Hot Water

Hot Water

There is nothing like a really hot shower when you just need to relax. In fact, there are days when you could stand in there forever. The other day was one of those days for me. It was like I was closed off to the world and everything that was swirling around in my schedule. I had an appointment that was just looming…but I was willing the clock to stop moving. Finally there was no other option but to shut the water off and face the reality of the day!

So many times when God prods us to do something, we just stay in our little comfort zone and wish that we didn't have to step out into the "cold". We know what He is asking us to do, but man, the discomfort that we fear freezes us into staying right where we are and not taking a chance on God.

He has an agenda. He is calling the lost! He has people that He is pursuing (a lot!). He has a lost world that He is continually calling to Himself. He puts people in our walks every day that He wants us to talk to. He gives us opportunities all the time to engage in this fight. And every day, tons of people stay under that hot water and tune it out. You know, God is going to get done what He wants. It isn't like if we decide to not jump in, then all those people will never get reached. He will just enlist someone else. You will have to watch someone else get to do for God what you could have done. This has happened to me, and let me tell you right now…the regret is so thick, it makes me want to choke!

What is it in your life that God has prompted you to do? Is there something that you just kinda shelved and walked away from? The challenge today is to say yes! Don't get so comfortable in your little world that you miss the rewards that God wants to pour out on you! The opportunities are endless. If you think you are too busy to do anything for God, then you are in trouble at the heart of it all. If you don't actively pursue Him every day, I am afraid that one day you will look back and wonder how you fell so far from Him!

The hot water is nice, but the longer you stand in it, the harder it becomes to take a step away. But remember that the hot water is a diversion…it will soon run out. And probably about the time that the opportunity has passed you by. Get out before you miss out!

The only thing you need to be totally comfortable about is not being comfortable at all! Get to a place where you are ready and willing to change whatever needs to be changed, whether it's plans, schedules, routines, or your heart and attitude! Then you will be right where you need to be, to be ready to jump when God starts calling!

Do something for me right now…ask God to move you out of any area where you are "too" comfortable. Then get ready! The ride is way worth it!

Stuck Pages

Stuck Pages

I love to read. On most of our trips, I take 500 books and constantly have one in my hands. It helps my hubby out a lot because then he doesn't have to constantly hear me jabbering, or screaming that he needs to slow down ;). On more than one occasion he has calmly asked me to just keep reading.

The other day I was doing just that. We were almost to the hotel and I was getting into a good part of the book. I flipped the page and just kind of sat there, a little confused. The page that I had turned to made no sense at all. It was like the story line changed completely around. I flipped back and forth a couple of times before I realized what the problem was. There were 2 pages that got stuck together. A full 2 pages of words that were skipped, leaving me with a story that just didn't completely make sense. After I unstuck them, I continued on and the story was crystal clear once again.

How many of us want to glue part of our pages together? Is there a place in your past that you would rather just skip over and not share with anyone?

I have learned along the way, that if you ever truly want to get to know someone, you have to know where they came from and what they walked through. Have you ever heard that phrase "you need to walk a mile in their shoes"? Well that is so much truer than you know. It is impossible to "judge a book by its cover". But yet, so many of us do exactly that!

If you look back on your past, how many of you really ever have shared everything? How many of us glue maybe ages 16-21 together and pick back up at 22? We may summarize a whole 5 years into one simple phrase: "those were my rebel years". Or something like that! Our books will never make sense to anyone except those people that walked through it with us and actually watched you write those pages. So everyone else only sees bits and pieces. They have a distorted view of who you really are and why you are the way you are!

So if you have glued your pages together, don't you think that the person you maybe can't stand might have a few stuck pages too? It might be surprising to you to really get to know them before snap judging who they are. (I, by the way, am the worst at this!)

Jesus came for not just you and not just me! I heard part of a Casting Crowns song this morning that says "Jesus paid way too high a price, for us to pick and choose who should come". Wow! I find myself picking and choosing…what about you?

I want to challenge every one of you to change our mindset on a couple of things! First off, what would it take for us to go back through our own books and tear apart any pages that may be stuck? I know that it may be painful…definitely more for some than others. But, I want you to think about how freeing for you and eye opening for others that may be! One thing with testimonies that I have learned: they are not for my pats on the back! They are so powerful when we openly share everything because it shows the redemptive powers of Jesus! It shows that He can love a wretch like me, pick me up out of the mud, wash me clean, and USE ME!! It shows that no one is helpless and no one is worthless! It shows Jesus' story through you!

So think about that as you change your mind set on one more thing. How we view others and how we love them too! Remember that they have things hidden just like you. Something in where they have been has made them who they are today! Before you write them off, look for the hidden pages and after reading everything, you may just find that their story makes so much sense!

