Bring A Smile To God's Face

The way we live our lives is what gladdens the heart of God. The New Testament describes several features of the worthy walk. 

-         We are to walk in humility (Eph. 4:1-3);

-         in purity (Rom. 13:13, kjv);

-         in contentedness (1 Cor. 7:17);

-         by faith (2 Cor. 5:7);

-         in good works (Eph. 2:10);

-         different from the world (Eph. 4:17-32);

-         in love (Eph. 5:2);

-         in light (Eph. 5:8);

-         in wisdom (Eph. 5:15);

-         and in truth (3 John 3-4).

Such a walk will please Him in all respects.

A Scary World

 The world can seem to be a scary place.  Whether or not you participate in the Halloween holiday - the spooks, the skeletons, and the spiders are all around (Plus candy corn and bite size Hershey candies which are evil in their own right :) ;certain cities (New Orleans comes to mind) celebrate Halloween in macabre ways; and then there is the evening news…in whatever city you find yourself living, the news always includes murder, molestation, and mayhem!  A scary place for those who do not belong to the Lord God Almighty!  How blessed we are.  Two assuring Scriptures come to mind.

Romans 8:15-16 (NLT)
¹⁵ So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.

We are members of the royal family and we know that Our Father is Sovereign and all-powerful. We do not have to be afraid of this world we live in.  We see the world around us filled with sin and rebellion against God and this world is paying the price for that rebellion. 

Here’s what is important: we don’t have to be afraid and pessimistic because we know our future glory; we know that God has promised us a new heaven and a new earth….a world that will be free from sin and evil.

In the meantime, with walk with Our Father in this world, not alone but full of His Spirit.

 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

As believers we are filled with the Holy Spirit and He enables us to face this world we live in with strength and courage NOT with fear, cowardice, and alarm.  How does the Holy Spirit help us today in our sinful, scary, hostile world?  He gives us three gifts:
  The Gift of Power: God gives strength of character and confidence which enables us to face opposition any time we stand firm in God’s truth.  This is not natural but SUPERNATURAL – God takes away our timidity and replaces it with a boldness to speak God’s truth. 
  The Gift of Love: The Holy Spirit fills us with love for those who hear our words…believers and nonbelievers.  We are different from the world around us and what makes us different is our love for others.  Jesus promised, By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35 nkjv).  True Christian love is not selfish, instead the Holy Spirit enables us to sacrifice for others and not be afraid.
  The Gift of Self-Control: The Holy Spirit gives us a sound mind, the ability to think clearly and to be sensible. This kind of thinking is hard for the world to ignore or deny.
God is the giver of such good gifts – they are all we need to live in this world. The choice is ours; we must choose to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit each day and as we do that these gifts are more fully developed in us. 
When we feel afraid, let’s choose to go directly to Scripture:

Joshua 10:25 (ESV) ^And Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. For thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.”

2 Corinthians 5:6-7 (NLT) So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. ⁷ For we live by believing and not by seeing.

John 16:33 (NCV)
³³ “I told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have trouble, but be brave! I have defeated the world. “

Joyfully,
Yvonne

PRAYER POINTERS

Our ladies' Bible Study this coming Sunday is about praying when you don't know what to pray.  These are some pointers that are given in the Life Application Bible Commentary:

HOW TO PRAY FOR OTHER CHRISTIANS

How many people in your life could be touched if you prayed this way?  Taken from Colossians Chapter One...

-         Be thankful for their faith and changed lives (1:3-4).

-         Ask God to help them know what he wants them to do (1:9).

-         Ask God to give them deep spiritual understanding (1:9).

-         Ask God to help them live for him (1:10).

-         Ask God to give them more knowledge of himself (1:10).

-         Ask God to give them strength to endure (1:11).

-         Ask God to fill them with joy, strength, and thankfulness (1:11).

WHAT A FAMILY

I’m still reading, Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good, by Jan Karon.  This morning I read this line, “the common ground of one-God-made-known-through-Jesus Christ”!  That line made my heart soar with the joy of belonging to the family of God. The very family brought into being by the birth, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus!  I’m a part of that family …. It includes my blood-family relatives; my local church-family relatives; and halleluiah, it includes all those I don’t go to the same church with and don’t even know, but we are bound together as Christ-blood relatives!  WHAT A GREAT GOD WE LOVE!   WHAT A GREAT FAMILY WE BELONG TO! (I know, bad grammar, but good words anyway)

I like pictures. Our living room wall is filled with antique pictures of relatives and our bedroom walls are filled with the “rogues gallery” of our more immediate family. I even have a picture on my wall when I looked good in a bathing suit…of course I was only 7 years old!   I like to look at pictures. They are great reminders of what older members of our family were like and they help to remind me of times when our immediate family  enjoys life together.

