It is on this Day Thursday, November 26, 2009 that our Nation pauses and we turn our hearts to God and thank Him for all He has done for us in this past year. We spend time perhaps in His house, we bring Him a thank offering. We spend time with family and friends and often reflect upon past Thanksgiving Day celebrations. And we stuff ourselves until we can’t breathe. Ahhhh the holiday’s!
It is not a coincidence that our Nation is so blessed. This country’s principles were built upon our God. Our Forefathers sought after God’s blessing when they formed this great Country. And because Abraham Lincoln’s heart was so moved, he established this day for all of us.
How are we thankful? Do we stop and think today about how truly blessed we are? Do we look into our own hearts and find a true appreciation for all that our “Good Father” has given us? It is very easy to say thank you when everything is going right in our lives. But I propose this to you. How thankful are you when we feel everything is going wrong?
Do we grow angry and distant from our Father? Do we turn our back on Him because we may feel He has done the same to us? Do we stop praying, stop talking to Him completely? Do we feel He is punishing us and therefore we will punish Him by not dealing with Him anymore? Do you have any idea how much His heart breaks when we do this? Yes even God cries!
He tests you and me to show us that we can handle the test. He doesn’t test us so we can prove to Him we can do it. He already knows you can handle it that’s why He is testing you. He NEVER punishes us.
How does a person learn if they are not tested? If you can, while in the tests of your life, find a way to see that He is helping you grow and tell Him, “THANK YOU”, then you have reached a new level of faith. It is in our darkest moments that we shine the brightest because He is with us!
Stop and look at your life in a different way from this day forward. Look at the positive things you have in your life. See how blessed you really are. Look at your bad moments as a growth period and show God how thankful you are by allowing Him to help you grow closer to Him. He’s sees your heart and knows who you are and feels EVERYTHING you feel. His love for you…will always baffle your mind!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Offer the Lord a piece of your heart not your wallet!
So many times I hear of certain churches or religions insisting on a specific dollar amount that people need to give to worship in the Lord’s house. Yes, the church needs money to function, but when the main focal point is placed on money instead of a blessing from the Lord then the church is straying off the path.
I will be honest, there is no way anyone can “buy” their way into Heaven. If some has told you if you give this dollar amount you are assured a place in Heaven, they are lying to you. No man has the authority to dictate whom the Lord will allow into His kingdom, no man!
Offering is as personal as faith itself. Some say give 10% or more than 10%. It should be a quiet moment of inward reflection that is born out of the heart. It is not the amount we give that impresses our Father, it is the way we offer to Him. We need to think more about why we are offering, and how we should approach Him with our offering as opposed to how much we are offering.
Do we pick a monetary amount and give it to Him out of fear? Do we give Him some of our pay check because we owe it to Him? Offering goes beyond the sum of money we give, it was born out of the act of “giving” and showing Him our “thankfulness”. The Lord gives you and I so much, our offering is a personal moment between us and our Father when we thank Him for all that he gives us.
Do you ever pause and think about the blessings that He has given you in your life? Do you think about Him and His Son? Do you delve deep into your heart and find a joy, a peace, a confidence, a love that you feel that you would like to express to Him by giving Him something? Or, do you just pick a dollar amount and throw it at Him?
If you paused and thought about WHY you were offering and told Him WHY you were giving Him this amount it would impact your life and your faith more no matter what the dollar amount was. In turn, you would touch His heart too.
Stop offering just your money and what little time you can give to Him and instead, give Him a piece of your heart…
I will be honest, there is no way anyone can “buy” their way into Heaven. If some has told you if you give this dollar amount you are assured a place in Heaven, they are lying to you. No man has the authority to dictate whom the Lord will allow into His kingdom, no man!
Offering is as personal as faith itself. Some say give 10% or more than 10%. It should be a quiet moment of inward reflection that is born out of the heart. It is not the amount we give that impresses our Father, it is the way we offer to Him. We need to think more about why we are offering, and how we should approach Him with our offering as opposed to how much we are offering.
Do we pick a monetary amount and give it to Him out of fear? Do we give Him some of our pay check because we owe it to Him? Offering goes beyond the sum of money we give, it was born out of the act of “giving” and showing Him our “thankfulness”. The Lord gives you and I so much, our offering is a personal moment between us and our Father when we thank Him for all that he gives us.
Do you ever pause and think about the blessings that He has given you in your life? Do you think about Him and His Son? Do you delve deep into your heart and find a joy, a peace, a confidence, a love that you feel that you would like to express to Him by giving Him something? Or, do you just pick a dollar amount and throw it at Him?
