daily IMPACT by selahV

What I Want Is Not Enough For God

"The desires of the righteous shall be granted." Proverbs 10:24

I know I am not righteous in my own strength, my own actions, my own desires, or plans and dreams.  However, I do know that I have righteousness in Christ.  As I yield my selfish whims, jealous attitudes, and bitter grievances to Christ, the desires of my heart will align with the desires and righteousness of God.  And then my desires will be granted.  otherwise, selfishness will breed difficulty, dissatisfaction, discontent, and trouble, not only in my life but in the lives of all those with whom I come in contact.

Watch children at play.  You'll see what I mean.  When children want a specic block, and the other child has it, then the desires and selfish attitudes explode all over the place.  Even when a child gets his or her own way, the fall-out will wreak havoc on the rest of the group or family members.  Only when someone is the giver, the generous, the righteous--is there any hope of peace.  And the greatest peace and joy comes to the one who has given with a willful and abandoned heart of love and generosity.  selahV

WHY BEND OVER BACKWARDS?

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Romans 12:18

We do not bend over backwards and try our best to tolerate others, to keep peace with others, or to appease others because we are weak, or afraid of confrontation.  We do everything within our power, means, intelligence, wisdom and resources to live at peace with everyone-- even with those who do not want to live at peace with us.

HOWEVER... this does not mean we hand others the sword to slice us in two.  It does not mean we give them a bat to beat us upside the head.  It does not mean we are to let them treat us in a manner which is life-threatening to us.  "If it is possible", and "as far as it depends on you", we are to make every effort.

Therefore, peace depends, not just on me, it also depends on others.  It takes two to tango, and two to fight.  When there is no give, no compromise, then one must decide what is "peace" in their lives.  Once we understand that peace for us is not always peaceful for others, we pursue what we must to live as Christ would have us live.  The rest of the world answers for their actions.

If you keep taking your marbles and going home, or if you keep taking your marbles and mine, too, then don't expect peace to reign supreme in the world between us.  Why bend over backwards just to break your back? selahV

WHEN WE ARE THIRSTY

we may not need what we think we need.

When we need a friend, we may need to be a friend.

When we need comfort, we may need to comfort another.

When we need encouragement, we may need to encourage another.

When we need love, we may need to love another.

When we need acceptance, we may need to accept another.

When we need mercy, we may need to be merciful.

When we need forgiveness, we may need to forgive someone.  WHY?

Because God says: "he that watereth shall be watered also himself." Proverbs 11:25  SO......

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Fearless Comfort

in the face of threats.

Is it hard to believe you take comfort in the midst of frightening threats?  Many times in my life, I have cowered at the threats and predictions of doom.  Yet, it is possible to find comfort and peace.  Who would know this better than Moses as he made his way toward the promised land of God?  He'd seen God's hand move against the Pharoah of Egypt when God wanted the Israelites to be released from slavery and captivity.  Moses witnessed the power of God as He parted the Red Sea so millions of Jews could cross in safety.  He saw it again when the Egyptian army with all their swords and chariots and horses chased after them and were drowned in the sea when God unleashed the walls of water He'd held in place so the people of Israel could cross. Moses knew God protected from enemies.  He encouraged Joshua when he saw his enemies before him:

"Don't be afraid of them, for the LORD your God fights for you." Deuteronomy 3:22

We each have our enemies.  Some are not as visible as those Moses and Joshua saw.  We face enemies of our faith, our dreams, our goals.  We have threats we face daily-- the unknown, the illnesses, the disease.  We fret over pressures and think we cannot endure the weight of those pressures.  But we can take comfort.  We do not have to be afraid.  Our Lord will fight for us.  He will intervene when we have no where to go and no one to turn to for help.  May we each trust in our heavenly Father and take refuge in Him and His promises.  May we be comforted by the things we know are true and rest in the hope He gives us by faith.  selahV

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Holding On

We sometimes wake up and begin to face our day while still holding on to yesterday.  We cling to the mistakes.  We replay the bungled conversations.  We beat ourselves up and waste the best part of the day fretting.  We try to move forward, only to be pulled backwards like we are in some kind of tug-of-war with our thoughts and emotions.  We allow the negative things others say about us to color our world.  We give permission for discouragement to walk alongside us and let it mar the joy we might experience if we'd but look beyond the hurts of yesterday, the disappointments, the blunders.