Our wonderful Heavenly Father also paints a picture for us of what the Family of God looks like – and it is a beautiful picture! 

The Family Portrait: 

John 1:12-13 (NCV)  But to all who did accept him and believe in him he gave the right to become children of God. ¹³ They did not become his children in any human way—by any human parents or human desire. They were born of God.

·        Becoming a child of God is a sovereign act of God, not an achievement by man.

·        Going to church, being good, being raised in the church or getting baptized seven times won’t make you a child of God.

·        Having Christian parents, uncles and aunts, won’t make you a child of God.

·        Belonging to the same church your parents, uncles and aunts attended will not make you a child of God.

·         Being  Baptist, or Methodist, or Evangelical Bible Believers, or…will not make you a member of the Family of God!

You become a child of God by faith, by responding to the fact that God is calling your name.

THE GROUP PHOTO

Galatians 3:26b,28 (NCV)
…This means that you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁸ In Christ, there is no difference between Jew and Greek, slave and free person, male and female. You are all the same in Christ Jesus.

All one in Christ Jesus what a tremendous birthright! This doesn’t mean that our race, or sex, or even position in society is changed at conversion.  IT DOES MEAN…that these things have no value and are never held against us when it comes to our spiritual relationship to God through Christ.  God grace declares ALL believers to be on the same level…so that He might give mercy to us all.(Read Romans 11:25-32)

THE PORTFOLIO POSE

1 John 3:1 (NCV)
¹ The Father has loved us so much that we are called children of God. And we really are his children. ..

Our family name, children of God,  reveals a solid fact. God's children—that is what we are! God gives his people both the title and the reality. When he calls Christians his children, he makes them to be just that. Great as he is, God has brought believers into the loving, intimate relationship of children with their Father.

Dear ones, let us hold fast to our privileged relationship to each other and to our Father God, being loyal, trustworthy, faithful to our Lord God through our personal relationship with Jesus Christ!

Joyfully,

Yvonne

ON HAVING A SCRAMBLED MIND

I’m reading Jan Karon’s book, Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good, and in this book is a quote that expresses how I feel sometimes: His mind was Arctic tundra ---- hither a scrap of stunted moss, yon a dwarf tree..

Have you ever felt that way?  Sort of discombobulated? Feeling as if your mind is stunted and dwarfed?   There are times when right-thinking seems unattainable --- my mind is flying apart and of no use to any one!  What to do? GO TO THE GUIDE BOOK!

Philippians 4:4-7 (NLT)
⁴ Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!
⁵ Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

AHA! That’s pretty clear isn’t it!  We can take steps to bring clarity of thinking to our minds.  In police work a “disturbing the peace” call is known as a “Signal-22”. (I learned this on TV!)  It is a code that someone is disturbing the general welfare of the community.  In our personal lives I think we can also have “Signal-22” calls…when things “get under our skin” and we lose the ability to think clearly and with peace and understanding.  So, when we have those “signal-22” moments, let’s just remember the formula that Paul gives us in Philippians 4: 6-8.  The formula is P + P + P = P.

First step in the formula :

P – Verse 4 = PRAISE

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!
Can’t think clearly?  Stay cool and relaxed by praising the Lord.  Sing a hymn; read Scripture out loud.  I read a sermon in which the preacher said Praise is a matter of finding God’s hand print on everything!  Praise means rejoicing in the good, the bad, and the ugly!  Praise enables us to remember that no matter how discombobulated (my favorite word of the day!) we may be feeling we know that God is in control and has a wonderful plan for us!

Sing out the traditional “Doxology” by Thomas Ken, PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!

Next step in the formula:

P – Verses 5,6a = POISE

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything… (NIV)

Poise (composure, balance) comes from a mind that is not anxious…not divided…not confused, and that kind of thinking comes from knowing that the Lord Jesus is near…always close by.  Poise and self-control and self confidence come from the understanding that we know Jesus is in control of our life’s events…nothing happens to us that He doesn’t first approve. Living like that clears our thinking!  It is a relaxed way of facing our abundant life – this gift from Jesus!

