My God is Good

One of the things I have struggled with most recently is knowing that God is there, hearing my prayer, and working out a good plan.  It seems that my prayers are going unanswered and that nothing is working or happening on our behalf regarding housing on our mission field.  With each delay and difficulty I have questioned “How can this be good?”  When these emotions surge I am learning that I must take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  One way I do that is by placing Scripture Verses all over my house, so that I can see them and be reminded of God’s true Word, even when it doesn’t “seem” to match my experience.  This is one set of signs that I have recently placed on the wall I see first when I wake up in the morning.

   

Download printable PDF files here,
My God is Near // My God is Good // My God has a Plan

or JPG files here.
My God is Near // My God is Good // My God has a Plan

Lavish Grace

I came across this quote from Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth recently.  It struck me because often I forget that I am the recipient of God’s grace, and I do not deserve it.  When I forget how much I needed God’s grace, I think of myself in lofty terms and often treat others as not-as-good-as-me.  The truth is, we all need God’s grace, and when we get it, it is always undeserved.  I needed a reminder to live in the reality of His grace!

{Download PDF}

A Study on Joy

Recently the Lord has led me to do a topical study on joy in my quiet time. I want to document some of that journey here, as I have time to express in writing what God is teaching me.

It has been wonderful to be home from deputation and on a mostly “normal” wake-up schedule.  We implemented an “okay to get up” signal for the kids to ensure that we could get a measure of time with the Lord before the kids converge on the day.  This has been amazing to my devotions, which suffered greatly over the last couple of years while we traveled!

My study is utilizing an inductive Bible Study method which I am learning through the Busy Mama Bible Studies several times a year from Doorposts.  These have radically changed my quiet time, and allowed me to go deep even in just a few minutes while I walk through the Little Years with my kiddos.  I am enjoying using these Moleskine Cahier notebooks for each study, and my Prismacolor pencils are never far away.  (I even got Ben hooked on using them in his quiet time!)

The reason I began this study is because my pastor preached through several of the words we typically see around at Christmastime – words that the world uses, but doesn’t really understand (like love, joy, peace).  I realized that I have been struggling to have joy in my walk with God, because I have been disappointed at His choices for my path, and frustrated that His timing is not my timing.  I want to show joy and contentment to my kids and my husband, not selfishness and frustration.

To kick off my study, I created a pretty reminder to help me choose joy each day.

You can download it here, in JPG or PDF format.

The Lord is my Rock

Photo from Moab, UT

Sometimes life overwhelms me and I feel like I’m sinking.  Sometimes I’m sinking in laundry and dishes; other times it is in self-pity or guilt.  I can never pull myself out of that desperate place on my own.  I have to remember that the Lord is my rock.  He is a firm foundation, even when I feel like life is ever-shifting around me.  He never changes, even my kids’ schedules and my emotions are on a roller coaster.  He is my defense from those darts of guilt and shame and condemnation that the enemy flings my way. 

When I was in Moab, UT and I saw this rock, Psalm 18:2 came to my mind. Psalm 28:7  came to mind also.  It says, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise Him.”  When I go back to the fortress, my heart is helped.  When I put my trust back where it belongs, I find rejoicing and my song returns.

New Creatures

Photo Credit: Me, Moab UT – Butterfly on a Mimosa Tree

Today I am thankful that I am a new creature in Christ!

All Kindreds

As I finish up my study of Psalm 22, I looked at verses 22-31 and how many times it is mentioned that the LORD will be praised and worshipped.  The circle starts with Jesus, and adds another band of worshippers throughout the verses as the circle expands.  Look at the list of people who will praise the Lord!

