Spending Time, Spending Money

A crisp New Year, like crisp new money.

How will I spend it?

Frivolously....... Giving no regard to where my time, talents or money is spent?

Will I be miserly and spend this year hoarding for my needs and wants?

Will I be a good steward of this new year and spend my time, energy and money seeking God's kingdom and His righteousness?

Will I spend my time and emotional energy in bitterness toward others or will I practice forgiveness as God grants me the grace to do so?

Will I complain about my lot in life or accept; come what may, from my Heavenly Father's hand?

Will I be quick to judge what I don't like or do not understand rather than wait to discover how God wants me to respond?

Will I be inconsiderate and think of only my feelings or put the feelings of others ahead of my own?

Will I be unkind to those around me or will I take every opportunity to comfort, to encourage and lighten a load for those with whom I travel this road?

Will I boast about my work and all the wonderful things I might do or will I do my best whether there is anyone to see it or not?

Will I live this year in service to my God and King, not seeking riches but His Kingdom?

Will I empty myself for Jesus Christ and not try to fulfill my needs and wants with idols made by this present world?

WILL I?

"And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life shall lose it, and he who loses his life, for my sake, will find it."  Matthew 10:38,39 (NKJV)

Kristina A.

What’s the Plan?

I don’t want this to sound like I am bragging but I haven’t broken my New Year’s resolutions yet! I have a secret to accomplish this. It’s been successful for several years now. Do you want to know what it is?

I haven’t made them yet.

It’s not that there isn’t a whole list of things that I need to work on…improve on…get started…or even quit. I just don’t seem to get around to the whole resolution thing.

I think I could buy into the concept of resolutions more if I could tackle them by mid January… sort of a “The Year Isn’t Really All That Old Yet” resolution. It doesn’t roll off the tongue nearly as easily but I might have more success with it.

I do like a plan. I like to know where I am headed, what I need to do to get there and what it will look like once I’m there but making that plan January 1^st – just can’t get that done!

The life that Abraham was asked to live has been on my mind lately. I wonder if he would have liked a little more of a plan to work with, perhaps a few more details. God spoke to him and told him to leave his country, his people and his father’s household and to “go to the land I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1)

Just go, Abram (before the name change to Abraham). Just go – I will show you the land. This was long before the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night guidance system. As far as I can tell, there weren’t a lot of directions along the way. No one to confirm the path …no footsteps to follow as no one had been sent on this journey before…just the word to go.

How is that even a plan? How could that possibly be God’s plan?

But it was. Just go…you have heard my voice Abram…I will bless you…I will show you…now go…

So he went! And God did show him. God did bless him. He had the most amazing journey. A most amazing adventure. A most amazing life…because he listened and then he went.

Are you hearing God tell you to go but you are waiting for the plan? Just go.

                                                                                                    

Across the country, across the world, or maybe most difficult, across the street? …Just go.

Worried about the plan? Don’t be. God always has a plan Always.

“Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.” (Psalm 40:5)

Ruth U.

A Favourable Disposition

 "Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky."
- Fredrick Lehman

I have had this song running through my head for awhile, but for even longer I have been thinking deeply about the love of God. It is such a big topic that I never feel I can broach it, and yet when I was singing this song in my head the other day, I realized; “I am just one of those scribes, who is writing just one idea at a time.” . . . So I have been dwelling on one teeny weeny facet of God’s love this week that I would like to share with you.

“The Lord is gracious and compassionate; slow to anger, and rich in love.” (Exodus 34:6; Psalm 145:8) God’s love is full of grace. He sees the best in us, he looks past mistakes. He doesn’t see us as the pathetic sad people we are, but sees as in the best light possible. All because of His love. 

The root word for grace in Hebrew implies displaying a favourable disposition toward someone. How fantastic to be seen by God this way! I am challenged in my pursuit of loving others with God’s love to find parallels here.

For me to look on others with grace and love looks a little different than for God. God has the benefit of seeing peoples’ hearts and judging intentions and loving them despite that. As humans, we don’t have this ability. I may never know the intentions of others, but I still need to offer grace to those around me. 

How does this look?

With those I know, it is allowing them to be human. Allowing them to make the same mistakes I would want them to show me grace for. 

It’s allowing someone to have a different opinion or way of doing things than the way I think is “absolutely right.”

For those I don’t know, being loving and gracious starts in my thought life. Instead of assuming the person in front of me cut me off, I work on my loving heart, by allowing the possibility that maybe they didn’t actually do it on purpose. (novel thought)

Instead of being annoyed at the attitude of a waitress or salesperson, I can recognize that they might be having a bad day, or going through things I can’t imagine. Patience is a great way of showing grace.
Instead of seeing the world through the eyes of how each person influences me, I need to learn to see the world for what could be happening in their life. 

God has a favourable disposition toward us. Do we have one towards others? Today I challenge you to think about other ways you can show people love with grace. Take a second to think about your go to thoughts and perceptions of people. Are they full of love and grace?!?

Kourtnay K.

Trusting

Psalms 42:7 says, “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls.”

I have just finished reading a book entitled “Anything” by Jennie Allen. I began to read it shortly after I received it, but I stopped reading – not because it wasn’t good or too difficult, but because I was afraid.

Jennie and her husband prayed, “God, we will do anything. Anything.” I wanted to be able to pray a similar prayer, except I was pretty sure my head might think it was a good prayer to pray, but my heart wasn’t sure it was ready for it. So I set the book aside. I looked at it. I longed for it. I even flipped through the pages. I knew “deep was calling to deep”, but I couldn’t climb over my fears to get to the place where I could truly say to the Lord, I will do anything.

