Posts with the label jesus
Showing posts with label jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jesus. Show all posts
Saturday, March 9, 2024
Faith in God's Mission for You
What’s your mission in life? Does your mission align with God's mission for you?
The word mission creates a mental picture for me, of a small desolate village thousands of miles away, filled with starving people. What comes to your mind when you hear the word mission? The word is used a lot in Christian circles although it is not in the Bible. Webster's describes mission as an important assignment, vocation or calling.
Our lives are important. We all have a calling. We all have a personal mission. Seems like we are born "on a mission". Our original mission is made up of the things we want to accomplish for ourselves. Honestly, we usually chose these things based upon society or life in general. The things in our head we are taught or know to be right. Things like education, marriage, kids, good job, nice home, nice cars, etc. Our lists are long!
I went about my personal mission striving to obtain my mental list of things a nice southern girl is supposed to do. I was never taught to ask my Creator what he wanted my life to look like. At 19, when I accepted Christ as my Savior, a lot of changes happened in my life, including my desire to please God. God radically changed my heart when he saved me. He also changed my personal mission. God gradually changed my mission to his mission, my will to his will.
My outside didn't change appearance. My inside changed longings. I began to pray for God's guidance in EVERYTHING. Instead of buying a new car, I was like "God, can I buy a new car?". Will buying a new car please you or me? Every decision I made now included God. He knows the future. He knows what is best for me and my family.
God's Guidance changed my mission. My 'ah ha" moment came when I realized we ultimately all have the same mission. Our mission is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ! There is no other more important assignment for our lives than to accept Jesus and declare him to the entire world. Here, there and everywhere! We may not always do the Father’s will, but we can always share his Goodness!
I encourage to examine your mission in life. Is it personal or pure, gainly or Godly? Is God guiding your mission or are you the captain of your boat? Charting a course matters. Knowing your direction keeps one from becoming lost. Are you "on" mission?
Seeking guidance365,
Saturday, April 22, 2023
Is the Church a Hospital for Sinners?
We say this…
But is it true?
Our Attire: Patients are clothed in the same gown in the hospital. We wear our “Sunday best” to church.
Our Appearance: Patients openly hurt in the hospital and cry out for help. We hide our pain in church, silent as church mice. We’re there so we’ve got to be good, right?
Our Actions: Patients seek medicine and help at the hospital. We seemingly don’t seek or welcome our remedy Jesus in church.
Our Attitude: Patients are glad to lie in a bed in the hospital for healing. We neglect laying our all on the altar in church.
Our Attendance: Do we receive as much healing at church once a week as we do during a hospital stay in one admittance?
Our Atmosphere: There’s a huge difference in a hospital and a church.
Let’s quit thinking this, saying this and do something about this!
Our Allelujah,
Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Faith and Soap
I love soap! The fresh natural kind with a soft fragrance and rich lather. The abundance of suds make me feel extra clean. I’ve been told I’m all about some feels.
We use soap every day! Bathing. Washing our hands. Doing the dishes. Laundry. Cleaning the house. I use a tea tree bar soap as astringent for my face to prevent breakouts. Spearmint for my body to awaken my senses. Lavender to soothe aches and pains. I can find a natural soap for just about everything that ails me. Sloane gifted me these local soaps from Union Springs Soap for Christmas.
Showering this morning, Jesus began to show me himself in the details of soap. He’s a balm that soothes every need (Jeremiah 46:11). He cleanses us daily if we ask him (1 John 1:9). His fragrance is sweet (2 Corinthians 2:15).
Jesus is the S.O.A.P (Savior Of All People)!
Sudsy365,
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Five Basic Elements of Unconditional Love
Life has thrown some pretty big challenges at Steve and I. I'm sure you have plenty of your own. We are thankful the carousel stopped before the dizziness got to our stomach. The constant ups and downs of the ride churned our beings. We hung on for dear life. When Steve and I married, 36 years ago, he planned to take care of me. I was the one born with a congenital birth defect. He nor I, never, for one minute, considered my health would ever be better than his. My perpetual limp, coupled with my basic need for prostethics for both feet, was quickly overshadowed by Steve's need for a double lung transplant in 2020. Life, in general, for everyone, necessitates the five basic elements of unconditional love. Love is what makes our worlds go round.
Before his transplant, I watched Steve struggle to fit in with his new requirement for oxygen, unable to walk 10-20 feet without stopping for air. People stared at him and his tank. I've almost overcome the stares from curious people, although, some days I'm off my game. I wish Steve never endured the breathlessness of a chronic lung disease or felt inadequate. God grew both of us through his illness and transplant recovery. Praise the Lord Steve is back now! We've come full circle. I'm the one trying to keep up with him again.
