Reflecting on Revelation

We've reached the halfway point in our revelation study, and I wanted to take some time to look back over what we've seen so far. I've actually seen some repeating themes, and I think those are important to note, and I can't wait to see how they play out in the remaining 3 letters.

With that in mind, let's look back on the churches we've studied so far.

1. The church in Ephesus was recognized for their faithfulness to Christ and His teachings, but condemned for their lack of love.
   
2. Smyrna was faithful to the point of death. They had love, and they were praised for their perseverance.
   
3. The Christians in Pergamum had love and perseverance, but they were lacking in truth. They remained faithful to Christ, but not His teachings.
   
4. And finally, the church in Thyatira was praised for it's love, faith, service, and patient endurance, yet they lacked truth. They tolerated false teachings.

Over and over again, Jesus has commented on their love, faith, perseverance, and whether or not they hold to the truth of the gospel or allow false teachings.

Love, faith, perseverance, and truth. Those are the highlights of the first four letters.

Which brings me to my reflection.

Do we see those things in our own lives? 

Do we keep Christ as our first love? ...or do we tend to drift away?

Is our faith in Christ (and Christ alone) enough to sustain us? Do we remain faithful to Him and believe He is in control of all?

Will we persevere when hardships come our way? ...or will we cave under pressure?

Will we stand up for the truth of God's Word, even if it means sacrificing our standing within our church, community or family?

Those are hard questions, but they are the ones I am reflecting on this week.

A less prominent repeating theme I saw in the first four churches, is works. Jesus said He knew the works of the first three churches, and the church in Thyatira was praised for their service. One of the ladies in my Bible study reminded us this week that faith without works is dead (James 2:20). That's something to remember as well.

Jesus knows your works. What does He know about you?

Do your works stem from love? Prompted by faith? Do they hold to the truth? Do they persevere under hardship? Do they exist at all...

We'd love to have you join us for the second half of this study. Find out more at: http://www.paulandheatherhart.com/intro-to-revelation/

This post was originally posted on my website at:
http://www.paulandheatherhart.com/reflecting-on-revelation-pt-1/

Hunger and Thirst

“Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

~ Matthew 5:6

I have quite the sweet tooth. My friends all got a kick out of it the day I posted a Facebook status that said, “Help! I'm craving chocolate and have lost my M&Ms!” I scoured the whole house up and down to find my giant bag of M&Ms that I keep hidden from my children (I do share on occasion—really, I do).

I’m sure you’ll be relieved to hear I found them and my craving was fulfilled, but what’s even better is the way God has used that craving to draw me close to Him. It all started with a question, “When was the last time I craved God enough to search Him out?”

We crave a lot of things: chocolate, steak, a good book. But how often do we crave God or His Word? That’s what the words Jesus spoke in Matthew 5:6 make me wonder. Do I really hunger and thirst for righteousness? What would that even look (or feel) like?

And those questions led me to the apostle Paul. I think Paul really understood this. He wrote to the Philippians, “I long to know Christ and the power which is in His resurrection, and to share in His sufferings and die even as He died; in the hope that I may attain to the resurrection from among the dead” (3:10-11 WNT).

Paul craved the righteousness by hungering for more of Christ. Earlier in that paragraph he said he counted everything else as a loss. He knew he didn’t have any righteousness of his own, but only what he received by faith in Christ (vs. 7-9).

The knowledge of Christ is there for the taking. His life, death, and resurrection are all recorded in the Bible, all we have to do is open it with the intention of learning more about Him. We can’t deepen our knowledge of Christ when we open God’s Word thinking we already know everything it has to say. We have to be open for God to communicate with us. We have to want to know Him more—to crave Him.

I loved the way one of the women in my Bible study worded this. She said, “God is a gentleman. He waits for us to come to Him.” A.W. Tozer said it this way, “God waits to be wanted.” He doesn’t demand that we sit and eat. He doesn’t stand over us and tell us we can’t start our day until we have spent at least half an hour reading His Word and drinking in His Spirit. He waits patiently until we crave Him, and then He fills us to the full.

