Power Under the Hood

Sometimes I just get to thinking, and that is not always dangerous as one might think. Well, this morning was one of those times, and I have to say that my thoughts were none too spiritual, if you get my drift. What I mean is I was thinking about cars. Okay, this blog may appeal more to my brothers than my sisters in Christ, but they need encouragement, too, right? Yes, I’d say we all need encouragement in our daily walk.

So, I was thinking about my car, as I do from time to time because it is just an awesome car! I was thinking about pulling up to my younger children’s school last week to pick them up and saw a kid standing there on the sidewalk with his mouth open wide in awe. This reminded me about the fact that this has been a common occurrence when picking my children up. My kids’ friends and classmates stand with their mouths open wide when I pull up in this car. The kids are used to the question that comes next, “Why’s your Mom driving your Dad’s car?” They always chuckle as they reply, “She’s not. That’s her car,” with the impending response, “Whoa! Your mom drives a Charger?”

As I thought about the kid standing on the sidewalk open-mouthed in shock, I pondered the fact that I don’t drive the typical “Mommy car”. Now there is nothing wrong with the mini-van or even the more recently popular SUV, but they are just not the type of car I prefer to drive. I used to drive a Suburban way back when, and I loved it! Why is that, you might ask? Well, the reason I liked it so much is because it is built on a truck chassis and had a V-8 under the hood. So my determination is that I like a heavy vehicle, but even more than that, I like the sheer power behind a V-8. My current car is a 2007 Dodge Charger R/T with a 5.7-L Hemi V-8 under the hood (yea, I may be a woman, but I actually understand that terminology better than you might think)! When I look under the hood of my car, I am in awe at the power I am staring at. When I drive my car, it feels good to know the power driving my vehicle.

So as I pondered this I was reminded of a patient I had when I worked as a chiropractic assistant. He was shocked when he found out that the Charger was my car. He thought it belonged to one of the doctors and asked me which one of the docs drove it. I told him neither doctor because it’s my car. He was shocked that I had something in common with his wife because she also likes cars. I’m not just talking any ole car, but cars with power! One day he came in and said, “Yep, Christa, it’s all about the power, isn’t it?” I said, “Yep, you know it! It’s all about the power!” He would regularly tease me saying that it is all about the power! Interestingly enough, he is right. For me, it is all about the power.

And this is where my not-so-spiritual thoughts became spiritual. If life is all about the power, what is the power source under our hoods? Is our power found in trying harder or eating better or avoiding those traps in our life that always seem to suck us dry? Nope! Our source of power should be Christ alone. Romans 1:16-17 says, “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life.’” (NLT)

We cannot conjure up or buy this power. Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8 offered money to buy the power of the Holy Spirit to heal people by laying his hands on them. Peter rebuked him, telling him, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought! You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God. Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts, for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.”

Let’s not forget that this was the very same Peter who had denied Jesus three times on the night He was crucified. The most encouraging part is that the power of God was at work in Peter even after his own failings. God’s power doesn’t rely on our abilities but simply on our faith to trust in His power in our lives.

Have you failed in some area of your life? Maybe you have given in to temptation. Maybe the fact that you gave in to temptation is taking you away from serving the Lord. Maybe you struggle with cursing. Maybe you drink a little too much alcohol. Maybe you struggle with pornography. Maybe you’ve had an extra-marital affair. Maybe you yelled at your kids. Maybe you had a spat with your coworker and said some things you shouldn’t have. Maybe you had pre-marital sex. Maybe you had a child out-of-wedlock. Maybe you’ve doubted your faith. Maybe you overeat only to tell yourself that you’ll do better next time and not overeat only to overeat again. It doesn’t matter what sin you have committed. God still loves you and can use you when you repent! Remember that to repent simply means to turn. Turn away from that sin, and if you still struggle with temptation and fall back into that sin, repent again and thank God for His grace!

