Who Do You Think You Are?

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. 1 Corinthians 4:5

The past several days, my quiet time held some real challenges for me. In the devotional
book called, "Grace for the Moment", by Max Lucado, He tells the story of Leo Tolstoy,
the great Russian writer who was walking down the street and saw a beggar. He stopped because he felt compassion for him and reached into his pockets to drop some coins in the man's cup, but found no money. He said to the man, "I'm sorry brother," smiled,  gave him a word of encouragement. 
The beggar was not upset at all for not getting a few paltry coins. Instead, he said, was thrilled that Leo had called him,' brother'. 

Leo did not give the man a wide berth and stick his nose in the air, totally ignoring the man. He did not scowl and berate him for being in such a state. Instead, he looked on him with compassion and tried to help him monetarily, but instead ended up giving him something far better than money...he gave him compassion and friendship.

It is so easy to do walk around the long way to avoid someone in need, however that is not what Jesus would have done.

In 1 John 3:17 we read these words.


But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 

Here is my question for you. 
If we do not do as Jesus did and do not treat our brothers and sisters in Christ with compassion when they have a need, how can we say that we love God? 

Let's take it a little bit further. How can we claim to be a Christian and not show the world that we care about their souls or their needs?  How can we keep our love to ourselves? Love was meant to share. Like the song says, "Love isn't love until you give it away..."

Jesus talked about this very subject when He told the story of the Good Samaritan.

Luke 10:30-37

30.   And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, 
         and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and
         departed, leaving him half dead. 

31.  And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, 
        he passed by on the other side. 

32.  And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and 
        passed by on the other side. 

33.  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw 
       him, he had compassion on him, 

34.  And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him 
       on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 

35.  And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to 
        the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest 
        more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

36.  Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among
         the thieves? 

37.  And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do 
        thou likewise. 

Jesus commended the one who was not really among the "in crowd" because he had compassion while the others judged the man who was robbed and beaten. Judging is easy, but compassion is what pleases Jesus. It is that simple.

Just because someone snubs you does not mean that you have to do the same to them or to anyone else. I had this happen to me recently. I met someone in a grocery store who at one time was an acquaintance. When she saw me, she turned the other way and totally ignored me even though I had done nothing to offend her. I was being judged, but that did not give me license to do the same. I am to act as Jesus would have me to act and to forgive without being asked. Judging is instantaneous, compassion keeps on giving.

So that leads to the final questions.

•  Who do you think you are? 
•  Are you better than everyone else or do you play on a level playing field? 

Jesus died for everyone of us. He loves everyone of us. It is up to us to act like Jesus and love as He would have us to do. That's a tall order for a Valentine's Day!

Thanks for reading.

Donna

Oh, Joy!

Have you ever heard someone say, "Oh, Joy!" when they are already  exasperated and one more thing happens to make them feel overwhelmed? Today's verse reminds me that instead of being frustrated, I need to rejoice in the midst of trials.

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4 

Joy comes from the heart, not from external situations. There is absolutely nothing that can take away the joy that Christ gives. Our world can be turned upside down, but deep inside there is a joy that can help us through the difficult times.

We read in the book of Acts where Paul and Silas demonstrated joy.

Acts 16:22-25

22.   And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off 
         their clothes, and commanded to beat them. 

23.   And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, 
        charging the jailor to keep them safely: 

24.   Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made
         their feet fast in the stocks. 
25.   And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the 
         prisoners heard them. 

Yes, you may argue, but that was the Apostle Paul that we are talking about here. He was a super saint. Oh, really! I think not! He and Silas experienced true joy in the midst of their pain. If you read the Scriptures of what the Apostle Paul experienced as a result of his faith, you will be astounded. Yet, he could sing at midnight.

God taught me a lesson some time ago about joy some time ago. I was quite ill and a number of things were happening that were not encouraging. My friend also was facing a real trial in her life at that time when I needed her and she could not be there because she was overwhelmed with her own circumstances. 

One day, God brought this passage to mind and said, "Can you sing with your friend at midnight?"  At that point I had to hang my head and say, "NO." However, took me on a spiritual journey to find the joy and peace that only He offers. It wasn't long until I was able to say, "Yes, I can sing at midnight with my friend." Even though both of us experienced the difficulties, we could rejoice in the fact that all was well within...and our friendship was taken to a different level.

I am not saying that it is always easy to do and it is something that I have to remember to do as well, but we can rejoice when things go wrong.

My husband sometimes will sing a little song called, "Hallelujah Anyhow!"
I do not remember all of the words but the song fits so well here.