Let's all remember why we are here: for Jesus! We aren't here for ourselves or to bring ourselves glory. If you want to keep the selfish mindset, then keep those pages glued together! But if you want to fully live out the purpose of bringing glory to God…start tearing apart any and all pages that you have tried to hide! You will see the effects reaching so many! They too will see just how powerful Jesus can be!

Green Light

Green Light

The other day I was sitting behind a truck at a stop light. The vehicle in front of me was big enough (or maybe I was too close), either way, I couldn't see the light. All of the sudden, I hear the truck start to take off and instinctively, I put my foot on the gas pedal too. It wasn't until I was half way through the intersection that I thought about how stupid that was. I did not even look to see if the light had turned green. I just watched the person in front of me and did what they did. The results were fine this one time, but just think of the tragedy that could have come out of that had someone been coming and I wasn't really supposed to go yet!

This same habit is something that many of us do in our spiritual walks too. We sit behind someone that may be a "leader" and just wait until they start moving. Without even second guessing whether it is right or not, we start going when they do and assume we are going to make it through the intersection without crashing.

If you are not a natural leader, I am not dogging you. I am not saying that everyone has to lead. Every situation has a leader and followers. It is just the way it is! But what I am saying, is that we have got to make sure God has given us a green light at the same time that He gave them one too! Not always is God saying "this is the path that I have for you". He may have given clear direction for the person you follow to start walking. But He may want to mold your heart a little more before sending you out. Or whatever the case may be!

Once we get into this habit of walking without first looking, we start to depend more and more on what we want to do and less and less on what God wants us to do! Our purpose becomes to look to see where the leader is going and doing that, instead of stopping to look at where God is working and joining Him!

Let's put the brakes on, and for some us, put it in reverse! Each of us has to take time to seek Him out on our own! That is why it is called a PERSONAL relationship with Jesus. Someone else's won't get you into Heaven, my friend! You are going to have to learn to "Be still and know that I am GOD." Not follow the person that you think is a Christian and do what they do. He made us all with special gifts and equipped us all with unique talents. If you wait on Him and His timing, you will be right where He wants you to be and will be able to use all those specials things He has given only you! The joy, peace and fulfillment that you will have will make you hesitate before ever plowing through the next stop light! God's purpose is right; His timing is never late or early! Follow Him and there is no way that you will ever be in danger of getting blindsided and crashing!

I love you THISSSSSS much!!!!!

I love you THISSSSSS much!

The other morning I was watching my 4 year old little boy playing in the sink. I was overwhelmed all of the sudden with just how much I loved him. I told him, "Kolt, I love you!" Without even looking at me, he said, "love you too." It just wasn't enough for me! I said, "No, Kolt I mean I REALLY LOVE you!!!". Again without even looking at me, he repeats, "love you too mom." I was hit with the realization that he had no clue how much I really love him, or what I would do for him.

How many times a day does God get overwhelmed with the thought that He REALLY loves us? I look back over my day and realize that He was trying to truly tell me, and I must have responded with a simple, "love you too", if I even responded at all.

 

I wanted to grab Kolt and make him look me in the face until he realized that I really, really loved him. But I think even then, he wouldn't be able to fully understand. He can't fully understand because he doesn't fully know the whole story. He sees Luke and I for who we are supposed to be; his parents. Our jobs are to feed, clean, and play with him. If we are doing that then he is good to go. Not too much more to think about. But on our side of it, it is about sacrifices. The more we sacrifice, the more we love. That is my theory at least.

Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34 both say the same thing:

"where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

My heart used to be wrapped up in things that I wanted, places I wanted to go, games that I wanted to play. Now my days are wrapped up in fruit loops, candy land, and swing sets. But you know what? I love it! It has come at a cost, though. The cost is giving of yourself for the happiness and goodness of another person. It is hard not to get selfish and greedy. But in the end, it is worth it. I know that none of my 3 kids can comprehend until they have given of themselves as we have for them.

 

It is because of this that I know that I will never be able to understand God's Love for me either! I try. I certainly feel it at times! But when He is really trying to tell me, I know that I probably make Him frustrated when my answer is nonchalantly "yeah I know!" But He still keeps on loving me!

Psalms 107:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.

Do you know how many times the phrase "His Love endures forever" is mentioned in the Bible? 41! There are times that I don't feel like loving. I get hurt and disappointed. I get frustrated and mad! It makes this verse so much more impactful doesn't it? When we don't feel like loving, He never quits! When we feel like walking away, He promises to always be there!

