Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Significance




This personalize scripture art created by Stephanie Spencer over at Everyday Awe... fits what I read this morning in a book by Joni Eareckson Tada titled, "Glorious Intruder." The chapter was on Significance, Believing God Will Use Me. 
What I want to do is post the whole chapter since God has gifted Joni to write something so life changing  I know it will touch your heart.

  Every morning Connie opens Diane's bedroom door to begin the long routine of exercising and bathing her severely paralyzed friend.
  The sun's rays slant through the blinds, washing the room in a soft, golden glow.  The folds of the covers haven't even moved since Connie pulled them up around Diane the night before.  Yet she can tell her friend has been awake for awhile.
  "Are you ready to get up yet?"
   "No...not yet," comes a weak reply from under the covers. 
   Connie sighs, smiles, and clicks shut the door.
  The story is the same each dawn of every new day at Connie and Diane apartment.  The routine rarely changes.  Sunrise stretches into mid-morning by the time Diane is ready to sit up in her wheel-chair.  But those long hours in bed are significance. In her quiet sanctuary, Diane turns her head slightly on the pillow toward the cork board on the wall.  Her eyes scan each thumb-tacked card and list.  Each photo. Each torn piece of paper carefully pinned in a row.  The stillness is broken as Diane begins to murmur.  She is praying.
  Some would look at Diane--stiff and motionless--and shake their heads.  She has to be fed everything, pushed everywhere.  The creeping limitations of multiple sclerosis encroach further each year. Her fingers are curled and rigid.  Her voice is barely a whisper.  People might look at her and say, "What a same. Her life has no meaning. She can't really do anything. "
  But Diane is confident, convinced her life is significant.  Her labor of prayer counts.
  She moves mountains that block the paths of missionaries.
  She helps open the eyes of the spiritually blind in southeast Asia.
  She pushes back the kingdom of darkness that blackens the alleys and streets of the gangs in east L.A.
  She aids homeless mothers...single parents...abused children...despondent teenagers...handicapped boys...and dying and forgotten old people in the nursing home down the street where she lives.
  Diane is on the front lines, advancing the gospel of Christ, holding up weak saints, inspiring doubting believers, energizing other prayer warriors, and delighting her Lord and Savior. 
   This meek and quiet woman sees her place in the world: it doesn't matter that others may not recogize her signifiance in the grand scheme of things.  In fact, she's not unlike Emily in Our Town who signs her address as:

       Grover Corners
       New Hampshire
       United States of America
       Western Hemisphere
       Planet Earth
       Solar System
       The Universe
       Mind of God

  In the mind of God...that's about as significant as you can get, whether you sit at a typewriter, behind a wheel of a  bus, at a desk in a classroom, in a chair by your kitchen table...or lay in a bed and pray.  Your life is hidden with Christ. You enrick His inheritance. You are His ambassador.  In Him your life has depth and meaning and purpose, no matter what you do.
  Someone has said, "The point of this life...is to become the peson God can love perfectly, to satisfy His thirst to love.  Being counts more than doing, the singer more than the song. We had better stop looking for escape hatches, for this our hatchery."
  It's my prayer that in these chapters, you will discover the signifiance that has been your all along as a Child of the King. You may not be able to know the meaning of every event, but you can know that every event is meaningful. 
                         And you are significant.  (quote from: Joni Eareckson Tada)

This for me is a keeper, one to print, paste near my computer, put in my bible, share with other, re-read countless times for what  God said to me was...Betty you are significant...I love you...I want to use you...You are mine,  bought and paid for. 

                                       You too are significant. 


Monday, May 28, 2012

Band of Brothers/Freedom



Today due to it being Memorial Day you could watch Band of Brothers,  every episode, one right after another.   There was no fear of any kind as we watched because we have something residents of lots of countries do not have.  FREEDOM.  Freedon to own a TV, freedom to watch whatever we want on that TV.  Freedom to turn it  off if we so choose, freedom to turn the volumn up loud or down low.   Oh I know there are more meaningful freedom we enjoy such as, freedom to work, to even become president, freedom to get an education. Freedom to have as many children as we like, freedom to own, rent our own place, freedom to have a car, freedom to travel state to state and even out of country.  

My favorite freedom I enjoy is that I can attend any church, carry my bible, any verison, pray in my home, read my bible, give bibles away without being jailed.  I can witness to someone on the street of the freedom Christ bought for us on Calvary without free of prison.  Maybe we should call every day "Memorial Day" so we will stay thankful. 

Band of Brother movies brings lots of tears when I watch it, when the real men, not the actor talk about their experiences in World War II.  My tears and graditude is not just for World War II men and women but for the present day ones too.  Now lots of young mothers are leaving their children behind to help portect our freedom...thats a huge step for woman.  I have to believe their vision of a free country makes the sacrifice worth it and gives them great courage. 

As you can read my heart has been touched again by how great a country we live in.  Freedom is what we are about as a nation, freedom, freedom, freedom.  How beautiful the word, how beautiful the action of the word.  Let freedom ring...tomorrow is another day to remember and be thankful. 
                                                                  Blessings






Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Mercy


James 3:17 The wisdom that is from above is first pure, the peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, FULL OF MERCY and good fruit, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.  (KJV) 

For the past couple months I have been in a bible study in the book of James.  It has been convicting to say the least for his style of writing cuts to the core...sort of in your face verses.

After one verse containing an  hello,  James  tells us to count it all joy when (not if) we fall into temptations, (1:12).  Follows that with verses on patience, wisdom, faith, double mindedness, the poor and rich, lust, sin...set up the next chapters with, 'be swift to hear and slow to speak (James 1:19)."  Honestly I do not recognize the renewed mercies  of God if I get this verse twisted.   If I am so busy complaining about my trial I will not be merciful with those around me.  If I am too busy gossiping I will not be exercising mercy.  

I love the headings in my KJV Bible that show James going from one subject to the next. 
True religion evidence by conduct...1:19-27
True faith impartial...2:1-13
True faith evidenced by works..2:14-26.
True faith evidenced by words...3:1_12
True and false wisdom...3:13-18
The appeal to hold fast...4:1-10
Faith defined...4:11-17
The miseries of the rich...5:1-6
The patience of the saints...5:7-12
And finally Prayer and confession. ..5:13-20

Everywhere I step in James  leaves me with bloodied toes from him not just stepping but standing on my feet looking me square in my face.    Don't you just love those who tell it like it is... James never leaves you guessing, he never just hints at a truth but click on the BOLD BUTTON with every word.  

Praise God, Praise God it's so encouraging to know He never runs out of mercy, it's new every morning for I always use up yesterdays allotment  and like manna it cannot be stored up for tomorrow...it's brand spanking every morning.

                            What is God teaching you lately about the  mercy of God?