I'm listening to Charles Stanley this morning, and here's the big point: "Storms are inevitable. The anchor is immovable." Honestly, you ought to find him on TV or online today and listen to this sermon. Take notes. Digest every word because he's right. Storms will come . . . I don't care how you live your life. Storms will come. But God's Word is always right, always true, always timely. For every single storm, you can find a perfect Word in the Bible to address whatever it is you are facing. But guess what? It means you need to get busy. Dig in God's Word. Make it your business to know what He says that applies to your life today. Don't wait on a pastor or a friend to figure it out for you. It is your responsibility, and mine, to read and learn God's Word on our own. It takes work. It takes time. It takes effort. And it is worth more than anything else in your life.
When you learn the eternal Word of our eternal God, you can truly build a relationship with Him. And in that relationship, you will find strength. I have always heard people say, "If so and so happens, I just won't make it." Well, we can make it and we will, but we must make up our minds to be tenacious. We must never give up reading, studying, and praying in order to grow our relationship with our precious Father. He is "sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, holy and just." Need more? Read His Word and you will love Him more every day.
Be tenacious always, and in the storms of life, don't be blown away. Hold fast!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Life All Around
As I stare at my computer screen this morning, I think I am so inundated with life that I don't know where to begin. So if this seems disjointed . . .
In the past 13 days, our family has been blessed with not one, but two, new granddaughters: Addelyn Grace Emmert and Lily Grace Corbitt. Neither girl was supposed to be here just yet, but you know how women can be opinionated about time! Addelyn entered the world through a planned C-section (that got pushed a little sooner!), weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces. Lily arrived naturally at 8:44 on a Monday morning, weighing 7 pounds, 3.8 ounces. According to my other children, she arrived saying, "I'm here!" A little flair for the dramatic!
So today as I share my heart, I feel overwhelmed by God's blessings. Now, I know that sounds oversimplified, but it really is how I feel. The last six months have been, for me, a test of my faith, a test of my trust in God, a test of my tenacious spirit. I have cried out to God, clung to God, and studied His Word, but mostly, I have learned to praise Him in the storms of life. And the reward? Today I am reminded that my Redeemer lives. I am thankful that He has allowed blessings into my life and the lives of my children. I know that God's plan is always bigger, better, and more incredible than I could desire, and it's always full of surprises. As sure as I think I have everything figured out, He changes the course, but every time, His way of working things out is so much better than what I envisioned. He is just so good.
So before I close (to visit babies!), I want to encourage you this morning. If you are in a hard time . . . pray hard, study hard, and cling to God. The tough times don't last forever, and when you are faithful in praising Him and never doubting His plan, you will be richly rewarded. And if, like me, you have come out the other side of a long, tenuous stretch and stayed near to God, enjoy the moment! Hard times will come again; scripture tells us that we will always have trials and temptations, but take heart: God is a tenacious God. He walks with you every single day, He will never leave you, and He loves and wants you more than you want your next breath. Be tenacious!
In the past 13 days, our family has been blessed with not one, but two, new granddaughters: Addelyn Grace Emmert and Lily Grace Corbitt. Neither girl was supposed to be here just yet, but you know how women can be opinionated about time! Addelyn entered the world through a planned C-section (that got pushed a little sooner!), weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces. Lily arrived naturally at 8:44 on a Monday morning, weighing 7 pounds, 3.8 ounces. According to my other children, she arrived saying, "I'm here!" A little flair for the dramatic!
So today as I share my heart, I feel overwhelmed by God's blessings. Now, I know that sounds oversimplified, but it really is how I feel. The last six months have been, for me, a test of my faith, a test of my trust in God, a test of my tenacious spirit. I have cried out to God, clung to God, and studied His Word, but mostly, I have learned to praise Him in the storms of life. And the reward? Today I am reminded that my Redeemer lives. I am thankful that He has allowed blessings into my life and the lives of my children. I know that God's plan is always bigger, better, and more incredible than I could desire, and it's always full of surprises. As sure as I think I have everything figured out, He changes the course, but every time, His way of working things out is so much better than what I envisioned. He is just so good.
