Contentment

How are you doing in the contentment department?  Is it a chore dealing with the issues that arise because of your circumstances?  It's hard to be content when things are not going well.  We always wish that things were different...a better job, nicer home, more money, prettier clothes, more understanding friends, a more loving spouse.  Most of the time change is hard or impossible and we grumble and complain about our situations.

In 2 Kings chapter 5 we find the story of Naaman the leper.  I'm sure that we are all familiar with the story but in case you're not let me give you a quick rundown of what happen to Naaman.  He was the Captain in the Army of Syria, an enemy of Israel.  It says that he was a great man but that he was a leper.  Having heard of a servant of God in Israel that could heal him, Naaman departed seeking his help.  God sent His servant Elisha to tell Naaman to go and wash in the River Jordan seven times and he would be cured.  In verse 14 of chapter 5 it says;

"Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God:  and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean."

This indeed was a mighty miracle.  However I really don't want to look at Naaman today but at someone that seems to be often overlooked in this story.  Really, without this person, this miracle wouldn't even have taken place.

2 Kings 5:2 "And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid;  and she waited on Naaman's wife."

A young girl had been captured in a raid on Israel and was put to work in Naaman's house as a servant for his wife.  I've often thought about this little girl.  The Bible doesn't give her exact age or even her name, just that she was a young girl.  How frightened she must have been.  Captured and taken away from her family and all she had ever known, brought to a strange country and made to work for the wife of the man who had taken her to begin with.  I can't imagine how she felt.  Knowing she probably would never see her family again, would always be a slave...she had every right to be angry and bitter.  But was she?  I don't think she was!  Look at verse 3 and 4.

"And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria!
For he would recover him of his leprosy.  And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel."

Here we find this little girl, who humanly speaking had every right to be angry at her situation and the man that caused it, telling her mistress of one who could cure him!  She was showing love and compassion on her enemy.  What a witness she was for the Lord.  It says nothing further about this young girl, but how important she is!  Where the Lord had placed her, she was faithful and was an important key to the miracle that transpired. 

Where has the Lord placed you today?  Are you being a faithful servant for Him where you are?  Nothing happens by accident.  It was no accident that this particular maiden was captured and put to work in Naamans household.  It's no accident that you are where you are today.  God has work for you to do wherever you are...how's it going?  Are you bitter about the circumstances surrounding you, or can you see the Lord's hand in your situation?  Are you open to His leading to the hurting and needy around you, or are you closed off in self pity about your predicament?   

One person in the Bible that found himself in many perilous predicaments was the Apostle Paul.  He was shipwrecked 3 times, beaten, stoned, imprisoned, and often in danger as he journeyed.  Yet he remained a faithful servant of the Lords.  I believe we find an important reason for this faithfulness in 2 Corinthians 4:11.

"For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

How could Paul be content in all the situations that he found himself in?  He could because he knew that it was God who had placed him there.  God had allowed all these things to happen to him, therefore he was content and able to serve his Savior no matter where he was or what was happening.  I believe this is a key to being a faithful servant of God.  How can we on one hand tell someone that they can trust God to save them and meet their needs if all they hear is us complaining about the situations we are in?

There is a reason behind everything that God allows into our lives.  Who are we to question God about what He knows is good for us...and profitable for others who are watching us.  Yes, we as Christians are being watched by the unsaved.  They notice our actions and reactions to things.  You've heard the saying, "Actions speak louder then words".  Are your actions lining up with the Word of God?  Are your reactions bringing glory to the Lord?

Proverbs 3:5-7  "Trust in the LORD will all thine heart:  and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.  Be not wise in thine own eyes:  fear the LORD, and depart from evil."

We won't always understand why God allows things to happen to us, and we don't have to.  We just have to trust that He knows what He is doing and remain content and faithful to Him, just like the little maiden did.

Isaiah 55:8 & 9  "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."

I find contentment in my Saviors love,

And streams of mercy from His throne above.

Tho' storms assail me here below,

He gives me sunshine as I go;

I find a refuge from every sorrow in His blessed love!

 

I find contentment in His wondrous grace;

No cloud or shadow can obscure His face.

When great temptations I must bear

I find the secret place of prayer,

And strength He give by the pow'r sufficient in His wondrous grace!

 

I find contentment on the heav'nward way;

He gently leads me, so I do not stray.

He watches o'er me day and night,

By faith I follow not by sight;

I fully trust Him to me safely to my home above!

 

                          Merrill Dunlop

The Heavens Declare

Have you ever just had to stopped in wonder at the beauty of a scene before you?  Maybe you've just caught a glimpse of the waves crashing in against the rugged shoreline, creating a foam of white in the shallow pools swirling by the rocks.  Or perhaps you're in a plane looking down on clouds that are etched in deep purples and pinks, a reflection of the setting sun.  Maybe you're looking at a meadow alive with little birds and bees tumbling from one gorgeous flower to another which are strewn over the lush green grass.

I was just on Pinterest pinning some beautiful nature scenes and gorgeous birds...wow the colors that God gave these birds is amazing.  It struck me again just how awesome creation is.  It is beyond my comprehension how someone could see all this beauty and not know that the Almighty God created it all for us to enjoy!

Psalms 19:1  "The heavens declare the glory of God;  and the firmament (earth) sheweth His handywork."

How can one behold the grandeur of the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, Niagra Falls, the great Atlantic & Pacific Oceans, the mighty Amazon River and not see Gods hand in it?  How can you view the vastness of the Sahara Desert, the staggering heights of the Andes, Swiss Alps, Mt. Everest and the Rockies and not acknowledge that there is a Master Designer behind it all? When you look at nature, the thousands of uniquely different birds and animals that fly and roam this marvelous earth...how can you not bow and worship the Creator? The Word of God has something to say about people that deny that He exists.