Remember:  "Said the Robin to the sparrow,
                      I should really like to know,
                     Why these anxious human beings rush about and hurry so.
                      Said the sparrow to the Robin, Friend, I think that it must be,
                      That they have no Heavenly Father, such as cares for you and me."

Next step in the formula:

P – Verse 6b = PRAYER

but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (NIV)
For me, the prayer that totally connects me to God…to His decisions, His plan… is to pray like Jesus did in Gethsemane:  NOT MY WILL, BUT THY WILL BE DONE!

All the fretting, the burdensome worry is gone.  I am able to rest in His will!

THE ANSWER TO THE FORMULA is PRAISE + POISE + PRAYER = PEACE
Verse 7 - Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Peace that doesn’t makes sense! That’s right. This Peace that results from Praise + Poise + Prayer isn’t like anything this world has to offer.  This Peace that flows from our Lord God erases our discombobulated minds; guards our hearts, our minds, our lives…and nothing can take it away from us!

No more tundra…dwarfed and stunted living!  The Philippian P’s Formula makes for gigantic and powerful living.

Joyfully,

Yvonne

FACE THE TRUTH

This quote is taken from my book, Prodigal Wisdom, (available through Amazon.com).  
  "We had to face the truth and that meant turning away from our concerns about appearances and what our peers would think of us as parents.  We had to face the delusion we were living and look at the reality of the situation.  We had to turn away from the notion that we had some influence and control.  WE HAD TO TURN TOWARD THE LORD..who did have power and control."

Although we were facing our son's addictions, I do believe the principle expressed here applies to many life situations...we have to face the truth , the reality, of our circumstances and turn them over to the Lord.

"And he asked them, ' Why are you so afraid? Do you still not have faith in me?' " Mark 4:40,NLT

GRATITUDE

A friend sent me this quote and I just want to share it with all who will listen....

"In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with  gratitude that life becomes rich" - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Makes me grateful for the internet and being able to Blog!

Fall is Fabulous

I love Fall ...and I live in southeast Texas...we don't have beautiful leaves changing colors nor do we have cool weather!  I STILL LOVE FALL!  To me Fall is apples and pumpkins; orange napkins on the table; and candy corn!  

Most of all I love Fall and APPLES....

Here are 10 interesting facts you probably didn’t know about apples, the quintessential American fruit (after all, the phrase isn’t “as American as pumpkin pie…”):

1. Apples contain no fat, sodium or cholesterol and are a good source of fiber.
2. Apple trees take four to five years to produce their first fruit.
3. Apples ripen six to 10 times faster at room temperature than if they are refrigerated.
4. Apple varieties range in size from a little larger than a cherry to as large as a grapefruit. The largest apple ever picked weighed 3 pounds.
5. Apples harvested from an average tree can fill 20 boxes that weigh 42 pounds each.
6. Apples are a member of the rose family.
7. The top apple producers around the world are China, United States, Turkey, Poland and Italy. Apples account for 50 percent of international deciduous fruit tree production.
8. A peck of apples weighs 10.5 pounds. A bushel of apples weighs about 42 pounds.
10. More than 2,500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States, but only the crabapple is native to North America.
It takes about 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider.

Let's go make apple dumplings!

A TRUE FRIEND

I'm re-reading all of Jan Karon's books and I ran across this quote....it is a thoughtful reminder for all of us who have the opportunity to be mindful of and treasure friendships:

Oh, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person: having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them out.  Just as they are ___chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away.
                   _Dinah Maria (Mulock) Craik 1826-1887

Be A "DOER"

Our week-day Bible study group is studying Beth Moore’s Children of the Day, a study of 1 & 2 Thessalonians.  This past week a line from that Bible study really hit home with me and I want to ponder it with you:  Scripture isn’t meant to stay thumb-tacked to a delicate page.

I do believe Beth and James are on the same page.

James 1:22 (NLT)  But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

A lot of us women are diligent about staying in God’s Word…we attend church and Sunday Bible study regularly; we go to a week-day Bible study with a dedicated group of women who love the Lord and His Word; daily we have a “Quiet Time” with God and His Word; and there is more….books, on-line devotions…. our opportunities to study God’s Word are numerous.

