The Ministry of the Unnoticed...

This devotional by Oswald Chambers struck a chord with me in a place I find myself in life currently. I hear my Savior calling me to come higher with Him, and my heart responds with a Yes...

"The New Testament notices things that do not seem worthy of notice by our standards. “Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . .” This literally means, “Blessed are the paupers.” Paupers are remarkably commonplace! The preaching of today tends to point out a person’s strength of will or the beauty of his character— things that are easily noticed. The statement we so often hear, “Make a decision for Jesus Christ,” places the emphasis on something our Lord never trusted. He never asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him— something very different. At the foundation of Jesus Christ’s kingdom is the genuine loveliness of those who are commonplace. I am truly blessed in my poverty. If I have no strength of will and a nature without worth or excellence, then Jesus says to me, “Blessed are you, because it is through your poverty that you can enter My kingdom.” I cannot enter His kingdom by virtue of my goodness— I can only enter it as an absolute pauper.

The true character of the loveliness that speaks for God is always unnoticed by the one possessing that quality. Conscious influence is prideful and unchristian. If I wonder if I am being of any use to God, I instantly lose the beauty and the freshness of the touch of the Lord. “He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). And if I examine the outflow, I lose the touch of the Lord.

Who are the people who have influenced us most? Certainly not the ones who thought they did, but those who did not have even the slightest idea that they were influencing us. In the Christian life, godly influence is never conscious of itself. If we are conscious of our influence, it ceases to have the genuine loveliness which is characteristic of the touch of Jesus. We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring."

Blessed are the poor in spirit.

Matthew 5:3

In Psalms and Hymns...

If Ye Love Me

by Thomas Tallis

Trusting...

When the Lord fed the 5000, He took the limited resources the disciples had – the five loaves and two fish – and He fed the multitudes (Mt 14:13-21). The Lord has proven many times that we do not need to stockpile great resources before we attempt the impossible. As long as we remain in a bless-able, surrendered state, in the hands of the Master our few loaves and fish are enough. What we have learned is that Jesus does not need a lot to work miracles; He just needs all we have. 

– In Christ’s Image Training

Thanksgiving on Thursday...

Last week I had some very dramatic moments, 

God-inspired happenings that I wish I could describe in detail for you here, 

but due to the sensitive nature of their content, I cannot.

 BUT...I am so blessed and so for my thanksgiving today, 

I share sketches.

1. I KNOW there is a God. I know it now, more fully than ever before by the testimony of a woman who could bless her husband after his harshness to her when her flesh would rather have risen up against him and deserted him when he was having a bad day.

2. I know there is a God in heaven making sure my son has life lessons he needs to help him to learn to cause him to soberly consider that actions, good or bad, deliver consequences, and that there is a God in heaven who is not blind to disobedience...but that He in MERCY does not deliver as bad a punishment as he could, but enough to make us consider our ways.

3. To watch my husband wrestle with an assignment he was given, and to hear the end results which told of the simplicity of God's Words, Truth that endures forever, has strengthened my faith in a God who knows what He is doing for the good of His people.

4. To feel a Holy Spirit nudge on my shoulder and asking me to do a simple, little task for Him one evening last week, resulted in an amazing moment that has wowed me beyond words.

I am blessed. It is my deepest desire to bless the Lord at all times...

I Stand in Awe of You...

The Face of Revival...

"We cry out 

for revival, 

and yet 

God says,

 "I want to 

open your eyes 

so you can see 

what is before you. 

Revival has a face 

and a name.

 It lies bleeding on

 the roadside.""

Heidi Baker

Morning Musings...

I was invited to participate in a challenge for the month of September:

Granted, I know that as a child of God I SHOULD be 

instant in season and out of season,

and I definitely aspire to be that...

but, I also know that passivity and  self-pity lap

far too closely at my door,

so I took up the challenge.

It started out as a Facebook challenge, but it 

appears to be extending beyond as well.

It has me thinking about thoughts...

I pondered them this morning as I was 

putting away the new rolls of toilet paper

(yes, this is homemaker's realness...pondering over 

mundane tasks like restocking toilet paper)...

I was feeling a little peevish

(I don't recall why exactly)

and then I thought, well! I have the choice

to be peevish, 

or...

I can thank God that all of my family

has normal bodily functions,

and that we have good food to

help those bodily functions to be normal,

yes, I really did think this...

And then I thought about the planned activities for today...

unloading 5 face cords of fire wood and helping 

my darling husband to load another 5...

and I would really just like to sit and sew and

go for a long walk down the country road,

whose ditches are engorged with the beauty 

of late summer flowers...

but...

I have a choice on what kinds of thoughts

I will allow, so...

I choose gratitude that I have a husband

who is forward thinking,

and hardworking,

and decided that we shall prepare for snow

before the snow this year...

HAPPILY

will I help him.

And so it goes...

thoughts.

What about it?

Are we really believing that we

 have been given

the power to 

bring into captivity

EVERY THOUGHT

to the obedience of Christ?

Which brings me back to

the blessing challenge.

I put it out there for anyone reading this

who may be challenged and encouraged

to do the same in your corner of the world.

There are alot of relationship rubs...

places that hurt

or annoy

or hinder a friendship

if we let them get in the way.

Are we going to sit by and

let those things build up and destroy life?

Or are we going to choose

to bless even the 'unlovable'?

(remembering that outside of Christ,

we are 'of all men most miserable'?)

And besides that,

blessing others is much harder,

and much less frequent in our nature

than to curse the darkness

and to be negative to others...

So I challenge you.

And I take up the challenge myself.

Do you have a story to share

on how the blessing of another

lifted your weary heart?

Or perhaps you can share about 

how the Lord helped you to

change your thoughts from

morose and negative

to thankful and positive?

(I'm going to be sharing each Tuesday

in September, Lord willing,

about how I have been blessed

and encouraged by others)

I'd love to hear from you...

~Marcia

Changed...

"I have no right to say I believe in God unless I order my life as under His all-seeing Eye." 

--Oswald Chambers, 

in Disciples Indeed 

from The Quotable Oswald Chambers.