Thursday, December 31, 2009

Gifts Of Faithfulness, Mercy and Grace...


At this end if this day 2009 will be over ushering in the new year of 2010. How did this happen? Weren't we just concerned about Y2K? So much life has gone by and many changes have been made to each one of our lives the last decade. My mother and my father in law both went home to be with the Lord in this decade, I have four beautiful grand daughters, I 'm not in my forties anymore and my fifties are almost behind me. They say a woman changes the most physically in her fifties. Terrific. These past ten years have been some of my worst years and yet some of my best. I am thinking some of you might say the same thing.

We are living in perilous times of uncertainty. We are still at war and our sons and daughters are still serving in counties that their lives are in danger every day. Lost jobs, homes foreclosed, divorces, illnesses have become part of our daily lives.


And yet....

"...He remains faithful..."
2 Timothy 2:13

God gives us the gift of faithfulness everyday as a gift. In that gift of faithfulness is mercy and grace amidst whatever circumstances we might find ourselves and our loved ones in. We often times, fail to recognize these gifts when things are falling apart around us. I am guilty of this at times.

If I could wrap up a little gold box and give one to each of you to put where you could see it everyday, I would. Maybe you'll want to wrap a little gold box for yourself as a reminder...God remains faithful...no matter what!

Elisabeth Elliot said;
Sometimes when I was a child my mother and father would say. "Shut your eyes and hold out your hand." That was the promise of some lovely surprise. I trusted them so I shut my eyes instantly and held out my hand. Whatever they were going to give me I was ready to take. So it should be in our trust of our heavenly Father. Faith is the willingness to receive whatever He wants to give or the willingness not have what He does not want to give."


Whatever the Lord places in each of our hands this year, one hand should be open in trust to the One who loves us most. In the other hand, let's embrace the gift of His faithfulness, grace and mercy.

These gift are ours because they were bought and paid for by the precious blood of Christ. Will it be this decade, this year, this day that He will return for us? We can look forward with much anticipation to all the things God will do for us and in us because of His faithfulness.


God bless you, dear friends, may He bless your New Year!

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Make Room For Jesus...

Winter still waters...such a place of calm. The busyness of Christmas is past and all that needs to be done now is to put the decorations away and get on with what ever is next. I need a place of calm right now..to be still with my thoughts, seeking God and His voice. I've learned that I need to sit still so that I will hear His whispers when He talks to me. I am listening, Lord..I am trying to sit still so I can hear.

When the holidays are over sometimes we look back with such agony and grief that we didn't make room for Jesus. We bring Him into our Christmas by having mangers and stables in our homes and on our lawns, we wear lapel pins that say Jesus is The Reason for the Season, we sing songs about the birth, so yes, we bring Christ into our Christmas. The grief comes when we didn't make room for Him. We brought Him into Christmas, but in all reality we didn't make room for Him. The days flew by and one day could lead to another, and another, and maybe we found ourselves being spiritually starved for spiritual food.

There were some Christmases that I was so grieved that everything came before spending time with Jesus, that my heart just ached. I failed to make room for Him.

If that's what happened to you this Christmas..there was no room for Jesus...don't lose heart and let the Enemy of your soul beat you down. We are supposed to make room for Jesus every day of the year. Everyday is a fresh start and His mercies are new every morning. if we make a commitment to make room for Jesus now...well, next Christmas He will already have his bags unpacked and settled in to a heart that made room for Him!

Just a thought...If you have to, leave a small manger up as a reminder all year long..to make room for Jesus.

Lord Jesus, help each one of us amidst these busy days to always make room for You. Don't let us get distracted with the cares of this world that we fail to sit beside those still waters and listen for Your whispers. We can't do it on our own, stir Your Holy Spirit in each of us to a greater love and desire for you. In Jesus name we ask, Amen