Lest We Forget

It's Remembrance Day. A day set aside to remember all of those men and women who have given of their lives for the sake of our freedom. Oh, how I thank Jesus for a free country and for those that have sacrificed for us. Most of us have not lived in a place or at a time where that freedom was at stake on our own soil, so it's hard for me at times to fully comprehend even, all that I have to be thankful for. And that, I believe, is why we must remember.

As I sat with Jesus this morning...I began a journey of remembrance in another way.

Did you know that there are 166 verses in the Bible that use the word "Remember"?

I read all of them this morning. Wow!

You wanna hear the very first one? It's from Genesis. And the Creator God speaks.

I will remember my covenant between you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Gen. 9:15

Remember that God is faithful and keeps his word. Everytime we see a rainbow, it is a reminder that God keeps his promises.

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. Deuteronomy 24:18a

Remember where you came from and what God saved you from so that you may have compassion and understanding for those around you. Remember that Jesus died so that we could be free.

And the last book of the Bible...

Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent.

Revelations 3:3a

Remember the truth. Make sure that what you know is true, makes a difference in your life. Remember God's faithfulness, His Grace, His Truth, His Light...Turn from what you know to be deadly in your life . Confess your sin. Live in Obedience.

So I pray that everyday, in the midst of our circumstances, our trials and our joys, in all that we do, in our homes and in the work place and in our relationships...that we will Remember our God and all that He is and all that He has done for us...Lest we Forget.

While We're Waiting

Are you waiting for an answer to prayer? Are you becoming impatient? Are you wondering if God will ever make it happen? Is your faith wavering? Listen to David's prayer:

But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD.

Remember who you are praying to - the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, Sovereign Lord above and over all, able to do anything. The one who gave himself for you. He is the one to whom you pray.

At an acceptable time, O God,

When the time is right. Not before the thing is ready. Not before everything is in place. Not before the best outcome can happen. You really don't want to settle for less than that, do you?

In the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. Psalm 69:13

There is no deficiency or lack in his loyal, unending, constant love for you. It is excessive and overflowing. His answer will be based on this love and his faithfulness to you and to the promises that he has made. His love and his faithfulness will save you and protect you, strengthen and carry you, delight and inspire you.

Many times we put our faith and hope in the answer to our prayers instead of in the one who answers them. Let's remember who we are praying to!

Psalm 23 (New Living Translation)

A psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd;

I have all that I need.

He lets me rest in green meadows;

he leads me beside peaceful streams.

He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths,

bringing honor to his name.

Even when I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will not be afraid,

for you are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff

protect and comfort me.

You prepare a feast for me

in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

My cup overflows with blessings.

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord

forever.

Free

Did you know that you are under no obligation to the sinful nature? None at all! (Romans 8:12)

You are not helplessly doomed to fail and struggle and never overcome those things – those sinful habits or tendencies (visible and hidden) – that plague you and weigh you down in your life.

Did you know that the one whom the Son sets free shall be free indeed? John 8:36
Are you one of those whom the Son has set free?

You are free to live according to the Spirit, because Christ has set you free.

You are free.

Is this your experience? Maybe you experience this freedom in some ways, but not in some of the other areas in your life. Did you know that it is possible to experience Christ’s victory to live for God in those areas as well?

Sin is no longer your master, for you are no longer subject to the law, which enslaves you to sin. Instead, you are free by God’s grace. Romans 6:14 NLT

Sin is no longer your master.

You have been set free for freedom. Galatians 5:1

Many years ago, the Holy Spirit made these more than words and an idealistic concept for me. Since then, I’ve been pressing in – fighting for – my freedom. Positionally, I am free to live for God and obey Him; this is the reality in the spiritual world. I, however, have not been - and in some ways am not - practically free in some areas of my life. What I mean, is that I don’t experience the reality of my freedom in some areas of my life. We need to become in practice what our position is in Christ.

How does this happen? What does it mean to “fight for my freedom?” I believe it starts with knowing the truth. When the Holy Spirit convicted me that this freedom and victory is the norm for a Christian, I no longer had excuses. I couldn’t just ignore the inconsistencies in my life and chalk them up to excuses like, “Oh, it’s just my personality – I’m just like my dad and my grandmother. It’s just the way our family is.”
“It’s those darn hormones – PMS, pre menopausal, menopause, the winter blues, etc.”
“I’ve always been like this.”

Is God bigger than our personalities? Didn’t he give them to us?
Is the power that God exerted when He raised Christ from the dead bigger than our moods or our hormones?

Oh, please agree with God here!!!
It is for freedom that you have been set free.

So if we begin to see that this is true for us – right here and right now – in our present situations, then we know that we need to come into the freedom Christ has provided. Begin to renounce and turn from all those excuses that we’ve had. Humble yourself. How? Realize that what God says is true and right, and if what I’m experiencing in my life doesn’t line up with what God says, someone has to change, and it’s not God who has to change! Yes, it’s painful admitting that we’re in the wrong…again. But that’s the only way to freedom.

Where do we start?
Confess our sin and wrong doing. Confess our excuses for our behavior.
Turn from our wrong way of thinking and doing things.
Ask God to show us what the truth is and how to apply it to these areas in our life.

I’ve done this in so many areas in my life that I couldn't even remember all of them to count how many. This is how I’ve gained my freedom. It’s a process my dear friends, as many of you know. Don’t give up. Ask God to give you someone who encourages you in the truth. How we need that!

Go in peace and walk in freedom.

