Clock Ticking

"Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart"- Jeremiah 29:12-13 (NIV).

When my ability to become pregnant was taken from me at age 23, I wasn't aware of the emotional strain and struggle that reality would have on me in the following years. I yearned for that little someone I'd never meet; the warm sweet kisses I would never feel; never hearing lips call me Mom; even all the messiness and chaos of raising a child. Those thoughts became a heavier weight over time. I needed that emptiness inside of me to be filled. Keep that in mind the next time you casually dismiss a woman's desire as her biological "clock ticking." It's an intense physical emotion. And you seek relief. That's the level of seeking I think God has in mind when he says to seek Him with all your heart. In fact, there truly is a clock ticking in each of us and His timing is perfect timing. Seek the Lord while He can be found; call upon Him. He is near (Isaiah 55:6). 

Praying Like a Three-Year Old

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God"- Romans 8:26-27 (NIV). 

We, as a people, needed, and still need, to learn to pray. Even after the Lord Jesus taught us how to pray, we still recoil if someone asks us to pray. Even our private prayers can leave us feeling like it's still not correct, still not enough. God is so holy, so pure, so totally awesome; how could our prayers ever measure up as worthy for His ears? Though hardly on the same scale as God and His child, look at an adult listening to a three-year talk to them. The adult's way beyond the three-old's linguistic capability, but they listen intently, trying to sort out what the toddler is trying to say and ready to give them what they request...if it's what is deemed necessary and good for them. Have you ever tried to get a shy three-year old to talk to you? You can't pull it out of them. They improve only through practice. Which three-year trait do you think God wants us to have? The next time a request is made for someone to pray, could you reject those thoughts that you aren't able to pray well? The Holy Spirit is there to help you in your weakness. God truly desires to hear our prayers.  

Press On

"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us"- Romans 5:3-5 (NIV).

We have been promised that we will reign with the Lord if we endure (2 Timothy 2:12). Quitting is easy; but, staying the course is always rewarding. Even if you fail or falter at what you are asked to do, there is satisfaction in having completed the task. Did God put you in a demanding job, ask you to finish a college degree, stay with a frustrating marriage partner, stand your ground with an unruly teenager, place you beside neighbors who like to mow their grass at 6:30 AM on Saturday mornings; or did you lose something very precious to you: love, health, looks, finances, a family member. Believing God has everything under control, that nothing touches you before it goes through His hands, can make it hard to accept that He loves you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). Brothers and sisters, we have not been asked to drink the cup Christ drank for us. We have free will to choose to persevere or to quit. We have the example of Jesus who gave everything to purchase this freedom for us. You can make it; you can endure. Press on and into the arms of Jesus. They are wide open and waiting for you.

Trembling

""Has not My hand made all these things, and so they came into being?" declares the Lord. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at My word""- Isaiah 66:2 (NIV). 

I've heard people say that God has been quiet for a long time, but He really hasn't. He has been speaking clearly and persistently to us since the creation of His Holy Bible. God placed His words into the hearts of certain inspired men who wrote them down, giving us an open line of communication to hear God, to find wisdom, discernment and understanding. Yet, many Bibles sit on shelves, covered in dust, or put away and forgotten. I think of the frustrations I feel when I'm trying to contact someone and can't get them in this day and level of technology. Imagine how God feels. God's word foretells what is to come, what signs to look for and His love, grace and mercy for those who make up His church. How will the church respond to God appropriately if the members of the body are ignorant? Examine yourself: Who is first in your life? Who or what reigns supreme and unseated as the most important part of your daily life? Nothing in Creation should replace the Creator in your life. We need to humble ourselves, have true contrition and then tremble at the powerful word of God our Father.

Sow the Seed

"Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness"- 2 Corinthians 9:10 (NIV).