I understand more clearly now why the first part of the verse is there. Thank You ~Thank You~ Thank You~ that Your Love endures forever! What would we do if He got upset and reacted like we do? This thought alone, makes me want to praise Him for being who He is rather than who I am!

 

Most of us would lay down our lives for our kids, wouldn't we? At all cost we would protect them! You would, most likely, not even need to think about your reaction. It would just happen, without regret. Sacrificial Love.

 

Now think about laying down your own child's life for the life of someone else. Could you volunteer to do that? Even if you knew that the people would not even be thankful for your sacrifice? Even if you knew that people would forget all about it? I honestly can say that I don't think I could ever do that! But God did! There was no one else standing in line and raising their hand to go first! He knew what needed to be done and He did it!

 

Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

 

This is why I know without a shadow of a doubt, that I can't comprehend how much He loves me! I can never give what He gave! He gave the unthinkable because He loved me and you! Even knowing that we would reject His gift and spit in His face! The truth is: you and I were worth it for Him! How can we ever truly thank Him? A lifetime of loving Him is all He requires, but it doesn't seem even close to being able to cover the cost!

 

You hear of parents giving up on their kids. You hear of parents leaving them behind. I personally can't even imagine. I can see kids getting so mad that they leave you, but never a parent. Sadly, it happens every day. Thankfully with God though, He promises that nothing can separate us from Him. Romans 8:39 "neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
We can get mad, we can wander away, we can say hurtful things. But He still will fight for us and love us like crazy! Just like the prodigal child, He will be waiting with open arms! Satan will try his hardest, but he can't separate us! Others may laugh and point and call us names, but they can't separate us! We serve a God that pursues us and wants nothing else but to have us walking in His truth! He has given the greatest sacrifice for us to have a glimpse of what true love is.

 

My kids have taught me many things, but none with the same meaning as when they spread their arms really wide and say, "mommy I love you THiSSSSSS much!". I think, at this point, that they might, just might understand how much I truly love them! It's with this analogy that I kind of begin to understand just how much God loves me too.

 

He watched His only Son spread His arms on that cross. It was as if He was saying right to me: "I love you thissssss much!" Amen!

 

John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

Protein Shake

Protein Shake

For me, every morning starts out the same…a chocolate protein shake. Now before any of you tell me that that isn't so bad let me assure you…I hold my breath the whole time! I like my chocolate, but this just isn't the same. The protein part is what gets me every single day. I have been taking this for a couple of years, you would have thought that I'd be used to it by now!

So, the next question many of you might be thinking is "why?". Why would I put myself through that if I really didn't like it? The answer is simple…because of the effects it has on my body. There are, on rare occasion, a day that I might miss. It would be the day that I spend the night somewhere and forget to bring it or something like that. Never do I miss if it is in my house…NEVER! If I do, by about 10:00 I am craving carbs like crazy! Then about 2:00 I crash and can hardly go on. Give me a couple of days in a row of skipping, and I am a mess! My body needs the nutrients that that thick, chocolaty, protein, gaggy shake gives! The results are so drastic without it that I choose to make it a part of my routine, without hesitation!

Do you ever have those days, or weeks, when you just don't want to read the Bible? I ashamedly have and I fully admit that it is a struggle to open the Word of God! I hate that about myself, truly I do! Why can't I just stay on fire and crave it every single day? But instead, I find myself facing mornings when I would rather clean then sit and be still for a while! Do you know what I'm talking about here?

You know what I have found though? That just like those protein shakes, if I skip out of getting "fed" in the morning (or whenever you have your quiet time), by mid morning, I am unfocused and a little crazy. Then by mid afternoon, I am stressed and grouchy! By bed time, my kids have been yelled at, my house is a mess, and I can't relax as I finally get to bed. I fall asleep with a million different concerns running through my head. You can just imagine how I actually sleep that night! I literally wake up exhausted!

This scenario is so true I am embarrassed to admit it! After putting it down on paper, I realize even more the NEED that I have to make it a priority to seek Him daily! And for me…that is first thing in the morning!

What about you? Does this at all look familiar to anyone else but me? I have found that some days, God's Word feels like a chore for me to read! I can't believe I just said that, but in all honesty, that is what it feels like! I have to force myself to open it and read, and read, and read. At the time it seems like absolutely nothing is getting in. I feel like nothing stuck and it was a waste of time. But something crazy usually happens. Even if I have to "hold my breath and just drink it down fast", sometime during the day, what I read comes back to me. It is like it is sustaining me and getting me through. I will end my day and realize that I am not insaneJ.

The trick of doing anything that is good for you is that you have to, have to, have to commit to doing it even when you don't feel like it! So when you have those days that you feel like hitting the snooze for 15 minutes, or you pack your day so full, there "just isn't time", MAKE time! The end results will be better! The Bible is such a better filler…you will find yourself actually able to survive and thrive rather than just barely making it through.

