I don't know about many of y'all but there are some days that I just don't quite have it all together and at the end of the day I feel like it has been a bad day. The truth is that I let my circumstances affect my attitude and I don't get done the things that I should get done or I say something that I ought not to have said. For the Christian, every day should be a good day because we have been bought with a price (I Corinthians 6:20; 7:23)and redeemed by the blood of the lamb. Oh, how I fall short!
The Bible tells us that "the thief cometh not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy..." (John 10:10): he will steal our joy if we will let him, he will kill our spirit if we will let him, and he will destroy our testimony if we will let him.
Sometimes we need a reminder about having a good day. Not too long ago I got that reminder from an evangelist (Dr. Dave Spurgeon) I went to hear. It was refreshing to hear this particular message and I thought I would share...
How To Have A Good Day:
(I Peter 3:8-17; James 3)
Conversation - think about what you say. Don't speak just to hear yourself.(I Peter 3:10)
Conduct - Eschew: abstain from, avoid, stay away, shun evil. Don't walk the line of things that are or could be questionable. If you have to ask is this questionable then it is more likely than not, questionable. (I Peter 3:11) However, a good question to ask is, would this be pleasing to Christ, my Saviour?
Contact - have regular fellowship with the Saviour. Thirst after and for his fellowship. Seek peace and Pursue after it. True Peace comes from Jesus and only Him. (I Peter 3:11)
Confidence - don't waver in your trust of God. Jesus never changes and is always faithful in his love and care for and toward us. (I Peter 3:13) He is "the same yesterday, and today, and forever". (Hebrews 13:8)
Consecration - set yourself apart for Jesus Christ in your service and in your worship. Remember who you are serving... yourself or Christ? Your glory and praise of men or Jesus Christ and his glory because of what he did for you (and I) on the cross? (I Peter 3:15)
Conscience - don't hold onto guilt and confess your sin. Don't let sin go unconfessed. Unconfessed sin can lead to guilt and can affect your relationship with Christ. And the most important relationship one will ever have is that with Jesus Christ. (I Peter 3:16)
Remember to be Real! Be real with yourself and with others. Don't Be A Counterfeit.! Be the person that God believes you can be and you will have a good day!!!
It is well with my soul.! Is is well with yours?
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
🌻 Sunflower: Weed or Worship 🌻
For years I loved the sunflower but could not put a finger on why. One year I agreed to take a Sunday School teacher's position of junior girls with fourth, fifth and sixth graders that later became open to seventh and eighth graders also.
In choosing a name because I loved sunflowers I thought why not Sunflower Junior Girls? So I began to do a little research about the sunflower. I wanted to teach these girls why the Sunflower name was chosen. Many of my friends teased me about the only reason I was naming the class Sunflower Junior Girls was because I was from Kansas. Some said I was naming the class after a weed that most cut down. Of course, this was not so but I like that idea too, that of being from Kansas anyway.
As I researched I learned that the flower head always followed the sun no matter the weather. If it was cloudy the flower head was still facing the direction that the sun was in the clouds. If it was rainy the flower head was still facing the sun's direction. I began watching the weather and watching the sunflower heads and without fail they were always facing the sun's direction. Although I could not see the sun they knew in what direction the sun was facing. I found it to be amazing! Then I learned that as the sunflower head matures it begins to bow down. Wow!
What an awesome testimony this one plant that many call a weed has. Something that is thought to be insignificant has more sense than some Christians that I know.
You see, as Christians we are supposed to follow the SON of God who is Christ Jesus The LORD. Whether life is stormy, or we can't see through the cloudy circumstances, or we're just sailing along the sunshiny seas, we are to always know the direction The SON of God is and face him. Will we always see him? Physically no. But spiritually we can because we should be daily learning to know the direction in which he is. How do we learn daily to know his direction? By reading the Word of God, the King James Authorized Version of 1611. Why the KJAV 1611? If I'm reading a letter from my husband I don't want someone else's interpretation of what he is saying to me in his love letter, I want his words as he wrote them. If I am drinking a glass of milk I don't want it watered down. Any other version is just that... someone else's watered down version of an interpretation of the original letter that had been preserved by The God of heaven for man to have today. Period.
