Becky Austin

Strength Under Control (Psalm 25:9)

12:28 AM


This week we are exploring the attribute of humility. When I think of humility I often think of meekness. Most are familiar with the beatitude “The meek shall inherit the earth.” This teaching of Jesus raised many eyebrows I’m sure for all of history has showcased a perpetual power struggle of man trying to rule the world with harsh force and manipulation. But God is not impressed with earthly successes and power gains. God is interested in our meekness. The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.  Psalm 25:9

Meekness, in our culture, is often seen as a weakness, but in Scripture, it was seen as a strength.  What defines meekness in the Bible?
According to Samuel A. Meier,  we see meekness represented under these circumstances in the Bible: “a conflict in which an individual is unable to control or influence circumstances. Typical human responses in such circumstances include frustration, bitterness, or anger, but the one who is guided by God's spirit accepts God's ability to direct events. Meekness is, therefore, an active and deliberate acceptance of undesirable circumstances that are wisely seen by the individual as only part of a larger picture.”
S. Meier did not see meekness as a weakness, but rather a quality possessed by those of great fortitude and strength: “Meekness does not identify the weak but more precisely the strong who have been placed in a position of weakness where they persevere without giving up.”  

To further understand meekness, let’s look at the Greek origin. Meekness comes from the word “praus”, which has the following meanings.
a. Used to describe a soothing medicine.  b. Used by sailors to describe a gentle breeze. c. Used by farmers to describe a broken colt.
Grady Scott asked the question “What do all these definitions have in common? They all describe great power under control.” He, therefore, concluded that a good working definition of biblical meekness was “ Strength under control.”

Unfortunately, today’s culture sends quite a different message to us and more importantly, to our children. As Steve Shirley points out, “the "world" defines strong people as those who are assertive, take charge, proud, self-sufficient, self-reliant, and independent. A meek person is the opposite of these things, therefore, many people associate meekness with weakness. A meek person is willing to be submissive, is humble and gentle, relies on God and is dependent on Him to provide strength.”
I love her challenge though as she asks the question, “Which of these is REALLY the weaker? If you think it is meekness, try following these attributes for a while, and you will see it is HARD! It is much more difficult to humble yourself and rely on God, than to do everything in your own strength.”

I totally agree. It’s hard to keep my mouth shut when I want to defend myself but I know that God’s spirit is prompting me to be silent. Sometimes, it’s not about me being right but about letting God have control of the situation and letting God work on another person’s heart.
It's hard to endure difficult circumstances, especially if I think that what I’m enduring is unfair. But, when I know that God is asking me to endure, then I also know that he is going to provide me with the strength to do so.  It’s hard to listen to someone’s judgements and criticisms and not harbour bitterness or resentment. But, I know that God forgives me and I must forgive others. Every day, God asks us to walk in meekness and rely on Him. It takes a lot of trust. It takes a lot of patience and waiting on His timing. It takes a lot of denial of self for the sake of the well being of others. But, with that meekness, comes one of the greatest things a Christian can possess…a teachable heart. God teaches me the most when I am focused on Him and not all busy, bothered and anxious as I try to take matters into my own hands. 

Today, I want to encourage you to embrace meekness as strength and ask God to help you have a teachable heart. Ask God to help you endure difficult circumstances in His strength. The world may think that you are weak, but what the world thinks does not matter. What matters, is who you are in God’s eyes. May you find the source of all that you need in Him.

“The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. Rather he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God's estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels. In himself, nothing; in God, everything. That is his motto."  A.W. Tozer


brokenness

Not I but Christ in Me {Philippians 2:1-11]

12:00 AM

~ Philippians 2:1-11

 "Have this same mindset among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus."- (Philippians 2:5).

What immediately comes to you mind when you think of revival?