Psalms 14:1  "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God,"

That is sure straight forward and simple, God calls people fools who do not believe in Him.  The evidence of His existence is all around us!  He is the one who formed the earth, sun, moon and stars.  He created light.  He fashioned the seas, rivers, lakes, mountains, trees and every living thing...including you and I.  He made, sees, controls and knows all.

Job 28:10  "He (God) cutteth out rivers among the rocks;  and His eye seeth every precious thing."

Job 33:4  "The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life."

Job 34:21  "For His eyes are upon the ways of man, and He seeth all his goings."

Why was everything created in the first place?  Did God need all this?  No, God already had the glory of His Heavenly home.  In Genesis we read in chapter 1:27-29 that God made it all for man..."Behold, I have given you...". 

It never ceases to amaze me the beauty that is in nature.  God didn't have to create things so lovely for us, but He did!  Nature shows the glory of God.  We will not see God in His complete Glory until we reach Heaven, but looking at the earthly glory of the purple and pink hues of a sunset; or the blended pastels in a rainbow, the ever changing shades of blue and green in the oceans surf...we catch a miniscule peek at what awaits for us in our Heavenly Home.  But still its next to impossible to fathom the glories of Heaven no matter how hard we try.

l Corinthians 2:9  "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him."

Our imaginations can't even come close to the wonders that God has for us that love Him!  As awesome and breathtaking as Heaven is going to be, what is simply amazing is that God did this for us because He loves us.  What an amazing love, because when God was creating all of this for us, He knew that we were going to reject Him.  We can't comprehend a love of this magnitude, but what we can do is humbly repent of our unbelief, thank Him for His love, and live a life in service and gratitude for all that our wonderful Lord and Savior has done for us...and given to us to enjoy!

Praise the Lord, sing hallelujah.  From the heavens praise His name;

Praise the Lord, our great Creator; All His angel, praise proclaim.

All His hosts, together praise Him, Sun and moon and stars on high;

Praise the Lord, O heaven of heavens, and the clouds that roam the sky.

 

Let them praise the Lord their Maker:  They were made at His command.

God established them forever;  His decree shall ever stand.

Let the earth sing hallelujah:  Raging seas, and creatures all,

Fire and hail and snow and tempests. Stormy winds that hear His call.

 

All the fruitful trees and cedars, every hill and mountain high,

Creeping things and beasts and cattle, birds that in the heavens fly.

Kings of earth and all the people, Princes great, earth's judges all:

Praise His name, young men and maidens, aged men and children small.

 

Praise the Lord, sing hallelujah,

For His Name alone is high,

And His glory is exalted,

Far above the earth and sky.

 

                                         William J. Kirkpatrick

O Be Careful Little Mouth

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the childrens Sunday School chorus "O Be Careful Little Hands What You Do."  One of the verses goes like this.

 

O be careful little mouth what you say,

O be careful little mouth what you say.

There's a Father up above, who is looking down in love,

So be careful little mouth what you say.

 

 

Did you know that you can kill someone with your words?  There is deadly power in the tongue.  We are warned in the Bible many times about the dangers of a tongue that is out of control.

 

James 3:5 & 6  "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things.  Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity:  so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature:  and it is set on fire of hell.

 

We are all well aware of how fast a fire can spread.  One little spark can set off a massive inferno that can devastate homes and lands within minutes.  God likens our tongues to a fire with the potential to devastate others.  Those affected by domestic violence have first hand experience in this kind of destruction.  Verbal abuse is sometimes thought of as not being as bad as physical abuse.  Wow, what wrong thinking this is!  Constantly being beaten with words leaves scars on ones very soul.  There is much talk lately about bullying, on playgrounds, schools and even on line.  There have been cases here in Canada in the past few years of teenagers committing suicide because of bullying, being beaten down with words until it severs their very heart.

 

James 3:8  "But the tongue can no man tame:  it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."

 

I've mentioned in previous devotions that what comes out of your mouth is an indication of what is in your heart, they are directly related.  If one harbours bitter and unkind thoughts it is going to manifest itself verbally. 

 

When words leaves your mouth, they are gone.  There is much on the news lately about people "Twittering" unkind or obnoxious things.  Over and over we are hearing it reported that once something is out in cyberspace it can never be undone.  It's the same with the tongue, once you say something, no matter how much you try to take it back it can't be undone.  You can try to make amends, but the damage is there.  A forest ravaged with fire will always bear the scars of what destroyed it.  Gossip is a deadly poison.  When something is said about another, over time it gets changed.  There is a childrens game that we used to play when I was little.  A group of kids would sit in a circle.  The first child would whisper something to the next, they in turn would pass it on in a whisper to the next child.  When it got around to the one who started it and was repeated out loud, it was never the same!  The whispering changed the original statement.  The Bible warns against talking about your neighbor...the tongue can cause irreparable damage.

 

Proverbs 6:16 & 19  "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto Him.  A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among the brethren."

 

The Lord takes what comes out of our mouths very seriously!  It is so important to start each day in prayer, asking our Heavenly Father to control our tongues.  How much better it is to edify someone then to tear them down.  Our mouths when under the control of the Lord can be an instrument of encouragement and good to others. 

 

Proverbs 8:6 - 8  "Hear;  for I will speak of excellent things;  and the opening of my lips shall be right things.  For my mouth shall speak truth;  and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.  All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;  there is nothing forward or perverse in them."

 

A tongue consecrated to the Lord belongs to a person whom the Lord will be pleased with.  Every day should start with the words that the Psalmist David penned.

 

Psalms 19:14  "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer."

 

Take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord to Thee;

Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands and let them move, at the impulse of Thy love,

Take my feet and let them be, swift and beautiful for Thee.