But the truth is that simply reading, even studying God’s Word doesn’t deepen our walk with the Lord unless we DO WHAT IT SAYS!  We have to take His Word off of the pages of His book and live those truths out in our every day world.  We study and learn God’s Word…not just for knowledge but for application.   Our Bible knowledge can only make a difference in our lives and in the lives of those we touch if we are obedient and put what we learn into action.  Passive knowledge of God’s Word is wrong.

Romans 2:13 (NLT)  For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.

This is not something new for us…we know this…but we can get so busy studying God’s Word that we do not have time to “do” God’s Word!  I hear a warning from the pens of James and Paul… our knowledge must be completed through our actions. We cannot settle for just knowing God’s Word or even wanting to obey it. It is actual obedience that makes us “Doers”.  It is in the doing that we know God better and better and love Him more and more.

My prayer is that we will not just audit our studies of God’s Word but that we will actually take our knowledge and apply it out in the “real” world we live in daily! 

I am including a great illustration from Chuck Swindoll… I’m sorry that this makes for a LONG devotion….but it does teach us something really important about authentic Christianity.

 

Chuck Swindoll gives us a good illustration of this, in his book, Improving Your Serve:

"To make the value of obedience just a practical as possible, let’s play ’Let’s Pretend.’ Let’s pretend that you work for me. In fact, you are my executive assistant in a company that is growing rapidly. I’m the owner and I’m interested in expanding overseas. To pull this off, I make plans to travel abroad and stay there until a new branch office gets established. I make all the arrangements to take my family and move to Europe for six to eight months. And I leave you in charge of the busy stateside organization. I tell you that I will write you regularly and give you directions and instructions. I leave and you stay. Months pass. A flow of letters are mailed from Europe and received by you at the national headquarters. I spell out all my expectations. Finally, I return. Soon after my arrival, I drive down to the office and I am stunned. Grass and weeds have grown up high. A few windows along the street are broken. I walk into the Receptionist’s room. She is doing her nails, chewing gum and listening to her favorite disco station. I look around and notice the wastebaskets are overflowing. The carpet hasn’t been vacuumed for weeks, and nobody seems concerned that the owner has returned. I asked about your whereabouts and someone in the crowded lounge area points down the hall and yells, "I think he’s down there."

Disturbed, I move in that direction and bump into you as you are finishing a chess game with our sales manager. I ask you to step into my office, which has been temporarily turned into a television room for watching afternoon soap operas. "What in the world is going on, man?" "What do you mean, Chuck?" "Well, look at this place!

Didn’t you get any of my letters?" "Letters? Oh yes! Sure! I got every one of them. As a matter of fact, Chuck, we have had a letter study every Friday night since you left. We have even divided the personnel into small groups to discuss many of the things you wrote. Some of the things were really interesting. You will be pleased to know that a few of us have actually committed to memory some of your sentences and paragraphs. One or two memorized an entire letter or two - Great stuff in those letters." "OK. You got my letters. You studied them and meditated on them; discussed and even memorized them. But what did you do about them?" "Do? We didn’t do anything about them."

Let’s listen in order that we can do!

Joyfully,

Yvonne

Worry-Free Living

Great commands....straight from God's Word to our daily lives:

Six Words to Chase Away Your Worries:
WORRY ABOUT NOTHING - PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING!!

Philippians 4:6-7 (MSG)
⁶ Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.
⁷ Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

BE A BLESSING

I love this thought from Billy Graham,

    “We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for giving.”

I think I would paraphrase Dr. Graham’s quote by saying this, “…. We are channels made for blessing others.

I listened to some sermons and read some commentaries on this subject and there are five ways I believe we can daily bless others:

1) Share God’s Word…and work

I am definitely NOT telling you to preach to everybody!  But sending a verse of Scripture in an email (or tweet, or fb message!!!) that immediately brings God’s love and wisdom to a person’s mind and heart is something we can do every day to lots of people.  When you can, share what God is doing in your life…what you are learning, how God is involved in who you are….it blesses others to know that God is ACTIVE and INVOLVED PERSONALLY.

2) Encourage Others

A “way to go”, a kind word, a pat on the back…so many little things we can do for others that will “make their day”….lift them up…put a smile on their faces.  Decide what would encourage yourself…and then do that for someone else! (For me…a free Starbucks at the drive-through…ha). Don’t just reserve this action for close friends and family…DO THIS FOR AN ABSOLUTE STRANGER… (I don’t think there is a sales clerk or a cashier who couldn’t use a pat on the back and a word of kindness!)

