Just call me the Finder of Lost Things

In my family of 6 I am the one who finds lost things. 

This is what I hear:
child:  "Mom, have you seen my shoes?"
me:  "Where did you leave them the last time you wore them?"
child:  "I can't remember."
me:  "Are they in your room...under your bed/dirty clothes thrown on the floor...under the couch in the den...and why aren't they in the cubbie outside or in your closet?"
child:  "I don't know."  (and this is always a standard answer.)
me:  "Keep looking..."
child:  "Mom, I still can't find them..."
me:  "If I find them you're going to get into trouble, because that means you didn't look hard enough."
child:  "...Mom, I can't find them..."
At this point I look for them & 99% of the time find what they were looking for.  Go figure, I guess it's in a mom's job description.  Also, feel free to change the mom to Ashley because my husband asks me the same questions. 

This morning as I was waking up I was thinking about how God is the ultimate finder of lost things.  I've been talking to Him about it a lot.  One of my favorite chapters in the bible is Luke 15.  It's about nothing but things that are lost being found.  I really think my favorite one out of the chapter is the first one about the lost sheep. 

Jesus was talking to the Pharisees because they were grumbling, again, because he hung out with "sinners".  (Hello, we're all sinners:  Romans 3:23 to 'ya)  Jesus knew He had what these "sinners" needed.  He asked the leaders that wouldn't a person who loses one sheep:  "leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home..."  ~Luke 15:4-6a (italics added)

I love the word joyfully!  He found the lost one & was so excited when he found it.  When I find things for my family a lot of times they are relieved and joyful when it's found.  And that's just stuff...how much more excited is Christ when He finds one of His sheep that's been lost!  As we read on in verse 6 it says he calls his friends and neighbors and wants to throw a party because he found his sheep, and read this next verse, it will knock your socks off!  Verse 7:  "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents..." (italics added)   Jesus and all of heaven has a party when a person accepts Jesus as their savior.  There was a party in your honor when you accepted Christ. 

We as Christians are all called to help to look for lost sheep.  You don't have to look very hard, they are everywhere.  But how we all rejoice with Christ as one of His lost ones accepts Him.  So it comes down to this...I double dog dare you to share Jesus with someone.  I dare you to tell them how much He loves them.  Don't worry, it's not your job to convince them about Jesus, the Holy Spirit will do that, all you have to do is share Him. 

If you don't know Jesus and want to, the good thing is it's not hard at all.  He never wanted it to be hard to get to Him, you just need to talk to Him.  Pray this prayer from your heart:
Jesus, thank you for being the good shepherd.  Thank you for searching for me.  I admit that I am a sinner and have done life my way.  Jesus I believe you came to the world to save me and that you paid for my sins on the cross.  I choose to turn away from my sin and follow you.  Thank you Jesus for loving me.  I love you Jesus, in your name I pray, ~amen
    

OK I'm up...

Today the Lord woke me up at 3am.  I don't remember what I was dreaming or even if I was.  All I know is that all of a sudden the refrain of the song, Waiting here for You is playing over and over in my mind...and good morning to me.   Usually when God wakes me up it's because I need to pray and meditate on Him.  Do I like waking up at 3?  Absolutely not, but when He wants me up, I'm up.  But why did He use this song, and why so early?

I do know the answer to that.  He wants to know where my focus lies.  He wants to know that no matter what I'm going to be looking to Him for everything; living a life fully surrendered.  Now let's be honest, God knows the answer to all these things before I even think them.  So in reality He's asking me to examine myself and see where I'm focused.  Am I being pulled away by all the silly little nothings; putting other things in front of my relationship with Him; when I've laid something at the foot of the cross, am I trying to pick it back up.  (something I really like to do...)

Focusing on God is can be easier at certain times.  I love going to church & I love worship.  You know why?  Because I can feel pressed down by life, but when I walk into church I become focused on my purpose.  I love worship because it takes my focus from myself and turns it to the One who knows me.  Now, I should be able to feel this way where ever I go because the Spirit of the Lord doesn't reside in a building.  He resides in me.  I carry my purpose with me, but I have a tendency to muddy it up and then it's not so clear what my purpose is.  But, then I remember to worship, pray, and put my focus back on Him; and the clarity returns.  The clarity that God loves me, wants to be in a relationship with me, and wants to guide my every step.

Thank you Lord for waking me up so I could focus on you.  Thank you for your Holy Spirit that guides me and fills me.  Lord, let there be more of you and less of me.  Let me walk in your ways and love like you do.  Lord, I praise you for not leaving me to do life on my own.  I love you Lord!  In Jesus name, ~Amen

The Great I AM

I love to listen to worship music.  When I can sing to the Lord I feel a peace flow through my spirit.  Last night at church we sang a great song.  It's called 'Great I Am' by New Life Worship.  I started thinking about what it means when we say God is the great I Am.  Where in the world did they get I Am? 

The name I AM is first seen in Exodus 3:14.  The bush is burning, God has informed Moses of his mission to set the Israelites free from the bondage of slavery, but Moses has a few questions.  Questions about himself, the mission, and what to say when the all important question is asked:  "...Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?'  Then what shall I tell them?"  (Exodus 3:13)  God tells him to say to the Israelites:  "...I AM has sent me to you." 

Why I AM?   I AM is the Hebrew word that we get Yahweh from.  (You will also see it written as YHWH.)  Another name of Yahweh is Jehovah.  These names were, to the Jewish people, to sacred to be said out loud, so they called the Lord the I AM. 

