A DAILY WALK WITH GOD -- PART 2
Matthew 6:34 talks about how every day has enough trouble of its own, so we shouldn't worry beyond today. Psalm 119:105 talks about how God's Word is a "lamp to my feet & a light to my path". God is concerned about the here & now and wants to walk through each and every moment of our day with us. I loved Beth's writing that I quoted in my last post. I think most of us can relate pretty well to that one. She also provided 5 daily treasures that God offers to us daily when we are walking with Him.
1) The daily treasure of His strength. (Is. 33:2)
2) The daily treasure of His sure foundation. (Is. 33:6)
3) The daily treasure of wisdom & knowledge. (Is. 33:6)
4) The daily treasure of a fresh morning word. (Is. 50:4)
5) The daily treasure of victory. (Is. 50:7)
Looking at just these treasures He has to offer me daily when I'm walking with Him, makes me never want to have a day that I try to do life on my own again. I'm so thankful that God is always there -- His footprints are steady and faithful. It's up to me to decide if I'm going to join them on a daily basis.
(These thoughts are again taken from Beth Moore's "Breaking Free" study)
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
A DAILY WALK WITH GOD -- PART 1
Imagine going to heaven and standing by God as He lovingly shows you the calendar of His plan for your earthly life. It begins with the day you are born. Once you received Christ as Savior, every day that follows is outlined in red. You see footprints walking through each day of each week of your life. On many of the days, two sets of footprints appear. You inquire: "Father, are those my footprints on the calendar every day and is the second set of prints when you joined me?"
He answers, "No, My precious Child. The consistent footprints on your calendar are Mine. The second set of footprints are when you joined Me.
"Where were you going, Father?"
"To the destiny I planned for you, hoping you'd follow."
"But Father, where are my footprints all those times?"
He answers, "Sometimes you went back to look at old resentments and habits while I was still going forward, hoping you'd join Me. Sometimes, you departed from My path and chose your own calendar instead. Other times, your footprints can even be seen on another person's calendar because you thought you liked their plan better. At other times, you simply stopped because you would not let go of something you could not take to the next day."
"But, Father, we ended up OK even if I didn't walk with You ever day, didn't we?"
He holds you close and smiles, "Yes, Child, we ended up OK. But, you see, OK was never what I had in mind for you."
"Father, what are those golden treasure boxes on certain days?"
"Blessings, My child, I had for you along the way. Those that are open are those you received. Those still closed were days you did not walk with Me."
(Written by Beth Moore, in her study "Breaking Free")
______________________________________
My own personal thoughts to follow.....
Imagine going to heaven and standing by God as He lovingly shows you the calendar of His plan for your earthly life. It begins with the day you are born. Once you received Christ as Savior, every day that follows is outlined in red. You see footprints walking through each day of each week of your life. On many of the days, two sets of footprints appear. You inquire: "Father, are those my footprints on the calendar every day and is the second set of prints when you joined me?"
He answers, "No, My precious Child. The consistent footprints on your calendar are Mine. The second set of footprints are when you joined Me.
"Where were you going, Father?"
"To the destiny I planned for you, hoping you'd follow."
"But Father, where are my footprints all those times?"
He answers, "Sometimes you went back to look at old resentments and habits while I was still going forward, hoping you'd join Me. Sometimes, you departed from My path and chose your own calendar instead. Other times, your footprints can even be seen on another person's calendar because you thought you liked their plan better. At other times, you simply stopped because you would not let go of something you could not take to the next day."
"But, Father, we ended up OK even if I didn't walk with You ever day, didn't we?"
He holds you close and smiles, "Yes, Child, we ended up OK. But, you see, OK was never what I had in mind for you."
"Father, what are those golden treasure boxes on certain days?"
"Blessings, My child, I had for you along the way. Those that are open are those you received. Those still closed were days you did not walk with Me."
(Written by Beth Moore, in her study "Breaking Free")
______________________________________
My own personal thoughts to follow.....
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
BEAUTY FROM ASHES
I'm currently studying Beth Moore's "Breaking Free" Bible study. As always, her studies inspire me and challenge me to a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. They also dig a deeper hunger inside of me for God's Word. One of my favorite things about how Beth teaches is that she frequently goes back to the original text, which draws so much more meaning to the thoughts that are written.
This study has been different for me from the last two I have done, "Jesus the One and Only" and "Believing God". I haven't been able to fully relate to everything in this study, as I have the previous ones. Don't get me wrong, God is teaching me a lot, it's just been different for me. Our teaching last night, I think was the highlight of this study so far for me. Until now, I've worked through the homework and applied many things from the teachings, but what she taught on last night really hit home for me.
