Month: November 2013

  • Rooted

    rooted
    Here are a couple of verses that thrill our hearts! We love hearing about God's love. It is wonderful, isn't it?

    (Eph 3:17-18 NLT) Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.

    What many of us do not seem to understand is that knowing, really knowing the richness of Christ's love comes with a price. How do we get those deep roots that hold us steady and keep us strong in the Lord? In my humble experience, I would say this joy only comes through adversity. Suffering, even. To really know the depths of His love, it must be put to the test. When you find yourself in that place where His love is the only thing holding you, your roots are DEEP!

    But, most of us run screaming from any test or trial that comes into our life. Our prayers are all about getting us OUT instead of strengthening us to see it THROUGH. Often, when we face some unavoidable hardship, rather than clinging to God and trusting Him to see us through, we get bitter. We blame Him. We turn away from our strength and comfort. Why do we do this? Why do we prefer the shallow life?

    Now, I am not saying we should open our arms to welcome every awful thing that comes along. No. We need to know the source of our trials. If they come from the evil one, we have authority in the name of Jesus to send them away. But there are things God allows to help us learn and grow. We need to understand that these things will ultimately be for our good.

    While "seasoning" and "refining" are words we don't mind using if we are talking about WOOD, we would rather not apply these to our own lives. So, we live avoiding God's "gym" as much as possible. We wiggle out of every opportunity He sends along to stretch and strengthen us.

    We want all the "freebies" -- all the good stuff God promises His children. We want the protection and the blessings and the prosperity. But, sadly, we do not want those deep roots.

    "One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity." ~~ Albert Schweitzer

    Here in Denmark several years ago we had some mighty strong winds pass through. We lost a lot of trees. Do you know the kind we lost? We lost the ones with shallow roots. They could not stand against the wind.

    As a pastor, I have watched people who turned away from God. The winds came, and they could not stand. We all know the song about how the wise man built his house on the rock, right? It's kind of the same thing. Deep roots and a strong foundation are the best chance we have to survive the hardships and adversities of life.

    Charles Spurgeon said," If we cannot believe God when circumstances seem to be against us, we do not believe Him at all."

    Dear one, I trust you have made it a priority to grow those deep roots!

  • My Favorite "F" Word

    LetterFIf you listen to the media, or many folks today, you know what THEIR F word is. Well, that isn't mine. Are you relieved? :-)

    My favorite F word of all time is FREEDOM! Oh! I am so thankful for it! Not only the freedom I have because I am an American, but the freedom that I have in Christ.

    (Isa.44:22 NLT) I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to Me, for I have paid the price to set you free.

    In my younger years, I was a confused, scared young lady who did not feel like she had any value. I was so unsure of myself! I worried a lot. I did not like myself at all.

    But one day, I came to Christ and laid all that hot mess down. He freed me! Oh, it didn't happen immediately in some areas, but it started to get a lot better.

    (John 8:36 NLT) So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

    Maybe you never hated yourself or felt weighed down by life and your problems. Maybe you never doubted every decision you made and felt worthless. I did. You can imagine how wonderful it felt when those chains fell off!

    Sometimes, when I go up to take communion, I am reminded of a scene from Braveheart. I just want to stand there and yell, "FREEDOM!!!!" as loud as I can. I haven't done it, and probably never will, because I think it would scare people! :-) But, I feel it. I am thankful for it. Freedom.

    This is what Jesus did for me. He said, (Luke 4:18 NLT) "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, for He has anointed Me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free...

    There are so many people --even Christians -- who have swallowed the lies that the enemy whispers in their ears. "You are no good. You can't do anything right. Something bad is going to happen to you/your family/your job/your health ..." and on and on and on. Lies. Torment. Intimidation. Oh, the devil loves it when we fall for his garbage.

    (2Cor.3:17 NLT) For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

    Part of being free is knowing what GOD says about you. Part of being free is knowing WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST. Part of being free is TRUSTING HIM! If He says He will never leave you, He won't. If He says, not to be afraid, there is nothing to fear. If He promises to meet your every need, He will do it. If He says you can do it, you can! God cannot lie. He will not lie, and He loves you with perfect, powerful love. Christ bought your freedom with His own blood. Don't insult Him by living like you don't believe it.

    Yes. My favorite F word ---- FREEDOM!

  • Home!

    heart cloudWe all understand, that if we are followers of Jesus Christ that Heaven is our home. We know, but we sometimes get distracted and focus more on all this life offers. We get bogged down with accumulating material possessions. We work to gain security in our earthly life and tend to push the thought of Heaven into the background.

    (Col 3:2 NLT) Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

    I must admit that with each passing year, Heaven looms larger! As you see more wrinkles, gray hair and those nasty brown spots on your skin, you realize that the body is not immortal! As time passes, it seems like many I love have taken their "permanent retirement." It is a comfort to me that I will see most of my family members in Heaven. Someday, we will all be together again! I am blessed with a Christian heritage that goes back many generations.

    When we must attend a funeral, we often find we are face to face with the reality of Heaven It is a reminder to us that this life we are living is temporary. We never know when our number will be called.

    (Mark 11:25 NLT) But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. "

    It is so sad for me when I have to go to the funeral of an unbeliever. I remember my husband preaching the funeral of a nightclub owner who was murdered. Apparently, several of the man's friends had made the comment that this guy was now "partying in hell." My husband's message title for the funeral was, THERE ARE NO PARTIES IN HELL!

    Life goes on. People live. People die. While we have those moments of thought about what happens when we die, we tend to focus on the next weekend, or holiday or paycheck. Of course, this present life is important. God put us here for a reason, did He not? Perhaps we should view this life more in relation to how it will impact our eternity. Much of what we spend time on will have very little affect on that.

    (Mat. 6:20 NLT) Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.

    (Mat.7:21 NLT) "Not everyone who calls out to Me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter.

    We need to be living in a way that is pleasing to God. We need to pray and direct our children along this same path. We need to do all we can to point others to Christ. We need to live so we will have no regrets, because our bodies are temporary, but Heaven is forever.

    (2Cor. 5:1 NLT) For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God Himself and not by human hands.

    My final destination is Heaven! Will I see you there?