We are Chosen

"While it's true that Israel was chosen by God then and Christians are chosen by God now, we should not understand chosen as a synonym for favorite. The point of our "chosen-ness" is as a means to an end -- so we can shine as light for those to whom God wants to demonstrate love. With our exalted state comes a call to share it with all who will respond."

Excerpt from Coffee Cup Bible Studies - "Kona w/ Jonah" by Sandra Glahn


Does this statement speak to you as it does to me? We willingly accept that we are chosen by God, but do we really think about what that means? Do we ACT on what that means?

It's certainly something that I will be thinking and praying about for awhile.....

His Kingdom or Mine

A week or so ago as I was driving home from work my mind was wandering... listening a bit to the music on the radio, but also lost in some of my own thoughts. As I drove, I heard the song "In the Blink of An Eye" by Mercy Me come on the radio. I began to sing along... although not really listening to the words.

Just a few short minutes into the song, if that long, one phrase suddenly jumped out at me. The question it asked was, "How can I further Your kingdom when I'm so caught up in mine?"

In the amount of time it took to sing that phrase my mind stopped wandering. I was very quickly brought back to the moment and very much considering the reality of the phrase for my life. Indeed, how can I further the Lord's kingdom when I'm so busy with my own life?

What would happen if I spent as much time seeking the Lord's guidance in how He would have me share His love as I do each day crossing item after item off my to do list?

What would happen if I spent as much time involved with missions work in my community as I do coordinating all the calendars of each member of my family?

Just a couple of examples, and, obviously time does need to be spent getting tasks completed and making sure everyone in the family gets to their various activities. However, do I give the Lord and His work the same amount of time? Shouldn't I be ready and willing to do so? Shouldn't His work be at the very tip top of my to do list?

After all, doesn't God promise us that if we put Him first and His work, doesn't everything else fall into place? The daily tasks will get taken care of and the family will all get to their daily activities.

I'm learning that if I just act on God's will and trust Him, that it DOES all fall into place. It may require me to accept that not everything will get done the way I would like to see it get done and it certainly requires that I give up any sort of control that I try to have over situations, but it does fall into place.

As a matter of fact, not only does it all fall into place, but it usually falls into place much better than it would have otherwise.


"But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you." Luke 12:31

How Time Flies When You're Having Fun

WOW! I cannot believe how quickly summer is flying! It seems like just yesterday school was out, I was so excited to have a break from the normal routine, the kids were looking forward to summertime, with swimming, birthdays and all the other fun summertime activities they so enjoy.

Now, it’s mid-August, we’ve spent enough time in the water it’s a wonder we’re not all waterlogged(well, at the least the kids), we’re in the midst of birthday fun (Abby was 5 yrs. two weeks ago and Josh will be 8 yrs tomorrow.... OH. MY.GOODNESS….WHERE DID THE TIME GO??!! :) ). School starts in one week. One starts 2nd grade and the other will be in pre-K. I’m just amazed.

Two months ago it felt like summer would be here for SO LONG. And, now… it’s almost gone.

Do you, like me, find yourself having similar thoughts throughout the year? The holidays… they go so fast. The school year… gone before I know it. While I’m in the midst of them some days seem to creep by, but then all of sudden I look up and they are gone!

As I type, it occurs to me that life will always be like this. Maybe that’s one of many reasons why this scripture from the book of Matthew is so very important:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasures are, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

Nothing is permanent on this earth. There will always be that “thief” that steals it away…. Even the thief called “time”. It passes quickly. It is over too soon.

Heaven, on the other hand, is eternal. No thief of any kind can EVER take that away from us.

What do you do to make the most of the time we've been given here on earth? How do you enjoy it all, but keep your eyes focused on the things of heaven? How do you store up your treasures in heaven?

Why Do We Doubt?

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" Matthew 14:22-31


Have you ever had a passage of scripture that you had read over and over again but just seemed to completely “miss” a particular part of it for most of that time? This passage is one of those for me. I know, it seems a bit silly…. after all, most of us have heard this story since we were small children in Sunday School. However, for whatever reason, what I’ve always carried away from this is the part about Jesus walking on water and the fact that He calmed the seas. Somehow, I had managed to miss (or not focus on is probably more to the point) the part about Peter joining Him on the water, walking a few steps, and then beginning to doubt and sinking into the water.

