BEING USED

For the past week, my heart has been stirred with the desire to be used by God.  All I want is to serve Him deeper, with more intensity in whatever capacity He has for me. 
This request is one that is more than how I am serving presently. Oh, I teach bible study, help with the power point and pitch in when needed, but I want more. I want to serve deeper. In searching and seeking God with this desire, as always, He is so faithful to answer! As I have cried out asking to be used by, for and of Him, He showed me a passage this morning that is the beginning of my request's journey. 
In 2 Tim. 2:20-21, God showed me that to begin my deeper journey, there is preparation that needs to take place. Verse 21 says, "If a man cleanses (sanctifies, sets apart, purges) himself from the latter, (ignoble purposes) he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work." That's my desire, to be useful to the Master, but there is a process to fulfill my desire. 
The word sanctify means to set-apart and in this case, set apart from the worlds thoughts, ways, ungodliness, purged of all unrighteousness so that purification will prevail for the Masters use. Paul was making a point that there were those in the church that were causing corruption and infecting as well affecting the truth. We are all vessels of some sort and the reference in verse 20 is vessels of gold and silver, wood and clay, noble and ignoble. The gold and silver vessels were set apart to be used to serve the master of the home, the wood and clay for lesser uses, common, inferior. Scripture tells us we are to be emptied of self, worldliness, corruption, evil, and etc. and to be filled with goodness, truth, His Word, godliness, purity, faith, wisdom, knowledge and etc. The latter for God's purposes. 
So, the process of cleansing my undesirables must begin in my heart so that things that God desires can take its place. I want to be pleasing and acceptable to the Lord, to be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy and useful to the Master and prepared to do His work. 
Lord, my prayer today is Psalms 51, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Oh Lord, open my lips and my mouth will declare Your praise...."  Use me Lord, here am I.   Click below and hear the desire of my heart. http://youtu.be/0IvXA0yRDwY
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THE WHOLE STORY
In my reading today, God showed me how my ugly human side acts just like those in scripture at times in my life. But, my faithful and loving God, always offers a life lesson to learn which will turn the ugliness into Godliness.
     Let's begin with Joshua 21:43, "So the Lord gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there." Joshua then tells the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh that they have done all that Moses and himself commanded of them and their reward was rest as the Lord had promised. So now go and enjoy it, "but be careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul." Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way.
     The three groups were now released to start their new homes with the blessing of Joshua. Total excitement was in the air and they were grateful for their promised land. In their gratefulness, they built an altar to remind them and future generation that they served and honored the Lord, God of Israel. But, here comes that ugly human side of us all. News about this altar traveled fast among the rest of the Israelites who riled the nation of Israel with information that they had assumed. A questioning squad was formed and sent to get the scoop on this newly erected altar. 
     The questioning squad was fired up ready to deal with this disobedient group and, boy, were they in trouble. The squad arrives and immediately they blasts out, how could you, what were you thinking, why did you do this to us, now all of us are ruined. You rebelled against the Lord or against us by building an altar for your own glory and dishonored our Lord. Thanks a lot!!! 
     Say what, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh said in astonishment! What are you thinking, we wouldn't do such a thing and if we did do what you say we did, may The Mighty One, God, the Lord, the One who knows, spare us not! No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, 'What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? We built it to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the Lord at His sanctuary. This is a testimony of our faithfulness not of our rebellion. 
     Oh, why didn't you say that in the first place? Well, why did you assume and accuse without knowing the whole story? Oh, how many times have I done that. Way too many times! In this case, the questioning squad got the whole story and they were glad and praised God and the altar was named: A Witness Between Us that the Lord is God.

     Too many times, I have plowed in without knowing the details completely, assumed and accused with the results not so pleasant, the ending not so pretty. God's lesson in Joshua 22, is not to assume or accuse without complete details of a situation. Things aren't always what they appear to be. Most times there is a history behind a situation that needs to be understood first. Once again, my faithful and loving God showed me a better way. Find out what The Whole Story is first and then comment. 
Father, the Mighty One, God the Lord, the One who knows all, grant me wisdom and understanding of Your ways, Your truths and Your love. Grant me the compassion you showed to me so that I might have that compassion for others. Let me be that witness for the future generation that  You, my Lord, You are God!

