Thankfulness

I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

How often I forget to give thanks! How many days go by that don't include a joyful spirit and gratitude towards the God of the universe! He deserves my praise, no matter what circumstances or situations I am facing. The will of God for me is to ALWAYS be rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. Oh how I yearn to be in God's will! And yet, I often forfeit that joy and abundant life, trading it in for the distractions, complaints, and grumblings that Satan puts before me. How miserable life can get when I don't live a life of gratitude. Even more than that is the fact that God deserves all the praise we can give and so much more. When I choose to be distracted from glorifying God, I am cheating Him out of the praise He deserves. The enemy will do whatever it takes to stop me from praising God. Father, open my eyes, make me aware of the schemes of the enemy, for You deserve ALL of the praise and the glory in every single moment of every single day. What a reminder this verse is to live a life that glorifies God. Even on the bad days, may I always remember to give thanks to my great and glorious God.

Morning Glory

I took a look through some old journal entries today and found a sort of poem that I wrote almost a year ago. I'm not a very good poet, but it at least captured my thoughts at the time. It really encouraged me to look back at it, so I thought it would be a good post.

Morning Glory

Rays of sunshine reflect on panes of glass

Anticipation of a new adventure

Zeal, passion, and fervor abound at last

Refreshment and renewal begin

His strength; His power; His day

His blood has washed away my sin

Something bigger than thought before

Something beyond the wildest imagination

One step at a time, never looking at the floor

His glory dashes in

Taking up; taking over

No thought of how to win

For self no longer matters

A new perspective starts

One that overtakes the heart

Self Control

So as I sit here and look out the window at the snow, wishing I could be outside playing in it or better yet at home in Grants Pass with all those I love, I am reminded of the importance for self control. It just so happens that one of my main tasks for today is preparing for a chapel service I am doing on January 7th for the elementary kids at the school. You might have already guessed what I am speaking on...self control. How ironic! The very week that I would rather be almost anywhere but sitting at a desk inside, the very moment that I struggle with not being motivated, I am looking up verses and digging into God's word on the subject of self control. Hmmm...the fruit of the Spirit is a result of a life lived in the Spirit. Because of Christ's sacrifice we have the freedom to choose such a wonderful life, but it is definitely a daily choice. The evil one is so present and astoundingly deceitful in presenting other options to us in a way that looks appealing. I need to constantly put on the armor of God and stand firm. I need to deny my flesh every single minute of every single day. The definition I found for self control is "control of one's emotions, desires, or actions by one's own will (American Heritage Dictionary)." Thank God that we don't have to do this out of our own strength. I know I would fail every time. God graciously supplies His strength and His weapons of warfare. He has overcome the world! Glory to God in the highest!!!

So often pride is the root issue of problems preventing self control. The opposite of self control is self indulgence. We think that we deserve it or that the pleasure of something is more important than anything else. How wrong we can be when we focus on self. The challenge for the Christian is to constantly die to self, pick up our cross, and follow Christ. Christ's example is one of complete sacrifice. My working on a chapel service rather than playing in the snow or being with family is NOTHING compared to the extreme sacrifice of our Savior. Oh to have this perspective all the time! I must constantly be reminded of the eternal perspective and not wallow in my limited viewpoint of the moment. According to C.S. Lewis, the enemy rejoices when we get swallowed up by selfishness and pride: "He is perfectly content to see you becoming chaste and brave and self-controlled provided, all the time, he is setting up in you the Dictatorship of Pride--just as he would be quite content to see your chilblaines cured if he was allowed, in return, to give you cancer. For Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense" (Lewis 1943:45).

Satisfied

All my life I had a longing

For a drink from some clear spring,

That I hoped would quench the burning

Of the thirst I felt within.

Hallelujah! I have found Him

Whom my soul so long has craved!

Jesus satisfies my longings,

Through HIs blood I now am saved.

Feeding on the husks around me,

Till my strength was almost gone,

Longed my soul for something better,

Only still to hunger on.

Poor I was, and sought for riches,

Something that would satisfy,

But the dust I gathered round me

Only mocked my soul's sad cry.

Well of water, ever springing,

Bread of life so rich and free,

Untold wealth that never faileth,

My Redeemer is to me.

~ Clara Tear Williams

No possible words

I have no words to describe what God is teaching me right now...it is far beyond words. So I will resort to using the words of someone else, a missionary of the past that I love reading about.

Eyes to See

How great is His goodness

and how great is His beauty!

Zechariah 9:17

"Just now I have been seeing something of the beauty of God in His lovely flowers. 'But the Lord of beauty is more beautiful still, for He has created the flowers' (proverbs 13:3). In one of the apocryphal books it is written: 'Go your way, and see beauty and greatness...as much as your eyes are able to see.' The one speaking was referring to the beauty of the great walls, palaces and temple courts of Jerusalem - but the words come to me often, with deeper meaning. As much as your eyes are able to see. How much are our eyes able to see of our Lord Jesus? ... I want more and more to see His goodness and His beauty. Not vaguely, nor just from time to time. I want to see Him truly, continually, in His work, in those who love Him, in His Book, and in himself."

- Amy Charmichael (Thou Givest - They Gather)

Laughter

Whoever came up with the statement that laughter is good for the soul was definitely right! I am so thankful for all the people that make me laugh. It is amazing how fun it is to simply enjoy the company of friends while deep in laughter. For just a few moments, I am reminded of the joys of life. Those priceless moments shift my focus back on what really matters. It doesn't matter how stressful the day used to seem, laughter always makes it better. I am the type of person that likes to plan, thrives with organization, and is very detail oriented. In other words, I very easily stress out...most of the time without even realizing that it has occured. Thank God that He surrounds me with people that remind me of joy and laughter just when I start to get too serious for my own good. Friendships are priceless, especially when I have to live so far away from my family. God is so good! He knows exactly what we need and when we need it. Today I definitely needed an evening full of laughter.

Life goes sailing on

I am reminded with the chaos of the world we live in that life continues on. In the midst of trials and mountains to climb, God is still in control. As a nation, with this time of decision, there is an urgency for Christians to be on their knees and seaking the guidance of our Father and Creator. Life goes sailing on, but we need the direction of the Holy Spirit. The sail boat doesn't go anywhere without the push of the wind. What wind are we allowing to guide us? Are we simply listening to and being swayed by what our culture and media screams at us, or are we passionately and fervently crying out to our good and gracious God to lead us? This is so important! I need more devotion and more time for prayer in my life. It is essential that I make time for this, that I don't let anything, no matter how good it seems at the moment, get in the way of devotion to God. In our all-staff chapel this morning, Pastor Dale reminded us of the importance of the passion of our calling. He spoke from the book of Nehemiah, which is an amazing story of devotion to God and God's people. Stories like this inspire us because they show what happens with a life completely devoted to God. I want that in my life! I need that in my life. May we all seek the passion and inspiration of the Spirit while life goes sailing on!