Promised Blessings

Only 8 ½ hours left in 2007. Wow! This year has flown by. I’m sitting here at my kitchen table. The house is quite; my little one is asleep, the older two are out with grandparents, my husband is at work. As I sit here enjoying this time to myself, I can’t help but think back over the events of the past year. God blessed our family with a precious baby girl in May, my husband took on a new job, we started our second year of home schooling, I’ve seen my oldest child grow in greater wisdom and knowledge of God, my husband and I have been able to serve the Lord in ways we never dreamed possible. God has done a mighty work in our family this year. I wonder though, how much more did He want to do in our lives? How many more blessings did He have awaiting us, but because of our disobedience, or lack of interest or focus, we missed out on?

Saturday night, I was studying in God’s Word and He brought me to Psalm 68:19. Listen to what it says, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation.” Did you get the middle part? He daily loads us with benefits. Daily God has, for you and me, benefits beyond measure. As I meditated on that verse for a while, my thoughts were drawn back to the children of Israel as they approached the borders of the Promised Land. The land was already theirs for the taking, all they had to do was place the sole of their foot on it and BAM!, it was theirs (Joshua 1:3). There was over 300,000 square miles of land God had awaiting them. 300,000 square miles- that, my friend, is A LOT of land! Do you know how much of it they ended up possessing? Only a tenth- only 30,000 square miles. Why? Why did they only possess a tenth of what God had for them? It was right there in front of them for cryin’ out loud. All they had to do was place the sole of their foot upon it and it was theirs. So why only a tenth? Disobedience, my sister. Disobedience kept them from receiving the full blessing God had for His children. God told them in Joshua 1:7-9:

“Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

The children of Israel weren’t always strong and courageous. Maybe strong-willed, but not always strong in the Lord. They turned away from some very specific instructions God had given them in order to do their own thing. They didn’t always meditate in God’s Word, because they were too busy focused on the goings on around them- my momma always called that being nosey. Fear over came them on many occasions because they didn’t truly believe God was who He said He was and would do what He said He would do. Because of their disobedience they were unable to receive the benefits of God; a land already promised to them.

The more I sit here and think through all of this, I wonder- even though I’ve seen God work in my life and the lives of my family this year, what more did He have for us? I can think of times when I wasn’t in His Word, and times because of fear of failure I disobeyed specific instructions. Yes, there were times I was too focused on others instead of God. OK, I’ll go ahead and say it- yes, I was nosey! (Happy mom!?! J) It saddens me to think that I’ve missed out on some of the blessings God had especially for me. It saddens me even more to know that I’ve disappointed my God.

What about you? As you think back over 2007, what have you missed out on? None of us are perfect; we don’t and won’t always get it right. So, what are we suppose to do? How do we make 2008 different? This is what God has specifically told me.

*First, I need a reviving of my soul. Psalm 119:149 says, “Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; O LORD, revive me according to Your justice.” (emphasis added) Revive means to make alive, nourish up, restore to life, in order to be whole. I got on my face before the Lord and pleaded with Him to nourish my soul. To fill it up with Him so that I would be made whole.

*Second, I’ve got to treasure His Word, both written words and those words spoken in the secret places of my heart, more than anything else. “I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” Job 23:12. (emphasis added)

Let’s purpose in our hearts today, to be obedient to God in 2008 in all that He calls us to do so that we can receive all the benefits He desires to pour out upon us and through our obedience to be a delight to His heart.

I’d love to hear how God has blessed you in 2007 and what you are looking forward to in 2008. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Much love!

Taste and See

My house is quite now. There are trash bags full of ripped wrapping paper waiting to be taken out. Empty boxes are stacked at the back door. The kids are all nestled in their beds with new fluffy puppies snuggled beside them and new music playing in the background. As I sit here my thoughts go back some two thousand years ago to a manger filled with hay that cradles the newly born King. The Word made flesh has arrived. For unto us this child has been born; unto us this Son has been given. To the little town of Bethlehem and the world that surrounds it, the Savior has been born.

I can’t help but think of Mary. How she wrapped her new baby boy in pieces of old cloth, cuddled Him in her arms trying to calm the newborn and keep Him warm. And Joseph; how he sat beside his finance holding her in his arms as she held their baby. Wow! Can you even imagine looking into to eyes of your promised Savior. As we think about that first Christmas and ponder in our minds what today is truly about, let’s look together at what Luke 2:6 & 7 says, “So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” The imagery in these verses is so beautiful to me. Did you know that Bethlehem means “house of bread” and a manger is a feeding trough for animals? God laid His greatest gift to us- His One and Only Son- in a feeding trough. Why did God choose to present Christ this way? Because Jesus is the Bread of Life. All those who feed at this trough will live forever (John 6:48-51). Jesus nourishes us and fills us up to overflowing. Praise His Name!

Precious sister, come feast on Him today. Taste and see that He is good. Merry Christmas!

