Promises I Can Count On

As I was going through my morning routine today, getting ready for work, the Lord spoke a scripture to my heart.  I stopped what I was doing, and I looked it up - Proverbs 3:6.  After reading that one scripture, I went to the top of the chapter and read it in its entirety.  With joy in my heart, tears on my face and the presence of God in my room, I realized that Proverbs 3 contained promises that my Father wanted to give to me.

There are 16 promises in Proverbs 3...just as there are 16 things that I need to do to obtain those promises! After some research, I found that the number 16 in Biblical Numerology is identified with things that deal with love, passion, things we hold dear, cherish and devote ourselves to.  Here’s how this chapter lines up in my mind (scripture reference in parenthesis):

What Do I Need To Do?	What Are His Promises?
Don’t forget His laws (1)	Long life (2)
Keep His commandments (1)	Added peace (2)
Don’t lose grip on His mercy (3)	Favor of God and those I interact with (4)
Don’t leave truth (3)	Direction for my life (6)
Trust Him wholeheartedly (5)	Health (8)
Acknowledge Him (6)	Increase and prosperity (10)
Don’t think you can outsmart God (7)	He will delight in me (12)
Pay your tithing (9)	Happiness (13)
Allow God to correct your life (11)	Riches (16)
Use wisdom in all things (21)	Honor (16)
Be discreet (21)	Pleasant attitude (17)
Be confident (23)	Confidence (26)
Don’t be afraid of fear itself (25)	Protection (26)
Give others credit when due (27)	Blessings (33)
Be kind to others (29)	Grace (34)
Don’t envy (31)	Inherit glory (15)

 With God on my side, how can I lose?  Every promise in His word is true, and every one of them can be mine! Every one of them can be yours too! It is exciting to me to know that I have a Father who wants the very best for me.  My earthly father was an incredible man who loved me with every fiber of his being.  He made promises to me…and kept most of them; he truly was a man of his word.  But, my daddy was human – he made mistakes just like the rest of us.  How much the more does my heavenly Father love me? And my daddy would be the first to tell you that Jesus will always keep His promises.  He would quickly tell you that he was just a man, but Jesus was THE man.

I can go through my day confident that God will stay true to His word.  Even when I fail Him, He allows me the opportunity to pick myself back up, brush the dust from my knees and start walking again.  I hold His promises dear to me; I cherish them.  I have devoted my life to His instructions so that I may obtain His promises.

**Heavenly Father, thank you for the promises

That you have offered to us in your word.

It’s such a good feeling to know that you

Love us the way that you do. 

So much that you died on an old rugged cross

Just so that we could have all of these promises!

Help me to follow your path and do the things

That you have instructed me to do

To inherit your promises.

Thank you for loving me in spite of me.

Thank you for allowing me chance after chance

To get back up and start afresh with you.

Your mercies are new every morning,

And for that I am so grateful!

You are a gracious Father...Amen**

Unconditional Love

A song we sing at church keeps rolling over and over in my mind..."it's so easy to love you, it's so easy to love you, it's so easy to love you, 'cause you're my friend."  There are two parts to that song that stand out to me...the first is that it really IS so easy to love Him.  The second is that I am His friend...He calls me friend.

I looked up the word friend to find the true "technical" definition of the word.  A friend is a "person who is attached to another by feelings of affection; a person who gives assistance, a supporter; a person who is on good terms with another, not hostile."  As I began to read through these definitions, with this song rolling over and over in my head, I couldn't help but identify those descriptors with many people in my life.  I know the song, in particular, is referring to the fact that it is so easy to love Jesus, but He also makes it very explicit in His word that we are to love others as well.  From the front to the back of the Bible, we are continually admonished to love.

The word "love" is a word that has been overused, misused, abused and even sometimes underused. I have been abundantly blessed with people in my life that I can truly say I love in every sense of the word.  My kids; my grandbaby; my family; many, many friends; there are even some people no longer in my life on a regular basis, that I can honestly say I love.  There are many different types of love: Erros (romantic), Philos (friendship) and Agape (unconditional).  As my mind began to run through the list of those I love, I could easily assign these categories to them. Of these three categories, the greatest type of love is Agape - unconditional.

