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Worn Out

Feeling worn out?  Tired, exhausted, depleted?  Lots of time and effort goes into our ministries, communities activities, along all those personal and professional obligations.  We feel scattered from jumping from one thing to the next.  It seems like the more we have to do, the less we strength we have.  More is going out than is coming in, and we are enjoying our lives less.  Several friends have shared with me, they just want to sit down or lay down somewhere and sleep for days.  Hoping, of course that when they awake, they will be refreshed, ready to tackle the next items on the proverbial “things to do list”.

But take courage.  God is saying to us, don’t give up in doing well.  He knows you want to please him, and live in the fullness of His presence.  God knows you want to experience Him at higher heights.  He knows the enemy is trying to wear you down. But take courage.  Our God will never, ever forsake us.  You will be victorious. Seek Him during this time and be prepared for a miracle.

A new season is upon us.  On the Jewish Calendar it is Elul [August 19 – September, 16, 2012].  “As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is  traditionally a time of introspection and stocktaking—a time to review one’s  deeds and spiritual progress over the past year, and prepare for the upcoming “Days of Awe” of Rosh  Hashanah and Yom  Kippur.   As the month of divine  mercy and forgiveness, Elul is a most opportune time for teshuvah (“return” to God), prayer, charity, and increased ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew and [others]), in the quest for  self-improvement and coming closer to God.”

I encourage you to seek God with intentionality.  Draw strength from His inexhaustible power.  Lean on Him more for guidance and directions for all those things, you feel you must do.  Just as Jesus did, so should we.  Jesus went to the Father for strength, as well as rest as He went about His earthly ministry.  The source of power never diminished.  Jesus tapped into the Almighty Source, and was able to do all things exceedingly well.

So stop walking around drained, tired, exhausted, worn out.  Plug up your holes (mind, body and spirit) with the strength of the Holy Spirit.  No more being worn out, and you will experience His joy, His grace, His mercy and His strength.

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The Mercy of God

The mercy of God is not a little thing.  God is not little, nor is His mercy small or puny.  It is a wondrous thing; full of light, life and love.  Meditate on God’s mercy.  It is so sweet and tender. It heals, and restores the broken heart.  His mercy changes the look and feel of our bodies. Oozing wounds are bound up.   It soothes our troubled minds, and bring joy to our souls.  Mercy puts a smile on the face, where moments before there was a frown.  God’s mercy is wide and infinite.  It can’t be measured or put in a bottle to be stored and saved for a rainy day.  It always ready, and available to everyone.   Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, the psalmist wrote.   Mercy brings us to the throne of Heaven so we can dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

The mercy of God is ours.  Psalm 52:8

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Wisdom

Wisdom is a precious jewel given to us by God.  Wisdom is a priceless gift that points the way to life – God’s life.  In our world, we don’t seek nor prize wisdom.  Our clamoring and searching for the brass ring leads us to the deep pits of despair.  But wisdom gives us light, and peace and even more than, that it provides us a way to a blessed life.

Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth forever.”

James 1:5 , 6 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

James 3:17 “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”

Ecclesiastes 7:12 “For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.”

Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/15-wisdom-quotes-from-the-bible/#ixzz23cSnsq80

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The Spiritual Heart

“The spiritual heart of man is the Heart of the universe,and, finding that Heart, man finds the strength to accomplish all things. He finds there also Wisdom to see things as they are. He finds there the Peace that is divine. At the centre of mans’ being is the Music which orders the stars – the Eternal Harmony. He who would find Blessedness, let him find himself; let him abandon every discordant desire, every inharmonious thought, every unlovely habit and deed, and he will find that Grace and Beauty and Harmony which form the indestructible essence of his own being.  Men fly from creed to creed, and find – unrest; they travel in many lands, and discover – disappointment; they build themselves beautiful mansions, and plant pleasant gardens, and reap – ennui and discomfort. Not until a man falls back upon the truth within himself does he finds rest and satisfaction; not until he builds the inward Mansion of Faultless conduct does he find the endless and incorruptible Joy, and, having obtained that, he will infuse it into all his outward doings and possessions.

If a man would have peace, let him exercise the spirit of Peace; if he would find love, let him dwell in the spirit of Love; if he would escape suffering, let him cease to inflict it; if he would do noble things for humanity, let him cease to do ignoble things for himself. If he will but quarry the min of his own soul, he shall find there all the materials for building whatsoever he will, and he shall find there also the central Rock on which to build in safety.”  James Allen

Our spiritual hearts need to be right with God.  And not until we cease from carrying the weight of our sins; not until we cease from putting other things upon our heart’s throne will we become the men and women God designed us to be.  John 15:1-8

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The Promise

There is coming for those who believe a day like no other.  It is a day when all; the spirit, soul and flesh will behold the promise – the great light of Christ. (Isaiah 9:1)  No matter how dark the circumstances, how bleak the prognosis – the promise will come again. 

Christ is our lighthouse; a light wave blazing through the darkness of our souls; a glistening promise of new life. So bright is His light; so pure is His light that it lifts us out of the darkness of our sins. it radiates and cleanses; it restores and heals; it delivers and makes us whole again.  God’s Promise of our Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace is not to be taken lightly.  It should give us assurance; a blessed assurance that all will be made right today.  No matter how deep the pit – the promise can reach you.  We can rise up this day with shouts of joy and victory that the Promise has come, and will come again.