Immanuel, God with Us

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 7:14

In the eyes and heart of a child Christmas is a wonderful time of year; a joyful time of year. A time to bake cookies, make ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree, sing funny Christmas carols; oh, and don’t forget about the presents! As time goes by and we grow older, Christmas doesn’t seem to bring about the same joy it once did. December becomes ones of the most stressful times of the year; our wallets are stressed to the max, our time is stressed to the max, we are stressed to the max trying to get it all done. Our hearts are weary and burdened and we don’t even know why. We finally sit back and wonder, “there’s got to be something more than all this; there’s got to be something else.”

We had a birthday celebration at our house this weekend. My husband turned 5 years old. Yes, I meant to say my husband, not one of my children. He did. Really, he turned 5 years old. Okay, let me explain. We celebrated his 5^th SPIRITUAL birthday. On December 16, 2002, my husband came to know the Lord in a personal, intimate way. I remember the night Chris was baptized. Our pastor and he were talking before the service began about the difference God had made in his life. Chris said to Pastor Ray, “This is the best Christmas I have ever had.” Why? Why was that Christmas the best one he’d ever had? Because for years and years, the joy of a childhood Christmas had waned from his mind. He had, for so many years, longed for that something more to make Christmas meaningful to him. Chris finally realized it wasn’t a something he was longing for, but a Someone; it was Jesus Christ, that babe in the manger. Christmas had finally become real to him and the joy that was in his heart was greater than any childhood joy one can ever have.

All through the Old Testament, God shouts to us, “Christmas is coming! My Promised One is coming to you! The One who will fill that void of something you are looking for. He is coming!” In Isaiah 7:14, God told His people, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” Immanuel means “God with us”, and that’s exactly what Christmas is all about; letting God fill the something void in our heart with the Someone who came to give us an abundant life and joy beyond measure. The true joy of Christmas, is not the childhood joy of baked cookies, ornaments, singing songs, and presents, it is knowing you’ve received the greatest gift of all- Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. It's knowing that God is no longer a religion to you, but a relationship because you've truly received Him as your Savior and Lord. It’s knowing that Jesus will never leave you, never forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). It’s knowing that Immanuel, God with us, is now God in you.

Is your heart looking for something right now? Precious sister, stop looking for something and look to the Someone, Jesus Christ who came to give you all you need. He so desires to fill your life with a joy that is inexpressible. He wants to become God in you. If you haven’t received God’s greatest gift, if Jesus Christ is not your personal Lord and Savior, what are you waiting for? None of us are promised another breath of life. Stop right now and cry out to God; He’s waiting for you and He loves you dearly. Let Him make this the best Christmas you’ve ever had.

Do you have a question? Not sure what all this means? Leave me a comment, I’d love to talk with you more. Have a story to share about your best Christmas ever, leave a comment to encourage another sister. I love you all so much!

And the winner is...

The winner of our first annual Christmas Giveaway is... drum roll please... the winner is vabamagl1963. Email me at bhgm@embarqmail.com with your name and address so I can mail your gift to you. Thanks to all of you who left comments registering for the giveaway. I enjoyed reading who inspires you from the Christmas story. Much love and many blessings to all of you! Merry Christmas!

Better to Give

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"
2 Corinthians 9:15

I'm sure you are all aware that Christmas is just around the corner. I can just imagine you are busy trying to finish buying gifts for loved ones. If you're like me, you're still trying to get out all your decorations. When you look at your calendar for the month, you see Christmas party after Christmas party you've been invited to go to and you feel like you need to attend them all. There's just so much to do and so little time to get it all done before Christmas day gets here. But, what is Christmas REALLY all about? Over the next few weeks, leading up to Christmas day, I want us to dig deep into what this season is truly about.

Today, I'd like to share a heart-story with you that hopefully will help us get into the right mindset and heartset for the upcoming celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Yesterday, our Sunday School class had the opportunity to go to a local nursing home with our children and pass out Christmas cards to the residents. I've got to be up front and honest and tell you that I wasn't too excited about going. I'm not a big fan of nursing homes; I feel way out of my comfort zone there. But, isn't it so like God to get us out of our comfort zones in order to teach us something new. While we were there, we passed out over 100 cards, sang Christmas carols, laughed with some people, prayed with some, and even cried with a few.

Tonight as my family and I sat around the dinner table, my husband asked our 7 year old daughter and 5 year old son what they enjoyed most about going to the nursing home. Never knowing what kind of response we will get from our son, we smiled at each other and braced ourselves for the answer. Once again, he did not disappoint. His immediate answer was, and I quote, "My best part was riding on the elephants, but I didn't get to ride on the horses." After reminding him that we had not been to the circus, but to the nursing home to visit the elderly, his response was "Oh, yea, yea, yea. The best part was delivering the mail to them." My daughter, with the compassionate and tender heart the Lord has blessed her with said, "The best part for me was giving them the cards, singing with them, and giving them hugs." She continued on by saying, "You know that best part about Christmas is that we can give people gifts. It doesn't really matter if we get anything, just as long as we can give other people stuff that makes them happy and it makes us feel good when we give it to them."