However, a few Sundays ago in church it just suddenly jumped right out at me…. almost knocked me over in my seat. Our pastor has begun a series of sermons on this passage and, as the scripture was read on that particular Sunday morning, I suddenly realized not only that I had kind of glossed over this part for years, but that I am just like Peter. I call on the Lord, I turn it all over to Him and I trust and I feel as Peter did as he began to walk on the water towards Jesus. Life goes on great until something happens – maybe life gets too busy and becomes overwhelming, maybe I experience a difficult situation at work, maybe I’m just tired – whatever it is, it happens and I let that take over the trust I have put in the Lord and I begin to sink. At those times, I can imagine the Lord saying the exact same words He said to Peter that day on the water – “Melanie, you you have so little faith, why do you doubt?”.

Why do we do that? Why do we let our doubts and our frustrations get in the way of the trusting God in everything? I would imagine it has something to do with the fact that we imperfect humans.

Regardless of our imperfections, though, we can ALWAYS count on one thing as we go thru our times of doubt and our times when we rely more on ourselves than on the Lord. We can always count on our Lord reaching out and grabbing hold of us and pulling us back in when we do cry out to Him (just as He did for Peter). As long as we make ourselves available, our Lord is there holding out His hand and taking hold.

To make it even better? We don't have to wait. Once we cry out and make ourselves available, the response is immediate. It doesn't mean we will get the answer we want immediately (or even the answer that we want), but we can be sure the God will take hold of our hand and walk with us through whatever lies ahead.

Looking Forward to 2009

I LOVE the idea of New Year's Meditations that is being hosted by Laurel of Laurel's Reflections. The idea is not to make a bunch of resolutions that you know you won't keep (oh, you know what I mean... I will lose 10 lbs this year, I will go to the gym everyday, and on and on), but instead to focus on what you want to see when you look back on 2009. Did my relationship with the Lord become even stronger? Was I a friend to all?

These are the areas I see the Lord leading me to focus on during the next year:

~ I want to show Christ's love to the people I encounter in my daily life. Not just to my close friends, family, people that go to my church or people that I are in my office (although, I do want to include them). What I'm specifically trying to focus on right now are areas like this... Do I stop and smile and visit with the lady that rings up my total at the grocery store or do I just wait impatiently and then rush on with my life? When I'm out shopping at the mall and see the people that always take surveys in the hallways do I rush by in an attempt to avoid them or do I make eye contact and smile?

~ I want to deepen my relationship with the Lord. I want to spend more time in the Bible and in prayer.

~ I want to teach my children more about the Lord. I want them to have a better understanding (appropriate, of course, for their ages) of who God is and the wonderful gifts that He has given us.

~ I want to make an active effort in growing my marriage. Yes, we have a good marriage, but what marriage can't grow more? I want to ensure that it will stand up to ANYTHING. I want it to be centered around Christ.

As I strive to work towards the goals above, I am so excited to see where the Lord leads. There are several paths I see Him taking my husband and I down. How fun it will be to look at this time next year and see exactly where those paths have led!

God Uses Each of Us

Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberius), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

John 6:1-15 The Word from the Bible New Revised Standard Version


Over the last 6 weeks or so, our pastor has been preaching about spiritual gifts and how God uses each one of us. Oh, my.... I wish each one of you could be a part of this time in our church. God is moving strongly thru our congregation and thru me... I feel each and every week.

This last week the sermon was based on the passage of scripture above. I must admit that at first I was a bit puzzled. However, I quickly began following and our pastor opened my eyes to view this very familiar story in a whole new way.

You see, I had always read this story and thought of it as one of Jesus' many miracle-performing times. I looked at what Jesus did in the feeding of the 5000. And, while that is VERY important part of this story, there is another person that is just as important.