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The Rich

James Allen wrote, “if thou wilt be perfect, sell all that thou hast; but at these words the world turns away “sorrowful”, for it is very rich“; rich in money which it cannot keep; rich in fears which it cannot let go; rich in selfish loves to which it greedily clings; rich in grievous partings which it would fain escape; rich in seeking enjoyment; rich in pain and sorrow; rich in strife and suffering; rich in excitement and woe; rich in all thing which are not riches, but poor in riches themselves which are not to be found outside the Kingdom; rich in all things that pertain to darkness and death, but poor in those things which are Light and Life.”

Riches, true riches come when as we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.  Then our perfection, our purpose, our happiness, our heritage, our joy, inspiration, wisdom, compassion become solid gold – the real riches – the only ones we truly need.

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Too Much

In between watching the 2012 Olympics games, I watched an episode of Top Chef-Just Desserts where the chefs were asked to make a  “savor” dessert inspired by another country.  One chef prepare a dish resembling a Cuban Sandwich.  The beautiful plated dessert looked just like a sandwich with chips and potato salad.  The “Potato Salad” was actually diced Asian pears sprinkled with vanilla beans to resemble pepper.  It was so creative.   As the judges bit into the sandwich, the creme topping that looked like mayonnaise oozed out the sides and became very messy.  The filling overpowered the other components. The chef put too much in the sandwich.  It looked good on the outside, but when the “test” the sandwich did not hold.

Isn’t that just like us?  We spend time and energy creating our “exterior self” so it appears like a beautiful plate of good food.  But there is a problem.  Our execution is faulty.   We add too much of this world so when the “test” comes, our beautiful but poorly designed selves starts oozing out.  We overdo it; add too much, or add the wrong things trying to look good.

There needs to be the right balance of ingredients so lives not only appear beautiful, but beautifully reflect Him.   That right balance is more of Jesus and less of me and you.  He is the potter, we are the clay.  He knows just what to do, and say.  He knows our beginnings, our middle, and our ends.  He understand how much we can handle, and prompts us to let Him handle our lives.  Jesus said, “Come all of you who are heavy burden, and I will give you rest.”   As we make our way through this life, our first order of business is to go to Christ first, and obtain instructions on how to prepare and manage for this life.  Christ will provide the right ingredients in the proper proportions, and then show us how to prepare and utilize them.  So when our “test” comes, and it will come, we will have just the right stuff in the right proportions for any test.

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Moments Away

“Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” 

You may have seen this popular quote on billboards, cards, calendar or wall art.  How many moments recently have taken your breath away?  Was it watching Michael Phelps break all time Olympic record, or the US Women’s Gymnastic Team win Gold? Perhaps it was exuberant hug of a child, or unexpected good news.

Everyday holds the possibility of a miracle someone once said.  God provides moments through the beauty of nature, or through the love of family and friends to remind us He will turn darkness into light, and make our rough places smooth.   He promised never to forsake or abandon us, even in the darkest of times.  So each new day is another opportunity for you and I to experience these precious moments.  So don’t get so caught in the doing things, and miss them.  Every rainbow, warm breeze, and gift of love is God blessing us with moments meant to bring us closer to Him.   Isaiah 42:16 NIV

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Did you see God?

Did you see God today?  What was it like?  Did you stand there and tell him all the things that troubled you?  Did you expressed your frustrations about circumstances, people, your current situation?  Did you tell Him about how the world seems to be going crazy; that people are doing things that hurt, harm and injure one another and themselves?  Or did you tell Him how sorry you were for doubting Him; or for what you just did that was wrong?

Did you see God today?  What was it like? Did you just sit there?  Did you cry out to Him or say nothing at all?  Did you smile and thank Him for your life, your home and family?  Did you express appreciation for another day; for the sunshine, rain, clouds, or for holding this world in His hands?  Did did you say?  What did you do?

Did you see God today?  What was it like?  Did you bask in the glow of His love, or fall to your knees?  Did you feel His amazing love, and experience the warmth of His embrace? What did you do?

Did you see God today?  What was it like?  Did you look in the face of a stranger, loved one or friend and say there is the image of God before me?  Or did the sight of them bring anguish, and not joy?  What did you do?

Did you see God today?  What was it like?  Did you see hope in the midst of the storm?  Could you utter the words, “Peace, be still” knowing His incomparable power was at your command?  What did you do?

Did you see God today?  What was it like?  How did you feel?  Was He hiding in that regret, that pain, and suffering, or triumphant victory?  Was He in the burning bush, in the silence of indecision, or unanswered prayer?

Did you see God today?  What was it like?  Did you see Him in all His glory; the Mighty God, Wonderful Counsellor, Prince of Peace, Creator of Heaven and Earth?  What did you do?

Did you see God today?  If you didn’t see Him, look again?  He is there.

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Staying the Course

“You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God.

You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him.” Psalm 119: 1-2 [MSG]

It is easy to get distracted by challenges, situations, circumstances, interruptions, or just life in general.  It can be downright difficult.  Staying the course results in reward.  If you desire the reward, you must understand what staying the course means.  First, it means discovering the road God revealed, not your road, but His.  Second, understand why you are on the road.  It is to discover the word, which is the ultimate expression of God’s mind and reasoning.   The word keep you steady in spite of all those distractions. It also point you in the direction of the one who created the road.   Third, follow His directions.  Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are Gods’ workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”   God already prepared the way for us.  He already revealed the course, the instructions, and the roadmap.   If we stay on the course, understand the process, and follow His direction, then we are the recipients of the blessing.  Ultimately, we get to do what He prepared us to do.  Wow!  As we stay on the course, we discover purpose, receive blessings, and find God.  What could be more wonderful?