My husband is a whiz at doing any kind of math in his head. His eyes light up like the keypads of a cell phone…I can just envision fiber optic lines just buzzing in his mind calculating the answer. He can calculate gross profit of anything in mere seconds. I, however, have developed brain paralysis! And it is all because of a love affair. Yes, it is true I have had an ongoing love affair with a machine ever since my senior year in high school. Prior to my love affair, I was pretty decent at calculating figures in my head. Now I cannot even do the simplest division without my lover! The object of my affair is…a calculator.
You are probably thinking, “What does a calculator have to do with how I perceive God’s view of me?” What is the purpose of a calculator (besides trying to increase our check book balance when clearly we should be subtracting!)? It helps find or place value or worth of something with the information given to it.
The past 24 months has been a roller coaster with investments in the stock market and real estate market. Values that were ballooned have burst and the hot air completely drained out of these markets. Investors are left holding worthless papers; retirees are left with empty accounts that they thought would provide for them in their later years; home owners’ struggling to make mortgage payments on homes that now are sometimes below the value of those mortgages. What changed? What calculator is being used that no longer adds or multiplies…but only divides and subtracts?
On a recent morning, I awoke to the thought, “banking and living off the investment.” I started thinking, “What am I placing value on, what am I “storing up” and will that to which I am spending time and energy hold its value in order to return a dividend?
Are we living off the interest of what someone else has invested in us? Are we placing our value, our worth in what others think and speak into our lives? And is what they are investing in us “bottoming out” or yielding a “high rate” of return? If we try to live off a “ballooned” interest others place on us, make no mistake we will eventually go bankrupt. However, if we are living off the interest of what God has said we are worth, the value God has placed on us then we will yield a high rate of return in investing in others.
Our value is not based on this world’s economic system, but on a heavenly banking system.
The value system the world uses to determine our worth is ever changing because it is based on the latest guru, religion, ideas or philosophies (Col 2:8-10)
These two systems are so far apart. The world system says, “I AM #1..it is all about me” and the heavenly system says, “He must increase, while I must decrease.”
Lies and deceit are behind the world’s value system, while truth and love are the standard for the heavenly value system.
In Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose Driven Life” he says,
“God was there as an unseen witness, smiling at your birth. God did not need to create you, but he chose to create you for his own enjoyment. Bringing enjoyment to God, living for his pleasure, is the first purpose of your life. If you are that important to God, and he considers you valuable enough to keep with him for eternity, what greater significance could you have?
Eph 1:5, ‘Because of his love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children—this was his pleasure and purpose.’”
Our value and worth is not determined by how others view us but rather KNOWING how God views and values us:
· God chose us…BEFORE the creation of the world! (Jeremiah 1:5; Ephesians 1:4)
·God pursues me; He knows me; He protects me; He guides me; He holds onto me; He uniquely created me; He knows the number of hairs on my head and has established the number of days of my life (Psalm 139)
· God has a plan specifically designed just for me (Jeremiah 29:11)
· God determined to give His Son as a ransom to purchase my freedom from the chains of Satan’s death chambers before I was even born. (Romans 5:8)
· God takes great delight in me even to the point of singing over me! (Zephaniah 3:17)
· God doesn’t treat me according to my sins (1 John 1:9; Psalm 103:10)
· God is preparing a home for me so I will be with Him…FOREVER! (John 14:1-4)
· God gives me peace in the midst of my troubles (John 16:33)
· God has engraved me in the palm of His hand…He will NEVER forget me! (Isaiah 49:16)
· God has given me everything I need to live (Philippians 4:19; 2 Peter 1:3-11)
Nothing..ABSOLUTELY NOTHING will turn God’s love and affections away from us...NOTHING!! He has placed such high value in us that He gave His very best for us, His Son Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:31-39).
When we understand and accept the value God has placed in us, then we truly will be able to “re-invest” that value in others.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Opposites
I love to dig into the meaning of words and recently have been thinking about the word “opposite.” The English thesaurus lists, “conflicting, contradictory, reverse” as some of the adjectives defining this word. Easter Sunday is tomorrow and like a movie in my mind this word was playing out the events that lead to this significant day in our faith walk.
Without the manger we wouldn’t have the cross. And without the cross the manger meant nothing more than a sweet baby’s birth. The Manger and the Cross are two complete opposites of life.
Both represent hope…but only one would give eternal hope
Both represent life…but only one would give eternal life.
Both represent the sacrifice of surrender…the cross was the ultimate sacrifice of obedience.
Both represented a lamb…the cross demanded the only “pure and spotless lamb” ever to be born.
The manger was under the law…the cross brought fulfillment to that law.
A star gave direction to the manger…the cross gives direction to the Star.
The manger was surrounded by angelic hosts...the cross was surrounded by thieves.
The manger gave us a servant….the cross gave us our King.
It is easier to worship the manger than the cross.
It has been said, “the character of the worshiper will always be molded by the character of what he worships.”
The dictionary defines ‘character’ as:
1. A distinctive mark, trait, quality or nature
2. An engraving instrument
The cross became the engraving instrument by which the full character of God was displayed in and through Jesus Christ (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness...Galatians 5).
We bear His character today, OR do we?
Like Jesus, do we allow God’s character, His engraving instrument to carve His distinct mark, His distinct qualities deep within us? Troubles and pain come into our lives as an “engraving instrument” to produce God’s character within us. This will always require a surrender of self.
Romans 5:3-5 “We also have joy with our troubles, because we know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character, and character produces hope. And this hope will never disappoint us, because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts.
Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter (completer) of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
As contradictory as the manger and cross are, without the Hope from the manger AND the Resurrection from the cross our Promise for the future would be futile.
Without the manger we wouldn’t have the cross. And without the cross the manger meant nothing more than a sweet baby’s birth. The Manger and the Cross are two complete opposites of life.
Both represent hope…but only one would give eternal hope
Both represent life…but only one would give eternal life.
Both represent the sacrifice of surrender…the cross was the ultimate sacrifice of obedience.
Both represented a lamb…the cross demanded the only “pure and spotless lamb” ever to be born.
The manger was under the law…the cross brought fulfillment to that law.
A star gave direction to the manger…the cross gives direction to the Star.
The manger was surrounded by angelic hosts...the cross was surrounded by thieves.
The manger gave us a servant….the cross gave us our King.
It is easier to worship the manger than the cross.
It has been said, “the character of the worshiper will always be molded by the character of what he worships.”
The dictionary defines ‘character’ as:
1. A distinctive mark, trait, quality or nature
2. An engraving instrument
The cross became the engraving instrument by which the full character of God was displayed in and through Jesus Christ (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness...Galatians 5).
We bear His character today, OR do we?
Like Jesus, do we allow God’s character, His engraving instrument to carve His distinct mark, His distinct qualities deep within us? Troubles and pain come into our lives as an “engraving instrument” to produce God’s character within us. This will always require a surrender of self.
Romans 5:3-5 “We also have joy with our troubles, because we know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character, and character produces hope. And this hope will never disappoint us, because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts.
Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter (completer) of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
As contradictory as the manger and cross are, without the Hope from the manger AND the Resurrection from the cross our Promise for the future would be futile.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Dead man walking
DEAD MAN…WALKING
John 11
This is Easter week. For some that means bunnies, egg hunts, new outfits, spring flowers, ham or lamb dinners, family gatherings, suffering, resurrection, hope, winters end and springs glorious colors…life.
Martha and Mary didn’t have the luxury of reminiscing about THE resurrection like we do today when they laid Lazarus in the tomb. Oh, they knew a resurrection was coming, just not the one they were about to experience.
Lazarus was everything to them; brother, provider, friend, safety….and now he was gone. Jesus had been a good friend to them, why didn’t he come when they first sent word of Lazarus illness? If he had, they would not be staring at a tomb holding their beloved brother. The death wails were ear piercing and heard for miles, had Jesus heard them? Tradition held that the spirit of Lazarus would hover over his body for three days listening to all those wailing for him. Would Lazarus realize his friend Jesus had not come in time to rescue him?
