Reflection of 2014 / The Mirror of 2015

James 1:23-25 ...'For if any be a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass; for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way and straight away forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continuity therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.'

This past year, I have been reminded more than once how fragile life is. How life is fleeting and like a vapor. It has been a great year, but it has been real as well. In experiencing life and death, I am reminded how Jesus Christ is who helps us daily, he gives us peace and sustains us. He gives us hope to see us through.
I am also reminded through living life that in all things I want to glorify Christ. Not because life is fleeting or short, or because of fear, but because of love, because of hope and because of life promised to all who will. All who will. It’s a choice. 
Christ gives us a choice to follow him. I don’t want to be the man or woman who looks in a mirror and forgets where I came from, or who I am, but I want to remember where I came from so that I can extend mercy and hope to others. Through him, we as Christians can share a light that he gives.


This year, if you display the banner of “Christian”, please remember what it means. Please look in the mirror and strive to see Christ. Strive to live like Christ, not a forgetful hearer, but a doer.

No one looks in the mirror and forgets himself, but who might just go to church for one hour on Sunday and then forget God the rest of the week ? 

It's easy to go to church for one hour on Sunday and get that feel good feeling of worship, the great songs, and maybe even listen to the message as long as we can refrain from our smart phone distracting us for that one hour, but regardless, one hour a week is not gonna give you the strength and peace you need to have the peace you so desire. It's a daily walk, it's constant prayer, it's a relationship with Jesus Christ that will get you through. 

One hour a week won't sustain you when trials come, one hour a week won't fulfill you when life is not, one hour a week will not empower you to go the distance and minister to others which we have been called to do. One hour a week is not enough.... 
unless you are a baby Christian and just learning how to walk, God will help you increase, and grow from there. 

As you reflect on 2014 and move forward into 2015 remember who you are and where you came from, pray that as you look in any mirror you will see Christ or at least a portion of Christ, a desire and a hope. 

My prayer for you in 2015 is the promise that Christ gives. Peace to sustain you and hope to get you through, resulting in abundant, & authentic life through him. God Bless ! 

Tis the Seson

       As we get closer to Christmas, and we see all the lights and excitement around, we are reminded of the 'season' we are in.


The light shows, plays,shopping and musicals, fill up this wonderful season. We are so busy, that we often forget or just get caught up in the hustle and bustle that we truly just want to participate and sometimes just get through it.  We are just counting the days down to our day off at work to visit family or day off so that we can get into the mood, but the season is here, the time is now !!! 

Personally, I have to constantly remind myself that the season is a fragile season, for some it's a sad time of missing loved ones, for others it's a time of feeling left out or alone as they have no family or friends to make it special and fellowship with. 
Some people do not have gifts or money to buy gifts and though in their heart they want to give, they have no gift to give and they are oppressed by life. 

This is the time, we as Christians and Christ followers are to reach out to those that suffer, that are oppressed and alone. This is the season to show others there is more light in us than in that park down the street all lit up with holiday lights and excitement. We have a true glow, a bright light and the light that Christ gives is the never ending, always glowing, always bright light,  all year long not just at Christmas. This is the time to touch those fragile hearts that are breaking. 


What are you personally doing for Christ this holiday season?  We are reminded of the celebration that is coming. The gift of a Savior !! Pray and seek God and ask him, to put someone in your path to bless, to help, to pray for. 

Tis the season.........
                                 ......the time is now ! 

Pride forgets, Humility remembers: Commentary on Thanksgiving

"Be careful that your heart doesn't forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery." Deuteronomy 8:14 HCSB

Has God brought you out of a place of slavery? Enslaved to sin, oppression, depression, the world? If you are a child of his, you can relate. You can go back to that place of void, that lonely place where you once lived and re-visit the pain. Go back there right now and remember that place where your soul suffered and felt alone......

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the [a]miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:2-3 NASB

When we think of where he brought us from, we are often thankful.
The children of Israel had a problem with remembering and being thankful. They had been brought out of a real place of oppression. They thought they wouls be much happier in the place they were because their reality at the time, was hard.
Isn't that how we all are, we want to tuck tail and run at the slightest bit of persecution, and hardship and go back to what we once knew even it it means being enslaved and oppressed. Why, because it's familiar and "our Normal".


