Forgiveness Unlimited!

Today in my reading, I was studying the forgiveness our Savior gives freely to us all.  In John 19:33, after Jesus declared that, “It is finished”, the roman soldiers came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.  Little did those soldiers know that they were fulfilling  prophesy in Exodus 12.  What is so profound and symbolic to us here is that in the marrow of the bones the blood is produced.  When the bone is broken the blood cannot be produced nor can it flow freely.  This is a message to us all…there is an endless supply of blood to wash away our sin.  Jesus paid the ultimate price for you!  “It is finished”…already done!  What a glorious thought…the blood continues to flow and wash away our sin…sin that separates us from our Lord.  He loves us so much that He made a way to continually draw us to Him.  You can rest today in the unlimited forgiveness provided by your Heavenly Father.  Hallelujah!

Are you useful to the Kingdom of God?

Today in my reading, I stumbled across Luke 5:2.  This is the chapter when Jesus first approaches Peter to follow Him and become one of the 12.  This verse says, “And he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fisherman, who were washing their nets”. 

 As I studied this verse further, I learned when fisherman return from sea after fishing with nets all day, they must first wash the nets with FRESH water and stretch them.  I also learned that if this process was not followed consistently that the nets would rot and new nets must be found and used. 

As I read this I was astounded at how the Lord chooses to communicate to us through Scripture.  It is not a mistake that the fisherman were called to be followers of Christ.  Every word that God speaks in Scripture is useful to the building of our faith.  The washing water and stretching of the nets can quickly relate to our lives.  We must be continually washed with the water of the Word and stretched by the Spirit if we are to remain useful.  If we dont remain in the Word and stretched by the Spirit then why would the Lord use us?  When the Lord wants to use someone for His glory or for Kingdom purpose, He doesn’t chose the one who is rotting or brittle.  He touches the one who has been washed in the water of the Word and who is stretched and disciplined.  When Jesus chose Peter, He was faithfully washing and stretching his nets for the next fishing trip.  Little did Peter know that this principal would be parallel in his spiritual walk to come and would minister to us today.   I dont know about you, but I want to be useful for the building of the Kingdom of God!  Time to get to washing and stretching those nets!

Hungry? Feed Yourself!

Today I stumbled across a website of a pastor that I heard speak on Sunday over Christmas break in West Virginia.  His name is Wayne Cordeiro.  As I sat listening to him speak, I was incredibly challenged by his words.  He proceeded to tell us that we needed to stop relying on the church to feed us.  He gave the example of parents feeding their babies while they were too young to do it themselves.  He continued on by saying that the only way to not grow hungry spiritually is to begin feeding yourself.  Dont continue to sit around waiting on the church to do it for you.  WOW, how many of us sit around complaining of just this very thing? 

 In Amos 8:11 it is clear that there will be a great famine.  “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land- not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.  I dont know about you, but I believe we are experiencing a great famine NOW.  If we don’t see this, how many of us will be victim to this famine?  Its time to begin taking our spiritual nutrition into our own hands.  We are the only ones that can be responsible for our growth and daily spiritual well being.  There is one thing that we can trust in and that is the Word of God.  It is terrible to think that we will all remember to feed ourselves food today.  We will remember to drink water when we are thirsty, and we will remember to take care of meaningless tasks much more quickly than we will our souls for eternity’s purpose.  I pray that today, everyone reading this will join me in with this challenge.  FEED YOURSELVES!  Dont wait around for someone else to do it for you…its time to GROW UP!

Wayne Cordeiro is the pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Visit his website at www.lifejournal.cc today.  His life journal is great!  Forget reading authored devotions everyday…create your own.  It is amazing to look back over the year and see what God is speaking to you.  He promises in His word that He will speak, guide and lead if we will only seek Him.

Surviving Christmas or Celebrating Christmas…The choice is ours!