As a person who has fallen hard in life with failures too great to mention, let me encourage you to look to the Power Source, the One who can pull you out and use you to bring others back to Him! When I fell off the wagon, I didn’t think God could ever use me again. Now that I know His power is the driving force under the hood of my life, I stand in awe with mouth open wide, just like the boy at my kids’ school, as I look at what He is doing in my life! I don’t deserve His grace, but neither does anyone else. We have all sinned. Even if you fall off the wagon again, know that He loves you enough to use you so you can repent again. He’ll use you even in your broken state, because He knows that you know where your power comes from, and He knows that you understand His grace, that you stand in awe of His grace! What is the source of the power under your hood? Walk in His Grace and Power today!

In His Grace!

Give It Away!

Our pastor has been preaching a series called, “God’s Amazing Grace: Have You Seen Grace?” It seems that over the past few months, God has been speaking grace into my life in ways I never could have imagined. He is bringing me into an understanding I have never known, and this understanding is driving my desire to dish out God’s grace to others in ways I never thought I could have.

Last night, my son was supposed to be finishing his vacuuming. Now a little background information is in order here. He is a ten year old boy who is easily distracted, and it is not uncommon for us to have to remind him to keep vacuuming as we often hear the vacuum cleaner shut off more than we hear it running. We will be doing things around the house and suddenly realize that the vacuum is not running. A little inquiry usually reveals a boy who has been distracted by something awesome that seemed more important to him at the moment than finishing his chores.

Last night my hubby was getting a little bit irritated (understatement) by this constant battle so when I realized the vacuum cleaner was not running, I figured I should go find my son. I expected he had found some action figure to play with, some book to read or a pencil and paper that took him into the world of his very old-fashioned, low-tech game that he said people played before computers. Instead, I found my son sitting in a chair in the breezeway with his head bowed. He had been sick the day before so I immediately thought his head was hurting or he was feeling sick again so I approached him and asked if he was okay.

My boy, sweet as he can be, looked up at me and said, “Yea, mama, I’m okay. I was just praying for Mittens to be healed and for that other cat to find a family to take care of him because I don’t want anything bad to happen to him. I don’t want any of God’s creatures to be hurt.” Mittens, the cat that we seemed to have inherited when we bought our house, had been injured badly in a cat fight, and my hubby, my daughter and I have all expressed that we’d like to hurt that cat just enough to keep it away if we could get close enough to it. As soon as my son made his statement, I put my arm around him and told him that was so sweet, but as I did so, God reminded me that His grace toward us is even sweeter than my son wanting no harm to befall a cat who badly injured his own cat!

In the church service yesterday, our pastor mentioned some scriptures out of Ephesians 2, so I read verses 1-10 this morning. God made something so clear to me, and I only hope that I can convey that message here so I can share what He is showing me.

Ephesians 2:1-10 (NLT)

 ¹Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. ²You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. ³All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. ⁴But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, ⁵that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) ⁶For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. ⁷So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. ⁸God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Notice in verses 1-3 that every one of us used to live in disobedience to God. We obeyed the devil as we fulfilled the desires our sinful nature. Verse 2 states that the spirit of the devil is at work in the hearts of the disobedient, and that included us before we were saved by God’s grace. Now, this thought may not be very encouraging, but as I read further and came to verse 9 that says, “salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done”, I remembered another scripture Pastor Rich mentioned so I went there to see what it had to say.

Philippians 2:12-13 (NLT)

 ¹² Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. ¹³ For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Obedience is not just important when someone is watching you or is with you, but as verse 12 says, obedience is more important when you are alone! Some versions state that you should work out your salvation, but I love the way the New Living Translation states this. It basically states that obeying God out of reverence and fear is the way that our lives show that we are saved. It is not saying that we only have salvation if we work hard. Remember Ephesians 2:5 says, “It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!” and Ephesians 2:9 says, “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” When we work hard to obey God, He allows the results to show in our lives. The awesome part of this is that the Word of God doesn’t stop with verse 12, but it goes on to say that God’s spirit, rather than the spirit of the devil, is working in you after you are saved! God is the One who gives us the desire to do what pleases Him, but He doesn’t stop there. He also gives us the power to fulfill that desire to please Him.

