Archive | May 2014

Attitude

May31

speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; — Ephesians 5:19

Isn’t attitude a choice? When you rise in the morning is your attitude one of thankfulness to God for a brand new day of life; reverence of Him who IS; and seeking His wisdom to make the most of your time? (Ephesians 5:15-16)
Paul tells us to not be foolish but understand what the will of the Father is. Be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:17-18) How is this accomplished? By reading and studying the Bible and by prayer. Our attitude is greatly influenced by our involvement with the Lord Jesus.
Attitude is a choice and I choose to seek Jesus so that my attitude overflows into my day to touch the lives of others all the while singing and making melody with my heart to the Lord!
Are you ready for an attitude adjustment?
Continually seeking Him,
Sharon
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Do Not Lose Heart

May30

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. — Galatians 6:9

The great work of the Lord is good. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to continue His work on earth through us when He went to be with the Father.  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:5 8) Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, (2 Corinthians 4:1) Do not grow weary of doing good. (2 Thessalonians 3:13)

The work of the Lord will bring persecution to those who do the work.  You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. (Matthew 10:22)  But we are not alone.  For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:3) Jesus is our example of endurance. He endured the cross for the sake of fulfilling the Father’s plan.  When we compare our lives of doing the work of the Lord to the work Jesus did, and is still doing, we can’t even endure what He did. Our sufferings pale to the sufferings Jesus encountered.

Think about the saints who endured. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. (James 5:11) God is with us in our ministry giving us the endurance we need to sow good and then reap.

So do not lose heart as you seek Jesus knowing He is with us always.  He endured the cross so we can endure the work of the Lord and then He arose from the dead. Now we must keep enduring for you too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.  (James 5:8)

Continue the work of the Lord with endurance because of the mercy shown you by the Lord Jesus Christ knowing that our toil is not in vain. Remember, when things get tough, what Jesus did on the cross for you and don’t grow weary. We have received mercy so let us be patient, strengthen our hearts for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. O glorious day!!!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

See His Greatness

May29

‘O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours? — Deuteronomy 3:24

What a word of praise and awesome wonder when God reveals Himself to His surrendered servant. When we trust and rely on Jesus Christ with our fully surrendered lives, we see His greatness and strong hand in our lives. There is no doubt that God is alive and working among His people.

I believe there is no greater work or mighty act today than the reconciliation of us to God Himself. God is actively working in our lives to mold us into His perfect people. The transformation process, although tough, is a beautiful thing to behold. In ourselves it is usually seen in hindsight but watching it in others is so exhilarating and exciting. Let me share an example:

My future son-in-law and daughter found a wedding dress the other day for
their upcoming wedding on Saturday. They left the store with the security
tab still attached to the dress. My son-in-law tried to remove the tab that
has ink on the inside and of course the ink bled all over the dress. My
son-in-law is a baby christian – accepted the Lord as a child but never
experienced any walk. I have been praying for him for many years . . .
but back to the story. He returned the dress and got a new one but that
is not the best part of the story. This is the text I received from my
daughter when I asked what happened with the dress situation: “He got it.
Last large they had. . . he said he kept praying and when he found it he
was thanking Jesus over and over”.

I was rejoicing and thanking the Lord for this transformation experience. Thanking the Lord for His greatness. Who can do such works and mighty acts as these? My God and Him alone.

Thank God for His transforming work in the lives of His people. Something only He can accomplish.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Hope, In God or Riches?

May28

My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. 2 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken. — Psalm 62:1-2

My soul waits in silence for God only. In silence. Quietness to hear the still small voice of the Lord. To be filled with the peace of God that comes in the silence of my prayer closet. He is my rock and salvation, my stronghold.

My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. — Psalm 62:5-6

Addressing my soul, I say, “wait in silence for God only”. He is my hope, my rock and salvation, my stronghold, my refuge, my strength.

7 On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. 8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah. — Psalm 62:7-8

On Him alone rest my salvation and glory. I shall not be shaken! I shall trust Him at ALL times and pour out my heart before Him in prayer.

If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them. — Psalm 62:10b
He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf. — Proverbs 11:28

Where is your trust today?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Ambassadors For Christ

May27

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. — 2 Corinthians 5:20

Ambassador: an authorized messenger or representative

What is our message if we are messengers for Christ? Reconciliation. To be an effective ambassador we must first reconcile ourselves to God through Christ.

and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves,
but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
— 2 Corinthians 5:15

Our repentance and surrender to Christ as our Savior, accepting His grace/favor and believing God raised Him from the dead reconciles us to God. We are in Christ:

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature;
the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
— 2 Corinthians 5:17

Being in Christ our love for Him controls us. (2 Corinthians 5:14) God has prepared us to be ambassadors for Christ and given us the Spirit. (v.5) By the Spirit we walk by faith, not by sight. God reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. (v.18)

What is our message?