Everyone wants unconditional love. These are the five basic elements of unconditional love we embrace and practice:
Everyone wants unconditional love. These are the five basic elements of unconditional love we embrace and practice:
- Different is good. Diversity was cool in our home before it became a popular buzzword.
- Compassion not pity. Compassion and pity are synonyms but aren't the same. Both convey sympathetic feelings for others, but pity creates cause for regret or disappointment. Pity comes across as sadness or misfortune. Advseristy encourages strength, adaptation and courage. Those valuable charcter traits desire compassion not pity.
- Wear a smile. A smile is so much more comforting than that furrowed brow frown; no sad faces allowed. Caring is revealed with a happy face. Show your love for ohters by greeting them with a warm smile.
- Do not stare, gawk or crane. When I share my story with groups, I laugh at myself. I've become so used to people staring at me, I get offended when they don't. I wonder what's wrong with these people? LOOK at me! (That is a joke, of course.) I really don't enjoy being stared at for the wrong reasons.
- Take time for all. Individuals are put into our lives for various reasons. We will learn and grow from every person we meet if we invest wisely. Understanding people is a full-time job. Friends are a blessing to cherish.
Faith is unconditional love. Our faith sees inner beauty. Our value lives on the inside. Grace and mercy are always unconditional.. Paul, a popular disciple, struggled with his problems until he found Jesus. His attitude changed completely. He accepted his physical plight. Paul wrote the following scripture. I think he began to practice the five basic elements of unconditional love.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10. "For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Lovingly,
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Faith like Andrew
Five loaves of bread and two fishes is a well-known miracle of the Bible. Jesus fed a multitude with five loaves and two fishes. This miracle is relatable. If you've ever fed a crowd, you know how much food is required. Honestly, couldn't two people eat five small loaves of bread and two fishes? So, we get the picture of just how huge a miracle it was to feed more than 5000 people with a meager amount. You know I'm all about faith. I want to look at faith like Andrew in this story.
Most of Jesus' disciples spoke out negatively about the plan to feed 5000. They were sure they didn't have the money to do it. They didn't see any available food. But there was Andrew, the believing disciple. The faithful disciple. Andrew told Jesus he saw a young boy in the crowd carrying five loaves and two fishes. Jesus said "Bring him to me."
I want faith like Andrew. The other disciples were overtaken by unbelief. Andrew was hopeful. He stepped up to exercise his faith in Jesus. The other disciples thought the task was too monumental for Jesus to perform. It is no mistake Andrew was the disciple who saw the young boy with the food in the crowd. God knew Andrew was the one who would assist Jesus with this miracle. God needed someone who would use the resources at hand to get the job done. If it weren't for faith like Andrew's, everyone would be hungry and noone would have witnessed a miracle!
I also want to be like the young boy who freely gave Jesus his five loaves and two fishes. He gave all he had to Jesus. Imagine how the scene might have played out differently if Andrew had spotted an adult with five loaves and two fishes. I'm suspecting talking an adult out of dinner may have proved very difficult. The Bible tells us we must come as a child to Jesus. This story is the perfect example of how children (the boy) respond to Jesus versus how adults (his disciples) respond to Jesus. The lesson we also see is the boy gave a little and received a lot.
How can we apply this to every day life?
- Believe God can do what his Word says
- Exercise our Faith by stepping up and out
- Give when prompted by Jesus
Have you ever hosted a dinner where more guests came than expected? I have gotten very nervous I wouldn't have enough food for everyone. My faith reminded me of this miracle. I used the framework of this miracle to ask God to help me feed my guests. He increased food and decreased appetites. Jesus wants to be in the details of our every day lives. He does the work. Our job is to have faith like Andrew to believe he can.
Lovingly,
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
My Kitchen Cabinets Reminded Me
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Wednesday, March 16, 2022
3:16 Day 2022
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| Donor Letter |
Steve and I accomplished a huge thing yesterday. His donor family letter has started the journey to the mailbox of someone we may never receive a reply from or know. It’s okay. We took the chance of contact aware of the emotional roller coaster involved. The letter seems so small and insignificant in return for the gift of life Steve received!
His appointment yesterday was the best ever! Thank you again for your prayers. 
His bloodwork is good. His kidneys are stable. No medicine changes. After going over everything, the doctor looked at Steve and said “You’re on auto-pilot now!”. He then directed his eyes at both of us to say “Congratulations on a job well done!”. I didn’t look at Steve but I’m sure he was holding back tears like me. All the tears, sweat, restless nights, rehab, pill schedule, prayers, trips back and forth to Atlanta, blood draws, infusions, bronchoscopies, vitals three times per day, hospital stays, I could go on…ALL were worth those six powerful words!!!
