Time Alone with God

Under the pressures of all that today and tomorrow holds, we get caught up and forget that the most important thing we could do is spend time alone with God. In the book, Jesus Calling, yesterday's devotion gently reminded me of how much the world tries to "squeeze you into it's mold and crowd out time" meant for you to spend with the Lord. We get distracted and sideline the most crucial part of our day, spending time with our Heavenly Father.

Romans 8:38-39 "For I am convinced that neither life nor death, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

Recently, I was feeling very dry spiritually and very overwhelmed by life circumstances. But I knew it wasn't because I wasn't praying or wasn't reading my Bible. I couldn't figure out how I got to this uncomfortable and lonely place when I was doing the right things and I know the truths of the Word of God. I could preach them to myself, yet I felt like there was this wall between me and Him and I couldn't tear it down. This went on for weeks. I continued to pray and ask for God's help in different areas of my life and I prayed for my family and church and others. I just couldn't figure it out. Why was I feeling so distant?

Then one morning, as I sat on my knees, I broke down and cried out for the Lord not to hide His face from me any longer. I needed Him to be near me. I prayed that I might rest in His holy presence and hide under His loving wings. I prayed for Him not to leave me alone. In those very moments, the Lord showed up. He whispered to my heart that He was always there and listening. He had never left me. He ONLY wanted me to seek His face. I cried, I rejoiced, I felt an overwhelming peace wash over me. Nothing can separate me from the love of God! Oh what a loving and merciful God we serve!

Jesus is ever present. His love is a constant in our lives. He never changes, never wavers. Do we have times when we don't feel His presence? Of course! Does that mean He isn't there? Absolutely not! 

All too often we are only seeking God's hand and not His face. 

We want what He can offer us and forget to love and cherish who He is. Today, take the time to seek the Lord's face with a thankful heart. Spend time in His presence without asking Him for anything. Desire to be with Him and Him alone. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.

Rest in the knowledge that "Time spent alone with God is never wasted."

What is true accountability?

Last night at church our Pastor confirmed a thought that has been blazing in my heart for a long while. Busyness has become a built-in facet of our modern society. As I looked around throughout the sermon, I saw everyone shaking their heads in agreement. It brings great pause to my heart in thinking of how many areas of spiritually growth we inevitably deprioritize because of busyness. Primarily, we tend to not give God His rightly place as the top priority in our lives and our hearts. Relationally people also suffer, and all too often we let our spiritual growth through accountability slide to last on our list, below a multitude of other less important things. We think if we could only get these other tasks out of the way, things will calm down and we would have more time. Never happens! Excuses pile onto more excuses and instead of moving forward we find ourselves slowly failing out of true community with others.

Over the last several months through many conversation, I have had an overwhelming sense that even though people say they know it is important to be accountable, they have a poor understanding of what accountability truly is. They say they want it or need it, yet have no idea what that really entails. So what is godly accountability? Accountability is being honest with another person or small group of people about our outward tendencies and habits, as well as the desires and thoughts that drive us. It is about confessing the things we struggle with. It is about searching our souls and letting people in so that someone else can see sin struggles that we may not even be aware of ourselves. It is encouraging people in the love of Christ and His saving grace. It is about Jesus using relationships with others to grow us, stretch us, challenge us and mold us into His likeness. Accountability is consistent, helpful and joyful. It is about discipling others and being discipled ourselves.
Within accountability we:

1. carry burdens for one another (Galatians 6:2)
2. speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15)
3. admonish willful disobedience (Colossians 3:16)
4. grow our faith (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
5. offer and accept correction (2 Timothy 4:2)
6. encourage each other daily (Hebrews 3:13)
7. encourage love and good works (Hebrews 10:23-25)
8. pray for each other (James 5:16)

Clearly as Christians, we see these things as helpful and needed. However, even with the good fruit people undoubtably know would come from being in accountability with others, people still tend to avoid accountability for 4 main reasons:

