I was talking to a friend the other day and we were discussing how there are some people who just light up for Christ. How they’re vessels for Him and it seems like the more they give, the more they get, and the brighter their light gets. It’s been a week or so since that conversation, but it’s been in the back of my mind, so when I read my devotional this morning, it hit me a little harder. This is from Corrie ten Boom’s book, “Each New Day”. (The quotes from the book are in gray, and the words of the Bible are in green)
April 30th
We are common earthenware jars, filled with the treasure of the riches of God. The jar is not important—the treasure is everything.“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”
2 Corinthians 4:7 KJV
(Corrie ends her little devotional with a prayer and I’m going to put that here also.)
Father, it is a testimony to Your glory that something so common as our weak bodies may possess Your riches. Only a true Artist can make full use of humble materials. I don’t think I’ve ever looked at it that way exactly. I mean, I knew we were vessels for Christ, but when Corrie says “The jar is not important” but the "treasure is everything", she changed my perspective completely! In her life, she truly died to self and told God that her “jar” wasn’t important. And what a cost for her! She was in German camps for years, lost all of her family, and yet… She told God all that she had was his; she allowed Him to come and take over her vessel.
Am I being persecuted as she was? Am I beaten for my faith? Do I have to secretly meet to speak about my Savior? No. Then how is it so hard for me to lay my selfishness down and tell God that He can move in? I get so frustrated with myself for not being able to lay it all down!! And then I realize; it’s impossible for me to lay it down all by myself. Hello! I have a God that can do anything and yet I try to do it all myself?? Wake up, Mik! Not only did our Jesus show us how to lay it down; He will HELP you lay it down! He has to continually say that to me, because I guess I have a little brain and I forget it easily. Thank goodness for His never-ending patience and grace and mercy! I would be nowhere without it!!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
My new blog!!!
Well, it's almost one o'clock and I should be getting ready for dance. But I'm obviously not! Instead, I decided to start my own blog just because I can :)
When I was younger, my mom started me in a habit of list writing. I have now taken to writing lists about what I want God to help me with, or what I want to grow into. I was reading through Psalm 119 today and my goodness!! There are so many things that I have to work on! But I thought I'd post a few and and maybe challenge others, who knows? (Yes, some of these verses ARE out of context, but right now I'm just sharing what He was telling me when I was reading them. That's my official disclaimer!)
Psalm 119:2-3
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways.
Seeking Him wholeheartedly - This can be a problem for me. Do I seek Him? Yes. With my whole heart, every time? Sadly, no. And at this point, when David was writing this Psalm, it seems like he was. Now, I could choose to take that as a challenge or as a discouragement....I choose the challenge. Do you seek Him with everything that you have?
Psalm 119:82a says "My eyes fail from searching Your word" Do I study Him so much and for so long that my eyes fail? I must admit that I do not. I'm not sure that sounds amazingly comfortable, but hey! In this part of the Psalm, David is asking God to comfort him. When I need comfort, do I always run straight to Him and His word and say "Help me"? No. I wish I could say yes, but 'twould be a lie. Yet another one of my goals; to have Him be the one that I run to when something goes haywire, when I'm hurt, when I'm afflicted, when I'm sad, when I'm frustrated. I know He holds me in the palm of His hand, but do I always think about that and say "Here I am, mold me and make me"?
Psalm 119:25-26
My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word. I have declared my ways, and You answered me; teach me Your statutes.
"I have declared my ways...." Let's see...yup! Put another check on the list! Oh, but wait. There's a second part? "You answered me" Okay. Hmmm....I know that I'm often guilty of talking to God about what I want, and what I want to do, and then I'm like, "OK God, it's all Yours!" and I walk away. But how often do I sit and listen for His answer? Do I do all the talking and just tell Him everything that I want? Talking to Him is great, but are you giving Him time to answer? Is your heart open to what He has to say, or are you so set on what YOU want that you push His voice away? It's time to open up and let Him teach you, instead of you trying to redirect His plan! No matter what you do, God has a plan and you can follow it the easy way or the hard way!
