Lion in the Field

As adults, we get busy. Sometimes our busy schedules mean we have to delete things in our life. One thing that seems to get put on the back burner is church. We figure it is only this Sunday or it's only the one Bible study or not many people go on Sunday night it will be okay if I don't go tonight. These are things that we let ourselves believe.

Let's look at this story about a lion. This lion was hunting prey. However, the lion was scared to attack the whole group of deer, so he waited. He waited for an hour, then a day, then a month until finally a young deer strayed away from the group. The lion attacked the young deer and killed it. As the lion continued to follow the group, one by one the deers strayed from the group until he had killed the whole herd.

Hebrews 10:25 says, "not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching." This scripture is talking about church. "Not giving up meeting together" is talking about you not giving up on church or a Bible study. "As some are in the habit of doing;" We say that it is just this week that I will miss church and the next week you are even more busy and you miss again. Then before you know it you haven't been to church in months and you start feeling like something is not right or something is missing. We need to be together as believers for "encouraging one another." Proverbs 27:17 states, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." We are vulnerable when we are alone and isolated from other believers. We need people to help us up when we fall or become weak. God says, "all the more as you see the Day approaching." He is talking about the last days. As you look at our world today, people believe everything is good as long as it doesn't hurt me. Moral values have been thrown to the way side as the world try's to take God out of the picture.

When you start believing it is okay to miss coming together with other believers, you are starting to stray from the group. Beware! There is a lion waiting to attack!

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." ~ John 10:10

The Clouds Above

Today as I was riding in the truck with my husband, I noticed that after three and a half days of solid rain, that the rain had stopped and I could see pieces of blue sky. I was reminded of  the times I have been in an airplane flying above the clouds and how the sun was very bright yet the clouds below me blocked the sun from the earth. It made me think about day to day life.

Some days are wonderful and full of happiness. Some days are terrible and sad. Just like the weather. On those bad days, we may sometimes feel  like God is not there or that He does not care.

For times like this, God wants us to know, "God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5b. Just as we know that the sun is above the rainy clouds and that the storm will end, God is always above our situations in life. Even though we may not see Him through our current trial, it does not mean He is not there. Stay strong through the storm, for it will pass and the sun will shine.

Darkest before the Dawn

The other day I was traveling home from a long trip. We had been traveling all night because we wanted to get home.  I relieved my husband of driving at 4:00 am. Only having a few hours of sleep myself, the oncoming lights on the other side of the highway made it had to see the road in front of me. At about 6:00 am, I found myself praying for dawn to show her face quickly as it had gotten darker and even harder to see the road and stay awake. In that moment, I was reminded of the saying, "It is always darkest before the dawn."

Sometimes in life we face things that can wear us out and make it hard to see the path in front of us. In those moments we need to remember God is with us and He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5b. 


As I continued to drive and dawn broke over the horizon, I felt more awake and was relieved to be able to see the road clearly. Even though it may seem that morning is taking a long time to come, we need to be relentless and push on to the goal.  Dawn is right around the turn.

Ambassadors

I was thinking today about what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:20, "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God." The Wiki Encyclopedia says this about an ambassador, "An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government." The question that then crossed my mind was, what exactly is a diplomat? Again looking in the Wiki Encyclopedia it said, "A diplomat is a person appoint by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and friendly relations."

Ok so if we are in Christ as stated in 2 Corinthians 5:17-18, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new," we are to represent God and protect His interests as His ambassadors. He has given us a Ministry of Reconciliation. "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation."

Ministry is defined as a government department at the administrative level and the definition of reconciliation is to restoration, renewal or salvation. God is saying as my ambassadors it is your responsibility in My Kingdom to speak on Christ's behalf to the people who have not reconciled with Me. God wants to restore each of us to why He created us in the first place and that is to have a relationship with Him.

As we go to work today, whether it be in business, education, medical, ministry, homeschool parent, or a homemake we need to remember that we are Ambassadors for Christ. We need to set the explain of who Christ is in every word we speak and in every action we take. Remember, we work in the Department of Restoration for the Kingdom of God and this job has the best pension plan ever. What better job is there. AMEN. 

Rescued

I believe God gives grace. It is by grace that I am able to say I am God's daughter. It is by grace that I am saved through Jesus Christ. It is by grace that I will be going to Heaven. My question is do we take advantage of God's grace and still believe we will make it to Heaven?
This past weekend, I went to hear one of my favorite authors, John Bevere, speak. He is one of my favorites because I am challenge by what the Lord has given him to write. Above is a CD novel that he wrote. I encourage everyone to purchase this CD and listen to it. I believe it answers the above question better then I have ever heard before.

In Awe

Have you ever found yourself in awe of things in your life? Today, I am sitting at my dinner room table looking out my window at a beautiful lake. I never thought I would live on a lake. It has taken many different trials to get where I am today and I would not change one thing. Sometimes life is not as nice and easy as we would like it to be. Somedays I want to throw in the towel and be done with it all, but then one small yet big moment happens and I have more energy to continue running the race of life. I find that I need to pace myself and remember to take more time to look at the "Awe's" in my life.