Wonderful Words of Life...

Wonderful Words of Life...

What Matters Most...

This past while the Lord has had me reading thru the book of Acts,

which I admit was a bit difficult at first because it reopened

deep disturbances in me when I compare the church then

to the majority of people in churches now...

and I have wept and also been inspired as I read thru Acts.

My heart cry as I finished up that book was,

"Lord, let me be a part of the Body as you designed 

for me as your child to be."

And then He pressed on my heart to read Galatians.

I read that whole book in a few days this week

and I've been disturbed and inspired again.

How many people who claim Christ as their Savior

do not really live His life?!

There is much religion and controlling of men going on

these days, just as there was back then with 

the Jews insisting that all the Christians still

follow all their laws or else they wouldn't be right.

NO. God calls us to faith in Jesus Christ

which results in us changing our direction of travel

which brings forth a bountiful harvest of

the fruit of the Spirit.

Paul was so concerned by the false teachers in

the midst of the precious people he had taught.

He sums up his burden at the end of Galatians by

reminding us that what matters most is that

we are changed into new and different people

by Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Are you a child of God?

Really?

Are you changed by Him?

Are you catty and petty, ruining

relationships (Galatians 5:15) with

 your criticism

and your choice to control

others with your expectations

and rudeness when they are not met?

OR...

have you embraced the summary of

the whole Law by loving others as

you love yourself?

Are you claiming Christ as your life and

that you are part of His body?

Really?

Have you chosen to control others who 

choose a different administration and

application than you have and refuse to

regard them with respect and kindness?

I know far too many 'Christians' who

get caught up in this kind of trap.

Are you claiming that you are a

disciple and follower of Jesus Christ?

Really?

Check the fruit in your life.

According to Jesus and confirmed

in Galatians 5, you tell others by

the fruit in your life who you really serve.

Are you claiming that you are His witness?

Really?

Are you looking for honors and popularity,

which lead to hard feelings and jealousy?

According to Galatians 5, if we are living

by the Holy Spirit's power, we will walk by His

leading and thus will not need to look

for the approval of others

and we certainly won't be jealous of others.

I am not questioning your Christianity.

I am asking myself these questions, too.

They are important.

God gave us amazing freedom in Christ.

No bondage to arbitrary rules and

adding to the Bible in order to be right.

Freedom.

Not to sin, according to Galatians 5,

but to love and serve the Lord and others.

What a great book to read from

the Book of books.

I highly encourage you to read it today.

Let us go forth and be changed by Him today.

Follow Him...

I've been pondering this blog post
for a long time now.
If I step on your toes,
please know that I have had mine
stepped on over the years, too
and this is what I've learned
from it as I've tried to follow my
LORD, and I know that I
still need more changing
done in me, too.
I share it because I love.
I share it because it's true.

We live in a generation of softness.
Feelings get easily hurt.
Bruises happen easily.
Wounds fester.
Skin is thin.
We cry over spilled milk.


Let me ask you:
what would happen if
we all chose instead to
live as Jesus lived?

By the fruit in His life, He lived to do the will of the Father
and NOT to do only what made Him feel good or
caused Him to avoid being rejected or trampled upon.

I am quite sure He hurt inside His loving heart
many, many times a day.
I am sure that when people ignored Him
or said false things about Him,
or gossiped about Him,
or called Him a drunkard and other
crazy names that were the complete
opposite of what He was...
He wept on His face before the Father
alone at night up there on the
mountain where Scripture says
He went to pray.
But I do not think He wept for Himself.
I think He wept for the people who
did the wrongs.
I think He wept because He wanted
them to know LIFE,
the life that He came to give.

And when the people fussed at Him
for not making His disciples wash
their hands before they ate,
or other such stupid nonsense that
people still do today, trying to control
life and situations beyond their
jurisdiction,
I think He told them the truth
but then He didn't get into
arguments about things.
We have no record of Him disturbing
the peace with such nonsense.

My friends, let's live as Jesus lived.
What a better way to live live His way
 than to waste our days in petty nonsense
because we have our feelings hurt
from perceived rejection because
our expectations of others are not met.
Let's get busy and serve others and God
without regard for ourselves, ok?

Oh, the time we waste sitting in hurt
and woundedness.
Let us make the most of each day
that God gives us and serve those
He put into our lives.
So maybe they won't ever notice you,
or return your kindness,
or choose you for a friend.
Is that not the best test of a servant's heart:
the one who can serve quietly and
faithfully,
with all sincerity,
and not let hurt or woundedness
take root in the heart and grow
like a noxious weed?

Think about it.
And the next time
you are seemingly
or for real ignored,
rejected,
slandered,
misunderstood,
gossiped about,
mocked,
mistreated,
disrespected,
or misused,
try this:
quickly take that hurt to God.
It's natural to feel hurt.
Ask Him to please take the hurt away
so that it cannot take root in your heart
and distract you from fully living the
life He called you to live.
Then, after you have given it to God,
get up and get busy serving Him
with joyful abandon. He is worthy.
He called us for more than
sitting and ignoring life because
we are too busy nursing hurts
and feeling sorry for ourselves
or wishing that things would change.
This world is not a friend to grace.
It is broken.
It is sinful.
It is dark with sin and evil.

God is His own interpreter and He will make it plain one day
the mysterious ways He moved in your life.
Sometimes the very people we are hurt by
have been sent by God to keep us becoming
the people He needs us to be.

When I stopped focusing on the hurt
and started living with all my attention
on the Healer who redeemed me
and embraced the spot in life He designed
for me to fill
(knowing Him and making Him known),
then my life became completely free.
My circumstances didn't change much,
but my chains fell off,
I've been set free!
Free to live for Him.

Try it.
It's very worth it.
You have to be ruthless
at turning against your own
'needs/wants/wishes/dreams'
and believe that God will never
ever allow anything to happen
to you that He cannot use
for your good and for His glory.
That takes the focus off
of 'me' and onto
'be it unto me according to your will, LORD'.

Love and blessings,
Marcia

Faith Like Potatoes...

Our family watched the movie, 

Faith Like Potatoes 

the other evening and I must say, 

I was deeply inspired and convicted 

on the matter of prayer. 

I pray but how much do I pray with 

my children? 

This is where I was convicted. 

I have only a few short years and

 then they will be off doing adult things 

in their journey with God.

This morning the Lord woke me early 

and as I moved about my kitchen preparing 

lunch for today, 

I listened to this bit of inspiration:

Inner Strength

by Angus Buchan

This is the real-life Angus Buchan about whom the movie

was filmed. I was deeply inspired and encouraged.

There are giants in my life. They are in all of our lives.

But I am walking by faith.

How about you?

For the praise of God and by His power...

Love and blessings,

Marcia