What is Our Desire?

Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Psalm 73:25-26
 
A while back, I was having some dissatisfied, bluesy feelings that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened, so I didn’t know what was going on in my mind and heart. I prayed to God one morning to speak to me so that I could feel His peace. The scripture above is what He gave me. He is the strength of my heart and yours. Whatever may happen in our lives or whatever feelings may come and go, He is always present. He is mine (and yours) forever. Our goal should be to live up to the first part of that verse, to desire God more than anything on earth. I think that was the root of my unidentifiable longing. I needed more of God. I need to spend more time with him. Our spirits become dry and thirsty when we don’t spend quality one on one time with our Father. Everything else in our lives depends on our relationship with Jesus. Nothing else that we desire can even come remotely close to God. We should desire Him more than anything else on earth. That may already be the longing of your heart and you don’t even realize it. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
 
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.      Mathew 5:6
 
As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you.O God. I thirst for God, the living God. Psalm 42:1

Who Does God Say We Are?

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called--his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. Ephesians 1:8

Paul wrote these words to the church at Ephesus. He was thankful when he heard of the people’s strong faith in Jesus Christ and their love for people. He prayed that God would flood their hearts with light so that they would understand and be confident in the hope of Jesus Christ. He reassured them that they are indeed God’s holy people and they were called by God. If you are like me, you don’t feel holy. Thankfully, it’s not about our feelings. We are made holy through Jesus Christ, certainly not of our own accord.  If we have been saved by believing Jesus is God's son, believing that He died and rose again, and making him Lord of our lives, this is for us.
So what does this verse mean for us? It means that we are children of a Holy God. We can come before His throne unashamed. Yes, we still sin and need to repent, but we don’t have to live in bondage to sin. We don’t have to live defeated lives. We are a part of God’s family and He loves us. We are not to be prideful but thankful. We should live our lives like we appreciate what Jesus has done for us, with lives and attitudes that are pleasing to Him. How do we know if our lives are pleasing to him? Through prayer and the Bible. We should ask God to reveal to us anything that isn’t pleasing to him. David prayed in Psalm 139:23, 24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” God will not only point out what needs to be changed, He will lead us in changing it.
We can be confident that Jesus Christ is ours. We need to let the word of God bring light into our lives so we can understand this. We belong to Him and all that he is belongs to us. Every need we have can be met through Him. There is nothing too big or too small for our Lord. We can be confident that he cares for us and wants to intervene in our lives as we give him control. We have to be willing to work with him and obey him.
He is our confident hope: our hope for salvation, eternity, and the here and now. Let’s live our lives like we believe this. Let’s relinquish our lives to him. Let’s allow Jesus to shed his light into every aspect of our lives. This includes our hearts, our minds, our attitudes, our marriages, parenting our children, our jobs, our service to him and the list goes on. Nothing is hopeless with Jesus because he IS our hope.

Love Never Fails

Mama and Daddy on their 50th Wedding Anniversary

Today has been a month since my dad passed away. It doesn’t seem like it. Although, if I asked my mom, I’m sure it has been a long month. My mom and dad were married 50 years, 6 months and 12 days. A month without him has probably seemed so much longer than a mere 30 days.

As I have mentioned in other posts, my dad was very sick. ALS had taken away all of his physical capabilities and left only his mind to function. He was trapped inside his body, and after he could no longer communicate, he was trapped in his mind as well.  He suffered so much. When he died in his sleep and went to be with the Lord, his pain ended.

I saw true love in action the last year of his life. My mom was his primary care-giver and she saw to his every need. There at the end, all he could do was grunt to call her, but she would go to him and try everything she could to make him comfortable. At 71 years old, she bathed and dressed him. She fed him and got up all hours of the night to see about him. My brothers and sister and I tried to help as much as we could, but he wanted her. The last 2-3 months, he wanted her right there with him almost all the time. She even slept (what time she could) in the recliner close to him at night because he didn’t want to be left alone. He had to sleep in his wheel chair in the living room. It was the only way he was somewhat comfortable.

