God Loves a Cheerful Giver 😁

How many of us, at church, have seen a child wait excitedly for the offering plate to come around so they can drop in their few coins or dollar into the plate?
Why do we not see that on the adult faces??
It got me thinking...not just when they give during collection time...what about when we give our time?  Our other resources?
When it is time to have volunteers clean the church, do you see them, brooms and cleaning supplies in hand, smiling and skipping in to do the work?  Or the one tending the grounds, grinning from ear to ear as they trim and mow?
Or how about teaching a class of children or adults?  Do we see smiles on their faces as they prepare and wait for their class to arrive? OR how about those attending the class?!  Are they arriving expectantly, with excitement in their eyes?...excited to learn? To fellowship?
Or how about when we are sitting in the pew during our service, do we look bored? distracted? tired? angry? as we sit and worship?  What do those up front see on our faces and ultimately in our hearts?
How about giving outside of the church?  Our time? Our resources?  Because all we have comes from above...
📖Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth,that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. James 1:17-18
God has blessed us and allowed us the jobs, the homes, our possessions, the circle of people around us....do we give back with a cheerful heart?
Do we tend the family that we have been blessed with with an grateful attitude?
Do we clean and care for the home that we have been blessed with with a smile?
Do we "whistle while we work" at the job we have been placed in?

The attitude of our heart is what God is most concerned with!
📖
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky  as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. Philippians 2:15-16
📖A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22

In all we do we do it for Him...from the dirty to the glamorous....
📖
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters Colossians 3:23

...we should do it cheerfully, gratefully, as an offering..even if it seems a small offering...our attitude in the giving is what makes it great.
📖...singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:16b - 17
Give thanks for being able to give...whatever we are able; money, time, prayer, work, encouragment, kindness...etc etc
AND DO IT CHEERFULLY
📖Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:7-8
📖A happy heart makes the face cheerful,
    but heartache crushes the spirit.  Proverbs 15:13

Let's decide to give, ALL WE'VE GOT, with a happy heart starting today!!😊💗
A song that should make your heart cheerful!
Smile - Kirk Franklin

Carved

Walking through the trails the other day...I noticed some trees with names, initials etc carved into the trunks of them.
Hearts with initials inside, others just randomly etched into the flesh of the tree.  First reaction: "awww isn't that sweet." Then "wait!  Isnt that damaging, even harmful to the tree? Carving into the flesh of this living thing?!"  Now, this big, old tree seemed to have grown right past these, let them become part of who it is...though it may have done some damage...if nothing else, it scarred it permenately.

 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;  Isaiah 49:16 
The Lord says we are engraved onto His flesh!  
But that didn't come without a cost...without permenant scarring.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,  and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

Our names are carved into Christ's flesh; every lash of the whip, every thorn that was driven into His brow, each nail driven in, left it's mark for the sins we were to commit.
Our names are written on His hands, engraved with a price.  Death!
BUT He did not stay that way ...and like that tree Christ is ALIVE, bearing the scars of us!

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” John 20:24-28

AND do we say..."MY LORD AND MY GOD!"? Are we in awe of what He has done!?

Just like I stood, head tipped back, looking up at the mightiness of that scarred tree....do we stand back in awe....eyes lifted upward, at the mightiness of our Lord and Savior? Humbled by the scars?  Realizing there isn't any way to remove those carvings now...short of destroying that which has been carved....they already tried that with Christ.  He will never be destroyed, so our names are forever "engraved on the palm of His hand."

...I will not forget you!  See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;  Isaiah 49:15-16 

AMEN!!

Found this beautiful and powerful song while doing this blog....click on the link to listen (no graphics only words)
By His Wounds.   By Steven Curtis Chapman, Brian Littrell, Mac Powell, Mark Hall

Renovations

Renovation projects...I don't like them.  Don't get me wrong....I love my new floor, my new tub and bathroom fixtures, the finished siding on the garage, the redone driveway!
 I KNOW you can barely call what we had done renovations in the "fix it", "update it " world, but to me the disruption to my neat orderly life (😅😅) ok, so just the disruption and mess, is unsettling.
AND we didn't even do much of the work ourselves!!!
What made me realize how much I dislike it...and led me to be inspired to write this ...I was at work the other night and went around the corner to punch out...and the whole hallway was stripped bare of wall decore, they were removing wallpaper...they were "up dating"...renovating the hospital entrance!  My initial, gut reaction,  wasn't "Oh Nice",  it was a feeling of dread....AND it isn't even MY home!!
Yes, I admit, I have a problem!
It got me thinking ...what is it that causes that initial moment of dread and dislike for renovations?
It is change, our routine is disrupted.  We may have to change the way we do things for a short time, or longer.
Which can cause discomfort; emotional, physical.

