Sunday Blogvotional: More Than A Grain of Sand

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:7

There are a lot of us running around on this planet.  It's easy to feel insignificant or lost in the crowd.  Have you ever felt like you were one of those tiny grains of sand on the beach.  That maybe your life didn't really matter - that if you were somehow pulled away by the ocean no one would notice you're gone? 

The truth is - each and every one of us is significant.  We are each lovingly created by God and not simply a grain of sand.  We are children of the Most High.  It's not as if He has so many children that, really, He wouldn't miss one.  No - we are each special and uniquely made.  We each have a purpose.  Sometimes we don't know what that purpose is - but He does.  If we're patient, He'll reveal it to us.

When we "check out" (isolate ourselves and walk away from Him) He grieves our loss. The devil would like us all to believe that we're worthless.  When we believe that lie, we give up.  And when we've given up, we cease to be used for good by God.  When we understand our worth and value we will engage in God's work.  And working for God will lead us to a fulfilled life.



Encouragement for the week:  Stop believing the lie that you are worthless.  Do not give satan that kind of power over you.  Reach out to others and you will quickly find your worth.

Memory Verse Challenge: Week 12

This week's verse reminds us that the Holy Spirit gives us strength, courage, power, self-control, etc.  No excuses - we've got what it takes to fight the good fight.  Remember from week 10 - "Be strong and courageous".  Having the Spirit of God within us is how we live courageously.

See more about the Memory Verse Challenge here.
See the complete list of Challenge verses here.

Sunday Blogvotional: Focusing on "Why?"

Have you ever gone through a trial and asked the age-old question "why"?  Seasoned Christians know better than to ask the "Why" or "Why me?"  Instead we get a bit more creative with questions like: "How come God doesn't….?" or "What's the purpose of this trial?"  But, the reality is, it doesn't matter how you phrase it, the question is still "Why?".

And sadly, "Why" is really about "me".  The question reflects the true nature of our heart - our self-focus.  "Why won't God help me?" or "Why doesn't God do such and such for me?" or "What am "I" doing wrong that keeps God from blessing "me"?  Sure, they're natural and instinctive questions.  We all ask them. Unfortunately, they lead us away from peace and force us to focus on our troubles.

Maybe we'd be better off training ourselves to focus elsewhere.  How would it change our attitudes if we asked: "What can I do for God today?" or "What can I do for for my neighbor who is hurting?"  What if we counted our blessings instead of bemoaning our lack?  There's a very real possibility that if we took the focus off ourselves, we wouldn't need to know "why" after all.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.  Hebrews 12:28

Encouragement for the week:  Live a grateful life instead of an entitled life.  Ask yourself what you can do for God today.  Live a life for Him instead of expecting Him to live for you.

Somewhere In The Middle

Spring Break is among us and I'm enjoying family time.  I pulled an old post from the archives.  It still resonates with me. Maybe it does for you as well.  Have a blessed week.

The music group Casting Crowns has a song entitled "Somewhere in the Middle". The very first time I heard the song it reached into the very heart of me. Even though it's been quite a while since the first time I heard it, the song continues to resonate with me. Maybe it's because I still have something to learn. The whole song is full of great lyrics. The chorus goes as follows: 

"Just how close can I get Lord, to my surrender, without losing all control?

Fearless warriors in a picket fence,

Reckless abandon wrapped in common sense,

Deep water faith in the shallow end and we're caught in the middle.

With eyes wide open to the differences - the God we want and the God who is.

But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle?"

There's a lot of meaning in just a few lines. But for now I want to focus on the first sentence. "Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control?" This statement sums up one of my biggest struggles. It's the age old battle of surrender versus control. There is a huge part of me that desperately wants to give up control of my life over to God. After all, His will, His ways, and His plans are far better than mine. 

The problem is I don't fully know how to surrender - to give up control or even what that truly means. I see control as somewhat as a necessity. In my mind giving over total control means the possibility of allowing chaos into my life. And, unless I learned incorrectly, chaos is the opposite of order.

The ironic thing is this - my control has yet to produce an orderly life. In the eternal words of Dr. Phil: "How's that working for you?" I have to answer: "Not so much, really!" You'd think I'd learn something. Instead, I'm stuck "Somewhere in the Middle".

