Do What You Were Created to Do 11-20-11

Good Morning Sunshines!

We bought a dog about six months ago.  It is a Shih Tzu Terrier Mix and his name is Yogi.  Most terrier breeds were developed in Great Britain and Ireland.  Terriers were bred to control rats, rabbits, and foxes both over and under the ground. So they love to dig and hide things.  Yogi is not outside by himself for long periods of time, he is a house dog.  The other day while in my basement, I noticed Yogi in the laundry area by a pile of clothes.  Next thing you know, here he comes with a "fake bone" he had hidden under the clothes.  So, I got to thinkin'.  Although Yogi is not surveying the plains of Great Britain or Ireland, it is still in his nature to do what he was created to do!  He just adapted to the environment.  So then I started thinking about the gifts that God has given us.  The bible says in I Peter 4:10-11(NLT), "God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen"  The Lord has blessed all of us with a spiritual gift(s).  Some of us use them to help one another, some of us use them only when it is an opportunity for personal gain or accolades, and some of us just sit on them and don't use them for anything.  I Corinthians 12:7-11 says, "A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have."  Whether we live our lives for Christ or not we were given gifts to be used to bring Him glory.  "For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn." Romans 11:29.  So if you got it, you got it!  Why not use them to build and edify one another?  Do you know what your gifts are?  Just to help you a little, what is it that no matter what, you just can't help doing?  Maybe it's helping someone in need, maybe it’s giving sound advice, maybe its helping the sick.  You could have the gift of helps, the gift of wise advice, the gift of healing, etc.  No matter what environment Yogi is in, he can't help but do what he was created to do.  Let us do the same!  Do what you were created to do!!! 

Love y'all!

Occupy Until He Comes 10-30-11

"And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come." Luke 19:11-13

“And his interests are divided.  The woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may please her husband.” I Corinthians 7:34

Occupy simply means to be a doer.  Basically, you need to be doing something until he comes. Think of the story of Ruth. When she was found by Boaz, Ruth was doing exactly that.  She was busy working in the field when Boaz found her.  She was in the right place at the right time.  If she had been sitting at home looking at Naomi, I’m sure after a while with all her tenacity, she would have ended up depressed wondering when the Lord would send her someone.  Now know that this is easier said than done.  I am well aware that this is coming from a woman who goes home and sleeps next to a hairy warm body at night.  But know I was not someone who always had a man.  I was single and didn’t like it that much.  I had desired to be married from a young age.  Or more so, I desired to be a wife.  I new early on that I wanted children; a family to take care of.  Looking back, I think it is important to learn how to actively wait.  Many may think that is an oxymoron.  If I could come up with my own spiritual definition of “occupy” this is how I would describe it: It is the act of actively waiting; standing still in anticipation of the “move of God” while actively pursuing the “Will of God” for your life.  So, I say to the single woman “Occupy until your Boaz comes.” Know that this is not just for single women.  Some of us that are married are waiting for our husbands to be the Men of God that God created them to be.  If you believe God gave you a vision for your husband, stay the course!  I know what I am talking about!  I know the man that God created my husband to be!  I love my husband and I trust that God is going to finish the work he started in him!  So if your husband is a little confused and thinks his name is Jonah right now instead of Boaz, DON’T GIVE UP!  Stay married!  So, I say to the married woman “Occupy until your husband becomes the Boaz you know God created him to be!”

One Kernel at a Time 10-23-11

One day I was at the movies with my kids and of course we were eating popcorn.  As I shoved several kernels in my mouth at one time, I noticed a guy in front of me eating one kernel at a time.  So, I decided to try it.  Although after about 10 seconds I decided one kernel popcorn eating is not for me, I got to thinking.  I was thinking about how many of us take life like we eat our popcorn.  We take it in in months and years at a time.  We get so overwhelmed and end up “choking”.  What would happen if we would really take the Word and apply it?  Philippians 4:6 says “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (NASB)  What would happen if we would “Be anxious for nothing”?  Matthew 6:34 says “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”(NASB)  What if we would not worry about tomorrow?  If we would just slow down and learn to live in the moment and take life like most addicts; moment by moment, second by second, minute by minute, we would live much happier lives.  We might even tap into the abundant life that Christ said he came to give us.  If we break down time like money we would feel like we have much more of it.  For example, to a child, 100 pennies seems so much more than a one dollar bill because the volume of 100 pennies is greater.  As children of God, let’s look at life the same way.   More often than not, I feel like I need more hours in the day.  But if I broke it down into 3600 seconds or 60 minutes, it seems like I have so much more.  Women, we do this all the time!  We get consumed with what might happen or things we need to accomplish in the weeks and months to come.  I am a firm believer that “proper planning prevents poor performance”.  There’s a “but” coming……………………….BUT, it doesn’t help anybody if we are stressed and overwhelmed about stuff that hasn’t even happened yet.  Often we do not give the Lord an opportunity to bless us or move on our behalf because we have too much stuff crowding our vision.  To God, one day is like a thousand!  Wouldn’t it be much easier to give it over to Him and work with the seconds and minutes right in front of us?  Now look, I am a work in progress.  Please know that I get this idea of “living in the moment” wrong more than I get it right.  So those of us that struggle in this area, let’s help each other and those that got it together in this area, help a sistah out!  LOL!  Love y’all and remember to take life “one kernel at a time”! 

Get Out of the Way! 10-15-11

Good Morning Sunshines!

I think I'll get straight to the point this morning. Get out of the way and trust God! Have you ever been in a hurry to get somewhere and end up stuck behind somebody who is moving as slow as molasses? Frustrating huh? Well, I am sure the Lord feels that way often concerning us! He is in such a hurry to bless us, heal us, make ways for us, deliver us, and so much more. But, we are in the way!! If we could just follow His lead and GET OUT OF THE WAY, we could get to where He wants us to be much faster! Proverbs 3:5-6 says.."Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (NIV). My mother and I would drive to North Carolina every summer. When she was teaching me to drive long distances on the highway, she told me to get behind a truck that was going a good speed and stay behind him. Being an inexperienced driver, this was the best advice! At the age of thirteen (I may have been younger but I'll stick with thirteen as not to alert Child Protective Services. LOL!) I was able to take to the road like a pro. I drove me and my mom from Cincinnati to Detroit and I wasn't afraid at all. My mom (an experienced driver) had given me the direction to get behind another experienced driver who specialized in driving long distances (the trucker) and just follow his lead. Let's insert ourselves and Christ into this story....The Father (an experienced driver) has given us the direction to get behind Christ (another experienced driver who specializes in going the distance) and just follow where He leads.  Love Y'all!