Goals

 I am a firm believer in setting goals, although they often may change or never get accomplished, but when they do I find fulfillment.

     My devotion with "In Touch" stated that goals are a part of the Christian life: "First is salvation.  Next God gives us an opportunity to serve.  Then comes frustrated inadequacy which  leads into dependence on Jesus and brings us closer to our ultimate goal: becoming a reflection of Christ."

    The inadequacy part hit home.  Many times when I crawl into bed, I get this sensation of restlessness.  "What have I missed today?" or "What have I left undone?"  Maybe my thoughts on missing the mark for the day should go something like:  

                                                        G oing
                                                        O n
                                                        A ltered
                                                        L ongings

     And my prayer should be: What goals should I have changed to meet God's intended purpose.  Let me find and seek to fulfill them.  

Follow Me!

      When Jesus started His ministry and called His first disciples, He said, "Follow me!"  We are told in Matthew 4:22, "Immediately they left their boat and father and followed Him."  I question, "Is my faith great enough to do the same."

     "Follow me!" comes a voice, giving a choice.
     The excuse comes in a whiny hum, "I do not have the skill."
     "Follow me.  You will.  Walk my way, this day."
     I question what I will continue to say?  

     Will I be brave or in weakness remain a worldly slave?

     Am I convicted that Jesus is not limited or restricted?
     "Follow me!" again comes the voice, so small.
     Will I say with joyful sigh, "Here am I" as Jesus stands waiting while I am hesitating? 

     

     

     

     

The Clothes We Wear

 I have a closet full of clothes to choose from each day.  Some actually need to be tossed out because I have not chosen to wear them in quite a few years which brings me to my early morning point.  What will I wear today?  Will it be delight, mercy, thankfulness, hope, and /or repentance?  What I decide to wear really does make a difference not only to me but to those around me.  I believe Max Lucado in his book, Anxious for Nothing, made a good point, "We can wear our hurt or wear our hope."  To add to that, we can: 

Wear our resentment or our forgiveness.
Wear our discouragement or our hope, 
Wear our thankfulness or our ingratitude.
Wear our happiness and joy or our sad, grumbling one.

What do you plan to wear today?  

Rejoice Always

 1 Thessalonians 5:6 tells us to "Rejoice Always."  As humans, we know the hardship of rejoicing in the midst of trials.  Always means at all times and in all occasions.  Rejoice, to me, means a heart filled and overflowing with joy.   So how do we "Rejoice Always"?  First we have to know God.  We have to have Jesus.  No other way can we do what scripture tells us.  

Rejoice

A-pply God's truth
L-inger not in our own understanding
W-aiver not in self-pity
A-lter not from faith
Y-ield to hope in Christ
S-tand firm in the facts of scripture 

Trust and Prayer

 Trusting God seems easy as long as all is going well but when trouble comes along, where do we find our help?  Certainly, not within ourselves, we still have to trust and rely on God.  Never let your faith waiver.   God walks with us through our trials. 

My prayer:  Strengthen my belief within my grief.  Fix my eyes, O Lord, on you and, in troubling times, bring me through.  Within life's bumps, twists, and turns, I've much to learn.  When temptation burns, turn my attention to your concerns.  When my trust falters, weaken my knees to fall before your kingly alter.  Your love never fails; it prevails.  It's never altered.  Fill me Lord, so my thoughts and mind have so space to keep me in anxiety entwined.  My trust and faith remain in you as each new day I am made anew.  Amen 

SOAP

In reading the Baptist Trumpet, I came across a section about Making Mary Moments.  In it was given a method to make time for Jesus.  It was a SOAP method- Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer.    However, it reminded me of when I was growing up and my mother used her own SOAP method.  It was very memorable.  The taste of that soap washing my mouth out from speaking an ugly word stayed with me a very long time.  That's how mother's taught in my day.  

My mother continued her SOAP method throughout my life in other ways, as well.  I was taught:

S cripture 

O pt out of wrong doing

A pply the Ten Commandments

P ray about everything

Belonging

     When I was growing up, we often had special get-togethers at my grandparent's house, and all the aunts, uncles, and cousins came.  We got to know each other.  As a family, we had a sense of belonging.  Then when the grandparent's passed away, the family gatherings stopped.  We no longer had the foundational structure of our grandparents.  Although aunts, uncles, and cousins knew each other and had  causal meetings, we slowly drifted apart never getting to know their children or their grandchildren.

     It can be the same in the Church family.  Although our Savior, remains the Foundation, never dies, and continues to call His children, many of God's children "choose" to drift away from the Church, never getting to know its existing members or the new ones.  Drifting away from the Church, we often even drift  further.  We drift away from God's Word.  What happens then to the sense of belonging?  What happens to getting to know the needs of others or them knowing ours?  How can we pray for each other?  

     As God's children, we need to remember that God chose us to "belong".  He created us to fit together as one with Him.  If we fail to attend His Church by choice, one of the pieces of His puzzle is missing!