As we go through this life and as we go through struggles and trials, we mature as Christians. As we mature we learn to glorify God thus worship Him more too. We learn to bow our heart's to Christ. We learn that nothing is of our own doing but all comes from Him for our good to help us to worship Him more. We learn that "I can do all things through Christ which strenghteneth me". We learn that "I must decrease and He must increase". And ultimately one day every knee will bow down and worship Him in heaven. What a happy day that will be... To see Jesus face to face... the author and finisher of our faith.
After learning what a sunflower does in worship of its creator, it is no wonder that I was so fascinated by this weed to many but a true wonder to me. Oh, how much were can learn from the sunflower!!
It is well with my soul. Is it well with yours?
In choosing a name because I loved sunflowers I thought why not Sunflower Junior Girls? So I began to do a little research about the sunflower. I wanted to teach these girls why the Sunflower name was chosen. Many of my friends teased me about the only reason I was naming the class Sunflower Junior Girls was because I was from Kansas. Some said I was naming the class after a weed that most cut down. Of course, this was not so but I like that idea too, that of being from Kansas anyway.
As I researched I learned that the flower head always followed the sun no matter the weather. If it was cloudy the flower head was still facing the direction that the sun was in the clouds. If it was rainy the flower head was still facing the sun's direction. I began watching the weather and watching the sunflower heads and without fail they were always facing the sun's direction. Although I could not see the sun they knew in what direction the sun was facing. I found it to be amazing! Then I learned that as the sunflower head matures it begins to bow down. Wow!
What an awesome testimony this one plant that many call a weed has. Something that is thought to be insignificant has more sense than some Christians that I know.
You see, as Christians we are supposed to follow the SON of God who is Christ Jesus The LORD. Whether life is stormy, or we can't see through the cloudy circumstances, or we're just sailing along the sunshiny seas, we are to always know the direction The SON of God is and face him. Will we always see him? Physically no. But spiritually we can because we should be daily learning to know the direction in which he is. How do we learn daily to know his direction? By reading the Word of God, the King James Authorized Version of 1611. Why the KJAV 1611? If I'm reading a letter from my husband I don't want someone else's interpretation of what he is saying to me in his love letter, I want his words as he wrote them. If I am drinking a glass of milk I don't want it watered down. Any other version is just that... someone else's watered down version of an interpretation of the original letter that had been preserved by The God of heaven for man to have today. Period.
As we go through this life and as we go through struggles and trials, we mature as Christians. As we mature we learn to glorify God thus worship Him more too. We learn to bow our heart's to Christ. We learn that nothing is of our own doing but all comes from Him for our good to help us to worship Him more. We learn that "I can do all things through Christ which strenghteneth me". We learn that "I must decrease and He must increase". And ultimately one day every knee will bow down and worship Him in heaven. What a happy day that will be... To see Jesus face to face... the author and finisher of our faith.
After learning what a sunflower does in worship of its creator, it is no wonder that I was so fascinated by this weed to many but a true wonder to me. Oh, how much were can learn from the sunflower!!
It is well with my soul. Is it well with yours?
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Growing Up and Growing Older
The other day was one of those days when this mama sees her little boy's growing into young men. Ready or not, they both are growing up and that makes me growing older.
My oldest son, who we call "Brother", because that is what my youngest son (who is called " Bub-e") has called him since he could talk, opened his jar of peanuts without assistance including removing the seal under the lid. That may not be much to some but to this mama who waited years to have a child to care for it is. He also makes his own sandwiches because he wants to be a help to mama. We ended our daylight with the two of them riding their bikes in our driveway. Brother who is seven believed he was big enough to have his training wheels off of his bike. Daddy was on his way home and Brother waited as patiently as he could trying different wrenches in his beginner tool box. He would not ride his bike anymore until daddy was here. As soon as daddy was parked he wasted no time taking his bike to him. Daddy got his tool kit from his trunk and took off the training wheels. Immediately brother was riding his two wheel bike. This mama wanted to cry. Where are those bricks to put on their heads to keep them from growing older?