Hallelujah Anyhow! Never never let your problems get you down.
When those troubles come my way, I lift my head up high and say,
Hallelujah anyhow!

Joy comes from within the heart of Christians who really know how to rejoice in the midst of trials. That is not always easy, but if you can get to the place where you see everything that happens to you as an opportunity to rejoice, things will look differently.

God want us to learn to practice joy...practice rejoicing. It will come naturally to you if you keep at it. It makes so much of a difference in your life. It will brighten your countenance and will be contagious to others. 

Joy encourages others. Someone you know may be struggling right now. Your life is an example of what a Christian should live like. 

But, you may argue, I have nothing to rejoice about. Oh, yes, you do!

• Your sins have been forgiven and you are on your way to Heaven.
• You may be poor as a church mouse, but your Father in Heaven is richer than anyone on earth. Last time I checked, He owns it all, so He is rich enough to meet your needs.
• You have something that the world does not possess. Joy. Unspeakable Joy!
• Rejoice because you are a child of the King!

Spreading joy to you today!

Thanks for reading.

Donna

I Don't Live There Any More!

 LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where
 thine honour dwelleth.  Psa 26:8

This morning as I was talking to God, He brought these thoughts to my mind.

He dwells in the hearts of believers. That is His tabernacle. Oh, we worship

in churches on the Sabbath Day, but it would be sad to only have His Presence

just on Sunday. What would it be like if we could not call on Him any time

that we needed him?

But the amazing thought is that the God of the Universe asks each of us

to allow Him to dwell inside of us... all of the time... every day of the week,

If we refuse Him, He will do what He can to draw us, but He will never force

His way in the door. 

When He moves in, the furniture gets rearranged. Priorities are changed.

The whole outlook on life is different. He talks to us about things that do

not please Him because He cannot dwell with unrighteousness. 

He brings us to a different place, gradually changing our lives and hearts

to become more like His. It does not matter how dilapidated our home is

when He comes in. He starts to work right where we are to change us more

and more into His image as we allow Him to.

I have heard so many stories of how people who lived in the slum districts

were changed when they met the Master. They began to clean up their yards,

get rid of garbage, put a coat of paint on the outside, plant flowers, etc.

Then, it is not long until they go from being an abusive drunkard to being a

kind caring person. Their whole demeanor changes when Jesus dwells inside.

They become respectable citizens leaving all of the old life behind. 

Their dwelling changes from hatred, anger and strife to a life of peace.

It is the same way with us as we walk with God. We don't have to be a drunkard

to be unrighteous. The apostle Paul gives some very good advice in the book of

Ephesians chapter 4: 21-32.

21.     If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in

          Jesus:    

2

2.    That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt

          according  to the deceitful lusts; 

23.    And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 

24.    And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and

          true holiness. 

25.    Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we 

          are members one of another. 

26.     Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 

27.     Neither give place to the devil. 

28.     Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his 

          hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 

29.     Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is

           good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 

30.     And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of

           redemption. 

31.     Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put

          away from you, with all malice: 

32.     And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as

           God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. 

Jesus doesn't want us to dwell among the backbiters, troublemakers, talebearers, etc. He wants us to dwell where there is kindness, forgiveness, peace, gentleness, and love.

That is what He does to a life who will allow Him to dwell inside of them. 

Challenging thoughts!

Thanks for reading.

Donna

That's Impossible

And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. Mar 10:27

This morning in my quiet time with God, I read this verse and found it an encouragement.
There have been some situations in my life lately that looked impossible, yet God came
through just in time to meet the need that we had.

Wintertime is a difficult struggle for our family. What little income we have during 
the springtime through fall is virtually non-existent in the wintertime. That is when things
get a little scary...when our faith is stretched a little further than before.

One day early in the month of January while I was looking at the bleak financial
situation, God spoke to me. He told me to tell Him the exact amount that we
needed to pay the monthly bills. He instructed me to ask the family to pray with
me for the exact amount. We told no one else about the need, but faithfully
brought our request to Him each day.

He then began to instruct us to praise Him that the answer was on its way.
We still owed the money, but He promised that He would provide.
So here is how the answer came.

My son gave me a certain amount to help out. 
I had to buy some dishwasher soap. 
Then I had to see the doctor about a physical problem.
The remainder was not near enough to meet the bills.
My husband did some odd jobs, but he had to buy gas
for the vehicle so there was even less than before and
the bills needed paid the next day. There was no way
that we could meet the deadline. 

After church last Wednesday night, a widow from our church needed
my husband to do a few little projects for her. She was generous with what
she gave him, but it was not nearly enough to pay the bills.

