meditate on them.
Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.  Deuteronomy 7:9
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.  Psalm 36:5
O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You.  Psalm 89:8
O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You.  Psalm 91:4
Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.  I Thessalonians 5:24
If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.  II Timothy 2:13

            Damaris Carbaugh has been a special blessing in my life and the song she sings about His faithfulness has expressed my thoughts.  Remember, He is Faithful!

HE’S BEEN FAITHFUL
In my moments of Fear
Through Every Pain Every Tear
There's A God Who's Been Faithful To Me
When My Strength Was All Gone
When My Heart Had No Song
Still In Love He's Proved Faithful To Me
Every Word He's Promised Is True
What I Thought Was Impossible
I've Seen My God Do
Chorus:
He's been faithful, faithful to me
Looking Back He's Love And Mercy I See
Oh Though In My Heart I Have Questioned
Even Failed To Believe
He's Been Faithful, Faithful To Me
When My Heart Looked Away
The Many Times I Could Not Pray
Still My God He Was Faithful To Me
The Days I Spent So Selfishly
Reaching Out For What Pleased Me
Even Then God Was Faithful To Me
Every Time I Come Back To Him
He Is Waiting with Open Arms
And I See Once Again
He's Been Faithful
Faithful To Me
Looking Back His Love And Mercy I See
Though In My Heart I Have Questioned
Even Failed To Believe
Yet He's Been Faithful, Faithful to me.

cAROL cYMBALA

~~fAITH hIMES lAMB