Down and Dirty

Have you ever walked into a model home and just thought, "Wow! I wish my house looked like this." I've done it, and I bet most of you have too. Those homes are perfectly done. Tidy and decorated just right. Nothing is out of place. Then, if you are like me, you will walk into your house, and say, "Whoa! What happened here? It looks like a tornado wreaked havic at the Hitchcock Home." Plates line the table where breakfast was once served as a family, little hairs cover the woodfloors from your dog coming to greet you at the door, and nice little piles of clothes and toys lay scattered across the room where your kids have laid them since the activity they were doing last. Thinking on it, it sure would be nice to walk into that nice model home, but the model home is missing something even more special...the existence of life.
"An empty stable stays clean, but no income comes from an empty stable." Proverbs 14:4.
Just as the empty home may stay clean, so can an empty life; anything empty is essentially clean, but emptiness lacks meaning, memories, and thought. We shouldn't let our lives become empty just because we have been cleansed by the blood of Christ. He emptied us of our sins so we could be filled with His Spirit. And when we are filled with His Spirit our life will be filled with life, a busy home, and work for the Lord.
When we try to exclude everything of the world we may be found clean, but we aren't doing what Jesus asked us to do. Jesus didn't come for the healthy and clean, but for the sick and dirty. He came so that they could be made clean. We need to go into the world with this attitude, not letting the world corrupt us, but working to heal the world. Jesus already gave us the great commission and told us that the harvest was plentiful, but we need to be ready to get a little dirty along the way.
We must be willing to open up our model homes, the ones Jesus washed clean, and use this for His Kingdom Work. We need to make memories and save lives, knowing that nothing is perfect. We need to allow our stables to be filled with animals realizing that God is working among them and has already planned how He will be using them in the process of harvesting more crops. God is at work around us, cleaning up the mess already made, and we need to join Him fully understanding that when He is done everything will be made clean again.
At one point in Jesus' journey He came along a crowd of righteous, clean, religious people who were planning on stoning an adulterous, dirty woman to death. Jesus was willing to get down in the dirt to save her life...."They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, "All right, stone her. But let those who have never sinned throw the first stone!" Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust." John 8:7-8. We have all been dirty with sin at some point in our life, BUT Jesus did an amazing thing and cleansed us of our sins. So, we must be willing to deal with the dirt of another soul, so Jesus can clean them too!
Next time you are feeling to clean, almost like that model home, don't waste the clean space, and invite others in.

Un-Abandoned

I deal with abandoned children everyday. They are abandoned by their parents, but they aren't alone. Everyone, at some point in time experiences some type of dissapointment, and you can choose 2 different routes in this crisis. One, is to believe that God is with you and will help you, and the other is to believe God has abandoned you and you have nothing left.
Right now, this very moment, I can't even count on my 2 hands and 2 feet the amount of crisis that is wreaking havic on my friends, family, and even in my own life. I am so thankful that I have a promise from God and I know without a doubt that He is with me and will never leave me. But in this time I have found that many of these dear people believe God has abandoned them. That when they sinned or that when a crisis occured that God left the arena. Did you know that this isn't a new phenomena? The Israelites thought this same thing.
The Israelites had been in the promised land for a while and started doing what was easy. They began following other Gods and trusting in themselves. Amidst their new found freedom the Philistines overtook them and stole their Ark of the Covenant. The people fell into depression and totally out of hope. Then out of no where (well actually God had placed a plague upon the Philistines) the Ark of the Covenant came riding back into Israel on a cart pulled by cows (the Philistines were trying to get the plague to leave them). But even with the Ark back no blessings were bestowing the Israelites. "During that time, all Israel mourned because it seemed that the LORD had abandoned them." 1 Samuel 7:2b. So Samuel, the Judge of Israel at the time went to the people to discuss this matter. "Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, 'If you are really serious about wanting to return to the LORD, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Determine to obey only the LORD; then he will rescue you from the Philistines." 1 Samuel 7:3. Samuel saw through the fog, he looked out of the box, and realized the reason God seemed so far was because the people had ventured off from Him. They had so many issues going on around them that they were trusting other gods, not the One True God.
Putting our trust in other things can be the simple thing to do when we are in a crisis, but when we look up we can be so deep that we can no longer see God and feel He has abandoned us. That trust that we put in things, friends, money, family, chance....really only can manifest power and strength if it is found in God alone. He is the only Rock and foundation that will be there and never leave. God has made a beautiful promise to us when we are going through rough times. "When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you." Isaiah 43:2. And that is a promise I trust in and have lived through. I have walked in deep waters and God always kept my hair dry. A dear friend of mine has literally been stuck under the rapids of a river and in life, and God pulled her free and lifted her out. Another friend has walked through fires in her marriage and God had his hand over her blocking the flames and she came out unburned with a beautiful tan. The one thing we have in common is that in all this we knew God was with us. He was our comfort and the only one we could trust. We knew he never abandoned us.
He has made this same promise to you. If you are feeling that God has abandoned you and you are thinking about just walking away. The farther you walk from God the harder things will get. If you don't think you are hearing from Him, maybe you are just out of His Will, not doing what He has asked. Try and return to Him, I promise He has never left you and He really isn't that far. In Isaiah 43:5a, God says, "Do not be afraid, for I am with you." Trust Him, you aren't Abandoned!