3) Let People Know How Much You Value Them

We all need to have a sense of worth.  Let people know they are important to you. Let us make gratitude and thankfulness our bywords not a “they know I love them” attitude.

4) Be Alert to Others’ Needs and DO SOMETHING

It isn’t always a monetary or physical need that has to be met….although that is what is often needed.   But, many times your friend, your coworker, your sister, your child … needs a listening ear, a bit of your time, a phone call… Be alert. And again, use your own heart…what might you need if you were in a similar situation and then do that for the person. (Hope that makes sense!)

5) PRAY

Don’t you dare think, “of course”.  I mean actually, and consistently pray…write it down and daily lift that person up.  If I tell someone I’ll be praying for them, I try to set a time to lift them up wherever I am… there is much power in short, silent supplications!  You can fill your days doing this and it doesn’t put you behind in your “to do” list!

My personal quote,    God does not mean for us to be water tanks but made us to be garden hoses…spraying blessings on everyone we meet.

 

Remember this old hymn? 

Make Me a Channel of Blessing

Is your life a channel of blessing?
Is the love of God flowing through you?
Are you telling the lost of the Savior?
Are you ready His service to do?

Refrain

Make me a channel of blessing today,
Make me a channel of blessing, I pray;
My life possessing, my service blessing,
Make me a channel of blessing today.

So, in closing, let me thank you for letting me share my thoughts with you – it is such a blessing and privilege for me.

Joyfully,

Yvonne

House of Hope

Have you ever wondered what you would name your house?  Would it be called Crazy House, House of Sadness, or maybe The Disaster Area?  I’m thinking all of us believers can name our houses The House of Hope!  Doesn’t that sound exciting and comforting?  What enables us to carry such a nametag for our homes?

In our society today hope is sort of a half-hearted wishing, not sure of the basis.  There is no anchor…or the anchor of the hope is a marriage, a job, children, or money….the list of “things” our world puts its hope in goes on.

Our hope has an anchor…our Rock…JESUS.  We live in the light…the confidence…the joy… of God’s promises and provisions.  Christians never have to live in the “between”…hovering between hope and doubt.

Our hope is based in the Word of God that we know to be true.  Titus 2:13 (NLT) … while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.

The basis of our hope is the confident expectation of Christ’s return.  This confidence is the foundation for the believer’s response to all of God’s promises.  In other words, every area of our lives is touched by the promises of God and therefore, every area of our lives is lived in hope and joy and peace.

Here are some Biblical truths that establish our hope:

One – Failure Doesn’t Eliminate Our Hope. Remember Peter?  Jesus told Peter that he was getting ready to fail and deny His Lord before the rooster crowed the morning’s beginning. 

Luke 22:33-34 (NLT)
³³ Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”
³⁴ But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

Luke 22:56-58 (NLT)
⁵⁶ A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, “This man was one of Jesus’ followers!”
⁵⁷ But Peter denied it. “Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know him!”
⁵⁸ After a while someone else looked at him and said, “You must be one of them!” “No, man, I’m not!” Peter retorted.

John 21:15 (NLT)
¹⁵ After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.

Peter found himself forgiven and trusted.  For Peter and for us personal failure does not eliminate us from our personal relationship with the Lord or from serving Him.  The promise of God that gives us hope is the truth that God is in the business of restoration

    Two– Mistakes We Make Are Not Permanent.  Yes, there are consequences that do not change in this earthly world, yet hope and joy result from our response to any to any mistakes we have made.  Peter gives us another example for living with our mistakes with hope and confidence, Luke 22:62 (NLT) And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.

Peter was broken hearted over the sin he had committed…and it is godly sorrow that brings us to repentance and changed life…this Biblical truth is what gives us hope and confidence

  Three – We Can Make Good Choices.  God has given us the ability to make responsible decisions.  Through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives God gives us His strength to live in a godly way and that gives us hope and confidence.

    Four – GOD IS GOOD.  Our hope is based in the knowledge that God’s goodness is at work in all our circumstances. Hold on to these Scriptures:

1 Peter 1:3-6 (NLT)
³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,
⁴ and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
⁵ And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
⁶ So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.

Romans 8:28 (NLT)
²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

When life seems to scream, "Look how bad it is!" God replies, "Look how good I am!"

How good is He? Good enough to make us like Jesus. Romans 8:29 (NLT)
²⁹ For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

God’s plan is for all believers to become just like Jesus….what could be better than this?  Hope is our byword …we know whose we are and who we are becoming!!