If that was not enough Bub-e wanted his training wheels off as well. He said he could balance just like brother could. I tried to explain to him he wasn't big enough yet but he started crying. He so loves his big brother and has to do everything big brother does. He came over to me with his tears just beginning to flow from his eyes and said "mama I'll still be your baby but I'm growing up. I'll be your baby boy when I'm an adult. Even a teenager mama. I can balance just like brother." I said to daddy to let him ride brother's bike. Daddy told Brother to hold onto the bike and let Bub-e ride. Bub-e got on the bike just as pleased as he could be while Brother was holding it up. They got about three feet and Bub-e immediately said " I'm not big enough. I'll have to wait until I'm big like Brother." He got off the bike and gladly got back onto his bike, training wheels and all. He became King Richard with helmet and sword and his bike with training wheels was his horse.
I ask again, where are those bricks parents always say they are going to put on their child's head for growing? My boys believe they have grown an inch almost every morning when they wake up. They also say that they can not obey our rule to not grow up that God wants them to grow up because they have to get married to their wife and children too.
I just wanted to share a little growing pain I went through with my little miracle man and my double blessing. I am truly blessed to be the mother of these two boys. Thank you Jesus for answering my prayer to be a mother and then blessing me a second time as well. What a great joy it is to be mama of young boys in my latter days!!! And to be a mama in God's timingits far greater than anything I could have imagined.
It is well with my soul.! Is it well with yours?
My oldest son, who we call "Brother", because that is what my youngest son (who is called " Bub-e") has called him since he could talk, opened his jar of peanuts without assistance including removing the seal under the lid. That may not be much to some but to this mama who waited years to have a child to care for it is. He also makes his own sandwiches because he wants to be a help to mama. We ended our daylight with the two of them riding their bikes in our driveway. Brother who is seven believed he was big enough to have his training wheels off of his bike. Daddy was on his way home and Brother waited as patiently as he could trying different wrenches in his beginner tool box. He would not ride his bike anymore until daddy was here. As soon as daddy was parked he wasted no time taking his bike to him. Daddy got his tool kit from his trunk and took off the training wheels. Immediately brother was riding his two wheel bike. This mama wanted to cry. Where are those bricks to put on their heads to keep them from growing older?
If that was not enough Bub-e wanted his training wheels off as well. He said he could balance just like brother could. I tried to explain to him he wasn't big enough yet but he started crying. He so loves his big brother and has to do everything big brother does. He came over to me with his tears just beginning to flow from his eyes and said "mama I'll still be your baby but I'm growing up. I'll be your baby boy when I'm an adult. Even a teenager mama. I can balance just like brother." I said to daddy to let him ride brother's bike. Daddy told Brother to hold onto the bike and let Bub-e ride. Bub-e got on the bike just as pleased as he could be while Brother was holding it up. They got about three feet and Bub-e immediately said " I'm not big enough. I'll have to wait until I'm big like Brother." He got off the bike and gladly got back onto his bike, training wheels and all. He became King Richard with helmet and sword and his bike with training wheels was his horse.
I ask again, where are those bricks parents always say they are going to put on their child's head for growing? My boys believe they have grown an inch almost every morning when they wake up. They also say that they can not obey our rule to not grow up that God wants them to grow up because they have to get married to their wife and children too.
I just wanted to share a little growing pain I went through with my little miracle man and my double blessing. I am truly blessed to be the mother of these two boys. Thank you Jesus for answering my prayer to be a mother and then blessing me a second time as well. What a great joy it is to be mama of young boys in my latter days!!! And to be a mama in God's timingits far greater than anything I could have imagined.
It is well with my soul.! Is it well with yours?
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