Who Are You?

In so many areas of our lives we walk a fine line between desiring to "fit in" and yet to "stand out". Between "being noticed" and yet not being "weird". Between being "uniquely individual" and being alone.

If I am a Vikings fan, I wear purple. A Memphis fan wears blue. I do not wear green & yellow or crimson red - I wear colors that identify me with my team.

As a Christian - which means "little Christ" or "Christ-like", I want to be identified with Christ. And while there may not be a particular color that would indentify me as such, certainly the way I dress does - ie, if my clothing highlights body parts instead of me as a person, others are going to be distracted by the body parts - they certainly will not see Jesus living in me! And not only the outward appearance, but also what I say, how I act, where I go...all these things identify me.

A Vikings fan does not brag about Green Bay's defense. A Christian should not be using foul language. A Vikings fan does not hang out at the Green Bay practice field, seeking autographs from the players; a Christian does not hang out with unbelievers, seeking their approval & desiring to be like them. A Vikings fan cheers for their own team; a Christian is excited to talk about Jesus.

In a world where we exalt the individual, where we strive to be unique, Christians have chosen to blend with the crowd. I challenge you today to let others know who you really are and to let them see Jesus in you. I WANT to be know as a Christian; I WANT others to know what Jesus did for me.

Eternity is a certainty for all of us. You just have to decide which side you will be identified with.

What Will You Do With What You Have?

Have you ever heard someone say that they were going to "wait until they could afford it" to have a baby?  Those of us who have children know that that day never comes!  :) 


But often times we do the same thing with the Lord.  "Lord, I'll serve you when my children get a little older..."  "I'll serve you when I pay off this one last school loan..."  "when I finish college..."  "when we get a bigger house and can have more people over..."  "when I feel more comfortable with (insert obstacle here)..."


God doesn't want us to wait.  He has given us EVERYTHING we need to accomplish the things HE wants us to do...notice I didn't say the things WE want to do (necessarily), but what HE wants us to do.


Don't wait for the "perfect" timing, situation, setting, circumstance - do what God wants you to do - TODAY!

For my children...

I cease not "to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hat made us meet (qualified us) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son; (delivered us from the authority of Satan to that of Christ) in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:9-14

I love you guys and pray for you daily.  God is at work!  Listen...

Love,
Mom

Are You a Scholar?

I once heard a pastor make this statement: “I’ve heard people say, 'Well, I’m no bible scholar'.  My question back to them is:  why not??”

A scholar is defined as “a person who has done advanced study in a special field.”  Ponder this for a moment. When did we get the idea that being a bible “scholar” was only for those in full-time ministry? Or for those who have been to seminary? Do we really believe God would save us, give us His Word, and then make it all too hard for us to understand? Do we really believe God’s design is to give us this huge puzzle to figure out, which includes His will for our lives and the meaning of His Word? Really?

My grandfather used to tell me that anything worth having is worth working for. Is knowing and understanding God’s Word and God’s Will worth having? Is it worth working for? I think so. This knowledge, this understanding DOES require time and effort and desire (i.e., “study”)…but I don’t believe it’s some mystical puzzle that only a select few will be privileged to solve. God desires each and every one of us to know Him (which we can only do through his word).

And consider this: since all knowledge comes FROM God, is he not then able to give us that knowledge and understanding in spite of what man calls our “intellect”? Whether a Harvard graduate with multiple degrees or the simplest laborer with only a grade-school education, God’s Holy Spirit is able to enlighten our understanding – to believe otherwise is to deny the infallibility of God’s Holy Word, and therefore God himself.

Every one of us ought to be a bible “scholar”.   Don’t make “studying God’s Word” just another New Year’s Resolution – make it a daily choice.  No more excuses – what’s keeping you from it??

Walking in the Spirit...what does that MEAN??

It sounds so good, so righteous, so "spiritual" to say to one another, "Walk in the Spirit!" or "Walk in the ways of the Lord!" or "Walk honestly!" or "Put on Jesus!"...

But what does that look like in real life?  on a typical day for me? for you?

Let's try this...

The alarm goes off.  You stumble, bleary-eyed to the restroom.  Find your robe; go wake up the kids - who, by the way, are old enough to get up by themselves to their own alarms, but don't - you head to the kitchen.  Maybe you make breakfast or coffee; maybe you make lunches or find lunch money and set it out for each child.  Maybe you just get your own coffee and everyone else is on their own...

If your hubby has an office job, he may breeze past you on his way out the door with a peck on the cheek - to which you respond with a bleary-eyed grunt.  Or maybe he works an early morning shift and is already gone, (as evidenced by the dregs of coffee in the bottom of the cup on counter) or maybe he's just coming home from the night shift and ignores you completely as he heads directly for the shower and bed...

The kids have yet to appear and its time to go.  You holler for them to get moving, and in a flurry of activity, they fly past you shouting, "Bye, Mom!" as they sprint out the door to catch the bus, or their ride, or to catch up with their friends on the walk to school.

At some point, you realize the tv was turned on and the voices you now hear are coming from that box in the other room, not your head.  You decide it's probably time to get a move on yourself - maybe you need to get ready for work or at least ready for the day, so you head to the shower...

An hour later, you're in the car, muttering under your breath about the lil' old man who just pulled out in front of you, effectively boxing you in at 10 miles below the speed limit.  The lady in the car next to you is talking on the phone, applying mascara, AND smoking a cigarette - you keep a leery eye on her while wondering why the guy on the other side of you feels compelled to "share" his mind-jarring rap music with the entire world at 7:30 in the morning...