Then the other day I thought of the book again. I pulled it out and began to read. I found myself turning the pages and feeling the depth of one soul calling to another. I felt the resonance of Jennie’s words on the pages of her book in the pit of my gut. I have always longed for something more, something deeper and something of significance, but how do I get from where I am today to a place of giving my whole life to my God?

Then I read chapter 6 “Scrapbooks – Abandoning Fear”. As I was reading it I wished I’d read this chapter first – I might have continued reading if I thought we struggled with the same thing. On page 57 Jennie says, “I believe that being willing to abandon everything requires being willing to go anywhere – and willing to let go of everything.” Jennie has put into words the true place of my hesitancy. What if I can’t do this?

"What ifs" and "I don’t know what to do" are familiar phrases from my mouth and certainly in my head. These phrases have been powerful enough to stop the longings of my heart; to step out and ask God to use me – for anything.

On page 94 of Jennie Allen’s book “Anything” she says, “Do I believe in the invisible enough that I’m willing to live for it?” Now that is a question each of us needs to answer!

If I really believe in an eternal, loving God then trusting Him this side of heaven should change my daily, and certainly my eternal, perspective. If I really believe God has it all in control then stepping out into what feels like a risky situation takes on a whole different scenario of trust. I shift to trusting God, not the situation I’m in.

This book has shifted my perspective and challenged my longings. Perhaps more than anything it has begun the process of shifting what, or rather who, I trust.

“See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The Lord God is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.” Isaiah 12:2 (NLT)

Jo-Ann

Mistakes

Mistakes are costly.

Does every mistake need to cost something?

Is it a mistake if you learn something from it?

If you learn something from it is it still costly?

Yes.

            Yes.

                        Yes.

                                    Yes.

I have a box of product under my desk which has been a costly mistake, at least by my definition of costly. I ordered the higher quantity with the purpose of getting the better price, but it wasn’t a very good deal since there is still product left over.

The odds are good there will be another chance to learn from my mistakes and the question will be; will I be able to recall what I have learned in the past as I consider the next opportunity to step out, take a risk and perhaps make a mistake?

Learning happens when we make mistakes. Mistakes are costly – to someone or something, but can we risk NOT making a mistake in order to live in a relatively safe and secure environment? How will we ever learn if we don’t step out and risk?

The basic foundation as a believer is risking believing in something which cannot be measured by what is seen.

There are many things we believe even though they cannot be seen . . . air, gravity, Pluto to name a few. I know there is air; it’s how I stay alive. Scientists explain the components of air and what is needed by my lungs in order to breathe and stay alive, but I cannot see air nor do I completely understand it. I know there is gravity, because I’ve tripped over a branch and fallen down – hard (Just for the record it wasn’t pretty . . . it never is! Gravity is also what makes things saggy when one gets older.) And I believe in Pluto, even though he no longer holds the title of planet. I’ve never seen Pluto, nor would I know it was Pluto even if I was able to look through a telescope with the guided eyes of a knowledgeable scientist.

However I believe and I have faith and I accept what is known as true by someone more knowledgeable than me.

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see.” NET

Why then, do we avoid risking our lives for God because of the unknown, unfamiliar, or unseen? Perhaps the first step of faith is risking a change of address, or perhaps it’s sacrificially giving or perhaps it’s something as simple as entertaining the thought of giving our entire future to the Lord. Perhaps the latter is even more challenging than anything else because giving EVERYTHING to God really is the first step towards risking it all.

What are you willing to risk? Your time? Your money? Your family? Your life?

Perhaps the lessons we learn will be more valuable than any deal saved on the amount of product ordered.

Perhaps the lessons we learn will be more valuable than anything measured on a budget line item.

Perhaps the lessons we learn will be measured in eternal currency - and how exactly is that actually measured this side of heaven?

Mistakes are costly, but missing out on giving our EVERYTHING to God would be even more costly.

Jo-Ann

Wrestling, Memorizing and God's Truth

I have been wrestling lately… not the amateur nor the professional kind, but the spiritual kind of wrestling.

Sometimes I wrestle with feeling fearful.

Sometimes I wrestle with feeling inadequate.

Sometimes I wrestle with shifting scripture from my head to my heart.

I was online the other day and I saw this link to Beth Moore and the Living Proof Ministries Blog from September 15, 2012.  http://blog.lproof.org/2012/09/as-promised-the-great-forsake-and-take.html

It spoke abundantly to me!

I admire and appreciate this woman of God. Her bible studies have a depth and breadth which have spoken to many around the world. (If you haven't done one of her studies, let me encourage you to invest your time and do at least one this year.)

…Back to my wrestling thoughts. Have you ever read a scripture and agreed with it... at least in theory, but when it comes to stepping from your home and into the real world it becomes a whole different thing to live out? 

How can I shift scripture from something I think about in my head to something I truly believe in the depths of my heart?

I am so thankful when we wrestle with God in the hard places in life and He is always there with an answer. I have printed out the “The Great Forsake and Take" and I have begun to memorize these bible verses. (Scroll part way down the above link and click on 'The Great Forsake and Take' to be able to see and print out the scriptures.) My memory has never been great at this kind of thing, but I am determined to try to root these verses into the recesses of my mind for future reference. Would you be willing to take this challenge as well? Would you be willing to try to memorize God's truth?

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Let’s begin this new year adding scripture to our resources to tap into at any given time, on any given day, to remind ourselves we are daughters of the King; and we are loved and treasured beyond our imagination.

Jo-Ann