I love what Ephesians 2:10 says:

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

He wants us to do His work on this earth, and His work is to bring salvation to every living soul. Salvation only comes through His grace. I’d like to close with something my pastor said yesterday because it is such a powerful statement to filter this message through.

“Until you give it away, you haven’t fully understood God’s grace.” Pastor Rich Fennelle

In His Grace!

The Writing on the Wall!

As I read my Bible yesterday, I found myself in the book of Daniel. I don’t normally read Old Testament scriptures for encouragement because for me the Old Testament is more of a historical resource to understand the New Testament; however, I opened up my Bible and decided to read Daniel 5. As I finished reading the entire chapter, God spoke encouragement to me, and I just had to share it with you today!

It had been a while since I had actually read this chapter in which King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for his nobles and called for the gold and silver goblets from the temple to be brought so that he, his nobles, his wives and his concubines could drink wine from them. In this chapter, the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote an inscription on the wall, which could not be interpreted by King Belshazzar or any of his wise men.

I’d like to take a moment to point out the reason this inscription was written on the wall. Daniel 5:4 says, “While they drank from them they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.” (NLT) It was bad enough that they drank from the goblets that his father, King Nebuchadnezzar, had removed from the temple, but look where their loyalties landed as they drank from those goblets. They were praising gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone rather than the One true God of heaven who created those items.

God created us to fellowship with Him, to love Him, to honor Him. The important thing to note, as found in verses 18-21, is that while God had given all ruling authority and power to Belshazzar’s predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, God then brought down Nebuchadnezzar and stripped him of his glory when his heart and mind became puffed up with arrogance (v. 20). The message was inscribed on the wall as a result of the fact that Belshazzar knew all of this and yet he proudly defied the Lord (v. 22-23). The last portion of v. 23 states, “But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny!” (NLT)

As I continued to read chapter 5 in Daniel, I got to the inscription and the interpretation that God gave to Daniel.

Daniel 5:25-31 (NLT) ²⁵“This is the message that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. ²⁶This is what these words mean:

   Mene means ‘numbered’—God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end.
 ²⁷Tekel means ‘weighed’—you have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up.
 ²⁸Parsin means ‘divided’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

 ²⁹Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was dressed in purple robes, a gold chain was hung around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.

 ³⁰ That very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed.

 ³¹And Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.

As I read this portion of the scripture, I was taken back to verse 17 in which Daniel replied to the king, “Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means.” (NLT) Do you see that those items promised to Daniel by Belshazzar would mean prominence on the earth, but Daniel didn’t care about being great on this earth? All that mattered to Daniel was being obedient to God. Sure, he received an earthly reward when he finished giving the interpretation, but that was not the reason Daniel interpreted the writing on the wall.

My prayer for you today is that you will hear the message written on the wall! God has given you the choice to make today. Where will your loyalties land? Ask yourself that every morning, and as your loyalty lands with God and God alone, please know that my prayer for you is that you will dwell in Christ! As a matter of fact, my prayer for you is that of Paul’s prayer for the church at Ephesus found in Ephesians 3:14-21. As you read these verses, go in the power and strength of God our Father!

 ¹⁴When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, ¹⁵the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. ¹⁶I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. ¹⁷Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. ¹⁸And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. ¹⁹May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

 ²⁰Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. ²¹Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

In His Grace!

Are You a Wave?

James 1:2-8

 ²Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. ⁵If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. ⁶But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

I have to admit that I am fresh out of commentary today. Sometimes it is best that way. The only thing I can do is comb through these verses and take heart today in knowing that God is with me even when I don’t feel it. Please know that He is with you today, too!

These verses state so well what we need to do to live our lives for God. Verse 4 speaks of endurance. Some versions call it patience, steadfastness, going on. Any way this verse is expressed, it lets us know that when we press through the difficulties of life, He will not only be with us but will complete us. We will gain wisdom, maturity and understanding that only comes through experience. If we are struggling through the trials, verses 5-6 reminds us that we only need to ask God in faith, trusting that He will answer, and He will give us His wisdom. Do not allow yourself to go the way of one who is beaten and battered by the waves. Be loyal to Him alone, and He will help you through the troubles you encounter. Remember, His grace is enough for you today!