Psalm 119:37
Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way.
I must confess that I'm an ADHD child. I see things and I want to do them. I see things and I want to have them. I want to do what I see others doing! Therefore, God has to constantly remind me that I need to zoom in on Him. Worthless things? Yep, gotta say worthless things do look good a lot of times. Do I always listen for His voice when He's saying "It's not of Me. I have better things than what you're seeing now."? Nope. But I find out afterwards that it wasn't what everyone else said it was. It was empty and meaningless! But then I look back and realize that He was right there; I just wasn't listening for His voice. A terrier with a million smells to sniff needs a shock collar to teach him to obey. But what use is the collar if it isn't touching the skin? It's useless! We are terriers; God is our shock collar. Are you allowing His word to penetrate your skin and teach you? Or is it sitting there on your fur, full of potential, yet useless?
Ok, I have a lot more to write, but I need to go do some chores. I hope that this gives you something to think on.....feel free to comment....comments rock my world!
When I was younger, my mom started me in a habit of list writing. I have now taken to writing lists about what I want God to help me with, or what I want to grow into. I was reading through Psalm 119 today and my goodness!! There are so many things that I have to work on! But I thought I'd post a few and and maybe challenge others, who knows? (Yes, some of these verses ARE out of context, but right now I'm just sharing what He was telling me when I was reading them. That's my official disclaimer!)
Psalm 119:2-3
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways.
Seeking Him wholeheartedly - This can be a problem for me. Do I seek Him? Yes. With my whole heart, every time? Sadly, no. And at this point, when David was writing this Psalm, it seems like he was. Now, I could choose to take that as a challenge or as a discouragement....I choose the challenge. Do you seek Him with everything that you have?
Psalm 119:82a says "My eyes fail from searching Your word" Do I study Him so much and for so long that my eyes fail? I must admit that I do not. I'm not sure that sounds amazingly comfortable, but hey! In this part of the Psalm, David is asking God to comfort him. When I need comfort, do I always run straight to Him and His word and say "Help me"? No. I wish I could say yes, but 'twould be a lie. Yet another one of my goals; to have Him be the one that I run to when something goes haywire, when I'm hurt, when I'm afflicted, when I'm sad, when I'm frustrated. I know He holds me in the palm of His hand, but do I always think about that and say "Here I am, mold me and make me"?
Psalm 119:25-26
My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word. I have declared my ways, and You answered me; teach me Your statutes.
"I have declared my ways...." Let's see...yup! Put another check on the list! Oh, but wait. There's a second part? "You answered me" Okay. Hmmm....I know that I'm often guilty of talking to God about what I want, and what I want to do, and then I'm like, "OK God, it's all Yours!" and I walk away. But how often do I sit and listen for His answer? Do I do all the talking and just tell Him everything that I want? Talking to Him is great, but are you giving Him time to answer? Is your heart open to what He has to say, or are you so set on what YOU want that you push His voice away? It's time to open up and let Him teach you, instead of you trying to redirect His plan! No matter what you do, God has a plan and you can follow it the easy way or the hard way!
Psalm 119:37
Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way.
I must confess that I'm an ADHD child. I see things and I want to do them. I see things and I want to have them. I want to do what I see others doing! Therefore, God has to constantly remind me that I need to zoom in on Him. Worthless things? Yep, gotta say worthless things do look good a lot of times. Do I always listen for His voice when He's saying "It's not of Me. I have better things than what you're seeing now."? Nope. But I find out afterwards that it wasn't what everyone else said it was. It was empty and meaningless! But then I look back and realize that He was right there; I just wasn't listening for His voice. A terrier with a million smells to sniff needs a shock collar to teach him to obey. But what use is the collar if it isn't touching the skin? It's useless! We are terriers; God is our shock collar. Are you allowing His word to penetrate your skin and teach you? Or is it sitting there on your fur, full of potential, yet useless?
Ok, I have a lot more to write, but I need to go do some chores. I hope that this gives you something to think on.....feel free to comment....comments rock my world!
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