How many of these people in my life do I have an "Agape" love for? How many can I truly say I love unconditionally? And what does "unconditional" really mean? As I began to search my heart and focus on these terms, I knew exactly what it means.  To love someone unconditionally means to love them without boundaries, with no limitations, regardless of the rights or the wrongs, agreements or disagreements.  Unconditional, Agape, love strips away the negative thoughts, emotions and feelings.  It doesn't keep record of any wrongs done or attempt to avenge any slights.  Put in those terms, do we really display Agape love to those around us? Do we let those we love know how much we love them? Do we wait until it is too late to show our love?

As I asked myself these questions, and really began to focus my attention on this topic, I realized I probably don't do as good of a job as I should in showing unconditional love. I can assure you that I couldn't promise that I could love like Christ loved.  I don't know that I could give my only son to die on a cross for the sins of the world.  I couldn't imagine sacrificing my grand-baby to prove my love for someone else.  The good news is that the sacrifice has already been given.  But with that sacrifice was the shining example of unconditional love!  I don't believe that God intends for any of us to prove our love in literal terms of sacrificing our children or loved ones.  However, I do believe that many times there are things in our lives that we need to "sacrifice" to show others the depth of our love.  If we are to love like Christ loved the church, or to love our neighbor as ourselves - as we have been admonished in His Word, then we have to be willing to do whatever it takes to show unconditional love. I must say - I have been convicted.

**Father, I humbly come before you with a repentant heart.

Your word admonishes us time and time again to love;

The greatest attribute we can possess is the ability

to love as you have loved, with an Agape love.

Help me to show forth your love for those around me;

my family, my friends, my church family, my co-workers,

Help me to lead by example of what it really means

to love unconditionally - without limits.

Your love knows no limits, no boundaries.

In Jesus' Name I ask - Amen**

Greatest Love of All

The day had come and gone...a day that I dreaded...more so this year than any in the past...it was Valentine's Day.  To some that may sound like a negative statement, so before you judge what you think this blog is about, please take time to read it through.  Take a moment to hear my heart in the message.

As I sat at the kitchen table the night before Valentine's Day with my daughter and my son's girlfriend, we were talking about what everyone was planning for Valentine's Day. We talked about how overrated the day really is...you need to tell those you love every single day how much they mean to you.  As I walked away from the table that night, my heart and my mind were at war with each other.

I want so much out of life...I want God's will for my life, for my kids' lives, for my friends' lives.  I want to be God's will for someone special.  I realize that I have so very much to be thankful for...my kids, my precious grand-baby, my family, my church, my friends, my job...my heritage!  I have been so abundantly blessed.  On the flip side of that, though, days like Valentine's Day remind me of what I don't have...a terrible reminder of everything I feel that is missing in my life.  Oh sure, I could have had me a pity party...a "Non-Valentine's Day" party...but I had to shake myself out of that mindset and make a choice to move forward rejoicing in knowing I have the "Greatest Love of All."

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.   

Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
I Corinthians 13 The Message

Can you imagine what life would be like if we all truly followed this passage and made it our life motto?  The world would be a much softer place; less hearts would be broken; fewer lives would be torn apart; more people would smile...the list is endless of all of the benefits we would reap.  The fact is that love would never become obsolete! 

**Lord, the love you have shown for me

is beyond my wildest imagination;

You gave your only son to die on an old rugged cross

JUST FOR ME!

As I journey through this life, I want to show love

to those around me.  I want to be a shining example

of how you love.

I want to have the kind of love that 

your word teaches in I Corinthians 13.

Teach me your ways, show me the path,

help me to become more like you.

In your name I ask...Amen** 

Patience for the Silence

Sometimes the challenges of life weigh us down so much, and we don't even feel like God is listening to us.  After all, He did say He wouldn't put more on us than we could bear, didn't He??  We pray, we cry out, we beg, we plead...silence.  Sometimes we even stomp our feet and shake our fist because we just want to hear something. We want to see something.  We want to feel something...silence, yet again.

I often feel like King David did when he penned the words in Psalm 13..."How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? forever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?  Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.  Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death." Wow...a desperate cry born out of disappointment, frustration and agony.  It sounds like King David was at rock bottom...at the end of his rope. And do I ever know that feeling! I can identify with King David on this one.

One of my dearest friends asked me the question, "How much patience do you have for the silence of God?"  I must admit that I had to stop a minute and consider that.  For those who know me well, I don't have much patience at all.  I am somewhat of a control freak in that I have to know a plan; if one isn't laid out for me, I'll create one!  It's both a blessing and a curse.  Immediately the passage of Isaiah 40:31 came to mind..."but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint."  Do I have the patience to wait upon Him?  Do I have the patience to keep running the race of life and sometimes not know the direction I'm going?  Can I continue to put one foot in front of the other when I don't even know if I'm on solid ground? Do I have the patience to just listen to the silence?

God's silence cannot be taken as an indication that He doesn't want to answer my prayer or supply my need/want.  It doesn't mean He doesn't feel my hurt.  The Bible clearly tells me that I have a "high priest who is touched with the feelings of my infirmities..." (Heb 4:15) What seems to be His "inactivity" doesn't mean He has forgotten me.  I have to continually remind myself that His silence simply means He is working behind the scenes on my behalf.  I may want the answer now...I want the flashes of lightening and thunder from Heaven now so I KNOW what I'm supposed to do.  The reality is that it doesn't always work that way.  I need to learn to rest in what I know and not what I feel, because so many times I feel like He isn't listening to me, but I know that He hears me and wants the best for me.  His silence means He is preparing the best.

One of the things I find most interesting about King David is that He had a life that seems so parallel to mine.  He had joys, sorrows, grief, disappointment, betrayal, bitterness, anger, laughter, music, peace, contentment...see a pattern here?  He had the good, the bad and the ugly of life.  He questioned God; he even got angry at God at times; he had many moments when he didn't understand the plan of God...just like me.  But he learned to praise God in spite of his issues.  The final chapter of the book of Psalm sums up what King David learned...he learned to praise his way through to the end of his trials.  The final chapter acknowledges the "excellent greatness" of a mighty God.  We are admonished to praise Him..."let everything that hath breath praise ye the Lord...praise ye the Lord!"

**Dear God, I thank you that even when I don't hear you, see you or feel you

you are working all things for my good.

You know me better than I know myself.

You know my story - you are the author of my life.

Help me to trust that your silence means you are behind the scenes

preparing the good things that you have in store for me.

Wash over me with your joy, your comfort, your peace.

Allow my heart to be filled with your praise.

In Jesus' Name....Amen**

 

Psalm 37

During my devotion today, the words came to mind "the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord..."  I couldn't get this scripture out of my mind...it just kept repeating over and over.  I was compelled to look it up, and as I began reading the entire chapter of Psalm 37, I realized why God wouldn’t let me get away from it.

The first part of this particular chapter gives us some very definitive instructions to live by.  I am a worrier...I tend to "fret."  I worry about my kids, my job, my future, relationships, other people's lives, finances...if it's a part of life; I find a way to worry.  I'm not a frantic person...I typically keep my calm to some degree, but I'm a thinker, a planner, a doer...so with that, worry just seems to come with the territory.  If I had a dime for every time someone has told me to stop worrying or stop fretting, the financial worries would certainly be over for the rest of my life!!  

The very first verse, the very first word, of this chapter begins with "Fret not..."  Hmmmm...ok, ok, ok...I get it!!  I'm not supposed to fret!!  The next part is what catches my attention the most, though.  The next four steps sound really simple...much harder to practice, but God has reminded me that if I would just do it...He'll take care of the rest!  Here's what I have to do:

1.       Trust in the Lord - He knows the end from the beginning; He knew me before I was even conceived in my mother's womb;

2.       Delight thyself in the Lord – He knows the desires of my heart, and He is faithful to finish the good work He has begun in me;

3.       Commit thy way to the Lord – placing my trust in Him is total commitment and surrender;

4.       Rest in the Lord – I can’t give up; I have to run the race that is set before me with patience and the ultimate prize in mind; I can’t look to my left or to my right and compare myself with others.

