Heartbreaking but Wonderful Friday!

Happy Good Friday to you all! It's the day that Jesus was crucified on the cross in my (and your) place. I'd rather call it heartbreaking but WONDERFUL Friday! Let me explain, in case you don't get it: (which I know a lot of you already understand, but stick with me!)

Why Heartbreaking?

Reason number one why this day is heartbreaking to me is that Jesus did not deserve His punishment. He struggled with temptation and NEVER gave in!! He was a perfect man! The only to ever exist.(Heb. 4:15 - "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.") He did not lie about being the Son of God/God Incarnate/Hypostatic Union!! (John 1:1&14 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." John 10:30 - "I and my Father are one." Col. 2:9 "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."...just to name a few verses) Even Pilate (the man who warrented His cricifixion) believed he was innocent! (John 19:4 - "Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.")

Second reason is that He suffered a very painful and shameful death on the cross! To see/hear/think about anyone going through that just is....horrible....let alone my GOD who was faultless and innocent! I encourage you to read Matthew 27 (of which I'll post verses 1-61 below), Luke 23, John 19, and Mark 15.
Matthew 27:1-61
1 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
2 And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.
8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.
9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;
10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.
11 And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.
12 And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.
13 Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?
14 And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.
15 Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.
16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?
18 For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.
19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.
20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.
21 The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.
22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.
23 And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.
24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.
28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.
32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.
33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
36 And sitting down they watched him there;
37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.
39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.
48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
55 And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:
56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedees children.
57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:
58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.
61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.

Why Wonderful?

The most heat wrenching thought about this day is also the reason this day is so WONDERFUL! Heartbreaking because I am the one who hung Jesus on the cross. I am the reason He had to suffer unfairly. He died for MY sins! I have lied, cheated, coveted, complained, commited murder in my heart (also known as hating others), and countless other sins. Wonderful because I should have been the one to suffer a painful death, but He died in my place so that I can spend an eternity in Heaven with Him! He gave himself willingly for a lowly sinner...me....I'm so greatful for what He has done, His sacrifice. I don't deserve it...in fact I deserve an eternity of suffering for all the many things I have done wrong in my life, but He is gracious and merciful both! I continually let Him down, yet, He continues to pardon my sins. (John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:8 - "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 10:9-10 - "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:13 -  "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Isaiah 53:5 "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.) He believed...and still believes...no matter what you've done...YOU WERE WORTH IT TO HIM!

10 things we can do...not to earn salvation...as that is impossible...but to make our FATHER proud after all He has given and done for you: (just some of the most important things to do, there is much more work to be done for the Father than just these things, though)

1. Love Him - Matthew 22:36-38 "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment."
2. Love others - Matthew 22:39 "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
3. Serve Him and Others - John 12:26 "If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour." & Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
4. Read and study your bible - 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
5. Share the Gospel - Matthew 28:19-20 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
6. Give your whole self to Him - Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
7. Obey his commandments - John 14:15"If ye love me, keep my commandments." & Deut. 13:4 "Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him."
8. Take up your cross and follow Him - Matthew 16:24-26 "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"
9. Depart from Evil - Prov. 3:7-8 "Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones." & Romans 12:21 "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."
10. Worship and give thanks - Psalm 30:4 "Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness." 

And there are many wonderful songs for today! Sorry I couldn't pick one or narrow it down! I tried to include ones with words, and I encourage you to sing your heart out along with these songs!

 

 

 

He is Jealous for Me!

First of all: Like all new years resolutions we make, I fell off this one way too fast! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me....I know I'm getting close to that "seventy times seven" in Matthew 18:21-22...For those of you still reading, thank you for sticking with me! The devil is quick to act...and apparently I didn't have my sheild up! .... well, the devil can just sit on a tack, because I'm always going to get back up!

This is going to be kind of a Valentine post. Not between us and our spouses, nor between us and our friends, but between us and the One who loved us so much, He died for us! I encourage you to have your bible handy or if you can't, blueletterbible.org.