1. “I” v.22
2. Ye that fear the Lord v.23
3. All the seed of Jacob v.23
4. All the seed of Israel v.23
5. The afflicted v.24
6. I (“my praise”)
7. Meek v.26
8. Those that seek Him v.26
9. All the ends of the world v.27
10. All the kindred of the nations v.27
11. All the fat upon the earth v.29
12. All they that go down to the dust
13. Seed v.30
14. “They” (the seed) v.31
15. A people that shall be born

The culmination is that even the unborn generation will be counted among those who praise the Lord!  However, it is verse 27 that struck a chord with me.  Around the throne in heaven we know that there will be redeemed people from every kindred, tongue, people, and nation (Rev. 5:9).  This verse tells us the same thing – people from all kindreds of nations will praise the Lord!  And its exciting to me that there are people from all nations right here in New York City where we are planting a church.  We have the opportunity to see God fulfill His Word as we will people of all nationalities!

Romans 8:32

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What an amazing promise is ours from this chapter of Scripture!  If God was willing to give us His own Son, how can we think He would withhold anything good from us?

The Work of the Moment

Always Triumph

Proverbs 31:26

“She openeth her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue is the law of kindness.”

Contentment

“Contentment is not the fulfillment of you want, but the realization of what you already have.”

I was sorting through some emails and realized that my mom had asked me to make this quote into a subway art so she could frame it.  It was just what I needed today.  I am 36 1/2 weeks along with these twins, and in my mind they should have been here already.  I have been frustrated and grouchy since Monday as I sit in my house waiting for the contractions to start.  I have not been content with the fact that God’s Will is obviously for the twins to arrive later than I had desired.  In the mean time, I can enjoy the two kiddos I already have, instead of being frustrated and grouchy with them.

In ALL things God works for our good…

My Heart Trusted in Him…

He Knows My Path

Even when I can’t see what is ahead. 

Even when it is hard to trust.

Even when I am discouraged

I can have hope – because God knows my path!

Thoughts on Thorns

Here are some highlights from a sermon preached by Evangelist Jim VanGelderen at our church’s Family Revival Meetings this week.  This sermon really touched me, and many in our church.  It is from 2 Corinthians 12.

Many Christians want Christ’s strength {the end result} but they despise the ticket to getting that strength {the means}.  The ticket is weakness.

The Apostle Paul was given a thorn in the flesh.  Brother VanGelderen pointed out that this “thorn” may very well have been a person.  His argument comes from the Greek word for messenger in verse 7.  This particular word is never used of an inanimate object, but always of a being – whether human or angelic.

So Satan can use “thorny people” in our lives to provoke us, to cause problems, to tempt us to sin.  But God wants us to take that thorny situation and depend on Him for strength.

We cry out, “Lord change ___________”, but God responds
with “I want to change you.”

Thorns reveal our weakness.  They are our ticket to God’s strength.  But we avoid the thorns because we don’t like to be reminded that we are weak.

We tend to think of strength and weakness only in physical terms.  We think, “Lord I can do this maybe 25%, but I need you to give me the strength for the other 75%.”  However, the word for weakness is really just the word for strength, negated.  It means zero strength.  Not little strength, but absolutely no strength.  It is speaking of spiritual strength.  Jesus said, “for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5). 

This really resonated with me because that is exactly how I think.  I think that I can sorta do it, but not well, or not completely.  Then when He helps me do it I get proud and think that I did it myself.  Then I stop depending on Him.

So I don’t just need help to do it.  I need God to do it for me.  Through me. 

Our weaknesses need to scream so that we realize it is God doing it.  When I allow the weakness to make me a channel for His strength, then my weakness can scream so much that others are blown away with the power. They may see my weakness, but they will see what God can do with weakness.  They will want to be used by God too.

Every weakness I have is a potential channel for His strength.  He keeps thorns in my life so that we never forget that we are weak.  I  can realize my weakness, and live expecting His Divine power to work in me and through me.  Human strength is powerless to stop the enemy, but inside of me is He Who is Strength.

A City Without Walls

I will choose joy…

No matter what happens…today I CAN choose joy.  I CAN rejoice in the Lord.