Well, today marks the anniversary day of when my dad had his heartattack that would eventually claim his life on December 31st. I have mixed feelings about this day. I know that Satan would want me to dwell on the fact that it would be all about just Surviving Christmas this year, but the Heavenly Father would choose to show us as a family that He continues to BALANCE all things in tragedy. This year has been full of many emotions. There has been lots of crying, remembering, and just plain getting mad about it.

Through all the grief though, God has been faithful. He continues to let me know everyday that he is still on the throne and that He desires to see my family through it all. I don’t feel that anything our Lord does is a mistake or at the very least is not well thought out. It is no accident that this is the time of year that He took dad home to be with Him. So during this Christmas I will CHOOSE to know that He is God. That he sent his Son into this world just to DIE…have you ever thought of that. He sent his Son into the world just to DIE. So it is for us, He thought enough of you and I that He chose to place us in this world for His glory and “just to die”, so that he could spend eternity with us. This Christmas is about celebrating the fact that this had come full circle for my dad. It too will one day become reality for us all…a day we should only long to experience!  Merry Christmas!!!

Amazed!

Today I am just sitting here in the office amazed at how big and all powerful our God really is. I was listening to a song today that had the phrase in it, “What do I know of You, who spoke me into motion”. What a thought. We were set into motion just by our Abba Father speaking it out as so. I absolutely hate how busy with the things of today,I can become. I fail to remember just how big our Father really and truly is. I have found myself today, confessing this as sin in my life before Him. Father forgive me for not being Amazed by you more often.

Is God Speaking?

Do you ever find yourself saying, “Well, I dont feel like I am hearing from God”.  “He hasnt spoken to me in I don’t know when”.  Today while driving to work, I heard someone on the radio addressing this very thought.  What they said spoke so profoundly to me.  They began to say that God has written a whole book on what He is trying to speak to us…when is the last time you went to read it and share time with Him?  How many times do we try to just put God on our list of “to-do’s”.  How many times do we finish our devotional time and think, “Good well that is done for the day”.  Our God is crying out for a relationship with us.  He is as real as our spouses, children and friends in which we can find plenty of time to spend.  God has so much He wants to share with us.  It’s all in His word.  He may not call you directly on the phone or text you a quick message, but He is patiently awaiting our time.  If God in all His mercy decided that we were worth it to send His only son to die on a cross for us, why in the world can we not share our lives and time with Him?

  I have been guilty of just doing my devotions to get through them, to be able to say, “It’s done, now onto the next thing”.  I think God wants more from us.  We cannot possibly get all God has to offer us if we are reading the latest Christian book, or soaking that sermon up from Sunday.  The Lord wants us to simply read HIS BOOK and talk to Him.  Do we love Him even though we dont see him?  And even though we don’t see Him, do we believe in Him?  If this is true, then according to 1Peter 1:8, we should have an INEXPRESSIBLE and glorious joy, because you just cannot find the words to describe it to someone.  Do we feel this way?  Is our relationship with the Lord so sweet to us that  it is hard for us to explain to someone else?   I am challenged this week just to be still before the God who holds this whole universe in place and to wait expectantly for that inexpressible joy that only He can give.

Is he really growing up? Oh no!

Today is a first of many to come.  Micah left at 5:00 am for Williamsburg, Virginia on an overnight  field trip with his 8th grade class.  As a mother, these things just remind me of how big he is getting and just how time is slipping through my hands.  Sometimes I sit and think, “surely he is not that old, because surely I am not old enough to have a 13 year old”, then reality sets in. 

Being the first of many trips away from mom and dad, I decided to text him this morning during his bus ride to VA.  My text, being rather lengthy (asking if he was having fun and needing details to put my heart as ease) was replied by him with a “YEP”.  So I thought surely he wants to discuss this trip more in depth with me, so I replied to the “YEP” text and waited for his reply.  The next reply was a resounding, “K”.  Why in the world do we spend money on cell phones and texting plans to get not just one word answers, but better yet, one letter answers.   

So in short, those of you reading this blog today, please pray for this momma of a 13 year old boy.  With each year he grows, my grip is slowly letting go.  This process we call parenting can be harder than most think!

