Five Minute Friday – Brave & Courageous

Friday’s topic at The Gypsy Mama is “Brave”. 

When I hear the word brave, I think of someone who is courageous and self-sacrificing in face of danger, giving little thought of the personal cost to themselves, and a willingness to put themselves in harm’s way to protect, rescue and help others.

I think of men and women who serve in the military to serve, protect and defend this nation.  Often they do so at a cost to themselves.  Their family also sacrifices so that our nation can be secure.

A living picture of bravery are police officers and fire fighters.  I’ll never forget the images of the men walking into the World Trade Center Towers on September 11, 2001.  Men and women of like character serve and protect our towns and cities each day.  We owe a great debt of gratitude to those who daily serve, protect and defend us.

There’s another kind of bravery that I see in those courageously facing a terminal or devastating diseases.  Not giving up and not giving in to despair.  That’s not to say that their every moment is infused with courage, but they don’t stay there.  Instead they press on. 

A compelling picture of bravery is Christians who live in nations where being a Christian is a matter of life or death.  They willingly and daily choose to proclaim the message of salvation found in Jesus Christ alone, no matter what the cost.  Accepting the cost rather than deny their Savior. 

Lord, may I be a brave and courageous person when the time of testing comes. 

This post is being linked to 5-Minute Friday courtesy of The Gypsy Mama, where you simply write for 5 minutes without worrying if it's right or not.  Head on over and take the challenge today.

Five Minute Friday – Empty Prayers

Today the Lord convicted me that I was praying empty prayers devoid of faith when praying for God to intervene in circumstances in my life.

My prayers have been passionate and my feelings have been laid bare before the Lord.  Each day, I’m praying for God to move in the circumstances and intervene on my behalf.  While I was praying the Lord helped me to see that I was being double minded.  I was asking for the Lord to be at work in my situation and immediately following that prayer I was planning how to handle it if or when the Lord did not answer my prayer as I had asked.

I’m wrestling about praying with faith and accepting God’s will.  I desire to pray with confidence in God and be assured that He is able to handle what concerns me.  Nothing is too hard for God.  

Then the doubt creeps in…I need to be practical, after all what I’m praying may not be God’s will for my circumstance?  

Erring on the side of faith, when I’m praying within the will of God as revealed in the Bible, I can pray with a confident expectation that God will act. 

The fine line is praying with expectation and a confident assurance in God, but not demanding my way when God chooses to act differently.  I need to remember that when God chooses to answer my prayers differently, it doesn’t change one iota who He is and what He is able to do.  I can trust the plan He is working out.  I will only know God’s will as He works out the circumstances in my life. 

Lord, may I err on the side of faith, of believing that You are well able to handle all that concerns me today.  Help me to pray Lord with unwavering faith and trust You in all circumstances.  May I not be double minded and remember that You are pleased with those who walk by faith. 

 

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. – Heb 11:1

⁶ But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. – Heb 11:6

7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. – James 1:7-8

This post is being linked to 5-Minute Friday courtesy of The Gypsy Mama, where you simply write for 5 minutes without worrying if it's right or not.  Head on over and take the challenge today.

Abiding in Christ…What does that look like?

 

As I start this week, I’m asking the Father for help.  How can I not just tolerate the unlovely, but actually love them? 

It impossible in my own strength, to love those who are unlovely.  Impossible to love those who are unlovely in their character, whose words are ugly, boastful, prideful or mean-spirited.   Yet God calls me to love those very persons whom He has placed in my life. 

As I was listening to a sermon this weekend by John Piper I got a better understanding on how I can walk in the Spirit by abiding in Christ.  What does it mean to abide?  John’s description helped me to see in a practical way what abiding looks like in everyday life.

“And if you wonder what hour-by-hour abiding in Jesus means, it means hour-by-hour trusting him to meet all our needs and be our supreme treasure. And when we are confident that he will meet all our needs and be our treasure, we are freed and empowered to humble ourselves and meet the needs of others.”

Hour-by-hour abiding in Jesus…Lord that’s what I need to do.  Lord, help me to do that this coming week, so I can obey Your command to love one another and even love my enemy.  May I remember that I too was the unlovely one that You chose to love.  How amazing is that?