 According to Roy Hession, “Revival is just the life of the Lord Jesus poured into human hearts.” BUT “The Lord Jesus cannot live in us fully and reveal Himself through us until the proud self within us is broken."
“To be broken means to have no rights before God and man. It does not mean merely surrendering my rights to Him but rather recognizing that I haven't any, except to deserve hell. It means just being nothing and having nothing that I call my own, neither time, money, possessions nor position.” ― Roy Hession, The Calvary Road

The perfect example of all of this is found in the life of  Peter. The night of Jesus arrest Peter expressed his desire to be arrested and and even die for Jesus, yet Jesus knew better and told Peter that instead that night he would deny Jesus three times,

Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.”  Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.” (Luke 22:34-35)
We all know that Peter wasn’t ready at that moment (Luke 22:54-62), but notice what happens later on,

And Peter directed his gaze at the beggar, as did John, and said, “Look at us.”  And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.  But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”  And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.  And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.(Acts 3:4-8)

Peter, no longer fearful of what others might think or do to him, begins boldly addressing all those in the temple that day and immediately:

"... as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them,  greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.  And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.” (Acts 4:1-4)


The contrast between Peter on the day of Jesus’ arrest and this day is amazing! Peter is no longer concerned about what others will think, say or do. He stands boldly in the Temple courts and proclaims the gospel and look what happens! Yes, he is arrested, but many who heard him put their faith in Christ. 

I desire to make a difference for Christ Jesus, just as Peter did that night of Jesus' arrest, but Peter was still full of himself that night. Peter needed Jesus to come take over just like the rest of us do. I believe all of us who know and love the Lord, Jesus desire to make an impact in this world for Him, but how many of us will truly surrender our will and rights? I know I personally battle with surrendering all the time!

 There's so much I'd like to say, but I truly believe Mr. Hession's has said it best in his book, The Calvary Road:

If, however, we are to come into this right relationship with Him, the first thing we must learn is that our wills must be broken to His will. To be broken is the beginning of Revival. It is painful, it is humiliating, but it is the only way. It is being "Not I, but Christ" (Gal. 2:20), and a "C" is a bent "I." The Lord Jesus cannot live in us fully and reveal Himself through us until the proud self within us is broken. This simply means that the hard unyielding self, which justifies itself, wants its own way, stands up for its rights, and seeks its own glory, at last bows its head to God’s will, admits its wrong, gives up its own way to Jesus, surrenders its rights and discards its own glory that the Lord Jesus might have all and be all. In other words it is dying to self and self-attitudes.

If you'd like to read more from The Calvary Road you can click on this link , or pick up a copy of the book. It's another book that I don't like to lay down for long.

Blessings,
sue

Humility

Clothe Yourself with Humility {Colossians 3:12}

12:00 AM

Image result for clothe yourself with humility

Please read Colossians 3:1-17

In these verses Paul is describing what our spiritual clothing should look like.  It’s the fruit of the Spirit we are wearing.  Since this week our topic is humility, I will try to share what humility looks like according to this scripture.

Way back in my late 20’s, my husband wanted to join an organization that sold products which were marketed as superior to other products and you had to buy and use these products and encourage others to join the ranks.  It was expensive and very demanding.  In order to make money, we had to get people to not only buy these products, but get them to join the organization and sell to others.  If you’ve ever heard of a pyramid scheme, this is one.

One weekend, we had to attend a rally.  I was not very happy to leave my 7 month old daughter and give up my weekend to attend this rally.  In fact I shed a lot of tears.  But my husband really wanted to make this business venture work and we were not only told it would allow me to quit my job and be a stay-at-home working mother, but it was a requirement for our new business.

Long story short, we heard from dozens of people about how successful they were and what stuck out in my mind was how they flaunted their diamonds.  You see, you achieve statuses in this organization and once you reach this diamond status, you are, well, rich.  These people showed off their beautiful clothing, they showed pictures of their beautiful homes, yachts, cars and vacations.  But what they lacked was humility.  They made their money off all of us in the audience.  It was a pyramid scheme all right.  Full of lust and greed.  They idolized getting rich and using other people.  I can remember going to the people who recruited us to tell them we were getting out – they were mad!  They would no longer earn an income off our purchases, and our attendance to these mandatory rallies.  And to try to keep us in their chain link, they had the person who recruited them to come and convince us to stay in the organization.  However, I just knew better and dug my heels in.  He too was mad!

