Archive for April, 2009
April 30, 2009 · Filed under thoughts · Tagged Bible, Christ, Christian, courage, encouragement, eternal life, faith, fear, God, intentional, Jesus, power, resurrection, storm, thunder, weather
When my brother was a little boy, he used to be terrified of storms, especially the thunder. He would run and find a place to hide and cover his ears.
Later in life, he took a great interest in weather, and eventually became a meteorologist. Besides forecasting weather on the air, he has also coordinated weather safety events, and counseled others on emergency management during severe storms. His greatest fear became the focus of a life-long career.
Facing our fears instead of running from them, gives us a chance to learn more about them – and ourselves. Many times it is through our fear that we can find our greatest source of courage. In the Bible we are told that “in my weakness, I can be made strong”. (2 Cor:9,10)
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus faced tremendous fear. He relied on our heavenly Father to sustain Him. He knew that He could not do what He would have to do – alone. Only God’s power could sustain Him for the events leading up to His death on the cross – and only God’s power could resurrect Him to eternal life.
Fear has lost its power over us, when we connect with the One who “has” the power – instead of running from thunder, we can allow ourselves to be “thunderstruck” – by the One who invented it !
April 27, 2009 · Filed under relationships · Tagged Bible, Christian, distractions, duties, God, intentional, Jesus, peace, responsibilities, time, work
After being out of town for a week, Monday morning means facing “many things” !
What was I doing a week ago that I need to continue doing? Did I forget to do something that had to be done? The mail is piled up, the e-mails are piled up, the laundry is piled up, errands to be run are piled up, thoughts running through my mind are piled up………..!
Well, before I get buried under the “piles” of life, I need to spend time with the “One” who can dig me out! When I push away the world, find a quiet space, and spend quiet time with God, His peace covers me – instead of the “piles” of things to do.
In the Bible we read about Martha – she was troubled about all that there was to do and that she needed help. Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41,42)
“Mary” was taking time to spend with Jesus, and His word…….while Martha was distracted with “much serving”.
What we do – does matter. What matters more, is “He” who matters most !
– and “His” name is Jesus.
April 17, 2009 · Filed under thoughts · Tagged beliefs, bondage, Christ, Christian, faith, free, freedom, God, grace, intentional, Jesus, joy, law, legalism, Lord, New Testament, Old Testament, perfection, rules, Savior, sin
Are you really “free” ?
We talk a lot about being free. Free to think and do and say what we believe. In America, we are used to exercising our freedoms – especially our freedom of beliefs. Our beliefs are greatly influenced by our faith.
As Christians, we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are told throughout the New Testament that we are “free” in Christ – that we have been set “free” from the law of the Old Testament.
Over the years I have met many Christians who have put themselves back under “law”. They found saving grace through Jesus, but then seem to have slipped into a life of legalism. It has robbed them of their joy……..
Some have decided to put themselves under their own bondage of rules and regulations, and focus on perfecting their lives by how many of these “rules” they can follow. The apostle Paul warns us of this danger:
“Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect in the flesh? (Gal. 3:3)
Jesus died on the cross to set us free from the bondage of constant sin under the law. He was the eternal sacrifice for our sins. We no longer have to “perform” legalistic works to gain favor with God. It is through faith and belief in Jesus that we now have eternal favor with God.
We can now truly have “joy” and “justification” at the same time…….
en-joy!
April 14, 2009 · Filed under thoughts · Tagged alternative, angels, Bible, Christian, dentist, eternity, fire, furnace, God, Heaven, Hell, intentional, Jesus, pain, Savior, teeth, wicked
Going to the dentist is not one of my favorite pastimes.
I know I need to take care of my teeth, but I usually wait much longer than I should before I finally go to the dental center. When my name is called and I travel down the hallway to “my” room, the sounds and smells coming from the other rooms as I pass them cause me to feel nauseous. Entering “my” room, I dread the sight of the “reclining chair” where I will have to sit and try to remain calm.
Even though the people working there are trying to create a cheerful atmosphere, the underlying truth remains the same……..this is a “house of pain” !! Let’s face it, tooth pain is one of the worst. In fact, the Bible even makes reference to it. Jesus said:
“So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (Math. 13:49,50)
Perhaps to really make His point – being thrown into the furnace of fire where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth – is mentioned twice in the same chapter……
You know, tooth pain is bad enough, but to experience even more horrific pain on top of that – for eternity – well, I’m just VERY glad that Jesus gave us an alternative –
Eternal life with Him in Heaven,
where there will be no more pain…………
April 11, 2009 · Filed under thoughts · Tagged celebration, Christ, eternity, free, intentional, Jesus, life, victory
The greatest victory of all time — victory over death !
Celebrate eternal life with the “living” Christ ———-
———-if you don’t have it – “receive it” —–
—-it’s FREE——–
April 9, 2009 · Filed under relationships · Tagged Bible, blanket, Christian, everlasting, Holy Spirit, intentional, irritable, isolation, Jesus, life, Lord, outdoors, peace, protection, provision, relationships, relief, Savior, sensitive, thankful, trials
In general, Thoroughbred horses are “thin-skinned”. They can be more sensitive to being brushed, and irritated by flies.
We owned a Thoroughbred mare for a number of months, and during fly season, she would run and buck. The irritation to her skin caused her to be very irritable. In order to give her some relief, we would cover her with a cool, cotton, body blanket. You could see her thankful expression and watch her spend time outdoors at peace.
In our world, we will meet people who are “thin-skinned”. They are sometimes overly sensitive to life’s difficulties. They can be irritated and hurt very easily. Often, they will “blanket” their lives with isolation to try and protect themselves, trying to provide some kind of peace.
Jesus said that in this world we will have trials. He also said that through our belief in Him we will have an everlasting peace………..peace which surpasses our understanding. When we receive Him as our Lord and Savior, we are given the Holy Spirit, and the added strength to withstand life’s trials.
It is “His” blanket of protection that allows us to spend time “outdoors” amongst the irritations of daily living ………
in peace !
April 7, 2009 · Filed under thoughts · Tagged belief, Bible, Christian, death, destination, detail, Easter, eternity, God, intentional, Jesus, life, resurrection
When was the last time you dusted the hinges on all the doors in your house?
Recently, my husband mentioned to me that the hinges on the doors needed cleaning………Now bearing in mind that my husband is a machinist, this remark should not be a surprise – machinists are very detail oriented – they need to be very precise.
Not all of us are this detail oriented. I tend to be more of a generalizer, a “let’s sum it up” kind of person. Admittedly, the hinges on the doors never occurred to me to need any kind of cleaning ! My amazement to his observation was later tempered by the realization that yes – the hinges did need to be cleaned……. But at the same time, I wondered where I should put this task on my “priority” list.
Our lives are filled with tasks to be accomplished. Some seem more important than others. The decision to be made on their importance is based on our perspective. Cleaning hinges is probably something I could live my life without giving it much thought.
But whether we are detail oriented or not, we will all have thoughts about getting old and facing death. Where we will go when that happens, is a “detail” we should put at the top of our priority list.
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25,26)
Out of everything, make your life and death belief a “detail” not to be missed…………..
………… your eternal destination “hinges” on this !
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