The gift landed on my doorstep yesterday afternoon. After allllllllllllllll my grumbling, not 24 hours later, I was the recipient of a beautiful mug with a verse on it.
"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
The giver of this gift was my precious sister-in-law. There is a list a mile long that would give all the reasons that make her so special to me. However, the thing that tops this list is the fact that she is my in-law, but feels much more like a birth-sister....if that makes any sense! I know far to many families that do not get along with the "in-laws" to take this relationship lightly! I have been more than blessed as far as sisters go!
How she knew exactly what I needed, I'll never know!
I know, I know....
I can hear you say,"duh! She read your blog!"
I haven't asked her, but I kinda doubt it, cuz I think I posted it pretty late.
I don't really talk about it too much either, cuz I've got my Ladies bible study group, plus, well, that's why I blog! In fact, I am often accused with "how come you never say anything!" by my family members.
Well, whatever the case, I was really blessed by this mug. The thing that she does know, is how much I looooooove coffee! So the great thing about it, is that i can drink coffee all day long and be reminded that yes, He IS God.
......and today, I needed to be reminded to "be still" too, because all my grumping and worrying is getting me nowhere, fast!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Miracles? What Miracles?
Miracles. What are they? Have you ever seen one? What does it look like?
I am having a lot of trouble lately, defining a miracle. Heaven knows, I am in need of one!
The New Testament is full of stories of miraculous signs and wonders. Jesus healed so many people from the time of his baptism to the time of his death and Resurrection. There were people with leprosy, people who were lame, or blind or deaf and mute. There were those who were bed-ridden, on death's door. Not only did he heal, he brought the dead back to life. If he wasn't dealing with people's health issues, he was feeding multitudes, using a fish as a change purse, turning water into the choicest wine and assisting fishermen with their catch of the day. There was no shortage of miracles in the Old Testament either.
I have no trouble believing who God is. Every day I am so glad that I am one day closer to spending eternity with Him. I know every word of scripture to be true. I have heard of miracles taking place in countries where Christians are mercilessly persecuted and tortured to death. The common thread in these lives is the joy they have because they are persecuted, and, the miracles that they have witnessed which fuels their fire to keep the gospel truth alive.
So where is God in North America? Where are the miracles that the prairie farmers need? I believe to the core of my being that God can restore the hog industry, as He can the entire economy. So why isn't He? And if He is, when? Not to mention, would we notice that it was because of Him that restoration has taken place?
Again I say,
"Lord, I have heard of your fame, I stand in awe of your deeds, O God. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known." Habakkuk 3:2
Ok. well, you've heard all that blather before - I've written and prayed it so many times.
So what am I missing?
Matthew 11:20
"Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed because they did not repent."
Hmm....
I wonder if we would know a miracle if we saw one!
The people of Jesus' day fell in two categories - those who believed in Him before the miracle happened, and those who did not believe in spite of His miracles.
The first set of people sought Jesus out because they had heard of His fame and believed that he could heal them. they had faith first and then they were healed.
The second set of people; the people Matthew 11:20 speaks of, never felt compelled to come to the saving grace of Jesus Christ - no matter what sort of miracle Jesus pulled out of his hat! It is this set of people that makes me wonder if we would even notice a miracle as anything remarkable. And if it was in fact remarkable, would we just rubber-neck and star-gaze?
How many times do we give everything around us credit for the workings of our world? If we are in remission from cancer, we thank the doctors. If our business is successful we chalk it up to good money management. If we have a good family life, we say we are good parents. We rely on lawyers, doctors, universities, full grocery store shelves, our jobs and ultimately, ourselves, far sooner than we rely on our Great God.
How can God compete with that, when we see ourselves as having everything under control, to the point of not even being able to recognize a miracle as exactly that? No matter what seems to hit the evening news, we would find a logical way to explain the phenomenon or, if it was a truly odd occurrence, we would wonder at the validity of it. We have gone so far to strip Jesus of the miracles he performed, that there are prominent bible colleges which actually teach the "logics" of them!