LEGACY
A day that should have been dedicated to accomplishing a very long list of things that needed to be done, immediately was changed by the prompting of the Lord.
     Last night I missed viewing the memorial service of Pastor Chuck Smith, the founding Pastor of Calvary Chapel.  Though I missed the viewing the service, I received so many treasured blessings as the night was well spent visiting with some dear friends, sharing the Lord through tears and rejoicing in His awesome love for us. I knew that I could get on my computer and watch the service via internet when time would allow. Well, as the morning began, so did the mental list of things that needed be done, some of utmost urgency, but God had a different plan for me this morning. I prepared things to begin my days work, turned on the computer to start and prayed, "Lord begin my day with You." Little did I know that it would be through Pastor Chuck Smith. Directed to listen to those who were near and dear to the Pastor, God was specking volumes to me.  I soon began to feel like I was in the mist of  Mary and Martha with work to be done, but a message to be heard. I chose to be Mary and sat at the feet of Jesus.
    Several years ago, a wise man shared some wisdom that has spoken to me several times and here it was brought to mind once again.  This man said, "Each one of us should leave a legacy behind to be shared with others, so what will yours be?"  Recently, I have signed up for and I'm taking a writing class to learn to write my memoir and today  I was prompt to watch a three hour memorial about one mans legacy. Nothing is by coincidence, but all is by a divine plan. Legacy - Something handed down from an ancestor or a predecessor or from the past. While watching the memorial service, this thought came to mind, "Look at what Pastor Chuck has left behind for millions of people throughout the world, what is it that I am leaving behind?" Not that I will impact millions, but is my life impacting anyone? 
     Here are some of the things that I picked up as I listened to those paying tribute to this special man.

• "Take time to read, Jesus took time to bleed."
• Just yesterday, my pastor, Pastor Kenny emphasized in church, Mark 9:7, "This is my Son, whom I love, LISTEN to Him!"  I even circled it in my Bible. This was quoted again in the tribute to Pastor Chuck. God's confirmation!!!!
• In a song, these words spoke volumes, sung by Malcoml & Alwyn, "Fools Wisdom"  "I got myself some wisdom from a leather-backed book, I got myself a Savior when I took a second look".
• Here is the link to hear the song  http://youtu.be/0WpFvsQc0qM
• "Simply preach the Word, SIMPLY!"
• In an illustration of a cassette tape (if you know what those are) which has a recording of Pastor Chuck's teaching, it was pointed out that he would preach and pause and preach and pause. This pastor shared that Pastor's Chuck's passing is just a pause for us here on earth until we meet again. That is a beautiful picture of our loved ones who passed on before us. This is just a pause until we meet again.
• The final impact of the memorial service to me is this, in telling my legacy to those who will listen, I pray that my life has, is and will be telling about the Love of Jesus and that He loves us all.

We all have a story to tell about the life we live, a legacy to leave behind. So Lord, this life I am living, I pray that I am found living it for You and that others will see Your Glory.

GREETINGS
      Have you thought about your first greetings of the day, what expressions are first seen, what words first come from your mouth, what is seen by the first person you meet in your day? This morning in my quiet time, I was greeted by Peter in 2 Peter in his opening words.
"May grace and peace be yours in full measure through your knowledge of  God and of Jesus our Lord. God's divine power has given us everything we need to live a truly religious life through our knowledge of the one who called us to share in his own glory and goodness.  In this way he has given us the very great and precious gifts he promised, so that by means of these gifts you may escape from the destructive lust that is in the world, and may come to share the divine nature." 2 Peter 1:1-4
      Those words were my first greeting of my day which put a smile on my face and touched my heart with joy. Needless to say, my day began with peace, joy and love. I had to ask myself, how often do I offer warm and inviting greetings to those I see first thing in my day.  Well, it didn't take long to see that I fell short just yesterday morning. I had been up for a bit and was sipping on a delicious warm cup of coffee when my front door opened up, In no time flat, there was a clatter of tools being lined up for the days construction, the radio turned on with some rather ambitious eye opening music and the noise of some electrical tool buzzing loudly. Now mind you, I was ready for this knowing that work was ready to begin, but I still had to make my sarcastic fun loving remark and yelled down the stairs, "Let's keep the noise down, I'm trying to enjoy my morning coffee." Of course I was trying to joke a little here, but was that what was heard on the receiving end? I don't really know for sure, but knowing the person I said it to, he knew I was kidding around.  But what if his day didn't start off well, or what if he didn't get a good night sleep and was tired or what if he wasn't up to hearing my sarcastic words first thing in the morning. God has such a way of showing me His way. A lesson to be learned and He shared the lesson with me in 2 Peter. I am far from having it all together, but if I am willing to listen to what God has for me and humble myself enough to know that I can learn from my mistakes, He will show me a better way through His word. I have been given everything I need to live a righteous life as He shares His glory and goodness in the promises He has given me. They are found in His word and the only way I can know them is by reading them. 
     My goal is to do that which is pleasing in His sight. So, after reading this morning, praying and repenting, I had a much different greeting to share with those I met today. I want others to see a smile on my face that will fill their hearts with joy just as Peter shared in his letter. I will be more aware of how I greet those God puts in my path each day. The best part of my day today, was that it began with a smile of joy and it lasted all day long. 
Lord, I pray that my days will begin with peace, joy and love which is  expressed on the outside and felt from the inside.

