Looking ahead to 2012

I have promised myself and God that I would devote time each day to time with Him.  It isn't that I don't have the time....it is that I don't MAKE the time.  I want God to be there 24/7 for me and I expect to put little to no effort in to that relationship.  How crazy is that?  What relationship can survive that?  So, I am going to renew my relationship with God....he doesn't have to renew his with me.  He never went any where.

Verse #4, Keeping the Commitment

Well, we are on to Verse #4.  I still haven't gotten Verse #3 down.  Didn't work at it as hard.  Isn't that usually the case.  Start off strong and then.....  Well, you get the picture.  So this week I am going to get Verse 3 and 4 down.  Verse 4 is  John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."  He gave his ONE AND ONLY SON...the only child he had.  Not like he could console himself with the love from another child.  Jesus was his ONLY ONE.  I wouldn't have done it.  I would have said "Sorry gang, but you folks are going to hell.  I'm not giving you my ONLY child."  We don't have to give up a child for salvation.  We only have to believe that God did.  I, for one, am so thankful that I don't have to give up MY child for YOUR salvation.  You should be glad too...because I wouldn't.  So, with that gratitude fresh in my mind, I am more than willing to BELIEVE.  Hope you will too.

Verse #3, revisited

"Those who consider themselves religious and yet DO NOT KEEP A TIGHT REIN ON THEIR TONGUES deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless."  James 1:26 NIV (emphasis is mine)

God has such a sense of humor.  I thought this verse was for "them" and not me.  I thought God wanted me to focus on it for "them".  HA!!! Oh, man what a morning of review.  It is so easy for me to apply this verse to those people that I consider to be such hypocrites.  And then there is ME!!!!  It drives me crazy to listen to "those" people that talk the talk and don't even begin to walk the walk.  And then there is ME!!!  Those people talk about forgiveness and then offer none, talk about love and then close their hearts, and, yes, then there is ME.  In one short hour I have taken offense from another's words, decided to twist them and punish the person with his own words, and then decided to punish the person associated with him.  That is so mature and so "Christian" of me.  So, I'm going to try and rewind the morning.  FORGIVE the one who spoke without thinking, AGAIN.  Isn't that big of me?  Wouldn't it be easier to forgive if there weren't so many people that piss me off.   Then, be more mature and Christian and let it go.  And THEN, MOVE ON.  Forgiving someone is the best thing I can do for me and them.  I visited with an friend from my high school days yesterday and her husband of many years decided he didn't want to be married and just left.  Just walked off and didn't really look back.  Wow, how do you forgive that.  Well, you just do.  I can't imagine the hurt he has inflicted and how hard it must be to forgive the pain he has caused...just because he could.  At what ever level someone hurts you, minor to the point of major, major pain, you have to forgive them for YOU.  The pain and anger is a cancer.  It eats at you.  It destroys your happiness, your love, your outlook and you MISS YOUR LIFE as it passes you by with what could have been.  LET IT GO and FORGIVE.  I will forgive my little hurt this morning and have a great day and work very hard at "keeping a tight rein on my tongue".  God give me strength....and NOW!

Scripture Memory Verse #3

James 1:26 NIV    "Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless."   Worthless, really???  Man, that says it all.  God isn't joking when he tells us how he feels about a mouth out of control.  How many times have I said something and immediately wanted to take it back or reel it back in as I see the hurt it caused.  Then there are times when I say what I want and don't care how it is received.  I feel JUSTIFIED in saying it.  They did deserve it after all.  Oh how naive.  If I got all I DESERVED; well, I can't imagine the pain in my heart and physical body.  But to say, "their religion is worthless" really doesn't leave much to the imagination as to how God really feels about it all.  So, as I memorize this verse I pray that it imprints itself on my heart and in my mind.  To know that our words can make our entire witness WORTHLESS.  Puts a lot in perspective, doesn't it. 

Memory Verse #2

My second memory verse for the Siesta Memory Verse Challange:   "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourself be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."  Galatians 5:1   It is so simple to say, so difficult to do.  How many times have I said to myself, "Boy, I'm glad I'm out of that situation (what ever it was at the time) and I'll never do that again."  And then, lo and behold, here I am again.  Or when you've helped someone out (maybe your kids) and told them, "Now don't make the same mistake again."  And they did.  How tired must God get from setting us "free" one more time to look up and here we come again.  SO....THIS TIME, Christ is setting me free and I am shouting I WILL STAND FIRM.  I WILL NOT BE HERE AGAIN!!!!  Or at least not as fast as I came back around last time....I'm only human after all.  :)

Calling for prayer...

On Facebook yesterday a friend posted "Called 911. Please Pray."  So I did.  Immediately I sent up a prayer for her and each time I thought about it I asked that God's will be done in her life.  I was so amazed and proud of how many people posted that they were praying.  She is a friend from high school.  We were in band together.  Not great friends by any means but.....we had reconnected on Facebook.  How awesome.  I'm not sure what the creators of this web site actually thought it would be used for, but I'm so glad that it was available for prayer requests yesterday.   I posted today that I was so proud to be "friends" with so many people that responded to her request for prayer....men and women.  A lot were people that we went to high school with.  I posted that I thought the Class of '76 had really turned out to be some awesome human beings.  It was so refreshing to see how people responded.  As it turns out, Martha is home doing much better.  I'd like to believe it is because of all the prayers that were said for her.  Just when I'm convinced people don't care, they surprise you and I'm so glad they did.  So, let's hear it for the Class of '76!!!!

Are you a religious person????

I thought about that today.  My answer...no, I'm not.  Spiritual yes, religious no.  I hardly ever go to church.  I believe it is great, just haven't been in quite a while.  I don't share God's word with random people.  I believe that you should live your life in such a way that people want to know what is different about you and THEY ASK YOU.  I can remember being at TAMU and I was studying for an exam and some random person sat down and wanted to share God's love with me.  Are you kidding me????  I am cramming for a test and don't know you and don't want to know you.  I guess that changed my opinion on that sort of thing for ever.  If God leads me to say something or do something, then I follow his lead.  I believe there are times that God puts me in someones path or them in mine for us to have an affect on each others lives.  I just wait on God to provide that encounter.....at this point, He hasn't asked me to go out and find it myself.  There is a fine line in all of this....when you claim to be a christian, you have to live your life like everyone is watching ALL the time because you may be the only Bible some people ever see.  So, my prayer today is, Lord, please let me live in such a way that it glorify you and let others see that I am not perfect, just forgiven.  Amen.