When we draw close to God, He fills us with peace, hope, love, joy, and so much more. Paul wrote in the book of Romans that he wanted God to fill them with joy and peace so they could overflow with hope (15:13). When we crave God, He does just that. He blesses us with more of Him so we can live life to the fullest (John 10:10).

“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” 

~ Matthew 4:4 (WEB)

The above is an excerpt from my book, "Blessings from Above: A Deeper Look at the Beatitudes"

Sweet, Sweet Iced Tea

I just recently started reading this devotional book. I don't know when I got it, I just found it on my Kindle... but I am loving it! 

I was actually a little put off by the title, I thought it might be... well, to be blunt - just another Christian trying to make money from their faith. That sound harsh, but sadly I've seen it all too often. When writing becomes more about making money than it is about sharing God's word. Where the author shares opinion but doesn't convey God's love or His Word. I've started a lot of books like that and never finished them. Essentially,  the author published a book instead of writing a blog - and then charged way too much for the unedited thoughts. As an author, that's hard for me to admit, because I've stooped there before - but God always brings me back. It's the reason that I give away all of my books for free in one form or another when asked - even the non-Christian ones (I also write about book publishing and marketing).  But this book wasn't like that - and I probably got it on a free day.

What this book has been is simply AMAZING! I did just start it, but all the readings that I've read have said right what I needed, right when I needed it. It's feeding my soul - and most importantly, each short (very short) devotional is followed by a set of Scriptures to look up in your Bible. That's my favorite part - to have God's Word reinforce the lesson and speak to my soul. 

Here's the description of this book from Amazon: 

In the South, nothing is more refreshing than a glass of sweet iced tea. Nothing, that is, except experiencing God in those small, everyday moments. God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea is a deeply personal collection of spiritual treasures designed to help readers experience new mercies each morning. Seasoned with insight and grace, this tender devotional points to the divine presence of God in everyday moments. Whether purchased as a personal resource or given as a heartfelt gift, God, Me, and Sweet Iced Tea will help readers develop a daily habit of turning to God in those quiet moments of reflection.

The progression of this book is perfect - it doesn't jump from topic to topic, but helps you grow from day to day. I really believe that any Christian would benefit from this devotional, but it does seem to be written with women in mind. It's available on Amazon.com for just 3 bucks - and well worth it! But I also found that this precious author does have a blog that you can follow for free and she does share devotions similar to those in the book there from time to time as well. You visit it here: http://writemomentswithgod.blogspot.com/

The Sailor's Savior

I mentioned earlier this week that I'm studying the book of Jonah. I'm actually going through a book called, Lord, Teach Me to Study the Bible in 28 Days by Kay Arthur - and I have some pretty mixed feelings about it. Some days I read 2-3 chapters (days) at a time and still feel like I didn't get any where, other days - like today - one chapter is all it takes for her to help me find something amazing. The best part is, that while she sends me on "Bible Errands" as I'm calling them, she doesn't tell me any answers. At first, this really annoyed me - especially during the days where she thought I would learn something astounding and I obviously didn't see the dots that she thought I would connect. But today, it was a good thing. Here's what I found (yes, we're still in chapter 1):

Most of the time when we read the book of Jonah, our focus is on Jonah. But have you ever stopped to look at the other people on the boat with him? I relate so well to these people. I go about my life until a storm hits, and then I look to the false gods in my life to fix it - I pray to the false god of reason, I offer sacrifices to the false god of time, and I bow down to the false god of other humans. And finally, when none of those things work, I suck it up and decide to fix it myself. I start doing everything in my power to "lighten the load" or save myself. Just like the sailors did.

When the storm came upon the ship, they prayed to their false gods and they tried to solve the problem for themselves, and finally, they gave up and decided that Jonah held the key - and he did. And while Jonah held the key, he wasn't the key himself, the key was his God - our God. And God holds the key to solving our problems as well.

As the sailors listed to Jonah tell them how to solve the problem, they rejected it. Throw him overboard?! That's absurd! Have you ever said that to God? I have. I'm like, "God, I know You know best - but that's a stupid idea." So just as the sailors kept struggling to try to save themselves, I do the same thing. God's already shown me the way to go, and I'm too stubborn to follow Him.