Have you ever thought about the little boy that gave up his two small fish and five loaves of bread? Have you ever thought "What if that little boy had not been there?" or "What if that little boy would not have given Jesus his fish and loaves of bread?" What would have happened? We don't know. But, I can tell you this -- Jesus would not have fed five thousand people on two fish and five loaves of bread. There may have been a miracle that day, but it would not have been the miracle in this story that showed five thousand persons how Jesus can feed us all and would not be the story that still speaks such a powerful message to us today.

Of course, this leads me to think, "How does God use me?" and "Have I withheld something that kept God from moving in a particular circumstance?" Unfortunately, I'm afraid the answer to that last question is Yes. I have not followed every time I felt God leading in a particular direction. Sad, but true.

As I've thought through all of this over the last week or so I have found that my way of thinking is starting to change. I'm finding that I am looking more openly at the events of my days and looking for the doors the Lord may be opening along the way. I'm noticing more the people around me and seeing ways in which I may be able to help them... even if is just opening a door for someone when their hands are full or allowing someone to move in front of me in traffic.

I am so thankful that God made sure I was in this particular service. It has spoken so very strongly to me and I have a feeling that it will for some time to come. I don't want to be a hindrance to God in any way. I want to fling the doors wide open and be a vessel for Him wherever He may lead!

Serving God is AWESOME!

Sunday morning on the way to church we were listening to Steven Curtis Chapman's "Speechless" CD. This is a favorite of mine and my son absolutely LOVES the song "Whatever" that is on this CD. I've lost count of the number of times over the last couple of months that we've been in the car and he has requested this song. This morning was no exception... we hadn't even gotten to the end of our street before he made his request.

As the song began to play, the following conversation took place:

JOSH: "Mom, this is a really great CD, isn't it?"
ME: "Yep... one of my favorites!"
JOSH: "Aren't these all church songs?" You know, all songs about Jesus, right?"
ME: "They sure are... every one of them. This song talks about how we should always be willing to do WHATEVER God wants us to do."
JOSH: "Wow, Mom... that's pretty awesome, isn't it?!"


Yea... that IS pretty awesome, isn't it? Every one of us has the opportunity to serve God is so many ways! But, how often do we really see it as awesome?

Sure, I know I need to be willing to do whatever God wants. Sure, I know that I should be willing to do so no matter how difficult the task. But, do I really realize how truly awesome it is that God gives us the opportunity to do so very much for Him and for the furtherance of His Kingdom?

For me, personally, I must admit the answer is "No". I am willing but I don't actively think about the "awesomeness" of being able to do so. I'm thinking that if I actively DID think about it in that manner that it might completely change how I go about serving God and how I go about following His will for my life and the lives of my family. It probably wouldn't change the direction the Lord leads, but I'm guessing it would change my attitude and that I would be a more positive testimony to those around me.

As I type this post, I am making a very real and very conscious decision to regularly remind myself and thank God for the awesome opportunity He has given each one of us to serve Him and to follow His will for our lives. I'm excited to see the change it will make for me in the way I follow and seek the Lord.

In closing, below are the words to the chorus of the song "Whatever". I pray you would join me as I seek to follow the Lord's will no matter the task. In doing so, I pray that we would never fail to communicate to others how awesome it is to do all this for our Lord and Savior.

Whatever, whatever You say
Whatever, I will obey
Whatever, Lord, have Your way
'Cause You are my God, whatever

The Fourth of the Four Habits of a Disciple

Habit Four: Fellowship

"Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage each other." Hebrews 10:25

Reasons for Fellowship

Reason 1: I belong in God's family with other believers.
"So in Christ, we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others!"

Reason 2: I need encouragement to grow spiritually.
"Let us think of one another and how we can encourage each other to love and do good deeds." Hebrews 10:24

Reason 3: I need accountability to grow spiritually.
"Every day... keep encouraging one another so that none of you is hardened by the glamour of sin." Hebrews 3:13

Reason 4: Jesus is present when we fellowship together.
"For wherever two or three have come together in my name, I am there, right among them!" Matthew 18:20

Reason 5: There is great power when people pray together.
"Whenever two of you on earth agree about anything you pray for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven." Matthew 18:19

Reason 6: Fellowship is a witness to the world.
"My prayer for all of them is that they will be of one heart and mind...so the world will believe you sent me." John 17:21

Reason 7: I am obligated to every other Christian.
"God has given you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other." 1 Peter 4:10

This was taken from a Discipleship Study my husband and I recently participated in at our church. I thought it was such great stuff that I just had to share!