BUT aren't  renovations neccesary!?   They were before the big wedding that was taking place at my home!!  Renovations are necessary for the health and maintenance of a home, or any building for that matter.
SOOOO...
Our bodies are a tent, a dwelling place,
a "home" for the Holy Spirit!
And "renovations" are a neccesary part of our Chrisitan life.
They can be uncomfortable, down right painful....BUT a must to maintain a solid dwelling place!
Our bodies are like tents that we live in here on earth. 2 Corinthians 5:1 (CEV)

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Sometimes minor repairs, a bit of sprucing up so to speak, is needed.
Sometimes major renovations are required.
ALL of us, at one point in our lives, needed work from the ground up!  When you accept Christ He becomes your solid Foundation, on which the rest of your life is built.
 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?  As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like.  They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.  But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” Luke 6:46-49
And then, as storms and life happen, we might take a few hits and need to fix up some things....bitterness, anger, defensiveness might need to be ripped out and replaced.
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32
Or maybe time has worn things down, to the point that it is hard to see the original work; complacency needs to be replaced with fervency,
"For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Proverbs 1:32 33
 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth Revelation 3:15-16

 ...or everyday life is so busy we have let upkeep slide, and we need to make sure to replace some of the of "fixtures" of busyness with new, permanent updates of more time in prayer and studying the Word.

let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings,  Hebrews 10:22
The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
    for the ears of the wise seek it out.
  Proverbs 18:15

And when the project is finished ...don't we like to sit back and enjoy and admire the completed work?!   I would venture ...God does too!

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Ph

I pray your foundation is strong, built on the solid rock!  And that you anticipate, even look forward to "renovations!
 If my necessary renovations bring me closer to Him...."BRING THEM ON!"

It's Monday, Now What?

Have you ever gotten to the end of a climactic event....something you have planned for months, maybe even years for, and wonder "what now?" That deflated, purposeless feeling? Like the day after Christmas, a family vacation, or maybe the wedding of your last child to be married!
Your life has seemingly been consumed with lists, shopping, phone calls, internet searches and a myriad of other things...all for that one evening ...that dream wedding for that one who has waited so long!
So you sit amid the remains of the Big Event....wondering what direction to take..since your days have been commanded by to-do lists.
But we still have a To-Do List, one we should follow every day and does not or should not hinge on the special events planned.
To-Do:
⎕ worship the Lord your God
Love the Lord your God with all your heart...
⎕pray to Him daily
Soul....
be in His Holy Word
Mind...
⎕serve Him in everything you do
  and Strength!

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”  “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.”  Mark 12:28-31

That To-Do L-ist is one we have no matter how many events are going on in our lives.
It should be our PRIORITY To-Do List!  BEFORE we try to fill our days with other lists.

Preparing and planning and executing this big event usually brings us into contact with many people, some that are close to us and others that we may not meet again.
Hopefully our attitude and treatment of those individuals reflect a servant's heart, a witness to the PRIORITY To-Do-List you live daily with.
We hope they see a humble heart, knowing that no event can come off well without others. In our case; an army of AMAZING, GIVING, GENEROUS, KIND HEARTRED Souls!!
Each person, no matter if your task was small or large, or you attended or sent well wishes; ALL together it made the bride and groom's PERFECT wedding!
AND "thank you" can't even begin to express what we (myself, Kevin, Marah and Andrew) feel for all who had a part.

So, the Monday after, I pray you are able to check this list off today …. and every day!  You know, if you do...all your other special events will hold more meaning and the other lists of things you have to do will not overwhelm you.

To-Do Daily:

✔ worship the Lord your God

Love the Lord your God with all your heart...

✔pray to Him daily

Soul....

✔be in His Holy Word

Mind...

✔serve Him in everything you do

  and Strength!

Great SONG!  click on the link to enjoy
Love the Lord Your God - Lincoln Brewster

Jumping In

Many of us may have seen a clip in a movie; the person is terrified to jump into the water ....they can't swim, and there is no where else to go but into this vast expanse of water...eventually there is no choice and they plummet into the drink...screaming...flailing....they land gasping for air, grabbing for something to keep their head above water.....and then they stand up (or someone pulls them to their feet)...in 3 feet of water!  The audience roars with laughter...a comidic relief in a tention filled scene.
Isn't that like life?....like us??  But it isn't so comical.
We think we know what we are looking at...this vast, bottomless problem looming out before us.  A situation we can't see any solution or end to.  We feel like we will drown if we proceed, we know we can't swim.   An illness that threatens our life or the life of someone we love, a marriage that seems to need more work than we have in us, a child that has cut off all ties with family, a career that ends suddenly, a mountain of debt....the vast issues vary for each of us, but a lot of us have them, things that seem so big they threaten to swallow us up.
BUT we have to take that leap....that step forward and TRUST.  Because God knows what lies ahead and when we do take that leap...He will set us on our feet.  There may be some thrashing and flailing around, but He knows just how deep the water is...and you will not drown.

When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you. Isaiah 43:2

I am not trying to make light of any one person's situation, because for each they might be facing something extremely overwhelming...
But I want you to take that leap into the water that you believe will over take you....TRUST... and He will take your hand,  pull you to your feet, help you find your footing and you will discover that the water was only 3 feet deep!

For I am the Lord your God
    who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.  Isaiah 41:13

My prayer is that you find the courage to leap forward and trust God knows just how deep the water is, and when you come up standing you give Him the glory and praise!  Amen!