When young people marry, the words, “in sickness and in health, for better or worse” can often be just words to get through in order to kiss the bride and be pronounced husband and wife. We often don’t think about the difficult circumstances that may follow. Who would? A couple’s wedding day is about joy and happiness. No one wants to think about the bad stuff that may or may not happen. Unfortunately, it will. It is inevitable that we will have trouble in this life.

True love is sacrificial, like the love of Christ. It’s when the hard times come, that our love for each other is truly put to the test. My mom and dad have been there for each other through a lot of ups and downs over their 50 years of marriage. Though nothing has been as hard as the last 15 months. Their golden years didn’t turn out like they had hoped. My dad’s sickness changed everything, everything but their love. Even when my dad could no longer speak words that were understandable, he could tell my mom, “I love you.” And my mom rolled up her sleeves and took care of him right to the end. That is true love.

One day they will see each other again. She lives with that hope. He died, but their love didn’t. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.                 (1 Corinthians 13:7)

Pay Attention to the Little Things

“Things don’t go bad in a marriage in an instant. The character of a marriage is not formed in one grand moment. Things in a marriage go bad progressively. Things become sweet and beautiful progressively. The development and deepening of the love in a marriage happens by things that are done daily; this is also true with the sad deterioration of a marriage. The problem is that we simply don’t pay attention, and because of this we allow ourselves to think, desire, say and do things that we shouldn’t.” Paul David Tripp-What Were You Expecting?

Some examples of everyday things that can snowball into a hazard for our marriages or cause sweet harmony.

• Do you continue to do something you know aggravates your spouse or do you stop out of consideration? (leaving shirts on the floor, crinkling the toothpaste tube, burping out loud, etc...)
• Do you replace the toilet paper roll or leave it for your spouse to do because you have had to do it the last 3 times (or load the dishwasher or take out the trash, etc…) 
• Do you complain about needless things or show gratitude and appreciation for things done right.
• Do you leave for work without a tender kiss for your spouse or do you kiss her and tell her you love her?
• Do you go to sleep at night irritated with one another or thankful to be lying next to the person you love?
• Is it more important to prove you are right or to make your spouse feel cherished and valued?
• Is it more important to point out all your spouse’s faults/mistakes or forgive him/her knowing that love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)
• Do you do rude things now that you’re married that you may not have done while you were dating? Is it fair to think that your spouse doesn’t deserve the respect they did while dating?
• If you know your spouse likes something a certain way (and it is perfectly reasonable), do you try to please him/her or do you think it is too much effort?
• Do you always consider your spouse’s feelings before you say or do something?

You get the point, right? It’s the little, everyday acts of love or acts of selfishness that can eventually make or break a marriage. It is a simple fact that although we may think getting our own way makes us happy, selfishness never makes a happy marriage. Putting the other person’s needs above our own is the right thing to do. (Romans 12:10) When we look out for the interests of our spouse, we begin to experience much more love for him/her than when we would simply looking out for our own interests. And that makes everyone happy!

Effort = Reward

Do not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Recently, a friend and I were talking about doing the right thing even when you don’t see immediate results. It can be difficult to love someone and do everything you feel you are supposed to do and see no response. It can be exhausting to teach your child over and over that they shouldn’t be selfish, but realize how blessed they are, only to have them prove over and over that they still “don’t get it.” It can be frustrating to talk to someone about doing the right thing and getting right with the Lord, only to have them reject what you say. Galatians 6:9 reminds us that we are to persevere. We rely on God to help us keep on keeping on. Life can be hard, but any good thing takes effort.