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
— 2 Corinthians 5:21

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Walk In A Worthy Manner

May26

be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; Colossians 1:9b-10

We cannot neglect the reading of the Word of God and expect to know or do God’s will. Without prayer we cannot be freed from the encumbrance of sin that entangles us. (Hebrews 12:1) Fixing our eyes on Jesus as we read His Word and pray, we are filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Want to know how to walk through life with fulfillment — bearing fruit in all good work — and increase in the knowledge of God? Read the Word and pray so that you walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. You won’t regret it and you will please God in all respects.

Don’t wait. Starting today make it a priority in your life to seek God through His Word, Jesus, and pray for understanding, spiritual wisdom and the knowledge of your Creator.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Looking At You Who Do They See?

May25

Take pains (meditate upon) with these things; be absorbed (give thyself wholly) in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. — 1 Timothy 4:15 NASB (KJV)

Meditate upon these things:
1. constantly nourish on the words of faith and sound doctrine (v.6)
2. discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness (v.7)
3. fix your hope on the living God (v.10)

So that your progress will be evident to all:
1. Show yourself an example in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity (v.12)

Which is only accomplished by looking to Jesus so that we can be like Him. And when we do, others will see Jesus in us.

I don’t know who wrote this but it fits:

By looking to Jesus
Like Him thou shalt be,
Thy friends in thy conduct,
His likeness shall see.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

My Heart’s Desire

May24

 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:10
Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. — Psalm 37:4-5
Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it. — Deuteronomy 10:14

To God be the glory!

God is our Supplier. He supplies all our needs according to His riches — He owns cattle on a thousand hills — to Him belong heaven and earth and all that is in it. Is there anything you need that He cannot supply? The Bible says “no”.

Sometimes though, we want. Does God give us our wants? Sometimes . . .

My husband and I are on a fixed income due to my not working so I can care for my Mom. My daughter is getting married and the plan was for a very simple wedding. Bride, groom, and two witnesses with my husband doing the ceremony. Well, my Mom and I are here now to celebrate this covenant marriage which means more family members wanting to be present and as word gets out more and more want to be a part.

Back to finances. I desire to make my daughter’s special day a precious memory and so to prayer I went.

Bottom line — God has supplied what is needed to make it a special event financially. I did a little investigating as to how much supplies would be and the store I went to has all wedding paraphernalia at 50% off. Is my God amazing or what?!!!!  I delight myself in the Lord and He gives me the desires of  my heart. Be clear that the desire of our heart is really the desire of God’s heart made manifest through us. Just as we give special treats to those we love, God sometimes gives us special treats too.

I commit my way to You my Lord and trust in You. Thank You for fulfilling this desire of my heart. To You Lord God be the glory!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Describe What Great Things God Has Done

May23

 “Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him. — Luke 8:39

Do you have a testimony to share with someone today? Has God done anything for you today?

Sharing our testimony of faith is more than sharing how we came to know God through Jesus Christ by believing in Him and confessing our sins. It is wonderful to accept Jesus as our Savior but our testimonies of faith get better and better as years go by when we focus on our relationship with Jesus.

Walking with Jesus everyday and seeing how He is at work gives us a voice to share with others. If we are not drawing near to the Lord we are not seeing Him at work. Drawing near allows our eyes to see the things He sees, to have the mind of Christ, and experience the joy of the walk. It is hard to keep quiet when we are overjoyed by something. When awesome things happen in our lives we are quick to share the good news. It should be the same with our walk with Jesus. When we keep seeking Him daily we experience Him daily and so in turn we have something to share daily. The challenge is to be able to share something everyday.

Jesus told the man to return to his house and describe what great things God has done for him but he went proclaiming throughout the whole city. That is the effect of Jesus on your life when you are surrendered to His will in your life. You can’t contain yourself. You need to share the great things He has done. To God be the glory!!!!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Throne of Grace

May22

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. — Hebrews 4:16

“Draw near with confidence to the throne of grace”. We can approach the throne of grace boldly with confidence, not because of us but because of Jesus Christ Himself, the High Priest who can “sympathize with our weakness, One who has been tempted in all things” just like we have except that He is “without sin”.

Jesus understands every moment of our lives, whatever we are experiencing. He has experienced the human pit falls of life, the challenges, the temptations, the sorrows, the pain. But He also experienced the joy, the friendships, the relationships of family. He is our wonderful Counselor. One who can truly counsel from experience. There is nothing that we could go through that Jesus does not relate to.

In His presence we find grace to carry on in our time of need. He gives all we need to continue on because He is our strength, our grace, our endurance. Without Jesus we face difficulties in life with despair and failure. With Jesus we face difficulties in life with hope and victory.

Jesus is sufficient.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon