Wise choices, God's choices, Watching Over You..

God gives HIS best to those who leave the choice up to Him. :-)

Kurt has made his decision. As of Saturday morning, he was offered another option in his job direction as he was leaving the night shifts behind and following the clear cut path God was placing before him.

As we prayed and he made some phone calls to try and get a better perspective on the new choice, we leaned in once again, very closely to our Lord. It was God's voice we wanted to hear. It was God's confirmation we wanted to know. It was God's choosing we wanted Kurt to pick up.

There are times in life where our paths sometimes have an unexpected little fork off to one side or another, or perhaps a crossroad pops up, and we are stopped short in our tracks. When the choices of life suddenly become more than just the obvious of the Lord, "Walk This Way..." we can view it in two ways.

It can be an obstacle, a disturbance... something that ruffles the calm and unobstructed routine that we are accustomed to, day in and day out, the expected way our days will go.
OR
It can be an opportunity, an excitement.. something that presents the possibility of new horizons, new assignments, God-planned changes in our settled routines!

How will you view the choices put before you this week? As a Pilgrim walking through your journey on this earth, when you are confronted with an unexpected, possibly unwanted choice on your pathway, What will be your first thought? Where will you turn, Whom will you ask, as you seek to make your decision?

When we truly do NOT know what the best choice is, we are blessed beyond our knowing to have One who knows it all. He has paved our paths, He has placed the choices, He has planned the perfect route, and He is there to see it done. He walks with us every step of the way. He stands beside us in this journey, waiting... to read our thoughts, to see us turn to look at Him, to hear us ask Him, "Lord, Father...which way? YOU choose."

" My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe."
(Prov. 2: 1-11)

The promises of our Lord to His children as they are away from the Homeland, pilgrims walking the paths of another land... are precious. They are life giving. They are instructional. They are directional. They are priceless!

Remember this day that God is the God of your creation, your youth, your adulthood, your entire life! He is walking with you every step of that process, that lifelong journey as it unfolds day after day, presenting new and unexpected forks and crossroads.

How will YOU view these choices put before you? As Obstacles....or Opportunities? To whom do you turn to and trust with no doubts, fully confident of the answer you will receive? Whom do you find understanding from?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart...NO DOUBTS!... Lean not on your own understanding... fearful of what you know you cannot see...In all your ways, recognize Him in the planning...give Him first and final say...and He will direct you and crown your choice with success. (a promise from Prov. 3:5-6)

THIS is God's promise to us. Believe it. Claim it. LIVE IT!

Our God is an awesome God. He will never disappoint those who leave the choice to Him. Lean on His everlasting arms.

Courage!

Sunday SABBATH

"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way, and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land, and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob. The mouth of the LORD has spoken." (Isaiah 58:13-14)

"I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the LORD made them holy." (Ezekial 20:11-12)

" There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His." (Hebrews 4:9-10)





Today is Sunday. It is the Sabbath for Christians. It is our day of worshipping our God.


Six days we have had to do our work, to go our own way, to be about doing what our Lord has called us to do as we live on this earth. Our daily offering is to give ourselves to Him, and whatever we find to do in those 6 days to do it with all our might as unto HIM.

But today....Sunday... this day...is the Sabbath. It is set aside from the other six days. The Lord our God has asked this one day to be His, totally His. We were not made for the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for US.

I read His words today. I challenge myself and my readers to think as we make choices today. Will we present this day differently to the Lord as we commit our thoughts and actions to Him? Will we consider if what we are doing is:

An act of our own choice and pleasure that we are offering up to Him?

OR

An act of God's choice and command for HIS pleasure to honor and obey Him?

Yes...there is a difference... in the heart, in the attitude, and in the action that comes forth from it.

Sunday is a day of rest and worship. It is God's sign to us. We are to be holy, set aside, "peculiar." This day is our weekly reminder. It is our day of preparation for the 6 days to follow.

Would you like to find " JOY in the Lord....ride on the heights of the land..." knowing in your heart the good pleasure of the One who has made you?

Worship the Lord your God today. Recharge! Feel His delight in the sanctuary of HIS people.

Blessings!

The Ear of God

"The goal of prayer is the ear of God, a goal that can only be reached by patient and continued and continuous waiting upon Him, pouring out our heart to Him and permitting Him to speak to us. Only by so doing can we expect to know Him, and as we come to know Him better we shall spend more time in His presence and find that presence a constant and ever-increasing delight." (E. M. Bounds)

Prayer is our pipeline to the Lord. It is this simple and easy access we have with our Heavenly Father to talk to Him at any time and any place that is the most gracious and loving gift He could hand over to us. We do not do it enough!