John 11
This is Easter week. For some that means bunnies, egg hunts, new outfits, spring flowers, ham or lamb dinners, family gatherings, suffering, resurrection, hope, winters end and springs glorious colors…life.
Martha and Mary didn’t have the luxury of reminiscing about THE resurrection like we do today when they laid Lazarus in the tomb. Oh, they knew a resurrection was coming, just not the one they were about to experience.
Lazarus was everything to them; brother, provider, friend, safety….and now he was gone. Jesus had been a good friend to them, why didn’t he come when they first sent word of Lazarus illness? If he had, they would not be staring at a tomb holding their beloved brother. The death wails were ear piercing and heard for miles, had Jesus heard them? Tradition held that the spirit of Lazarus would hover over his body for three days listening to all those wailing for him. Would Lazarus realize his friend Jesus had not come in time to rescue him?
THOUGHTS TO PONDER:
1. And then he came…"Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb."
Jesus is deeply moved when He comes to the “tombs” we live in today. He came to bring life, not death; freedom, not entombment (slavery); hope not despair. When we invite Jesus to deliver us from our tombs, He stands at the very entrance to Hell and proclaims, “I HAVE COME TO REMOVE THE STONE FROM THEIR TOMB AND TO BREAK THE CHAINS OF BONDAGE YOU HAVE ON THEIR LIVES. I HAVE BOUGHT AND PAID FOR THEIR FREEDOM.”
2. “Lord, he will stink!”
What is our odor to those around us today? Is it the “fragrance of life” or the stench of death? Will others long and crave after our scent? Or do we blend in so well with the world’s fragrance they don’t even realize we are different?
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.
3. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Lazarus walked out of the tomb with his “death clothes” still on. Had it been me, I would have felt like I was suffocating and would have ripped the grave clothes off while running out of the tomb! Until the graves clothes come off, the things of our past that bind us will prohibit us from walking in and experiencing “new life.”
4. The grave cloths only covered the hands, feet and face:
With our HANDS we receive, we give, we touch.
We ARE Christ’s hands extended to all…no matter the smell, the disease, or the social order.
With our FEET we go.
“Go into all the world”…we are to take His message of love, mercy, grace, and hope EVERYWHERE we go.
With our FACE we see and express emotions.
Do others see Jesus in our eyes and expressions or do they see the Grinch?
May we be the very hands, feet and face of Jesus to all we encounter today
Let’s be people walking in the aroma of Life…not death.
Jesus is deeply moved when He comes to the “tombs” we live in today. He came to bring life, not death; freedom, not entombment (slavery); hope not despair. When we invite Jesus to deliver us from our tombs, He stands at the very entrance to Hell and proclaims, “I HAVE COME TO REMOVE THE STONE FROM THEIR TOMB AND TO BREAK THE CHAINS OF BONDAGE YOU HAVE ON THEIR LIVES. I HAVE BOUGHT AND PAID FOR THEIR FREEDOM.”
2. “Lord, he will stink!”
What is our odor to those around us today? Is it the “fragrance of life” or the stench of death? Will others long and crave after our scent? Or do we blend in so well with the world’s fragrance they don’t even realize we are different?
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.
3. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Lazarus walked out of the tomb with his “death clothes” still on. Had it been me, I would have felt like I was suffocating and would have ripped the grave clothes off while running out of the tomb! Until the graves clothes come off, the things of our past that bind us will prohibit us from walking in and experiencing “new life.”
4. The grave cloths only covered the hands, feet and face:
With our HANDS we receive, we give, we touch.
We ARE Christ’s hands extended to all…no matter the smell, the disease, or the social order.
With our FEET we go.
“Go into all the world”…we are to take His message of love, mercy, grace, and hope EVERYWHERE we go.
With our FACE we see and express emotions.
Do others see Jesus in our eyes and expressions or do they see the Grinch?