His bloodwork is good. His kidneys are stable. No medicine changes. After going over everything, the doctor looked at Steve and said “You’re on auto-pilot now!”. He then directed his eyes at both of us to say “Congratulations on a job well done!”. I didn’t look at Steve but I’m sure he was holding back tears like me. All the tears, sweat, restless nights, rehab, pill schedule, prayers, trips back and forth to Atlanta, blood draws, infusions, bronchoscopies, vitals three times per day, hospital stays, I could go on…ALL were worth those six powerful words!!!Today seems so perfect; 3:16 day. I contemplate if a doctor saying those words moved me so, what will it feel like when I hear from my Lord, “well done my good and faithful servant”! I get chills thinking of it now! Transplant is the greatest challenge Steve and I have shared together. I can never emphasize enough how the renewing of his and our lives is nothing short of a miracle.
Good news! A renewed life doesn’t require a physical transplanted organ but a spiritual one. There’s no evaluation to see if you qualify and no wait list because you already have a donor; Jesus!
Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh…
Oh, it’ll be emotional reaching out to your donor but he’ll respond immediately! You’ll know him and he’ll know you. Please allow God to love on you like he wants to. Don’t put Jesus on your wait list…
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Much love,
Sunday, February 13, 2022
Compassion for an Egg
My smile lasted knowing God sees me as I saw this egg. He knows my flaws, my irregularities, my temper, my quick thoughts, my unbridled tongue, my impatience, ughhh, he knows more than I want him to know about me. When God cracks through our shell, the goodness of his righteousness pours out. I wish I was more like the egg, one crack and done. I keep needing cracked again and again. My King puts Humpty Dumpty back together again every time for me to do it again. I take my eyes off Jesus, walk my own path, disobey and there I am, sitting on that dangerously high wall again. Why can’t I remember my last fall? Why do I need so much discipline? He wrote me a Book for guidance and sent two pieces of himself for me; for us, one even lives inside of me. God needs a vacation from gluing my broken pieces, doesn’t he?
My smiled lasted longer as God used the uneven shell of an egg to bless my soul. He loves me, imperfections and all. He loves you too! I’m still an “egg-in-process”. He’s still cracking, I’m still breaking and he’s still fixing me.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
Eggstra365,
Sunday, November 28, 2021
The Days Were Accomplished
I woke this morning with the phrase "the days were accomplished" scrolling through my brain like an LED threatre marquee, over and over, I repeated it to myself as it crossed my mind. I began to drift back over the last 12 days, then 12 months, then 12 years. I googled the bible verse to refresh my memory of specifically how it is written. Luke 2:6 reads "And so it was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered."
THAT SHE SHOULD BE DELIVERED. The first thing that struck me about the verse was "she should be delivered". Not Jesus, but Mary. The verse could have easily read; the days were accomplished that Jesus should be delivered. The verse points out the delivery of Mary not Jesus. The verse pinpoints the servant of God that willfully accepted the challenge he gave her.
THE DAYS WERE ACCOMPLISHED. This phrase is the reason I searched this verse today. I thought about the past year(s) leading up to Steve's diagnosis and subsequent double lung transplant. So many things could have hindered our days from being accomplished but God. Who else can accomplish our days but God?
WHILE THEY WERE THERE. Mary and Joseph had to be in the place where God would accomplish their days. They were there, in this place of uncertainty, for at least 9 months and surely more. While they were there, they struggled, anticipated, believed, waited to be delivered. The couple had to stay "there" where God had placed them. "There" where God had planned them.
AND SO IT WAS. Because God has the plan. He not only has the plan, it is a written plan. We make many plans as individuals but rarely do we put our plans in writing, to pen and paper, black and white. If we do take the time to make a proper written plan, we would most likely follow through. God had the plan for Mary and Joseph. God has the plan for Jesus. God has the plan for us and so it will be. He will faithfully follow his written plan. And so it was with Mary, so it shall be with us.
I've always correlated this verse to the Christmas Story of Jesus until this morning when God blessed me with a snippet of just how full, rich and encompassing his Word is. The message he gave me this morning is He is 'accomplishing our days' for his purpose and ours if we live in his will, our "while they were there", the place he has us in. We have no idea how many days it will take to accomplish his purpose nor how long we will be in this place. We simply must be there until he accomplishes our days, the fulfillment of his plan. However, we can put our faith in God's "And so it was" because his plan is unfallable and his word is true, we will be delivered!
Put yourself into this verse. Mine and Steve's goes like this...
And so it was, (God had a plan),
while they (Steve and Tammy) were there (going through illness and transplant),
the days were accomplished (3,650 days. 10 years. Steve was diagnosed 2011, his lungiversary was 2021)
that she (Steve and Tammy) should be delivered.
AND WE WERE!
Praise God for his plans. Praise God for his Word. Praise God for his Son. As God moves us into another Holy season of Christmas, may we always see and feel the magnitude of who he is. From the precious babe in the manager to the Almighty King of Kings,
He is...
and was...
and is to come!
Praising365,
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