Archive | April 2014

A Good Minister

Apr10

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For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer. If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed. Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. — 1 Timothy 4:4-7

What makes a good minister (servant, one who acts upon the authority of another)? One who explains to the brothers and sisters of the word of God and prayer. If you do this you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus. You are one who is nourished by the message of faith and the teaching you have followed. Train yourself to be godly. Practice being like Christ.

Disciple as Jesus discipled. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. — 1 Timothy 6:18-19

Life is all about who we are in Jesus. Life is whatever we do, doing it all to the glory of God.

Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. — 1 Corinthians 10:31

Let us seek Him through the Word and prayer so that we are affective for the kingdom of God, bring glory to His name, and enrich our lives because we live every moment for our Lord.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

Be Still

Apr9

“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”.  — Psalm 46:10
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. — Psalm 37:7
For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.” But you were not willing, — Isaiah 30:15
And the work of righteousness will be peace, And the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever. — Isaiah 32:17

Have you noticed how the world is always in such a hurry? Running from one meeting/event to another. We pass by people not even noticing them and when we do it is usually because they are slowing us down. We get stressed out over all that needs to be done. Why?

And just as we don’t notice people we tend to be too busy to notice God. We struggle through the day getting stressed out and miss seeing the work that God is about. We miss the miracles of the day. We especially miss the Lord Himself. The relationship. The intimacy. The glory. What is the solution?

The Lord says that we need to be still and know that He is God. Without the stillness and quiet of His presence we focus on things of the world that weigh us down and burden us. We are too busy to wait for an answer from God so we make decisions on our own without God’s direction. We are an impatient people. If God is truly in control then waiting on Him will not be disastrous. Being still and knowing God brings peace and contentment. Knowing God is trusting that He knows what’s best for us so we don’t need to rush through our day blindly checking off our to do list. In quietness and trust is our strength.

The result? I walk this world in the work of righteousness that will be peace and in the service of righteousness that is quietness and confidence. Through Christ I walk in righteousness to bring Him glory so that He will be honored by every nation throughout the world. Take the time to be still and know that the Lord, He is God!

Keep seeking.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Praise the Lord!

Apr8

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty expanse. — Psalm 150:1
For He looked down from His holy height;
From heaven the Lord gazed upon the earth,– Psalm 102:19
The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there are any who understand,
Who seek after God. — Psalm 14:2
God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there is anyone who understands,
Who seeks after God. — Psalm 53:2

Praise the Lord! A simple request for a deserving, worthy God. Praise Him in His sanctuary. The sanctuary, temple, a holy place. It is the place where God dwells. We are called to be holy, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Praise Him in His mighty expanse. The Creator of everything, indwelling in us desires our praise.

He looks down from His heavenly abode upon all His creation and He searches for any who understand, any who will seek Him. When He looks at your corner of the world what does He see?

To properly praise our God, we must have a spirit of praise. Where does that come from? From seeking Him continually. When we seek we understand because God reveals great and mighty things. When we seek we see the Lord at work. When we seek our hearts are softened and filled with praise. Seeking brings understanding, peace, and joy which is turned into praise!

So let us praise the Lord from a heart that seeks Him.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Dad’s Greatest Gift To Me

Apr7

 

I shared this message at my Dad’s memorial:

I would like to tell you about the greatest gift my Dad ever gave me. This gift is a gift that he actually received. This was and is a gift that doesn’t lose its value when re-gifted. This is a gift, because he accepted it, that affected many, many people. This gift, like a diamond, has many facets. This gift comes wrapped in strength, peace and assurance.

The greatest gift my Dad gave to me was the gift of salvation that he received from Jesus Christ!

When Jesus was being led away to His crucifixion there was a large crowd following Him — women were mourning and lamenting Him. Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children”.*

My Dad is with Jesus now and O the peace that brings to me and the strength to carry on. John 14:27-28 says, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” As Jesus said — weep for yourselves and for your children — Dad is at peace, experiencing joy as never before — my concern here is . . . do you know Jesus? Have you received the gift Jesus has for you so that when you pass your loved one can have the assurance and peace of your salvation and the strength to carry on?

There is no greater gift you can re-gift to anyone than to receive the greatest gift ever given – the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Please, if you do not have the assurance of where you are headed in death – come talk to me or someone you know who knows Jesus. It makes all the difference.

Thank You Jesus for my Dad’s salvation, my salvation and the peace and assurance of where Dad is. All praise and glory to You, my God. Amen.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

* Luke 23:27-28