Day 20

September 30

My morning song!

"Casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7)

Day 19 - Like a Fruit Tree

September 30, 2011

"Every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit" (John 15:2).

I've seen my daddy prune our fruit trees many times. He cuts back a certain amount of the growth so that the tree will grow better and produce more fruit. At first after he has pruned the trees they look bare and almost ugly, but as spring comes on full force and the trees begin to blossom, all the former ugliness is hidden. Even forgotten.

Many times in the last few years I've felt God's hands as He prunes away at my life. I don't like it. It hurts. I feel like hiding away so that no one can see scars that prove how sinful I have been and how much pruning the Lord has had to do in my life. But just like spring brings the blossoms to hide the ugliness of the pruned fruit trees, so God's grace settles about me and moments of spring come to my life as my faith and trust grow in the Father who loves me enough to cause me a little pain now so that I can reap greater joys tomorrow.

This reminds me of 1 Thessalonians 5:16 & 18. "Rejoice always...in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Sometimes all we can think about is the pain of God pruning away our sinfulness, and we are blinded to the big picture. God is cutting away our sin so that we can be drawn ever nearer to Him. Next time we feel the sting of God's pruning shears cutting away at our lives, lets remember the big picture and rejoice, for our God, He is good!

Day 18

September 28

"That you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory"(1 Thessalonians 2:12).

Perhaps this verse stood out to me because I have been thinking a lot lately about what I do from day to day with the time that God has blessed me with. Am I walking in a way that is worthy of my Lord?

Today has been hard, I'll just out and out say it. I'm not trying to complain here, just stating the honest truth. In two weeks I will be beginning a college course that is going to take more study time then I have been used to. I have been used to taking CLEP tests, now I'm gearing up for a full-blown college course with lots of papers and interaction with other students. I know I will enjoy it, but at the same time I know it is going to require me to be more disciplined because I will have deadlines that are going to be set by people other then myself. If that makes sense. Soooooo, in light of that, my CollegePlus! coach and I have put together a more strict schedule for me to implement. One that will hopefully allow me to get all my work done, plus all of my school work turned in on time. So, today was difficult because I got my first taste of what my life will look like for the next few months. I felt like I had a drill Sargent breathing down my neck all day and that I couldn't stop pushing and accomplishing! And before you think that I'm referring to my coach as a drill Sargent, I'm not. She is super sweet. The drill Sargent it the thought of all I have to do and the pressure to not get behind.

Anyway, in planning out my days and tracking where I am spending time I have been thinking a lot about whether or not I am glorifying God in what I do from day to day. How do my priorities for me line up with His priorities for me? Am I in His will? What things can I not fail to do?

Nothing too deep, but just another average, everyday moment. :)

What Happened?

Day 18 of my challenge came and went and yet there was no post. The next day past, and yet nary a word appeared. A week passed, nearly two, still no word. In case you were worried I did not die, I did not even get sick, I just got extremely busy. So busy in fact, that for a whole week my time with the Lord consisted of whispered prayers as I ran out the door, whispered prayers as I drove down the highways of a big and unfamiliar city, and whispered prayers as I lay my weary head to sleep late at night. I was running on 5-6 hours of sleep each night for the entire week and knew I COULD NOT get up even thirty minutes earlier for a brief quiet time without putting myself at risk for being an inattentive driver the next day and I knew if I was to survive the big city without an accident I needed to be alert. Maybe I could have fit in 10-15 minutes sometime throughout my busy days, I blush as I say I didn't really think of that option.

I am so glad to be safely back home now and having regular times with my Father once again. I've missed Him so much! So, obviously my challenge was not completed. My plan is to start right where I left off. Let's call it Day 18 today, and I'll go from there. I would start back at zero, but I'm not sure I will have time to continue updating the blog so often after two weeks is up and I start a college course on top of my regular work. BUT, I will not stop seeking God first each morning. It is something that I have come to see great value in these last few years especially and I have no intention of giving it up!

So, all that rambling to say, "Hello everyone, I'm back!" :)

And, Day 18, here we come...

Day 17

"The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles" (Psalm 34:17).