Of course we all know that the sailor's eventually gave in and threw Jonah overboard, and of course he was swallowed by a whale. Everyone talks about how him being in the belly of the whale for 3 days and nights was a picture of Christ in the tomb, but did you ever stop to realize that God also used him to save the men on the boat?

These men were scared for their lives and knew that Jonah held the key - even if it wasn't the solution they were hoping for. But they did what he said, and they were saved. He willingly (yes, being thrown overboard appears to have been Jonah's idea) sacrificed himself for them - he was their savior... and not just the savior of their lives, but he also pointed them to the one true God. Because of Jonah's sin, they came to know and worship God. The last few verses of Jonah chapter 1 says that they made vows to Him, now I don't know what kind of vows those were, but I'd like to think that they dedicated their lives to Him (but again, I don't know for sure because it doesn't say).

...My girls have woken up and emerged from their room and disturbed my entire train of thought, so I guess I'm done now.   Oh the joy's of being a mom.

Trusting God When Bad Things Happen - Guest Post

Trusting God When Bad Things Happen

Guest post by Shelley Hitz

My heart continues to be heavy for all those grieving today across our country.  I don’t believe it was a coincidence that I published a book this past week called, “Trusting God When Bad Things Happen.”  And even before the tragedy in Connecticut, I felt led to offer it free on Smashwords this month. 

Trusting God In The Midst of the "Storms" of Life

When bad things happen, what is your reaction? Do you trust God even when you don't understand? 

There was a dark season in my life when it literally felt like an earthquake had occurred. Everything in my life seemed to be falling apart...my family, my finances, our church. And I asked God the simple question, "Why?" This book is the result of my own search for answers. In the end, God gave me illustrations that I will share with you and brought healing to my heart and my distorted view of Him. I was able to trust Him again, even though my circumstances had not changed.

I pray that God uses this short eBook to deeply impact you as well. I have included questions for reflection for you to go through individually or as a group.

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I (Jesus) have overcome the world!" - John 16:33 

One Reader’s Response:

"This book has Biblical answers to the 'Why?' we are hearing so much today after the shooting tragedy in Connecticut. Thank you, Shelley, for the timeliness and wisdom." ~Barbara

Download This Book for Free

For anyone interested, you can download the book "Trusting God When Bad Things Happen" FREE this month.

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/263666

100% Off Coupon Code: HB95F

Expires: January 1, 2013

This book is also available for $0.99 on Kindle http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ALLQW5A

Please feel free to share this book and coupon code with anyone you think could benefit from the topic.

Prosperity

Job has been a long time favorite book of mine. Most people think I'm nuts, but it's so reassuring to me to know that God is in control of everything. Besides being a window into the 'behind the scenes' of things, there is also a ton of wisdom within the pages. While the words of Job's "comforters" were spoken with wrong assumptions, they are all still wise words. However, as I was reading them earlier this week I was slapped in the face with the prosperity gospel. I don't know why I had never noticed it before, but there it was. Job's comforter, Eliphaz, was preaching the prosperity gospel to Job during the time that he had lost everything - including the will to live. Talk about bad timing. But then again, when is a good time for the prosperity gospel?

Jesus said that in this world we will have trouble - not prosperity. So were these words spoken by Eliphaz unbiblical? I don't think so. After all, all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching. So what gives? The only logical reason would be the difference in the definition of prosperity. Eliphaz said, "You will know your tent is secure; you will take stock of your property and find nothing missing. You will know that your children will be many, and your descendants like the grass of the earth. You will come to the grave in full vigor, like sheaves gathered in season. We have examined this, and it is true. So hear it and apply it to yourself." Can you imagine saying that to someone who had just lost all of his children?