May we be the very hands, feet and face of Jesus to all we encounter today
Let’s be people walking in the aroma of Life…not death.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Devotion
Desire…is God really all that I want and need? 2Peter 1:3-9; Psalm 37:4
Encounter…do I expect to meet God or is this a religious act? Psalm 5:3; 1 Chronicles 28:9
Visceral…proceeding from instinct rather than from reasoned thinking. God put this “instinct” to connect with him into our very depths. Isaiah 33:2; 50:4-5; Acts 17:24-28
Object of worship….is God the recipient of my worship ALL THE TIME or is He just the afterthought during troubles? Deuteronomy 4:39; 13:4; Philippians 2:9-11
Thanksgiving…am I living a thankful life no matter the circumstances? Psalm 34:1
Philippians 4:4-6; Colossians 2:6-7
Invasion…do I welcome God to invade all of me and every part of my day? Jeremiah 10:23; Philippians 2:13; Proverbs 16:3,9
Ownership…whose label do I wear? Isaiah 43:1; 48:17; Ephesians 2:10
Nature of God…whose character (engraving instrument) is sculpting me? 1 Samuel 3:21;
2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:22-23; Romans 1:20; Ephesians 3:18-29
Devotion isn’t about a “time” period or a “quiet time”, but rather an encounter that deepens our relationship with God and continues to shape us throughout the day and night. It is when we box God into a specific method or time period we then become frustrated that “the” method does not produce results we expect or have been taught to expect.
So today, let’s resolve to OPEN our hearts and EXPERIENCE the amazing-life changing-awesome-power of God! Not just for ourselves but so others can see Him and experience Him through us (2 Corinthians 4:7)!
Encounter…do I expect to meet God or is this a religious act? Psalm 5:3; 1 Chronicles 28:9
Visceral…proceeding from instinct rather than from reasoned thinking. God put this “instinct” to connect with him into our very depths. Isaiah 33:2; 50:4-5; Acts 17:24-28
Object of worship….is God the recipient of my worship ALL THE TIME or is He just the afterthought during troubles? Deuteronomy 4:39; 13:4; Philippians 2:9-11
Thanksgiving…am I living a thankful life no matter the circumstances? Psalm 34:1
Philippians 4:4-6; Colossians 2:6-7
Invasion…do I welcome God to invade all of me and every part of my day? Jeremiah 10:23; Philippians 2:13; Proverbs 16:3,9
Ownership…whose label do I wear? Isaiah 43:1; 48:17; Ephesians 2:10
Nature of God…whose character (engraving instrument) is sculpting me? 1 Samuel 3:21;
2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:22-23; Romans 1:20; Ephesians 3:18-29
Devotion isn’t about a “time” period or a “quiet time”, but rather an encounter that deepens our relationship with God and continues to shape us throughout the day and night. It is when we box God into a specific method or time period we then become frustrated that “the” method does not produce results we expect or have been taught to expect.
So today, let’s resolve to OPEN our hearts and EXPERIENCE the amazing-life changing-awesome-power of God! Not just for ourselves but so others can see Him and experience Him through us (2 Corinthians 4:7)!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Who's stationed at your door?
It was a warm summer day when my Mother started calling our names, “Kay…Charlie”. The only thing separating my childhood home from the railroad tracks behind our house was an alley and small embankment. But to the wonderment of a child, that alley held treasures and far away places that could only be envisioned through the eyes of a child. The brush became forts where we fought dangerous Indians or conquered thieves and robbers, and always the victor! The next day the very same brush would become the backdrop for a royal kingdom complete with handsome princes’ that rode to our rescue upon glimmering white stallions. We even picnicked on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that were fit for royalty! Although on that particular day we decided to venture beyond the boundaries that had been drilled into our minds. You remember those boundaries and the consequences of crossing over! When we finally heard our names being called we ran back to the “safe zone”, albeit a little too late! We had been discovered...UGH!! As we came through the gate, slowly walking up the yard to the back door, we just knew where our Mother would be…sitting in the doorway, waiting for us. She sat at the advantage point; we HAD to pass in front of her to get into the house.
“He also stationed doorkeepers at the gates of the LORD's temple so that no one who was in any way unclean might enter.” (2 Chronicles 23:19)
When reading this verse I immediately was taken back in time to our childhood “alley days.” Our Mother was the doorkeeper to our home as a protector for her children. The boundaries that she instilled in us (sometimes via the back of a wooden stick!!) were meant not to curtail our curiosity but to ensure our safety by not allowing any “unclean ways” to enter us.