 

Take my voice and let me sing, always, only for my King.

Take my lips, and let them be, filled with praises, Lord, to Thee.

Take my silver and my gold. Not a mite would I withhold.

Take my talents, Lord, and use, every one as Thou shalt choose.

 

                            Frances R. Havergal

 



Be Thou Exalted

What does it mean to exalt someone?  Webster's Dictionary gives this definition of exalt:  "To elevate as in rank:  to praise:  To elate (to raise the spirit of) with joy."

Psalms 108:5  "Be Thou exalted, O God, above the heavens and Thy glory above the earth."

There is only one person who deserves to be exalted and that is Almighty God.  How much of our energy is actually put into doing this?  If we are honest, don't we spend much of our time and energy exalting those who don't deserve it?

So much of our culture is wrapped up with the adoration of Hollywood stars, music stars, sport stars, even famous political people and news makers.  But do they deserve to be elevated in rank over God?  Are their lives so pure and spotless that they deserve our praise?

Psalms 145:8 & 9  "The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion:  slow to anger, and full of great mercy.  The LORD is good to all;  and His tender mercies are over all His works."

Do we have reason to praise the Lord?  Yes, definitely so!  When we praise the Lord, we are giving an offering to Him.  When we think of offerings we think mostly of monetary offerings, but there are many kinds of offerings.  We can offer our talents, time, money...and we can offer our praise.

Psalms 50:23  "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me."

Psalms 63:3  "Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee.

Psalms 71:14  "But I will hope continually, and will yet praise Thee more and more."

Who you praise shows the condition of your heart.  Those taken up with the world and its treasures will praise it.  Those whose minds are centered on the Lord will find that it is Him and His goodness that will fill their hearts and minds and find its way to their lips.  What we feed our minds will control our hearts.  Listen to what comes out of your mouth, it will be an indicator of the condition of your heart and soul.  Make sure you are exalting the proper person each day.

Psalms 46:10  "Be still, and know that I am God:  I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."

Be Thou exalted forever and ever

God of eternity, the Ancient of Days!

Wondrous in wisdom, majestic in glory,

Perfect in holiness, and worthy of praise.

 

Be Thou exalted, by seraphs and angels,

Be Thou exalted with harp and with song;

Saints in their anthems of rapture adore Thee,

Thine be the glory forever, Amen!

 

 

                    Fanny J. Crosby

Peace Be Still

People are walking around with high-blood pressure, stress levels out of control.  We have ulcers, are unable to sleep, troubles seem to be constantly overwhelming us.  We live with fear, doubt, confussion and dread about what is happening and what might be coming next.

We find a group of men that really were in a perilous situation.  They were in a boat and all of a sudden they found themselves in the midst of a terrible storm.  The account in Matthew 8 says that the waves were covering the ship.

Matthew 8:24  "And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves:  but He was asleep."

I don't know about you, but there is no way that I would be asleep on a boat in the middle of a fierce storm!  Who was asleep?  It was Jesus.  I can imagine that the disciples were watching, waiting for Him to wake up and help them, after all the boat was floundering and in their minds they were going to die...how could the Master be sleeping?

Isn't this how we feel at times?  Life has gotten fierce, the waves of despair are washing over us. We are drowning in the troubles of this world and we find ourselves wondering, "Where is the Lord, why doesn't He help me?"

I found myself in this situation 5 1/2 years ago.  Because of the abusive marriage I was in, I was blinded by trouble and despair.  I didn't know what to do or who to turn to.  I felt that the Lord had abandoned me and I was alone, drowning in uncertainty and fear.  I forgot as the disciples did, that the Lord was there beside me, even in the storm.

In verse 25 we see that the disciples went to the Lord and said "save us;  we perish."  Jesus could have gotten up and said I'm here, but He waited.  The disciples had to come to the place where they realized that what they were doing was not going to save them, that their efforts were in vain and that their only hope was in Jesus to save them.

Isn't that the exact situation we found ourselves in before we were saved.  All our efforts to save ourselves, to right what was going wrong in our lives was to no avail.  We were going to die and there was nothing we could do to save ourselves.  You see, it's only when we come to the point in which we see we can do nothing for ourselves that Jesus is able to step in and save us. 

Matthew 8:26  "And He saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?  Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea:  and there was a great calm."

That day 5 1/2 years ago was a changing day for me.  I cried out to the Lord to save me and He did.  I repented of my sins, put myself into His hands and He brought a calm into my life.  This didn't mean that the storms still wouldn't rage around me, it meant that I was safe in the midst of the storms.  One thing that you must understand is that the Lord is in control of the storm, He allows these storms in our lives to teach us and to draw us closer to Him. 

We read in Matthew 14 about another storm that the disciples found themselves in once again.  This time Jesus comes walking to them on the water.  One of his disciples, Peter leaves the boat and walks on the water to go to the Lord.  However Peter runs into a little bit of trouble. 

Matthew 14:30  "But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid:  and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me."

Peter took his eyes off the Lord and began to look at the storm around him.  This is what happens to us!  We take our eyes off of our Savior and become afraid of the storms of life that are swirling around us.  We forget that the Master who formed, controls and can still the storm is right beside us.  When Peter cried out to the Lord we find that he got an immediate response;

Matthew 14:31 & 32  "And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?  And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased."

Jesus was immediately there.  Peter was rebuked for having little faith.  Isn't that our problem?  We have little faith.  We see the storm but not the Savior. 