Even though those things did come to pass in Job's life, I still don't believe in the worldly prosperity gospel. At first glance, this appears to be a biblical example of it, but my tent is a heavenly one. Everything I have belongs to God, and thus none of it will ever be missing, even if He takes it away. I don't know what's in store for my earthly children, but I pray that I will help many many women in their spiritual journey's to spread God's message to the ends of the earth. Through Christ we are all family - His family - and that's more important then anything on this earth. I will go to my grave in full vigor, because the best part of my life is yet to come. I will not have any regrets, or feel like I'm leaving anything behind, because my home is heavenward. That's how I choose to apply the prosperity gospel to my life. I will prosper in my life after death and for all eternity. That is worth far more than all the prosperity that this world has to offer.

Mr. Monday ~ Respect

Give everyone what you owe him: 

If you owe taxes, pay taxes; 

if revenue, then revenue; 

if respect, then respect; 

if honor, then honor.

~ Romans 13:7

Respect: To treat with special consideration and/or high regard.

source

I spent some time this past weekend looking into the quality of respect. We are instructed in Ephesians 5:33 that we, as wives, must respect our husbands. But that is probably one of the things that most wives struggle with the most. Even those of us who think we have mastered it, fall short. That was brought to my attention the other week when I was reading Elizabeth Georges book "A Woman After God's Own Heart", so that's where I wanted to start my new Mr. Monday series of looking at the various descriptions of wives in the Bible.

The very first thing that I was brought to when I was researching the word "respect" in reference to husbands and wives, was Queen Vashti. Do you remember her? The picture that the Bible paints of her is pretty small. In fact, she is only in a few short verses in the first chapter of the book of Esther. Do you know who she is now? She was King Xerxes' disrespectful wife. Her husband wanted her to do something, and she said no. Thankfully, we live in a very different culture now-a-days, because I must admit that I have told my husband no more than once.

King Xerxes' advisers were worried that if the King's own wife didn't respect him, that all of the women in the country would start disrespecting him as well. Can we apply that to our lives as well? If we disrespect our own husbands, how will others treat him? Have you ever been around a wife that disrespects her husband in public? All of her friends do the same thing - trust me, I've been there (on both sides of it). King Xerxes' had a right to be concerned. That doesn't mean that I agree with the actions that he took, God said that what He has brought together that no man should separate. When we get married, we don't have instantly perfect relationships. Our husbands are no more perfect then we are - and we are all far from perfect (Rom. 3:23).

Respect is a hard thing to learn. Especially when it's learning to respect someone who's life is laid open before you. We know our husbands better than anyone else on earth, that means that we see all of the faults that he has. We know all of his short comings. Yet, if we don't respect him, others will pick up on that. They will see that the person who knows him the best, doesn't think that he deserves respect, and they will follow our lead. But on the flip side, when we do respect our husbands, others will see that too and will be more likely to offer him that same respect.

Not only will others see it and implement it, our husbands will see it. Shaunti Feldhahn dedicated an entire chapter in her book, "For Women Only" about the impact that a wives respect has on her husband. The massive research that she put into that book showed that "Men would rather feel alone and unloved than inadequate and disrespected." The best way that we can show our husbands that we love them, is by respecting them. To quote Shaunti Feldhahn one more time "If a man feels disrespected, he is going to feel unloved."

So do you think that maybe we ought to put a little more effort into respecting our husbands?

As Elizabeth George would say: "Yes, but how?"

The answer to that is so massive that I couldn't possibly cover it here. But here are a few ways that we can respect our husbands:

• We can respect his decisions, opinions, knowledge and judgement. - To me that means not questioning his decisions and not always adding my own two cents worth when he has clearly already made a decision. That doesn't mean that I have to be silent and lose myself as a person, that would NOT make my husband happy. He didn't marry a doormat, and he didn't want to. But he also shouldn't have to listen to my "infinite wisdom" every time he wants to do something or tells me what is on his mind. 
• We can respect our husbands with our thoughts and words. - Respecting our husbands by choosing to assume the best from him instead of the worst. Choosing to only think and say positive things about him. Nancy Leigh DeMoss's 30-Day Husband Encouragement Challenge was a HUGE help to me in this area. Quite honestly, that challenge changed my entire marriage, just by changing the way that I thought.
• We can respect his abilities. - When the girls were little, Mr. Amazing would try to help me out by getting them dressed, and I often didn't like the clothing that he picked out for one reason or another (it was too cold for short-sleeves, or maybe I had already set out clothes for the day), so I would change them. After a while, he stopped dressing them. When I inquired as to why, he said that I would just re-do it anyway, so why should he bother... and you know what? He was right. The same thing goes for re-folding clothes after he did the laundry, or re-doing anything that he has done. That does not show respect for his abilities in any way shape or form, and it tears our husbands down more than we will ever realize. 

What are some ways that you can choose to respect your husband this week?

I Feel A Series Coming On....

Wives, submit to your husbands, as fitting in the Lord. 

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

~Colossians 3:18 and 23

It's Monday! While many folks are complaining about Monday, I actually enjoy it. Monday is when the boys head off to school and I get to write! I love writing... Oh, and it's also Mr. Monday here at Servant, Wife, Mother, and I love my Mr.!

I'm still in the midst of my study through Elizabeth George's book, "A Woman After God's Own Heart" (It was set to the side for about a month, but I'm back at it now), and last week I went through chapter 6. This chapter was all about following our husbands. She made points like asking ourselves "Am I treating my husband as I would treat Christ? and that our husbands will be accountable to God for their leadership, we will only be accountable for whether or not we followed their leadership. They are carrying the heavier load, we just have to trust God enough to follow our husbands - which brings Sarah to mind...

But the thing that I found the most challenging was respecting my husband by saying nothing. I don't need to correct the little details, or attempt to finish his sentences just because I think I know what he's going to say. I struggle with that. I highlighted the line in the book that says I don't always have to express my opinions - and I am VERY opinionated. I need to practice listening and learn to speak only when it benefits those who listen (Eph. 4:29).

Also in the study guide she had us look up the definition of several words that we could apply to our husbands. Words like admire, respect, love, notice... well, there were a lot of them. I'm thinking about doing a Mr. Monday series on applying those words to our husbands :) Any input?

2 Timothy 4:2

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

~ 2 Timothy 4:2

I was writing down the above verse earlier, and just as I got to the last part about doing it all with great patience and careful instruction my daughter, who had been doing a lot of playing instead of finishing her supper, knocked over her glass of water. Well, I didn't have great patience, and it certainly wasn't careful instruction that I snapped at her... It's ironic how things like that work. I was writing the verse down because it was so powerful to me, and I really wanted to work at applying it to my life, but even before I finished penning it down, I had already abandoned the message. 

God's Word has so much to say about patience and gentleness, I'm pretty sure that that's because of the fact that sinful human nature is the exact opposite. But the Bible does lead me to believe that it is possible.  So today, I want to ask you: How do you keep your cool? How do you develop great patience and respond with careful instruction instead of with harsh reactions?

Earlier this week I mentioned that I got some new books in the mail, one being "Uprooting Anger" by Robert D. Jones. I'm hoping that that helps with both of those things, because patience seems to be the opposite of angry reactions... 

Any thoughts?

A Winner and A Scripture Reflection

And the winner of the Woodcarver DVD is.....

Robin! 

Congratulations, Robin! I hope you and your beautiful family enjoy this DVD as much as I am :D

Now! On to the Scripture reflection:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 

~Colossians 1:15

We are studying Colossians in our woman's Bible study at church, and as I was reading through it today, I came to a new understanding of Colossians 1:15. You see, this is the verse that the Jehovah Witnesses use to discredit Jesus as part of the Trinity, to 'prove' (in their minds) that He is a created being. In the past, I haven't known what to do with that. I knew they were wrong, I just couldn't understand what was meant by this verse - it was very troubling to me. But not anymore!

Jesus was the firstborn over all creation. That's an amazing fact to know! God the Son coming to earth as our Savior was the first aspect of Creation that was planned. Before they planned the creation of the world, before they made Adam and Eve, God knew that His creation would need a Savior. He knew that anything that was less than Him, wouldn't be able to be perfect. You see, this verse isn't stating that Jesus was created. No, it's telling us that before anything was created, they created the plan for us to be reconciled to God. How amazing is that! God knew that Adam and Eve would sin, even before He planned to create them, and He made a way to counter that act of sin. 

