While driving yesterday with my four year old grandson, I asked what song he’d like to listen to assuming he would choose a kid’s song about ABC’s etc. Instead, he surprised me by asking to hear the song “Our God is Greater” (by Chris Tomlin).
I searched YouTube on my phone, connected the cable to my radio and the song played, but only for a moment. I pulled over to check out my phone and found YouTube circling, but going nowhere.
In disappointment, I decided that we still needed music and turned on the car radio. My ears laughed when I heard “Our God is Greater” playing. I was in shock. Although I was driving I looked at my phone just to make sure of what happened. Indeed the phone was silent and disconnected from the car.
Did that just happen?
Wow! Our God is Greater! Now I don’t know the particulars of what you might be facing today, but I do know this – God is Greater than coronavirus, all disease, poverty, abuse, depression, addiction..- you name it! HE IS GREATER! Call out to Him today and keep your ears open and you will be just as amazed as I am by HOW GREAT GOD IS!
It’s easy to look at the impact other Christians are making in the world and wonder whether our small acts of service and love are really making a difference. A recent encounter reminded me not to be overly concerned about the masses, when I have the power of touching one life at a time.
After work, I stopped by one of my favorite restaurants to pick up a meal. I wasn’t feeling as well as I’d like that day and casually greeted the cashier as I paid. Usually, I try to express genuine interest in the people I encounter, but I just wasn’t up to it.
The cashier’s face lit up when she recognized me. Her warm greeting reminded me of the need to check out of my feelings and focus upon the given opportunity to be a blessing.
The Bible records several stories of Jesus’ one on one encounters. Though He spoke to the masses, He literally took time out to hear and speak with people, making each encounter important.
Jesus illustrates the power of one in Matthew 18: 12-14 12 “What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? 13 If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. 14 So it is not the will [a]of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.
Can you hear Jesus saying to His followers today – What about the person I sent your way who needed an ear, but all you could think about was you? What about the one I sent your way for an answer that you didn’t bother to give because you thought they wouldn’t listen. Be alert for the possibilities of miracles that I desire to do through you one person at a time.
As ambassadors for Christ, daily we are presented with opportunities to make a difference in the lives of the people we encounter. Don’t take those moments for granted. Instead, sharpen your spiritual antennas through prayer, the Bible, and through praise/worship and watch out. Be ready to make a difference, one person at a time.
I embarked upon a new adventure! This fall I spent time with both of my 3-year-old grandsons without their parents. There are a few things that stand out from that day.
On our way to pick up Jaxen, Ethan and I sped down the sidewalk. I ran cautiously, but Ethan ran freely, absent of fear. Ethan’s shoe flew off, causing him to fall. After his shoe was on again, we continued, not a tear in sight.
*Run without fear! If your shoe slips off, put it on and keep going. Don’t stop running!
Isaiah 40:31 – But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.
On that chilly sunny day, Ethan looked up and said, “Look grandma, there’s the moon”. I hadn’t noticed.
*Even on sunny days, signs of night appear. Be aware of darkness but keep focused on the Son.
Psalm 16:8 – I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Both of my grandsons’ love music. They sing their own songs as well as songs they’ve heard. They happily go about their business singing and playing
.*Sing your song! Not only will it brighten your day, you may just bless someone else.
Psalm 96:1 Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing to the Lord all the earth.
As I hurried to get the boys inside on that cold day, Jaxen asked, “Grandma, can we stop and smell the flowers?” How could I resist such a simple but delightful request? We stopped, and Jaxen smelled the flowers.
*Tomorrow is not promised, stop, and enjoy the Lord’s blessings today, remembering that all of our help comes from Him!
James 4:13-14 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
And of course, although it was a sunny day, believe it or not – we saw a rainbow just as we were ending our time together.
*Always remember God’s promises. Don’t wait for the rain, rainbows appear on sunny days. Sometimes you just have to look for them.
I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 9:13
Matthew 18:2-4 New International Version (NIV)
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Did you ever
receive a word from the Lord and wondered where it went as time passed? I have.
I made
efforts to do my part, to no avail. Nothing much happened. The promise did not
manifest.
The Bible states that faith without works is dead. But what happens when you have faith, do your part, and still don’t see the results?
I’ve come to
the conclusion that gratitude is a necessary element that supports the promise,
along with faith and works.
Without a
thankful heart, it’s possible to lose the promise altogether.
Gratitude feeds faith!
Ingratitude chips
away at faith, minimizing the powerful miracles the Lord has already performed,
blocking one’s ability to see the supernatural possibility of greater things to
come. Remember, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of
things NOT SEEN.
Luke 17 renders a story of Jesus requesting that 10 lepers exercise faith and works. They called out to Jesus for mercy. In response, Jesus answered “Go show yourselves to the priests”. As they went, they were cleansed.