Grace Filled Bloggers

They are grace filled bloggers

Blessing their readers

Sharing what they’ve learned in this journey called life

They share from their heart

What the Lord is teaching them today

Dare to reveal their hopes and dreams about tomorrow

They openly share about trials and temptations

Failures and what they’ve learned

Praising God for their victories in Christ

They share with photographs

Too beautiful for words

Of God’s abundant blessings in their lives

They give a picture into their lives

Telling of family and friends

Even their heartfelt passionate prayers

They encourage readers to stand firm in their faith

Never waver or doubt

But only believe

Some old friends, some new

Some whom I know personally

Some I will one day meet in heaven

They bless me as I read what they share

In their journey of life

Lord, for this I give You thanks

By Susan Wachtel

March 3, 2012

Thank you to the many bloggers who have blessed, challenged and encouraged me.  Truly there have been day’s the Lord has used your word and pictures to bring me much needed encouragement.  Abundant blessings to you in Christ!

Five Minute Friday – Listening To the Ache

I could easily writing about the ache that I have for heaven.  There’s not a day that goes by that I wonder, is today the day that Jesus will call His church home?  Is today the day in which I will meet my Lord and Savior.

However, after reading Wanda’s post at “The Watered Soul” it got me to thinking about a different kind of ache.  It’s the ache that I have in the midst of the busyness and pressing demand of life to be able to make the time to do things I love to do, to do things that really matter and make a difference. 

Oh I feel that ache often.  It’s the card that I don’t send because I don’t have time to sit down and write a few words of encouragement.  It’s the phone call I never make because I know the person likes to chat and I only have a few minutes.  It’s the doily that sits uncompleted on the table because I don’t sit down and take the time to finish it.  Or I don’t take a couple of hours to go to the park with my camera and snap some photos of God’s creation.  I feel that ache when thoughts that are going through my head that I don’t take the time to put pen to paper and really listen to what the Lord is teaching me.

Lord…show me how to get off the merry-go-round and LIVE life and not just continually run at a frantic pace, accomplishing stuff that’s of little consequence and of no eternal value.  Show me how Lord, show me how.  

This post is being linked to 5-Minute Friday courtesy of The Gypsy Mama, where you simply write for 5 minutes without worrying if it's right or not.  Head on over and take the challenge today.

Oh How I Love Jesus

Tonight at Bible study we sang the hymn “Oh How I Love Jesus.”  As we sang acapella my thoughts began to wander and I found myself thinking what will it be like when we are seated at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb?

Who will I sit next to?  Will it be family or friends that I knew all my life?  Or will it be a new friend that I will get to know in eternity?  Will we break out into songs of praise and worship with the people seated next to us, giving praise, honor and glory to the Lamb of God, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 

Oh How I Love Jesus

By Frederick Whitfield

1. There is a Name I love to hear,
   I love to sing its worth;
   It sounds like music in my ear,
   The sweetest Name on earth.
• Refrain:
  Oh, how I love Jesus,
  Oh, how I love Jesus,
  Oh, how I love Jesus,
  Because He first loved me!
2. It tells me of a Savior’s love,
   Who died to set me free;
   It tells me of His precious blood,
   The sinner’s perfect plea.
3. It tells me of a Father’s smile
   Beaming upon His child;
   It cheers me through this little while,
   Through desert, waste, and wild.
4. It tells me what my Father hath
   In store for every day,
   And though I tread a darksome path,
   Yields sunshine all the way.
5. It tells of One whose loving heart
   Can feel my deepest woe;
   Who in each sorrow bears a part
   That none can bear below.
6. It bids my trembling heart rejoice;
   It dries each rising tear;
   It tells me, in a “still small voice,”
   To trust and never fear.
7. Jesus, the Name I love so well,
   The Name I love to hear:
   No saint on earth its worth can tell,
   No heart conceive how dear.
8. This Name shall shed its fragrance still
   Along this thorny road,
   Shall sweetly smooth the rugged hill
   That leads me up to God.
9. And there with all the blood-bought throng,
   From sin and sorrow free,
   I’ll sing the new eternal song
   Of Jesus’ love for me.

   

Refine Me...True Friends Leave Footprints

If you need a blessing from the Lord today and want some encourage, head on over and read Denise's current post at Refine Me.  She posted reflections about friendship.