We don't like the storms, we want things to be problem free.  But storms are good for us...yes you read that correctly.  You see, if we always had things easy, would we look to the Lord for His help and strength?  No, we would rely on ourselves.  We would miss the blessing of seeing the Lord do great and mightly things in our lives.  Storms strengthen our faith.  We would be pretty weak Christians if we didn't exercise our faith on a daily basis.  So the next time a storm suddenly overtakes you, remember to straightway look into the face of your Savior, take his hand and let Him lead you through the temptest into calm waters once again.

Master, the tempest is raging! The billows are tossing high!

The sky is ov'ershadowed with blackness, No shelter or help is nigh;

Carest Thou not that we perish? How canst Thou lie asleep,

When each moment so madly is threat'ning;  A grave in the angry deep?

The winds and the waves shall obey Thy will, Peace be still!

Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea,

Or demons or men, or whatever it be,

No water can swallow the ship where lies

The Master of ocean and earth and skies.

They all shall sweetly obey Thy will;  Peace be still! Peace be still!

They all shall sweetly obey Thy will;  Peace, peace, be still!

                            Mary A Baker

What Is In Your Hand?

There have been times when I've sat in church and listened to a soloist, or to someone playing an instrument and I've thought, "If only I could be that good, then I could serve the Lord better."  Why do we compare ourselves with others?  Very rarely do I come away from such a comparison feeling good.  What I usually feel is depressed because I view myself as inferior.  But in whose eyes am I not good enough?  God's? 

Any talent or gift that we have been blessed with comes from God, it has nothing to do with us.  If God has given us a gift, He expects us to use it in service for Him.  Who are we to say that what God has given to us is not good?  This is not to say that we walk around puffed up with pride thinking that we are God's gift to the masses!  Nor is it to say that we don't have to work to improve and better our talents.  We have responsibilities to do the best we can with what God has given us, with His help.  We are not all blessed with the same gifts.  While one might have a beautiful voice they might not have organizational skills.  One able to work with children might not have the ability to play the piano.

In Exodus chapter 4 we find Moses in a very anxious state.  God had just told him that he was the chosen one to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt.  Poor Moses was overcome, he was a shepherd, how could he be capable of such a task?  We tend to find ourselves put out with Moses a little bit, how dare he argue with God.  Don't we do the same thing in our lives?  If we are honest with ourselves, aren't we sometimes in the same state that Moses was...anxious, doubtful and arguing with God about what He has asked of us? 

Exodus 4:2  "And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand?  And he said, A rod."

Moses as a shepherd was very accustomed to having his rod in his hand. This rod was an extension of himself, he used it to help him walk, to herd the sheep, and it was used to protect the sheep at times. God proceeded to tell him to cast the rod onto the ground where it became a snake.  He then instructed Moses to grab it by its tail and it became his rod once more.  God was trying to show Moses that what he already had in his hand would be used of Him for mighty things if he would just submit and trust.  Moses would later use that same rod to part the Red Sea!

In John chapter 6 we read about a lad who had gone to hear Jesus speak.  All he had in his hand was a small lunch of five barley loaves and two small fish.  He had no idea when he left home that morning that his lunch was going to used by the Lord.  What was in his hand when given over to the Master became an instrument in a tremendous miracle.  This small lunch fed 5000 with 12 baskets of food left over!

l Samuel 17;  we see David facing the giant Goliath.  David did not have armour or a big sword, all he had in his hand was a sling and 5 smooth stones in his bag.  

l Samuel 17:50  "So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him:  but there was no sword in the hand of David."

Do you want to know one of the secrets to serving the Lord?  It's understanding that the battle IS HIS!  David knew this for in verse 47 he proclaimed to Goliath,

"For the battle is the LORD'S, and He will give you into our hands." 

I don't think Moses would have been filled with so much anxiety if he had realized that, yes, God wanted to use him...but it was the LORD's battle, he was just going to be an instrument.  I'm sure you've heard the saying, "God doesn't chose the equipped, He equips the chosen."  God provides us with what we need to effectively serve Him, we just need to provide a willing and submissive heart for His service.

What is "in your hand?"  God can take the little ordinary things in our hands and turn them into something wonderful for His glory.  God has equipped each of us uniquely with talents to be used for Him.  Our talents are not the same, but used together will make a vibrant testimony in our homes, churches and communities. Think of it as a singing quartet;  each person has their own part which seperately might not sound great, but together forms a lovely harmony.   Don't be envious of what is in someone elses hand, cultivate and grow your own gifts.  Our lives when turned over to God in humbleness and sincerity can be turned into something harmoniously beautiful in the service of our King.  

Only one life to offer - Take it, dear Lord, I pray:

Nothing from Thee withholding, Thy will I now obey.

Thou who hast freely given Thine all in all for Me,

Claim this life for Thine own to be used my Savior,

Every moment for Thee.

                    

                             Avis B. Christiansen

Mirror Mirror On The Wall

Do you like mirrors?  I don't, it's not the mirror that's the problem, it's the reflection that I have issues with!  Mirror's don't lie.  Everyday when I'm forced to look into the mirror I know what I'm going to see...a middle-aged woman with graying hair, uneven complextion and a double chin.  That's usually when I turn away in disgust.  Don't you wish when you looked in the mirror that you saw a beautiful, youthful, radiant face looking back at you? 

Millions of dollars are spent every year on products that come with the promise of restoring youthful complexion, hiding the wrinkles, firming the skin, hiding the gray.  Yet the hard fact is that sooner or later we are all going to age and there's nothing we can do to reverse the evidence of this in our bodies... or in the mirror. 

People tend to base their "worth" on their looks.  You find this a lot in the work place.  It's the younger and "beautiful" that get noticed and get the promotions first.  In schools, its the pretty that are the popular.  Society dotes on the attractive. There's big bucks in beauty.  Where does this leave the rest of us?  Probably feeling pretty low and worthless.  Those in abusive situations or healing from violent relationships are going to feel this especially so.  When you've been told for years that you are ugly, no good, worthless, a waste of air and space...you start to believe it.  However, the reality is that you and I are priceless to God!