In His Grace!

Safewise

Proverbs 4:1-9

¹My children, listen when your father corrects you. Pay attention and learn good judgment, ²for I am giving you good guidance. Don’t turn away from my instructions. ³For I, too, was once my father’s son, tenderly loved as my mother’s only child. ⁴My father taught me, “Take my words to heart. Follow my commands, and you will live. ⁵Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them. ⁶Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. ⁷Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. ⁸If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. Embrace her, and she will honor you. ⁹She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown.”

Proverbs 2:1-8

¹My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands.²Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. ³ Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. ⁴Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. ⁵Then you will understand what it means to fear the LORD, and you will gain knowledge of God. ⁶For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. ⁷He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. ⁸He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. ¹⁰For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy. ¹¹Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.

As I opened up my Bible this morning, I read these scriptures. I have read these scriptures before, but never have they jumped off the page at me like they did this morning. So many of the promises of God are condensed in these verses, and these promises are given to us when we seek wisdom. Proverbs 2:6 reminds us that the Lord our God is the One who grants us wisdom. If we are seeking wisdom, then we are seeking God. Do you see that when we seek wisdom, God also gives us good judgment, knowledge, understanding, a treasure of common sense, greatness, honor, a shield of protection, guarding, direction, joy and safety?

When we seek wisdom, God gives us good guidance that teaches us good judgment. Good judgment is mentioned in verses 1, 5 and 7 of Proverbs 4 as something to be learned through instruction, something we should not turn our backs on and something to be developed. When we are learning something, the best way to develop a clearer understanding of what we have learned is to practice. When my children are given homework, they often do not understand why they have to do so many of the same type of problems. When I explain to them that as they practice the same type of problem, it will help solidify their understanding, they begrudgingly do their homework and then thank me later. When they come back to me later and tell me they have made a good grade on the test because they really understand the problems, I then tell them how proud I am of them for their hard work. Just as I am proud of my children and honor them with my excitement and joy, these verses remind us that as we practice good judgment, we will be honored by God.

Let’s remember that we should walk daily in His presence. Over and over we are admonished to desire and seek wisdom and to develop good judgment. When we seek to fulfill desires that are not balanced with God’s desire for us, it is then that we open ourselves up to bad judgment. Over the years, the only time I have found myself in hot water has been when I have exercised bad judgment because I forgot to seek God. This not only did not honor God, but I received no honor for my behavior or thought processes. When we seek God and walk with integrity before Him daily, He will guard and protect us, and He will fill our hearts with wisdom, knowledge and joy.

In His Grace!

Safety Sweet Safety

Romans 5:12-19

¹²When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. ¹³Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. ¹⁴Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. ¹⁵But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. ¹⁶And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. ¹⁷For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. ¹⁸Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. ¹⁹Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. (NLT)

I know that usually the saying goes, “Home Sweet Home”, but an experience this week made me rethink that saying. When we think of home, what comes to mind? Peace, comfort, love, happiness, contentment, safety, etc., etc. Or at least that’s what we should be thinking when we think about home. Not everyone can say that, but it is my hope that even if you are not able to say those words when speaking about your home that you will hear what God is saying to you today about making your home in Him!

We recently moved to a new community. When we were looking for a house to buy, we seemed to have to search high and low. At one house, there was a cat hanging around in the back yard. She is black with white paws and a white chest. Since we were here for a while when we first looked at the house, came back to look at it a second time, and then came back a third time with the inspector after putting an offer in on the house, my three children spent a lot of time with this cute, sweet, tame cat. They lovingly nicknamed her Mittens with the T’s literally pronounced as Mitt-tens.