    Five – FOCUS ON THE ETERNAL THINGS.  Our life with God in Christ is permanent and eternal…this is the under-girding of our hope.  Keep your perspective on your journey’s end.  Our hope lies in our future. God gives us the journey and He gives us hope for the journey – rest in Him.

Romans 15:4 (NLT) Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

Name your house…The House of Hope!

Joyfully,

Yvonne

Page by Page

I really like reading biographies….they always make me ponder how my biography would read.  We are all telling a story – and as a Christian believer my life story – my biography – is really His Story in me.

The Prologue of my story is simply growing up in a Christian home and a Christian church.  The story really begins when at the age of 11, I accepted Jesus as my Savior and asked Him into my heart.  Since I am now 70 my book has a lot of chapters.  Each day more is added to my story and I love the fact, that although I know the wonderful ending of my biography, there is always something happening as Jesus writes His Story on my life pages.  Ever-changing, always continuing…this is a terrific book!

    He is a gatherer of fragments, a cobbler of pieces.  Piece by piece he tells a story without end, for in the time of this world no end can come.  It is the story of eternity’s shining… (This Day byWendell Berry)

In My Wake

I was watching a “Hallmark” movie this morning and the actress said, “you never know what kind of wake you will leave behind you”.  She was talking about sailing, but you know that is a true statement about our lives isn’t it?

What kind of wake is trailing behind you?  One definition of wake is the series of ridges that move across the surface of the water after a boat passes. Most boaters have no idea what kind of wake they are creating – it just happens.

Then, another definition of wake is the aftermath or consequence of an event.  That’s what I’m thinking about this morning….being aware of the aftermath of our lives on this earthly planet.  We should not be going through life like a sailboat captain unaware of what the water looks like behind us.  No, we should be very conscious that the life we live – day by day – leaves a footprint – effects others who meet us casually and those who know us intimately. 

Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT)
¹⁴ “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.
¹⁵ No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.
¹⁶ In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

A Lot or A Little?

I've been thinking about contentment.  I've been hoping that my life mirrors Paul's when he says,
Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT) Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. ¹² I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.
¹³ For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

The lesson God gave me today is this - learning to be content with a lot or a little is a matter of perspective.  Either I look at my life circumstances from my own perspective or from God's. You see I'm truly content with downsizing into a garden home, but where would my faith be if I downsized into a studio apartment?  PERSPECTIVE....looking at life from God's point of view. 

Made me realize...my "little" is a lot for so many.... one car/no car; fixed income/no income; family not close by/no family that cares....Get the picture?  Thank you God for Your lesson on perspective!

Perk Up The Wardrobe

My niece graciously sent me two fun scarfs to spiffy up my wardrobe...got me to thinking about my spiritual attire.  Am I dressing stylishly...is Jesus looking on my spiritual wardrobe and smiling?  Glad God gives us a wardrobe plumb line to evaluate our Christian journey.

Colossians 3:12 (NLT) Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Hmmm... I might need to a little "dry cleaning" on some of the things I'm wearing!

Willpower, Is That the Answer?

I am struggling with living a healthier lifestyle … food seems to call my name (those little M and M men sit on my shoulder…and now there are sooo  many flavors!) and I can’t seem to hear the call of the treadmill.  So, I’m thinking I have no WILLPOWER.

It got me to thinking, why do I want or need willpower…perhaps it is not a good thing.  Seems to me that willpower can be defined with this acronym:

W ishful thinking

 I  njecting my wisdom

 L iking my plan

 L ifting up my own power

 P ride

 O penly telling God I’m doing it my way

 War of wills…mine or God’s

 E xcuses ruling each day

 R eign of compromise in my life.

Here’s what I’m thinking. The only way a Christian can make needed changes, mature, and grow is to keep focused on Jesus….the things of Christ… day by day, moment by moment; when we do that, the Holy Spirit draws us to spiritual things and away from the flesh and the material things.  I will never become spiritually mature if I depend on me and my willpower…on what I can accomplish.

What is the opposite of me exercising my willpower?  Me depending on God – Me looking to God for guidance and power – Me recognizing my weaknesses and limitations.

I need HIS POWER not mine. HIS WILL not mine.  HIS WISDOM not mine.   My struggles make me realize that my surrender, trust, and commitment to my Almighty God lead to growth and needed change in my life.

Galatians 3:3 (NLT) How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?

 Joyfully,

Yvonne