Jesus

Words

I love words, which is odd considering I have horrific ADHD and truly struggle when it comes to focusing in and actually reading or studying anything that doesn’t spike that hyper focus reaction. Nonetheless, words have always come so easy to me. Well, at least in the sense of using them to write stories or running my mouth.

I thought about this as I tried to do my Bible study because if not for that love of words and the meaning they carry I truly do not believe I could get through this task. I am a (insert the number that we don’t speak here) year old woman and I have never ONCE gotten through an entire devotional. I think the fact that I am reading someone else’s thoughts on the words holds me back here.

I have always been so far outside the box when it comes to thinking that I rarely understand inside the box thinkers thought processes. I have to dig in and pick the words I am reading apart and figure out for myself what is going on in the text. Instead I end up just picking a book in the bible normally at complete random and digging in to see what words jump out and grab me and what thought comes to mind when they do.

So today the word today that jumped out at me was hope – that lead me down the path of researching how many times it was used in the Bible. The answer – 129 times. In the whole Bible! To which I thought “hmmm… that doesn’t seem like a lot to me…” So my next thought was, “what about faith?” The answer – 458 times to which I thought, “ok, so clearly that’s an important one.”

My next thought was, “what about love?” 551 times!!! So clearly when the good book says “the greatest of these is love” it means it. Love is such a missing word in the thought process of 2021. I see so many closed off to the idea completely.

The importance of love your neighbor is completely driven by greed. I’ll love my neighbor if… they are nice to me first… if they look like me… if they vote like me… if they believe like me… if they deserve it. The list really goes on and on with this conditional form of love we are surrounded by these days. When my focus was drawn here it was a completely inward look at my own love. I see so many failures in my love that I literally had to drop my head in shame.

The lack of action is so often the most visible action of all to those in need of love and grace. When we see them and don’t act to show kindness and love they can see that and they feel that. So many people feel unseen in this world, and the idea that I am adding to this problem just breaks my heart a little.

Am I doing this intentionally of course not, but my own selfish desire to just go home and be left alone and “stay out other people’s business” – well, that in itself is an action. That is me choosing to not see their need for talk, or a smile, or a kind word. That is me CHOOSING not to see their pain. I have this running fear that what I have to say won’t matter in the big picture of it all – that my smile won’t help them. Why would anything I say or do for them matter?

I’m no one…

Well, the words fear not – those words were used 365 times in the Bible. That’s 1 reminder each day of the year that I am someone to God, and that He does have a plan for my love for others. God doesn’t see any one as a no one. He sees us as chosen.

So, I say get out there and love someone today.

In that moment when you see them and something stirs in you, maybe take that as a God wink saying, “Hey, can you help me out with this one and show them my love through you?” What a gift you will be to that person God has in mind for you today…

Trish

So now faith,hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

-1 Corinthians 13:13

P.S. See how that scripture was ended? Period. That word means to mark the end of a declarative sentence. The kids today would say “periodT” meaning “done – that’s it. Aren’t words fun!!!

The Ultimate Gift

“Unto us a Child is born

The King of kings and Lord of lords

And He shall reign forevermore, forevermore.

If I were a wise man

I would travel far

If I were a shepherd,

I Would do my part, but poor as

I am I will give to Him my heart

And He shall reign Forevermore, forevermore.”

Chris Tomlin did what he does best once again when he published “He Shall reign Forevermore” in 2015. Bringing a worship song to life.

What a beautiful time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. There’s a little bit of Heaven everyday. Christmas time, there’s a whole lot of Heaven everyday. When I thought of Christmas, I had three things come to mind:

Giving

A King

New Beginnings

Giving – Christ was the example of giving from the very beginning. Giving life to an unborn Savior. Giving Mary and Joseph a child. Giving his one and only son. A Father who still gives today. As you receive a gift this year, or perhaps give a gift, think of all the many things Christ has given you over time.

A King – A leader and protector. A King who knows all and sees all. A King who loves. Preparing a kingdom for his people, the ultimate gift of eternity.

New Beginnings – I love this one. Life is full of new beginnings. Or we dream of having a new beginning. What’s a better fresh start, or new beginning than the birth of a Savior? A new beginning for our world. To save our world.

May you be reminded of the gift of Jesus Christ this season. The new beginning He gave us that very night. Thank you Jesus, you are the ultimate gift.

Merry Christmas all. He Shall Reign, forevermore.

Gift from God

I was so excited for Christmas. I mean what kid wasn’t?

The lights, the parties, the sweets, but mostly the presents. I mean I was only six years old so

of course those were the things that were important to me.

I remember the wrapping paper – red and green stripes. I remember the tag – to Daisy from Mom & Dad. And I remember the excitement of tearing into that gift.

Then I remember being absolutely angry.

It was a cracker box. What?! After all of these weeks of shaking it and staring at it and dying to know what was inside of that pretty red and green paper – it was seriously a cracker box.

So I threw a fit. I mean I was mad mad. And you kids don’t know anything about this but back in the 80’s parents didn’t put up with that mess.

My mom quickly grabbed the cracker box and handed it over to my sister. She opened it and inside was the soft, pink romper that I had been hoping for.

But the gift was no longer mine.

Y’all, isn’t that what we do? God gives us a gift from the heart. Something that we’ve longed for. Something that He knows will be just perfect for us – and we reject it. We reject it because we can’t see past our own assumptions.

This Christmas my hope is that we can all see and embrace the gifts that God has handpicked just for us. Maybe that gift is singing or writing or hospitality. Maybe that gift is cooking or carpentry or cleaning.

Whatever that gift is – thank Him. He handpicked it just for you. Trust God that it’s a good one – no matter what it looks like to the human eye. After all, how lucky are we to have a God that cares about us that much.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:” 1 Peter 4:10

Expecting

Expectation: a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future. 

Luke 2:11 –  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

I struggle so much with the month of December, the expectations threaten to steal all my joy in this season. There are lost expectations and grief from missing loved ones. I’m constantly managing others’ expectations (or my own guesses about them) as I try to buy the perfect gifts and cook a great meal.  I’m expecting to see the whole family, attend parties and visit with people who have no one to celebrate with. It’s the most wonderful and overwhelming time of year!  I carry all the pressure of these expectations that honestly,  even in my best most “got it together” year I could never meet.  It’s so easy for me to get distracted by comparisons, become disappointed and forget what the season is truly about.

I have heard the Christmas story all of my life and each year I ask the Lord to teach me something new from this story. Today, as I sit reading it again in my house that’s under construction with all of my stuff packed away, God is speaking to me about expectations! 

When Jesus was born, the people were waiting, looking, expecting a messiah, a king, someone to deliver them, overcome evil and rule in peace. God defied all expectations.  He sent a baby….born in Bethlehem- in a barn…to live a perfect life, to die a horrible death and rise again on the 3rd day!  He chose a young, young woman named Mary, and a carpenter named Joseph to be His parents.  We would have expected Jesus to be born in a palace, or the best the world could offer, but God chose a stable, a dirty barn with animals! What did Mary think? She was expecting to be married, not have a baby in a barn with animals and hay! What about Joseph? He was expecting to marry his bride, not become a father. But, they were obedient, and they loved. They put their expectations aside and obeyed God.

God’s gift for you may not be packaged the way you expected it! God has such a beautiful plan, wrapped in ways you could never dream or expect! Our lives may look and feel like that messy barn. You may think God has brought you to the wrong place, and surrounded you with unexpected guests – like Mary. But God’s presence changes everything and fills our hearts with hope and joy!  Like Mary & Joseph, let’s surrender our expectations and embrace His presence.

“Do not be afraid” is the angel’s message over and over. To me, in this season of my life His message is: don’t be afraid, let God work, surrender my expectations. I commit this Christmas Season to the Lord, and I’m asking Him to establish my thoughts and plans. 

Expecting blessings, choosing the Joy of Jesus, & expecting my Savior’s return,Mary

Highly Favored

There is something so warm and comforting in the tradition of rereading the Christmas story each December.  It’s a story that is so familiar because we see movies, watch plays, and attend candlelight Christmas Eve services each year that celebrates the birth of Christ. However, in the familiarity of the gospel story there is always new revelation to discover as we dig into scripture.  One of these rhema words, you know those moments the Holy Spirit is speaking straight to your soul, came to me a few years ago as I read Luke 1:26-36.  The angel Gabriel comes to Mary.  Scripture clearly lets us know that she is betrothed and a virgin.  Since we have never experienced a culture where there are arranged marriages, allow me to give a little background.  What Luke was communicating to his audience was that she was in covenant with someone, the bride price and the dowry had been paid but the wedding day had not occurred yet.  She was in a season of preparation for her groom and while his job was to build a place for her attached to his family’s home, her job was to prove her purity.  This was a vital part of this honor-shame way of life.  

     Going back to the narrative, Gabriel appears to Mary and says, “Rejoice, favored woman! The Lord is with you.”  The next part is what really stuck out to me.  It says, “Mary was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be”.  This seems so odd. In our western American-dream culture we would immediately be wondering what amazing blessings we were about to receive with this newly announced favor!  Would we be getting that dream job, dream home, dream man?  Would we be so favored to have a large platform to influence millions of people?  I think we would be dancing and celebrating our victory.  But Mary was not only troubled, she was deeply troubled.  The angel goes on to speak over her that she will conceive and give birth to a son.  His name would be Jesus and He would be great.  He would be called Son of the Most High and His kingdom will have no end.  Again…wouldn’t that be incredibly exciting?  That would be even bigger and better than a social media platform or a dream job!  To a 14 year old girl in the east those words meant something entirely different.  In an honor-shame culture it would mean that she was potentially about to be publically divorced and shunned by the entire community because no one would believe she was still pure.  

This weight would be far too heavy for any young girl to carry, but Gabrial states in verse 35 that the Holy Spirit would come upon her. The Holy Spirit will give us the power we need to accomplish our God given calling. Mary responds so bravely and full of faith “I am the Lord’s slave, May it be done to me according to your word.” What a response. She chose without hesitation to walk in obedience and humility no matter what the cost would be. I have to stop here and evaluate my own heart and life and I invite you to do the same. Do I respond the same way Mary did when I am asked to make a great sacrifice for the kingdom? Do I quickly give up the favor bestowed upon me in order to take a safer path? Do I fully trust Him enough to pick up my cross to follow Him? I mean a cross is heavy, and has splinters and leads to TORTURE! Am I ready for the highly favored life? I want with everything within me to say “I am the Lord’s slave.” I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me, and so do you if you have chosen to follow Jesus. So what are we waiting for! Here we are Lord, use us.

Washed

We all have a past.

Hallelujah.

It’s what we choose to do with that past that matters.

Will we continue to waller around in that mud, or are we gonna step on out of that mess and let God hose us off?

It’s our choice.

Jesus died for us. He took all of our dirty and hung it on the cross. Don’t let His death go in vain.

Be cleansed.

Be washed.

Be made whole.

🎶 Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you washed in the blood? In the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless, are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?🎶

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” John 1:9

Fully Alive

Guest Post by Mrs. Taylor Shoats

This is not often the most popular message; however, it is necessary as a Christian. We read this scripture “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If you truly want to follow me, you should at once completely reject and disown your own life. And you must be willing to share my cross and experience it as your own, as you continually surrender to my ways.”Matthew 16:24, but often we tend to skip over the denying yourself and taking up your cross part and go straight to the following Jesus part. However, we MUST die to us before we can ever truly follow Jesus.

I recently had a dream of my own crucifixion. It was one of the most beautiful, humbling, powerful experiences I’ve ever had with Jesus. The reality is, we must crucify our flesh, our desires, our opinions, our thoughts, our plans, our characteristics, so that we can take on more of Him.

It says in Galatians 2:20, “My old identity has been co-crucified with Messiah and no longer lives; for the nails of his cross crucified me with him. And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives his life through me— we live in union as one! My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that he gave himself for me, and dispenses his life into mine!”

Our wonderful Father is not asking us to die to us because He wants to create robots. He’s asking us to die because without the death of us, we cannot be fully alive in Him, operating in everything Jesus died for. Fully alive in Jesus means that we look like Him. It means that we walk in the greatest love, kindness, boldness, passion, compassion, patience, joy, peace, etc.

This world needs Christians fully alive in Jesus. We’re not fully alive if we haven’t died to us yet. We sacrifice our obedience to God because we haven’t died to our comforts yet. When we’re fully dead to us and alive in Jesus, obedience to Holy Spirit is always top priority. This world doesn’t need Christians that look like self. This world needs Christians that look like Jesus. This world is waiting, groaning, longing for Christians who look like Jesus. They need face to face encounters with the King.

Let’s take a moment to pray. Make this personal to you.

Holy Spirit, I ask You to come. I ask You to show me what it means to die to me so that I can fully live in You. I ask for a personal revelation of crucifying me. I want to stay close to Your spirit, close to Your fire, the fire that purges me so that I become like You. I love You God and I thank You for inviting me into this death. Dying to me so that I live freely in Jesus is the most wonderful invitation and I say yes. Amen.

