Are You Moldable?

"For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty"
1Corinthians 1:26-27

God doesn't want to use people who consider themselves good teachers, good leaders, good anything in the secular world. He will use foolish things to confound the wise. God wants to use meek, moldable people. He will equip those He has called with whatever skills are needed to perform a job.

If God calls you to be a teacher you may say, "I'm no good as a teacher." He doesn't want teaching skills; He wants your heart, or your love, or your sense of humor, or whatever gifts He has given you. He will equip you, or has already equipped you, for the job.

In God's world we are not teachers, we are "Life Changers." Two good examples of people called by God that felt inadequate for the tasks God gave them were Moses and Paul. They did have the choice to refuse the calling God laid upon their hearts, you know. Once you have knowledge about Jesus you have the responsibility to, "Go, ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15)

Your portion may be in your own church, or in your own neighborhood, or in your own home. When God "doinks" you on the head with a commission, don't ignore it or shrug it off. Go with it, let God equip you, and you will be blessed!!

Cheryl

Turn on the Light!

"Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world."
Philippians 2:14-15

Murmur murmur murmur...gripe gripe gripe...complain complain complain. That sounds all too familiar. I am as guilty as the next person. When we see things that are not right (in our eyes) and there is nothing that we can do about it then we have a tendency to talk about them. If we get enough people to see it our way then maybe something can be done. Well, that sounds good, but it might also be described as, if we get people to agree with us it makes us feel better or more important. If it is a person we are complaining about then it certainly makes us look better than that person!

We are in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation and among crooked and perverse people. That is a fact. We must deal with non-Christians all the time. They are in stores, on the street, in our workplaces, in our schools, in our government, and even in our churches.

We are going to come up against criticism, anger, hatred, and much more. We have a big advantage over them. We do not have to deal with those things alone. We have the Holy Spirit within us that will help us to maintain love and peace in the midst of turmoil. There is one condition, however. We have to want it. We have to truly want it. Otherwise we will end up acting just like "them." (Murmur murmur murmur...gripe gripe gripe...complain complain complain.)

God intends for us to be a light in the midst of darkness. When people are falling apart around you and you maintain that love and peace then people will notice. It will be just like turning on a light in a dark room. They will see Him in you!

How do you get the strength to be able to resist the temptation of acting in the flesh? It doesn't come easily, but there are many benefits to be gained as you take that journey.

Have a blessed day!

Cheryl

Jesus Chose You

"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you."
John 15:16

Jesus was speaking here. Let's stop and think about the first part. He chose you. Why? Because He wanted to choose you. He chose to choose you. He willingly chose you. He had a choice and His choice was to choose you. Are you getting this?

OK, feel good? Now try this...He ordained you. He gave you authority to minister for Him. He entrusted you with authority. Wow!

The reason He ordained you was so that you would bring forth fruit. You are to bring a harvest for Him. A harvest of what? If you are given the gift of evangelism then you will bring in a harvest of souls. If you are given the gift of edifying the Body of Christ then you will bring in a harvest of strengthened Christians. There is no limit to the harvest that Jesus' ordained saints can bring! You have been equipped to be working shoulder to shoulder with the other saints!

Now for one of the perks...whatever you ask God for in Jesus' name you will receive. When you are walking in the path He has set for you then you will be blessed! Oh, this is definitely a good thing!

So many people don't want to commit their lives to God because they are afraid they will lose something. They feel they will lose control, they won't have as much fun, or whatever. God is not in the business of taking away! He wants to add to your life. He wants to add to your joy and peace. He will add to your pleasure. Every day will be better thanks to your relationship with Him.

How To Love Others

Love is a feeling. Love is an attitude. Love is an action. Love is a choice.

Enlarge your understanding. Your definition of love may be too narrow. Love is more than a good feeling or romance.

You may say, "I love ice cream. I am in love with my companion. I love my family enough to labor every day to provide for them. I am compassionate toward hurting people, so I do my part to alleviate suffering and injustice in the world."

You do not need to agree with someone to act with consideration. You do not need to be attracted to someone to demonstrate a loving attitude.

Adjust the angle of your perspective. “It ain’t about you." Love motivates people to sacrifice for others, not expecting any personal benefit. Stop thinking selfishly. Look for the needs of others, and then do your part to meet their needs.