You are God’s Workmanship…

As I was reading the word today, I was convinced that God has more for us in THIS life.  You know we always talk about God having more for us in eternity, and of course, I believe that He certainly does, but have you ever thought about how God wants more for us in this life?  He desires to see us as successful Christians.  He desires to see us healthy.  He desires to see us functioning in what He has called us to do.  Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God PREPARED in advance for us to do”.  This scripture is amazing because it shows us that God has prepared great things for us to accomplish long before we knew we were to even accomplish them.  This is our destiny!  Isn’t it amazing to think that you were created for a purpose?  For this very reason we exist.  When is the last time that you went past your assured salvation and your day to day routines to ask of God what is on His “to do” list for your life?  When is the last time that you laid it all out and asked of God…what is my destiny?  What would you have me do for the Kingdom?  It is so easy to partake of His faithfulness, but something completely different to step out as one of His faithful.

A Tribute to My Dad: My Superman

 

Over the past several weeks, I have heard many refer to dad as Superman.  This was mostly due to the fact that this movie was certainly one of dad’s favorites.  But since his passing, the name Superman has taken on a different meaning for us all.  In the films, Superman always portrayed someone that the world would look up to, someone that could just come in and “save your day”, and someone that everyone wanted to emulate. There would never be anything that he could not conquer.

 There were many occasions in my life where I have looked up to my dad.  I have always been daddy’s little girl.  The times that he would say to me, “Erin, you know that you are my only daughter”, were just too numerous to count.  He never failed to show me that there was a special place in his heart for me.  Security and protection were always felt when he was around.  But most importantly, you could feel the protection of his constant prayers even when you were away.  My sophomore year of high school was a particularly difficult time in my life.  You see I had just left 4 years of small private school life, to join what in my mind was a gigantic public high school.  East Fairmont High School was just 3-4 short blocks from our home.  Everyday, I would walk to school promptly leaving through the front door at about 7:30a.m.  One particular day will stick in my mind forever.  I had left for school as normal early one morning to quickly realize that I had left an important project that was due in my room.  Coming back through the door, I saw an image that will stay with me forever.  Dad was on his knees in the middle of the living room interceding for his entire family.  As I came in, I don’t believe he heard me.  He continued to pray specifically over my mother, brothers and myself.  Although I was only 15 years old, this image was very clear to me.  Dad was a praying man.  He didn’t have to tell us how important prayer was in his life, he showed it.  The comfort in knowing that as the head of his home, he did not take this responsibility lightly.  As I continued in my high school years, the Lord always allowed me to rest in that comfort of knowing that my daddy was always interceding to my Heavenly daddy for my protection.  My Superman of intercession.

Through all of my mistakes, the ups and the downs, dad’s love for us kids never wavered.  When I entered college in 1988 at West Virginia University, I couldn’t have been more excited.  Although I would live at home for those 4 years, I was about to branch out into a whole new world.  Dad was always like a “stay at home mother” to us in that he worked out of the home and typically was the parent that would intercept all the “kid duties” of the school year.  In August of 1988 it was time for my Parent/Student orientation at the University.  Dad would be the one to accompany me to this very scary and intimidating event.  I woke that morning to find that dad was up before me.  He was so proud that his first born would finally become a true “Mountaineer”.  You know there was no other University in the country that could rank higher in his book.  As we got in the car to head out for the day, dad began to comfort me with scriptures, prayer and encouragement.  His excitement for the day quickly became mine as well.  After seeing the campus and listening to the orientation speaker tell us what our 4 years would be like, dad and I headed for lunch.  Dad always had a knack for making you feel like you were on a date with him.  I know that it might seem creepy to think that I dated my dad, but this was a gift my dad gave to me…His precious time.  I could always count on his time for the rest of my life. 