Sometimes our hearts are heavy and our minds are filled with doubts or fears. Other time life is just crazy busy and we feel a bit overwhelmed. I have been going through some of these things lately, well most of them honestly. This morning I woke up with an aching heart, "Why God, why?" I could not help but ask. I opened my Bible with a sigh and begged the Lord to lead me to a verse that would speak to my weary heart. He heard cry this morning and delivered me from my troubles to a greater extent than I honestly had hoped for (Oh, me of little faith!). Everything was not gone, there were still questions, and doubts but He gave me sweet peace. I didn't feel so overwhelmed by the busy day ahead because I knew He was with me and that He would see me through. He calmed my fears and was so near that I knew I could trust Him. That somehow everything is going to work out okay.

Then He led me to this verse that says,"Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him...Do not fret--it only causes harm" (Psalm 37:7&8). Isn't God good? Do not fret, rest in Him...

My day did not start out perfect, there have been some trying moments but He has been faithful!

God truly does care about me
He has set my sinful soul free
Even though I don't deserve to be
He holds me close upon His knee
All He asks is that I trust and believe
Rest and leave
And He will relieve
My weary heart.

Day 16

"Do not let your adornment be merely outward...rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God" (1 Peter 3:4).

I could have chosen to write out all the little nuggets of truth that I found this morning, but none seemed so important as this, and to post more might take away from the simple beauty but deep truth of what the verse says.

What is my hidden person like? Would a gentle and quiet spirit describe what is hidden deep inside my heart? I long so much for my inner self to be precious in the sight of the Lord. How much effort many of us young ladies put into our outward adornment. Maybe you do your hair, apply make up, do your nails, or maybe, like me, some days you just cannot decide what to wear! Have you ever added up the amount of time it takes for you to get ready for some event? Have you ever said, "Lord, I'm sorry I didn't spend time in prayer today, but I just didn't have time," and yet you had time to get your nails done?

If we truly desire a heart of incorruptible beauty we need to take the time and make an effort to clothe our hearts with the love and grace of the Lord through time in His Word and in prayer. What are your priorities? What do you spend time doing for your outward adornment while you are neglecting the inward adornment of you heart?

Day 15

September 12

 

In all that I do, I do not want to do it to please men, but to please my Heavenly Father. Ephesians 6:6 says,"Not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart." Those words, "doing the will of God from the heart," made me question my heart this morning. You see, at one time I went around all day very conscious of others needs. My greatest pleasure was to find little ways to bless others. Sorting and folding laundry for my mom when she was not looking, making sure the house was picked up before my dad came home, or doing a chore that had been assigned to one of my siblings just to see them smile. But somewhere along the path of growing into adulthood I seem to have lost that.

 

Lately I have been noticing that instead of thinking, "How can I bless others?" I more often think, "Well, I need to do this and this so that I can..." Notice the "I"? I am more self-centered then Christ-centered or others-centered. Today, and tomorrow, and the next days my prayer is going to be that I will go to whatever height or depth needed to bless others on a daily basis. I want to put joy in their hearts and a smile on their faces and most importantly I want them to feel loved, by myself and the Lord. I want them to be encouraged to get up tomorrow and go and bless others.

 

"For this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps" (1 Peter 2:21). Christ left an example for us. An example of love and self-sacrifice in all things. An example of what love really looks like, a gift to give more then to receive, a treasure to be shared at every opportunity, and a hope for tomorrow. Love means we are willing to lay aside our wants and wishes to fulfill the needs of others, and sometimes even to just fulfill the wishes of others. Thankfully these are not shoes we need to fill, just footprints we are called to walk in, because if we were called to fill Jesus' shoes we would never measure up!

 

Are you a follower of Christ? Do you know what 1 John 2:6 says? It says,"He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." See we are to walk as He walked. To talk as He talked. To bless as He blessed. To love as He loved.

 

 

Day 14

September 11

"You are the sons of the living God"(Hosea 1:10).

To think that the Lord counts me as His child. The Maker of the universe! We are sons and daughters of the living God. Those words just send tingles of awe up and down my spine! It is so awesome and humbling.

"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world" (Philippians 2:14-15).