Our highest goal in this life would be what Brother Lawrence has stated:

"...to think on God often, by day, by night, in your business, and even in your diversions. He is always near you and with you; leave Him not alone! You would think it rude to leave a friend alone who came to visit you; why, then, must God be neglected? Do not, then, forget Him, but think on Him often, adore Him continually, live and die with Him; this is the glorious employment of a Christian. In a word, this is our profession; if we do not know it, we must learn it. " (The Practice of the Presence of God)

We do not live by a religion in which God is a deity to whom we strive to please by works and rote prayers, but we live our lives in a relationship with a God who is our sovereign and caring Father... who loves us intensely. He seeks our communion and fellowship and devotion with Him daily, in the moments and in the steps of each hour. He desires for us to talk to Him.

Do not forget HIM! Yes, this is our job, our "profession".
Pray on your knees. Pray in your set times. BUT
Pray.....TALK.... to your Father all day, as you sit, as you walk, as you drive, as you work.... He waits.

Today Kurt and I pray. We are talking to our Father for wisdom and understanding and insight.
Kurt has had two cards placed on the table before him in his new job situation. As I mentioned before in earlier posts, God has always just placed the one. It was clear what way God wanted Kurt to walk in.

We look to HIM for His way and His path. We seek His ear, we pour out our hearts to Him, and wait....wait for Him to do His good will and pleasure in our lives. This we desire.

Get to know your God through talking to Him. He waits. Pray....

Blessings!

Missing The Mark

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God..." (Romans 3:23)


This week, Justin, my son training to become a Marine on Parris Island, has been in the phase called "Firing Week". It is what they prepared for all of last week in learning positions and stances for firing their M-16. This week they did the real thing. Today is Qualifying. They will be firing at the targets on the range, and being scored on their marksmanship.

In the Marine Corp, all soldiers are riflemen. They all must shoot and shoot WELL. They must not miss the mark. It is vital. They will always be watching the backs of their fellow Marines.

The Greek word for sin, hamartia, means "missing the mark."

This is what Paul spoke of when he said "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

In the week following Easter and all of the remembrance of what that crucifixion and resurrection mean for us, I cannot help but be grateful to Christ for the price He paid for me.

My efforts and attempts to hit bulls eye on the target of God's requirements of holiness for me will never, ever be enough. I will never be able to do enough good and righteous acts to fly from the bow in the archer's hands. I will never be able to stop doing bad and unrighteous acts in comparison to God's Holiness to get even close to the mark.

Thank God my Savior and Redeemer has done it "for me." For this, I am eternally thankful. Out of devotion to Him, I start afresh every day to keep my eyes on the mark, knowing it has been hit once and for all, bulls eye, through Christ, and yet... I will love Him with all I have in me as my response. To live for Him...to give honor and glory to Him by all that I think and do and say. Will I ever hit the mark? No. But it's okay. My Lord stands with me and reminds me that He has accomplished all for me. He gives me the confidence and assurance to now live for Him in that freedom.

We have the perfect score. Our attempts are all simply for glorifying the One who gave us the Perfection to meet God's requirements to pass.

As Justin finishes up this week, and aims to hit the mark and qualify, I pray that he will know in his heart, that he gave his best, and that is enough. I pray that he will know who he is and where he stands before his Lord, because Christ hit the mark for him for eternity.

I pray that all who are striving to reach a point in their lives where they feel they are in a better standing with their Lord will know today, that their striving is unnecessary. Christ has done it once and for all. You have a bulls eye. Your scorecard is perfect.

Praise the Lord.

Blessings,

Contentment In The Waiting

"...For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (Phil. 4:11-13)



YES! Night Shift Is Officially OVER! Praise the Lord.

Have you ever been going through a rough time, experiencing frustration, not understanding why God was doing things the way He was... and you started a little self-talk? Something to this effect, "Well, surely God will do this or that,...or....God will bring us out of this soon, I'm sure."
Inspiring, encouraging talks to yourself??? And, then those little pick-me-up pep rallies began to have an effect on your attitude and outlook? Today, I raise my hand right up there with yours.

As I mentioned yesterday, when Kurt began this whole night shift season, we had been through 10 months of unemployment, and almost 8 months of a job that took him away to Ohio. I counted every month of those moments. Here we were taking another step in this journey God had planned. What was my little cheer I shouted to myself each month? .... Ten months, then eight months, ahaaa, this one will be less. God is making each step a little shorter!

When October approached, that 6 month deadline, and we were still going strong, I didn't despair. I told myself that we could really go up to December and still come out on the shorter end this time around. You know what happened. December came and went. No change, and No end in sight. I was truly disappointed. I had set myself up!!!