My youngest daughter is six years old and really had no concept of what moving entails. She regularly commented on people’s furnishings, and at this house, she said, “Yay, let’s get this house. It has Mittens.” We had to explain to her that the cat probably belongs to the owners of the house and will probably go with them when they move out. She said, “Yea, but maybe she’ll still be here when we move in.” I told her that I doubt it, but maybe she’s right. This stopped an argument and gave her the satisfaction of enjoying spending time with her new-found friend.

Well, God knew what we needed as Mittens was still here after we moved in. I thought maybe the people had left her here because they couldn’t take her where they were moving to. Later that first week after moving in, we discovered that she was a neighborhood cat that had been left by another family when they moved away from the neighborhood. As a matter of fact, there were several water bowls in many of the neighbors’ yards so everyone was kind of taking care of her. But God knew that she needed us as much as we needed her!

We bought her a dish and some food and quickly set into a routine of feeding her at set times. She is always out there waiting when it is time to eat. Last weekend there was a cold front that moved through and it got extremely cold outside. My hubby has never liked animals so bringing her in was not an option. I thought about fixing a box for her with a towel in it so she could get some warmth, but since we are working on fixing up the house, I ran out of steam and just didn’t get it done. So I prayed as I went to sleep that God would protect her and help her stay warm for the night. She had been sleeping by our crawl space door because there was a crack toward the bottom where heat was escaping. It wasn’t a lot of heat, but it was warm, and she seemed satisfied with that. That night, she kept warm by the crawl space.

A couple of days ago, Mittens was acting skittish around us when my son discovered that she had a sore on her foot. Further investigation led us to discover that one of her claws had actually been torn out. We are not sure how it happened, but we tried to take care of it. My youngest daughter, the one who is six, decided to touch the open wound so I applied antibiotic ointment on it via a bandage. Of course, she shook her paw until it came off and wanted nothing to do with me or my three children for quite a while.

Later that day as dinner-time approached, my oldest daughter, who is thirteen and aspiring to become a veterinarian, decided it was time to fix her a box. She found an old blanket that her Nanna had given her. It was fittingly an ASPCA blanket that had a cat and a dog on it. She put the blanket in a box and laid it on its side. We then introduced Mittens to the box. At first she wanted nothing to do with it, but as we put the blanket over her while I held her, she started to get interested in it. We took the blanket off of her, set it in the box and then set Mittens in the box. Amazingly she took to it! That is where she has been sleeping since then. My husband has even started to care about the cat and commented that maybe we should get something a little more permanent for her than a cardboard box.

Yesterday, I was actually getting ready to leave to run some errands when I heard a siren down the highway. I looked out our dining room window to see Mittens running full-force toward our house through the neighbor’s yard. She got even with the gate to our back yard and made a bee-line for the gate and back yard. She turned the corner, arrived at the tree outside our back door and slowed down. She trotted over to her box and sat down in it. It was then that God showed me that she recognized her safe place, her home, with us!

And through that, God reminded me that He tells us in Proverbs 18:10, “The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.” Some versions of this verse say “the righteous run to him”. He quickly reminded me that our safety is found in Him when we run to him. Our natural tendency when we sin is to run away from and hide from God as Adam and Eve did in Genesis 3:6-8

⁶The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. ⁷At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. ⁸When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. (NLT)

Not only did Adam and Eve hide from God, but we do the same thing when we try to avoid going to God when we know we have messed up. Isaiah 53:6 describes us all as sheep that have strayed, but He laid all of our sins on His Son. In Isaiah 64:6, our own righteousness is likened to “filthy rags”, a term used to describe menstrual rags good for nothing but to be thrown away, and yet He provides us with a righteousness that is not our own through Jesus Christ. We do not deserve this grace, but he freely gives it to us. (Acts 15:9-11, Acts 20:32, Romans 5:12-19 above, and many others!)

Today and every day, let’s all run to Him and make our home in the safety He provides us: Safety, Sweet Safety!

In His Grace!

