A Father Who Loves Me

A Father Who Loves Me 

 Sharon Jaynes 

Today's Truth"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.  This then is how you should pray:  'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name...'" (Matthew 6:6-9NIV).

Friend to Friend One thing that makes the New Testament distinctively different from the Old Testament is that Jehovah God, the creator of the Universe and all it contains, invites us to call Him daddy.  It is the name of God that Jesus referred to more than any other. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, He said:

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.  This then is how you should pray:  'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name...' (Matthew 6:6-9).

If you are a parent, you can imagine how discouraging it would be if your children only talked to you when they wanted something.  Quite the contrary, we talk to our children to discipline, instruct, nurture, train, comfort, encourage, guide, and teach.  Our relationship with our Heavenly Father is much the same.  We are called children of God and He longs to gather us under His wing like a mother hen and speak to us in the quietness of prayer.  Our heavenly Father is always available and attentive, compassionate and caring, and interested and involved.

Sometimes, God wants to speak to us in our times of prayer simply to tell us how deeply He loves us.  I will never forget a time of prayer I spent with a group of women just before I was to speak at an event.  I had flown to Tennessee and moments before I went out to minister to the women who had gathered at the church, the leadership team held hands and prayed together.  As one woman prayed, she said, "Sharon, God showed me today, just how precious you are to Him."

God's love washed over me and tears began to spill down my face.  God loved me!  He loved me!  See, that's the message that I was going to share with the women at the conference, but in the hustle and bustle of preparation, God wanted to remind me that He loved me, too.

Today, how about talking to your heavenly daddy - not because you need anything - but just because you love Him.

Let's Pray Father, I come to You today as a little child.  I love You so much.  Thank You for loving me and accepting me just the way I am.  Thank You for being my heavenly Father Who loves me, cares for me, protects me, takes an interest in me, has dreams for me, watches over me, and provides for me.  How blessed I am to have a daddy like You! 

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

"Soul-Blinders" by Gwen Smith

"Soul-Blinders" 

Gwen Smith

 

Today's Truth "So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left" (Deuteronomy 5:32, NIV).

Friend to Friend
When I was a young girl, I rode horses with my cousin, Beth. When she was prepping her horse for shows, Beth would often add blinders to the bridle of her horse. Horse trainers believe these blinders, also called blinkers or winkers, keep the horse focused on what is in front of him, and encourage him to pay attention to the race rather than other distractions, such as crowds. Now, I'm not a horse, but at times my heart sure does wander and get distracted from what really matters. It makes me think that I could really benefit from some "soul-blinders."

You see, I have this distraction problem. At times I look around at what others are doing, being, and accomplishing and feel ineffective, unproductive, and unnecessary. There. I said it. It's not pretty, but it's true.
When do I have this problem? When I look around instead of looking to God. (How bizarre! I even know the answer to my problem ... and I still struggle with it!) Do you ever do that? Do you compare yourself to others and, as a result, determine that there are great deficiencies in your life? Do you ever feel like you don't measure up to those around you? Join the club. I bet we all struggle with this at times.
The good news is that God doesn't leave us without direction or help. He gave us His Word, the Bible, to direct our thoughts, behaviors, hearts, minds and souls - to be our soul-blinders! Scripture reminds us of this in Deuteronomy 5:32-33: "So be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess."
Ahhh ... and the light bulbs turn on! When we look to the LORD - to His plan for us - to the one that is unique to each of us, we will prosper. And when we look to the right and to the left, we lose our focus, we worry about comparison, and we become distracted. So, like Paul, let's press on. Forward. With a gaze committed to the path ahead - not to the path that is behind us or on either side. Sisters, like the apostle Paul says, "...I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I d Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14).
Today, I pray that you will join me in asking God to give us soul-blinders. Because when we turn our eyes upon Jesus and look full in His wonderful face, the things of earth ... the distractions, the comparisons, and stuff that causes us to lose our focus ... will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. 

Let's Pray Dear God, Thanks for giving us the Bible to direct us in life. I ask that You would put blinders on my heart so that I will be solely focused on living for You. I pray as the psalmist does: "I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws." (Psalm 119:104-106) Please help me to follow Your ways.
In Jesus' Name I pray,
Amen.

Remodeling 101 by: Mary Southerland

Today's Truth
Colossians 3:13 "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

Friend to Friend I promised myself that I would never buy a house that could be described as a "fixer-upper." I don't like fixing things. I want everything to be fixed before I move in. But there I was, buying a town house that needed so much work even the realtor couldn't believe my husband and I wanted to buy it. Why didn't someone stop me? No one did, so the sale was made and we went to work. Actually, my son and husband went to work while I went crazy.

I had no idea how horrible the process of remodeling could be. Layer after layer of dirt, grime, stains and ugliness was stripped away. Rotten kitchen cabinets were torn from the walls and rusty appliances were replaced. We basically gutted the whole place and rebuilt it - while living in it. I was not happy!

I will never forget the day I woke up to see a toilet sitting at the foot of our bed. It was at that moment I resolved to never set foot in another house that required so much work. I am so thankful God does not feel that way about me. 

Honestly, I used to wonder why God didn't just demolish the old me and build a new one. Then He did just that - through a two-year battle with clinical depression. While sitting at the bottom of that deep, dark and slimy pit, the Father lovingly stripped away old fears and insecurities. From the walls of my heart, He tore the rotten attitudes, undisciplined thoughts and unholy desires that had walked me to the edge of my pit; then pushed me in. He replaced rusty old dreams with new ones and basically, gutted my life to build a new one, a better one, and a stronger one. Part of that new life was forgiveness. God taught me how to forgive myself so I could then forgive others.