Beauty from ashes.
Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and to provide for those who grieve in Zion -- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Some points made that really hit home to me:
1) God never allows or appoints a fire unless He can bring beauty from the ashes.
2) We cannot avoid fiery trials because our faith is going to be tried and proved.
1 Peter 1:6-7
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith -- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire -- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
3) Whatever the reason, the purpose of refinement is always to make us vessels of beauty.
2 Cor. 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
The neat thing is, this is part of the passage of Scripture we were studying this past Sunday in church. They always say, when God gives it to you twice, you really need to take notice! It's amazing what Paul considers "light and momentary afflictions". Chapter 11:16-33 talks about his imprisonment, floggings, beatings, being stoned and shipwrecked three times, etc. etc. I don't think any of us could say we've gone through these hardships, and yet these are his "light and momentary afflictions".
4) Sometimes our fiery trials are absolutely necessary to fulfill our callings.
Example: Peter denying Christ 3 times. The "dross" had to be surfaced in order for him to fulfill his calling of "strengthening the brothers".
5) What should we do with our sufferings?
1 Peter 4:19
So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves (or lay yourself before Him) to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
I don't think God necessarily causes hardships in our lives, but he does allow them in order to deepen our faith and our walk with him. I so often think of Job. All the terrible things he endured, and yet he said, "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold" (Job 23:10). We, too, will come forth as gold.
I'm currently studying Beth Moore's "Breaking Free" Bible study. As always, her studies inspire me and challenge me to a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. They also dig a deeper hunger inside of me for God's Word. One of my favorite things about how Beth teaches is that she frequently goes back to the original text, which draws so much more meaning to the thoughts that are written.
This study has been different for me from the last two I have done, "Jesus the One and Only" and "Believing God". I haven't been able to fully relate to everything in this study, as I have the previous ones. Don't get me wrong, God is teaching me a lot, it's just been different for me. Our teaching last night, I think was the highlight of this study so far for me. Until now, I've worked through the homework and applied many things from the teachings, but what she taught on last night really hit home for me.
Beauty from ashes.
Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and to provide for those who grieve in Zion -- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Some points made that really hit home to me:
1) God never allows or appoints a fire unless He can bring beauty from the ashes.
2) We cannot avoid fiery trials because our faith is going to be tried and proved.
1 Peter 1:6-7
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith -- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire -- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
3) Whatever the reason, the purpose of refinement is always to make us vessels of beauty.
2 Cor. 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
The neat thing is, this is part of the passage of Scripture we were studying this past Sunday in church. They always say, when God gives it to you twice, you really need to take notice! It's amazing what Paul considers "light and momentary afflictions". Chapter 11:16-33 talks about his imprisonment, floggings, beatings, being stoned and shipwrecked three times, etc. etc. I don't think any of us could say we've gone through these hardships, and yet these are his "light and momentary afflictions".
4) Sometimes our fiery trials are absolutely necessary to fulfill our callings.
Example: Peter denying Christ 3 times. The "dross" had to be surfaced in order for him to fulfill his calling of "strengthening the brothers".
5) What should we do with our sufferings?
1 Peter 4:19
So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves (or lay yourself before Him) to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
I don't think God necessarily causes hardships in our lives, but he does allow them in order to deepen our faith and our walk with him. I so often think of Job. All the terrible things he endured, and yet he said, "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold" (Job 23:10). We, too, will come forth as gold.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
FISHING SUCCESS!
I think pictures can sometimes speak louder than words, but as you can see Myah had a wonderful day with her daddy yesterday. She really is learning at a young age not only how to fish, but how to fly fish! They spent around 8 hours on the river and Myah had just as much fun as Daddy, I think. Special memories were definitely made.
Monday, February 19, 2007
VALLEYS & MOUNTAINTOPS
One of the things I love most about living in Montana is the beauty that surrounds us here. Evan & I are always making comments on how amazing the views are, and we aren’t even in western Montana, where the mountains are much bigger. We live near some smaller mountains, and are surrounded by prairies. Guess you could say, we live in the valley. Even before we moved out here, mountains always stirred something in me. There’s just something about them being one of God’s ways to display his beauty and majesty. Evan & I have always wanted to move further west, to be more in the mountains. Only recently have we been realizing how much we have fallen in love with the valley.
I’ve sort of seen myself in a "valley" for over a month now. It’s not just the miscarriage, but that has definitely been a huge part of it. It just seems difficult for me to make good decisions, to maintain control of my attitude and to see life in a positive light lately. Parenting decisions and homeschooling are definitely towards the top of my frustrations. I feel like everything has been an uphill battle this past month, and it's been a painful hike uphill. I know and recognize I’m still dealing with emotions from our loss, but I also am recognizing that God is wanting to teach me huge things through this valley. I just hope I’m a fast learner, so I can learn these things as quickly as possible.