I want God's participation, His blessings, and His guidance.  But do I want God's participation more than I want His leadership? If you were to ask me I'd say of course I want His leadership but then there's always a caveat. I still would like to be able to have plenty of input.

People who know me know that I'm not necessarily good at blindly following. I always have questions and/or input. It's not that I won't agree with the direction we're taking - it's that I just need to know all the parameters - all the details. I like to see the big picture. It calms me to have all the information before me.

I spend a lot of time asking God to take the wheel. But the funny thing is the trip never goes like I think it's suppose to. It's because I don't fully understand God's ways or His methods. And because I don't understand - the journey can sometimes seem chaotic and my instincts to take control kick in. Here's how I envision my typical stint as passenger on my Godly car ride of life:

"Now, where are we going again? I might be more at peace if I knew where we were going and what's going to happen along the way. "

"Are we going the speed limit? Because it seems like we're going really slow. Would it be okay if we went a little faster because I'm kind of anxious to get there - whereever "there" is."

"We're going to do what? Pull over and stay in the desert for a while? Huh? That doesn't sound fun. Did we even bring any water with us? Won't we get thirsty? Wait a minute. You're not going to leave me there, are you? How about stopping at Disneyland instead? That's kind of where I thought we were headed when I got into the car."

"WOW! That looks like a pretty nasty storm up ahead. Shouldn't we turn here? We're what?! We're going to go through the storm? Oh, no, no, no! That cannot be good."What did that sign say? Paradise!? Up ahead!? We have to go through the storm to get to Paradise? Oh.  I see. There is a plan." (Personal course correction now.) "I knew there was a plan. Really, I did. I trust you. You know what you're doing." (I think Someone just shook His head at me.) "I'm going to close my eyes now...and my mouth. I guess you'll let me know when you want me to do something."

Maybe you can relate. On the good days I'm closer to the surrender side. On the bad days I'm closer to the control side. On the average day I'm probably "Somewhere in the Middle". The good news is I see the problem and am willing to work on it. I don't want to fight God for control of any kind. I know it's not Godly or beneficial to me in any way. Like I said before - God sees the bigger picture. His ways are best. Yes, there may be pain in the journey and undesirable stops along the way but Paradise awaits.

Casting Crowns closes their song like this:

"Lord, I feel you in this place and I know you're by my side - loving me even on those days when I'm caught in the middle."

Memory Verse Challenge: Week 11

This week's verse paints a wonderful picture for us of God's love.  He is forever with us.  He is mighty to save us.  He takes great delight in us.  And He rejoices over us with singing.  I bet you can picture your mother of father singing over you when you were a babe.  It's an intimate picture, isn't it?  God loves each of us intimately.  Take a moment and soak up the love He so freely gives.  Let Him be the Father He wants to be.

How are you doing on your challenge?

Need to catch up on your verses? 

See the complete list of Challenge verses here.

New to the Challenge?  

You can read more about the Memory Verse Challenge here.

Sunday Blogvotional: Using Our Voice

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  

James 1:22

Gordon Robertson wrote an article about his trip to China that is amazing. He went there to look for a Christian pagoda that was built over 1,000 years ago!  A monk from Damascus traveled there in 635 A.D. and so effectively taught the word of God that within 150 years a church or monastery existed in nearly every city in China. Christianity flourished for 300 years during the Tang dynasty until a Buddhist empress ordered the destruction of all churches and church writings.

This is difficult to grasp. How could a great number of believers allow this to happen? Where were their voices? Why didn’t they continue to teach their families in the privacy of their homes so that Christianity was not lost? Does this scenario sound like something that could happen in our own country? Our Constitution has given us a voice, the freedom of speech, but are we using it? If we aren’t using it, will we not, then, lose it? Is our faith strong enough to survive the sin that surrounds us? Jesus asked us to “watch and pray.” We must carry on our faith (teaching it and living it) so that it won't die out in future generations.  Keeping the faith is the most important thing we can do for ourselves and for children.

Encouragement for the week: Our lives are enriched every day by reading the Bible. Our lives are even more enriched by living out what God teaches.  Make it a practice each day to live the Word and not simply to hear the Word.  It’s God’s letter of love to us. Share the love by living it.

This week's blogvotional contributed by my mum:-)

Memory Verse Challenge: Week 10

This week's verse was an eye-opener for me. 

First of all God commands us to be strong and courageous.  We can't fall back on our timidity as an excuse. 