Jesus said, "...don't worry about tomorrow... Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Mt. 6:34),  He told us not to take thought of tomorrow, of what we will eat or drink or wear.  Do you think God wants us to drag every yesterday into today?  Should we dwell on that which is impure, unhealthy, unholy? Must we harbor the grievances we have against others?  Shouldn't we forgive and live in the freedom of that forgiveness?  Lamentations 3:22-23 says God's mercies never cease and are new every morning.  And surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

Today is a new day.  This is a new hour, a new moment.  Do not waste it considering that which is lost.   Stop hoding on.  Let go.  Give yesterday to God and live in His grace today.  selahV

Give Thanks for THIS?

Ever feel like asking that?  You read your Bible verse for the day:

"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:15

"In all circumstances?" That's a very hard saying to comprehend, sometimes.  When the the car breaks down, the electricity is shut off, the computer goes beserk?  When your husband is laid off, the insurance bill goes up, and you wish Christmas was twelve months away instead of one.  When medications do not relieve the pain and doctors give you no hope.  Giving thanks is not really on your mind.

It's particularly hard when it comes to relationships:  When we are not able to be with those we love.  When we've lost someone.  When our child is rebellious and seems to hate us--the child we carried in our womb for 9 months, labored to give life to, and raised to walk in the ways of God.  It's hard to be thankful in that circumstance.  One may think: "Surely, you don't mean me, Lord."

How can one be thankful when they are rejected, ignored, or betrayed by a spouse or friend?

How can one be grateful when a chair at the Thanksgiving dinner-table is empty and will never be filled with that missing loved one again?

"Be thankful in all circumstances?" Is it really God's "will" for me to have the heartache I am having?  The difficulty?  Sometimes we wonder how this could be.  I know.  But there is a reason God says for us to be thankful in all circumstances.  For we who know His Son, we have a greater hope.  We have a greater blessing.  We have a permanent future-- one filled with joy-- without pain, sorrow, and heartache.  This thing we deal with today: the grief, loneliness, rejection, or the fleeting fear.  This too shall pass.  We are sojourners in a foreign land.  This earth is not our home.  We may not be thankful for the circumstances, but for the fact that Christ is with us in, and during the circumstances.  God understands our pain.  His grace is sufficient to meet our needs. As we turn our eyes toward Him and his goodness, our circumstances pale in significance.  He is so much larger than all our problems.  He is so much greater than all our fears.  He has more love than all the people we know.  And His love never wavers, never rejects, never fails.  So, yes; in this we can be thankful.

Take a few moments and look around you, beyond the looming obstacle of circumstance.  Savor the memories of yesterday; appreciate the blessings of the moment.  Rejoice in tomorrow's hope and eternity's treasures.  selahV

OVERCOME WITH IT ALL

Various fungus-born plants grow beneath the surface of Bermuda grass in our lawn and burst through the earth creating tangles of hard stems which poke our bare and tender feet.  Here and there dandelions and thistles sprout and dot the yard and threaten to take over the flowerbeds. To overcome the invasion of stubborn broad-leaf grass takes vigilance, perseverance and work.  Much work. Sometimes I am overcome with it all.

Just as these things threaten a healthy lawn, so do things we allow into our lives that strangle our hope and rob us of strength to keep growing and going. There are things people do and say that attack our faith to stand when others falter, to walk when others faint.  We must set our sights on the goal to follow Christ's commands...to resist cultural pressures and tolerance for sin, as society attack own families.

As time nears for our Lord's return, we may get discouraged, and falter in our steadfast walk to keep "the works" set before us from our Savior. Yet, we cannot let the world and its ways overcome us.  We must cling to the promises of God.  We must rest in the promises of God.  We must understand and trust the promises of God.  We must keep going.  Walking, talking, teaching, and encouraging one another. For in our walk, we do not walk alone.  We have our Savior's hand.  We have His Holy Spirit as our guide and comforter.

"And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers; even as I received of my Father.  And I will give him the morning star." Revelation 2:26-28 

"power over the nations?"  I don't know about you, but I cannot imagine having power over much more than my own emotions and desires when I think of being perfected in heaven.  Christ may give me power someday, but I will be happy just to hear Him say, "well done, my good and faithful servant."  Won't you?  selahV

When Arrows Come...

and pierce our souls.  When criticisms are unending.  When we are falsely accused and stand in the chambers of our private thoughts, we are reminded that:  God has done great things; and none is like Him--above or below.  He shows us great troubles sometimes.  But...He also is the One to revive us again as Psalm 71 tells us:

"You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the depths of the earth." vs. 20

More than simply bringing us up from the depths of our despair, and plunking us into the crowded streets of greater adversity, He takes the thousand pieces of hard and broken  pieces of clay and adds His Living Water to our parched, thirsting spirit.  He softens the dry shards of our self-worth in the center of His palms...

kneading, ever-kneading--sometimes gently,

sometimes with great pressure, till we are made anew.

Then we are altogether strengthened by His grace.

Meadows of glory bloom. For what purpose, we sometimes wonder.  Why do You care when I am broken and crushed?  Why do seeds die, then struggle to reach the top of the earth?  To burst forth in glory for the pleasure of You, O, Lord.  You have a plan for each seed that dies and you have a plan for me each time my heart is broken.  From the depths of my pain are pods of stronger seeds to share with others.  To give away.  To flutter in the wind, sometimes.  To be picked up by some passing bluebird and carried across the oceans to land upon a land I've never seen.  And in that land, another meadow begins to grow. selahV

"You shall increase my greatness, And comfort me on every side." vs. 21

Remind me, Father, of the flowers I have found along the way.  

Broken

I've had this mug for over 8 years or more. It's a Christmas mug. I used it every day, no matter the season.  It was special because my granddaughters gave it to me when my son took them Christmas shopping at the Dollar Store.  Its value did not rest in its brand or maker.  Its value was in the thoughts it brought me of a sweet son who took time to teach his girls to give. That was such a fun Christmas. He let the girls pick the craziest gifts for the family.  My husband got one of those pair of glasses with the nose, mustache and eyebrows.  Everyone took turns trying them on and taking pictures.  I often thought of my son and his daughters and the love I have for them when I drank my morning, afternoon, or evening coffee.  I often whispered prayers for them over a cup of steaming cocoa.

Yesterday, I drank my last sip of coffee from it and placed it on the stand beside my recliner as I read.

Unfortunately, I failed to place it far enough onto the table and it came crashing to my cement floor.  I knew the second I released the handle that I'd misjudged the distance from my arm.  Now, my familiar friend is gone.  For a few moments I just sat there thinking about it.  I didn't even look down.  When I did look, a twinge of grief pinched my heart.  I swept up the ceramic shards and sadly dumped them into the trash. I went to get another cup of coffee and realized it was the only mug, other than my husband's, that I'd packed from my house to bring to our new home. I started to close the cupboard door when I looked up and saw another mug I'd gotten from my daughter's house the day before. Imprinted in pink was the word "Joy".

I smiled.  A broken mug cannot destroy the memories of joy I have in my heart.  Though we may have times in life which bring us sadness and grief, when we trust in God, we know we have His joy to carry us through the valleys and up the mountains.    

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3

Kindness

It's more than a word.  It is more than opening or holding the door for someone. It's more than offering to get someone a cup of coffee when you are on your way to get a coke. It may or may not be done without thinking, yet it is done without pretense or expectation.  Spirit-filled kindness is selflessness.

It reminds me of the kindness and mercy Jesus had when He approached the city of Nain and saw a funeral procession coming through the gates. He went up to the bier and had compassion on the widowed mother whose only son was gone.  I'm reasonably sure the mother wondered what she would do now.  How would she provide for herself?  How would she live?

Jesus understood.  He stopped the processional and raised her adult son from the dead.  He did this and brought glory to God.  His every action brought glory to God. Kindness provides.  When led by the Spirit, kindness always meets a need. (Luke 7:11-16) 

Jesus had the ability.  He had the power.  He had what was necessary to really help this lady.  More than condolences for her loss.  He provided the ultimate.  We do not have the power to raise someone from the dead.  But when we have the ability, power, means to intervene, and ignore the plight of others, we fail to show the kindness that the Spirit of God bestows upon us for His glory.   Many times we are not even aware of the need that our kindness meets.  Sometimes we never know.  Other times we are blessed with the knowledge of how God uses it.

My friend Barb once helped her Chinese neighbor whose husband was abroad.  Barb was there in the delivery room when the lady had her second child.  Barb was there to help organize and conduct the lady's yardsale.  Not long ago, this Chinese lady emailed Barb and told her she had become a Christian and was attending a church in China.  Kindness beyond the recliner reaped a reward Barb will never know this side of heaven as her friend, neighbor, and now, sister in Christ, grows in her faith.  

May God give us the ability to see the needs of others and act with kindness and mercy. May the kindness within us grow and produce the visible fruit of His indwelling life to daily impact others for God's glory.  selahV