When my 13 year old Paige first sang the beautiful song, Broken and Spilled Out, it touched my heart knowing that was truly how she felt. Throughout her young life I have seen her reach out to those around her.
When she was very young she had a special gift of touching senior adults, as she grew her reach began to expand to little children. Paige never has to think twice about tending to someone’s child so that they might be free to do something else. Children are drawn to her, and she is drawn to them. Even though we have reached the teenage years, when most kids are only concerned about themselves, Paige still has a servant’s heart. She just naturally wants to help in any way she can in any situation. Now, I am not saying that she never thinks of herself, but her servant hood most definitely stands out.
I was reading my devotional this morning about how we should not only spread the gospel of Christ, but also be willing to be His servant to those around us. We should not be concerned about the cost of our servant hood, only that He calls us to serve others and we should be obedient to that call.
I want to be “broken and spilled out” in His hands, how about you?
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Love
Luke 6: 27-31, 36
“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Luke 6:36
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Luke 6: 37
“Do no judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
When we want to live for Christ we must be willing to love those around us through the eyes of Christ. So, I encourage us all to seek after Him throughout this day and see those around us through His eyes.
“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Luke 6:36
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Luke 6: 37
“Do no judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
When we want to live for Christ we must be willing to love those around us through the eyes of Christ. So, I encourage us all to seek after Him throughout this day and see those around us through His eyes.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Living for Christ
Philippians 1:21
“To live is Christ and to die is gain”
This may be one of the shortest verses in God’s Word, but it says so much. Our human nature is to put emphasis on what will bring us pleasure, joy, happiness, success, popularity, etc. To focus on these things causes us to forget what being a believer in Christ is all about.
How many times do we put our feelings or desires ahead of what Christ wants for us? Maybe we even let our “feelings” get in the way of receiving God’s love and direction. I recently tried to reach out to someone that I felt needed encouragement and support for a major step they took in their lives. In doing so, my friend took those actions in a negative manner. Now, instead of coming to me and asking me if she had misunderstood my actions, she judged me and thought the worst. I did no better, I have let her judgment towards me fester inside and have allowed it to keep me from being a completely pure vessel of God.
My desire is to realize that petty misunderstandings and daily human sin only keeps us from living completely for Christ. My prayer is that one day the closeness that I once thought was between my friend and I will return.
“To live is Christ and to die is gain”
This may be one of the shortest verses in God’s Word, but it says so much. Our human nature is to put emphasis on what will bring us pleasure, joy, happiness, success, popularity, etc. To focus on these things causes us to forget what being a believer in Christ is all about.
How many times do we put our feelings or desires ahead of what Christ wants for us? Maybe we even let our “feelings” get in the way of receiving God’s love and direction. I recently tried to reach out to someone that I felt needed encouragement and support for a major step they took in their lives. In doing so, my friend took those actions in a negative manner. Now, instead of coming to me and asking me if she had misunderstood my actions, she judged me and thought the worst. I did no better, I have let her judgment towards me fester inside and have allowed it to keep me from being a completely pure vessel of God.
My desire is to realize that petty misunderstandings and daily human sin only keeps us from living completely for Christ. My prayer is that one day the closeness that I once thought was between my friend and I will return.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Being Still
Psalm 46:10
The other day I was doing some cleaning around the house while the girls were busy on a project and the house was quiet. My first thought was how mundane life is at times, how we do the same things day in and day out, then my mind began to think upon words to a chorus we sang on Sunday. I could just feel the Lord’s presence around me. I felt Him speak to me about things I have been heavy hearted over. I felt a peace and reassurance that He was there, walking with me through these situations.
God says to “be still,” so . . . I wonder if we stopped looking at our lives as boring, and began using the mundane times to stop and listen to the Lord, how much deeper and more intimate would we become with Him?
My prayer this week, for me and you, will be to take those quiet moments to listen to God speak and not try to fill them with noise or busy-ness.
The other day I was doing some cleaning around the house while the girls were busy on a project and the house was quiet. My first thought was how mundane life is at times, how we do the same things day in and day out, then my mind began to think upon words to a chorus we sang on Sunday. I could just feel the Lord’s presence around me. I felt Him speak to me about things I have been heavy hearted over. I felt a peace and reassurance that He was there, walking with me through these situations.
God says to “be still,” so . . . I wonder if we stopped looking at our lives as boring, and began using the mundane times to stop and listen to the Lord, how much deeper and more intimate would we become with Him?
My prayer this week, for me and you, will be to take those quiet moments to listen to God speak and not try to fill them with noise or busy-ness.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Getting Alone
It seems that our lives get more and more busy everyday. Just as I think “Ok, after this or that is completed things will slow down”, but reality is that another “this or that” begins. My New Year’s resolution was to eat healthier, exercise more, and spend more time with my Savior. The hours in the day begin to run together and the next thing I know is that one of those has not been accomplished.
Time with the Savior should be top priority. Unless I allow time to be truly alone with Him, how can He speak to me? There is so much I have to learn and so much that He wants to teach me but this cannot happen if I am not listening.
I am going to pray that each of us will stop and take time to be truly alone with Christ. When we do this our relationship with Him will grow deeper and we will begin to hunger for His Word more and more.
“Jesus can expound nothing until we get through all the noisy questions of the head and are alone with Him.” - Oswald Chambers
It seems that our lives get more and more busy everyday. Just as I think “Ok, after this or that is completed things will slow down”, but reality is that another “this or that” begins. My New Year’s resolution was to eat healthier, exercise more, and spend more time with my Savior. The hours in the day begin to run together and the next thing I know is that one of those has not been accomplished.
Time with the Savior should be top priority. Unless I allow time to be truly alone with Him, how can He speak to me? There is so much I have to learn and so much that He wants to teach me but this cannot happen if I am not listening.
I am going to pray that each of us will stop and take time to be truly alone with Christ. When we do this our relationship with Him will grow deeper and we will begin to hunger for His Word more and more.
“Jesus can expound nothing until we get through all the noisy questions of the head and are alone with Him.” - Oswald Chambers
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)