I complain way to much, and I know it. Sometimes I think I continue to complain more out of habit then anything. Still that is not an acceptable excuse. I want to do all that God asks of me without mutter that, "But...." I want to be a blameless and harmless child of God. I want to shine as a light for Him in this generation that is truly is "crooked and perverse." So what can I do? How do I break my complaining habit? No, I'm not giving you a suggestion. I'm asking you for one. :)

Day 13

September 10

My schedule was anything but normal today. I woke up at 5:30am feeling poorly. I continued to struggle with various symptoms until late into the afternoon. I did not read my Bible as I most days, or set aside a specific time for prayer. I was praying throughout the day as I did not feel up to doing much and had plenty of time to think and pray.

See, some days things don't happen as we plan for them to. I did not get to stick to my plan for getting up early and spending the first hour of my day with my Heavenly Father. I was up early, but I was feeling so poorly I could barely sit up. The thing is, God understands days like the one I had and He meets you right where you are if you ask Him to. I could have felt guilty for "missing" one of my forty days, but I don't. I met with the Lord where I was and how I was able and that is all He asks of me. He doesn't demand that I read a certain number of chapters, or pray for a certain length of time. He just asks me to seek Him diligently from right where I'm at.

I found my encouragement for the day in a letter from my dear friend Hannah and a quote she shared with me.

"I love the concept of taking joy, as if joy were a penny staring up at me from the ground, just waiting for me to pick it up and be enriched, even if only by a cent. There are a thousand joys, a countless number of instances in the day when joy is to be had for the taking, thoughts are to be had simply for the thinking, beauty is to be found, merely in seeing." ~ Sarah Clarkson

Even though I wasn't feeling well, the Lord help me to find joy in my day. I could have been all grouchy and complained about how awful I was feeling. But that would have been silly. Instead I tried my hardest to see the joy. I've come to believe that if you look hard enough you can always find something to thank the Lord for, no matter what the situation.

Day 12

September 9

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:2).

This verse always reminds me to be more careful in what I put before my eyes. What I read, listen to, and watch. Those things which I put into my heart and head will influence me for good or evil. Just because people say things are good or okay does not mean they are. I should not choose movies, books, or music based only on the opinions of others, but also hold all things up under the shining light of the Word of God.

"He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth" (Isaiah 53:7).

"He opened not His mouth." Now I would be the first to tell you that I am not a big talker, but this doesn't mean that I don't sometimes open my mouth when it ought to just stay closed. When people do things to me or my loved ones that hurts I want to say hurtful words back. If I were to be oppressed and afflicted because of Jesus I would want to tell whomever what was what, but if I am to follow in the steps of the One who made a way for me, I need to learn to keep my mouth shut and pray for the souls of those who hate my Lord so much that they take their hatred out on me.

Lord, teach me to pray the prayer Jesus did on the cross. "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Give me compassion and love for those who do not know You. Even when, especially when, they are hateful.

Day 11

September 8

"My brethren, count it all joy, when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of our faith produces patience (endurance or perseverance)" (James 1:2-3).

This verse reminds me of a song that says,"Count it all joy, this trial your in." How very hard this is! Guess what today's challenge is? Yes, that is right. No matter what happens, count it all joy.

"That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:7).

Not only are we to count trials big and small "all joy," we are to endure all persecution as if we were gold being purified by fire. No matter how hot it gets, we are to praise the Lord giving Him all glory and honor, pressing forward until the day of His coming. I find this is something I needed to be reminded of. No complaining, but joy and praise in the process of purification by fire.

"If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" (1John 4:20).

That verse is convicting. Enough said.

Day 10

September 7

"You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11).

Oh, how sweet are these words! To know that the Lord will guide us through life's pathways, and that in His presence we shall find joy in it's fullness! Sometimes I think about what life was like before I really knew the Lord. I cannot imagine how I thought that was living. The fullness of His joy makes my heart to overflow in song, my feet to feel like dancing, and my face to be marked by an ear to ear grin. Ah, but to take the time to look into His face and bask in His presence every morning!

"And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:28).

"Neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." To know that I am His and He shall never let me go. What a comfort that is!