The Father's Love

Alright now say it with me: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16. This one verse has be said and resaid over the past couple of years, and so many people now have heard it. But let's not let that weaken it's worth and leverage. Can you even picture what this meant and means? Can you even imagine how much God loves us?
He is contantly giving us our every need, helping us when we can't even bear to lift our head off the pillow.He loves us through the muck and the mire, through the rain and the fire. God loves us so much that He sent His ONE and ONLY Son to this earth for us. And, "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it." John 3:17. Where other religions believe God sent someone to this earth to rid the world of people that don't follow their religion, God actually sent His Son to gather those that were lost. Before Christ we were all dieing in our sins, being buried to never rise again. God, however, had compassion on us and gave us just what we needed, a Savior!
God has loved all of us from creation. And if everyone could grasp that love they would surely believe in Him. This belief isn't a superficial belief, but a belief that encompasses full trust and confidence in Him. Knowing He will take care of our every need and allowing Him to lead our life.
Please ponder on these questions for a minute: If you have a great relationship with your earthly father don't you trust he will help you whenever you need Him? Don't you count His counsel as wise? Wouldn't you follow his advice to please him and show your love to him? This is the type of love we should have for God. Now think about the relationship and the love you have for your child or a special child in your life. Doesn't your heart yearn to give them the world? Don't you try and raise them up in the way they should go? Don't you love them so much that you would do whatever possible? This is the same type of love that God has for us.
He put His Son through torture to adopt us into His family. Isn't it time we start trusting Him fully, loving the way He loves us, and obeying His counsel? I no longer imagine the love He has for me....I know the love He has for me. And I have come Together with Him to Work with Him out of Love for Him.  

A Bandwagon Fan

From the time my first born was 2 until he was 6 he loved the Florida Gators. His dad (LSU Alumni) would get so upset and try and change his opinion, but Hunter stuck to his guns and cheered the Gators on. Then, as soon as the Gators lost Tebow and began losing games, Hunter's allegience turned. First, it was Auburn, then it was LSU, and then it was Alabama. Did you catch the trend? He was jumping from one bandwagon to the next of each winning team, and he would ride it as far as it would go.
Have you ever done this with your beliefs? Are you a bandwagon Christian? As long as it is the "It" thing to do, you will follow Christ, but when the tides turn you ride another wave?
After Jesus began performing miracles in Jerusalem many people jumped on the "Jesus Craze". They began following Him and praising Him and bringing others along with them. Jesus wasn't buying it, however, because He knew their heart. "But Jesus didn't trust them, because he knew what people were really like. No one needed to tell him about human nature." John 2:24-25.
It is out human nature to want to be part of the winning team. To want to show others we have chosen the best. But God wants us to choose what is right and good. God wants us to choose His Son not just with the shirts we wear, the bumper stickers we have, the crosses we wear, or the Bibles we carry, BUT with our whole heart. "And you must love the LORD your God with all of your heart, all your soul, and all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:5. Because when we follow God with only our flesh there has been no heart change, and we will eventually go back to whatever our hearts says.
Now I want you to be honest. Have you jumped onto the Jesus bandwagon or do you bleed Jesus? If you don't follow Christ with all of your heart, soul, and mind you will never feel the full redeeming power of Jesus. "What can wash away our sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus."

