Blessings...

There are times when we struggle and times when we just feel blessed.

Right now I am basking in the blessings and soaking it up until the next struggles come along...I am blessed with a GREAT GOD, family, friends, and boyfriend.

I have ESPECIALLY been enjoying memorizing God's word. One verse every two weeks, along with Beth Moore and all the other Siestas...This has especially been a blessing as I have been able to use each verse that I have been memorizing at least once since I began memorizing each of them. I love it when they come to mind and I can recite it and KNOW it is true...because it is God's word! :)

Here are a few pictures from my weekend with Ryan over Valentine's day. We like to cemetery hop...actually, he mostly does...but I take my camera and stay occupied! :)











"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."

-- 1 Peter 5:10 (NIV)

My Inheritance

My dad died almost 5 years ago.

He left me a house, for which I am SOOO grateful! Well, I decided long ago that I want my life to be available for Jesus to use as He pleases, meaning, I don't want to be tied down by property or any other number of things that could have the ability to hold me back for His cause.

So, several years ago I sold my house. My paternal grandma apparently had issues with me selling the house. I could not have a conversation with her on the phone without her being negative about me and my decisions and life. She told me to "take care of your inheritance, it is all you're going to get." She would also make comments about my cousins and how certain ones were better than me because of the stage of life they were in. So, instead of putting up with the negativity, I eventually stopped calling her. I stopped for my own health and well being, however I kept in contact with her by sending letters, cards, etc. so that she would know what was going on in my life. I never received a call or card back. It was silent for about 2 years, maybe a little more.

February 2nd was her birthday. I sent her flowers, like my dad used to do, and I have done since he passed away.

The following day I actually received a call from her. She was thankful for the flowers yet she verbally told me she didn't do anything wrong and she was not going to apologize for any wrongdoing.

I have never been fully accepted by her, not that anybody in her life has. I don't think she has it in her to extend her acceptance to anybody, probably because she has never felt and or known acceptance herself.

Today the Lord hit me full force in the gut with His love for me...

When I doubt my decisions or if someone else doubts my decisions...I am reminded that I belong to HIM...

My inheritance on earth PALES in comparison to the inheritance I will receive in Heaven. I am SO thankful for HIS love. It is so much more than ANYONE on Earth can extend to any one of us...and it is impartial and perfect.

And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners in the land.” For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.

Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.

1 Peter 1:17-21 (NLT)

Meditating

If you know me and have been a reader of my blog you probably know that I took a 40 day journey with God a few years ago. I went seeking answers to several things and though I didn't necessarily get clear cut answers to those questions I was seeking I found a special relationship with my Father that I hadn't really known before.

I had so much fun as I drove, each day deciding which road to take, two lane road, or highway...north first then west or west then north? I let each day be directed by God and absolutely had one of the most fabulous times ever. Part of that fabulous time was just discovering His creation, how vast and beautiful it is. The details of the world around me are so beautiful and He created it all. I love to get lost in my thoughts and meditations.

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." --Colossians 3:2

Lately I have been trying to direct my thoughts Heavenward instead of toward myself and the world around me and thinking about the experiences I had on my trip help because I have such beautiful memories of His creation and our time together. When I think about the times we had, all other thoughts and worries fade away. I am able to focus my thoughts heavenward...

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." --Isaiah 55:8-9

I think we gain so much when we take our focus off of our needs, our insecurities, our future, our pride, our fears, the situation we are currently in, the situation the world around us is in, etc. We HAVE to focus Heavenward to be effective for Christ. It is NOT about us...

"I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes." --Psalm 119:99

By meditating on the "higher things" we are able to see things in this world more clearly and take them on.

My encouragement for you is to find your avenue to meditating on things higher. Find a way to focus your mind upward whether it be through His creation, or through another means.

How do we spend our time?

I have been thinking a LOT lately about what I think I deserve sometimes and what I deserve in reality.

In our current world, we are so used to thinking that we "deserve" a break, or we "deserve" a treat, or we "deserve" relaxation. When we look to the Scriptures, the ways that they did these things are supposed to be our examples of how to live AND they were so different.

For example, I want to be alone sometimes...yet when I am alone, what do I do with my time. Sometimes I choose to watch some TV, sometimes, read a book, etc. Most of the time my alone time includes eating...HA! When we look at Jesus, our example, his alone time was with the Father in sweet conversation and fellowship.

