Wow,..just wow...

Today has been a truly amazing day.  Nothing majorly spectacular happened...no fireworks, no amazing things, but God truly has blessed me beyond belief.  Sometimes his blessings and love are just so great that I can't contain it.  Sometimes being in His presence just floors me, and nothing else really matters anymore.  All of the ways I fall short in life, all of the problems, fears, concerns that I have take a backseat to the King of kings, and my Best Friend.  Spending time with Him simply continues to emphasize in my life that there is nothing at all of greater importance than to simply follow Christ.  Nothing else really matters, especially when it comes to eternity.  All of our efforts here on earth will simply fade away, but having a relationship with Jesus, loving Him, serving Him, and just being with him will last forever.
Something that I truly love to do is to share Christ's love with other people.  The bible says that "it is better to give than to receive" and this couldn't be more true.  I had a couple of opportunities to give of myself today, and I am so full of God's love tonight! I've been smiling all day long just thinking about what God has done for me and what He constantly does on a daily basis.  It is so fun to encourage others and show them just how much God is in love with them.  What a blessing it is to bless other people...that's one reason we're here, right? 
So many times we  forget how much God, the creator of the UNIVERSE (which is still expanding, by the way) is deeply and passionately in love with us! He loves me, so why does it matter what anyone else thinks or does?  He loves me, and that makes me confident in who he has made me to be.  I am his, I am bought at a price, and his love for me is priceless.
Don't you see that God loves you and you are priceless?  He wants you to succeed in life, be healthy, whole and full to overflowing in EVERY single part of your life! No exceptions! He wants our relationships to flourish, our families, our jobs,  our health, and, yes, even our finances. He loves us that much!
So, just a quick thought...Never, ever forget how much God loves you and loves to be in your presence.  We truly are NEVER alone.

Prepare the way!

Not too long ago while I was out and about, I noticed on the back of someones shirt the verse Isaiah 40:31, so I thought I'd look the passage up when I got to my bible.  I knew that it was talking about rising up on wings like eagles, but I wanted to read the whole chapter.  As I started reading, something really grabbed my attention.  In verse 3 of that same chapter it quotes the same thing that the New Testament quotes concerning John the Baptist in relation to the arrival of Jesus. Isaiah, though, says it a little differently...so slight, it's not really easy to catch. Isaiah 40:3 states:

³ A voice of one calling:

“In the wilderness prepare

   the way for the LORD;

make straight in the desert

   a highway for our God.

^{I had always read that scripture totally different.  The comma or colon in the New Testament is placed after wilderness, so it would read "a voice calling in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord."}

^{This particular passage phrases it a little differently which really ministered to me deeply when I read it... "In the desert prepare the way of the Lord."  Wow...what a difference a comma can make!}

 

^{We've been going through some tough times lately with different areas of our lives and this passage really struck me.  As we're IN the desert, we should prepare the way of the Lord. We should make straight paths for him.  As we're IN the desert we should expect Him to come by preparing ourselves and being ready for His arrival.  As we're IN financial difficulty, we should continue to do what God's called us to do...spend wisely, budget, and most importantly, give.  As we're IN need of encouragement, we should prepare the way of the Lord by reaching out to others and lifting them up.  As we're IN distress, we shouldn't give up on our God for HE is Faithful. We're preparing the way for the Lord to come, even when we don't see it in the present.  He's on his way, that's for sure, so getting ready for him shows that we trust Him.  Speaking the truth of His word IN our desert times is preparing our hearts to receive what He has in store for us.  It's almost as if it's a test...He wants to see how we'll respond.  Will we choose to prepare the way for HIM during these times, or will we falter and complain.  Will we believe and declare the promise in Malachi that says if we tithe "the floodgates will be open with so much blessing that we won't even have room to contain it," even if our bank account looks otherwise?  Will we choose to believe that God has a plan to get us OUT of the desert, or will we just be miserable?  I believe that complaining and murmuring keeps us in those desert times much longer than we should be.
Oh, but read on...in verse 4 listen to the amazing promises for us if we simply prepare the way:}
Every valley shall be raised up,
   every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
   the rugged places a plain.
⁵ And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
   and all people will see it together.
            For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

WOW!  no more mountains or valleys ahead of us! It's level ground! No more rugged places and to top it off, God's glory is revealed. He spoke this, so it is absolutely true!
^{So, it's our choice...when we're in the desert we can choose to prepare the way for the Lord to come, or we can complain and doubt the truth of what God says.  I know it can be hard when you don't see Him coming, but when you're in the desert and it feels and looks as if everything is drying up, choose to prepare the way of the Lord.  He's on HIS way!!}

     Last night I went into work at the Alexander Family YMCA and I heard some news that was saddening..one of our regular members had passed away a few days earlier.  This was a man that I'd had the opportunity to see most days that I worked, and he always greeted me with a smile.  He was an elderly man, in his eighties, and he always seemed to be struggling just to make it there.  When I heard about his death, it really saddened me and  made me think.  I never really knew this man, "Mac" as he was called, but I had the chance to greet him on many occasions.  The question that I keep wrestling with now is, where is he?  I don't know where exactly he stood with the Lord, and I never had an opportunity to ask. 
     Hearing about his death made me realize how important it is to be a light to the world, not only with our actions but with our words as well.  People need to hear how amazing Jesus is and what He has done for them.  They need to HEAR the good news so they know why we are the way we are!  It's great to serve others with our actions, to bless them and love on them, but that simply isn't enough.  They won't hear about the good news simply through what we do.  Our actions simply back up what we believe on the inside (at least we hope they do!) People won't "magically" figure out the gospel simply from actions alone, however.  They won't understand the truth about Jesus just because we opened the door for them or smiled.  They need to be told by our actions as well as our words! 
     1 Peter 3:15-16 says: "¹⁵ But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."
     We always need to have an answer...we need to be prepared at all times, because you never know when you'll be called on by God to tell someone about Jesus...the more you're ready, the more you'll be called! Lord, send me!!