Think of how we use to live before we were saved. We were "dating" the world. To be honest, we loved it, and gave a part of our heart to it. This is where that hole was and why we always felt like something was missing. Well then our Prince (Isaiah 9:6), our Knight in shinning armor (Eph. 6:11), with His white horse (Rev. 19:11), our perfect one (Heb. 4:15) came and swept us off our feet. He made our hearts whole again (I Peter 5:10). He filled us with joy and pleasure (Psalm 16:11). He loves us in the ultimate way! (John 3:16 and John 15:13). At that moment we were so on fire, we had no cares or thoughts of the world. We wanted to be with Him and only Him! Well as time marches on, we become comfortable where we are as the fire starts to die down, if we dont add the kindle to the fire (which is spending time with God, reading the bible, going to church, serving, etc.) *Sidenote: this all also applies to our earthly marriages, we have to kindle that flame too* Then the world comes along and we look at it once and say "No, I'm married to my God! I love my God!" Then the world sees that you looked once, then it gets a little closer and waves that piece of your heart you had given to it, saying, "Look, you loved me once too! We had something special! I made you feel good!" We give it a smile and then we start flirting with the world. Now, what happens in a marriage when one starts to flirt with an ex? The other gets jealous, right!? Wouldn't you get jealous if your husband started flirting with their ex-girlfriend (or any other girl)? I know for SURE I would! Not to mention, hurt and betrayed. He is MINE, ALL MINE I TELL YOU!!!!! (well he is God's too, but that's the only other I will allow!) Well how do you think God feels when we flirt with the world!? Hurt, betrayed, and jealous!!! The only difference is if my husband started to flirt with an ex-girlfriend, I may think "what if I did something to drive him away?" Well, God is PERFECT...He has done NOTHING wrong! Even if you think He has wronged you, believe me, it was not Him but the WORLD that has wronged you! Think about this the next time the world tempts and you start flirting with the world! He loves you so much, He wants you all to Himself...and if you chose to devote your life to Him (married Him), you should be all His! He takes His vow and your vow very seriously! You cannot have both!(Matthew 6:24 & Luke 16:13)

Verses about His jealousy:

Exodus 20:5-6: "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."

Exodus 34:14: "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:"

Deut. 4:24: "For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God."

Deut. 5:9-10: *again* "Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments"

Deut 6:15: "(For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth" *ouch*

Nahum 1:2: "God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies."

Joel 2:18: "Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people."

Verses about God's love for us:

Romans 5:8: "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Galatians 2:20: *I love this one* "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

Ephesians 2:4-5: "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)"

I John 4:10: "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins"

Psalm 86:15: "But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth"

Zephaniah 3:17: "The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing."

And I love this song with today's thoughts:

The Obvious Kind of Post for New Years Day

Happy New Year to all of you!

New years resolutions are very hard to stick to, but one of mine is to do at least 2 blogs a week on here....(one being on Sundays...I've decided to post notes either from sunday school or church...)

I'd like to share how I started off my new year in hopes of having a good year of drawing closer to my Lord. This is not meant to be a LOOK AT ME kind of thing, but maybe an encouragement for someone else to start their year off in a similar way...focusing on what REALLY should be our focus year round:

Last night I decided I'd end 2012 with prayer...so I muted the tv and began praying 10 minutes before the ball dropped...I watch the ball drop every year and really wanted to see it this year...well when I said Amen, I looked up and saw everyone making out on TV...nice huh? ... for a split second my thoughts were "Man! I missed seeing the ball drop!" Quickly I shook my head at myself and reminded myself that prayer was a much better way to start 2013 than watching a ball drop on television followed by everyone making out to music about who knows what.... so i watched the fireworks out the window for a few minutes and then texted a lot of people "happy new year!" I then rolled over to my hubby (who was sleeping until the mass fireworks began to ring all over the neighborhood), I said "would you pray for us to have a good year of drawing closer to God?" and so we prayed together... It's important to talk to God as an individual and as a couple!

This morning I woke up thinking...I have the day off, it'd be the perfect morning to dive into God's word with my hubby! So we prayed and read Psalms and Proverbs of the day...click the link to see the plan for reading clear through Psalms and Proverbs every month. We then started in on a book called Rebuilder's Guide. It's HIGHLY recommended from me!! My oldest brother gave it to us when we got married and asked that we read it together...and we're not big on reading, so we put it off, but I wish we'd read it sooner! Part of it the chapter we read this morning was about getting rid of things which cause you to fall. I'd been thinking about doing this for months (with our movie collection, music, etc.), but hadn't acted on it...it doesn't do any good unless you ACT on your intents! So we ACTED on it this morning...we took out things which didn't follow this verse: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Phil. 4:8. Another thing it talked about was fasting. I decided today I'd have 3 HUGE spiritual meals and one small physical meal. Drowning the first day of the new year in scripture will hopefully help me stay focused on what is right all year round...but how quickly we lose sight of our Savior and turn to our wicked ways...it's important to begin each day with scriptures and not only to read it, but to memorize it so that we use it against Satan when we're falling...to catch ourselves and turn us back to God. Jesus Christ already has won the victory over sin for us, we just have to claim it! Something I REALLY have to work on when I'm falling.