What things do I get excited about? Well, I LOVE shopping, coffee, UK basketball, Facebook and a lot of other things. And I think that these things can all be ok...but how much time do I devote to these other things, when I could be devoting time to my God. And how much more effective would we be as Christians if we ALL took this time and devoted it to fellowship with Him and each other, building each other up as He builds us up?

I have just been convicted that my God is so much more deserving than I give Him credit for. In my mind and heart I know without a doubt that He deserves more but my actions fail to show Him and the world just how much I love Him and honor Him.

Though I am convicted to try and "do" better, I know that I will fail...Lord willing, I will improve but perfection is beyond my reach. That is why I am so thankful for the Savior who came and gave His life for me, that I might be covered by His blood and made righteous through my faith in HIM.

"This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood."

--Romans 3:22-25a

Wait for the Lord...then follow

I am participating in Beth Moore's Siesta Scripture memory team for 2011.

We pick one verse, every 2 weeks throughout the year, to memorize and my first verse was chosen ON New Years Eve at about 11:58pm. I asked God to lead me to it because I wanted my first act of the New year to be an act of obedience and love for Him. So, I found and wrote down Psalm 27:14,

"Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord."

It is so hard to wait sometimes. I am not sure what I am waiting on honestly. I know I am tired of waiting on people (one in particular) and I can't do that anymore. That brings me to my second verse, which showed up in my devotion on the day I had to have a new verse!

"When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." John 10:4

So...needless to say, I am waiting on HIM and when I hear his voice calling, I will follow. Wherever, whenever He calls. I know He is there right now making the way for me and that brings me peace.

This comes a little late, but I pray that your new year will be filled with peace and whether you are waiting or following his voice, I pray you are in His will!

So blessed to be...

Tonight I attended the annual Candlelight service at my church...

I reflected, between taking pictures, on the God I serve, the family I was surrounded by, and the church family that I am surrounded by and was overwhelmed. I am just so blessed to be me!

Here are a few pics from the service...

Story of Forgiveness.

So here is the thing. In the past I have been one to be easily offended at times. I get my feelings hurt and I want to find someone, or anyone, for that matter, to blame for my hurt, so I blame it on someone else for hurting me. While the hurt might be real, I have no reason to judge them or to stop being their friend at all.

There are two stories I am reminded of. The most obvious being Jesus Christ, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." While we were SO hateful towards Christ, and each ONE of us put Him on the cross with our individual sin...HE LOVED US and DIED FOR US!!! We are commanded to LOVE ONE ANOTHER and to hold our brothers up. Not think of ourselves higher than anyone else so that we ignore them or are LESS than what Jesus is to us. We are called to not only be Jesus to the world, but Jesus to one another. So, if you have a problem with your brother go to him...but don't condemn him...lest YOU be condemned.

The second story I am reminded of is one I heard at the National Missionary Convention. The ULTIMATE example of forgiveness in today's modern world. Ajal Lall, from India told a story about Immanuel, his friend:

Immanuel and his wife were called to a specific people group on India. A group of Hindus that had never accepted the message of Christ. Well, after years of hardwork and dedication to God and HIS people, they began to see the fruit of their labor and were baptizing up to 30 people a week. PRAISE THE LORD! Well, some government officials caught wind of what was going on and three of them came and took Immanuel and his wife out into seclusion, presented them with papers stating that they renounced their faith and that Hindu was the supreme religion, and told them that if they didn't sign those papers, they would cut their hands off. Well, of course, Immanuel and his wife were faithful to their calling and would never sign such papers.

Instead of cutting off their hands, these three officials tied Immanuel to a tree and raped his wife in front of him.

Let that sink in for a minute and think of the deep hatred you would feel for those men, either as the woman, her husband, or as a family member or close friend of that woman...

Then...forward years later. Immanuel calls Ajal (The man I heard speak at the National Missionary Convention) and is rejoicing about 10 baptisms...which is great but Ajal questioned why the rejoicing when they had been baptizing up to 30 a week at one point. Immanuel said, "The men that raped my wife were 3 of them."

WOAH!

The ability of that man and woman to forgive has resonated with me ever since. I know they were able to do it because of CHRIST'S forgiveness for them on the cross and I am so thankful for their example. Glory be to GOD!