WARMTH FOR THE DAY
     There is a definite chill of Fall in the air this morning. As I look out my window watching the sun melt the glistening layer of a mild frost off the hillside, I think it might be time to turn the heater on to warm up my studio in the early hours of the morning. There is one place where true warmth can be found that will warm my inner most being any hour, any season and that is in the midst of God's Word.
     My faithful body alarm went off at the usual time this morning and the thought of removing myself from the toasty warm feeling of my covers and stepping out onto a cool floor, just wasn't how I wanted to begin my day.  But the thought of the needful things that were on my agenda, forced me to make that initial chilling venture into the "today" mode. Once out and ready to settle into the warmest spot in my world, I opened my quiet "spot" and entered into the warmth of my Lord. Turning to 1 Peter, I read, "Grace and peace be yours in abundance." My chilled body immediately began warming up with those greeting words and continued through verses three through five. I praise my God, Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, for He has given me great mercy of a new birth with a living hope and an inheritance that will never perish, spoil or fade away and it is waiting for me in heaven. Now if that isn't something that will warm anyone's heart, I don't know what will! Just those few sentences will keep me warm through out this Fallish day, for sure.
     Thank you Lord for Your mercies that are new every morning, for Your promises that are written in Your love letter to me, for the preparation of grandeur that awaits my arrival, for Your love that warms my inner most being, which is summarized into, "WARMTH FOR THE DAY".

Hurtful Words

But the things that come out of a person's mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.
Matt. 15:18
"As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man." Prov. 27:19
Some days, do you ever wish that you were either deaf or not present when someone wants to lash out at you. Waking up to unkind words is just not fun. God has some things to say about that. He shares very profound thoughts that should be pondered on in the verses above. 
What comes out of our mouths is exactly what we are feeling within our hearts. If the words are ugly and harsh, mean and thoughtless, degrading and cruel, then that is the condition of our heart. How sad is that! Stop and think about that for a moment and then pick apart each word above; ugly, harsh, mean, thoughtless, degrading and cruel. That is one sick heart that is in desperate need of a transplant. The replacement of that kind of heart can't be found in any hospital, but only within the healing hands of Jesus. 
"And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart." Ezekiel 36:26
Things haven't changed, our hearts are no better today then they were thousands of years ago. Unless a heart is given to the Lord to mold and shape, renew and restore to His image and His will our hearts change. Spiritual renewal comes from God alone but needs to start with us desiring Him to do it. 
"Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me." Ps. 51:10

What we say can either be hurtful or uplifting, positive or negative. It is not only the words, but the tone, the body language and the meaning behind the message that will leave a lifetime impression, good or bad. We have been given a choice on how we will deliver a message to others. Our choice is whether we will use it for His glory and His praise or a choice that will be hurtful.
"Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Ps. 34:13
"Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me."
Psalm 103:1-2
So, the bottom line is this; wake up in the morning praise the Lord, speak of His Glory and goodness, meditate on things above which will cause your heart to be glad and to rejoice. Starting the day with the Lord will create your heart to overflow with His love which will touch those you will encounter during your day. That's the kind of day I want to dwell in and share with others.
"Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction!" "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Prov. 4:1, 23

Thinking of Others
As you look back on your day and evaluate how you treated others, what do you see? Was your day an "others" day or was it a "me" day?  We live in a time of selfishness, a time when one thinks and acts for him or her self only. In doing that, we as believers, are acting no better than those that live in the world who are unsaved. Ouch!
First of all, we really should be living our lives every day in a "Christ" day manner which ultimately will result into an "others" day because that is how Christ lived. He lived His life for you and me.
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,  and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45
What exactly is an "others" day?  Well, did you pray for those you encountered today or at least let someone know that your are praying for them?  Did God give you an opportunity to do something special for someone that meant you had to stop doing your thing?  Did you think of the other person before you thought of your own convenience first. Did you do something today that made someone stop and think, "Wow, he didn't have to do that for me, but thanks for thinking of me". 
Or, was your day consumed with "me"?  As you went about your business today, did you just make everything convenient for you no matter how it effected someone else?  Did you go ahead and do it your way when you have been asked not to? Were your plans for the day void of thoughtfulness for someone else? Did you even consider the other person and what might please them?
If we are living our lives for the Lord, we will be placing others before ourselves. We will be occupied in the investment of others rather than being preoccupied in ourselves. Life is too short and so unpredictable to be wasting it when we could be redeeming the God given moments that are available to us all day long. 
"Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests,  but also for the interests of others. Phil. 2:4
"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above ourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."  Rom. 12:10-11
"No one should seek his own good, but the good of others" 1 Cor. 10:24
IN CLOSING....
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another, By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35