Rise and Shine

I had an interesting encounter Saturday night when some teenagers that I don't know, came by my house and wanted to give me some books after I had put some candy in their bags.

One of those, was a small little book on etiquette with the title of "Don't". It is a hilarious little book filled with all the things that you're not supposed to do if in fact you don't have "good" breeding but you would like to act like you do.

As I mused through it's old world advice (as it was first printed in the 1800's) I began to ponder all of the things we "good" christians don't do for some of the same reasons.

I wrote down all of the things that came to my mind that

"good christians Don't do".....you know the ones....

"good christians"

don't drink

don't smoke

don't cuss

don't dance

don't fraternize with 'sinners'

don't listen to secular music

don't watch soaps

don't wear bikinis

don't ever skip church

or bible study.....

unless you're really, really sick....(and then it's okay)

the list could go on and I'm sure you've got a few that you could add to it....

I've struggled in my own life with what some of these issues look like for me. I've wreaked with pride when I felt like I was doing all the right things and none of the wrong things and gauged my spiritual walk accordingly. At other times, I've lived in fear of what others might think of me if they knew that I wasn't living according to all of the "good christians don't" rules. I've also judged others in their spiritual walk and made assumptions of where they might be in their spiritual journey according to my earthly view.

But you know....Jesus didn't do that. If anyone could have spent time judging others on this planet it could have been him. Instead, He spent his time speaking the truth and handing out grace. So, I spent time with Him this week confessing my heart to him on some of these issues and my tendency to make judgement according to the "good christians don't" rules (even on myself). I asked him to speak truth into my life concerning some of these things and He did.

He reminded me that He is always more concerned with my heart than anything else. He reminded me of something his Holy Spirit whispered in my ear a few weeks ago as I was waking up from a deep sleep...

That my calling is to acknowledge Him and glorify Him with my life.

And as we finished up our visit that morning, Jesus talking to me through his Word and Spirit and me talking to him about all of this...He impressed upon my heart three little words.

Be A Light.

Wherever you go, whatever you do, whomever you're with....Be A Light.

That is what matters....so I say, forget about all that other stuff... Be Real and Let's Shine!

Today I start a new job. Much prayer went into finding it. I talked to God a lot about this job, and for a long time. And he talked to me about it, too. Now that I have it, I am confident it is the right job for me and for his name's sake.

The thing is... I have not one iota of experience in the industry into which I am being plunged. I have to learn from scratch. Everything. This will be for me a new world. New concepts, new people, new tasks, new procedures. I even had to get new clothes.

Between the moments of excitement and hope of good things to come, there are minutes of anxiety and fear.

There has also been a recurring theme in my life for a while, and it is the concept of power. So these verses, which I have written of before, keep coming back to me. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

It is my weaknesses that are causing me the anxiety and fear. But those are the things I'm supposed to boast in. So, that is what I am going to do today. I am going to do a little boasting.

Look at me everybody! My right elbow (the one that is usually my strong one) has been hurting for weeks, and sometimes, I can hardly move it! I forget things! I make really stupid mistakes! I'm getting old! And watch this! My back is not strong. I have no idea how it will hold up since I will be standing most of the day! I can't see things up close! And today, I have PMS and either am mad and pissy or holding back tears. Isn't that a great way to start a new job?! I suck at laughing at myself when I make mistakes! I have no idea how to motivate and supervise people! Fabulous!

It feels kind of strange and silly, but if boasting in my weakness will result in Christ's power resting upon me, then I will boast all the more! I want to live in the power of God, and if it means being weak, I will be content with that. And I will say with Paul, "When I am weak, then I am strong."

Kinda funny, but the moments of excitement and hope are winning over the anxiety and fear.

My family was sitting around the table talking about what we have inherited from our parents. Two of my children have my fair skin and the other two have my husband's skin tone. Two of them have natural curl like me and two have poker straight hair like my husband. One daughter has my hot temper, which I hate to admit. None of my children have blue eyes but brown like their Daddy. None of my children have my hair color. Some have feet similar to mine, some my husband's. One daughter can turn her tongue upside down like Daddy and the others cannot like me. On and on this dinner conversation went. It was funny seeing what character traits we take with us.

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27

If God created us in HIS IMAGE, what character traits do we have that show us that God is our Father?

Jesus did amazing things while on earth. He ate with tax collectors... allowed a prostitute to wash his feet... dumped the tables in the tabernacle... turned water into wine... raised people from the dead... healed the blind, deaf and mute... healed a lady that was bleeding heavily... cast out demons.... wept before he died... healed the soldier's ear that was coming to take him away to his death... was tempted by Satan in the desert.... sat with children and drew them into his embrace... cared for the orphans and poor... the Bible gives us many stories of Jesus walk on earth.

We must strive to be like Jesus. We won't physically look like Jesus did as my children will look similar to either me or my husband. The character traits we can take from Jesus are what he did every day in each of the examples above. Some of the traits we pass to our children are learned behaviours. What do we want to learn from the way Jesus walked?

Jesus walked the earth with humility. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, to give up his life as a ransom." (Mark 10:45).

Jesus was compassionate, humble, not embarrassed to socialize with the street people, caring, bold - standing up for what is right as you hear in many parables and see in his actions. Jesus loved!

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12-14

Jesus walked this way and clothed himself in each of these traits. He was the perfect example of who we should strive to be.

"Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God" (John 13:3) Jesus knew where he was from and where he was going. Do we? Do you have assurance of being with Jesus in heaven? Do our faith and actions line up? Are we only striving or are we living what we believe?

As God's child, how do you want to look more like Jesus?