• Pride
• Laziness
• Rebelliousness
• Fear of rejection or judgement

Too many times we fail to see the root issue and continue to justify our lack of accountability with a host of excuses. Yes, you will be taking a risk, but the benefits of spiritual growth, knowledge, wisdom and authentic friendships that will result far outweigh that which the enemy uses to keep you from it. If you are lacking true accountability, spend some time time today asking for God's help in this area. Pray for God to reveal your sins to you. Ask Him to help you be open and honest with someone about them. Ask him to help you receive admonishment and rebuke, but to also be able to receive the encouragement, prayer and grace you need. Leave your pridefulness on the ground and realize that we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. A quote by Richard Rohlin says:

"Humility is key. Nothing destroys any relationship – accountability included – like people who are too prideful to confess their sins, too selfish to forsake them, too self-centered to care about the struggles of others, and too egotistical to accept godly reproof. Accountability groups are one great way God can use to humble us because of the mutual confession of our own wickedness. Don’t turn it into one more opportunity to showcase your perceived greatness."

My hope is that you will see that authentic accountability is important and of value to you. God is sufficient in giving us all we need and He gives us relationships and community with others to grow us and teach us.

Are you willing to create disciples and be discipled yourself?

Worship in the Depths

In my life, even as a "young" woman, I have seen some of the greatest struggles one could imagine. I have had more heartache and trials than I ever care to say. Yet still I find that there are situations that others encounter, and I myself, may possibly encounter as well, that are so far beyond my comprehension. In those moments when you realize that you have no control over your circumstances, all you can do is pray for God's hand to shelter you and strengthen you for the journey.

Yesterday I received some heart breaking news that my step-father had passed away. At first I'm quite sure it didn't register in my mind and I am positive it didn't in my heart. As the day went on, my mind began to replay the memories of his presence in my life. Although he had missed a lot in the last few years, he was very present in a critical time in my life. When my dad passed away in a terrible car accident when I was only 16, I was devastated. My step-dad was there though; with an angry, hurt little girl making every mistake a teeneager could make. He was at my high school graduation- cheering me on as I walked across the stage in front of thousands of people, trying to get me to strike a pose for a picture, as I passed him by. My mind raced on to remember his loving words when he came into the dressing room to see me in my long, full, white wedding gown. I clearly remember him walking me down the aisle saying, "You better go get your man." I remembered the look on his face as he held his first grandchild in his arms, with all the love in the world swirling in that room. Those were good days- things I will never forget.

Needless to say, yesterday was a rough day! I was happy, angry, somber, confused and sorrowful- all in the same day. I couldn't wrap my brain around how God would allow one family to go through so much strife and pain. My self-pity got a tight grip on my heart and it wouldn't let go. I went to bed with my heart, my soul in turmoil. 

When I awoke this morning, I had a strange sense of peace. As I sat down at the kitchen counter with the sun peeking through the window, Jesus gave me the sweetest reminder through the book, Jesus Calling", by Sarah Young. It said, " Do not long for the absence of problems in your life. That is an unrealistic goal, since in this world you will have trouble. You have an eternity of problem-free living reserved for you in heaven. Rejoice in that inheritance, which no one can take away from you, but do not seek heaven on earth."

Oh, be still, my heart! I, too easily, have forgotten that my Father's ways are above my ways. His plans mightier than any I could conjure up in my mind. His peace more powerful, His love more radiant than anything else I will ever experience. In Him we find refuge. In Him there is rest. In Him we are made strong and made whole. In Him we find perfect peace and renewed joy.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds. - James 1:2

So today, I will rejoice in Jesus! I will be reminded that I do not need to have all the answers. I do not have to see God's entire plan. He will give me enough light for the step I'm on. I will rejoice in knowing that my loved ones are at the feet of Jesus. Today I will put my hope in the Lord, knowing that one day my faith will be made sight and I will experience the fullness of Jesus and also be in His midst and at His feet. Today I will worship my Heavenly Father for all He is. I will rejoice in knowing that He has covered my lacks and all my sin with the blood of His perfect son. His grace is sufficient, His love is ever present.

