Busyness

I haven’t written in almost a week.  It’s been crazy busy here,  My parents arrived last Tuesday.  We have enjoyed a nice visit.  They leave tomorrow.  Mom and I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for 16.  We enjoyed having family here for dinner.  We did some shopping.  We wrapped the Christmas presents.  We decorated the house for Christmas yesterday. 

While the last week was lots of fun, I wouldn’t want my life to be like that all the time.  I need some time for myself.  I need some time to think, read, and write.  Busyness is something the Christian has to be careful of. 

I have to make rest a priority in my life – true Christian rest.  I have to manage my busyness.  i have to not let the world’s hustle and bustle get to me – something that happens during the Christmas season. 

I need to make a deliberate choice to prioritize relationships and life over busyness.  I need to pay attention to my time management.  I need to watch my schedule.  I need to feel OK about telling people “no”.

Think about the rest described in  Psalm 23.  There's no busyness described there. 

As you proceed into the Christmas season, take time to remember what the season is about.  Don’t get caught up in the busyness of everything and miss the meaning.

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Thanksgiving is more than turkey

Thanksgiving is a time we have set aside to think about the things we have to be thankful for.  Examining our lives and seeing all the our blessings is a good practice.  One we really need to do daily not annually.

The Bible has a lot to say about giving thanks.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Oh give thanks for the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136:26

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God”  Philippians 4:6

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" Colossians 3:17

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. ” Psalm 100 4:5

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!"  I Chronicles 16:34

Thanksgiving is fun.  I get to spend time with my family.  We have great food.  However, if all I do is eat and give some lip service to being thankful, then I’ve missed the whole meaning of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving should be about God and His steadfast love.  It’s about having a thankful heart for all the blessings I have received through the years and the promise of eternal life. 

It’s also about being content in our circumstances.  I should recognize that nothing takes God by surprise and that He knows what is best for me.  I may not see a situation as being good for me but God uses those situations to grow me in my faith and I still need to thank Him for those.

I wish you a happy and blessed Thanksgiving.  I pray you will focus on God and give Him the thanks that he so richly deserves.

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Christmas With a Capital “C”

Listen to the words of this song as we get ready to enter the Christmas season.

 

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Who Am I

It’s a quiet morning.  My husband is off running errands and my daughter is still in bed.  She got in late after the school football game last night.  I’ve been up off and on since 4:00 am.  I’ve been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately.  I’ve got the laundry started, picked up some stuff around the house, and so I thought I would take advantage of the quiet and take a break.  I really didn’t have a topic in mind when I opened the software and started to write but now I think I will focus on the idea of “Who Am I".

I am a new creation

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”  2 Corinthians 5:17

I am a temple of the Holy Spirit

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”  
1  Corinthians 6:19-20

I am rescued, redeemed, and forgiven

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”  Colossians 1:13-14

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."” Galatians 3:13

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace”  Ephesians 1:7

I am blessed

“So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.”  Galatians 3:9

I am chosen, adopted, and loved

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”  Ephesians 1:4-6

“Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12

I am healed

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”  1 Peter 2:24

I am more than a conqueror

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”  Romans 8:37

I am an heir (co-heir with Christ)

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”  Romans 8:17

I am in Christ and Christ is in me

“It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”  1 Corinthians 1:30

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”   Galatians 2:20

I am alive with Christ

“made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”  Ephesians 2:5

 

Wow – what an encouragement.  I’m ready to take on the day.  What about you?

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I know Whom I have believèd,

I had to have an MRI today.  I am claustrophobic and so this was not a very pleasant experience.  I had to lay still for about 45 minutes.  I went in feet first and my entire body was in the scanner to my forehead.  I could tilt my head back and see a little bit of the room.  My arms were both back behind my head.  They had to run an IV and contrast dye into my system.

I was very uncomfortable and I couldn’t think straight.  I had to do something to get my mind off my circumstances.  I began to pray.  I prayed for the team of people I supervise, I prayed for my family, I prayed for all my daughter’s teachers, I prayed for our pastors, I started to pray for the students in my class and before I could get through them all, they were done with the scan.  The time had flown by.  I had taken my mind off myself as I prayed for others and God had allowed the discomfort to be taken away.  It ended up being a wonderful prayer time.

The MRI did confirm the doctor’s findings.  I am going to be having some minor surgery in December.  Nothing life threatening and nothing to worry about.  The recovery, however, is supposed to be very painful. We’ll see …

Here are some verses I meditated on tonight.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Colossians 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be
thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”

2 Thessalonians 3:5 (ESV) “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.”

Ephesians 3:16-19 “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

This chorus from an old hymn went through my mind.