The Third of the Four Habits of a Disciple

Habit Three: Honor God With Your Giving

"Just as you excel in everything else... in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness... see that you also excel in the grace of giving." 2 Corinthians 8:7

7 Benefits of Giving

1 Giving makes me more like God.
"God so loved the world that He gave his only Son..." John 3:16
You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.

2 Giving draws me nearer to God.
"Where your treasure is, there your heart is also." Matthew 6:21

3 Giving is the antidote to materialism or greed.
"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to be generous and willing to share. In this way they may take hold of the life that is truly life." 1 Timothy 6:17-19

4 Giving strengthens faith.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of your income, and he will fill your barns to overflowing." Proverbs 3:5,9

5 Giving is an investment in eternity.
"Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." 1 Timothy 6:18-19

6 Giving blesses me in return.
"A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." Proverbs 11:25

7 Giving makes me happy.
"There is more happiness in giving than in receiving." Acts 20:35

How do I give with the right attitude?

~ Giving willingly ~
"Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under pressure." 2 Corinthians 9:7a

~ Give cheerfully ~
"For God loves a cheerful give." 2 Corinthians 9:7b

~ Give generously ~
"They gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service..." 2 Corinthians 8:3-4

~ Give expectantly ~
"... whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; and whoever sows generously will reap generously." 2 Corinthians 9:6





This was taken from a Discipleship Study my husband and I recently participated in at our church. I thought it was such great stuff that I just had to share!

The Second of the Four Habits of a Disciple

Habit Two: Prayer

Approach prayer with the right attitude

Be Real
"When you pray, do not be like these hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men." Matthew 6:5

Be Relaxed
"But when you pray go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matthew 6:6

Be Revealing
"Don't recite the same prayer over and over as the heathen do, who think prayers are answered only by repeating them again and again. Remember, your Father knows exactly what you need before you ask Him!" Matthew 6:7-8


Use the Model Jesus Gave Us
Jesus gave us the Lord's Prayer as a model of how to pray. The below looks at the "parts" of the Lord's Prayer and how we can use it as a model when we pray.

Praise
"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy name..."
We begin by expressing our love for God. Two types of praise that we could consider here are adoration (praising God for who He is) and thanksgiving (praising God for what he has done).

Purpose
"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..."
Pray for God's will to be done... in my family... my church... my ministry... my job... my future... my city... my nation... the world. Then let go of the outcome.

Provision
"Give us this day, our daily bread..."
We ask God to provide for our daily needs. There is nothing too great for God's power to take care of and there's nothing too insignificant for His concern. God knows what we need. He knows everything about us -- but prayer is our personal declaration of dependence on God.

Pardon
"Forgive us our trespasses..."
We ask God to forgive our sins. Consider the following steps in the process of seeking forgiveness:
~ Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal every sin.
~ Confess each sin specifically.
~ Make restitution to others when necessary.
~ By faith, accept God's forgiveness.

People
"...as we forgive those who trespass against us."
It is important to remember that God is working in the lives of the people we pray for even when we can't see it. If there's someone you've been praying for, even for a long time, and you don't see any evidence of change, you don't want to give up... God certainly hasn't.

It is also important to understand the critical importance of forgiving others. Consider these steps below in the process of forgiving others:
~ Experience forgiveness from God for yourself.
~ Accept that you will always need the forgiveness of God and others.
~ Accept you will always forgive others.
~ Understand that forgiving others is a process of daily choices to forgive, the difficulty of which depends on the offense.
~ Forgive because you need forgiveness.
~ Forgive because you want to be like Jesus
~ Forgive because you want to be emotionally and psychologically healthy.
~ If you do not forgive, the resentment and bitterness will destroy you, not the other person.
~ If you are unable or unwilling to forgive, surrender that powerlessness to God, asking Him to do for you what you cannot do for yourself.
~ Communicate openly with a safe person, and seek help when needed.