My main goal this year: Focus a LOT more on God and His plan...and a LOT less on me and my plan...

Happy 2013...may you all have a blessed year and keep HIM in focus every day of this year and the years to come!

Healthy and Strong

I am very guilty of not having this next quality I wish to talk about! Those of you who know me know that I'm the LAST person who should be giving this advice...but the advice I give isn't coming from me, but from God's word. I just insert little thoughts I have on God's advice...take God's words as truth...take mine as human reasoning with possible errors...and that goes for all my posts, not just this one!  Proverbs 31: 17 says that the virtuous woman "girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms." What!? She exercises!? lol...There's a reason we exercise (and eat healthy)...It makes us healthy, and believe it or not, happier, too!

Mayo Clinic (stated here: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ01676) says "No matter what your current weight, being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which decreases your risk of cardiovascular diseases. In fact, regular physical activity can help you prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, certain types of cancer, arthritis and falls." They also stated, "Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. You may also feel better about your appearance and yourself when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem."

Some verses that have really helped me when I'm struggling with not being active enough of eating poorly:
1 Corinthians 10:31 "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
Romans 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."
Micah 6:8 "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"
Phil 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
I Cor. 6:19-20 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

Sometimes the reason I want to eat is just to make me feel better or fill up my time or keep my hands busy or whatever, but if instead I turn to God to make me feel better or read His word to fill up time or keep my hands busy for HIM....that will help that a lot...when I want to eat something that's not good for me I need to remind myself "My body is a gift from God, do I want to ruin a gift from God by clogging my arteries or putting on weight which makes it hard for me to do things that I need to do for Him?"

Here's some websites I found that help me:
http://www.caloriesperhour.com/ -tells you how many calories you should eat in a day to obtain your goal...
http://www.mybodygallery.com/index.html - shows you what REAL people look like at your weight and height and shape and stuff...I used it (and the site below) to see the difference between my weight now and my goal weight....which after looking I determined to be about 155...
http://howmuchshouldiweigh.org/ - tells you your ideal healthy weight...and gives you a good range that's considered still healthy.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ - a network for weight loss support and tools such as calorie counting.

So what if you fail one day? Start again the next! II Cor. 4:16 says,  "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

Is it hard? YES! very much so sometimes, but I can do it, with Christ's help and trying to remember that yes in a way I'm doing this for me, but mainly I'm doing it for God so I can be better used for Him!

They that wait upon the Lord

Okay, so first of all, I would like to apologize for not being faithful to you readers, myself, but mainly to God, for not keeping up with this blog I felt led to write...I know it helps me to keep my eyes focused where they need to be and keeps me moving in the right direction...toward being that virtuous woman. Will I ever get there 100%? No, I'm a sinner! But I refuse to quit trying! I may stumble ... More than I should ... But I don't ever want to quit this journey! So, I'm back! Today patience is big on my mind...so that's the topic of this post!

I am waiting for something in my life that I have desired since I was a child. It doesn't matter what it is, because I want you to think of what you desire. I'm not talking about a worldly lust such as a new t.v. I'm talking about a spiritual desire or a desire that could make a difference for God's kingdom. Well, the past few months, I thought I might have been finally gifted that desire, but it just hasn't happened yet. This morning, it was once again clear that I would have to wait longer. Well, I was kind of down, and so I grumbled getting ready for work and headed out the door.  I got in my car and the song on the radio was very fitting... It says... 

"Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something heavenly"

That's when I took a deep breath and said "okay, Gods will is better and perfect...my will is selfish and impatient...I can patiently wait for Gods perfect timing...or I can be unhappy and throw a fit...either way I have to wait....so I might as well just sit back and let the experienced driver drive"....so hard to do sometimes, but it always results in satisfaction! Proverb 13:12 says "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life." Isn't it great! God knows what we need, when we need it! Sometimes we think we NEED it now, but if we got everything immediately, we wouldn't be so grateful. And we can only see what is immediate, God can see the whole picture. That is why it is so important to trust that God knows what He is doing, always, always, always! Our job is to pray, and to walk with God in everything we do, and all will work out! Philippians 4:6 says, "be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."  I Corinthians 10:31 says, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all too the glory of God." Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." 