In much the same way, God has set boundaries for us, His children today. Our bodies (mind, soul and spirit) are the temple that the Holy Spirit lives in today. “Set a guard over my mouth, oh Lord. Keep watch over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil or take part in wicked deeds.” (Psalm 141:3-4) David mouthed this petition to God a long time ago, but it is as relevant for us today as it was when he spoke the request. Why? Because God knows that whatever “things” we allow to enter our hearts can either promote good or have the potential to destroy us. Jesus said, “out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) What we allow our eyes to see and our minds to entertain will eventually find its way into our hearts and then be externally exhibited in our actions and behaviors. God wants only the best for us, “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
He hasn’t stationed the Holy Spirit as the “doorkeeper” of our hearts to deny us, but rather to ensure our safety. So the next time when trying to determine what to do and we sense that tug at our hearts…listen, don’t dismiss it! It just may be the very voice of God trying to get our attention and divert us from an “unclean” intruder!
By the way, I almost never was on the receiving end of “the” stick...well, ok maybe that thought is a left over remnant of my “pretend” days too!!
“He also stationed doorkeepers at the gates of the LORD's temple so that no one who was in any way unclean might enter.” (2 Chronicles 23:19)
When reading this verse I immediately was taken back in time to our childhood “alley days.” Our Mother was the doorkeeper to our home as a protector for her children. The boundaries that she instilled in us (sometimes via the back of a wooden stick!!) were meant not to curtail our curiosity but to ensure our safety by not allowing any “unclean ways” to enter us.
In much the same way, God has set boundaries for us, His children today. Our bodies (mind, soul and spirit) are the temple that the Holy Spirit lives in today. “Set a guard over my mouth, oh Lord. Keep watch over the door of my lips. Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil or take part in wicked deeds.” (Psalm 141:3-4) David mouthed this petition to God a long time ago, but it is as relevant for us today as it was when he spoke the request. Why? Because God knows that whatever “things” we allow to enter our hearts can either promote good or have the potential to destroy us. Jesus said, “out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) What we allow our eyes to see and our minds to entertain will eventually find its way into our hearts and then be externally exhibited in our actions and behaviors. God wants only the best for us, “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
He hasn’t stationed the Holy Spirit as the “doorkeeper” of our hearts to deny us, but rather to ensure our safety. So the next time when trying to determine what to do and we sense that tug at our hearts…listen, don’t dismiss it! It just may be the very voice of God trying to get our attention and divert us from an “unclean” intruder!
By the way, I almost never was on the receiving end of “the” stick...well, ok maybe that thought is a left over remnant of my “pretend” days too!!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Brain Freeze
BRAIN FREEZE..it doesn’t just happen with ice cream!! Have you ever been in a situation where your eyes meet those of another person and your mind goes into overload trying to dust off those webbed covered areas with questions like, “I know the face, but can’t place a name with it”; “Oh please God, give me his/her name so I don’t look like an idiot?” Well, I found myself in such a situation. It was a recent Sunday at the end of church when I met up with my husband who was talking with a man and his wife in the lobby. But this time, it was the one my husband was talking with that had the brain-freeze and not me (so nice to be on the other side for a change!). When his eyes met mine he said, “You look familiar” and I suddenly realized this was Bob, a plumber that worked on our home last year. Feeling quite pleased with myself that I knew his name, I blurted out, “Hey, I know you! You are Bob the plumber.” After a few exchanges, I introduced him to our daughter who was standing with me, “this is Bob, the plumber.” She, picking up with her quick wit, replied, “and I’m Jess the lawyer.” A few minutes later, as we walked away, we chuckled at the odd introductions. But I started thinking, how often we view others not by who they are but by what they do. We can even go so far as to place a value on someone based solely on what they do.
Good news, there is One who values us by who we are not what we do!
