Storing Up Treasure

Another funeral yet again this past week~it is amazing how attending a memorial service can stop me in my tracks and set my mind to reeling.  Why is it that our perspective can change in the blink of an eye-when we realize what really matters...what really counts...what is important. It's not to have an expensive house, cars, clothing, furnishings-although those things are nice. It's not about making sure you have all the perfect Christmas gifts wrapped under the tree and that you have bought the latest and greatest.  It's about realizing that we are spiritual beings having a temporary earthly experience.  An experience that is a short one. Our days are numbered and we are not guaranteed another one, yet we live as though we've got tomorrow. Instead, our perspective should be on what really matters in life, the eternal-storing our treasures up in heaven.

So how do we do that?  How do we store up treasures in heaven?  It seems so hard to keep focused on the heavenly things when the world vies for our attention.  We spend so much time and energy focusing on things that don't matter and we lose sight of the things that do.  Matthew 6:19-21 says Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Storage means to put away for future use and treasures are things that we consider valuable and precious to us.  Earthly treasure are easy-we think our retirement 401K, savings, big houses-those are things we are saving up so that we can have "the American Dream".  But is there more?  More to life than trying to store up riches and wealth for our contentment here on earth?  Are we using those things to spread His word? To show the love of Jesus?  To help those in need?  The Bible tells us "And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.  Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.  As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.  And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you.  Thank God for this gift  too wonderful for words! (2 Corinthians 9:8, 11, 13-15 NLT). 
When we focus on serving and giving to others, God will in return continue to bless us.  Our heart becomes full when we love Him and love His people-When we spend time with Him daily-When we see people the way He sees them.  When our heart is full, our perspective changes.  We focus on the things that matter-a single mom, jobless, who can't afford to buy groceries, a lady unable to pay for her meal at Waffle House, a family of 4 homeless who just want to have a Merry Christmas.   Be intentional about using your gifts to advance the kingdom. Share His word with those who are in need.  Bring people along with you on this journey!  Then, the legacy that you leave behind will not only linger here on earth, but will be the ultimate reward when we enter into our eternal home with treasures abundant!

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

Do we ever stop and even realize how powerful our words are?  How amazing it is that we use words to communicate our feelings, our thoughts, our struggles, etc.  How cool is it that I can even use "words" to write this blog and after you read these words, you will understand how I feel and know me a little better.  Yet, do we REALLY stop and think about how we use our words?

Do they lift people up?  Do they encourage, empower, love, sympathize, provide hope, speak truth, feel safe, give strength, comfort, promote gentleness and kindness, add value to another?  Isn't that what the Word does for us?  It provides all these things when we need them.  We know that we can seek God's Word when we need encouragement. But what if we all were a walking, visual picture of God's word?  What if people could "see" the Word as well as "read" the Word?  What if we spoke as if the Word dwelled within us?  What would our community look like?  What would our homes look like?  What would our church look like?  

"What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words. (Proverbs 18:21 GNT)

We have to remember that words either bring life or death-the power is in the tongue.  So how do we speak life?  The Word says "What you say flows from what is in your heart." (Luke 6:45 NLT). It is so important that we stay in the Word so that our hearts are transformed.  It's not just a personality, or an attitude, or an outlook-it's a heart issue.  Yes, for some people maybe this comes easier. But, we ALL can have transformed hearts if we stay connected to the Word.  Seek Him in everything we do so that we continue to be Christ-like. Love Him with ALL our heart and ALL our soul and ALL our strength and ALL our minds.  When we fill our souls with His Word, we will speak life from the overflow!  So now, I just have to remember this when I want to have an argument with my husband and prove that I'm right - it's not about right or wrong but how I use my words to make him feel. I have to remember this when I want to talk about something I shouldn't be talking about and realize I'm not adding value to this person.  I have to remember my words when I want to get impatient with someone who isn't doing something the way I think it should be done.  Lord, let me remember to use your words as you intended them-to bring life!  Let people "see" in me what your Word says!  Let me leave a legacy that remembers me as a painted canvas of Christ ~ His Masterpiece!!