Protection
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
Believers face spiritual battles every day. Satan wants to defeat us through temptation and fear. We need protection as we face daily temptations from the world, the flesh, and the devil. By praying for protection, we can have the confidence to face every situation during the day.

Poverty/Brokenness
"For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
We accept our weakness and powerlessness as we acknowledge and surrender to our genuine source of strength and power.

This was taken from a Discipleship Study my husband and I recently participated in at our church. I thought it was such great stuff that I just had to share!

The First of the Four Habits of a Disciple

Habit One: Daily Time With God

Why is it important to have a daily time with God?

We were created to have a fellowship with God.
"So God created man in his own image..." Genesis 1:27, 2:7, 3:8

Jesus died to make a relationship with God possible.
"God has invited you into this wonderful friendship with his Son, Christ our Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:9

Personal time alone with God was Jesus' source of strength.
"Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." Mark 1:3

Every effective disciple developed this habit.

Healthy, maturing Christians spend time with God.
"...I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food." Job 23:12


What is the purpose of a daily time with God?

We are to give glory to God. (being grateful)
Give to the Lord the glory due to his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." Psalms 29:2

We receive direction from God.
"Show me the path where I should go, O Lord; point out the right road for me to walk. Lead me." Psalms 25:4

We learn to delight in God.
Delight yourself in the Lord; and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalms 37:4

This was taken from a Discipleship Study my husband and I recently participated in at our church. I thought it was such great stuff that I just had to share!

What are the Four Habits of a Disciple?

As I have the last few weeks, I'm going to share some more that we learned in a study we participated in with our church. Below are the four habits of a disciple. Next week I'll begin going into more detail on each of the below 4 Habits.

Habit One: Daily Time with God
"If you continue in my Word then you are my disciples indeed. And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32

Habit Two: Prayer
"If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, then you will ask for anything you wish, and you shall have it. In this way, you become My disciples." John 15:7-8

Habit Three: Honoring God thru Giving Money
"None of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all of his possessions." Luke 14:33

Habit Four: Fellowship
"Love each other just as much as I love you. Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples." John 13:34-35

How Do You Develop Good Spiritual Growth Habits?

7 steps for developing good spiritual growth habits --

Step 1: Must have a DESIRE

Step 2: Must make a DESCISION
"If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done." Ecclesiastes 4:11

Step 3: Must make a DECLARATION
"Make vows to the Lord your God and fulfill them." Psalms 76:11

Step 4: Must have DETERMINATION
It take 7 to 21 repetitions to learn something new.
It take 3 weeks to become comfortable with a new habit.
It take 3 to 4 more weeks (doing it daily) for it to become part of your life.

Step 5: Just DO IT!

Step 6: DOUBLE UP with others
"Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively. If one of them falls down, the other can help him up." Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Step 7: You must DEPEND ON GOD
"For the Spirit of God has given us... fills us with power, love, and self-control." 2 Timothy 1:7

A simple prayer that might help? First, pray "God I can't do this by myself." Second, acknowledge that God can do it. Third, pray "God, I'm going to let you."

The Habit of Studying God's Word

Webster's New World Dictionary defines a habit as "a thing done often and, hence, easily; a usual way of doing".

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a habit as "a constant, often unconscious inclination to perform an act, acquired through its frequent repetition".

Merriam Webster's online dictionary offers this definition for habit: "an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary".

Do any of these definitions describe the way in which you approach studying God's Word? Do they describe the way in which you approach prayer time?


As I mentioned last week, my husband and I recently attended a study at our church that addressed spiritual growth habits. As we began the study the above definitions and questions were posed to us. I must admit... I don't always approach my study time or my prayer time in the way I would if it was a habit. This study gave me so much to think about and re-evaluate in my own life.

As I review this study and apply it to my own life, I'll continue to share more of what we discussed. I pray they will have application in your life, as well.