In this whole time of talks to myself, and talks with my God, I was being moved from one mindset to another. And in January, I had arrived....to the state of brokenness and surrender to God's plan, and not my wishes. After the holidays, I raised my hands up to my Father, opened them wide, and gave it up. Your will, Abba, your plans, not mine. I will be CONTENT in what you have for us. I will wait only with an expectant HOPE for what is yet to come. I will be still...and see the moment by moment blessings you have been doing and continue to do for us, yes....even in these days of night shifts. I accept your ways, your timing, your best for us.

In this life, there are the times where we are waiting.. waiting, and longing for the time to come where circumstances are changed, rearranged, or simply left behind us as we move on. We do not know the times or means by which all will take place and what the end results will be. These are the times that try the souls of men and women alike.

I believe there is one thing God seeks to work on and see flourish in our lives in days such as these. And it is what He has shown us in our household, once again, throughout the last 3 years of waiting. God yearns for us to have a spirit of CONTENTMENT in the times of the unknown... in the days of uncertainty. It is when we are under the most pressure of not knowing the end, not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, that we can literally collapse under the strains of Discontentment.

It is then that our attitudes are most vulnerable to become oppressed and depressed with what we have not yet attained, rather than focusing on all God IS blessing in the moment.

DO NOT LET THE DECEIVER CAUSE YOU TO LIVE OUTSIDE THE BOUNDARIES OF... "One Day At A Time, Living In The Blessings Of The Here and Now."

As you face your own period of waiting on the Lord for an answer to your prayers, for a change in your lives, for a revelation to something unknown as you walk in the darkness, remember this! Keep your eyes directly on His face. Keep your ears directly open to His instruction for this current day...(only). Keep your heart directly in line with all that He is pouring out to you in blessings that you might have missed if you were not focusing on just today.

This is the order of "Contentment Reality."

Do not allow yourself to operate in a holding pattern, circling around and around waiting for your plans to take place before you land and rest. You may be circling a year and a day, exhausting yourself, because you have not relinquished your hold to the One who is in the Control Tower. He wants you to let go and experience His version of R&R. Release, and Rest... in His plan, unknown though it may be. Be content in your here and now. TRUST the one who holds your days in His hand.

I would encourage you to muster up courage, grab hold of Hope, count all of the blessings you can think of and write them down. Then get down on your knees, and THANK GOD for all He is showing you and all that He isn't showing you. Tell Him you trust Him to take care of you and bring all "holding patterns" in your life to an end with blessings unbelievable. Ask Him to help you to focus on today, and find contentment in His will, not yours.

It took months for God to get me to the position on my knees of resignation and submission to totally release my hold on the "ending time" for night shifts. And when I did relent, oh what peace and contentment He showered down on me. (If only I had done that from the start!)
Life is a journey. :-)

SO WHAT DID GOD DO WHEN HE GOT ME TO THIS POSITION??

On January thirtieth, a call came to Kurt offering a new job with day hours... 1st shift. Next Monday, April 20th, that new step begins for us.

God is good...ALL the time...God is good.

There will be many, many more times of waiting in our lifetimes. If you and I do not learn the secret of Contentment in the midst of those times, we will indeed have a future of disappointments and discontentment as life inevitably comes full circle again, and brings another period of waiting,... waiting for the next unknown answer.

My blogger friend....Wait with Hope!!!! Let Go and Let God. There is no better position to be than right smack in the middle of Contentment With Your God and His plans today, This Day... For You!

Courage...and Contentment to you.

WAIT....I say, on the LORD

"I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning." (Psalm 130:5-6)

"Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,they will walk and not become weary." (Is.40:31)

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." (Psalm 27:14)

"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him." (Psalm 62:5)

"It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD." (Lamentations 3:26)

In the last 3 years, Kurt and I have experienced together, more than ever, the longsuffering of waiting...

It is not as if we have never gone through any period in our life where we were not waiting for something to come about. However, God has intensified our waiting moments as we went through 10 months of unemployment, 8 months of a 500 mile separation, and most recently a year of night shift work.

Today holds a special significance. Tonight, when Kurt goes in to work, it will be his last 12 hour overnight shift to work at his present job and location. This has been a long time coming for a woman who found it hard to accept that assignment for my husband's job in God's plan. But our God can do amazing things in His people, when they finally relent and release it ALL to Him. And this He did for me.

During all of this past year, we were keenly aware that God was working in us, looking for change and growth out of us, but still, we were waiting,.... waiting for the next steps in His plan to take place. Even recently, Kurt mentioned he was waiting to see what God would bring about in his career out of all these changes. Why is life SO much of the time simply about .....waiting?

Let me attempt to tell you by what HE has taught us!

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:2-4)

Faith is a gift from God. We cannot grow it within ourselves.