I absolutely love the lyrics to a song by Third Day…. "You must go through the valley to stand upon the mountaintop of God." I love the mountaintops of life, but I am also learning to make the most of the valleys. They can be a beautiful sight as well, as is often very physically visible to us living here. It all depends on opening ones eyes to see the surrounding area and having an attitude of gratitude -- seeing the valleys as a learning opportunity to become closer to God. Also, if you’ve ever tried to climb a mountain of any sort physically, you know how difficult the task is, but it is ALWAYS worth the pain once you reach the top! And on the otherside of that mountaintop is another valley! :)
One of the things I love most about living in Montana is the beauty that surrounds us here. Evan & I are always making comments on how amazing the views are, and we aren’t even in western Montana, where the mountains are much bigger. We live near some smaller mountains, and are surrounded by prairies. Guess you could say, we live in the valley. Even before we moved out here, mountains always stirred something in me. There’s just something about them being one of God’s ways to display his beauty and majesty. Evan & I have always wanted to move further west, to be more in the mountains. Only recently have we been realizing how much we have fallen in love with the valley.
I’ve sort of seen myself in a "valley" for over a month now. It’s not just the miscarriage, but that has definitely been a huge part of it. It just seems difficult for me to make good decisions, to maintain control of my attitude and to see life in a positive light lately. Parenting decisions and homeschooling are definitely towards the top of my frustrations. I feel like everything has been an uphill battle this past month, and it's been a painful hike uphill. I know and recognize I’m still dealing with emotions from our loss, but I also am recognizing that God is wanting to teach me huge things through this valley. I just hope I’m a fast learner, so I can learn these things as quickly as possible.
I absolutely love the lyrics to a song by Third Day…. "You must go through the valley to stand upon the mountaintop of God." I love the mountaintops of life, but I am also learning to make the most of the valleys. They can be a beautiful sight as well, as is often very physically visible to us living here. It all depends on opening ones eyes to see the surrounding area and having an attitude of gratitude -- seeing the valleys as a learning opportunity to become closer to God. Also, if you’ve ever tried to climb a mountain of any sort physically, you know how difficult the task is, but it is ALWAYS worth the pain once you reach the top! And on the otherside of that mountaintop is another valley! :)
GONE FISHIN'
Myah and daddy went fishing today on the Big Horn river. She wanted to go so bad, and though this was suppose to be a bit of a time away for Evan, he didn't even hesitate when she asked to come along.
Evan and I are both really trying to connect in special ways with our kids more and more lately. We will both admit to the fact that sometimes we focus so much on "disciplining & training properly" that we neglect to experience the joy of life with them. The problem we're facing is that they go together like a hand and a glove, and when you only focus on one aspect of it, even that aspect fails miserably.
I often think of interlocking fingers when it comes to parenting. On one hand we have the discipline/training and on the other we have the love and joy with them that comes from connecting with them personally. Separately, neither method will work, but when they come together is when you have success. Parenting has to be the toughest task we face. It's so easy to listen to the enemy's voice saying, "your doing it all wrong!" I certainly don't have the answers. In fact this past week has been a tough one in the parenting realm for me, but I'm not giving up. I love my kids too much for that.
I'll end with a quote I go back to again & again....
"You don't have to be a perfect parent when you're a praying parent." ~ Stormie O'Martian
Myah and daddy went fishing today on the Big Horn river. She wanted to go so bad, and though this was suppose to be a bit of a time away for Evan, he didn't even hesitate when she asked to come along.
Evan and I are both really trying to connect in special ways with our kids more and more lately. We will both admit to the fact that sometimes we focus so much on "disciplining & training properly" that we neglect to experience the joy of life with them. The problem we're facing is that they go together like a hand and a glove, and when you only focus on one aspect of it, even that aspect fails miserably.
I often think of interlocking fingers when it comes to parenting. On one hand we have the discipline/training and on the other we have the love and joy with them that comes from connecting with them personally. Separately, neither method will work, but when they come together is when you have success. Parenting has to be the toughest task we face. It's so easy to listen to the enemy's voice saying, "your doing it all wrong!" I certainly don't have the answers. In fact this past week has been a tough one in the parenting realm for me, but I'm not giving up. I love my kids too much for that.
I'll end with a quote I go back to again & again....
"You don't have to be a perfect parent when you're a praying parent." ~ Stormie O'Martian
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