So, I leave you with this thought. Will you wait for God's perfect will, and serve Him while you wait? Or will you move ahead selfishly and unhappily live with your imperfect will? Isaiah 40:31 says, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

Decided this post needs a song with it:

Aid to the poor and needy

I am reminded of several scriptures to help the poor and needy today. The other day as my husband and I were walking across the parking lot from the church to our home, a middle-aged man on a bicycle stopped and asked us if we were with the church. We said yes. He introduced himself and asked if we could spare him any food and water. I was immediately reminded of the verse Mark 9:41 which says, "For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward." Immediately we said "sure, let us go see what we can find for you!" Then immediately horrible thoughts entered my human brain. "We don't have much money either, I hope he doesn't get into the habit and come by and ask us every day, as we can barely afford food for ourselves right now. Then I remembered Proverb 31:20, "She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy." I thought to myself, "okay, the Lord is using us to reach out to this man, who needs our help. We have plenty, and are obviously not starving. It's a way of ministering to him and we can invite him to church too." Well I filled up a gallon jug with water, Adam heated up some biscuits and gravy we had made that morning for breakfast, we picked a banana. We also had an extra loaf of bread that we were not going to use (it was buy one get one free this week at the grocery store.) We took it over to him and he asked if we had any soda because his blood sugar was low. I said "No, sorry." He asked if we could spare him 75 cents for a soda. We said "Okay." and started to come inside. He hollered at us and asked if my husband had an extra shirt he could give him because the one he was wearing was pretty worn out. My husband said he would check. Well, at this point, I was thinking, "what else is he going to....WAIT....we are ministering to him...nothing we have is our own anyway...it all belongs to God....and He provides us with more than we really need." So we managed to scrounge up a dollar for him from our change bucket, which is often empty as we dont' use cash much. We weren't able to come up with a shirt for him, simply because my husband only has a few T-shirts to begin with and his white shirts were all in the washing machine. He was wearing the only other one he has, and the rest of his shirts are long sleeve dress shirts that that man would've swam in. (Sorry, Adam if you're reading this...I'm not meaning that you're fat, honey love!..lol) The man was grateful for what we had given him. He gave us the loaf of bread back because he didn't want to waste it. We insisted that we would probably just waste it too because we had another loaf inside. He still wanted us to keep it. He asked if there were any work he could do for us in exchange for the stuff we'd given. We said no, talked to him a minute about church and invited him, and told him if there was anything he needed, to let us know. We didn't do this for our glory, we did it to turn someone else's focus to God for a moment in hopes that he would catch a glimpse of our Provider and Savior. God provides for us. Philippians 4:19 states, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." and sometimes uses us to provide for others. Matthew 6:31-32 says, "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."

I was also just reminded of the bible story in I Kings 17 about Elijah and the widow woman. God chose a widow woman to take care of Elijah's needs. Not a rich man (although, anyone who has Christ as Savior is already rich..we have all we ever need...and..we even have a deed to a mansion in Heaven...how neat is that?) She gave ALL she had, but God blessed her and provided for her and showed her AND Elijah His greatness! Here is the scriptures of the story I just mentioned about Elijah and the widow woman. Think about it, and remember to seek opportunities that God may use you in this way to reach people with His light!

I Kings 17
" 1And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
 2And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
 3Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
 4And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
 5So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
 6And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.
 7And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
 8And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
 9Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
 10So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
 11And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
 12And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
 13And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
 14For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
 15And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
 16And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.
 17And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.
 18And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?
 19And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.
 20And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?
 21And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.
 22And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.
 23And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.
 24And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth."

Content....just...content

Lately I've found myself saying "I wish I had ..." or "I would like to have..." quite a bit. But, really, what more do I need? I'm saved by the grace of God! I'm blessed to have a family and a husband who love me very much! I have a place to live. I have food to eat (often more than I need, even if I go to the fridge and it's semi-full and then I think to myself "there's nothing in here to eat!") I have a church to go to that preaches and teaches from God's word. I have clothes to wear. I Timothy 6:6-8 states, "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content." Philippians 4:11 says, "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." God doesn't owe us an anything, not even an answer to why we don't have exactly what we want. We shouldn't want for anything. He is in control. He will take care of us! We should be content with all that God has blessed us with. And this does NOT mean we cannot ask Him for prayer requests or things we think we need. But we should be content with His answer to our prayers, and we should be SO super thankful when He shows us grace and mercy and gives us things we desire but do not deserve. He wants us to bring our requests before Him. God knows the desires of our hearts and will give us what we need when we need it. "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" as stated in Matthew 7:11. Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Matthew 7:7 says, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" We should be content with what we have, and thankful for those blessings we often take for granted. And what a sweet, sweet moment it is when we desire something, are content with what we have, give that desire to God, and He answers by letting that desire be fulfilled. Proverb13:12 says, "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life." God is SO good!!!

I also wanted to share a couple of songs via youtube links I heard today that lead me to this blog post: