Uncategorized

Come before Him


November is a month that reminds us to be thankful, but what exactly does it mean to be thankful? Flippantly we laundry list items we are ‘thankful’ for; our family, our children, our spouse, our friends, our jobs, our salvation…the list could go on and on. 


Cambridge Dictionary says that “we use the word thankful when someone is kind to us or does us a favor.” Saying “Thank you,” is also a sign of good manners, like ‘bless you.” When those words are said, it’s often out of habit and not a true heart of thankfulness.


Growing up, the people in my life who were ‘expected’ to be there for me or take care of me weren’t always there. Additionally, I was often overlooked when it came to peers and friendships. When someone showed kindness or time to me, it was and still is monumental to me, because they are in no way obligated to be kind or spend their time with me. The same is true of our salvation. God was not obligated to send Jesus, He chose to, for no other reason than His love for us. Christ didn’t have to die death on a cross to satisfy the penalty of our sins, but He chose to, for no other reason than His love for us. 


Being thankful isn’t just about manners, it’s about heart posture. MANY times in scripture God says to come before Him with thanksgiving. Philippians 4:6 says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6 is a command followed by a promise.
 
In a time where we have a laundry list of prayer requests and worries, God encourages us to come before him not only with these requests and worries, but with a heart of Thanksgiving. This posture of thanksgiving reminds our heart and mind that: He’s already been faithful, He’s already made a way, He will always love us, He will never forsake us. Approaching God with thanksgiving tells Him that even if He doesn’t…, we will choose him every moment of every day. Approaching him with thanksgiving puts faith into perspective, it says God I know you can and I know you will even if it doesn’t feel like it, even if I can’t see it, and even if I end up like Moses and miss entering the promised land – I will still choose to have a heart full of thanksgiving.

Gratitude


Let me share when I talk about my upmost gratitude. It’s longer than usual, but worth the read.


I talk about the gratitude pretty frequently now. But just know, I use to hide it. 


Hold on… I didn’t “hide” my gratitude. 


I just didn’t talk about my desert journey. Maybe it hurts less when we don’t bring it to the surface? Or maybe us as humans rather just roll on with life and act like everything is fine. I guess it’s easier to talk about “God moving moments” on the back side. I really want to do better about talking about it in the mist of the desert. He was a faithful Father when the Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness, and He is still faithful in your life today. 


I have recently realized the true beauty of bragging on Jesus. I’ve realized how we really should make it known that He completely brought us out of the desert. 


I still go back to that day. The day of bringing our first daughter home. It was November and cold with the sun out. Having children didn’t go any way how we had pictured, but that’s a chapter of our testimony for another time. 


Here is my point for today:


I remember on the drive home telling my husband I prayed and prayed, and it didn’t go the way I prayed for. That confused me, & truly shook me. Why would I ever say that? We prayed fervently for 3 years to even be in this very moment, so know this was not a shout of complaining or disappointment. This was human nature shocked in a moment. I will always remember my husband’s response, he said; “It went exactly how we prayed. We prayed for 3 years to have a healthy baby, and God did that exactly.” 


Then the gratitude hit me. Of course it didn’t go the way I had planned. His hands knitted all of it. He’s the author, not me. 


“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”. Romans 8:28


I love sitting back and reflecting on every single thing Christ has done in my life. I’m so heavy on the idea of He works all things together for the good. I’m a planner. I have leadership running through my blood. Although I have learned, my life will forever have better plans and guidance when Christ is holding the pen.


Flash forward to today. Oh the thankfulness I rejoice in. We have not one, but TWO healthy baby girls. I could tell you 10 + stories on ways and how the world thought otherwise through both of their stories. I won’t waste your time though, just know God was and always will be sovereign. 


Because of the truth we have in scripture, the way He has shown up in my own life and those around me, I will forever have the upmost gratitude. He’s a good Father.

When I am weak


2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”


This verse reminds me that God isn’t waiting for me to have it all together—He reveals His power right in the middle of my weakness. It’s in our dependence on Him that His power becomes most visible. 


In the moments I feel worn out, unsure, or not enough, God gently reminds me: “you don’t have to be”. When I lose my patience, He offers grace. When I feel unseen, He reminds me He sees. When I’m running on empty, He fills me again. His strength fills the gaps where my own strength runs out. 


So I thank God for every limitation, every shortcoming, every “I can’t.” Because in those moments, I get to see what He can do. My weakness, the very thing I want to hide, is where God shows up strongest. It’s in the quiet moments 
when I finally exhale, in the tears I try to blink away, and in the whispered prayers of “Lord, help me”. He’s right there. 


