Do you really believe?

I have been reading in Matthew about Jesus healing many people of many different diseases and sicknesses. For example (Matthew 9:27-30) When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, 'Son of David, have mercy on us." And when He comes into the house, the blind men came to Him; And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." Then HE touched their eyes, saying, "ACCORDING TO YOUR FAITH LET IT BE TO YOU." And their eyes were opened.

WOW!!! One day these men are walking around bumping into things trying to find their way to wherever they wanted to go and trusting people to help them along the way and the next day they can see because they had faith. They must have believed with all of their heart because they were healed according to their faith. If they were just saying they had faith but really didn't believe at all, I guess they would have walked away from that experience just as they went in, blind. God knows what is really in the heart. Our words might say we believe in God but do we really?

If God said to you today that he would heal you according to your faith, would you have complete healing? Would you go around only seeing cloudy objects instead of a clear picture of what things really are? There are things that shake us and trouble us, but does that mean our faith has to wavier? I don't think so. I believe it is those times that we need to draw closer to God and allow Him to have control of our lives, making our faith even stronger. In these troubled times, let's draw closer to the One that can and does heal all kinds of diseases and sickness. May God bless you today with His healing power.

Have you fallen down?

We have all fallen down in our lives. We have all at some point not measured up. Life is full of ups and downs; it is what you do with them that count. Let's think about a child for a few minutes. When they are learning to walk, what would happen if they fell the first time? They might become afraid to try again. It might be days before that child will take that step again. The parents get down on the floor with them looking into their beautiful eyes; they assure them they can do it. Then it happens, the child again tries pulling on the coffee table and gradually walks along the width of the table. The parents are so excited, they say all the right words and try to encourage them to let loose and take a step toward them. It might not happen right then, but eventually that child gets enough courage to step away from the table and off they go. Everyone is so proud of them and they begin to cheer.

There are a few lessons we can take away from children. First, when you fall down, go ahead and have a cry if you need to while you're sitting there, but do not stay down. Reach for something or someone to help pull you up. As adults when we fall many times, we seem to isolate. The problem is we don't want people to be disappointed in us and beside we can work it out ourselves. My question is, how does that really work for you? I know for myself it doesn't work real well. Stop worrying what someone is going to say and just reach out. I must say that God will lead you to the right person to reach out to. Allow them to help pull you up; even if you have to keep ahold of them for a while until you get your legs steady enough to stand again. Second, let go of them and take a step. You know they will be there for encouragement and support whenever you need it. Third, dust yourself off and keep on walking. You do not need to carry that old garbage with you on your now new journey.

Walking life's journey is not always easy, but you can do it. You need the right guide to help you with those decisions that you will need to make. The best guide that I know of is God. When we fall short of what He expects of us He doesn't throw us away. He helps us brush ourselves off to keep going. If you don't brush yourself off it makes your walk more of a stumble, because you are carrying a load that is not necessary. God takes that load by His forgiveness and love. Are you ready for a lighter load? It can be yours for the asking. Have a great day enjoying a walk instead of wallowing in the dust and mud. 

Running On Empty

Throwing the things I need to take with me in the back seat and off I head for my meeting. I hate being late but sometimes it just can't be helped.  Then as I back out of the drive way, I notice that my car is almost on empty. The question that quickly pops into my mind, can I make it or do I really need to stop and get gas? I am not a strong believer that running on fumes is a good thing. Now the lack of gas is running in my mind as well as the fact that if I stop to refill my tank, I could be late. The closer I get to the gas station, the more my focus is on the gas gauge. I slowly pull in to fill my tank.  I am sure I can spare a few minutes to fill my tank. I get right to a pump and start the process. Of course I get the slowest pump in the whole world. It must be dripping one drop at a time, then taking a break. I keep an eye on my watch about the time. I still have time to make it, but it will be awful close. As the gas drips into my car, I tell myself I shouldn't have let my car get so close to empty in the first place. Anyone that drives, know s you cannot drive when your tank is empty.

That is the same way as our lives. We need rest to replenish my body. If you do not sleep, then to be real productive the next day is, a slow start or it just might not happen at all. Rest is necessary for us to fill our body's tank with energy for the activities of the next day. Also food is another thing you need to help your body function in the way it is meant. If you starve your body, there are many things that can happen to your physical body as well as mental state of mind. To help keep your body and mind healthy, rest, eat right, and exercise. Do not allow your body to run on empty. It is not like you can pull up to a gas station and fill it up and be on your way. When you keep running on empty, it catches up with you and it can do permeant damage.

Then there is your spiritual body. You don't want it to run on empty either.  To keep your spiritual tank filled, you need to read your Bible every day. You don't have to read a whole book every day, but read some verses. Think about them and see how God can use those verses to speak to your life. Pray every day; this is just talking to God. It is not as hard as we seem to make it sometimes. You do not need fancy words. You just need to be yourself and talk to Him as if He is your good friend. Also, you need to find a church and maybe a small study group to attend. It helps you to gain strength when you fellowship with other people that are believers. You will realize other people have struggles as well. You are not in this battle alone. Sometimes when you face trials, you feel you are in them all by yourself, which is why a strong support group (church group) is important. Don't let your spiritual life run on empty, giving the devil a spot to put his finger into and tear you apart. Keep strong in the Lord. As you reach out to others, not only does it help you, it also helps them.