I wait for The Lord, my soul waits, and in his Word I put my hope.- Pslam 130:5

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

- Romans 8:38-39

Busyness

   In our society today, we have put great value in creating a rich and meaningful life. This almost always equates to our busyness. We run in this rat race feeling sure that one day we will "arrive" at that place we desire to be. Crashing into bed at night only to realize that we will run the very same race again tomorrow. Sometimes, in order to break away from the mundane, people begin to do outlandish things; also sometimes referred to as a mid-life crisis. Other times, especially young adults, have the tendency to jump from one dream to the next because they have become bored with the initial dream. They have come to the realization of how unfulfilled they really are. Does busyness make our lives meaningful or meaningless?

Recently, I found myself increasingly drawn away from spending uninterrupted, unhurried time with Jesus, by my infinite list of menial tasks . My never ceasing busyness seemed to be encompassed in this thought by Solomon in Ecclesiastes 2:22-23, "What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless." I was continually feeling exhausted and overworked. I wasn't sleeping well because my mind wouldn't shut off and I was over-emotional all the time. I couldn't help but ask the Lord why I was feeling so tired and worn down when my life was full of things to do and people to see. The Lord sent me the most gentle reminders in this very moment.

-"Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him." (Psalm 62:1)

-“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

It is of great importance to desire and seek after the discipline of meditating on God's Word and being quiet in His presence. In all of our busyness we should make our number one priority seeking after our Lord and listening for Him to speak to us! When we are overwhelmed by all the to-dos or even before we come to that point, we must learn to be still and know that He is God. We will find rest in God alone! We find meaning for our life in Him! He is the very thing that fulfills our hearts desires!

Matthew 6:33 says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you." We must let this verse sink into our hearts and drive us toward an outwardly action of seeking the Lord. Focus on seeking Him and finding Him in every circumstance. I promise you that He is there. Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. God is already there.

Today, take 5 minutes and just be still before the Lord. Don't think of all that needs to be done, all your goals or even your afflictions. During those 5 minutes, don't ask for anything. Just quiet your soul and reflect on God's goodness and grace. Can you do it? It will be harder than you think to quiet your soul and your mind. But it will be worth it! Wait on the Lord to meet you in this quiet place.

- For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. (Psalms 62:5 ESV)

Afterward, ask the Lord to help you remain in His presence and to go deeper into His Word. Ask Him to help you not to see this as another task on your daily to-do list but to take great delight in it. Ask Him to keep your eyes focused on Him. Ask Him to guide your every step.

How hard was your 5 minutes?

 

 

Blessings,

Lorie

 

The Weight of Beauty

Yesterday, as I watched this video, I really began to question why we put so much weight on our outward appearance and why women have such a negative perception of themselves. I mean, sure, I like to look nice! I wear makeup and jewelry and I enjoy shopping for new clothes as much as the next girl. But if I was asked to describe myself /my features, what would I say? Would I be harsh about the way I look? I can almost assuredly say I would point out the dark circles under my eyes, and possibly the accidentally too-short hair cut I was given, and even that my smile slightly leans to one side. I know my weight would play a huge part in how I described myself. Why are those the things that I would point out first? Why have I put so much weight on these areas?

Women have always been hyper sensitive about their looks. In general it is because of what they have been told about themselves or what is being portrayed as beautiful by the culture of their time. Our society puts great value on style, allure and good looks, which has in turn, bred many insecurities into the hearts of women across the world. Consistently, the world implants thoughts and ideas into our minds about the way we should look. Today, with the constant barrage of media and technology, we are more self-aware of our seemingly numerous imperfections than any other time in history! Women are being drawn to eating disorders, over-spending, having surgical procedures, becoming depressed and some have even gone so far as to commit suicide because of the way they look. It is a Tragedy!

We must do something to change the way we perceive ourselves and teach other young women and children what real beauty is. When we look to the Bible for answers of the importance of our outward appearance, we find a very different view of beauty. Simply put, the way the world views beauty is not how God views it at all!

1 Peter 3:3-5  "Do not let your adorning be external- the braiding of the hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear- but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of the gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."