I know Whom I have believèd,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.  (Whittle)

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Psalm 1

I chose Psalm 1 to look at tonight.  I memorized this passage years ago.  It contrasts the righteous man with the wicked.

Psalm 1

“¹ Blessed is the man
       who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
       or stand in the way of sinners
       or sit in the seat of mockers.

² But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
       and on his law he meditates day and night.

³ He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
       which yields its fruit in season
       and whose leaf does not wither.
       Whatever he does prospers.

⁴ Not so the wicked!
       They are like chaff
       that the wind blows away.

⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
       nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
       but the way of the wicked will perish.”

 

Thoughts on this passage … 

The pursuit of God will bring you blessings.  

In the midst of problems, how can we have a stable life?  This psalm shows blessings that await the person who pursues God.

What does the word “blessed” mean?  The dictionary defines blessed as favored.  It refers to a state of happiness.  It can also mean enjoying God’s favor.

Pursuing God means you don’t allow the wicked to influence you.  You shouldn’t follow after the world’s ways.  You shouldn’t seek advice from non-Christians.  You should go to the Bible and to your Christian friends for godly council. 

A scoffer is one who mocks God.   Don’t associate with such people.

There is more to the Christian life than avoiding evil.  Don’t just run from evil, run towards God.

Verse 2 – refers to meditating on the Word – read it, study it, memorize it

Verse 3 – God promises prosperity.  Don’t misunderstand this part.  This prosperity is not the same as the world’s definition.  Real prosperity is not money or possessions.  Real prosperity is the result of God working in my life.  The results may not be what we are expecting but God will not leave us down.

Verse 4 – the chaff is the part of the wheat that is worthless.  II was once explained to me this way  -- When grain was harvested in Israel, they would pour it out on a threshing floor.  The wind would blow away the chaff and leave the the kernels of the wheat behind.  The wicked are like the chaff  - they blow around in the wind – following whatever the latest ideas and philosophies are. 

Verse 6 – The wicked will perish.  Sometimes it seems like they are getting exactly what they want but remember any prosperity they see now is temporary.  They will perish. 

Ideas to take away from this …

1. Examine your life.  Who are you going to for advice?  Are you seeking godly advice and direction or are you following the crowd? 

2. Accountability – find a godly person who can hold you accountable in your walk with God.  Someone who you can share your struggles with.  Someone who will pray for you and encourage you.

3. Bible Study – make it a consistent part of your life.  You can’t base your life on the Scriptures if you don’t know what God’s Word says. 

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Honesty is best policy

I went to Kroger and picked up a couple of prescriptions.  I got home and started filling out my paperwork for my flexible spending account and I discovered that the pharmacist had only charged me for 3 prescriptions and I had picked up 4.  The one I had not been charged for was $10.  I set it aside and thought about what to do.  The $10 was not a big deal for me.  I just hated to think about the hassle of going back, waiting in line, and then trying to explain to them that I owed them money.

I put it off for a couple of days.  It’s not that I didn’t want to be honest.  It was the time it was going to take to go back and straighten it out that I wasn’t sure I wanted to give up.  Finally, I got to thinking that their drug records wouldn’t match and I needed to make this right.  I went back and I was right.  I had to wait in line.  Then I had to explain everything to the clerk.  Then she had to call over the pharmacist.  They had to do some things in the computer and finally I paid them the extra $10.

They were very grateful that I had returned.  I was correct in my thoughts that their records wouldn’t come out right and that someone most likely would have gotten into trouble.

They were grateful and couldn’t believe that I would come back to pay them money that they didn’t even know that I owed them.  I felt better having taken care of it.  It was a small thing and yet it had been nagging on my conscience until I took care of it.

These situations happen to all of us.  The best thing for us is honesty.  The best thing for the other party is our being honest.  It still amazes people and blesses them when we are.

 

Honesty is a reflection of your character and your integrity. Your actions are a reflection on your faith.  Not being honest gives Christians a bad reputation. 

Honesty is a characteristic that needs practiced as a way of life.  It is a characteristic that employers look for.  It is something that is valued in friendships.  Once you mislead or lie to someone, it is hard to gain their trust back.  Make being honest your habit.

 

Luke 16:10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

Proverbs 16”11 “Honest scales and balances are from the LORD; all the weights in the bag are of his making.”

Proverbs 11:3 “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.”

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