By the time you get to work, you wonder if they've changed the driver's licensing requirements in your state to say you MUST have absolutely NO knowledge of common sense road rules, to say nothing of common courtesy or knowledge of what decibel levels cause brain damage.  You find a message on your desk from a high-maintenance client who has already called this morning and you're beginning to wish you could contract the flu so you'd have a legitimate reason to go back home and pull the covers over your head...

Uh - so, where was the Spirit in THAT scenario?  Let's re-wind...

Your alarm goes off.  You stumble, bleary-eyed, to the restroom, grab your robe, and head to the kitchen.  "Lord, help me wake up!  I'm soooo not ready for morning!"  You start the coffee and grab your bible.  You find a quiet spot - shouldn't be hard because you're up before everyone else.  You've been reading the book of Ephesians.  You find where you left off, read a few more verses; think about what God is telling you through his Word; what he wants you to learn.

Your prayer time is filled with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.  You petition the Lord for wisdom, discernment, godliness; you pray for the kids, your husband, the ladies in your church, your pastor and pastor's wife...

Now it's time for the rest of the household to rise.  You still have to get the kids up - but you realize this routine really needs to change and you make a mental note to discuss this with their dad. 

As they leave, you give each one a hug & a kiss.  Tell them you're praying for them today.  Turn the tv off and put on some godly music as you get ready for work, dressing with care.  Drive to work, praying for the idiots - er, lost people - all around you as you drive.  You pray for the high-maintenance client before you return their phone call, and pray that God will give you a sweet spirit, so that HE will shine through to that person, even over the phone.

See, the circumstances didn't change - but YOU did.  Because of God's grace.  Because you took the time to put on the armour of God, to bathe yourself in God's Word, to surrender to the Spirit.  To see others as God sees them.  You have "walked in the Spirit".

It's not really all about us.  It's about the Lord.  Get your eyes off yourself - it's not, "How can I do this?", but "Am I letting God do this?"

~Tammy

Are you Dressed??

How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?  How much time do you spend putting on your makeup, fixing your hair, choosing your clothes, coordinating your jewelry?  Some of you take an hour or more...some of you could take just a few more minutes!  But, in general, we take care with how we look before we venture out of the house.  I have one friend who was taught that you NEVER leave your house without makeup on and being completely dressed - in other words, no running to the mailbox in your pj's!  Or to the store in your painting clothes!  And I do believe we ought to take care not to be immodest or a poor testimony for the Lord when we're going out.  (But, I confess, I do give my skin a break on Saturdays if I'm just running to Walmart!)

But God sees our hearts.  God is more concerned with what we "look like" on the inside.  So - how much time do you spend "cleaning" your heart - confessing sin?  How much time do you spend "fixing your mind" - reading God's Word?  How carefully do you pull out the "armour of truth"?  How much time do you spend "grooming" a right attitude?  a sweet spirit?  a gracious tongue?  How much time do you spend asking God to prepare you for the day to come?  For grace and mercy to deal with whatever comes your way today?

Your body and face can be perfectly attired, but it will be your spirit, your attitude, your behavior that will leave an impression on those around you today - and on your heavenly Father.

"Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." - 1 Peter 3:3-4

How well "adorned" are YOU today?

Ladies Bible Study - 9/22/11

When I read something, my mind creates an image of what I'm reading.  In Matthew 7, Jesus talks about the "narrow" way and the "wide" way.  Few are on the narrow way; many are on the wide way.  In my mind, I have always pictured a narrow dirt path, winding through a field as the "narrow" way.  On that path are just a few people, some side by side, some alone, walking in a long line.  The "wide" way, in my mind, has looked more like a 5-lane highway that has been closed off to traffic, and instead is a throng of people, shoulder-to-shoulder, all surging forward, but without any idea where they are going.  Like the teaming masses gather in Times Square for New Year's Eve, but moving instead of standing.

Last night's bible study changed my picture of the "narrow" way.

The narrow way leads to heaven; the wide way to destruction, or hell.  Few will find their way to heaven, choosing instead to take a more "popular" route; an easy route; a wide and comfortable route.  The way to heaven is narrow because the only way is through Jesus.  In fact, the "strait gate", as scripture calls it, is only wide enough for ONE person at a time.  Why?  Because when we realize our own sinfulness and God's holiness; when we realize Jesus died for our sins; when we humbly bow before Him - we do it alone.  We cannot gain salvation riding piggy-back on someone else's salvation; we cannot carry with us our baggage and our excuses and our rationalizations; we cannot bring our friends or loved ones - we come alone and we come in humility.  The narrow gate is only big enough for one - nothing and no one else fits through the gate with us.

In fact, my mental image of the narrow way now has the gate built into the base of the cross.  

I am on the narrow way.  I gave my life to Jesus on March 1, 1981.  He died for me, taking on a punishment that was meant for me.  I have opened my life to him - it is His to do with as He pleases.  An easy exchange to make for the reward of being allowed to spend all eternity with Him in heaven.  In fact, the more I think about it, the more I realize what a win-win situation it is.  There is no "down" side for me...Jesus took the punishment for MY sin; I didn't have to suffer that.  All I have to do is let Him control my life - a God who is loving and merciful and righteous and just and holy and who plans only for my "good" - and then I get to spend eternity in heaven with Him.  Why would I not want to live for Him??  Do I really think I am better suited to control my own life?  Me, a sinful, prideful, woman, who cannot see the future nor know the hearts and thoughts of others?  Me, whose vision is limited and imperfect and flawed by my own misconceptions?  I think God knows best, and I trust him.

Are you on the narrow way?  Or are you searching?  Find the cross.  The gate to the narrow way is there...