I was sharing this passage with a co-worker of mine in the privacy of her office this morning, and God began a deep work in me as we were talking about it.  He dropped this in my mind: the order (and we know God is about order) of the way he has laid out what we are to do is simply beyond amazing to me.  We have to first trust – without trust, there is no faith, and without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).  Once we learn to fully trust and have faith, then we can delight in His word, His promises, His faithfulness to us.  Committing seems to be the most difficult, but I believe there’s a reason why it comes right before resting.  Committing takes an act of surrender; surrendering to something we cannot tangibly see or put our hands on. Once we do those three steps though…He promises REST – peace, quiet, tranquility.  We can rest in the comfort of knowing that He is working all things together for our good because we have placed our trust in Him.  

The rest of the chapter is insightful as well, but I fast forwarded to verse 23, which is what initially set me on this search.  “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.”  I can’t compare myself and the events of my life to others. I know I’m a good person…I know what God has destined me to be.  It’s so easy, though, to get sidetracked by just LIFE in general.  When we get our eyes off of others, and off of our circumstances, we can then truly learn to delight in Him and His ways.  Although it may seem like the wicked is prospering, and for a moment they are (Psalm 73:3), but that is not the “good man” that David is referring to in this passage.  A good man is a Godly man – one who pays his debts, takes care of his family, puts the things of God above the things of this earth and keeps his focus on the right things.  He delights in the ways of the Lord…he seeks after the heart of God.  

What I’ve come to know, and experience on a daily basis, is that God really is my strength in the time of trouble.  When I follow His instructions, and I take the time every day to be mindful of His ways and keep His commandments, He is faithful and just to keep His promises to me.  I want to be the “good man” and delight in the ways of the Lord.  

**Father, your promises are so dependable...I don't have to doubt

your word...it is forever settled in Heaven.

Life comes at me from so many angles, and nothing

crosses my path that you don't already know about or haven't already

gone before me and paved the way.

Help me to learn your instructions...and not just learn them but 

truly settle them in my heart so that I may never forget them!

Help me to trust in  you, to commit everything in total surrender.

Help me to delight in your ways, and allow me to rest in  your promises

and the comfort of your loving arms.

Order my steps today and every day.  Allow everything

that I do and say bring you delight...in Jesus' name...Amen** 

An "Almost" Attitude

Sitting in a meeting this week, someone made this statement..."there is no such thing as almost right; it's either right or it's wrong!"

For most of us, we would think "duh...that's common sense!"  But, upon hearing that statement initially, my jaw dropped.  Now...it may not hit you like it did me; you may not see the profundity in it.  But let me tell you...everyone else in that meeting came back to that one statement when the meeting was over, and perhaps it was a "location" statement, because it made a profound impact on everyone of us sitting around the table.  It was said without a flinch, without batting an eye, and with the utmost calm and so matter-of-fact.

How many times do we do things "almost" right and let it slide.  How many times do others do things "almost" right to us, and we let it slide?  The statement brought me back to so many other things I've heard in my life..."it's black or it's white"..."it's hot or it's cold"..."it's in or it's out."  My daddy always used to say "closeness only counts in horseshoes and hang grenades."

That very statement caused me to look inward at my own life, my thoughts and my actions.  I immediately thought of things that I "almost" got right; things I "almost" did; or statements I "almost" made.  When I strip away all of the outer circumstances, I can see things for what they really are.  It honestly made me want to steal away and spend some time in prayer, asking God to forgive me for my "almost" attitude.

I don't want to get my relationships almost right...I want them to be as right as they possibly can.  I want to strive every day to be a better mother, Nana, sister, aunt, cousin, friend and employee. I want to wake up every single morning with a renewed vigor to give the day my very best...when I lay down at night, I want to rest assured that I have given it my utmost and not my almost.