I am not entirely dumbfounded at the state our country is in. Not because God had given me any sort of revelation - in fact, I'm quite sure I have missed or explained away any number of miracles!
I just wonder how closely we would fit the description in Matthew 11:20
I am having a lot of trouble lately, defining a miracle. Heaven knows, I am in need of one!
The New Testament is full of stories of miraculous signs and wonders. Jesus healed so many people from the time of his baptism to the time of his death and Resurrection. There were people with leprosy, people who were lame, or blind or deaf and mute. There were those who were bed-ridden, on death's door. Not only did he heal, he brought the dead back to life. If he wasn't dealing with people's health issues, he was feeding multitudes, using a fish as a change purse, turning water into the choicest wine and assisting fishermen with their catch of the day. There was no shortage of miracles in the Old Testament either.
I have no trouble believing who God is. Every day I am so glad that I am one day closer to spending eternity with Him. I know every word of scripture to be true. I have heard of miracles taking place in countries where Christians are mercilessly persecuted and tortured to death. The common thread in these lives is the joy they have because they are persecuted, and, the miracles that they have witnessed which fuels their fire to keep the gospel truth alive.
So where is God in North America? Where are the miracles that the prairie farmers need? I believe to the core of my being that God can restore the hog industry, as He can the entire economy. So why isn't He? And if He is, when? Not to mention, would we notice that it was because of Him that restoration has taken place?
Again I say,
"Lord, I have heard of your fame, I stand in awe of your deeds, O God. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known." Habakkuk 3:2
Ok. well, you've heard all that blather before - I've written and prayed it so many times.
So what am I missing?
Matthew 11:20
"Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed because they did not repent."
Hmm....
I wonder if we would know a miracle if we saw one!
The people of Jesus' day fell in two categories - those who believed in Him before the miracle happened, and those who did not believe in spite of His miracles.
The first set of people sought Jesus out because they had heard of His fame and believed that he could heal them. they had faith first and then they were healed.
The second set of people; the people Matthew 11:20 speaks of, never felt compelled to come to the saving grace of Jesus Christ - no matter what sort of miracle Jesus pulled out of his hat! It is this set of people that makes me wonder if we would even notice a miracle as anything remarkable. And if it was in fact remarkable, would we just rubber-neck and star-gaze?
How many times do we give everything around us credit for the workings of our world? If we are in remission from cancer, we thank the doctors. If our business is successful we chalk it up to good money management. If we have a good family life, we say we are good parents. We rely on lawyers, doctors, universities, full grocery store shelves, our jobs and ultimately, ourselves, far sooner than we rely on our Great God.
How can God compete with that, when we see ourselves as having everything under control, to the point of not even being able to recognize a miracle as exactly that? No matter what seems to hit the evening news, we would find a logical way to explain the phenomenon or, if it was a truly odd occurrence, we would wonder at the validity of it. We have gone so far to strip Jesus of the miracles he performed, that there are prominent bible colleges which actually teach the "logics" of them!
I am not entirely dumbfounded at the state our country is in. Not because God had given me any sort of revelation - in fact, I'm quite sure I have missed or explained away any number of miracles!
I just wonder how closely we would fit the description in Matthew 11:20
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
I'm Crabbing Out!
I'm usually a "silver lining" kinda gal.
I believe God.
I do not believe in coincidence.
I believe that my life has been predestined ultimately for eternity with Him (it is up to every individual to decide whether or not to accept that predestination.) I also believe that based on our gifts and talents, God has an earthly plan for us, of which the main point is to bring as many people with us to eternity as we can!
The trouble is, these days, my silver lining seems to be fading a little.
It's been slowly fading for awhile, but I am always careful to remind myself of the fact that God is in complete control of the situation at hand, and He is neither shocked, weary or feeling out of sorts like I am.
For whatever reason, I seem to be unable to score a job of any kind. Again, it is not lost on me that God is in control.
So.... based on the characteristics and talents that God has gifted me with, I am spending a lot of time volunteering my services in whatever way I can - praying for others, spending time with friends, encouraging them, playing taxi, cleaning or organizing homes, making meals and babysitting my dear little niece. Not to mention, my mom's radiation has started, so there's more taxi role-play coming up!