Dreaming

Cinderella once said,
"A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep
In dreams you lose your heartaches
Whatever you wish for, you keep
Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling thru
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
the dream that you wish will come true"

What did you dream of becoming or doing as a child? We all have had dreams, some probably bigger than others. Mine was to either be an actress or a singer (Good thing I didn't strive to hard for this one, most of the time I sound like a sick duck...squawking instead of quacking.) But it was a dream, and maybe yours was to be a doctor, nurse, athlete, fireman, librarian, hair stylist, teacher, and the list could go on and on.
Did any of your dreams come true? When dreams are attained it is so fulfilling, so joyful, they give you purpose, and you are delighted. Sometimes, however, dreams are attainable, but you miss them because you went down the wrong path at the pivotal moment, you made a turn right before you grabbed the prize. You got mixed up in the wrong crowd or began partaking in your sinful desires, and these drew you away from the dream that was in sight. "It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools will not turn from evil to attain them." Proverbs 13:19. Maybe your dreams have changed over the years, maybe the dream you once had may be out of reach, but now a new dream is within view. You still have a chance to make your dreams come true. All you have to do is let go of any sin that is holding you back, grab a hold of the Savior that put the dream in your heart, and follow Him. "For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need." Philippians 4:13.
My own dream changed many times over the years, sometimes because God changed my route and sometimes because I was following the wrong path. I went from wanting to be an actress to wanting to be a doctor, but somewhere in the middle of it all God gave me a glimpse at the dream He had beset in my heart, to use my speaking ability to help others. (A good combo of performing and doctoring, right?) In the midst of my own sins He began leading my heart, and once He washed away my sins my hope came back, and He is leading me on the pathway to that dream being achieved. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy." Proverbs 13:12.
God has beset a dream in each of us, and when we allow sin to hold us back from our dreams we are not following in God's way. Allow God's Will to be worked out in your life, and keep dreaming.

     “If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse.” - Walt Disney

                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                            

Light and Life

"Life itself was in Him, and this life gives light to everyone." John 1:4.
Have you ever wondered how life began? God must have been pretty creative to set it all into being. Well, I guess, that's where we get the word creation. "He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn't make." John 1:3. He created  what he already knew because it was within Him. Just like when we have ideas growing within us, if we put those ideas into action we would create something out of our creativity and into creation. God was the first Imagineer. And life, breath, the living, were all, and are all a part of Jesus. This life that lived in him gives light to everyone. A light that shines through the darkness. "The light shines through the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it." John 1:5. The light that Jesus gives off and gives out, is a light that is unsquelchable. It is a light that lives in the world and the Devil has never been able to extinguish it. He has tried his hardest, and he has done a good job at blocking the light from some peoples eyes, but it only takes one person to reveal the light and the darkness is gone.
As a child, I grew up singing, "This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine." This song speaks of the light Jesus has placed within us. He has put His light into our souls and given us life. We need to allow His light to shine out of us and others in the way we should go. "Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119:105. And this word is Jesus, "In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and He was God." John 1:1. So, let's step up, step out, and hold our light high, allowing all to see the life God has given us.
"I won't let Satan blow it out. I'm going to let it shine."

Wings like a Dove!

Two days ago, I witnessed the most beautiful expression of complete peace. Last week, a beautiful young woman, Laurie Madonia, lost her battle with cancer, but won peace with God in Heaven. At the end of the most amazing Mass funeral, her family released doves to soar through the air resembling the fact that she is now resting with the Lord. "Oh, how I wish I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest! I would fly far away to the quiet of the wilderness." Psalm 55:6-7.
There is something about a bird soaring through the air that truly personifies peace. In the movie, Forrest Gump, I will never forget Jenny, who afraid for her life, ran away from her abusive father, through the corn field, begging Forrest to pray with her. "Dear God, Make me a bird. So I can fly far far away from here." Jenny knew what it was like to be in fear of a very dangerous enemy, and she also knew that she could cry out to God to make her like a peaceful bird to fly away from the danger. I can remember doing the exact same thing as a child, just wanting so badly to sprout wings and fly me away to heaven where I could be in the peaceful arms of my Savior. And at some point I even began dreaming in this way as well. Almost every dream I had, I would be chased by someone wanting to hurt me, and all I had to do was reach out my arms as wings and begin to fly to safety.
On the ground, birds are easy pray, but in the air not much can harm them. They soar across the sky with peaceful glides.
When we grow weary or afraid, God sees ours troubles and he will grant us peace. "But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31.
No matter what you are going through today, no matter what battle is up against you, pray for God to give you wings like a dove to fly high into His peaceful, comforting, and strong embrace.