I’m learning to thank Him for the weakness—because it keeps me close to Him. It reminds me that being strong doesn’t mean having it all together. It means leaning on a God who does.


Thank you God for weakness and giving us the privilege to call upon You to give us strength 

Gratitude


It’s easy to be thankful when prayers are answered, doors open, and blessings are obvious. But true thankfulness is often proven when we’re waiting, wondering, or going through seasons we don’t understand.


1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Notice it doesn’t say to give thanks for all circumstances, but in them. God never asks us to pretend like the hard things aren’t hard. During these hard seasons, we need to turn our faces towards Him and remind ourselves of how good He is.


Thankfulness shifts our focus. It pulls our attention away from what’s missing and centers it on what remains true: God is still good, still faithful, still working all things together for our good. 


Gratitude is a choice we make daily. Some days it comes as easy as breathing, other days it’s a quiet prayer through tears. But every time we choose gratitude, we remind our hearts that hope is alive and that God’s promises still stand.

God’s will


There are so many times throughout my life when I have questioned God’s will for me. I experience fear of making wrong decisions and I truly just want God to make things a little more clear. What I have learned in these moments is that I am not seeking God like I should. God gives us everything we need for living out His will in His word. So what does His word say? One thing is that when we accept Jesus in our hearts, the Lord commands us to bring Him a sacrifice of thanksgiving and that means in all circumstances.


“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”1 Thessalonians 5:18


I would say that is pretty clear!
 Because of Jesus, being the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, we no longer have to bring animals or any other blood sacrifices to God. A sacrifice of thanksgiving means our lifestyle is going to reflect our thankfulness. Our attitude no matter what comes our way will always praise God, not because of the hardship, but because we have a Father who is with us during the difficult times. A sacrifice is giving up something that is valuable to you in order to help someone else. That means that we let go of our own desires, our time is completely dedicated to serving our heavenly Father in order to bring Him the glory. It isn’t always easy, that is why it is called a sacrifice. We don’t always feel thankful but we can know that when we live in thankfulness we defeat the enemy of worry, anxiety, depression, etc.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God.” Philippians 4:6


When we live a life of thankfulness it opens our hearts to hear from God especially in moments when our hearts are fearful and anxious.  He is never closer than when we are showing our gratitude. It honors God and it is a privilege. He created each and every one of us for His glory. God’s will for our lives is to offer our lives to Him in everything we do, in our service, in our giving, in our praise, in our worship, in our prayers, and in total devotion to bringing Him glory. These things are all a sacrifice of thanksgiving.


“Anyone who sacrifices thank offerings to Me honors Me. He makes it possible for Me to show him that I am the God who saves.” Psalm 50:23

Lean in

When Daisy asked me to write about gratitude, I thought that this would be an easy write. It’s almost Thanksgiving time, and we should have full tanks of thankfulness, right? Well… It’s been a rethink, rewrite, revise kind of writing instead. The Lord uses His Word to refine us, doesn’t He? He is the God who sees us, REALLY sees us, loves us anyway, and knows just what we need. He is the faithful Father who is in the business of conforming us to the image of His beloved Son, Jesus.  James 1:17 reminds us that: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Sometimes, the good and perfect gift comes in a different kind of packaging than we expect.

I love scripture and have lots of favorites, but my “tie a knot and hold on” verses are found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Recently, I’ve spent some time meditating on verse 19 as well: “Do not quench the Spirit.” I’ve read this verse many times, but as I reread it this week, it went to work on my heart. Quenching the Holy Spirit sounds like serious business, and it is. As believers, remembering what Jesus did on the cross to set us free from sin should send us to our knees in thankfulness. Our Savior gave His life to redeem ours. Our lives should be saturated with gratitude for who our Lord is, what He has done for us, and knowing that He watches over us with steadfast love.

Our pastor reminded us on Sunday that nothing comes our way unless the Lord sends or allows it. He is sovereign over all things and all people. Nothing takes Him by surprise, absolutely nothing. The Lord is a good, good Father who finds no joy in our pain and suffering. Isaiah 61:2-3 tells us that our Lord came “to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Amid heartbreaking circumstances, we often plead for an easy fix. However, when we lean into our Father’s arms and cling to Him in trust, we find His faithful love and tender care. His faithfulness gives us a testimony to share with those who are hurting. Lord, refine us and give us hearts of “contagious” gratitude that we might bring glory to You and reflect Your beautiful light in a very dark world.