Now, I get that these are all "good" things. This is not a pat-my-back or toot-my-own-horn session, so just hang with me here-
Through this life crisis which is very quickly equalling a financial crisis, I have relied heavily on God to provide for me and the Holy Spirit to pour into me so I can pour into others. It seems to have brought me to a very strange place. Over the course of the last few weeks, while my get-up-and-go is getting-up-and-leaving, dear friends have made the comment that because of how I function on a day-to-day basis, they just simply did not realize how bad things really were.
I kinda waffle back and forth between:
1) Good! That means the Spirit is filling me and I am not behaving like a victim of my circumstance.
...and
2) SOMEBODY please notice my ailing spirit and send me a pick-me-up!.... I love gerbras!!! LOL
I know, I know. I am sounding sooooooooo not spiritual AT ALL. This is where my silver lining gets a little foggy. While I LOVE filling needs that I see and enjoy the flexibility to be able to do so (which I couldn't if I was working), I sometimes wonder when MY needs will be met - like maybe restoration for my farm!?!!!!!
I want to serve. I love to help. I live for encouraging others. What I hate is feeling like I'm just not that strong. When is MY world going to be righted? WILL it ever be righted? And if people could see me in my four walls, they might wonder what happened to my spiritual ardor! Is it always necessary to be so strong? Is that my job now? I don't want to let anyone down. I don't want them to know that I fall sometimes....and get crabby! Yes, I'm feeling a little Israelite-ish, and grumping away here.
Exodus 16:9
'Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.'
I just might be in for a holy spanking!
I believe God.
I do not believe in coincidence.
I believe that my life has been predestined ultimately for eternity with Him (it is up to every individual to decide whether or not to accept that predestination.) I also believe that based on our gifts and talents, God has an earthly plan for us, of which the main point is to bring as many people with us to eternity as we can!
The trouble is, these days, my silver lining seems to be fading a little.
It's been slowly fading for awhile, but I am always careful to remind myself of the fact that God is in complete control of the situation at hand, and He is neither shocked, weary or feeling out of sorts like I am.
For whatever reason, I seem to be unable to score a job of any kind. Again, it is not lost on me that God is in control.
So.... based on the characteristics and talents that God has gifted me with, I am spending a lot of time volunteering my services in whatever way I can - praying for others, spending time with friends, encouraging them, playing taxi, cleaning or organizing homes, making meals and babysitting my dear little niece. Not to mention, my mom's radiation has started, so there's more taxi role-play coming up!
Now, I get that these are all "good" things. This is not a pat-my-back or toot-my-own-horn session, so just hang with me here-
Through this life crisis which is very quickly equalling a financial crisis, I have relied heavily on God to provide for me and the Holy Spirit to pour into me so I can pour into others. It seems to have brought me to a very strange place. Over the course of the last few weeks, while my get-up-and-go is getting-up-and-leaving, dear friends have made the comment that because of how I function on a day-to-day basis, they just simply did not realize how bad things really were.
I kinda waffle back and forth between:
1) Good! That means the Spirit is filling me and I am not behaving like a victim of my circumstance.
...and
2) SOMEBODY please notice my ailing spirit and send me a pick-me-up!.... I love gerbras!!! LOL
I know, I know. I am sounding sooooooooo not spiritual AT ALL. This is where my silver lining gets a little foggy. While I LOVE filling needs that I see and enjoy the flexibility to be able to do so (which I couldn't if I was working), I sometimes wonder when MY needs will be met - like maybe restoration for my farm!?!!!!!
I want to serve. I love to help. I live for encouraging others. What I hate is feeling like I'm just not that strong. When is MY world going to be righted? WILL it ever be righted? And if people could see me in my four walls, they might wonder what happened to my spiritual ardor! Is it always necessary to be so strong? Is that my job now? I don't want to let anyone down. I don't want them to know that I fall sometimes....and get crabby! Yes, I'm feeling a little Israelite-ish, and grumping away here.
Exodus 16:9
'Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.'
I just might be in for a holy spanking!
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