Many years ago I read an article called A Parable of God's Perspective by Robin Jones retold by Casandra Lindell. Everytime I read these words I get goosebumps.
"Ah, Bert, you should hear his prayers!" Intense love flashed in God's eyes like lightning. "Simple prayers from an aching heart. This is triumph over evil. Trusting me--that is the choice." God smiled through sparkling tears of love."Isn't he magnifient?".....God spoke softly, never letting his eyes leave the scene....."Go down and get him, Michael....I'll arrange the party."
The morning after Jim died I remember walking into the diningroom and seeing the streamers still up that we had put up for his birthday. And the words "I'll arrange the party," had echoed in my head.
Having reread this parable this morning, I am reminded of all the nights I have paced the hallway praying through my tears with my heart aching. Aching for my loss, aching over my sins, aching for my boys, aching for others and the sin they have entangled themselves in, aching because of their unbelief.
Oh, how little the value we all to often put on prayer. Yet how valuable it is in God's eyes.
Also this morning, we read in God's Word about when He cleansed the temple. He called it a house of prayer, not a house of praise or a house of singing or a house of worship. A house of prayer. God highly values prayer. And I am afraid of how little we value prayer and how often we neglect to pray as individuals, as families, as a church, as a nation..............
Lord, please help me remember how precious You value prayer.
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September 30, 2011
September 26, 2011
Simple Blessings
Given free tickets to seminar where I won a free 1/2 hr massage
$50 gift certificate given to me by a friend for store we shop at often
Taken out for lunch spontaneously by a friend who didn't know I had had to skipped breakfast that morning
Beany elephant (I collect elephants) left in my card with a note of encouragement by anonymous friend.
Thought I only had $11 in cash when God prompted me to put $5 in offering plate. No more money coming in for several days. Obeyed and discovered a $20 bill stuck between a $1 and a $5.
Blessings are everywhere--
we just need to be looking for them.
Psalms 5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
$50 gift certificate given to me by a friend for store we shop at often
Taken out for lunch spontaneously by a friend who didn't know I had had to skipped breakfast that morning
Beany elephant (I collect elephants) left in my card with a note of encouragement by anonymous friend.
Thought I only had $11 in cash when God prompted me to put $5 in offering plate. No more money coming in for several days. Obeyed and discovered a $20 bill stuck between a $1 and a $5.
Blessings are everywhere--
we just need to be looking for them.
Psalms 5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
September 21, 2011
Priorities
A key element in my quest for Balance is a list of priorities.
Through several different Bible studies and sermons, these are the list of priorities I am aiming to keep in proper order:
1 Relationship with God-we have heard of the love languages.
How am I communicating to God my love?
Quality time--do I spend time talking to Him? Not just quick arrow prayers at meals either. Heart to heart chats. Do I spend time reading His love letters to me in the Bible? Do I ask Him to show me how to apply His word to my life? Do I go and work where the Holy Spirit prompts me that He is already at work? Do I value a soul as He does?
Acts of Service--do I DO what I know pleases Him? Do I do what He commands? Do I serve others as though it was Him?
Gifts--Do I give Him my time, my talents, my tithe? Do I give special offerings or gifts to others secretly so He only is praised?
Words of Affirmation--do I speak praises of my Lord to Him and to others? Do I tell others what great things He has done? Do I thank Him for everything, even the tough, painful things?
Touch--God is touched by our prayers. Every detail is important to him. Prayers of thanksgiving and praise, prayers of confession and repentance, prayers of intercession, and prayers of pleading and healing...Am I casting every care upon Him?
2 My relationship with my husband
(for me this means a double portion of my relationship with God) If you are married, remember the ways to express your love to our Lord, apply them to your husband.
Included in my relationship with my husband is my body/ my health. Upon marriage a wife's body belongs to her husband. I Corinthians 7:4 Upon salvation a born-again believer's body becomes property of the Master. It was bought with a price and I am to glorify God in my body.
Am I get the rest I need, putting the right things into it, getting up and moving my body as it was created to do? Am I thinking right? Listening to the right kind of music? reading the right kind of books? Am I putting on armour of God for protection? Dressing in a way modest way that reveals I am a daughter of the King?
3 My relationship with my children-
This makes sense. Having them #3. But I find that often in today's world the children are placed before the husband or even helping others maybe placed before the children. A quote I heard recently was the sheep who needed the shepherd the most were the ones he left at home. I must make sure that I am feeding my flock, taking care of their physical, emotional, academical, and mostly spiritual needs before others.
4 Soulwinning--This means being involved in the church's weekly visitation but also to have the mindset all day. To see others as souls not just people here, but souls with an eternal destiny. Everyone is going somewhere: Heaven or Hell.
5 Church Ministries--God calls us to be involved in our local church. He has given me and the members of my family certain talents and gifts. What are they? Where am I headed? Where is our family headed? This isn't to serve just to serve; it is purposefully prayed over and God's will is sought. I have seen many church families with this out of balance. And serve with your family, my preacher often says. When I seek God's will and find it considering service to Him, He won't lead me to overdo it, yet He won't be satisfied in us being slothful either.
6 Helping others--This can be done in numberous ways. Smiles, cards, a simple touch on the shoulder or pat on the back, little gifts, phone calls, texts, give a need you see, this is ministries of the heart. Notice this is # 6. It is still important. Very important, but don't bake a cake for the neighbor and not feed our own family. Remember our children/husband need hugs just as much as a sad friend does.
These priorities are helping me to get my life in balance.
And I pray to keep them in balance as well.
Through several different Bible studies and sermons, these are the list of priorities I am aiming to keep in proper order:
1 Relationship with God-we have heard of the love languages.
How am I communicating to God my love?
Quality time--do I spend time talking to Him? Not just quick arrow prayers at meals either. Heart to heart chats. Do I spend time reading His love letters to me in the Bible? Do I ask Him to show me how to apply His word to my life? Do I go and work where the Holy Spirit prompts me that He is already at work? Do I value a soul as He does?
Acts of Service--do I DO what I know pleases Him? Do I do what He commands? Do I serve others as though it was Him?
Gifts--Do I give Him my time, my talents, my tithe? Do I give special offerings or gifts to others secretly so He only is praised?
Words of Affirmation--do I speak praises of my Lord to Him and to others? Do I tell others what great things He has done? Do I thank Him for everything, even the tough, painful things?
Touch--God is touched by our prayers. Every detail is important to him. Prayers of thanksgiving and praise, prayers of confession and repentance, prayers of intercession, and prayers of pleading and healing...Am I casting every care upon Him?
2 My relationship with my husband
(for me this means a double portion of my relationship with God) If you are married, remember the ways to express your love to our Lord, apply them to your husband.
Included in my relationship with my husband is my body/ my health. Upon marriage a wife's body belongs to her husband. I Corinthians 7:4 Upon salvation a born-again believer's body becomes property of the Master. It was bought with a price and I am to glorify God in my body.
Am I get the rest I need, putting the right things into it, getting up and moving my body as it was created to do? Am I thinking right? Listening to the right kind of music? reading the right kind of books? Am I putting on armour of God for protection? Dressing in a way modest way that reveals I am a daughter of the King?
3 My relationship with my children-
This makes sense. Having them #3. But I find that often in today's world the children are placed before the husband or even helping others maybe placed before the children. A quote I heard recently was the sheep who needed the shepherd the most were the ones he left at home. I must make sure that I am feeding my flock, taking care of their physical, emotional, academical, and mostly spiritual needs before others.
4 Soulwinning--This means being involved in the church's weekly visitation but also to have the mindset all day. To see others as souls not just people here, but souls with an eternal destiny. Everyone is going somewhere: Heaven or Hell.
5 Church Ministries--God calls us to be involved in our local church. He has given me and the members of my family certain talents and gifts. What are they? Where am I headed? Where is our family headed? This isn't to serve just to serve; it is purposefully prayed over and God's will is sought. I have seen many church families with this out of balance. And serve with your family, my preacher often says. When I seek God's will and find it considering service to Him, He won't lead me to overdo it, yet He won't be satisfied in us being slothful either.
6 Helping others--This can be done in numberous ways. Smiles, cards, a simple touch on the shoulder or pat on the back, little gifts, phone calls, texts, give a need you see, this is ministries of the heart. Notice this is # 6. It is still important. Very important, but don't bake a cake for the neighbor and not feed our own family. Remember our children/husband need hugs just as much as a sad friend does.
These priorities are helping me to get my life in balance.
And I pray to keep them in balance as well.
September 17, 2011
Balance
I realize I haven't posted in awhile.
Yet my God is still at work in amazing ways everyday.
For example, just today at the eye drs.
Snapp really bent his glasses so bad I thought we'd have to get new frames. I didn't even think they would hold his lenses in anymore. Snapp felt horrible about it and shed many tears. We took them in today and the dr took them out back himself and straightened them. It was truly a miracle. I could not believe that he not only got them bent back but that you can't even tell what happen unless you look closely. Snapp ran up to the eye dr. and gave him a hug and said thank you. The dr. was very surprised to get a thank you hug. When we got outside, Snapp and I took a moment to thank Jesus. It really was a miracle at least to us.
Anyway, so my Lord is at work. I just have been too silent on here about it. I titled this Balance because that is something I am working on here. Balancing my activities and my time and this blog has fallen to the back burner. I hope to get it updated with some other fingerprints of God and His work in our lives. But until then just keep us in prayer as we balance homeschooling, church activities, housework, yard work, reaching out to other grieving families and countless other things that are going on in our lives.
Yet my God is still at work in amazing ways everyday.
For example, just today at the eye drs.
Snapp really bent his glasses so bad I thought we'd have to get new frames. I didn't even think they would hold his lenses in anymore. Snapp felt horrible about it and shed many tears. We took them in today and the dr took them out back himself and straightened them. It was truly a miracle. I could not believe that he not only got them bent back but that you can't even tell what happen unless you look closely. Snapp ran up to the eye dr. and gave him a hug and said thank you. The dr. was very surprised to get a thank you hug. When we got outside, Snapp and I took a moment to thank Jesus. It really was a miracle at least to us.
Anyway, so my Lord is at work. I just have been too silent on here about it. I titled this Balance because that is something I am working on here. Balancing my activities and my time and this blog has fallen to the back burner. I hope to get it updated with some other fingerprints of God and His work in our lives. But until then just keep us in prayer as we balance homeschooling, church activities, housework, yard work, reaching out to other grieving families and countless other things that are going on in our lives.
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