Prayer for Wisdom

How can a young person live a clean life?

By carefully reading the map of your Word.

I'm single minded in pursuit of you;

don't let me miss the road signs you've posted.

I've banked your promises in the vault of my heart

so I won't sin myself bankrupt.

Be blessed, God;

train me in your ways of wise living.

I'll transfer to my lips all the counsel that comes from your mouth;

I delight far more in what you tell me about living

than in gathering a pile of riches.

I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you,

I attentively watch how you've done it.

I relish everything you've told me of life,

I won't forget a word of it.

Psalm 119:9-16 MSG

I'm still searching for wisdom and I feel like this psalmist begging for God to show me the way.  I search for His words in devotions, from the mouths of wise counsel, and in my bible studies.  I want to be like Jesus!  I want to be wise and listen to God's voice in my life.  I want to know His thoughts and direction in my circumstances.  But it's not just knowing what He says, no, that's not enough.  Dear God, I need the strength and the courage to do what You say.  I need to be strong in the hard times and trust that you will be my shelter and that you will work all things out for my good because I love You.  I put you first in my mind, I seek your wisdom to help me.  Lord give me the strength to say yes to You in all situations and to follow Your wise counsel.  Make me bold and courageous.  Give me renewed strenght and hope.  God I will trust in You as my life and the lives of many depend on You.  Amen

  

Sunday Scripture

Jesus said, "The first in importance is, 'Listen, Israel:  

The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.'  

And here is the second:

'Love others as well as you love yourself.'  There is no other commandment that ranks with these.

Mark 12: 29-31 MSG

Live Out Your Thanksgiving

My counsel for you is simple and straightforward; Just go ahead with what you've been given.  You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him.  You're deeply rooted in him.  You're well constructed upon him.  You know your way around the faith.  Now do what you've been taught.  School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it!  

And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.

Colossians 2:6-7 MSG

How do we ever give back to God?  As we look back on all the things we have been blessed with in this life how do we give Him a proper thanksgiving?  Is there anything that we can do to show God how much we love Him and how much we appreciate His love for us?  Nothing can match what we have been given, that's for sure.  But God isn't looking for an equal return on what He has given us.  He is just looking for a changed life.  A life that is thankful will act on His word and live out His commands.  This scripture isn't necessarily telling us to stop studying God's word but it is telling us to get out of our chair and do something with it.  It is telling us to live the Jesus life instead of sitting on all the great things we know.  It is encouraging us to use what God has taught us through our trials, our joys, our bible studies and our wise counsel.  To give God His proper thanksgiving we need only to start living what we know and what He has given us.  Seems simple enough!

We are so thankful for you who read our blog daily or just visit from time to time.  Our passion is God, and we love to write, so we are thankful for this opportunity to share with you all.  Enjoy this day, or long weekend, thinking on all the things you are thankful for and how you can start living in a way that shares those things with others.    

Faith Without Deeds is Dead

Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup- where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? James 2:14-17

James is a book full of wisdom. It contains simple Godly truths that apply to our everyday living. In this passage, James tells us that our faith and the deeds must work together. There is to be a seamlessness between what we believe and what we do. James also says that faith without deeds is a dead faith. Oh, Lord I pray that my faith is alive and active!

There are so many needs around us and sometimes the hard part is knowing where it's best to invest our time, money and resources. God's heart is clear throughout scripture, and to have a heart like God's we need to care for widows and orphans in their distress (James 1:27). We must care for the poor. And still we are accountable to make disciples. As Christians we look for the needs around us asking God to lead us through his Holy Spirit to those needs that we are to meet. 

As we walk with the Lord longer and grow deeper in relationship with him, We begin to get excited for opportunities to share his love. Taking meals, sending encouraging texts and cards, attending fundraising for ministries, and meeting people at their point of need will excite us and spur us on to greater deeds because we want them to see and know his love. Ask Him to open your heart and eyes to see the needs before you.

Dear Father,
Soften our hearts to the needs around us. Let us not just talk of our faith, but help us to live it out as your son showed us in his time on this earth. Lord, teach us to listen intently for your Spirit's prompting and to immediately respond in faith and love! 
In your precious and holy name we pray,
Amen

Accept It!

Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing.  How did they do it?  They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world.  People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home.  If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted.  But they were after a far better country than that - heaven country.  