1 Samuel 16:7  "...For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."

Proverbs 31:30  "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting: but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

I fully realize appearance is important to some degree. People judge us daily by the way we look. However, we need to learn to keep it in perspective. If we want to portray the characteristics of Christ within us we must ask ourselves these questions:

1. Does my focus on my appearance take my eyes off the Lord?
2. Am I portraying characteristics that are becoming of the woman God is calling me to be? 
3. Do I focus more time, energy, and thoughts on my appearance than I am spending with the Lord?

Although we live in a very superficial world, I challenge you to use God's Word as your guide in all circumstances. Does Paul not say in Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect"? Let us look to scripture that tell us how we should present ourselves, not to the world. Let us put less weight on our physical appearance and more weight on the work of Jesus in the transformation of our heart and mind.

1 Timothy 2:9 "likewise women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control...

Have you ever struggled with body image and physical appearance? Share your story!

Find Someone to Encourage

" You are important, deserving, loving, intelligent, worthy, compassionate, beautiful, creative, inspiring, brave, true, strong and able."

All too often there are women in our lives, young and old, that don't hear these words enough. Find her and remind her of these things, but not just once. Encourage her with the love Christ has for her, with the beauty He sees in her, with what He ha done for her and do it often! Often enough for her to believe you mean it!

If you are that person that needs to hear these words, then I pray with all my heart that you can hear me saying these words to you right now. As a believer, when God looks at you, He doesn't see your sin and brokenness. He sees His sinless, perfect, glorious son, who sacrificed everything so that you could be reconciled with your Heavenly Father. He gave you His righteousness in exchange for your sins. You are changed forever through the blood Jesus shed. Rejoice in that transformation! Live in light of it!

Thought to Challenge You

Sacrificial Love

Everyday we are bombarded by the notion that we should seek our own happiness above all else. It is in the commercials we watch, the music we hear, the billboards we see and even posts on every form of social media. But if we seek God's design for our lives, it is in complete opposition of that very thought. We are called to a life of sacrificial love.

Ephesians 5:2 "and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."  

1 Corinthians 13:5 " ...[Love] is not self-seeking..."

Philippians 2:4 "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."  

Practically, you may ask, what does that look like? How am I to live a life of sacrificial love? Ask yourself these questions:

• How can I better serve my husband?
• How can I better serve my children?
• How can I better serve my church?
• How can I better serve my community?
• How can I better show the love of Christ to others?

The answers aren't always as large and time consuming as we think they are. They don't always include wads of cash or unmanageable chunks of time. Even small sacrifices can make huge changes in the attitudes and morale of the people around us. Sometimes people develop a misconception that sacrificial love means that there is no return on their investment of time, energy, finances or whatever sacrifice in resources they make. But that isn't the case at all! Here is a couple of examples.

My husband loves to come home to a clean house and, as trivial as it may sound to some, a clean car. Lots of frustrations have resulted from me not keeping our car clean and by clean I mean leaving absolutely nothing behind in our car. Sure, I could give every excuse in the book as to why I leave things in the car. We are truly busy, I have a child, we practically live in our car, I didn't have time, I forgot, it's a hassle, he doesn't drive it as much as me so why does it really matter. Although for me, it seems like a sacrifice of time and effort on my part to make sure it is clean, for my husband, it is a way that he feels loved, cared for and acknowledged. It shows him that he matters and that even though something isn't necessarily important to me, IT IS STILL IMPORTANT to me because it is something that is important to him. Over the years I have learned that taking those few minutes to get everything out of the car when we get home is only a small sacrifice and in the end it has a huge payoff- no frustrations about an un-kempt car, a clean vehicle and a husband who feels well loved. Do I get it right every time? NO! But the more times I do, the better off our time together is spent. 