Because forgiveness is so important, it only stands to reason that there are roadblocks that can hinder our willingness to forgive. We must make the commitment to identify and remove each one.

Selfishness Selfishness shouts, "I have been hurt! It is so unfair. I have rights!" What I am really saying is that how I feel about the hurt is more important than forgiving the hurt.

Pride Pride cries, "Look at what they have done to me. Don't they realize who I am?" To receive or give forgiveness requires humility.

Low self-esteem Some of us have built an entire identity around a hurt. The attention we gain from the wrong we have suffered defines who we are. It is something we cherish and refuse to relinquish for the sake of forgiveness.

Blindness We may be blind to the fact that we have not forgiven a hurt. We have convinced ourselves that we really have forgiven the one who hurt us by going through the motions and saying the right words without really dealing with the pain. In reality, all we have done is dig a hole and bury the pain. As long as hurt is buried alive, it will keep resurrecting itself in our life, but when the hurt is dealt with and forgiveness is given, the pain is buried dead - and it stays dead.

Pain Forgiveness is spiritual surgery. It exposes old hurts that have never completely healed. We can move, change jobs, change churches, change friends or even change families, but until we yank up the root of bitterness and cover it with forgiveness, we will live with unresolved pain.

Ignorance Maybe we don't know how to forgive someone because are under the impression that forgiveness is an emotion or feeling. True forgiveness is a choice - a deliberate choice to release the person who has hurt us from the pain they have caused. We can stop forgiving others when God stops forgiving us.   

We need to identify and eliminate the roadblocks to forgiveness so God can set us free, heal our pain and make us more like Him. Now that is a remodeling job I would welcome.

Let's Pray Father, I praise You for the changes You have made in my life through the power of Your forgiveness. Please help me forgive the people who have hurt me just as You have forgiven me.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Now it's Your Turn The holiday season seems to highlight certain emotions - one of which is emotional pain. A family member has wounded you and shows no sign of remorse. Maybe a friend has betrayed you and refuses to apologize. Or you may be struggling to forgive yourself because you don't think you deserve to be forgiven. None of us deserves forgiveness. Forgiveness is a gift from God. Today is the day to make the choice to forgive. Beside each statement below, write the name of someone in your life who needs your forgiveness.

Forgiveness is not limited to those who deserve it. ______________________________

Forgiveness is not limited to those who apologize. ______________________________

Forgiveness is not limited to those who change. ________________________________

Read and memorize 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

The Fallacy of Full-Time Christian Work By Os Hillman

"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 3:16,17). 

Jonathon was a twenty-five year old son of a pastor who was working in his local Christian bookstore. He started seminary but was unable to finish because of a lack of finances. He was OK with working in the store, but felt it was second-best. In fact, sometimes he felt he had "missed his calling."

Then one day a young woman wondered into the store. She was distressed. She was not a believer. Her husband had just left her and she did not know where to turn. She was walking through the mall when she noticed the store. She decided to walk in, not knowing why.

"Hello, may I help you?" said Jonathon. "Well... I don't know. I saw your sign and just came in." Right then, she began to cry. She told Jonathon about her plight, not knowing why she would do such a thing with a perfect stranger. Jonathon listened and began to talk with her. Before the conversation was over, Jonathon had prayed with the woman and led her to faith in Christ.

That night Jonathon pondered what had happened that day. He realized he had personally led a woman into eternity by being available in his workplace. He felt a new sense of purpose behind what he thought was simply a job to put food on the table until he could get to his real ministry. He confessed to the Lord his wrong view of his work. For the first time, he realized it was ministry too.

We have incorrectly elevated the roll of the vocational Christian worker to be more holy and committed than the person who is serving in other arenas. Yet the call to any workplace is as important as any other calling. God has to have His people in every sphere of life. Otherwise, many would never come to know Him because they would be separated from society.

Wherever you are called, serve the Lord in that place. Let Him demonstrate His power through your life so that others might experience Him through you today.

Source:  The Fallacy of Full-Time Christian Work

Simply Obey By Os Hillman

"But Naaman went away angry and said, 'I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy'" (2 Kings 5:11-12).
 
Naaman was an army general who needed healing from Leprosy. A young servant girl of the king's house suggested that the prophet Elisha could heal him. He followed her advice and Elisha sent a message to him to do the following: "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed" (2 Kings 5:10). However, when the instruction came as to what he was to do, it seemed ridiculous to him.

Like many of us, Naaman expected God to perform his miracle through Elisha in a dramatic and "religious" way. Sometimes we fail to recognize that God can work through a simple act of obedience that seems unrelated to the problem. God told Joshua to walk around Jericho seven times to win the battle. He told a man to put mud on his eyes to be healed. He told Peter to catch a fish to get a coin to pay his taxes.

There are other times God calls us to use the natural to receive a breakthrough. Sometimes we simply need to change our diet or go see a doctor to see a breakthrough in our health. Sometimes we need to change the way we are doing our work to get a breakthrough in our careers.

Samuel the prophet told King Saul that obedience is better than sacrifice. Learning to listen to the Lord and following His instruction is the key to success in God. Sometimes God chooses the dramatic and sometimes He chooses the ordinary. In either case, both are miracles because God is the God over all creation.
Ask Him what steps you are to take for your breakthrough.

Source:  Simply Obey