Vulnerability


2 Corinthians 12:9-10 
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.


Lately, vulnerability has been a topic of conversation among me and my friends. Leaning into vulnerability can be an uncomfortable experience for many. Although it may initially be uncomfortable, being honest about our weaknesses humbles us before the Lord giving glory to His strength and provision. A humble example of this can be found in the early days of life. 


A newborn baby is the most vulnerable being that there is. While babies are small and defenseless, they are also so full of life and potential. In the first days outside of the womb, they are flooded with new experiences that are simultaneously the best and worst things they have ever gone through. As uncomfortable as they may be, many of these experiences are desperately necessary for babies to grow and develop appropriately. Just as infants rely on their earthly parents, we can rely on our heavenly Father to nurture, protect, and provide for us in our vulnerability so that we can grow and develop toward our divine potential.


Embracing vulnerability requires stepping out in faith and taking advantage of spiritual opportunity. 

A but God attitude


Jesus on the cross quotes Psalms 22:1 


“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”


This is not a complaint to our Father, it’s worship. Reading Psalms 22 added so much to the words Jesus speaks in this moment of suffering. If we continue reading, verse 3 and 4 adds:


“Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praise of Israel. in you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.”


Jesus carried a “but God” attitude. Regardless of His circumstances He knew that our Father is doing something greater. We should mirror this same attitude with the goal of sharing Jesus. We cant do this without remembering His gift of salvation through faith. 

The overflow

“It’s from the overflow that we love people, and we also learn from the overflow.” 

I heard this quote a while ago at a church conference and have held onto it in my notes app for so long. 

And if you think like me then your first thought is, what is the overflow, and where do I find it?

Well, the overflow is the overflow. 

It’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s an overflow of the love from the Lord 

Because of this overflow of love, we can love people too. And in that same overflow, we can learn so much. 

It is simply the overflow of the abounding grace and love and goodness from God. He loves us so much, He shows us how to love, so we can love too.

We can learn how to love people the right way, the selfless way, the Godly way. 

We can learn how to be gracious, and kind, and humble, and meek. 

So learn from the overflow! Learn from the love of God, learn to use the overflow of His love to love people. 

“We love because he first loved us.”

1 John 4:19 

Score


I am a creature of habit. I joke that I am a type C person. One who thrives on structure and routine but can chase every rabbit and squirrel with the best of them. Every single morning on the way to school, the kids and I rotate through our favorite songs on our Forrest Frank pandora station. Because let’s be honest: “God is good all the time, if he ain’t, then you’re lying.” 


Once our karaoke has ended and we have arrived to school, I walk the kiddos to their morning drop off spots. Every single morning I leave them with four phrases:  
1- I love you.
2- Have an amazing day. 
3-Be kind to others. 
4-Be a Leader. 
If I’m being completely transparent, most days I need to be reminded of these phrases just as much as they do.


Our world is filled with so much discourse. We are choosing hate over love, and that’s because we are being self seeking over seeking God. I can’t cause life altering change in our world from little ol’ Saratoga, but what I can do is raise my kids to love their neighbor. Love them without boundaries. Love them despite their political affiliation, nationality, sexual orientation, or religious belief. Because in Romans 5:8 the Bible tells us that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God sent his son to die for us KNOWING we were going to fail him, doubt him, and sin against him. He knew we were worth it. All of us.


Jesus knew his disciples well, especially their weaknesses and the things they struggled with. Isn’t it great that the Bible supercedes time, and we can learn through the scripture how to deal with those same struggles today! Like the parable of the wedding feast in Luke 14. He tells us: “When you are invited to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, in case someone more important than you is invited. And then when they ask you to give them your seat, you will be embarrassed because you have to move. BUT when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he comes to you he can say, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”


Every single day we pass judgement. Notice, I said WE. We are human. We are flawed. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. We have ALL been lost at one time or another. Often times when we point a finger at others, we usually have three pointing back at us. Isn’t it crazy that when we talk to people about Christianity we expect them to fill out a check list, when salvation is offered to us for free? As long as we obey the gospel?  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭23‬ 


We can’t require perfection from others, while expecting grace to be given to us. The apostle Paul  referred to him self as the “chief of sinners” but yet was so confident in his salvation that was found through Jesus. 


Thank goodness for Jesus. For God’s grace. For his mercy. Jesus doesn’t keep score cards, and neither should we.