• A good marriage takes effort and the effort reaps a lasting love and a deep, rich connection that can overcome anything together.
• Godly parenting is unending and sometimes painful, but the results are eternal, children who are lead to Christ, who learn to love and respect God and are a blessing to others.
• Going to church and Sunday school takes effort and sacrifice. We may be tired from a long week or have other things we need to do. But the result is growing in God, developing relationships with other Christians and being a part of something that is bigger than ourselves.
• Being diligent in service to God takes a commitment. It takes time, effort and sometimes tears. But the result is God’s blessing and a feeling of peace, knowing that you are being obedient. And it could mean eternity to someone else.
• Spending time in God’s word and in prayer takes sacrifice. We sacrifice our own fleshly desires in order to draw closer to God. The result is a close, personal relationship with God and a fulfilled life of joy and peace.

Proverbs 13:1 says, “The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.” We may not always see immediate results, but we should never give up!

What a Day That Will Be

This past Sunday was Homecoming at our church.  Ty Ty Baptist Church celebrated one hundred and twenty eight years.  Wow!  What an accomplishment!  God has truly blessed our church through the years.  I love Homecoming: all the people, the joyful atmosphere, the singing, and the food.  Our congregation sounded beautiful singing together with the church house full.  Of course, part of our celebration included several hymns.  One of which I cannot sing without getting misty eyed.  (Ok, sometimes downright weepy)

“What a Day That Will Be” reminds me what my whole life is about, what my faith is all about.   The chorus goes like this:

                        “What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,

                          when I look upon his face, the one who saved me by his grace.  

                          When he takes me by the hand and leads me through the promised

                          land, what a day, glorious day that will be.”

I’m getting choked up right now.  It reminds me that all the chaos of this world and the struggles and pain that we face won’t matter anymore on that day when we look into Jesus’ eyes.  We scurry about this life so much, running here and there.  I think sometimes we lose sight of the prize.  My entire belief system, my faith in Jesus, will come to completion on the day when I step into his physical presence.  That’s what it’s all about!

I saw others in church wiping their eyes during that song as well.  Honestly, I don’t see how a born-again believer can sing those lyrics without a tugging at their heart.  That’s what we are living for!  Jesus is who we are living for!  And the day that we see his glorious face is a day that will be unlike any other, a glorious day beyond our comprehension. 

                                    

If you are not ready to see his face, GET READY.  "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ [give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you will be saved." Acts 16:31 Amplified Bible

Who's Watching?

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Colossians 3:17 NLT

Have you ever wondered how you would feel if you found out that your conversations were being recorded? What if your actions were being secretly video taped? I have thought about it. It made me cringe. Would I be pleased if I had to play back the way I sounded when dealing with my children? What about a disagreement with my husband? Did I sound respectful or like a nagging wife? What about the attitude I had in Wal-Mart with two children in tow and a crowd of people around? It’s quite possible someone was watching. What about those secret conversations where we are being vindictive or making cutting remarks about someone, gossiping or complaining? Even if no-one else is watching or listening, God is.
This verse reminds us that as children of God, we are representing Christ. Always. At home with our spouse and children, at the grocery store, at a ball game, at work, on social networks…always. Our actions and our words (including how we say them) are to glorify God. I don’t know about you, but I know I have failed at this more than I would like to admit. So how do we go about achieving this instruction? We have to deliberately do it. We have to make a quality decision and a conscious effort to control our tongues and behave in a way that is pleasing to our Father. We know what pleases Him by reading His word. The New Testament, especially Ephesians, James and 1 Corinthians, is rich with scripture about how we should conduct ourselves and relate to other people. But it's not enough to read it, we have to do it. (James 1:22,23) We should dwell on developing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives and ask the Holy Spirit to work in us to do so. The Spirit's fruit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Galatians 5:22-23
We can’t control what other people do or what they say, but we can be good representatives of the Lord when we seek to please Him in our words and actions.  By doing so, we are being obedient to God. The second part of the verse says to give thanks to God through Jesus. Being a representative of Christ is not a burden but a privilege and an honor. Let’s make sure to thank him for that blessing.

Whatever we meditate on becomes our words and actions, so let this be our prayer:  "May the meditation of my heart and the words of my mouth be pleasing to you, oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer." Psalm 19:14

For further study, see Ephesians 4:17-32.