John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty."

Small Load of Laundry

Small Load of Laundry

I hate doing things small. I hate doing things half speed. It has to be all or nothing with me. For instance, if I am cold; I put the heater on full blast. Then in about 2 minutes, I am sweating so I turn it completely off. There is no in between, it is either everything or nothing.

Laundry is the same exact way. I either do an extra large load or I don't do one at all. If I have 10 pieces of clothes, I will wait until there are enough to do the bigger load.

The other day, I had several big loads washed, dried and folded. Just when I thought that I was done for the day, I found a small pile of whites. I was so annoyed because I just didn't want to do a small load for a couple of pieces of clothes. So I didn't…I just let them sit for a while. I quickly realized how stupid that thinking was. The stains that could have easily been washed out when the clothes were freshly soiled were now set in and it took a lot more effort to make them white again.

Sin is the same way. It is like we let the pile of different sins get big before we deem it necessary to get clean. We don't take care of the daily ones until they have sat there for a while and really get set in. If we take this approach, I promise you, the effects will be way harder to get rid of. You may have dug yourself a pit where as it could have simply been a mud puddle you could have easily stepped out of.

Jesus does not ask us to wait until we have several stocked up before coming to Him. He does not turn us away because it is a waste of time to deal with one at a time. The exact opposite is actually true of Him! He knows the damage that one little white lie can do. He knows the lasting effects one sin gone unchecked can cause. The thing is…I know too…I have lived it and have had to dig myself out of PITS that were dug because I refused to just wash the mud off my boots. I would walk around until I was stuck and couldn't get out. I would cling to those things and become comfortable with them clinging to me. Finally they would become too heavy and I would surrender them to Him, but not before the damage was done.

Jesus is the forgiver, the healer, the Grace giver. There is nothing in Him or about Him that says "wait until there are a lot to confess, I don't have time to take care of each one individually." He calls us daily to Him! He offers to take the burden right off of our shoulders! His Blood flowed to wash you clean right now…not every 3 days or so!

Do not fall into the pattern that I have found myself in. Don't think that you have to wait for a big pile of stuff to confess before you do! Take care of it right away so that your heart doesn't get stained. The pits that we fall into are because we have unchecked sin that has been sitting in a pile just waiting to be confessed. Don't make life harder than it is! Just throw those sins at His Feet…even if there is only 1!

Gas Station

Gas Station

The other day as I was driving past a gas station, l looked to see if I needed to stop. I was at half a tank so I drove right on by. I don't know why I am like that, because inevitably, I will be scrambling the next day to make it to the pump before running out. Almost every single time I stop for gas, the light on my gauge is on. I barely make it sometimes, and embarrassingly, I have run completely out before!

Do you know how many opportunities that I had to fill up before getting to the frantic point? Most of the times, I have at least 20. I drive through town a lot and do not even think about stopping until the needle is pointing to E. As I type this out, I am realizing just how stupid that mindset probably is!

How many of you get "filled up" at church? I know some days, for me, it is like water to a thirsty soul. I just crave to get inside those doors to fellowship and worship! It is refreshing. I walk out ready to hit the week!

Now another question: how many of you only get filled at church?

How many of us find ourselves sitting faithfully every single Sunday inside those church doors, yet during the week, not doing anything to grow closer to Jesus? It is like we are filling our tanks on Sunday, then slowly watching the needle reach empty, and as we putt into the church parking lot, we realize that we are running on fumes? Sound familiar to anyone?

I have learned along the way that I have to keep topping off my tank as often as I can! But do you know how many opportunities to get filled that I pass on? How often do I turn off Christian radio, or how often do I substitute time with HIM for TV, or how often do I skip out on a spiritual conversation to keep cleaning? These are all examples of times when I am running on half a tank, and think I can easily make it another day without a big fill up! Once again, I am realizing just how stupid this thinking is!

Jesus says to follow Him, put your armor on and seek His Face. He never once said to do that only on Sundays! In fact, He never specified a day, which in my eyes means TODAY! Today seek Him, follow Him, and fight for all you're worth! Then by the time Sunday gets here, you might actually pour out what you are already overflowing with! Instead of just sitting in the pews and being a sponge, you will give back to God. You will lift your voices with praise; you'll be able to fellowship, encourage and lead others to a life that is filled with the Spirit, not just running on empty most days!

God is just waiting to pour more into you…stop running long enough each day to receive the portion that will keep your "tank empty" light from ever coming on! Don't run out of gas when there are so many gas stations just waiting to fill you up!