One of THOSE days

Ever had one of THOSE days-you know, a day that you just wish that you could start over, a moment that you can't believe that you are having and it just doesn't seem that there is anything that you can do about it.  Uncertainty and fear just seem to keep piling on; you try to take a deep breath and calm down, but instead you just become overwhelmed.  A battle in the mind that you try to fight and just can't seem to win.  You look okay on the outside, but a raging storm is going on in the inside.
I imagine that we all go through moments like these, whether it includes other people or our own internal struggle.  And it seems like once we allow our minds to go there, it's very hard to climb out of that pit.  We have a choice-to either continue to live in that moment or choose to look ahead.  The enemy would love nothing else to keep us doubting ourselves, living in fear and afraid to move forward. So how do we get out of this hole that were digging, quit reliving the moment and start stepping into what God has planned for us?
Know God's word-It is essential that we know what God's word says about us and to meditate and speak that out loud.  I know when I'm experiencing one of THOSE days, it's hard for me to read God's word and know and believe that it's meant for me~That's why the next is so important!
Surround yourself with people who can speak life into you when you can't. It is so important to have an inner circle, a group of people, that can tell you what God's word says about you, someone that can speak truth and love and see the potential when you are struggling to see anything good.  I am so blessed to have those people in my life!
Praise God in every situation and every circumstance, no matter how bad you think it is. God's word says that He turns all things to good, so we have to trust Him that he will use whatever we go through to make us stronger. A dear friend told me that sometimes God lets us walk through some experiences so that we can help and relate to others when they walk through those same circumstances!  
Trust and rely on God.  When we put our trust in God, we don't have to rely on ourselves but the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us-we get to walk in "God-confidence". 
"God can do anything you know-far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!  He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us." Ephesians 3:20-21 MSG

Door to Eternity

After attending yet another funeral this past weekend, I have really been thinking about the importance of leaving a legacy behind.

“LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.  Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.  My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.”  Psalm 39:4, 5 NLT

Each day is a gift from God and we are not guaranteed another one.  The only thing we are guaranteed is the actual moment that we have-the very day, the very hour, the very minute....the very moment that we can use to pray, share, encourage, empower, and love God's people.  However, the enemy would love to distract us while on Earth with our pride, possessions, and power.  As our pastor spoke this Sunday in his message, if Satan can't keep us out of Heaven, then his plan is to distract us while we are here on Earth to keep us from reaching our full potential and purpose.  

Revelation 3:8 says that "I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one else can close." 

That open door is an opportunity that God has given us to serve Him.  We just have to be reminded that EVERY moment is an opportunity and we can't assume that another moment will come along.  He's calling us to serve Him now.  What will you do with your open door?

Our Door Supports

A doorpost is considered a door jamb, also known as the support of a door.  If I think of our lives like that of a door, I imagine the things that God has placed in our lives to be our support-the things that He designed to keep us strengthened in Him and able to withstand any attacks against us.
Our worship and prayer life is what gets us into that right attitude to experience an intimate relationship with God. The bible tells us to "Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings, honor the Lord for his glory and strength. Honor the Lord for the glory of his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." Psalm 29:1-2. We strengthen our spiritual foundation with daily worship and a relational prayer life.
Another way for us to build upon our spiritual foundation is surrounding ourselves with the right people. Just as Jesus' disciples asked him to teach them, so must we have people in place in our lives that teach us. We need mentors to direct our path so that they can help develop and strengthen our faith. We need people to keep us accountable in our daily walk, so that we do not stray from the path of righteousness and we need people that we can teach and invest in because it is all about who we bring with us on this journey.

My goal everyday is to worship and pray, worship and pray, worship and pray, and let me always remember! If I stay in this position, I can stand in the doorway and resists any storms that come my way. The doorway will be my protection and covering and will be a place of support for my family and the people around me.
God's word promises us this:

"And this righteousness will bring peace.  Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in safety, quietly at home.  They will be at rest." Isaiah 32:17-18

PEACE AND REST TO YOU ALL IN YOUR DOORWAYS OF LIFE!