So before I close (to visit babies!), I want to encourage you this morning. If you are in a hard time . . . pray hard, study hard, and cling to God. The tough times don't last forever, and when you are faithful in praising Him and never doubting His plan, you will be richly rewarded. And if, like me, you have come out the other side of a long, tenuous stretch and stayed near to God, enjoy the moment! Hard times will come again; scripture tells us that we will always have trials and temptations, but take heart: God is a tenacious God. He walks with you every single day, He will never leave you, and He loves and wants you more than you want your next breath. Be tenacious!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Another School Year Goes By
If there is anything that will convince you that time passes quickly, it's teaching school. I feel like it was just yesterday that I decorated my classroom and wrote plans to prepare for a brand new group of students, and today I am preparing to close this "home away from home" for the summer. It's bittersweet, and it's a wonderful reminder that time passes quickly, and we must make the most of every day.
It's not popular out there in the world today to be hard and fast about anything. We're expected to be tolerant of differences, and while that is sometimes good, it's not always possible: not when it comes to faith. We can dance around the truth, or dress it up and put a bow on it, but the truth is the truth: our lives are spinning by ever so quickly, and if we intend to have eternal life, we cannot let another day go by without committing our lives to Jesus Christ. He told us that He is THE Way . . . not A Way; He is THE truth, not just a good idea. And then He said that no one goes to the Father except through Him. He is our mediator, our Savior, and our provider of grace because of His sacrifice on the Cross. He is not asking to be a part of our lives on Sunday morning and some distant back-burner figure Monday through Saturday. He wants to be Lord of our lives . . . Lord. He wants us to seek Him, know Him, and strive to be like Him, and this will never happen as long as we think we have plenty of time. It won't happen if we somehow think that it will be okay to wait until another day, another week, or another year. What is that time never comes?
I don't know about you, but I know what kind of future I want for myself. I want one lived in the presence of God. I want God to be able to say that He knows me intimately. I surely don't want to have any regrets. I have made the decision to give my life as a living sacrifice to God almighty, to pray in the name of Jesus, His Son, and to allow the Holy Spirit to guide my heart. No matter how quickly my days may pass, I know to whom I belong and where I am headed when this quickly-passing life of mine is over, but I want that for all of you, too.
If you don't already know Jesus, or if you aren't sure you are saved, get in touch with me. Send a prayer request, and I will cherish the opportunity to pray for you and your salvation. Call a friend, or call a pastor. And talk to God. It isn't complicated, and he doesn't expect fancy vocabulary. Just tell Him you want to belong to Him and that you believe in Him. Read in the New Testament Gospels about the ultimate sacrifice, and thank God for the incredible gift of grace He gave you through the Cross. Let His love infuse you with peace and joy that can only be found by being a child of the King. Don't let another day go by; time is passing way too quickly, and you don't want to miss this!
It's not popular out there in the world today to be hard and fast about anything. We're expected to be tolerant of differences, and while that is sometimes good, it's not always possible: not when it comes to faith. We can dance around the truth, or dress it up and put a bow on it, but the truth is the truth: our lives are spinning by ever so quickly, and if we intend to have eternal life, we cannot let another day go by without committing our lives to Jesus Christ. He told us that He is THE Way . . . not A Way; He is THE truth, not just a good idea. And then He said that no one goes to the Father except through Him. He is our mediator, our Savior, and our provider of grace because of His sacrifice on the Cross. He is not asking to be a part of our lives on Sunday morning and some distant back-burner figure Monday through Saturday. He wants to be Lord of our lives . . . Lord. He wants us to seek Him, know Him, and strive to be like Him, and this will never happen as long as we think we have plenty of time. It won't happen if we somehow think that it will be okay to wait until another day, another week, or another year. What is that time never comes?
I don't know about you, but I know what kind of future I want for myself. I want one lived in the presence of God. I want God to be able to say that He knows me intimately. I surely don't want to have any regrets. I have made the decision to give my life as a living sacrifice to God almighty, to pray in the name of Jesus, His Son, and to allow the Holy Spirit to guide my heart. No matter how quickly my days may pass, I know to whom I belong and where I am headed when this quickly-passing life of mine is over, but I want that for all of you, too.
If you don't already know Jesus, or if you aren't sure you are saved, get in touch with me. Send a prayer request, and I will cherish the opportunity to pray for you and your salvation. Call a friend, or call a pastor. And talk to God. It isn't complicated, and he doesn't expect fancy vocabulary. Just tell Him you want to belong to Him and that you believe in Him. Read in the New Testament Gospels about the ultimate sacrifice, and thank God for the incredible gift of grace He gave you through the Cross. Let His love infuse you with peace and joy that can only be found by being a child of the King. Don't let another day go by; time is passing way too quickly, and you don't want to miss this!
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