That was not how Paul describes humility.

I have been reading The Calvary Road and this is what Roy Hession describes in chapter 4 how in humility we can reach Calvary. 

“The only way to the Highway is up a small, dark, forbidding hill – the Hill of Calvary.  It is the sort of hill we have to climb on our hands and knees – especially our knees.  If we are content with our present Christian life, if we do not desire with a desperate hunger to get on the Highway, we shall never get on our knees and thus never climb the hill.  But if we are dissatisfied, if we are hungry, then we will find ourselves ascending.  Don’t hurry.  Let God make you really hungry for the Highway; let Him really drive you to your knees in longing prayer.  Mere sightseers won’t get very far.  “Ye shall find me when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.” (Jer. 29:13)”

 Image

“Brokenness in daily experience is simply the response of humility to the conviction of God.”  (Roy Hession-“The Calvary Road”)


What have you chosen to clothe yourself with?  Is Christ the wardrobe you are wearing as a believer?

We are reminded in scripture that if any person be in Christ Jesus, he or she is a new creation; old things have passed away and all things have become new.

If we are truly confessing believers, we have to drop those desires to get rich quick.  We have to put on Christ which others will see as we navigate our way through our daily lives.  God’s people are being led by His Holy Spirit. 

That seems to be the problem with many Christians today – you cannot tell the difference between them and non-Christians.  There is no fruit bearing in many of their lives because they are trying to keep one foot in the world and one with Christ.  It just won’t work!  God wants us to crawl on our knees up the Hill of Calvary.  He wants to be the center of our lives with evidence of His presence with us!

 Image result for christ on the cross on calvary

I’ll leave you with a prayer I have often said.  It is from The Calvary Road.

“Lord, bend that proud and stiff necked I.  Help me to bow the head and die; beholding Him on Calvary, who bowed His head for me.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3Wf2ptiAbk





God's Grace and Mercy

Humility- What Becomes Of Our Boasting {Romans 3}

1:00 AM


Monday Feb. 25, Humility- Romans 3

While reflecting on writing about humility, the Lord brought to my mind the time He used a simple loving gesture to teach me a powerful life lesson. A couple of years ago a family conversation started about King David. Opinions differed, with strong feelings on all sides. When I noticed that the ones participating didn’t know what God’s Word had to say, I was quick to jump in. I quoted verses, offered my own commentary, and handed out suggestions of picking up their Bibles more often. I was on a roll! I remember riding home that night feeling pretty proud of myself, and I couldn’t wait to boast to my husband. After all didn’t I show everyone that I was the better Christian? Surely my actions impressed God and made me just a little more special in His eyes. 

A short time later a dear friend of mine sent me a random text message full of silly heart and love emojis to which I jokingly replied, “What did I do to earn such affection?” My friend answered, “It’s like grace and mercy, not earned just given.” She went on to say that she hadn’t reached out because of anything I had done, but simply because she loved me. Now little did she know at the time, but boy did her words tear at my heart. The conviction I instantly felt let me know that God was far from impressed with me. Feelings of humility, and sorrow swirled inside as my eyes welled with tears. Filled with shame, I prayed for forgiveness, and for a heart change. A heart that would never again forget that it is only by God’s saving grace that I can be reconciled to Him. A heart that has no room for boasting knowing the Jesus paid my sin debt with His precious blood. And a heart of thankfulness that the same love God offers me, He so generously offers to all. 

“Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith.” (vs. 27) The lesson God taught me, was the same lesson Paul was trying to teach in his letter to the Jews in Rome. Feeling an air of superiority for being God’s chosen people, they weren’t thrilled with Paul’s teaching that all, both Jew and Gentile, are equally guilty in the eyes of the Lord; “There is none righteous, not even one.” “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (vs. 10, 23) They scoffed at his declaration of justification through grace alone; not by the works of the Law. And their prideful hearts found it hard to accept that God sent His Son not just to save Israel, but to save the world. 

It’s been said that humility doesn’t mean thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. And there’s no better example of this than Christ. From start to finish Jesus, in humility and obedience, always put the will of the Father before His own. Never once seeking His own glory, His joy was found in serving God and others. He endured much and sacrificed unto death to give us eternal life. Just like the love of my friend, His grace and mercy not earned, just given. Knowing this, I can honestly say there is nothing in me worth boasting about. And so I continue to  pray for a humble heart, to live for God’s glory, and to remember that love, “does not boast, it is not proud.” (1 Cor. 13:4) 

“Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all. If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realise that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.”...C.S. Lewis

To read more about humility click on the following link:


Cake

Pecan Crusted Sweet Potato Pound Cake

8:00 AM




Pecan Crusted Sweet Potato Pound Cake


4 medium sweet potatoes (2 cups cooked)
1/2 cup cold buttermilk 
1-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, for the pan
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup packed light-brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
powdered sugar (optional)

For sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pierce each potato twice with a paring knife and place the potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the centers are soft. (Check with a paring knife or fork.) Carefully slice the potatoes in half to let off steam. When they are cool enough to handle, scoop out 2 cups of flesh and place it in a food processor. Add the buttermilk and process until smooth. Refrigerate to cool. (Refrigerate any unused potato flesh for another use.) Adjust your oven rack to one setting below the center position, with no racks above it. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 10-inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts evenly around bottom of pan, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Using an electric mixer (preferably a large stand model) on medium, cream the butter, then gradually beat in the sugar and remaining 1 cup of brown sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and orange zest and beat to blend. Add the sweet potato mixture and beat on low until evenly blended. Add flour mixture, about a third at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading it evenly. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until a tester (such as a thin wooden skewer) inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a large platter. Cool for at least 30 minutes more before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

God is Faithful

Reflections from Roxanna ~ Gratitude

2:00 AM


Good morning, Girls!


GOD IS SO GOOD!

He knew us from our creation. He choose us from the start to love Him and give Him Praise!

We all are sinners, but God loves us and decided we are to be the ones to Glorify Him.  We are the ones who will stand in the throne room in Heaven! We are the ones who will Praise His Goodness for all eternity! Just imagine!

HE IS AMAZING!

The love He has shown for us is evident in the countless blessings we have received in our lives.

He brings us both joy and troubles...troubles to walk through to know Him so much more. Remind yourself..."Every day of my life I will love my God.  He loves me and He has forgiven me!"

He went to the cross beaten beyond recognition and proclaimed, "It is finished."

He won the battle for our souls and He is greatly to be praised.

May you be filled with joy, sanctified and redeemed by His great hand!

Blessings,

Roxanna

Hiding God's Word in our Heart

Scripture Saturday ~ Micah 6:8 ~ Walk Humbly ~ Humility

12:00 AM

Saturday, February 23, 2019


Welcome to Scripture Saturday!

This coming week's memory verse is Micah 6:8...

 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (NKJV)

 But how are we to do this? First we must acknowledge our sins and then be willing to submit to God's mercy. It is only through a humbling of ourselves that we will be allowed to walk with God. "God sets Himself against the proud, but He shows favor to the humble.” (1 Pet. 5:5.) 
A person who walks humbly with God understands that everything that she possesses is a gift of God.  A person who walks humbly with God will try to determine where God would have her to go rather than trying to set her own direction based on her own wisdom. To be truly humble, we must give up all appearance of self-sufficiency and must instead rely on God as “our help and our shield” (Psalm 33:20).

Have a blessed day and week everyone!

blessings

Counting our Blessings {Psalm 136}

7:30 PM



Scripture Reading: Psalms 136


“Count your blessings; name them one by one…” Do you remember the next line to this old hymn? I wonder if the writer of this hymn had thought of  Psalm 136 when they wrote it.

Both the Psalm and the hymn remind us of how important it is to be grateful! I also loved this picture Max Lucado describes for us:

The grateful heart is like a magnet sweeping over the day, collecting reasons for gratitude. A zillion diamonds sparkle against the velvet of your sky every night.  Gratitude gets us through the hard stuff. To reflect on your blessings is to rehearse God’s accomplishments. To rehearse God’s accomplishments is to discover his heart. To discover his heart is to discover not just good gifts but the Good Giver. Gratitude always leaves us looking at God and away from dread. It does to anxiety what the morning sun does to valley mist. It burns it up.”- Max Lucado

I have a friend, who for years battled with depression and anxiety until she began starting each day by writing down 12 things she was thankful for. She will not begin her day without doing this one act first.

How about you? Do you find yourself being grateful for the most part, or do you tend to accentuate the negatives in life? I’ll admit I used to be a pessimist- the glass half empty kind of girl, until I chose to start counting my blessing each morning. I now can see gratitude is a CHOICE! And given the choice, I’d much rather be filled with joy and thanksgiving then weighed down by all the cares of the world. Don't you agree? Did you know that:


I’ll leave you with the a little prayer George Herbert, a 17th-century British poet, included in his poem titled, Gratefulness: “Thou that hast given so much to me, give one thing more: a grateful heart.” 

I pray that will be our prayer as well.

Becky Austin

Gratitude: Remembering the Mercy of God (Jonah 2)

10:02 PM




Perhaps you know the story of Jonah. Did you know it’s a story about restoring gratitude? God wanted Jonah to go to the Ninevites and extend a chance for them to repent and receive God’s mercy. But, Jonah didn’t want to do this. He didn’t think that the Ninevites deserved that chance. So, he ran away from God. 
But, God knew how to get Jonah’s attention. He sent a storm upon the sea and when the storm threatened the lives of those he sailed with, Jonah had the sailors throw him into the churning sea. “Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”(Jonah 1:17)

Imagine what Jonah must have gone through. He is tossed into a stormy sea that should have taken his life, but God spares him in a mysterious way. He isolates him in a protective cocoon of darkness and waits for Jonah to have a change of heart. 
How easy it can be to forget how merciful God has been to us. When we lose sight of that, however, we can fall into the same circumstance of wanting others to have to pay for their actions and offences. Our hearts can harden against others and we can fail to see them through the eyes of forgiveness and compassion. Without gratitude, we can not fully extend God’s love and compassion to others. 

 Sometimes the darkness of our circumstances can force us to self examine and realize our dependence on God. When we focus our eyes on the God that sits on His throne of righteousness, we can remember that we owe all we are and all we have to the mercies of a God who longs to rescue us from ourselves. 
“Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple." (2:1)

Jonah came to the end of himself, remembered God’s mercy, and found gratitude. 
“The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord." (2:5-9)

When gratitude filled Jonah’s heart, he was then willing to do what God had asked. 
And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.”
Jonah 2:1-10 

Do you want to be useful and effective to do the work of the Lord? Then you must maintain gratitude for what He has done for you. What He has done for you He wants to do for others. 



1 Thessalonians

The Prayer Sandwich {1 Thessalonians 5:16-18}

8:30 PM

I stumbled upon something recently that has revolutionized my prayer life and I’m <SO EXCITED> to finally be able to share it with you today!! Of course you know that with God nothing happens by accident; I didn’t simply stubble, but God revealed something that has changed me forever! Now where do I start …


It all began when I was teaching a women’s Bible class one morning. I actually planned to talk about I Thessalonians 5:17, but the verse was so small, that I decided to include 16 and 18 with it, for they were good too. I wrote them on the board like this:
Rejoice always,
Pray without ceasing
Give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

During my lesson someone made the comment that, “pray without ceasing” was in the middle of the commands to rejoice and give thanks! (It was a light-bulb moment for me!)