God’s Empowerment in Your Life

Good Morning! Do you ever feel as though you lack the strength you need for the coming day? Many times I wake up feeling defeated. Maybe I didn’t sleep as well as I could have. Maybe I got in bed too late the night before and need a little more sleep. Maybe it’s rainy outside, and I know that rainy days usually affect my mood no matter how much I fight it. Whatever the reason, I am learning that just because I wake up feeling defeated does not mean that I am defeated. You se,e I serve the Living God, the One who dwells in me, the One who sacrificed His One and Only Son to take my punishment and offer me His grace.

No one deserves this grace. It is truly unmerited. We cannot earn it, and there is nothing we can do to make God love us more or less. He reminds us in His Word that he loves us. John 3:16-17 says “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” (NLT) In 1 John 4:7-10, God’s Word says “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (NLT)

Now, I want to revisit the last statement of my introduction: I want you to embrace the gifting God has placed in your life and know that He will empower you to do what He has called you to do. God not only sacrificed His Son so we can be with Him in eternity, but to enjoy serving Him while here on the earth. Just as the different parts of our bodies have different functions that work together to make up our physical bodies, He has created all of us with different purposes to make His church, His people, complete. He didn’t jnst make eyes and right hands. He made every part of our bodies, and He gives each of us the gift to do our part in the body of Christ.

I know this is a lot of scripture, but I would like you to read the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 12. I have included it here n the New Living Translation:

“Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. ⁶ God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. ⁸ To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?

 “But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages. Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.” (NLT)

Do you see that He not only creates us with a specific purpose but He gives us the ability to perform the function He has created us to perform. That my dear brothers and sisters is God’s empowerment for your life! Listen to Him and know what His gift in you is. Once you identify that gifting, Embrace it with passion knowing that He will empower you!

In His Grace!

Chase the Bus

“The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD.” (Lamentations 3:19-26, NLT)
“And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” (Luke 12:7, NLT)

“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?” (Luke 12:27-28, NLT)

This morning I woke up at 3:30 am in my son’s bed. I had fallen asleep while tucking him in because I had a migraine that started at 3:30 yesterday afternoon and would not go away. Although I had been sleeping on my right side, my left hip was in tremendous pain. I decided to try to lay back down in my bed until my 4 am wake-up call. That is when I drag myself out of bed to put my body through torture. Well, some would call it that, but I actually know that I will be energized once I get past that initial thought. Once I start my workout, I begin to feel like I can conquer the world. But this morning, I didn’t feel like I could conquer the world. I have been in a funk for about a week, struggling to make sense of circumstances and a bad dream over the weekend. I was feeling hopeless and wondering how God could forgive me for dwelling on this horrible dream at the end of a “funk” week.

As I lay in bed trying to get some more rest, I could not go back to sleep. There was nothing on my mind, and I know that at this point many people would remind me that maybe this was God wanting me to pray for someone. So I kept trying to doze off, but to no avail. Finally at 4:15, I made myself get up. As I jumped in the shower God began to soothe my spirit as the clean water cleansed me physically. I realized that the “someone” God wanted me to pray for was me…and not in a selfish way. I needed prayer so I could be the best mom and wife possible. So I began to pray. It was a simple prayer, asking God to basically be my rock. Of course He wanted to honor this prayer, but I had my part to do…to put away dwelling on this horrible dream and trust that God is in control of my life.

As I worked out, my hip quit hurting and my spirit along with my body were energized. At the appropriate time, I got my daughter up so she could get ready for school. At one point, my coworker called me to let me know she would not be in the office today. I could have been discouraged by this (truthfully my natural man was), but I had to trust that God was in control and would work every detail out. I finished my workout with vim and vigor but had no time to play around. I ran upstairs to finish getting ready for work. At 6:32 am, my daughter came up and asked for her lunch money and asked when Daddy would be ready to take her to the bus stop. I told her to head up there because he needed to finish getting dressed. I chased her down the stairs to hug her and tell her I love her before rushing back upstairs to finish getting ready to go. I had just enough time to make it to work on time. As I talked to my husband about our daughter, I told him she was putting her jacket on and was going to head up to the bus stop. Suddenly, there was a pause in my spirit that prompted me to look out the window. As I took in the view from that upstairs window, I realized that there was no way she would catch the bus. She was only half-way to the corner and the bus was pulling up. The bus started to turn the corner away from her, so I took off down the stairs, threw on my shoes and glasses, grabbed my purse and keys and ran out the door. My daughter was in tears, but I had control of the situation. I unlocked the car as I told her to get in. We drove after the school bus and finally caught it around the corner where she was able to get on the bus. She was happy, and although I was now late for work, I was filled with happiness for her and pleasure in knowing that my taking control of the situation had met her needs.