Pride forgets, humility remembers: Pride is a product of our carnal man, of "self" and often that is the world we live in, but if we can concentrate on humility, humility will yield Thanksgiving, why?
When you think and concentrate on where God brought you from, you not only become humble, but Thankful, Thankful for a chance for a new life with him.

I am sure that is what the children of Israel thought too, can't we just go back to be enslaved where we are comfortable?
They were liberated, they were free....but often forgot and did not have a thankful heart and complained often about everything.

They never embraced a spirit of Thanksgiving, that spirit of humility, of humble Thanksgiving, submission and surrender to our Lord God.  They were given miracle after miracle and would forget so quickly because their focus would reside on "self" and pride and they would forget.......

Pride forgets, humility remembers..........

Where are you? Do you live in a place of humility and thanksgiving, or a place of pride and self that yields unhappiness and negativity?
Surrender today to him and what he can offer. Discipline yourself and concentrate on a spirit of Thanksgiving daily, not just the month of November but always.......

A Shack versus a Mansion

Why do we build for our souls a shack when we can live in a mansion?

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Eph 6:12

I used to dream of living in a nice home, large, spacious, beautiful... I can remember as a middle schooler, when I first started really thinking of my future and dreaming of escaping my present lot in life, I dreamt of a successful, career in business where I could dress up everyday. I would literally pull pictures out of Southern Living magazine with the blue prints and save them for my future dream home. I loved looking at the blue prints and still do at times. 

      Reality is I am a nurse, not glamorous at all(though some people seem to think it is) and due to decisions made and circumstance I may never get to choose a blue print to make my home. Those dreams were relinquished long ago when I was convicted after I was first saved when I read the scripture where your treasure is there will be your heart also, so I kinda gave over the desires of this world about 20 years or more ago. So I don't struggle with that much. 

I struggle with the more here and now, I struggle with being good enough, being enough, being present, being available with the people in my life, I struggle with helping my family and am I doing enough. I struggle with things that matter, but it's still a struggle, it is still a battle and often I allow my soul to live in a shack when, because of Christ and his promises I could live in a mansion, literally one day I will, but I could live in a mansion here on earth, right now, if I so chose to. Why do I still live in a shack ?  I can't say that I live in a shack all the time, that would be pretty depressing if I stayed oppressed, no the enemy just wants me to slum, he wants me to go back to that shack and stay there, hungry, hoping, and having a pity party at times, he wants me to stay there if I will, he wants me to concentrate and think of my failures... What is your shack? 

The shack of rebellion? Of despair,  of oppression, of broken dreams, of hopes not fulfilled, why do you choose to allow this world, this present situation dictate your living arrangements?

Sometimes I question....  Am I not spiritually mature enough to resist this? No, I am, I am strong enough to resist this to live above this through Christ, we wrestle against spiritual battles and the more of Christ we can put into our lives, the more fulfilled we become, the more at a peace and we don't have to live in a shack, we can live in a mansion. Often the battle is in the mind, I have never read the book Battlefield of the Mind, but I strongly feel if we can get our minds under subjection to Christ Jesus then our battle here on earth is  most won and we can live in that mansion. 

Keep striving, keep trying, don't loose hope and if you slum at times in that shack, recognize it and get back home, back home to the feet of Jesus Christ..... Keep putting more of him in your life, and go live in that mansion, here and now.... 

Work

Ephesians 6:7 

"Rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man." 

I heard a preacher preach on this once when I was younger and had not many cares in this world and I thought it was pretty interesting.  I remember how passionate he was about it. I think he was a bi-vocational pastor and if I remember correctly I think he did some type of clean up work whether it was for construction or maybe janitorial, but regardless he talked about using a broom and how menial but needed the task was. Someone has to clean up, that is a needed job. He went on to talk about how he didn't love his job, but he kept the mindset that everything he did, he did it unto God and not man. He went on to include how you not only should do it with a good heart, but with pride, and do a good job as if you are doing it for the Lord. He was very passionate and it really stuck with me . 

Recently I have been studying and  writing about ethics in the work place and in healthcare. Believe me, I have had to meditate on this scripture many times when I have had a difficult or hateful patient to take care of.  I coach myself"Remember you are doing this for the Lord, not man, remember, remember, remember. Remember, they are just sick, and mad at the world and you may be the only light they see." Yeah, I have pep talks with myself. 