Now Go.

Guest Post by Mrs. Emily Wilson

So here is the thing, I have issues with feeling inadequate at times. Like, “How can God use me?” “What is my purpose for the kingdom?”

Ever since I was asked to contribute to this page, I have worried that I wasn’t worthy or had anything worthwhile to say. I don’t always have the most catchy or witty things to say, and I questioned if anyone would even want to read anything that I wrote.

I began to write a “cookie cutter” lesson on my computer at school, but then the Lord stepped in. I came home to finalize that post only to find out that I had not saved it properly. Lost – everything was lost! I had to start over from scratch. Then the Lord spoke to me and said, “I am doing a NEW work in you! I have something else for you to say.”

Isn’t that just like the year we have had? All the plans and paths we thought we were on suddenly changed almost a year ago, and we have all had to adapt and readjust. I believe strongly that this is a time in history where God is going to do amazing things. We just have to be willing to be true disciples of His.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

EVERY Christian, not just those in formal ministry roles, are called to make disciples of all nations. The Lord has been showing me lately that my “nation” might just be my neighborhood. We all have a sphere of influence that the Lord has entrusted to us with whom we need to share the love of Jesus by simply doing life with each other.

You don’t have to go to a foreign land, have a degree in theology, or have a formal role in ministry to make disciples of those around you. Moms are called to love their children and families like Jesus does, and that is a mission field for sure. Teachers can positively impact students lives by loving them like Jesus when they need it most.

People in this country, probably more than ever, need Jesus and are seeking Him, even if they don’t realize it. The words we speak can either speak life or death into someone’s spirit, and I pray that all that I say or do will point the people I come into contact with to the cross.

Over the course of my life, I can look back on the everyday people I have come into contact with that have ministered to me in a meaningful way, many of which had no idea what they did. They simply lived their life out in such a way that it pointed to Christ. Rather that be a praying Grandmother that got me through many trials in life, to a caring teacher that offered extra encouragement at just the right moment, or a friend that offered to be present and listen just when I needed it.

When we fill our hearts, souls, and minds with the word of God, that overflow naturally impacts those around us and could quite possibly change the trajectory of not only their day but also their eternity.

I want to encourage anyone reading this to be filled with so much Jesus that it can’t help but overflow, to be intentional about relationships, and to treat your neighborhood as your mission field.

Now go out and make disciples. Yes YOU! I’m telling you to go out and make disciples!

Distracted.

I come from a family that loves sports almost as much as they love me.

Maybe more.

Just joking.

In my younger years we were heavy into softball. I can vividly remember my dad, and my big sister, telling me to keep my eye on the ball.

Because let’s be honest – I am easily distracted. I have a creative spirit. I’m a dreamer. Focusing on one thing is hard for me.

Since I’m focusing on how to focus this year, I’m working my way through Philippians 4:8. I had a huge a-ha moment while digging deep into “whatever is just”. Just comes from the Greek word dikaios which means deemed righteous by God. When we relate our lives back to this scripture the question is: Are we focusing on what’s deemed righteous by God, or are we focused on what’s deemed righteous by the world?

My dad and my big sister knew that for me to be successful I couldn’t let my eye wander. They knew that I could easily be distracted by shiny things, butterflies, or friends eating french fries in the bleachers. I had to have unwavering focus.

God knows that, too.

Today, I challenge you [and me] to be unwavering in your faith and your focus. If Godly success can be attributed by focusing on what’s deemed righteous by God, then that’s what I want to do. That’s what I need to do. And if that’s what I need to do, don’t you know the devil’s gonna be slanging all kinds of glitter my way.

Don’t take your eye off of God, y’all. And rest assured that He never takes His eye off of you.

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 1 Peter 1:13

Hope.

Yesterday Dianne Smith Timberlake and I were deep in conversation, and she said this to me, “What we think is hardship could actually be hope.”

That’s good stuff.

I’ve been all over the Bible, the dictionary, and commentaries this morning looking at “hope”. Here is one of the definitions I found in the dictionary for hope: a person or thing that may help to save someone.

Y’all.

We all know that person is Jesus. Today, I pray for anyone reading this that needs that hope. He is right here to save you. Just ask.

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,” Ephesians 1:8