I have often heard (and believe) that the old testament points us to Christ, but when reading this verse, I see it as more of a record of God's master plan. He didn't send Jesus because Adam and Eve sinned; Jesus' death and resurrection - His victory over sin - had already been planned before they were even created. Salvation wasn't an after thought! Jesus' humanity was the first thing that God (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) created, even though it wouldn't happen for years to come, they had a plan. Everything that happened before He was physically born was to set the stage for His glorious work. Just as now, while we are waiting for His return, He is preparing a place for us, and we are setting the stage for His glorious return. 

Jesus was the firstborn over all creation, not simply an after thought. I hope that you can find as much joy in that today as I have. - and maybe have something powerful to share with the next JW that knocks on your door. ;)

A special thank you to the apostle Paul and God for writing the letter to Colossians, I'm so thankful to be growing in the knowledge of God! 

Prayer Scriptures:

I'm learning about prayer this week in my Bible study, and I wanted to share with you some of the Scriptures that I have found about the importance of prayer, and Scriptures that you can use to start or end prayers. 

Matthew 6:5-13~

 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us today our daily bread. 

Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’

Why Pray?

Proverbs 15:8~ The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

Proverbs 15:29~ The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

Matthew 21:22~ If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Mark 11:24~ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Acts 1:14~ They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Acts 2:42~ They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Acts 14:23~ Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust

Romans 10:1~ Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.

Romans 12:12~ Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Ephesians 6:18~ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Philippians 1:19~ for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.

Colossians 4:2~ Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

2 Thessalonians 3:1~ Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.

1 Timothy 2:1~I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—

Hebrews 5:7~During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.

James 5:13~Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.

James 5:15~And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

Prayer Starters:

1 Kings 8:28~ Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.

1 Kings 8:29~ May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.

Nehemiah 1:4-11~ “LORD, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

          “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’

          “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”

Psalm 17:1~ Hear me, LORD, my plea is just; listen to my cry. Hear my prayer – it does not rise from deceitful lips.

Psalm 17:6~ I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.

Psalm 54:2~ Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.

Psalm 55:1~ Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea;

Psalm 61:1~ Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.

Psalm 84:8~ Hear my prayer, LORD God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob.

Psalm 86:6~ Hear my prayer, Lord; listen to my cry for mercy.

Psalm 102:1~ Hear my prayer, LORD; let my cry for help come to you.

Psalm 143:1~ LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.

Philippians 1:9-11~ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.

Daniel 9:17~ “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary.

Psalm 142~ I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy. I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.

When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me. Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.

I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” 

Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.

John 17:6-19~ “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

   “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Ephesians 3:14-24~ For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

Be Blessed!

Living in a Martha World

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

~Luke 10:40

Tucked away in the book of Luke (at the end of chapter 10), is a short story of a family that welcomed Jesus into their home. It’s the story of Mary and Martha. In the story we find Martha hard at work, while Mary sits at the feet of our Savior. Reasonably, Martha is upset. She is being left to do all the work by herself, and she gets edgy. I can hardly blame her for that, I probably would to. However, when I was reading this story the other day, something completely different caught my attention.

Yes, Martha was busy working, and she thought that Mary should be too. Does that sound familiar? We live in a Martha world. We are told that we should be busy doing, not sitting at the feet of our Savior. Sure, Christians are suppose to read their Bible, but even the Christian world bombards us with the idea that if we aren’t busy serving, then we aren’t doing what we should be. If we aren’t cooking meals for families that need them, or cleaning the church building, or teaching Sunday school or Bible study, then we are looked down on.

Yet, in the story of Mary and Martha, Jesus chided Martha saying: “…but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10:42. Taking the time to sit quietly and pray or read God’s Word, that’s better than doing all the other things that Christians do. Yes, those things are good, and even required, but without the Word of God, they are all meaningless.  Why? Because “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” – Matthew 4:4. We need the Word of God, more than we need to teach Sunday school, more than we need to clean the church, and more than we need to sign up to bring food to a fellowship gathering. After all, we are saved by grace through faith—and this not from ourselves, but it is the gift of God— Ephesians 2:8.