It's not that we come to God with anything of worth to offer Him.  We are priceless to Him because the price for our lost souls was the death of His beloved Son.  The world might not think we are anything of worth, but in the eyes of the One who counts the most, the One who loves us the most, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Designer, Creator of the universe, we are beautiful.

I am valuable, God loves me unconditionally...wow, isn't that amazing!  I want to share with you some Scriptures that I love because they remind me how the Lord thinks about me...imagine, the Almighty God thinks about me!

Psalms 18:6  "In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God:  He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before Him, even into His ear."

Psalms 40:17  "But I am poor and needy:  yet the Lord thinketh upon me:  Thou are my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God"

Isaiah 41: 9b, 10 & 13  "Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.  Fear thou not;  for I am with thee:  be not dismayed;  for I am thy God;  I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee: yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.  For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee."

Lamentations 3:58  "Oh Lord, Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul;  Thou hast redeemed my life."

Before the Lord of Hosts you and I do have worth through His Son.  God doesn't judge as man does, by appearance. 

l Samuel 16:7b  "For the LORD seeth not as man seeth;  for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."

For years, and by most I have been judged because of my weight.  I have even been rejected by some Christians.  It's hard to sit in a church and know that your brother or sister in Christ across the aisle wants nothing to do with you because of how you look.

I tend to forget that God views my heart and to be honest more shame needs to be felt because of that then of what people think of my appearance.  There are days when the crippling of my heart because of unconfessed sin is more disabling then the state of my outward shell.  We need to stop depending on the mirror and our outward appearance so much, and instead turn to the Word of God, and work on letting His beauty shine forth through us.  Now that kind of puts Oil Of Olay into perspective doesn't it!

Our God measure man by a standard divine,

For He see underneath every outward design,

He looks past possessions and costly attire,

He studies the heart - every thought and desire.

Our God does not judge by how tall we may stand,

Or how much we possess, or the rank we command,

His gaze goes far deeper to things that endure;

He honors the man who keeps his heart pure

For the eyes of the Lord are searching to and fro.

We have no secrets that our God does not know.

Our Father knows our thoughts;  He understand every part,

Man see the outside, but God sees the heart.

                                                 Jamie Turner

Walls

Psalms 109:22  "For I am poor and needy and my heart is wounded within me."

My Pastor did the most amazing Bible Study a few years ago.  It was a study about the Kings of the Land that the Israelites faced upon entering the Promised Land in Joshua chapter 12.  The Promised Land, or Cana, is a picture of the Christians journey through this world.  The Israelites fought many hard battles upon entering this Land but it's the battle against the King of Hazor whom is mentioned in verse 19 that really got to me.

The King of Hazors name means "walls".  When this evil King wages war against us as Christians and we give in to his attack, we erect walls in our hearts.  Erecting these walls might come more easily to some of us then to others.  If you are the survivor of abuse, you undoubtedly have used this type of defense mechanism many times in your life.  It's an automatic response to danger;   we withdraw and put barricades between the attacker and ourselves.  This is a very learned practice in my life.  I learned early in my marriage how to "shut down" emotionally, to withdraw and disengage from the one hurting me.  This practice soon broadened to include anyone not only that was hurting me but could possibly hurt me in the future.  It is how I survived, but it was not the right way.  In closing myself off I also effectively closed out the Lord and the help that He was waiting to offer me.  I was depending on myself...which always ends in disaster.

Psalms 59:17  "...God is my defense..."

Psalms 62:2  "...He is my defense..."

Psalms 62:6  "...He is my defense..."

Psalms 94:22  "But the Lord is my defense"

Are you beginning to see a theme here.  God and God alone can be our defense.  Shutting down emotionally is not the way to defend ourselves, God wants us engaged in life.  How can we effectively live and witness for Him in this world, if we are behind walls that cut us off from those around us?  How can God use us if we aren't available to Him or others?

When we spend our energy building walls of seperation to protect ourselves, what we are saying to God is, "I can do a better job at protecting me then You can!"  I'm better then God...wow, how arrogant can we be! 

I had spent years building walls in my heart, learning to hide from the painful things that life was throwing at me.  It is very hard to break a strongly ingrained habit.  With God's help I'm fighting this evil nasty King, but I can't do it in my own strength.  It's a daily battle and sometimes he sneaks up on me and it's days or even weeks before I realize that he has pulled me back into my old practice again.

God provided the Israelites with the power to overcome these wicked Kings that they encountered in the Promised Land.  Is there any doubt that He can still provide His children today with the needed strength to fight these same enemies?  No!  God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  What was available to God's children back then is no different then what He offers us today.  We just have to come to the place of realizing that we will meet only defeat and suffering if we try to do things in our own strength. 

Isaiah 40:28 - 29  "Hast thou not known?  Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?  There is no searching of His understanding.  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength."

Never a trial that He is not there,

Never a burden that He doth not bear,

Never a sorrow that He doth not share,

Moment by moment, I'm under His care.

Never a weakness that He doth not feel,

Never a sickness that He cannot heal;

Moment by moment I follow His will,

Jesus my Savior abides with me still.

                                           Daniel W. Wittle

"I Am My Beloveds"

I don't know about you but one of the worst feelings I've had is the feeling of being unloved.  Have you ever noticed that nearly every commercial, magazine, secular book, tv program and movie seems to center around one thing...love, or the world's version...lust.  You are made to feel that unless you are in a relationship with someone that you are being deprived of the best life has to offer.  You are considered strange, or you are pitied if you are alone without a significant other.