If you paused and thought about WHY you were offering and told Him WHY you were giving Him this amount it would impact your life and your faith more no matter what the dollar amount was. In turn, you would touch His heart too.
Stop offering just your money and what little time you can give to Him and instead, give Him a piece of your heart…
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Faith and Battle
A friend of mine recently made this statement to me; “Why is the Christian faith all about battle, when other faiths focus on acceptance?” It caused me to think about nature and the world that we live in.
When a farmer plants a seed in ground he digs a deep hole and places the seed in darkness. Perhaps this seed feels it is all alone and doesn’t realize that there are many other seeds just like it all around. This seed is forced to battle for life, to look for water, to grow, to become strong and burst through the ground seeking after the light that will sustain it and help it get stronger. In time and season it becomes part of a large harvest with others just like it. But not all seeds that are planted grow and become harvested. Would these seeds be better off if after the farmer put them into the ground he made a small hole right above them, to make it easier for them? No, they wouldn’t grow then.
What about a tree?
When the wind blows on a tree is it a detriment to it? Doesn’t the wind cause a tree to sink its roots deeper into the ground so it will become stronger and stand tall? And if the tree doesn’t sink its root then it is toppled over and dies.
If the Lord God doesn’t change and He is always consistent in everything He does then why wouldn’t He expect the same battling from us as he does in nature, in the world He created? We are surrounded by darkness. But we are not alone in this battle. We have other brothers and sisters that surround us. But we all grow at our own pace. Some of us are strong, others are week in their faith and every day we decide if we want to battle on or just give up.
DO NOT GIVE UP! Seek after the light that shines all around us. Seek the Good Father in prayer and feel the light that shines from His smiling face that will warm your heart and cause you to grow closer to him. Seek after the grace of His son Jesus which is just like a gentle rain that falls all around us and nourishes us. And ask the Holy Spirit for comfort which is like a gentle blowing wind that will make us stronger.
When a farmer plants a seed in ground he digs a deep hole and places the seed in darkness. Perhaps this seed feels it is all alone and doesn’t realize that there are many other seeds just like it all around. This seed is forced to battle for life, to look for water, to grow, to become strong and burst through the ground seeking after the light that will sustain it and help it get stronger. In time and season it becomes part of a large harvest with others just like it. But not all seeds that are planted grow and become harvested. Would these seeds be better off if after the farmer put them into the ground he made a small hole right above them, to make it easier for them? No, they wouldn’t grow then.
What about a tree?
When the wind blows on a tree is it a detriment to it? Doesn’t the wind cause a tree to sink its roots deeper into the ground so it will become stronger and stand tall? And if the tree doesn’t sink its root then it is toppled over and dies.
If the Lord God doesn’t change and He is always consistent in everything He does then why wouldn’t He expect the same battling from us as he does in nature, in the world He created? We are surrounded by darkness. But we are not alone in this battle. We have other brothers and sisters that surround us. But we all grow at our own pace. Some of us are strong, others are week in their faith and every day we decide if we want to battle on or just give up.
DO NOT GIVE UP! Seek after the light that shines all around us. Seek the Good Father in prayer and feel the light that shines from His smiling face that will warm your heart and cause you to grow closer to him. Seek after the grace of His son Jesus which is just like a gentle rain that falls all around us and nourishes us. And ask the Holy Spirit for comfort which is like a gentle blowing wind that will make us stronger.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Peace
I have a favorite poem that a student from one of my meditation classes gave me. I keep it on my refrigerator.
Peace.
It does not mean to be in a place
where there is no noise, trouble
or hard work. It means to be in
the midst of those things and still
be calm in your heart.
(unknown)
Peace is not the absence of war. Peace does not come from an outside source. Rather it is born and held from within the soul.
It does not mean to be in a place
where there is no noise, trouble
or hard work. It means to be in
the midst of those things and still
be calm in your heart.
(unknown)
Peace is not the absence of war. Peace does not come from an outside source. Rather it is born and held from within the soul.
Jesus Christ said; “peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.” (John 14:27) KJV.
Peace is something that you and I can choose. We decide how we will react to any situation. We have peace within us. We just need to tap into it. How do we do that? With prayer! We can ask the Lord God to open our heart, and we can ask Him to also give us more peace.
So often I hear people say; “I have been robbed of my peace!” In actuality they were not robbed they chose to give it away. No one can take our peace away from us if we are always mindful that it is ours to hold and cherish. Peace is like a precious jewel that should be treasured and guarded against.
I submit to you a challenge, the next time you feel anger swelling, stop and chose peace. Life is full of choices, good choices and bad choices.
What will you chose?
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