It is Not About You!

Today ( a day behind) is going to be to the point and fairly brief ...for me.
It is going to be like my "knee time" on Sunday morning.  God was to the point and brief! (one of those 2x4 moments)

I pray daily for many things and many people....fervently asking God to heal, resolve, work mightily, guide, direct for those around me....but when I hit my knees ....all I could "hear" is

"IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU!!!"

"It is about ME!"

"it is not about whether they are healed.  Or they find resolution, or they have wisdom, or you have direction or even if you serve Me today.

it is about ME......JUST ME.....heart consumed with ME.  eyes turned toward ME.  Soul flooded with ME.  AND I will take care of the rest!"


Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
  In the light of His glory and grace
Lyrics:

Helen Howarth Lemmel (1863-1961)

Music:

Helen Howarth Lemmel (1863-1961)

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
Matthew 16:25

We must give up ourselves in order to find LIFE! 

It is not about you or me.....it is about HIM and only HIM!

Good Good Father

I am stealing the title to a song...

You're a good good father
It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are
And I'm loved by you
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am…

Songwriters: Anthony Brown / Joseph Patrick Martin Barrett

Good Good Father lyrics © Capitol Christian Music Group

 It has been performed by Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, and others I am sure.

We all have a father; whether he is just is a biological DNA donor, or an active part of our lives.  Whether he was our knight, our prince, or the source of our nightmares.

Whether we have known him well, he has passed on, or we are searching for him still

At some point in our lives there is or was a father.

And there is nothing we can do to change who that person is, if we wanted to.

BUT regardless of the circumstances with your father, (and I PRAY that they are good)

you have a heavenly Father

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.   Psalm 68:5

who loves YOU above all else. 

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. John 3:16

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  1 Peter 1:3

He is but a breath away....if you haven't already called out to Him....

He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.’  Psalm 89:26

the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. John 16:27

In your darkest moment or your greatest, giving your life over will give you peace and grace

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  Romans 1:7

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1

Let God, through His Son Jesus Christ, lavish His love on you today!

He is THE Good Good Father, be loved by Him!

Good Good Father; Mercy Me

A New Frame

Today is probably going to seem rather whimsical.....or silly....how ever you may look at it, my hope and prayer is that it is at least somewhat inspirational!

We went bowling last night...10 AWANA kids and 6 of their teachers!  Lots of fun....My score was consistent ...54 both games!  I am not a bowler!  BUT I like to have a good time and it was a fun way to celebrate the end of the year with our some of our AWANA kids!

As I was throwing gutter balls, I made the statement....."next frame I can start fresh!"  and there goes my brain!
Isn't that like each new day?  I may not hit the mark today, I may stumble and grumble and show a lack of faith, I may even throw it all right into the "gutter", I may lack direction and focus. BUT tomorrow is a new day!  We can start fresh!  We ask God to forgive our weakness, our lack of faith, our poor judgement....He forgives us and we start fresh!

This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:28

Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, Mark 3:28

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”  Matthew 9:2b

We can ask God to direct us so that we are going straight and true.
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

We have to focus...If our eyes aren't front and center, then our aim is going to be off; like mine, right into the gutter!

......And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1b-3

I love the last verse, 3....Jesus endured all He did so that we do not have to grow weary and lose heart! 

Today is another frame!!  I pray you throw a strike!

Forever Flame

Just this week, while doing a devotional reading I have (The Secret Place [Judson Press]) one of the days was about a perpetual flame.  The author talked about a fire in an England hearth that was kept stoked for 200 years. The gist, of course, was about the fire of the Holy Spirit that burns in each of us.
AND there goes my brain again!!
One of the first things that came to mind was the Olympic flame that is lit to start the games and has traveled across many miles and many countries ...and remains lit until the close of the games.
I also thought about our wood fire. We burn wood as our source of heat in the winter....and you do NOT want the fire going out....especially in the 25 below zero days.....if the fire goes out for any length of time it takes quite a long time to get the house warmed back up to a comfortable, livable temperature.
I am sure most of you can figure out where I might go with this....and actually I feel there is lots of spiritual application to both scenarios. 
What is the condition of your "hearth"?  When we accept Christ as our Savior He gives us the Holy Spirit to "dwell within us"
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? 1 Corinthians 16:19

 “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:25-27

In Acts 2, the disciples and other followers of Christ were gathered shortly after Jesus ascension into heaven.   They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit....Acts 2:3

So the Holy Spirit can be likened to a fire with in us!

How is your fire doing!?  Are we constantly feeding our fire, so that it remains strong, giving warmth and light to all those around.
or do we forget to tend our fire, and it grows dim, just embers that are very hard for others to feel the light and warmth?  Do we need to stir those embers back to a flame and begin "feeding" it again?
or have we let the fire go out all together?  have we left it untended for so long that we almost have to start the process again?
One wonderful thing about the Holy Spirit  and our relationship with Christ is once you have accepted Christ as your Savior and the Spirit lives in you....It isn't going any where....but we can neglect it to the point that it is unrecognizable in us.  If we are sincere in our acceptance of who Christ is, we are His for eternity.....but we MUST tend that relationship, that "flame", in order to live a life worthy of Him.

As we run this race called life....
We MUST tend our "flame" so that we can carry it where ever we go and allow it to spread Christ's love and light every where we are!
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1-2
Have you feed your fire today!?