Secondly - I believe He commands this from us because He knows we have strength and courage within us.  Many of us have been made to feel otherwise. 

We were made into a new person when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  With that newness came strength.  Courage isn't something we hope to get one day.  It's something we already have.  Now all we have to do is believe it.  Say it with me: "God made me a person of courage."

See more about the Memory Verse Challenge here.
See the complete list of Challenge verses here.

Sunday Blogvotional: Awesome Gift

For God so loved the world that he gave us his one and only son and who ever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16

What an awesome gift! What an awesome free gift!!!

It’s amazing to think about how much God loves us. He loves us so much that even as unworthy sinners, He offers us a grand prize that’s more valuable than all the lottery grand prizes combined.  That’s pretty amazing.

What’s even more amazing is that His grand prize is free to anyone who accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We are so blessed. Our natural instinct should be one of enthusiasm with a passion to share the gospel. If you don’t have it, find that fire, that passion, and proclaim with enthusiasm how awesome God really is.

Encouragement for the week:  Spend some time today meditating on the gift and praising God for how awesome He is. Take a moment to share a funny church story with someone you know not to be a believer. This might take some time but once that door is cracked open, share how much being part of Christ’s church has blessed you. Over time, the door will be wide open so you can share the full story of the gospel.

This week's blogvotional contributed by "the hubs"

Enjoy The Ride

Have you ever been afraid?  Silly question, I know.  Of course, you have.  We all have.

Have you ever let your fear dictate the course of your life?  Chances are the answer to this questions is "yes" too (at least a time or two).

So what does it take?  At what point do we let go of our fears and fully, truly trust God?  At what point do we make the conscious decision to get on the ride of life and simply enjoy it?

Life is short (as I discussed here).  We labor and toil.  We plan our lives and then get put out, fed up and done in when we run into a detour.  We don't like things we can't control.  We want fun but it has to be our kind of fun.  Or does it?

When will we finally realize that our lives are not about our plans. That when we get caught up in our own plans we tend to get a wee bit uptight.  If we're not getting upset, we're probably getting worried.  Neither one of those options sound much like a joy ride.

Think how much fun it would be if we simply allowed God to take us on a ride - fully trusting that the ride He puts us on is safe, rewarding, and a whole lot of fun.  Sure - the ride might be a roller coaster.  It's likely to have ups and downs, even some twists and turns but who really cares. In the end - it's invigorating and you want to get right back on.

Yes - we can stay on the kiddie ride.  You know - the little roller coaster that's really just a coaster.  It goes super slow and maybe gets you a couple of feet off the ground.  But what kind of life is that?  Let God take you on a great adventure.  When He says "Get on! I've got a plan", don't hold back.  Don't hesitate.  Get on!!!  Enjoy the ride. 

You can live your life according to what makes sense to the world or you can live the adventure God has in store for you. If you're wondering if a "calling" makes sense, stop wondering.  Life is too short to waste time in debate.  Get on the ride while you still can.

Memory Verse Challenge: Week 9

This week's verse reminds us that God's true desire is to help us.  He knows having wisdom will help us make our difficult life decisions.  All we have to do is ask for wisdom and He will give it to us.  He's not trying to hold us back or keep us ignorant.  Sadly - we often prefer to stay in an ignorant state of mind than to act with wisdom.  The choice is ours.

See more about the Memory Verse Challenge here.
See the complete list of Challenge verses here.

Sunday Blogvotional: Ity Bity Faith

Doubt can be a deadly thing.  It's a very useful tool the devil likes to use.  If we can be consumed by the idea that we need to believe better or that our faith doesn't muster up, then the devil will ever so subtly convince us that our faith is worthless - that we'll just never live up to God's standards. 

The truth is - God loves us no matter what level of faith we have.  And it's because of this enormous love that He takes time to help us grow in faith.  He is our teacher, mentor and guide.  As we walk through life's journey He continually uses life moments to strengthen our faith (not to condemn us for a lack of faith).

Never be discouraged when you're faith is not perfect.  We may not always have the faith we want to have but even a tiny amount can do amazing things.

He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you." 

Luke 17:6

Encouragement for the week:  Don't let the devil get you down by telling you that you don't have enough faith.  Remember - even a tiny amount of faith you can silence the devil and put him in his place.  Trust God to help your faith grow.