It was then that I realized this is how God feels about us. We are His children. When we have needs and we come to Him, He takes control and meets our needs. As He does this, He feels that same sense of happiness and pleasure that I felt being able to give my daughter the gift of not having to be late for school. God reminded me at that moment that His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:19-26). He also reminded me that the lilies don’t toil or spin and yet God clothes them with more splendor than Solomon was clothed. (Luke 12:27-28) God reminded me to have faith in Him and to know that he cares about every hair on my head. (Luke 12:7). God reminded me that He is always ready and willing to “chase the bus” for me.

Coffee and a Blank Slate!

Good Morning! This is my first blog post in Balanced View! I am so excited as I sit here with my morning cup of coffee and a “blank slate”. Let me start by sharing a little about me and my passion for writing. I will post my devotional blog as a second blog post today. As you will quickly find out, I tend to be a “little wordy” as my thirteen year old says. Even so, she constantly begs me to write more in my two novels that I am in the process of writing.

I have always had a passion for writing from a very young age. I can remember always loving to write notes to people, but that quickly turned into a passion for writing letters when I moved to North Carolina from Illinois. Moving away from all of my family and friends left me feeling alienated, but through letter writing I could keep those relationships fresh. I mostly wrote letters to my Grandma and to my “best friend” from fourth grade. My grandma usually didn’t send letters, but she would send cards and write little love notes to me to remind me of how much she loved and missed me. My best friend didn’t always write me back, but that didn’t stop me from writing letters to her.

Now, let me explain this whole letter writing situation between us. I would write a two-to-three page letter that we had coined “mini-books”. She would write a “note” about 1/2 to 2/3 of a page short. Usually I would send at least two or three mini-books before she would send a note, and sometimes I would send four or five to her one. Usually I would tell her almost every detail that I could think of along with asking every question I had for her while she would just answer some of my questions and tell me one or two minor details of her life. At the age of thirteen, I felt slighted and like she didn’t really care about me. Over time, I lost interest in writing her letters, but never lost that passion for writing.

Over the years, I would use writing whenever I was struggling to express myself verbally. It has always been easier to express myself on paper, but I was sooooo afraid to show anything I had written to anyone. I even used writing to calm down whenever I would get angry, and I still do that to this day. There is something about a blank piece of paper that screams to be filled up. Of course, I never share what I have written because it is usually just me rambling about why I feel a situation is unjust. If I get it out of my system, then I can calm down and look at a situation with a balanced view.

A few years ago, my husband and I were really struggling in our marriage. We were contemplating the D word, but neither one of us really wanted to go there. I had been working in retail with horrible second-shift hours, and that really was not helping our situation at all. In a church service one Sunday morning, I heard God tell me that if I really wanted my situation to change, I needed to change my attitude and trust Him. I told Him that I wanted to but needed help to trust Him. He told me that He would help me if I would let go. I was at a crossroad, and I knew at that moment that continuing to try to make things work on my own would never work. I let go and felt God was telling me that He was going to change my situation. Of course, my faith made me believe it would happen immediately, but our situation got worse before it got better. Even so, I kept coming back and reminding God of His promise to me: to change my situation for the better so I could serve Him wholeheartedly.