Jesus could
have healed the men on the spot, but didn’t. He can provide your promise on the
spot but hasn’t. Perhaps that’s because it’s all about
Him receiving all the glory in the way He chooses.
One leper,
filled with gratitude after his
deliverance returned, giving thanks and glory to God.
What if you rose above the one leper and began to be thankful, before you see the promise?
Gratitude “as
you go”, will surely give God glory and honor now as well as later!
Remember the
children of Israel took a 40 year journey that was literally only an eleven day
trip. Their doubting, complaining spirits cancelled the promise, causing many
of them to die in the wilderness.
Stay on the right path, doing your part in faith and gratitude. Don’t die in the wilderness as you wait for the promise. Give God glory and thanks now and forever as you go!
Have you been hiding out, covered by self-debasing thoughts about what you can’t do? Have you been basking in failures of the past, allowing yesterday to hold you back from your today?
I’ve got good
news for you. It’s time to let go of past failures, let go of what this person
said, and what that person did. It’s time for you to come out of hiding, get up
and get going. Not only are you a gift, you have gifts to share.
The world is waiting for you to arise and shine. You’ve looked around and are aware of the mess the world is in. But have you considered that you are an answer to some of what you see?
It’s time for
a self-assessment. What have you been hiding that the world is in need of. What
are you passionate about? How can you contribute to the betterment of the Body
of Christ and society at large, using your gifts?
Maybe you don’t know what your gifts are. Pray, asking the Lord to reveal what He has given you to share with others. Also, ask trusted family members and friends to help you as you self-assess.
God created
you with purpose. His mercies are new today. (Lam.3:22-23). God is not binding
you with chains from yesterday. His word tells us that He sent His Son Jesus to
the cross for our sins, where He led captivity captive and gave gifts to us.
(Ephe.4:8)
Get into the word of God and seek Him as your priority. Read about the gifts given to believers in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4. As you discover your gifts, take courage and use them for the glory of God and for the good of mankind. It’s time! Come out and get going!
“Arise,
shine; for your light has come,
And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 “For behold, darkness will cover the earth
And deep darkness the peoples;
But the Lord will rise upon you
And His glory will appear
upon you. 3 “Nations will come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of
your rising.
Earlier this year, my friend Louisa wrote a blog post encouraging readers to focus on one word for the year as opposed to an un-kept New Year’s Resolution. Instead of one, three words came to mind, all starting with the letters C – O. Consistent, confidence, and contentment.
I’m still on
my journey to become 100% consistent,
with perfected confidence and always
content.
Maybe you’ve arrived. But for those of us who haven’t, there’s good news! The word of God states, we can “be confident of this that He who began a good work in you (and me) will continue to perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
Did you get
that? God, who began the good work
in us will continue to perfect it
until the day of Christ Jesus. We can be confident
in God, trusting that He’s perfecting those things that concern us as we
yield to Him. (Psalm 138:8) Because of God’s faithfulness, we can also confidently
do whatever He’s assigned us to do as we trust Him. That’s confidence!
Let’s talk about being consistent. Aware of my struggle to remain consistent when my labor appears to be in vain, the Lord blessed me to hear a scripture repeated 4 times within three weeks. “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary”. (Gal. 6:9 NASB)
In order to remain
consistent as we wait for the promise to manifest “in due time”, we must first
identify the promise. What promise did God make in the Bible concerning your
labor for Him?
Use the promise (from the Bible/God), as a weapon of faith to fight weariness, thereby remaining consistent in faith, as you wait to see your work for the Lord grow into something glorious.
And finally, there’s the last c-o, contentment. As babies, we got our first messages across to our caregivers through crying. We cried when we were hungry, wet, and needed to be held. Some of us had tantrums when our desires weren’t fulfilled as children.
However, as an adult, I’m learning to be content. (Philippians 4:11) I find this phenomenal blessing occurs as I trust that my caregiver (The King of Heaven and earth) really is good no matter what I experience and that HE truly causes all things to work together for good to those who love God…(Romans 8:28 NASB) Contentment is gratitude that doesn’t faint. As we rest in the Lord and His promises, we learn to be content.
The summation of the three c-o’s is that our Lord is faithful. As we yield our hearts and every concern to Him in faith, we can be confident, consistent, and content. It’s just what we’ve been taught all along. Jesus is the way (and the truth and the life). (John 14:6) We find all we need in HIM!
We read in Exodus 15 that right after the Lord delivered the Israelites from the hands of Pharoah by miraculously dividing the red sea, they sang and worshipped the Lord through a song. However, It is ironic that just after the victory, the miracles, and the powerful hand that God has shown them – they grumbled to the Lord.