Sacrificial Love = Happier Marriage
 

Let's take children's ministry at church into consideration. I believe that the Children's Ministry is one of, if not THE MOST important ministry in the church. However, time and time again, you see Children's Ministries in desperate need of volunteers. Why is that? I'll tell you why. It takes sacrifice to serve in children's ministry. You have to prepare, you have to be willing to deal with unruly hungry, sleepy kids, you miss service, you don't get to mingle with adults, they ask questions that sometimes you aren't prepared to answer. Bottom line- it's work! But what you receive from making that sacrifice far outweighs the sacrifice itself! Jesus says, "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me" (Matthew 18:5) If we believe that "Loving God and Loving People" is central to who we are and what we believe then we should work fervently to teach our children how to live that kind of life. Our return on our investment is another generation that continues to cherish and spread the true gospel of Christ, not only because of what we said but because we also modeled it in front of them from the age of a small child and into adulthood. By being a part of children's lives we model for them that they are important and worthy of our time and energy. If they were worthy of Jesus' time, how much more so should they be worthy of ours?
 

By the grace of God, we are given a living example in Christ, of the life we should pursue with all our hearts. I believe whole heartily that lives, marriages and families can be transformed by the pursuit of a passionate and authentic relationship with our savior, Jesus Christ, and a genuine desire to please Him through a life of sacrificial love and service to others. I also believe that by living this kind of life, we will not suffer from a lack of joy, yet it will be provided abundantly by our Heavenly Father.

Ask yourself what sacrifices you will make today to better serve others. In what way can you demonstrate your love for them? Our life will continue to speak through the lives of the people we impact. I pray that my life will speak of the ultimate sacrificial love of my Savior, Jesus Christ.

What will your life say?

 

I Want To Love Like That

Have you ever been somewhere and out of the corner of your eye you saw a couple lovingly holding hands, gazing at each other with the sweetest expression and looking like the happiest people in the world, only to think, "Why don't my husband and I have that anymore?" I have- many times in fact. Several times while watching movies, a romantic scene would make me swoon and I would hit my husband and give him the evil eye to let him know I disapproved of his lack thereof. Any romantic gesture seen in the media was reason enough for dissension between me and husband, or so I believed at the time.

But as I began to seek more biblical answers about the truth of real love, those feelings began to fade and became replaced by thankfulness for the man and love that God had blessed me with. I realized that there is a difference between love and infatuation. Infatuation by definition is an extravagant, short-lived passion or attraction. Usually it is accompanied with butterflies in your stomach, goo-goo eyes for the other person, waiting countless hours on their call and so on. But real love, the kind we desire deep within our hearts to have, is so much more.

 

1. Real love is an action not just a feeling. It promises to show love to your spouse regardless of whether you feel "in love" or not. That flowery feeling of love tends to fluctuate with the presence of stress, lack of sleep, poor health, financial issues along with numerous other factors. Real love, however, is constant and sure. You love when you feel it and when you don't.

2. Real love commits to working through conflicts instead of giving up. When we get married we vow to take our spouse for better or worse. No one ever says, "Except when he/she screws up!" or "Except when I don't feel lavishly in love anymore." For better or worse is all encompassing because I believe Jesus calls us to a marriage of love, grace and forgiveness.
 
3. Real love is patient. It accepts that your spouse is a fallible, sinful and imperfect being, just as you are and it allows for you to be patient with their weaknesses.
 
4. Real love is not self-seeking. Real love isn't about what your spouse can do for you but rather what you can do to better serve and love your spouse.
 
5. Real love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:7) Wow, "ALL THINGS", couldn't have said it better myself! Real love leads me to the cross!
 

 

When I think of these things, I think of areas where I can and need to become a better wife. I see my lack and want to do better in giving him my love. I know that God can give me the wisdom and strength to do it. Don't get me wrong, I love to receive my husbands love and affection! I delight in the days when he has filled my love tank to overflowing. On those days, in particular, it is most assuredly easier to serve him. But, real love isn't about me getting but about me giving. If more husbands and wives could learn to love selflessly, I believe, divorce would not be as prevalent in our society as it is today. God's Word gives us more than a sufficient amount of examples of what real authentic love should look like, if we would only take the time to seek it out. His Word is a love story from beginning to end- one filled to the brim with real love. All fairytales, romantic novels and movies aside, when I read of Jesus' unfailing, everlasting, unconditional REAL LOVE, my soul cries out " I want to love like that!"