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A wanderer who returns to the Lord is not destined to a worthless life! There is hope, usefulness and joy ahead! Satan would want us to think there is only shame in admitting that we’ve wandered away, but His call to us is always to return. He waits with open arms and forgiveness. You’ll hear how beautifully the story of Ruth tells us this truth in today’s podcast.
I have a friend who is the best person at giving gifts! She just has such a knack at knowing what people would enjoy! She’s creative, on-time, and right on target with the needs of the receiver. It just seems so easy for her.
If you’ve ever been to the home of another one of my friends at our church, you’ll see hospitality being displayed in such an effortless way. She welcomes with her heart before you even enter the doorway of her house. As a matter of fact, if you see her at church, you sense that warm hospitable heart in the aisle and pew. It’s not about the food she makes or the home in which she lives; it’s her spirit. Everyone feels so accepted and loved by her. I just don’t know how she does it!
Continue reading “Discovering My Spiritual Gift (s)”Over and over again my heart goes to the word, purpose. Why does God save a soul and leave them on this earth, rather than take them to heaven? Because He has a purpose for each of us. We have a life to live that can be full and so blessed because of the God of our life IS our life!
What is it? What is your purpose?
It’s greater than just making it through the day so we can plop down somewhere and scroll, or fasten our eyes on a rectangular box and “chill” while we doze. That’s what a cat does!
For those who have trusted Christ as Savior, we have a soul that has been rescued from hell, and people all around us are without the hope of Christ. They need the Gospel!
Our purpose is to use what God has given us in the place where He has put us
to share the Gospel, disciple believers, to live out a full and fruitful life!
I look at Paul in Philippians one and see that he is in prison. His help came through the supply of the Spirit of Christ by the prayers of the people of God. He believed that no matter what happened, God would not cause him to be ashamed or turn against him. He was confident that he was in the center of God’s will. He wasn’t being punished by God. Christ would be magnified if he lived or died. Paul didn’t dictate how God would be glorified – he left that up to God.
According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:20, 21
Where has the Lord put you? It’s no accident. Serve Him there.
What has God entrusted to you? What possessions? What talents? Use them for His glory.
Who has He placed around you? Spouse? Children? Neighbors? Use your voice to share the Gospel, encourage them with the Truth, and help bear their burdens.
You are alive and breathing today due to the kindness and the plan of God. You have a significant purpose that no one else could fill. Don’t waste a moment, but get up and ask God what you should do next. Watch how He will use your life if you simply recognize He has purpose for YOU!
Are you living out the purpose for which God has designed for your life? There’s no greater joy!
What questions do you have about your purpose in life?
Last week I stepped outside my front door on a springlike morning. Ahhhh, so beautiful! Then I looked down at the porch where I was standing and saw a hundred dried up worms that were the residual from the previous day’s rain. I stepped back inside the door and grabbed the broom and began my efforts at ridding the concrete of the crusty creepies.
That was only ONE of the many not so glamorous tasks I did that day. My work also included cleaning out the kitty litter box, doing laundry, cleaning the bathrooms….well, you get the idea. It was a day full of dirty jobs, but it was my day and also my delight to serve the Lord in my home – in this quiet corner of my world.
For the last several months, in between my chores, I’ve been studying in preparation for a Ladies’ Prayer Advance where I was to speak. I always feel the heavy weight of responsibility of giving out God’s Word.
It MUST be accurate.
It must be in context.
It must be applied.
The day after sweeping up the dried worms, I made my way to that conference where for the next several days I had the blessing of speaking, but also gleaning from the other speakers. .
I had the joy of gathering with about 300 women to worship, pray and pour over Scripture. I had the delight of meeting so many ladies, of listening to their hearts as they introduced themselves to me. It was a blessing to stop and pray with each one who shared a burden or need.
It was exhilarating. It was a far cry from sweeping up dead worms!
But as all wonderful weekends do, the conference came to a close and we headed home. Monday morning I stepped out to take my daily walk and I was greeted once again with…dead worms. When I returned home from my exercise, I got the broom and got back to the task of trying to sweep them away.
As I swept I thought about the invigorating days that came between my lowly task of sweeping the porch. I was reminded that THIS is what life is. It’s full of high’s and low’s. It’s not always worship songs and wondrous events – it’s also worms and work.
But every day, every task, every moment belongs to the Lord. He has called us to this moment. We must be faithful whether we’re on a platform or the front porch. How are we to push through on the days that are not so glamorous or fun? The difference is our worship.
Personal worship of God each day can elevate the mundane into the momentous.
Where does today find you? On the day when it’s not your birthday, you’re not on vacation or headed to a Ladies’ conference, but you find yourself doing the monotonous, turn your heart to our great God. Open His Word and find the wonder of Him throughout the pages of Scripture. Bow at His feet and adore Him. That act will turn your heart into a sanctuary of praise.
Some verses that remind us of this truth:
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. Co. 3:23
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Ps. 103:1
For from him and through him and for him are all things.To him be the glory forever! Amen. Romans 11:36
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?Put your hope in God,f or I will yet praise him,my Savior and my God. Ps. 42:11
It won’t matter that you’re “just at home” or “on your way to work.” You will be filled with the Spirit of the One that created you as much for this moment as He did for the “more holy” tasks. Worship makes those worms momentous. Sound silly? Try it and see how worshiping God elevates your mundane into the momentous!
Yesterday I went to our local Ingles to do my grocery shopping. When I had finished and returned to my car, I looked up and saw the car pictured here. That car is not in motion! It’s parked like that! I laughed out loud, then I had to snap a picture. It was too unbelievable not to share.
When my husband sees a car parked like that he’ll say, “For heaven’s sake, if they’d just take five seconds…” It’s true. How much longer would it have taken for them to actually get their car all the way into their space before they jumped out? About five seconds.
When I got home and was thinking about the driver, I thought, “If they get the tail of their car hit, they surely asked for it.” A person who has a license knows the rules of driving. They know what is expected of them when they call themselves a driver, yet so many drivers don’t take the time to do the right thing.
I call myself a Christian. Do I take the extra time to:
None of the things I just mentioned really take that much extra time from our day. Just like the careless driver, we can tend to recklessly plunder our way through our day without slowing down for “five seconds” to just do the right thing.
Don’t allow yourself to be the target for someone’s photo of a careless Christian. Slow down. Consider where you’re parked, then look around to see if you need to straighten things up a bit.
Think about what have you done recently that showed that you were taking the time to do the right thing as a child of God. Ask the Lord to reveal any areas that need to be “straightened out” in your life.
Oh, and take those extra five seconds to park your car in the lines. =)
RefreshHer 