I think she hit the nail on the head. Christmas is not about getting, getting, getting. It is about giving. God, Himself, set the example for us on that very first Christmas day when He gave us the greatest, most indescribable gift ever know to man; His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. Stretching me beyond my boundaries of comfort, the Lord taught me that going to the nursing home wasn't about me at all, but it was about giving the gift He has given me to someone in need. I pray we don't get so wrapped up in the busyness of the season that we don't have time to unwrap the greatest gift we've been given and share it with those around us.


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God's Word is...

"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the statues of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned and in keeping them there is great reward." Psalm 19:7-11

A few years ago I was talking with a lady about the Lord, His Word, and how important they both are in our lives. At one point in our conversation she asked me this question, "do you mean to tell me that everything in Scripture can apply to me today; is it all relevant to me right now? You may have that same question today; what is there in the Bible for me, how does a book that was written so many years ago apply to me? My answer to you is the same as it was to her; ABSOLUTELY God's Word is for us today and can be applied to every situation in our lives! There are numerous Scriptures which tell us this very thing; Romans 4:23-25 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17, just to list a few.

Let's take a few minutes to look at Psalm 19:7-11 to find out what God's Word is and what it will do for us. In verse 7 it says "the law of the LORD", what is the law of the LORD? God's law is His teaching, direction, and instruction to us, all of which can be found in His Word.

What is God's Word? If you write in your Bible, I encourage you to underline these things as we go through them. We'll begin in verse 7.
1. Psalm 19:7a- God's Word is perfect; there is no error found in His Word (Romans 7:12).
2. Psalm 19:7b- God's Word is sure; God's Word is absolute; it is truth (Psalm 111:7).
3. Psalm 19:8a- God's Word is right; there is nothing wrong about it or in it (Pslam 119:160).
4. Psalm 19:8b- God's Word is pure and enlightening because He is holy (1 Peter 1:15; Psalm 119:130).
5. Psalm 19:9- God's Word is true and righteous (John 17:17).
6. Psalm 19:10- God's Word is worth more than gold (Psalm 119:72; Proverbs 8:10-11).

Now that we've seen what God's Word is, let's look at what God's Word will do.
1. Psalm 19:7a- Because God's Word is perfect, it will convert us from sin to holiness (Ephesians 5:26; 1 Peter 1:23).
2.Psalm 19:7b- Because God's Word is sure, it will give us wisdom in knowing how to handle situations.
3. Psalm 19:8a- Because God's Word is right, it will cause our hearts to rejoice (Psalm 119:111).
4. Psalm 19:8b- Because God's Word is pure and enlightening, it will shed light on our sin and give us light for our journey (Psalm 119:105).
5. Psalm 19:9- God's Word will endure forever because it is living and active (Hebrews 4:12).
6. Psalm 19:11a- God's Word will give us warning and keep us from destruction (Psalm 17:4).
7. Psalm 19:11b- God's Word will bring eternal reward; salvation (2 Timothy 3:15)

Do you see how important God and His Word are to us? Without both we would be nothing and having nothing. God is EVERYTHING! Is He your everything today? Are you delighting in His Word and allowing it to penetrate every part of your life? I'd love to hear from you about how God's Word has spoken to you today.

CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY!

Registration for the Christmas Giveaway is now closed. The winner will be announced Monday, December 17, 2007. Thanks to all of you who participated! Many blessings and much love!!

CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY

Registration for the Christmas Giveaway is now closed. The winner will be announced Monday, December 17, 2007. Hey, friends. It's time for our first annual CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY! I'm going to be giving away a Deluxe Edition Streams in the Desert Daily Devotional Journal and a children's Scripture CD. This beautiful Streams In the Desert Devotional was first compiled by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman during her early years as a missionary in Japan and China. It contains writings from various Godly men and women, like C. H. Spurgeon, George Mueller, Matthew Henry, Hannah Whitall Smith, and many others. "Let the Children Come" is a wonderful children's music CD full of Scripture songs to help your children hide God's Word in their hearts. All of the songs included on the CD are original and have been produced by Dianne Hart of Hart to Heart Ministries, Inc.

Registration for the Christmas Giveaway beings today, December 8, 2007 and will end Friday, December 14, 2007 at 12:00 p.m. One name will be drawn, at random, from all who have registered for the giveaway during the weekend of December 15 & 16. The winner will be announced Monday, December 17, 2007.
Here's how you can be a part of this wonderful giveaway.
1. You must live inside the continental USA.

2. Leave a comment to this post, by answering the following the question- Which person(s) i.e. Mary, Joseph, the Wise Men, etc., involved in the Christmas story mean the most to you and why? When leaving your comment please be sure to include your name if you want to be put in the drawing for the giveaway.

I look forward to reading who, in the Christmas Story, means the most to you. If you have any questions feel free to email me at bhgm@embarqmail.com.