**Precious Jesus...may I always be reminded of the ultimate sacrifice of your

best that you gave on the cross of Calvary.  Help me to be mindful

of giving you my very best.  Help me to refrain from looking

at things in an "almost right" sense.  I want everything

I do to be right in your sight.  I want to please you

with the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart.

Help us to respond to every situation that comes our way

in a manner that glorifies you.  

In Jesus' Name I pray...Amen**

Social Network or Social Destruction?

I am amazed by what some use Facebook for.  A platform that, I believe, was intended for people to connect, share photos, stories and help span distance between friends and family, has become so much more than that.  There are certainly those good components, and many of us still use it for that. I am grateful for those friends in my Friends List that I know I can count on for positive, uplifting, humorous, genuine and clean posts.  HOWEVER...as I read through pages and pages of News Feed of my friends, and I even get to pages of those who are not my friends but friends of others, I am more and more amazed at what shows up.

Facebook has become a medium by which a father tells his daughter he's suddenly married; it has been used as a means to destroy marriages; it has been used as a tool to cause friends to despise one another; it has been used as a resource to pit family members against other family members...all in the name of "social networking."  In these instances, I would choose to call it "social destruction." Have you ever really paid attention to the comments that others leave to some postings?  I feel like the more negative, condescending and gossipy a post is, the more comments and "likes" are made.

I have recently paid particular attention to one of my dearest friend's postings...I actually pay particular attention to everything he says, but his writings are far above the normal "posting" you see on Facebook.  Often times, his heart and soul are revealed in what he writes.  As I've gone back over and read and re-read his posts, I am saddened by the lesser amount of "traffic" his posts get as opposed to those of some others who are certainly not news- or note-worthy!  As a society, we seem to encourage negativity. Are we, as that society, so wrapped up in the negative news of everyone's life that we can't take the time to really stop and appreciate the good things that happen to people?  Before you comment on a post by someone else, or before you write your own post, take just a moment and remember who all might see what you're writing.  Who might it affect?  What is the "domino effect", if you will, of what you are saying.

We have all become so dependent on the use of technology to communicate with the people in our lives.  It is a sad thing to a degree; however, without it many of us wouldn't even have the opportunity to talk as frequently to one another.  So there is definitely some good to be said for social platforms, text messaging, Voxer...all of the things that are so readily available to keep us "connected."  Are you using those things to truly network?  Are your attempts at networking creating destruction and turmoil?  Just food for thought...think about it the next time you scroll through your Facebook pages.

Now...having said all of that...I am NOT going to delete my Facebook profile, or my personal page.  I find strength in some of what my friends post on here...I enjoy the inspiration that I receive when reading some things.  I enjoy sharing the things that inspire me and the words that God gives me to potentially help others.  I am awed by the fact that what I write on my personal status or my page, Reflections of Life, helps others.  Facebook has provided that opportunity.  The sad part is that those are the things that often have the fewer comments and "likes."  Whether I write them or someone else writes them...the good stuff doesn't quite catch our attention like it should.

By no means, am I intending to start a debate on the positives or negatives about Facebook or any other type of social network...I really enjoy having them!  I simply want us to be aware of what we do, say, write or think...and I'm pointing the finger right back to myself...I want what I do and say to edify, encourage, uplift, inspire...not destroy, tear down, self-destruct or cause another to stumble in their walk of life.

This is my prayer for today and every day...Psalm 19:14..."Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer!"  And James 1:19..."...let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak..."  What a difference this world would be if we all practiced that!

**Father...you have been so merciful to us and given us

so many tools and resources to connect to others.  

May we always use these resources to spread good news,

encouragement, joy and peace instead of strife, pain,

sorrow, gossip and negative thoughts.

Help me, above all, to be "swift to hear and slow to speak."  

Allow me to think before I react...

I want to "be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord."

Allow the things that I say help someone else in their

journey of life.  Helping others is a way that we

heal ourselves...we truly all have been so 

abundantly blessed and have so much to give.

Help us to see that in ourselves....Amen**