My faith began to waver. God had promised and He did not deliver. I
thought it was impossible...that is until a phone call came that
afternoon. We had not told the party anything. Remember we told
only God. They asked how much we needed. We would not tell them
because we wanted God to be the One to speak and show the
party how much it was. Finally, they offered a certain amount and
we accepted.

As soon as the phone call ended, my husband and I opened our wallets
to count what we had plus what was offered that afternoon.
It was the exact amount needed to pay the bills on time and not 
a moment too soon. 

What seemed like a total impossibility became the utterly possible
because God was in it. He did the impossible because He is God
and He cares for His own.

I don't know what impossible situation you are facing today, but
I know Who is the God of the impossible!!!

Thanks for reading.

Donna 

Are you more than 99.4% pure?

Have you ever seen the ads for Ivory soap proclaiming that their 
products are 99.4% pure? According to whom? 

This morning in my quiet time with God, He spoke to me about
what purity really means. There is more to it than you may think.
The verse He brought to my attention is found in the book of James.

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated  full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. James 3:17

Look at the fruits of the wisdom from above. It is pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated  full of mercy and food fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.  

Pure first. There can be nothing impure in a Christian's life. 99.4% is not good enough. God needs us to be 100% pure in our thoughts, motives and actions. He is talking about more than just sensual purity, but in every aspect of our lives as believers. Bitterness is impure. Anger is impure. So is unkindness, selfishness, gossip and backbiting. 

 You cannot have impurity  and live a peaceable life. There cannot be anything in the life that has even a taint of anything. It does not take much poison to kill a person. It only takes a little bit of gossip to ruin someone's reputation that they have spent years to build. 

God's wisdom is never one of revenge--eye for an eye-- wisdom like the world gives. It is first pure. Without purity, the stream does not flow as it should. The waters flowing from out of you will be bitter and undesirable.   Make sure to keep your wellspring clean and pure from all that will defile you. 

From purity flows the other attributes, ie. peace. If a person is not pure, they will not be at peace with themselves or anyone else. The irritating things in a life come from impurities, things that can cause infections and wounds. Guard your heart from the impurities of unrest, bitterness and all ungodliness.

Don't give in to pettiness and nit-picking. That is another indication of an impure life. People are not satisfied with what they have find it easy to be unkind to those who have what they don't have. Don't go that way. When someone is unkind that does not give you a license to retaliate and be like they are. My husband told me once,  "Don't  wrestle with a pig because you get dirty and the pig likes it."  In other words, if you are bent on nit-picking and fault-finding, then it will come back on you and taint your reputation making you way less than the 100% purity criteria for the Heavenly Father. 

Instead of retaliating with unkindness, go about the business of focusing on do good works, being kind and fair, pure and true. That alone will keep you out of trouble and away from that which will pollute you mind.  

I have a reminder that is taped to the side of my file cabinet in the office. It has such good advice. I am unsure of its source, but it has some profound thoughts.

Keep about the work that God has given you,
Don't flinch because the lion roars.
Don't stop to stone the devil's dogs.
Don't fool away your time chasing the devil's rabbits.
Do your work.......

Don't worry about others. That is God's job. You follow Him. You listen to His voice. He will always be right. He will always give you the best advice. He will always be what you need. Trust Him to do everything else that you need.

Thanks for reading.

Donna

Jesus Had Enemies?

Psalm 23:5  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 

I thought this was so good. I am not sure who authored it, but it was in a Psalm Commentary that I downloaded into my e-Sword.

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” The good man has his enemies. He would not be like his Lord if he had not. If we were without enemies we might fear that we were not the friends of God, for the friendship of the world is enmity to God. Yet see the quietude of the godly man in spite of, and in the sight of, his enemies. How refreshing is his calm bravery! “Thou preparest a table before me.” When a soldier is in the presence of his enemies, if he eats at all he snatches a hasty meal, and away he hastens to the fight. But observe: “Thou preparest a table,” just as a servant does when she unfolds the damask cloth and displays the ornaments of the feast on an ordinary peaceful occasion. Nothing is hurried, there is no confusion, no disturbance, the enemy is at the door and yet God prepares a table, and the Christian sits down and eats as if everything were in perfect peace. Oh! the peace which Jehovah gives to his people, even in the midst of the most trying circumstances!"

Jesus told me that we will have those in this life who will not like us because evil hates righteousness. Sometimes people see in us something that they are lacking in themselves.  Instead of seeking the peace out for themselves, they lash out at those who possess it. There have been so many in the church world who do not possess the peace that this verse is talking about. A true follower of Jesus is at peace with his fellowman with as much as lieth within him or her. They do not need to be picking and finding fault with others. 