A longing to be loved, to be cherished and wanted by another is one of our basic human desires.  One of the first things God did for Adam in the Garden of Eden was to provide a wife for him.

Genesis 2:18  "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone;  I will make him an help meet for him."

After my abusive marriage was over I found it very hard to go to church.  I had not been loved, cherished or protected during my marriage, but suddenly being on my own, alone, was extremely difficult.  I would sit at the back of the church and watch the couples in the pews in front of me.  Husbands with their arms around their wives shoulders, helping with the children.  I listened to the Pastor at times speaking about his wife, hearing the love and care in his voice as he talked about the one he loved.  There were many times I left church in tears, aching with loneliness and wanting more then anything to have a man love me, cherish me and protect me.  It hurt.  My best friend  and I would talk about this because she was in the same situation;  and I would say to her that I hoped these women knew just how much they were blessed to have husbands that loved them.  As time went on the ache got harder to bear.

I found myself starting to stay away from church.  I began to stay away from church suppers and socials because of the pain of being alone in a room filled with couples.  Depression set in.
The more I got bogged down in self-pity the more I started to think that God must not love me either.  I began to wonder why He would let me have a life like I had endured and then allow me to end up alone.  One day I came across these verses.

Psalms 40:17  "But I am poor and needy;  yet the Lord thinketh upon me:"

Jeremiah 29:11-13  "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.  And ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."

As I began to think on this the Lord slowly opened my eyes to the fact that everything that I was longing for, to be loved, cherished and protected, I already had...IN HIM! 

Jeremiah 31:3 "...Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love..."

Song of Solomon 7:10  "I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me."

Psalms 61:1-4  "Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.  From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed:  lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever:  I will trust in the covert of thy wings."

Everything that my broken heart desired I already had, I was just looking in the wrong place!  I was looking to the world to provide what could only be found in the Lord.  There are days when I still struggle with being alone without a loving husband.  When I finished my autobiography, "Behind The Smile" I gave it to my children to read.  One of the only comments I got from my daughter was that it upset her because I didn't know what it was like to be loved!  This really bothered me and for a few days I found myself again wishing for a loving husband.  But then I realized that I was looking yet again in the wrong place for the balm needed for my heart.  When our eyes are on Jesus, our desires will line up with His provisions.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.

 

                                                                                               Helen H. Lemmel

Lightening The Ship

There was a day a few years ago that I had reached the end of my endurance.  After 23 years of emotional, physical, sexual, financial and spiritual abuse I had nothing left.  It didn't matter anymore to me that I had two children that I had spent years protecting and loved more then life itself.  It didn't matter that I had family and friends who loved me.  I just needed the violence to stop...anyway that it could.  With three bottles of pills and a glass of water I went into a room and closed the door...then the phone rang.  It was my Pastor.

At this point he didn't really know what was going on, but he was aware that I was in a crisis of some kind.  He told me to read Acts 27.  This is a passage of Scripture that has become very precious and meaningful to me and I'd like to share with you something very special that I've learned from this story of the Apostle Paul being shipwrecked.

Acts 27:18  "And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship."

In the attempt to save the ship from sinking in this terrible storm they resorted to tossing overboard things that were weighing them down.

As I repeatedly read this passage the Lord began to make a comparison in my mind.  I began to see the ship as my life.  What was weighing me down and causing me to sink into trouble?
As I began to think on this I came up with quite a list of things that was causing me to become shipwrecked in my life;  bitterness, anger, fear, worry, rebellion, pride.  These had to be "thrown overboard" if I had any chance of surviving the storm.  As I continued to study this passage I came to verse 38b which says,

"...they lightened the ship..."

It was not a one time thing!  These things repeatedly needed to be cast overboard.  Satan is crafty and it doesn't take long for some of those things to sneak back on board, in fact they could be there once again for a while before you even see them!  This is why is it so very important to keep watch and make sure that your ship is not in trouble.

Psalms 107:28 - 30  "Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and He bringeth them out of their distresses.  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.  Then are they glad because they be quiet;  so He bringeth them unto their desired haven."

When you turn control of your life (the ship) over to the Lord (the Captain) you have no need to fear any longer.  He will watch over you and bring you through the storms of life.

I'm Watching Over You

In the dark of the night

On the storm tossed sea,

Jesus whispers, "I'm with you,

Hold tight onto me.

For I made the winds,

And the waves of the deep;

You have no need to fear,

Just close your eyes and sleep.

For I'm watching over you,

I know the reason why;

You need to trust my judgement,

And on Me only rely.

My arms are around you,

I'm holding you up;

You're just following My steps,

And drinking from My cup.

These storms are to strengthen,

To show that I'm here;

Know that I'm with you,

There's no reason to fear.

For everything there's a season,

This will not last forever;

The end of this long night,

Will find you changed for the better.

So hold on to My hand,

And I will see you through;

Trust in My love,

Remember, I died for you." 

Counsel

Counsel:  "Advice, opinion;  one who gives advice" ~ Webster's Dictionary.  I agree with this definition given by Mr. Webster, however when you take this as a definition of a counselor it is missing one important thing;  you'll see what's missing in a few moments.

What picture does your mind conjure when you hear the word "counseling"?  Maybe it's a group setting...a plush office...or perhaps a small room on a hospital ward.  To me the word doesn't bring a picture as much as it brings a feeling...panic.  You see, as a domestic violence survivor any setting in which I had to open up and share the things that broke me caused anxiety and panic.

Domestic abuse is shrouded in secrecy.  The complex world in which the victim lives is orchastrated by a code of silence.  It's that silence that breeds the violence but it also serves as a survival mechanism for the victim, not a good one, but one that is instinctively practiced.  Counseling shatters that survival instinct that they depend on to exist.  They need to find the courage to break that silence for the healing to begin.