Doorpost of the Past

Legacy means a gift, something handed down. As I think about leaving my legacy and what will be passed down once I am gone, I can't help but think of the past as I reminisce of my childhood, marriage, family, career, etc. I begin to let my mind wander down memory lane. The journey is pleasurable, stopping along the way at great memories that make me smile, but then I change course.  I quickly move to a path that leads me to the missed opportunities, the regrets, the "wish I had" and "wish I hadn't"(s). But as soon as I allow my mind to go there, I hear this in my spirit:

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

God covers all bases, all scenarios, all situations, all circumstances in this scripture. NO exceptions. There's NOTHING that we can do to separate ourselves from the love of God. Nothing that we have done or that has happened in our past that can keep us from the close, intimate relationship with God that He desires to have with us.

In order for us to move forward, to experience and fulfill our God-given purpose and begin leaving our legacy for our children, families and friends, we have to close the door to our past.  Shut that door for good!  There's no longer a reason to go in and out of that door.  I can recall when I was a little girl my Nannie saying "Shut that door!" when I would come in from playing outside because I was letting flies into the house.  I smile as I think of even now my husband telling me to "Shut that door" as I let all the cool air out :)  When we keep opening the door to the negatives of our past, we are letting the bad (flies) flood in and the good (cool air) rush out.  Instead, all we have to do is have that doorpost to remind us of what was and is now!  Inscribe on that doorpost that we are new creations in Christ, that we have been forgiven and our sins wiped clean as far as the east is from the west. With that freedom, we can begin to live a life worthy of leaving as a legacy. A life that is not limited and restrained because of our past, but a life that we are able to live boldly and passionately because of who we are in Christ!   A life that God (and our families) will be proud of and can say "Well done, good and a faithful servant."

A gift to help us start our brand new legacy today:

Though you cannot go back
and make a brand-new start, my friend.
Anyone can start from now
and make a brand-new end. - John Maxwell

"Great is His faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning." Lam. 3:23

Obeying the Word

For several weeks, I have had in mind that I wanted to start a blog. I keep a journal-not really up-to-date though, but I am hoping that I will be better at maintaining this digital footprint. Many things have happened recently which have now pushed starting a blog to the forefront... I have attended 2 funerals in the past week, one of which was my Nannie. She was 91 years old and lived a wonderful life. I imagined my funeral as I looked around at the people attending. I want people at my funeral to know that I loved them, how I lived my life for God's purpose and that there would never be any question about what I valued. I realize that these things will be primarily known by WATCHING how I lived my life, not READING about how I lived my life. However, I want to use this forum as a small piece of my legacy-a place where you can catch a glimpse of who I am and a place where I can document the journey of this legacy that I am leaving. Secondly, as I have been surfing the Internet and questioning if I should start blogging,I ran across some startling sites. Now, I'm a googler. So anytime I want to find something, don't know what it is or just curious and exploring, I'm going to google it. I was searching for blogs that had something to do with faith and came across a website of moms. This website had top 25 blogs about faith and over half were blogs about pagans, witches, magic, wiccans, etc. WHAT?????? I expected to find mostly Christian faith based blogs, with some other religions represented, but never imagined this. I even checked to make sure I googled the right thing-apparently I did. This was shocking and disturbing to me-I want people to know the Jesus that I know. To know that God is our comforter and source of strength. To live this earthly life by faith, the faith that comes by hearing the word of God. To know that He has equipped and called us for His purpose. Whether this blog is ever read by anybody other than me, I know that I am called to write this because of the following verse:

Attention, Israel! God, our God! God the one and only! Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got! Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the DOORPOSTS of your homes and on your city gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9

My goal is to build my faith and those around me by inscribing on the doorposts of my life. Let this serve as a reminder for me to live my life as God commanded-to love God and love His people! To take every day, every opportunity, every moment and use it to teach, lead, empower, encourage. I'm going to being looking for doors of opportunity because then I'll have a doorpost to inscribe on! Stay tuned~