 As the school year began, I quickly decided that trying out for cheerleader would be a top priority.  My dad was there every step of the way.  That football season WVU would go 11-0 and play for the National Championship.  I could not express to you the excitement of what going to a bowl game meant to me.  A couple of weeks would pass before I found out that the athletic director would not be sending the freshman cheerleaders to this great event.  Very sad about this, of course I ran home to crawl on daddy’s lap.  His heart broke for me.  He continued to encourage me and helped me to see all that I had accomplished throughout my first semester at WVU.  A few short weeks later, I ran home with the news of a life time.  I would actually be allowed to attend the Fiesta Bowl after all.  The Lord had truly answered my prayers!  It would be several years later before I realized just how God chose to answer that prayer.  My dad in all his boldness scheduled a meeting with the athletic director to discuss his decision.  Dad was able to convince him to allow the freshman cheerleaders to be a part of this great event.  It again became evident to me that dad was… My Superman that “saves the day”.

 Dad’s example for us was modeled on a daily basis through his faith, his marriage and his relationship with his children and grandchildren.  His character was one that would make anyone want to be like him.  Through all the years, his influence on my life has made me who I am today.  Dad was not a perfect man, but strived to be all that the Lord had called him to become.  He was obedient to the Lord and had the bravery to act and lead where others may have not chosen to lead.  He was a man of vision, a man of divine purpose and a man who touched lives.  Today, I have a wonderful husband because of my dad’s prayer over me.  Today, I have two super little boys with a call on their lives, because of dad’s prayer over me. Today, I continue to see the hand of God in my life, because of my dad’s prayer over me.  And, today I have a legacy to live out before the world, because of his consistent example in front of me.  I will never forget.  I will never stop sharing his example.  I will never quit carrying out this legacy put before me by My Super Man…my hero…my dad.  A Superman to be emulated for my lifetime.

Handing off the Baton

 There is a calling to “hand the baton” to “pass the torch” so to speak.  Many sit and allow themselves to be content to sit in the background.  Saved- yes!  Love the Lord- yes!  Desire to be blessed by Him- yes!  There is comfort in having spiritual leaders that will guide and direct, but are we willing to stand up and take hold of that which God is calling us. 

 As I read in Philippians today, I have learned that many times God will immobilize some so that others will rise up and “grab the baton” or “take hold of the torch”.  In a relay race each leg of the race is only allowed to run so far before the baton must be passed on to others.  Did you ever think that God stops those in our lives from paying further into our lives so that he will get us to run to that person that is ahead of us? In Philippians 1:14, Paul writes a letter from prison to the church at Philippi.  He says, “Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly”.  God promises to give us leaders that can pay into us, mentor us and then tell us RUN.  Are you willing to be used?  Will you rise up and lay hold of what God is calling you to do?

 Paul consistently worked at preparing those that would follow to carry the baton.  He undoubtedly chose to pay into the lives of others, not to allow them to use him as a crutch, but model, to guide and to prepare them for the time when he would no longer be with them.  In 2Timothy 3:10-16, Paul uses this scripture to prepare Timothy.  To encourage him in spirit, so that by doing this he will carry the baton (the gospel).  He tells Timothy, “you know all about how I have lived.  You know what I have taught.  You know how I have been persecuted for my faith”.  He is indicating that you have been my apprentice; you have watched all this from the sidelines, now its time to stand up and RUN- Run Timothy, Run.   He continues in verse 13 to say that there will be evil men and people who will impersonate the faith and it will go from bad to worse in the days to come.  People will deceive and be deceived, but don’t forget AS FOR YOU, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy, you have known the scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation in Christ.

 If it not us, then whom?  Paul continues to encourage Timothy for the fight that he is about to take on.  In 2Timothy 4:5 he cheers Timothy on by saying, “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist (and evangelist is one that takes the gospel where it is not- PRAY WV), discharge all the duties of your ministry.”  It is time for the people of God to take a stand and decide that they are not going to live under the umbrella of those that they feel are more qualified than they.  Will you allow your life to be poured out as Paul did; “being poured out like a drink offering” verse 6 states?  Who will you mentor, who you will equip for the good work when you are gone.  When you pass on your torch will you be able to stand and say as Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord…will award to me on that day- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing”.  TAKE IT- TAKE THE BATON AND RUN!