There are many forms of help available under the guise of counseling.  I'm only able to talk about the ones that I experienced over the past few years on my journey of healing.  What I found helpful might not be what another would, please understand that I'm not discrediting any person or method.

The first person I had interaction with was my Pastor.  I found him extremely hard to talk with, but it was me not him.  One of the ways that I was abused for years was with "Spiritual Abuse".  My husband would scare me into submission by fire & brimstone punishment from God.  At times he would threaten me with going to the Pastor to "tell on me".  To open up about rape, physical and sexual abuse to a Pastor, and a man, was one of the hardest things that I had ever done.  After a few minutes I would emotionally shut down, which really doesn't aid in a counseling session!  My Pastor is a wonderful Christian man who more then anything wanted to help me, and even though more then anything I wanted and needed to open up, it just wasn't working.

After a few months of trying to help myself...which didn't go very well...I finally found the courage to go to a Woman's Crisis Center and speak to a female counselor there.  That went a little better and I was able to open up a little more with her.  It was through her that I was diagnosed with PTSD and was given some good treatment options.  She did refer me to a hospital psychiatrist, but that didn't go well.  In a hospital setting which was on the Psych outpatient ward caused me terrible anxiety.  I only went there once.

Do you want to know who helped me the most in those first few months?  My best friend.  She is not a Pastor, counselor or doctor of any kind, just a loving friend who would let me talk, rage, vent or cry as needed.  She listened.  I believe that sometimes people think they are not helping if they can't give you solutions to a problem.  Truthfully more people need to learn how to just listen.

There were many times I needed to talk.  I needed to be able to vocalize the terrible things that had been done to me.  I wasn't looking for answers.  I needed to purge my soul of the hell I had been forced to endure for years.  I was frantic for a listening ear and loving heart.  I also needed to be believed.  One of the hardest things for a victim in breaking their silence is the overwhelming fear of not being believed.  My friend couldn't give me clinical statistics or coping strategies...she gave me instead what I needed, a "sounding board" with a hug thrown in once in a while!  When I had worked my way through this stage I found I was able to incorporate the suggestions of my Pastor and the counselor to greater success.

If you are a counselor, may I suggest that you allow the victim to just talk.  It might take many sessions of listening to venting, raging and crying, but in so doing you are giving them a priceless gift.  You are showing them through your actions that they have worth and value, something that abuse strips them of.  You are telling them that what they say is important and deserves to be heard.  Also let them know you believe them.  My biggest fear was that no one would believe me.  Of course being able to point them to the greatest Healer of broken hearts and souls, the Lord, is the ultimate thing you can do for them.  True and final healing can come only through the Great Physician.

Psalms 34:4  "I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."

Oh, Mr. Webster please add "listener" to your definition ~ thanks! 

 

 

Lord, speak to me,

That I may speak in living echoes of Thy tone;

As Thou hast sought,

So let me seek Thy erring children lost and lone.

 

O teach me, Lord,

That I may teach the precious things Thou dost impart;

And wing my words,

That they may reach the hidden depths of many a heart.

 

O fill me with Thy fullness, Lord,

Until my very heart o'erflow;

In kindling thought and glowing word

Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show.

 

O use me, Lord, use even me,

Just as Thou wilt and when and where;

Until Thy blessed face I see,

Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share.

 

                                                     Frances R. Havergal

Forgiveness

Wow, this is a hard concept isn't it.  Coming out of an abusive marriage the last thing I wanted to hear was that I had to forgive my husband.  I tried over and over to do this but I couldn't, and to be perfectly honest there were days when I could have cared less.  On those days I was glad that he ended up out of his mind, stuck away in a home - he had gotten what he deserved...right?  Wrong.

I was wanting vengeance, I wanted him to pay for what he had done, and my heart was hardened with bitterness and anger. 

It wasn't until one Sunday morning when I was sick and home in bed that God finally broke my hard heartedness and showed me the truth.  I was laying in bed and my mind was wondering, just kind of skipping from one thing to another in my head.  I found myself suddenly thinking about Jesus hanging on the cross, and Him asking this of His Heavenly Father...

Luke 23:34a  "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them;  for they know not what they do."

Jesus was asking His Father to forgive people who had no idea that they needed forgiveness, they hadn't even asked for it!  That's when I finally realized that I had been waiting (even though my Pastor had told me not to) for my husband to ask me to forgive him.  I wanted him to acknowledge the pain and suffering that he had caused me for years.  Somehow I thought that in his admitting to the terrible things he had done to me that my soul would find a release for the anguish that was still churning deep inside.  I knew right at that moment however that it was something that was never going to happen.  He did not see that he had done anything wrong, in his mind he was the victim.

My forgiving him had nothing to do with him and everything to do with my relationship to God.  Wanting to please and do right before God made forgiving my husband for 23 years of abuse possible.  It wasn't my strength, for hadn't I tried over and over to do this?  It was only by God's power.  When your vertical relationship with God is right your horizontal relationships with others will fall into place.

Another tool I found that helps in the forgiveness process is praying for that person.  This is how I finally was able to forgive another person who through their words and actions had created years of hurts and hard feelings.  You cannot stay bitter and angry at a person that you are bringing before the Lord in prayer!

Sometimes it's extremely hard, and when it came to this particular person I spent several weeks just asking God for His help to pray for her...and He did.

Ephesians 4:31 & 32  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, (loud shouting) and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malace:  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

I have also learned that forgiveness is not a one time deal.  Satan loves to bring back hard feelings, hurts, anger and bitterness over things from the past.  Many days I have to forgive again those who have done wrong to me, not because they deserve it, but because I need it.  I'm the one who will suffer if I don't forgive.  My heart will become hard and my relationship with the Lord will suffer because of my stubborn attitude. 