I saw the sandwich!!




While in college, studying for a degree in early childhood education, I was taught that when it came to parent-teacher conferences, we should always sandwich what we wanted the parents to know between two positives! For example:
Your child is such a hard worker!
Even though she’s struggling right now in math
I’m confident she’ll eventually master it with some extra help!


Though, our prayers are completely different from a parent-teacher conference, it suddenly occurred to me that God wants our prayers seasoned with joy and thanksgiving! Do you naturally season all your prayers with joy and thanksgiving?

I hadn’t been! Not always. I usually tended to get straight to the point!

BUT, I also discovered recently that ALL three of these commands here are covered by Paul’s last statement in verse 18, “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for YOU.” (emphasis mine). These three verses were meant to be kept together!

And the Lord gave me the longest migraine headache of my life to drive home this lesson!! I’d been suffering with the same migraine headache for a week, trying everything I knew to do to try to get rid of it, when finally one night I went straight to bed after dinner because I just didn’t want to deal with the pain any longer.

The Lord woke me during the night at 2AM with the headache still there, and I immediately lay there and began talking to Him, “Well Lord, I’ve tried everything I know to get rid of this headache and it’s still here.”

“Not everything.” was His reply and He reminded me of what He had recently revealed to me in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. I had to agree that I’ve never thought to rejoice and give thanks for a migraine headache, but I had grumbled and complained and begged for it to be gone A LOT! So, I began praising Him and giving thanks for everything I could think of! There was a party going on in my brain, and the next thing I knew it was morning! I'd fallen back to sleep and now daylight was shining through my windows!

I woke and the headache was still there!! But my whole countenance had changed!! I was so light and joy-FILLED and I was NOT going to allow that headache to keep me down any longer. I got up, dressed and went about my day filled with His Holy Spirit and the headache eventually disappeared, though I can’t tell you when it happened exactly.

Here in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, Paul is writing to a new church of young believers, and it seems as though he is quickly trying to write down all these finally instructions for them to follow before he closes the letter and sends it off. Most of what I’ve read about these three verses speaks of the impossibility to keep them! Can we really rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in every and all circumstance??

YES! I don’t believe The Lord would have Paul include these commands to this group of young believers, who were facing constant persecution, if they were impossible to follow! I also believe our first clue for how to follow the commands is found in the final words of verse 18. “for this is the will of God… for you.” This is God’s will for all of us, but it’s, “in Christ Jesus” or in other words, through Christ Jesus!! We can't leave Christ Jesus out! 

 ...For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.We must include Christ Jesus for Paul told us in the letter to the Philippian church that we “can do all things through Christ…”(Phil 4:13)

I have also discovered that by seasoning our constant conversations with God with joy and thanksgiving we are actually speaking truth to our hearts and strengthening our resolve as we pray!! Proving once more that these commands are for OUR BENEFIT, and not God's.But don’t take my word for it, start putting these verses into practice and see for yourselves!






Colossians 2:6-7

Gratitude {Colossians 2:6-15}

12:00 AM


Tuesday, February 19, 2019


Please Read Colossians 2:6-15

“Like Jesus, we belong to the whole world, living not for ourselves but for others.  The joy of the Lord is our strength.”  Mother Teresa

Have you ever tried to fill a glass with liquid, all the way to the very top?  It looks rounded as it mounds up the rim.  It spills if you fill it too quickly, but if you are patient, you can get it right up to the edge.

That’s what Paul is describing to the Colossians when he says that Christian lives should “overflow with thankfulness” (v. 6).  Those are lives so filled to the brim with God’s goodness, and so strengthened in faith, that they could not help but overflow with thanks to the Lord.

 Image result for Colossians 2:6-7


If we are people overflowing with thankfulness, two things will be true in our lives.

First of all, we will never stop honoring Jesus as Lord of our lives. 

“just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him.”

God fills us up each time we read scripture.  Study it.  Ask God to reveal the meaning of it.  It will change you.  Sometimes we discover major changes.  (Check these previous posts out.  Here's another one.)  Sometimes it's more subtly.


 Image result for Colossians 1:9-10



God made it clear that obedience from the heart was much more important than animal sacrifices (1 Samuel 15:22; Psalm 40:6; Amos 5:21-24).  God wants us to offer ourselves, not animals as living sacrifices – daily laying aside our own desires to follow Him.  Putting all our energy and resources at His disposal and trusting Him to guide us.  We do this out of gratitude that our sins have been forgiven (Romans 12:1)

Being thankful for God’s provisions (manna) and promises should fill us to the brim and overflow into other’s lives.

“Continue to live your lives in Him rooted…”  That’s the key – centering on Christ and grounding ourselves in His word.  Learn daily about the Savior.  Read the gospels over and over.  Take some time to read The Calvary Road.  Develop theological knowledge.  Stay humble and curious about the complexity of the world God had made.  Press toward godly wishes.  Pray for understanding.  God has given us minds – never stop using them. 

Second, far from declining, our love and loyalty will keep growing larger and stronger.

Paul tells the Colossians “continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught.”  (6-7)

Faith must be firmly grounded in Christ.  Our belief is not in religion, not in Christian values, not in a Christ that we have molded into our own desires.  We believe in Jesus of Nazareth, both man and God, who walked this earth, preached the gospel, healed the sick, died on the cross, rose again, ascended back to the Father and who will return one day. 

Paul constantly had to contend with people who tried to deceive new Christians with alternative ideas and philosophies.  Just before these verses in Colossians Paul wrote: “I tell you this so no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”  (2:8)

As I began researching for this post, I was lead to read this small book by Mother Teresa, In the Heart of the World.  This book is just chocked full of stories of what our Christian walk should look like.   I would like to share this one short story.

To Die Like an Angel

One evening we went out and rescued four people off the streets.  One of them was in a desperate condition.  I told the sisters, “You take care of the others.  I will care for this one who is worse off.”  I did everything for her that my love could do.  I put her into bed, and I saw a beautiful smile light up her face.  She squeezed my hand and managed only to say two words: “Thank you.”  And then she closed her eyes.

I couldn’t help but ask myself there beside her body, “What would I have said if I had been in her place?”  My answer was very simple.  I would have said that I was hungry, that I was dying, that I was cold.  Or I would have said that this or that part of my body hurt or something like that.  But she gave me much more.  She gave me her grateful love.  And she died with a smile on her face.

Just like a man we rescued from among the debris in the gutter, who was half-eaten by worms, this woman responded in grateful love.  That man told us, “I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die like an angel surrounded by love and care.”  It was marvelous to witness the greatness of a man who could talk like that, who could die that way without cursing anyone, without lashing out at any one, without drawing any comparisons.  He died like an angel.


Faith must be fed.  Faith won’t grow without an investment of time and effort.  Faith is not an ornament to be put on a shelf and admired.  Faith is our dynamic relationship with Jesus, which needs nurture and care.  It needs learning and correction.  A growing faith is essential for a strong life in Christ.

At my mom’s funeral, as I addressed the congregation, I shared how thankful I was that my faith began at that church.  I hadn’t darkened the doorways of that church in over 30 years, but that’s where my faith journey began, and being there that day as I shared so many memories of my mom, I told those people how thankful I was that she encouraged me to go to Sunday School and church when I just did not want to go.  My mom knew that one day we will all meet Jesus and she knew she needed me to invest my time in getting to know who He is.

I have mentioned that I end my day in thanksgiving.  I go to bed not with requests, but just thanks…

It’s thankfulness for sins forgiven.

It’s thankfulness for daily bread.

It’s thankfulness for the strength and comfort of the Holy Spirit.

It’s a thankfulness for those we can serve.

It’s thankfulness that every day is another gift of God to enjoy.

It’s thankfulness that Jesus is with me always.

It’s thankfulness that just ahead lies glory and joy with Christ!



Lisa Thayer