One single seed planted produces a stalk that yields, not only food for now, but also more seed for a greater harvest. Once buried, the original seed literally dies in order to sprout and produce more seed. Jesus said that if the seed is not sown into the ground to die, it remains a single seed. Through burial, the seed produces many seeds (John 12:24). Jesus' death, burial and resurrection planted the seed into your heart. You don't want to be like the servant whose master gave him the one talent, and when his master returned, was still holding just the one talent. He hadn't used it as it was intended; to produce more. The talent, or seed, is the good news of Christ Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. The message of salvation, the seed, not planted into others remains a single seed within you; a message you have kept hidden and then you have no increase to show when the Master returns. God has supplied the seed to you to sow into others. God will provide the harvest, the harvest of your righteousness.

Give Thanks

"For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever"- 1 John 2:16-17 (NIV).

Christians desire to know God's will. Paul warned the church in Ephesus to be very careful how they lived. "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery (excessive indulgence in sinful pleasures). Instead, be filled with the Spirit...Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:15-20). God's will for us, in Christ Jesus, is to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18): Thanks when we rise to the mountain top and thanks when we are in our deepest valleys. Our thanksgiving should spring forth from the deepest recesses of our heart, knowing our Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed us, will return for us and we will live with Him forever. Give thanks.

Song: "Give Thanks" by Don Moen:

Give thanks with a grateful heart

Give thanks to the Holy One

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us" 

Give Thanks.

Soaring On Wings

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint"- Isaiah 40:31 (NIV).

Joseph had been sold into slavery by his own brothers, thrown into prison, falsely accused for refusing to sin against God and then forgotten by those he helped when they were going through their own trials. While he languished in a prison cell, Joseph had all the ingredients for a big bowl of self-pity and hopelessness; but, Joseph's hope was appropriately placed in Almighty God, when many would have abandoned their faith as a result of their trials. Joseph would later tell his brothers, when God had restored and empowered him, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20). Every conquering army knows hope, and faith in God, needs to be eradicated before surrender and conquest happens. But the faintest spark of hope can easily reignite into a flaming torch, bodies become strengthened and the will restored...to rise again. Don't give up on hope in your storms. You will rise on wings like eagles.

Reaping

"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 (NIV).

Discouragement has a way of seeping into your life, almost unnoticed until you begin to sense your heart growing heavy. People with selfish motives and ambitions seem to joyfully thrive, while we labor and groan under a heavy load. Thoughts like these can lead to evil seeds planted in your heart. The Bible teaches us how to handle these raw emotions. Once we recognize discouragement, we are to be still and wait on God patiently; we are not turn to anxious thoughts, nor become angry (Psalm 37:7-8). So how do we fight against a world filled with lovers of self and money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient, ungrateful and unholy? We produce an abundance of fruit: love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (2 Timothy 3:2; Galatians 5:22). Don't become weary. You'll reap what you sow. Exercise your faith and you will reap at the proper time.

Bucket List

"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody"- 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (NIV).

A quiet life sounds boring in today's culture. We're always looking for excitement in our lives or planning some Adrenalin pumping activity to make our life more interesting. People feel they can't die without completing their personal 'bucket list' of heart stopping memories or else they've not lived their life to the fullest. Maybe that bucket list would win the respect of outsiders, but most are either momentary glances or no reaction at all. Many people are still searching for the one thing that will give their life that thrill, some meaning for existence, but those who have decided to follow Jesus have that yearning satisfied. The focus is taken off of themselves and placed on leading others, through a quiet life, to fill that void with the love of God the Father. Life eternal with our Heavenly Father is the ultimate bucket list fulfilled.   

Royalty

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom"- Luke 12:32 (NIV).

Children love to play the part and dream of being a prince or princess, but that play is merely a dress rehearsal. We are sons and daughters of the Most High God. We are royal heirs of God's kingdom. Our adoption and the deed to the kingdom have been signed with the indelible blood of Christ Jesus. Examine yourself: Do you walk and talk like a royal? Is your self-esteem and confidence fueled by the knowledge of who your Father is? The devil has run of the earth right now, but you have diplomatic immunity. You are promised safe passage and immunity to the devil's lies. Hold your head high, throw your shoulders back, walk stately, and speak with assurance...even when the devil is threatening or intimidating. Nothing, and no one, can change who you are...you are God's child and heir to the kingdom. If you deny your royalty, you have weakened the message of the cross and made Christ Jesus a liar.