About a month later, I ran into an old friend at the mall. She asked me how my job was and I told her it was going, but I really needed a new one. I had been looking for about a year and a half for a full-time job but to no avail. She immediately told me about a position working for the other doctor in her office and maybe I should apply. I didn’t do it right away, but eventually I did apply. On the morning of my second interview, I got into my car and noticed a CD that my husband had left for me. It was Richie McDonald, and even though I had never heard of him, I decided to pop the CD in the player. As I often do with a new CD, I listened to a little bit of each song and skipped to the next one. When I got to track 5, I stayed there and listened to the entire song before going back to listen to it again. The name of the song is Faith. It was written by Frank Myers, Jason Eustice and Richie McDonald on 2/13/07. How fitting that I am sharing that here today, exactly 5 years later! Some of the lyrics are:

“When you feel like you’re forsaken and feel like givin’ up
When there’s nothin’ to believe in and no one cares enough

Faith gives you hope, Hope gives you strength,
Strength gives you courage to go on each day
When you’re praying for answers to things you can’t change
When it’s out of your hands, you hold on to faith

It’s the reason that a broken heart can mend
Why you can pick up all the pieces and learn to live again
You can’t see it with your eyes or touch it with your hand
But it moves through the soul of a woman and a man”

That song settled my nerves and confirmed to me that God was in control and I could trust Him. Well, I got that job and worked for Dr. Ransone for two wonderful years. During my time there, I was constantly being told that I should write. It started with a weekly word of encouragement that each staff member was responsible for. Often I would print off a daily devotional I had received in my email box. One morning as I chased the bus for my daughter, God gave me my first devotional. I wrote the devotional that day and shared it the next day because it was my day to share. I was so afraid but felt that God wanted me to share it with them. Everyone asked me if I had written it because there was no name attributed to the writing and I sheepishly admitted to having written it. Occasionally I would share something from God’s Word and my co-workers always encouraged me. Dr. R regularly reminded me that I was a good writer. One day one of my co-workers told me I should write daily devotionals because it was a gift I had been given.

Naturally I wanted to hide from that gift because I would never want anyone to think me arrogant in my gifting. I have struggled with embracing this gift since childhood, but 2011 was a turning point for me. God was teaching me to have balance in every aspect of my life. He continually showed me that balance is key to enjoying the life that He has given each of us. Everywhere I turned, I kept hearing “balance”, “balance”, “balance”, … When you hear God speak to you over and over, you have a choice to make. You can accept His assignment or run away.

When we do not do what God has gifted us with, we are out of balance. Have you ever heard a washing machine that is out of balance? It sounds like the entire machine is going to walk off. Believe me when I say that trying to avoid the gift of writing left me completely out of balance. I was constantly trying to walk away from God, but I finally realized that I needed to accept His assignment for my life after hearing “balance” over and over.

As I stated earlier, 2011 was my year of decision to walk in God’s gift or not. In May, my husband was told he would not have a job after December 31. He interviewed but nothing ever came of those interviews. Finally he was asked for a second interview around the same time that he was “involuntarily reassigned” at work. This meant that he would have a job beyond December 31, but as I told him, it was really the company trying to get out of paying him a severance since he was still there. Well, he went on that second interview and got the job meaning we had to move to a new community. That is why I left my job, but I also feel that I was beginning to embrace this idea of writing as my job. I felt like this was God’s way of moving me into this “new position”, and I am so grateful to Him for His graciousness in my life.

Yesterday, we visited a church in our new community, and the pastor spoke about God’s gifts in our lives through the platform of God’s “serving” grace. Something he said spoke to my heart more than anything else in the entire sermon. He stated that God doesn’t equip you with someone else’s gift. He equips you with the gift He wants you to use to help others. That spoke so loudly to me and I knew that I had to start this blog today. There can be no more putting it off. So, here I am welcoming you to my blog. As I stated in my first paragraph, I will share my devotional with you in a second post. As a way to welcome you to my blog, I will post that first devotional I ever wrote: Chase the Bus.

I can hardly wait to grab a cup of coffee with a new blank slate next time. Until then, look for God’s gifting in your life. Embrace it and know that He will empower you to do what He has called you to do!

In His Grace!