 If someone is picking at you, it means that you have something that they don't possess. Criticism comes from an unsettled heart...one not fully surrendered to God. There are no enemies among true believers. Oh, there are different personalities and differing opinions, but not outright hostility. That which is hostile is not from His camp. 

That is not to say that we will always agree with other believers. Even the Apostle Paul had bitter disputes, yet when he and Barnabas departed ways, God still used them both mightily.

Acts 15:36-41

36.  And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do. 
37.  And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. 
38.  But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. 
39.  And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; 
40.  And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God. 
41.  And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches. 


Although they had their differences over John Mark, we read in II Timothy 4:11


11.  Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry. 

After a number of years passed, Paul saw the good in Mark. He became a blessing to him. Paul turned the one who was disputed into a valuable asset. What a wonderful lesson about how you see others who are different than you!

So how do we handle the situation with our enemies?

• Jesus offers peace in the presence of enemies...those who oppose you and what you stand for. He stood quietly when falsely accused before the rulers in Jerusalem. We do not have to defend ourselves. God can do a much better job than we can.

• Jesus offers blessings beyond measure to His own. A lot of people can't see that. They do not know what living a live of full surrender really means. They do not know what it means to be calm in the midst of the storm. They have not learned that He is at the helm when there is total surrender.

• Your blessings of joy and mercy will overflow to others by dwelling in His presence. The surrendered ones have been consecrated into His service.

• Endurance of our enemy's onslaughts  bring patience with its perfect work...the work of the blessed ones overflowing with joy spilling out onto others as little bits of stardust upon a darkened life. Darkness cannot comprehend joy. 

• Those who believe in Him shall possess joy even in the midst of the trials. Joy everlasting will be your portion. That is Jesus' promise to believers.... 

Thanks for reading. I would love to read your feedback.

Donna

His Mercy Extended

Psalm 136:23  Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever: 

In my talk with God today, we spent a little time talking about mercy again. It is a lesson that He has been teaching over the past few weeks. 

We talked about His availability to us. He is approachable. He is always there to meet your needs no matter what they ma be. You can never exhaust His mercy, love and grace for you. That is a real profound thought! 

I grew up in a large family and found it very difficult at times. There were times that I wanted to talk to my mother, but she would motion me away from her because she was busy and the things that I wanted to say to her were left unsaid. Her actions left me feeling rejected and unwanted at times, however, now that I am older, I understand that she was just trying to cope with the responsibilities of the family. But Jesus is not like that. He is always approachable and extends His arms of mercy to all of us all of the time. We can never be anywhere that He has not been. He is always there to listen when we need to talk.  

Psa 139:7-12 reads:

7.  Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 

8.  If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art  there.

9.  If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 

10.  Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

11.  If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

12.  Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. 

In other words, there is not one place we could go, one situation that we will face, there is nowhere that God  hasn't been. He  knows what you are feeling. He cries when you cry. He laughs when you laugh. He weeps when you weep. He rejoices when you do. He hurts with you. He grieves with you.... Every human emotion that you feel, He has experienced already. He has been there and He has already conquered all, so nothing that you feel surprises Him. We can have confidence in serving the God who has been there and always will be.

When Jesus went back to Heaven, He left a body of believers to do His ministry through them. Down through the generations of time, those who serve Him and love Him will serve others as He would have them to do.  We as believers are the only Jesus that some people will ever know. Since He dwells inside of you, you become who He is...more and more like Him every day. That is why He says to you sometimes, "That is not what I would have said...That is not what I would have done...that is not the attitude I would have shown." 

When you mess up, it is the mercy and grace that He offers you so that you will know how to offer it to others who do not experience that for themselves.... others who do not deserve it... 
By your allowing Him to call the shots, others are seeing Him and  He is drawing them to Himself. It does not matter what people do or don't do. If He asks you to show mercy to someone, then quickly do it even though it is hard to do. 

Mercy is more than feeling sorry for someone. It is reaching out to them even though they may not react the same way He would. It is seeing a need and filling it. It is doing for God's Kingdom when no one else is doing it. Others do not matter in this respect. You do what you are asked to do and leave the rest to Him. 

When you are in Him and He is in you, that means that you become one with Him, just like you are one with your husband or wife, only He is one differently. A mate is one physically, emotionally etc,  but Jesus is one spiritually and eternally with those that serve Him. 

His mercy endures forever, so should your mercy endure.....
His mercy is extended regardless of the circumstances, so should yours be exended...
His mercy is extended regardless of what people say and do, so should yours be.

Mercy and grace extended to whomever and whenever....That is Jesus' motto, if you will.

Thanks for reading.

Donna