Locate the source of love. You may love something because it is a source of pleasure. You may feel devotion to someone because you enjoy his or her company. Sympathy and compassion are foundations of love toward those living in difficult circumstances. Empathy is a starting place for love, as you identify the value of other citizens of this planet. Love may start as an expression of personal gratitude for the blessings you have received and your desire to share those blessings. Faith and spiritual devotion are powerful sources of selfless love.

Express your love. Find words and actions of love that are appropriate. Learn to speak words of blessing rather than criticism. Share your resources with a needy person. Participate in your community of faith. Offer gifts and perform thoughtful deeds with no ulterior motivation.

Accept disappointment. Not everyone will return your love. This is not failure. It is not your goal to make the world love you, but for you to love the world.


Go forth and love others

Cheryl

~Word Filled Wednesday~

1 Corinthians 13:13 ~ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

For More WFW, see Amy Deanne @ The 160 Acre Woods
Have a blessed Wednesday!

Cheryl

~The Price of True Happiness~

Devotion By Dr. James MacDonald

We live in a culture that is selfish and self-absorbed maybe like no other culture in human history. A few years ago Barron’s Magazine ran an article entitled “We Have Too Much.” It talked about how more and more Americans want things that make them feel good—cruises, makeovers, golf lessons, etc. Recreational spending jumped 30% from 1993 to 1998, while the luxury segment of the economy rose 21% in 1996 alone. In short, people are spending a lot of money giving themselves grins.

Yet all of this material abundance has not resulted in an abundance of happiness. The January 1998 issue of Entrepreneur carried an article by a historian from UCLA, who wrote, “Although the gross domestic per capita product in the United States has more than doubled in the past fifty years, there has been absolutely no improvement in the percentage of happy people. The more we have, the more we want. The evidence shows that this is what the world thinks.”

Is this what you think? Do you think that showering yourself with luxuries will make you a happier and more fulfilled person? It won’t. You’ll end up glutted on goods just like everyone else. If you want to be really happy, if you want to experience true satisfaction in your life, then there is only one thing you can do: die to self and live for God.

Jesus taught about this in John 12:24-25, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.” Jesus gives a little gardening lesson here to teach a profound truth: a plant doesn’t grow unless a seed dies first. And we don’t produce godly fruit in our lives unless we die to own goals, dreams, desires and ambitions.

It is a sad thing, but many people who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ have not gotten very far on this matter of death to self. A world famous missionary who had scores of dedicated men and women passing through her mission said in one of her books, “Oh, the tragedy of it. More sad than seeing the heathen bowing down to their idols is the sight of Christian missionaries who have sacrificed so much: their country, their worldly goods, their homes, their loved ones—but have never given themselves to God.”

So let me ask you the question that the text forces us to ask ourselves: Do you love your life? Do you love your dreams for tomorrow? Do you love your plans for your own financial security? Do you love your little house and your car and your vacation plans? Do you love those things? Because the Scripture says if you love your life, you’re losing it! It is slipping away, bit by bit, like sand through an hourglass. You say, “Well how can I find my life?” Let it go. Lay it down. Spend yourself in fervent commitment to Christ, and then you will find your life.

One time I was preaching at a Bible conference. There was this sweet old woman sitting up front with two of her friends. They were talking kind of loud, and I could hear the one lady say to her friends, “Oh, I just love him!.” It would get me so fired up to preach. Then I learned that she was the wife of Howard Sugden, a wonderful pastor whom I had heard preach many times when I was younger. In fact, he had been my mom’s pastor before I was born, and had led her to Christ.

Mrs. Sugden was a widow now and in her nineties. For over fifty years she had been a Sunday school teacher in the same church. Yet, she listened all week and took notes. It was so humbling for me, because she should have been the teacher. When I told her the story about how her husband had led my mom to Christ, tears welled up in her eyes and started rolling down her cheeks. It was obvious how much she loved the Lord. There was a lady who has lost her life and found it.

I am calling upon you as a follower of Jesus Christ to give Him your all. Stop looking for things to give you that sense of happiness and satisfaction for which you long. It is only when you give up the search and turn it all over to Him that you find what you were looking for along. Dying to self can be a scary thought, but it’s the price of true happiness.

~How Time Flies~

I've attempted several times in the last 2 weeks to post, but something always seemed to side track me.

Not much going on. Work is good. I've adjusted rather well. The type of law is interesting, as our some of the people in the firm.

I've made and sold some jewelry, which has been fun. I've taken pictures of some and will post them soon. I have several more pieces to make in the next few days for Mother's Day gifts, as well as for my own mother.

Have a great day!