Calm before the storm

We have all heard the saying "the calm before the storm". Earlier today I experienced the calm before and after a rain storm outside. Before the storm everything was very quiet and dark - very peaceful. The peace was interrupted by a ferocious clap of thunder; this the storm began. The rain began very slowly and steadily increased to a downpour. Eventually the rain began to slow and finally stopped. Everything was once again calm. What if we could remain calm even during the storm? Jesus did. Mark gives the account of Jesus sleeping while the disciples were battling a raging storm. The disciples woke Jesus and asked if he cared. He calmed the wind and waves and asked, "Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?" (Mark 4:40) If they should not have been scared when faced with death, why should we? Jesus has overcome EVERYTHING, including the grave. We can remain calm ifvwe do what we know to do: have faith and trust. We can only build trust by growing closer to Jesus. We do this by reading His word, praying, and singing praises. We should do these 3 things daily, but should also meet together to worship the Father with our brothers and sisters. Believers will all sing praises together side by side in Heaven one day, why not practice now. A wise woman called Sunday worship "Heaven Practice". Have you practiced lately?

Seasons

What do you think of when you hear the word season? Many think a season of life and others think hunting season. In 2 Timothy 4:2 Paul says we are to be ready in season and out of season. Just as a hunter prepares all year long for a few weeks, we are to prepare everyday to be ready when called. What does preparing everyday look like and why should we do this? If you have accepted Christ you have the same power in you that rose Jesus from the dead! Colossians 1:11 says we are strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience. To understand this we must find the definitions of steadfastness and patience. Steadfastness means unwavering, unchanging; fixed in place. Patience means the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. This is what we are supposed to attain - deal with pain and suffering without getting upset! 2 Timothy 3:12 says, "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." This does not say might be persecuted. Paul goes on to say we are adequately equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). We have everything we need to stand firm in the faith. After our faith is firmly established and is growing like a tree planted by the water (Psalm 1:3), what now? The second part of Psalm 1:3 says to yield fruit in its season! There is the word season again. We share training and preparing, but for what? Matthew 28:19-20 sums up our whole purpose: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. The title of this is Seasons and I haven't talked much about seasons. We will all have times when we feel and sense God moving in our lives. We will ALL have seasons where we can't feel or sense God. The hard seasons are the times we will need to do what we know to do - be steadfast and endure because of the promises of God. We are to all keep going and making disciples - even when we don't feel like it.

Thankful for today

Everyone has been posting reasons they have to be thankful. Being thankful is very easy when we have money in the bank, food on the table, and friends and family. Do we choose to sing praises when everything falls apart? I read this morning the story of Paul and Silas being beaten and thrown in prison. They were in severe pain and chained to the floor. They chose to sing praises to God! Do we do the same? We can either worry and fret about next week or we can praise and worship today! We can use our time to ask God to remove our pain or we can do as Paul and Silas and praise Him in the middle of the chaos. Ask Him to give you the faith, strength, or courage to count it all joy when we face trials. True wisdom comes from experiences.

We are Redeemed!

The story of Ruth and Boaz is a simple but very complex story. I am completely overwhelmed with God's grace, mercy, tenderness, faithfulness, gentleness, and His love! God chose Ruth even though she was an idol worshiper. He showered her with love! He saw her as she could be, not as she was. He did not allow her to have children with Mahlon so Boaz could redeem her. The word redeem is one of the most beautiful words in our language. Redeem means: to free from captivity by payment of a ransom to change for the better, to atone for Thank God we are redeemed! God paid our ransom, made atonement for, and changed us for the better through the blood of His son, Jesus! God has redeemed us through Jesus just as Ruth was redeemed through Boaz. Ruth is part of the lineage of Christ, but we are part of the family of Christ! No matter what you have done, you can be redeemed!

Swimming Effortlessly

Fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors move with ease and grace through the water. They also seem to truly enjoy swimming. However, that same beautiful fish will flop and twist and turn uncontrollably out of the water. There is nothing graceful or beautiful about a fish out of water. In fact, it is painful to watch a fish out of water because we know it will eventually die because the life breath has been taken away. Oh, how we are like fish! When we are immersed in God's Word, we move with His grace and radiate His glory. We do not worry or fret over anything because we receive our direction from Him. We are able to forgive and love others because we are covered with His Word. But, when we do not seek Him or spend time in His Word we are just like the pitiful fish out of water. We let worry control us and fear and temptation over come us. Eventually our spiritual life will be like the dead fish, not bearing any fruit. We pull away from God for many reasons, but none are valid. The Bible has much to say about this. Here is a very short list of verses about seeking God and His Word: our adequacy is from God 2Corinthians 3:5 the Spirit gives life 2Corinthians 3:6 the Word of God is living and active Hebrews 4:12 pray without ceasing 1Thessalonians 5:17 rejoice always 1Thessalonians 5:16 be doers of the Word James 1:22 Why wouldn't we want to grasp hold of God's Word and never stop seeking more and more? My prayer is for God to consume us like a fire and fill us with His Holy Spirit! May a day never go by that we do not seek His face, lest we become a fish out of water.

Bible Study

Bible study: What does that mean to you? A class on. Sunday mornings? A class you had on school? It means time spent alone truly studying God's word to me. The verse Psalm 145:13 says, " The Lord is faithful to all His promises." We can't claim this verse without knowing what the promises are. We must study His word to fully open the river of living water He freely gives. Studying and seeking God do not stop after you accept Christ, it just begins! We can't serve Him without knowing His word. Have you put the time into studying the Bible that you did studying for an exam in school? We should all have a great desire to know God's word. The Bible can be intimidating, but tell God and He will make it clear to you.

God is Calling

What is God calling you to do? Is he calling you into a ministry at church or is He calling you to minister to a neighbor? Could it be He is calling you to change careers? What have you done to try and hear what God is calling you to do? Have you felt unhappy in your current situation, but haven’t taken the time to be still and listen to God? I am asking all of the questions to get us all to focus on the real purpose for us being here on earth – not to make money, not to work, not to even raise kids – to serve our wonderful God! The people in the Bible from Adam to the disciples all faced struggles and temptations. Often times they had witnessed God’s awesome power first hand, but chose to ignore His callings and went the complete opposite direction (that got Jonah swallowed)! It is hard to listen to what God is telling us because most of the time it goes against what the world says is the right thing to do. Do you think the people in Bible days thought it was normal for Noah to build that huge boat – of course not! I am sure they teased him relentlessly until they were drowning! I want to encourage you to act on whatever it is that God is calling you to do no matter what anyone else says! Remember God is going to require a lot of faith for us to follow His lead, but when we listen He will make our paths very clear!

“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart; lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways follow Him and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6