New Bible Study!

"in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths."

~Proverbs 3:6

I'm so excited about my new Bible Study! It took quite a while to figure out which one I wanted to do, but I'm confident at this point that I chose the right one. A dear friend of mine and I are studying Elizabeth George's book "A Woman After God's Own Heart". My books came in late last week, and I have just been digging right in!

While We have only finished the first chapter, I have already learned so much. We're going through this very slowly so that we can digest the information and apply it to our lives. Here are some of the notes that I have made so far:

"Good, better, best,

never let it rest,

until your good is better,

and your better is best."

This little saying was accompanied by a powerful story of choosing God's best for our lives. While we make some choices that are good, we could make better choices, and even then, there is always a best choice. It definitely made me stop to think about if my choices were merely good, or the best that they could be.

The growth and study guide had some great questions to take us deeper into the book. We had to look up the definitions of 'priority' and 'worship'. Then list 5 actions that would help us make worship a priority. Here's my 5 things:

1. Have a daily quiet time each morning.
2. Read my Bible each night.
3. Read to the boys out of our Bible book each night before bed.
4. Memorize Scripture!
5. Listen to/ sing along with a worship CD each day.

I'll let you know how I did on those later...

The theme for this weeks study was the story of Mary and Martha recorded in Luke 10:38-42. A quick summary of what we learned was that while serving God is good, stopping to sit at His feed and worship Him is even better (our memory verses for the week are Proverbs 3:6 and Luke 10:42).

The biggest impact made on me during the first chapter was written in the form of a question. It essentially said:

"Am I in awe of God and what He wants to do in me, for me, and through me?"

So that is the question that I leave you with today. Are you in awe of what God has in store for you? 

No Church on Sunday

What do Sunday's look like at your house? For most Christians, it consists of getting up early, eating a nice breakfast, and heading off to Sunday morning serviced. This is of course followed by a nice lunch, family fun, and then possibly evening services. While my church has yet to begin Sunday evening services, that's what our Sunday's use to look like too. That is, until Mr. Amazing got transferred to a new store. He told his boss that he wanted Sunday's off for church, but in the entire 2 1/2 months that he has been working there, he has yet to have a Sunday off.

While I am all for taking the kids to church even on days that daddy works, we have probably had every variation of the cold and flu possible during that time. Instead of leaving the sickly at home with dad or mom and the rest of the family attending, we are all stuck at home. It's been a sad time, and I am missing my church family deeply. We would have been at church this morning, but 3 of our children got immunizations on Wednesday and are now running fevers, have very runny noses and watery eyes. I was so excited mid-last week when it appeared that we were all healthy, only to have my hopes dashed by the bad reaction to their shots. (Can anyone tell me the point of getting immunizations to keep you from getting sick, if they themselves make you sick?)

So here we sit, at home again on a Sunday. Over the past several weeks I have been thinking of Church alternatives. You know, things you can do on Sunday to worship God, without attending the Church building. I know some families actually do church at home on those days. But my kids aren't old enough for that. However we do play worship music all day. Here are some options if you are ever get stuck with no church on Sunday:

Family Bible Reading- Sit down and read the Bible together. We actually do this every evening, so I haven't done this one yet, but it's always a great starting point.

Bible lesson/craft- A quick online search will pull up tons of free resources for Sunday school teachers that are easily adapted for use at home. We did tons of these when homeschooling, so we have several books and such with ideas as well.

Listen to an online sermon- Most churches have their sermons available online, so pulling up one to listen to even though you aren't in a church is easier than ever. I am not a big fan of Tele-evangelists, and it's unlikely that I would ever recommend watching a sermon on T.V., some churches even have videos of their sermons available on their website.

Watch a Christian movie- Something simple for the kids like watching a Bible story movie can help remind you and the kids that this is a day set apart for worshiping God, even if you are still at home.