You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them.

Hebrews 11:13-16 MSG

This world is not our home.  God has many promises for us.  His Word is full of the ways in which He will provide for our needs.  When we are hungry we will be fed, when we are sick we will be healed, when we are sad we will find joy, and when we are lost we will be found.  He tells us to lay our worry at Jesus' feet and to not be afaid even in the most frightening places.  God promises so much to us, but it's not always that His promise will take away the hurt and trouble......His promise is to help us through it.  

One promise we can count on, as believers of Jesus Christ, is that one day we will go to heaven.  One day in heaven all of these other promises will be ours for keeps, we will be healthy, we will never go hungry, we will never be sad and we will never be lost or alone.  Once we can truly accept this fact, as the prophets who were praised in Hebrews 11, we can live in our present situation and keep going forward.  When we can't see a worldy end to our sorrow, our illness, or our difficult  situation, there is always heaven beyond.  We can always choose to believe God's promises and claim them knowing that this world is not our home.  Knowing and believing that some day we will be free from whatever fear holds us back, whatever pain slows us down, whatever situation tears us up......there will always be heaven!  Noah, Abraham and Sara, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, David.......the list could go on.......all of these people that have gone before us, they accepted the fact that they were transients in this world.  They saw heaven before them and they kept going forward in search of their prize.  

In my own life I look back on my old life and sometimes think that it would be easier, maybe more fun, or less painful but I can't ignore the life that I am promised in the end.  I could go back anytime I want but I have this promise of Heaven that just keeps pulling me forward.  I have this promise of protection and provision that draws me ahead.  I don't want to second guess God's plan for my life anymore.  I don't want to look back at my old life for one more second!  I want to keep doing God's work no matter how hard it gets and no matter if I see the harvest or not I want to have faith that keeps me going in all circumstances.  

For some they will see great and marvelous works.  They will harvest huge blessings in this life on earth and for others it will not be so.  But we continue on because we have accepted that this world is not our home and for that we are truly blessed beyond measure!  We live for eternity!  We continue each day to see Jesus' face in heaven!

I could go on and on but I've run out of time.  There are so many more - Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets......

Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves.  They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies.  Women received their loved ones back from the dead.  There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection.  Others braved abuse and whips, and, yes, chains and dungeons.  We have stories of those who were stoned, sawed in two, murdered in cold blood; stories of vagrants wandering the earth in animal skins, homeless, friendless, powerless - the world didn't deserve them! - making their way as best they could on the cruel edges of the world.
Hebrews 11:32-38 MSG  

She Did What She Could

But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why are you giving her a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me. You will have the poor with you every day for the rest of your lives. Whenever you feel like it, you can do something for them. Not so with me. She did what she could when she could—she pre-anointed my body for burial. And you can be sure that wherever in the whole world the Message is preached, what she just did is going to be talked about admiringly.”     Mark 14:6-9

Today is geared toward those in professions as teachers, but can so relate to any GFF. If you are at a point in your life where you have more questions than answers, more worries than peace, and feel you just can't do any more in the situation then this will speak to you.

As teachers, it’s that time of year when we know our students well. We know their needs, their quirks, and their strengths. We have a glimpse at their home lives and insight into why things are the way they are for these little ones. We are puzzled by their behaviors and seek answers to why learning is so difficult for some.

We make plans to meet with parents, spend extra time with students, reward the positives, and discipline the negative. Yet, our hearts are overwhelmed because we know our time is limited and despite all we give we cannot ‘fix’ all the problems for these children. We long for that one thing that will make it all better. We exhaust ourselves trying to change that which we cannot change.

Remember the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet? She did not worry over what she couldn’t do. She simply did what she could. She gave her best to Jesus, and he was so blessed by her gift. What situation do you face today where you can rest knowing you've done what you could? There is a time to work and a time to rest. Seek God's wisdom. Give your best efforts and then rest knowing God is pleased with what you have done and what you are doing at this time in your relationships and in your work.

Lord,

We are passionate about the people and situations in our lives. We seek your wisdom and guidance. Help us to do what we can without worrying about what we cannot do. Let our lives and our work be a blessing to you.

Amen

Sunday Scripture

But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, 

my glory, and the One who lifts my head.

Psalm 3:3 NASB