“The Lord answers, "Can a woman forget the baby she nurses? Can she feel no kindness for the child to which she gave birth? Even if she could forget her children, I will not forget you. See, I have written your name on my hand.” (Isaiah 49:15-16)
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
God loved us and knew us before we were even born! Before we had any opportunities to establish our name, or establish our identities by our jobs or deeds, GOD LOVED US!! Let that sink in to your soul today. He sees into the very depths of my heart and knows my heartaches, my failures and mistakes, my hopes and yet unfilled dream and He doesn’t hide or run away.
I don’t have to prove anything or pretend I’m something or someone I’m not to God. He loves me for WHO I AM!
“…… I have summoned you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1b) He will NEVER forget me.
Just as He called to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1-2), He calls to you and me today. Just as He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He walks with you and me today. Just as He longed for Adam and Eve, He longs for you and me today. How comforting to realize that the God of things seen and those unseen, the God of the universe known and unknown knows your name and mine and still pursues us today.
Realize dear friend that you are not alone today. When others may have turned and run away from you, God will remain. My name may never have been tattooed on anyone’s arm, but it is engraved on the very hand of God.
Good news, there is One who values us by who we are not what we do!
“The Lord answers, "Can a woman forget the baby she nurses? Can she feel no kindness for the child to which she gave birth? Even if she could forget her children, I will not forget you. See, I have written your name on my hand.” (Isaiah 49:15-16)
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
God loved us and knew us before we were even born! Before we had any opportunities to establish our name, or establish our identities by our jobs or deeds, GOD LOVED US!! Let that sink in to your soul today. He sees into the very depths of my heart and knows my heartaches, my failures and mistakes, my hopes and yet unfilled dream and He doesn’t hide or run away.
I don’t have to prove anything or pretend I’m something or someone I’m not to God. He loves me for WHO I AM!
“…… I have summoned you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1b) He will NEVER forget me.
Just as He called to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1-2), He calls to you and me today. Just as He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He walks with you and me today. Just as He longed for Adam and Eve, He longs for you and me today. How comforting to realize that the God of things seen and those unseen, the God of the universe known and unknown knows your name and mine and still pursues us today.
Realize dear friend that you are not alone today. When others may have turned and run away from you, God will remain. My name may never have been tattooed on anyone’s arm, but it is engraved on the very hand of God.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Welcome!!
Hey, welcome to my blog, I am so excited you visited with me today!! Grab a cup of coffee and join me for a few minutes. I don't know about you, but I NEED a few minutes of peace and quiet before my day starts. That is the purpose for this blog...to have some Quiet Reflections that may help remind us throughout the day what is important. Take for example, yesterday as the sun was rising I stood looking out my study window admiring the beauty of the colors that filled the morning sky. The brilliant colors of red, orange and blue were painted across the sky's horizon like an artist paints on a tapestry. A flock of birds flew by right in the path of my view of the sun and I sensed God placing a thought in my mind and heart, "See my birds and how I take care for them? Not one of them has to beg me for food or shelter. If I care for these birds, why wouldn't I care for you today. You are more precious to me than all the birds of the air!" In Matthew 6:25-34 God tells us not to worry about we are going to eat and drink (very comforting for someone like me who tends to eat when stressed or bored!), or wear. He says when we seek after God all these will follow. He will provide all our NEEDS, not necessariIy our WANTS. Getting our priorities right is the first step. When we start living for the Creator instead of created objects our worry level will deline a few notches. If a tornado came blowing through my house what would I grab on my way for shelter? My husbands' and childrens' hands, and my cats. Kind of brings everything into perspective doesn't it? Whatever "things" can be disposed of are really not worth the anxiety, sleepness nights, overload of working or family tensions. Those "things" that are worth working for are relationships, giving a cup of food or water to someone less fortunate, a hug given to a grieving parent or friend, a smile or kind word spoken to a stranger. I believe when we do these things we are seeking God's kingdom. Christ came to seek and to save those that were lost and hurting. When we bear His name (CHRISTians) we are His hand and voice to those around us.
Let's be Kingdom seekers today....His kingdom not ours.
Let's be Kingdom seekers today....His kingdom not ours.
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