WAITING IS A TESTING OF OUR FAITH.
Having to wait for something or on something that hasn't happened yet makes us have to practice Patience!

If faith is the gift, then patience is the wrapping God puts on this awesome package. Inside the workings of patience, we are compelled to pray and proclaim our trust in our God. When we tear away the gift wrap of patience, we find the awesome, unshakable supply of more faith and a deeper confidence in our Lord. It is this confidence that enables us to turn our life circumstances over to God and fully yield to His work and will for us. We gain a trust that is grounded in HOPE. It is an expectant hope in a God Who keeps His promises.

Waiting in life is inevitable.... It can be painful.

Could you radically change your outlook about something you are waiting on in these present days of your life?

Picture that package with the wrapping of patience around it. It is a mysterious gift! It is only in the waiting that God does His best work and reveals His secret treasures to those who wait upon Him. He strengthens faith... increases courage... renews hope... and turns our expectations toward Him alone.

Do not be impatient for God to work. Keep pressing on, obeying Him with the measure of faith you have in the moment, confident He is with you. Stay strong in your race, for He has promised to renew your strength. You will not faint. He will see you through. You will run and not be weary. Obey, simply by doing what you know to do, and wait for God to do the rest....His best!

So, this is what I tell you. We have learned that if we endure, God delivers! He gives us way more than we ever could have imagined. He is faithful.

Cry out for His peace as you wait on Him. You will taste His merciful bounty of goodness as a reward. Wait, and see...

Courage!

A PECULIAR PEOPLE....

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus 2:11-14)

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." (I Peter 2:9-10)


What comes to your mind when you think of the word "peculiar"?

The dictionary definition says:
1. distinctive; characteristic of only one person, group, or thing.
2. different from what is considered usual or normal; particular, odd, strange.

Did you ever think that you should be considered peculiar by others in this world who are not redeemed by Christ?

Is it most likely that we are putting our great efforts into "fitting in" into the world? Though we claim that our lives are different, and even changed, yet there are days where we are not necessarily shining forth from the darkness of this present world.
We tend to dress the same, eat the same, go with the latest "movement" the same, purchase the latest and greatest items the same, watch tv the same, view movies the same.....

Do we really stand out that much that we are considered.... peculiar?

Have we become so seeker friendly in our personal lives, even in our churches, that it has dulled our senses and calling to what we were truly redeemed for?

"purified to be a peculiar people," "a chosen generation," "a royal priesthood," "a holy nation."

I fear that more often than not we would choose not to be looked upon as strange or odd. We are creatures who desire to belong, to fit in, to be a part of.

Christ, our Lord and Savior, gave Himself for us, redeemed us from our debt of sins, that we might be purified, and able to do the good works, set apart for the holy living He would require of us.

And what might that be....?

"Purified" to:

deny ungodliness - careful to watch for dishonorable scenes on the television programs we so eagerly get attached to, watchful for a dulled awareness that we are talking about others in a way that is not edifying... but tearing down, wary that we are becoming more materialistic in our wants and desires for things of this world that are not needful in our lives or homes, cautious to catch a covetous attitude creeping in where we want what we cannot have when we compare with others, laughing at things we should not laugh over, using speech that would not be for a holy use, worrying over things that we should not have cares for, spending too much of our time with our "things" and our "social networking" than we do with our Lord and our families...

live soberly - mindful of the times, on the alert for what Satan is capable of as he runs to and fro on our stomping grounds - building up the walls and guarding our homes from the slow fade of unsacred influences.

live righteously - zealous of good works, always looking to serve our Lord in word and deed.
being a good neighbor, an excellent wife, a loving and teaching mom, a discipling sister...

live godly - studying our Lord, praying earnestly for His coming, learning more and more of His ways that we can emulate Him, to be more like Him in this present world.


These are hard things.
This is a high calling.

We are a needy people in a broken world. It is not of our sinful nature to stand out and be counted as odd by taking the high road. We can not choose this on our own.

Yet there is One who calls us to walk that path. It is rough looking. The way is narrow, and many times there is only enough light for the steps being taken. It is the strange choice. It is the road less travelled. It is the Road of the Redeemed.


We are in this world, we therefore must walk on its byways and highways. However we are not to be of this world. This, in and of itself is a peculiar calling. It is not an easy choice, but it is the only choice if you wish to please the One who died for you.

He stands and beckons to you.
Will you answer the call? Will you dare to be different?

Choose today whom you will serve. The days grow short, and the times are near where you may find that "fitting in" and following the usual and normal way was not what it seemed, and the sadness it brings with it must be accepted...

Seek Jesus as a precious jewel. He is our treasure. Do not give up! Be peculiar for your Lord.

You may just find you will be surprised by joy...

Blessings!