Puppet shows- Put together a puppet show of one of your kid's favorite Bible stories. This is a great family activity, that helps teach Bible principles, but also gets the kids involved.

Pray together- Hopefully you do this anyway, but set apart a special time on Sunday's when your at home to pray as a family. Pray for your church family, and for anyone else that might have had to miss church that week. Pray for your pastor, worship team, and anyone else that God lays on your heart.

Those are just a few examples of ways that you can worship God on Sunday's even when you can't make it to church. Do you have any other ideas that you can share with me? I would love to hear about them!

Have a blessed Sunday.

Politics

Anyone who is following my blog knows that I don't talk politics... well, ever. This is the first time that I have ever brought politics to this blog, and I'm debating on whether or not it will be the last. You see, I am not all that into politics, but God has challenged me on how Biblical that decision is.

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. ~ Romans 13:1

If we are called to be subject to the government, shouldn't we do our part to ensure that our government is subject to Christ? No matter who is elected, we can know that it is God's will, however, God has been gently prompting me that I need to do my part to know what is going on in my government. I wouldn't follow a pastor if I knew nothing of his beliefs, why would I blindly follow a president? Anyway, that's where my mind has been today. So I have been looking at the websites for the presidential candidates for 2012. A couple things have caught my attention, that I thought I would pass on.

#1 I really like bullet point lists when it comes to issues. If you can't tell me flat out what your goals are and what you stand for in an easy to read format, it makes me wonder how much is fluff, and how much is actual issues. One candidate never even said what he stood for, another just said that he thinks Obama has failed us (without mentioning how or why). I can't vote for either of them, because I don't know anything that they stand for.

#2 After knowing what they stand for, there are a few issues that stand out for me.
-If your main issue is creating jobs, why can't you tell me how you are going to do that? Every single candidate cares about jobs, in fact, every presidential candidate in history has claimed to better the economy and help make more jobs. Unless you have an action plan that you are willing to openly share, I just don't buy it. Sorry.
-All of our presidential candidates claim to be pro-life (well, all of those that have posted what they stand for anyway, there's no way to tell about the other 2). I think the more important issue at this point is their definition of what that means.
-The only candidates that mentioned education, specifically mentioned homeschooling. That makes me happy :)

So after that little recap of my discoveries, here is a list of the candidates and who I will be watching, and who I have written off:

Mitt Romney:
Doesn't say what he stands for (other than America and that Obama has failed). I will not be voting for, or following him through this election.

Jon Huntsman:
Also does not share his stance on issues, at all that I could find. I can't follow or vote for him either.

Rick Perry:
The current leader in this race, only mentions 4 issues, and all of the other candidates mention those as well, and there are a ton of issues that he doesn't seem to care about, so I won't be following or voting for him.

Newt Gingrich:
Instead of addressing issues, he posts solutions. I liked that. I will be watching him and learning more about who he is and what he stands for.

Rick Santorum:
Another man that I will be watching. The first thing he lists as standing for is faith and family.

Thad McCotter:
I really like that he first outlines the issues as he see's them, and then lists how he thinks we should confront them. I will be keeping my eye on him as well.

Ron Paul:
This one is surprising to me. It seems like Ron Paul has been running in the presidential race for as long as I remember, yet never wins. I always chalked that up to mean that he wasn't worth anything, I have been surprised. I will be watching him, and hope to learn more about this man that I have always ignored.

Michele Bachmann:
I'm not sure how I feel about a female president. I've been back and forth on this issue most of my life. In high school I was a feminist, and thought girls were much more capable then men. However, once I recognized Christ as Lord of my life, that view changed. I went dramatically the other way, thinking that because women need to be submissive to men and thus shouldn't run anything, only support their husbands. To recognizing Debora as a biblical leader, thus understanding that it has it's time and place. I will be following her through this election, as well as looking further into the study of women leaders in the Bible.

Did I miss anyone? I know that Tim Pawlenty has already withdrew from the race, but that's as far as I have came so far.

What about you, do you follow politics? Who are you watching this election?