Do not run on empty. The fumes might give you a headache and cause you to pass out. Keep your life filled with the things that are healthy and of God, to keep your engine perking along. You might be surprised; it might even add a smile to your face. May you have a great day living with a full tank.

Ripple Affect

My husband, Steve and I were talking about ripple effect, which reminded me of college days. I have always enjoyed the rain, but this one night in particular I was standing at the back door in the dorm watching it rain. I stood there for quite a while just watching the rain hitting an already puddle of water. I became lost in thought as I watched; I am not sure how long I stood there just gazing at that puddle. It was not a heavy rain, but each time a rain drop splashed into the puddle it sent out a ripple that affected the whole puddle. Not one drop went unnoticed!! Some of the drops made a bigger splash than others, but they all plopped and rippled.

As I sat on the couch the other night after our conversation, I was thinking how our lives are like that of the rain and the puddle. We are born into this world. Our birth does not go unnoticed. From that point forward we touch lives, so we ripple out. You might not think you are touching others, but the fact is everyone you come into contact with, you are touching their lives. The people that you hold the door open for at the store that doesn't even act like they notice you, might think about that later. It might only be a little ripple, hardly even noticed, but it is a ripple. Then there will be those bigger ripples like the people you come in contact with on regular basis.

The thing I think about when this comes to mind is what kind of ripple do I leave? One that is positive or negative? I want to leave an impression (ripple) that is positive. One that people will be glad I smiled as they walked by. One that when I hold the door for someone, they will remember that I smiled even if they didn't think to say thank you. I might have only been a little ripple in their life but I want it to be helpful and uplifting as it comes to their minds. As people watch our lives and see how we affect the others that we come in contact with, what will they see? Is it going to be a big splash? Or is it going to be a calm gentle ripple that spreads out to encourage others? Have a great day as you impact others, use it wisely.  

New Beginnings

Spring is right around the corner. When I think about this time of the year, I think about the freshness it brings, flowers, buds on trees, the grass turns greener and it seems like a breath of fresh air. Our lives have new beginnings as well. From the time we are children until the day we die. We might not have thought about it very much but each stage of our lives is a new beginning; we make choices of the path we are going to follow. As I have been pondering these thoughts, a Bible character came to mind and his new beginnings. That is what I want to share with you today.

This story takes place in the book of Acts, chapters 7-9 (you really need to read the full account). We are going to talk about Saul and his three new beginnings. Saul first is mentioned at the scene of Stephen a Christian is getting stoned to death (chapter 7) He was not throwing the stones, but he was in full agreement of what they were doing. (I want to share a little about Saul that you find out later in some of his writings, is that he knew the Law and was very well educated. He did not think that Jesus was the Messiah and what the Christians like Stephen was saying were not true. All of this comes more to light as you study his writings.) On the very day that Stephen was stoned to death, a great persecution started against the church at Jerusalem (8:1). They were going into homes dragging off men and women that were believers and putting them into prison. Saul's first new beginning was dragging Christians off and putting them into prison. He even went to the high priest and got a letter from him to go the synagogues in Damascus, stating that if he found any man or woman in the Way (Christians) then bind them and take them back to Jerusalem and put them in prison. A new beginning, he was on a mission to stamp out the Christians (9: 1- 3).

Second new beginning (9:3-7): While traveling those 135 miles to Damascus a light shone around him, he fell to the ground and the Lord spoke. God called him by name and asked him why are you persecuting me. Saul was trembling and asks God what do you want of me. God told him to go on into the city then you will be told. As Saul got up, his eyes were open but he was blind. The men with him had to lead him the rest of the way into the city. In those few minutes Saul went from being very important to being a blind man that was looked down upon, a very lowly person. He was blind for three days in the house, waiting, he did not eat or drink but was praying (9:11). What an interesting new beginning, one of blindness.

Third new beginning (9: 10-20): God sends Ananias to help Saul start his third new beginning. Ananias was in Damascus and God spoke to him to go to Saul. Ananias was not sure about this because he knew Saul was persecuting the Christians. But God told him to go. Saul is waiting for you. Ananias said okay and he went to the house where Saul was. He laid hands on him and said "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." (9: 17). Listen to this, immediately something like scales fell from his eyes. He could see, he rose and was baptized. After he ate and got his strength back, he spent days with the disciples at Damascus. He started his great work for the Lord. He took three missionary journeys and wrote thirteen books of the New Testament. What a great new beginning this was, he was even given a new name Paul.

II Corinthians 5:17 says, "For if a man is in Christ he becomes a new person altogether—the past is finished and gone, everything has become FRESH and NEW."  (J. B. Phillips translation)

What kind of new beginning do you want for your life? I want mine to be like Paul's, serving God with all my heart, soul, and might. My job will not be as great as Paul's but it is the one that God has for me and I need to keep on doing it. Don'ts be discouraged if you feel your job is small. It is great in the eyes of God and He is proud of you for doing the job he has given you. Get a fresh start and start your new beginning with the fullness of God guiding and directing your every step. May God bless you in your new beginning.