Mark 11: 25 & 26  "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."

Do you want to live in a spirit of fleshly bitterness, or in sweet peace with the blessing of
God upon you for obeying Him?  Jesus left us the example of forgiveness, lets strive with
His help to be like Him.

O to be like Thee!  Blessed Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I'll forfeit all of earth's treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

 

O to be like Thee!  Full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wand'ring sinner to find!

 

O to be like Thee!  Lord I am coming,

Now to receive Thy wisdom divine;

All that I am and have I am bringing,

Lord, from this moment all shall be Thine.

 

O to be like Thee!  While I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and heaven above.

 

O to be like Thee!  O to be like Thee,

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art!

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.



The Refiner

I don't know about you, but submission doesn't come easily to me.  No one likes to be told what to do.  However if we want to please the Lord then we have to learn to submit to Him.  This is still in the learning stage for me...submission to the Refiner, God.

Malachi 3:3a & 4a  "And He shall sit as a refiner and purifer of silver...then shall the offering...be pleasant unto the Lord."

This passage is speaking about God's judgement on Israel, but I want you to see the application to my life that God showed me.  A few years ago I was in the hospital and while there my kidney's failed.  My spirit was crushed and hurting, I didn't understand why all these things were happening.  As I read this passage one evening I saw the reason...it was to purify me.  I started to think about the job of a refiner.  He places the silver in the hottest part of the fire because He knows that's where the best results will come from.  He holds on to that silver, never leaving it or taking His eyes off it.  Because He is watching closely, He can tell the exact moment that it's done and needs to be taken from the fire.  The silver is a finished vessel when He can see His reflection clearly reflected back to him.

I suddenly saw God as the refiner and purifer of my soul.  God knew just how much heat to apply through the fires of suffering and trials.  He knew just when enough heat had been applied, because He could see His image reflected in my life. 

There are many times that I forget this lesson and I find myself fighting the fires of purification that are sent into my life by a loving and all-knowing God.  I always want the easy way, the path of least resistance, but that doesn't build spiritual stamina and strength.  I have to keep reminding myself that God's ways are better then mine...He can see the end and knows what I need in order to get there victoriously bringing glory to Him in the process.

Isaiah 55:8 & 9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

That night in the hospital I wrote this prayer in the margin of my Bible.

     "Oh Lord, make me a vessel that you can use.
     Help me to trust that as the Refiner, You are holding
     me and making something of my life that You can
     use for Your honor and glory.  Amen"

There are many times that I still resist the fire from the trials, but in order to become a sweet smelling offering in the service of the Lord I need to remind myself daily that I am but a vessel in the Master's hand.

 

Have Thine own way, Lord, have Thine own way!

Thou art the potter, I am the clay.

Mold me and make me after Thy will,

While I am waiting, yielded and still.

 

Have Thine own way Lord, have Thine own way!

Search me and try me, Master today!

Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,

As in Thy presence, humbly I bow.

 

Have Thine own way Lord, have Thine own way!

Wounded and weary, help me, I pray.

Power, all power surely is Thine!

Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.

 

Have Thine own way Lord, have Thine own way!

Hold o'er my being absolute sway!

Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see

Christ only, always, living in me.

 

                                                               Adelaide A. Pollard

Recycled

You may wonder at my choice for the title of this blog, "A Broken Vessel."  For anyone who likes to recycle, broken items usually can find another use.  Can I let you in on a little secret?  Recycling originated with God!  You see, He not only created me, but when I became useless, dented, scuffed and broken because of sin, not fit to be of any use in the original design I was created in...He recycled me!  I don't resemble His original design, but I'm usable again for Him...I have a purpose.

Psalms 40:2&3 "He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, (the earth's garbage dump) and set my feet upon a rock (The Lord Jesus Christ) and established my goings. (recycled me) And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God;  many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. (a new purpose)

You might be thinking to yourself, "Well you don't know the kind of life I've had, what I've done, what's been done to me.  I'll never be fit for God."  Let me tell you a little bit about myself.  I am a domestic violence survivor.  I lived for 23 years in a very abusive marriage.  As a teen I was molested; I was also beaten by a boyfriend, and I was raped.  Six years ago I was a broken
woman at the point of suicide.  I was not fit for God, and there was no way that I could make
myself fit for Him.  But God can see the potential beauty in the broken.  He specializes in
putting the broken back together again.  I had to come to the place that the Psalmist David
did when he penned the following in Psalms 31:10&12.

"For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing;  my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.  I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind:  I am like A BROKEN VESSEL."

When God's love and forgiveness is applied to our repentant broken hearts we are made anew, recycled, ready to be used to glorify our Heavenly Father!

ll Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new."

I was a broken, discarded, worthless vessel;  but now I've been recycled and put into service for the Lord ~ how wonderful is that!

I was once far away from the Savior,

And as vile as a sinner can be;

And I wondered if Christ the Redeemer

Could save a poor sinner like me.

Could save a poor sinner like me,

Could save a poor sinner like me.

And I wondered if Christ the Redeemer,

Could save a poor sinner like me.

 

As I wandered alone in the shadows,

Thru the darkness the cross I could see;

And I found that by trusting in Jesus,

There's hope for a sinner like me.

There's hope for a sinner like me,

There's hope for a sinner like me.

And I found that by trusting in Jesus,

There's hope for a sinner like me.

 

Now I've trusted His blood for redemption,

And I've tasted salvation so free;

Jesus Christ, the Redeemer has power

To save a poor sinner like me.

To save a poor sinner like me,

To save a poor sinner like me.

Jesus Christ, the Redeemer has power,

To save a poor sinner like me.

 

                                                        C. J. Butler