I find it quite amusing that there is very long literature out there and in place regarding ethics while dealing with patients. There has to be a legal and binding document to hold nurses accountable, maybe because no one reads the Bible anymore. I mean you could know this scripture alone and be compelled to uphold a standard and do a good job. 

Enough talk about nursing, what about you? Can you honestly say you are working a job as to the Lord and not man? 

Man includes self. We often get so self involved about what we want and need, we forget we are not here to be inward, we are here to be outward and outward would include dealing with others. Why do we need to deal with others and be in this world? Because we need to show them Christ. We need to be that light that they see. We, you, Me, We are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ whether you want to embrace that or not.  If you want authentic, abundant life through HIM, you must submit to his will, his design for your life is not all about you, but all about HIM.  

Humility is the opposite of Pride

I know this, and you know this. Humility and pride are pretty much opposite of each other on the spectrum of virtues.

I think of Humility I think of Christ.

He came in the form of a servant, he was humble, he thought outside the box, why? Because he loved. He loved mankind, he came to show love, to be an example, to be a servant, ... to show us how to live.
Some people humility and a humble spirit comes natural. They do great things, and they want to stay under the radar. That person who gave money to buy a whole family's Christmas, anonymously, that person who gave up their family time to help out another, that person who spend a few extra minutes of their day blessing someone else.

There are other people that humility does not come natural, they are confident, boisterous and even obnoxious at times. But when you see that humble spirit, that humility come through to their character then you know Christ is in them, Jesus Christ is real and he is awesome !!!

I sometimes think of Paul that way in the Bible, I think God did a miraculous work in him on the road to Damascus, he changed him, but I think he still struggled even after that with pride and being arrogant. You can tell in his writings that he was very confident and self-assured that he knew what he was doing, but then you read what God did for him, not just his story, but over and over he reminded others of God's amazing grace.


Humility is being willing to set yourself aside for a more important purpose and Paul did just that, so did Jesus, but two very different individuals in contrast.

Are you willing to set yourself aside for a more important purpose? Your hopes, your dreams, your desires, "your goals in life" your money, your future, your home, your children, your parents, your career. Are you willing to set all that aside for a more important purpose? Ask yourself that, meditate on your motives, and examine yourself today.

When people ask me how do I know Jesus Christ is real, I can tell them I see him everyday. I see him transform people through HIS virtues, his love and his spirit and only God can do that !!! Have you ever seen God transform a prideful person into a humble person? I have.  I serve a living God !!!

Courage

I am reading my devotional and as I read it,  I am reminded of my purpose and place.

My devotion is about courage and standing firm.
"There are souls in the place of fear and desperation. Be always willing and ready to stand with them in that place and share your faith and courage."

When I read that, I think of myself. There are times when I don't want to stand.  I don't want to stand in this world and be pounded by reality and hurt and lies and the real world. I don't want to live in this hurtful world and stand with all that. I want to run, run home to my safe house, my warm bed, my relaxing back yard. I want to hang out at the beach and if by chance I meet someone struggling, then and only then when God leads that person into my life, then I will minister to them.  I want to get on my bike and ride and not think of this cruel world. But I was put in it for a reason... and that is to stand for the weak, to smile, to give an encouraging word, hope, help.
When I want to quit because it's toooo hard. I am reminded, I am here for a reason.

1Cor 9:22 
"To the Weak I become weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." 

While I surely am not gonna save anyone, I am reminded of Danny's sermon Sunday


"Who will be better because of me?" 

If I am not in the world.. no one. If I hide in my home, yeah, I can make my kids better, and that is truly something I long for, spending more time, teaching and ministering to my kids, but God made us to be in the world, not of the world but in it and I pray I can help those along the way, if nothing more, but to have hope...... 


Then there is Paul, he had it figured out. There was no quitting for Paul, even when he had an out, he chose to continue, why?........ because he understood his goal

"Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News". Phil 1:27 NLT

Lord, please give us the courage to stand, to walk in this world with your strength as we know we cannot do anything of ourselves, but we can do all through you. 

Do you know your goal? Do you understand it? 
Do you have that hope? If not you can have it...