OK, so I AM what?  I think they call the Lord the I AM because He is everything.  Do you need a friend?  Jehovah-Shammah.  Do you need peace in your life?  Jehovah-Shalom.  Healing?  Jahovah-Rapha.  Protection?  Jehovah-Rohi.  Someone to fight for you?  Jehovah-Saboath.  An encounter?  Immanuel.  Righteousness?  Jehovah-Tsidkenu.  These are just a few of the names of God.  He has so many names because He is everything we need.   I am thankful God is bigger than what I alone imagine Him to be.  I'm thankful He reveals Himself in these different ways, because we all have different needs.  He is I AM!

Lord, thank you for not leaving us alone to fend for ourselves.  Thank you for being I AM.  Thank you for Immanuel, God with us, Jesus.  Lord  you are our everything, and I praise your name!  Lord, when I call on You, I have confidence that You hear me.  You know what I need before I ask.  Lord I rest in You, and want You with me always to guide me in this life.  I love you Lord, my I AM.  In Jesus name, ~Amen.

In Him,
~ashley

Untapped Potential

I am writing this today with a heavy heart.  Last night Billy Hornsby, our pastor's father-in-law, passed away.  He was a true man of God.  Pastor Chris has told Billy's story a few times in church, and it really exemplifies how God wants to grow our untapped potential.

Billy was not the first, and he will not be the last person that God saw who has great potential for the Kingdom.  This morning after I had read the email about Billy, God laid this message on my heart. 

So many heros in the bible were messed up.  God loved taking the mess of their lives and turning it into something He could use.  When you start to run the list, you really see a pattern, and you have to smile & you may even wonder what in the world God is thinking.  God said he would use the weak and foolish to shame the proud. {my paraphrase}  (1 Corinthians 1:27)   I'll mention a few:  Moses, Elijah, Jonah, David, the 12 disciples, Paul...and these are just a handful of guys.  God saw them, saw their weaknesses and tendencies & said, 'Yep, that's the guy I want.'  Moses, David, Paul:  murderers; Elijah:  fearful to the point of running away & hiding; Jonah:  selfish with God's word; out of the 12 disciples, four were common fishermen & one was a tax collector.  In the eyes of the world these guys were not the highest caliber people the Lord could have chosen, but these were his go to guys.

How comforting this is for me.  God sees everything about me & says 'Yep, she's the one I want, and I know right where to put her.'  He has said that about you too.  When people tell you that you're not good enough, smart enough, strong enough, fast enough, you know what God will say.  'Yep, they are the one I want, they are perfect for the job.'  God gives us the tools we need to do the job He needs us to do.  He gives us the ability to do these things,  We know it's not by our own power that we can do the job God has given us, it's only through Him.  He does this so no one can say they did it in their own strength, but we boast because of the Lord's strength in us.  (1 Cor 12:9-10; Philippians 2:14-17)

Not only, will God give you the tools to do something, He'll give you the desire to do it too. It's the whole falling into His will thing.  Knowing God's will can be a little confusing sometimes.  How do I know the will of God?  His will is in the bible.  He doesn't keep it a secret, but He does reveal it to us in different ways.  We are told in 1 John 5:14-15 that if we ask in accordance to God's will he will hear us and if He hears us, we have what we ask for. 

Let me clarify that God is not a genie in a bottle.  You don't rub your bible like a magic lamp and get your wishes granted.  God wants you to choose to follow Him.  He does not bend His will to our needs; we ask Him to show us His will and to bend us to it.  So many people think that they are not loved by God because of things that have happened in their lives that they prayed about, and they think God didn't hear them or answer.  But sometimes God's answer is no.  That can be so hard to hear.  I don't want to hear God tell me no, or to wait, or to trust, but He does.  What I choose is to trust and obey.  I praise Him because His ways are higher than mine. (Isaiah 55:8-9)  I praise Him because He sent His son to die on the cross for me. (John 3:16)  I praise Him because he sees what I can be and molds me to be able to do it.

Ask God to use your untapped potential.  Ask Him to show you His will, and to help you to live in it.  If you choose God, He will send you joy beyond your greatest imagination.  Praise be to Him who was, is, and is to come!

In Him,
~ashley

Meeting with God

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all you heart.
  Jeremiah 29:13

Have you ever had true encounter with God?  A connection that you know is of God?  When you have one you’ll know.  You know because it gives you so much joy & breaks your heart all at the same time.

I had an encounter with Him today.   Oh it was so precious!  I was meeting with a group of people to pray for Birmingham & Shelby County.  Can I tell you, God showed up.  His presence was moving in the room where we were praying.  He was pouring scripture into my heart & wowing me with His Word!

God is not some unfeeling deity that wants nothing to do with us.  He loves us more than we will ever be able to understand with our little human brains.  He loves us so much that He was willing to allow His son to die for us.  I love you guys, but no offense; I don’t love you enough to let one of my children die for you.  I’m selfish in that way, but not God.  He knew we needed someone to stand in the gap for us.  It is sin that causes the gap and separates us from God.  Before Christ came, the Israelites sacrificed animals to have the blood atonement needed to cover their sins, but for us Christ came and filled that gap.  Hebrews 9:12 tells us Christ entered not with the blood of sheep and goats, but with His own blood obtaining eternal redemption. 

Before I went to pray I needed to prepare my heart.  While I did this, God truly broke it.  It was not a bad thing.  He broke it to show me my own sin first and foremost, so I could repent and be forgiven.  He also did it so I could have compassion for our city, for people who have never heard the wonderful news of Jesus, and so I could have the unity with other believers Christ has called us to.

The only thing I have to stand on is Jesus.  Not my church, not my any group I’m involved with, not my friends, and not doctrine.  Only Jesus.  Without Him, I am nothing. 

As we prayed, you could feel the Holy Spirit in the room.  In the past and today when I have had a true encounter with Christ, I always feel joy.  It is so hard to put what is of heaven into everyday words, but I’m going to try.  Imagine you have a 2 liter bottle of Coke.  You decide to shake it up, and I mean really shake it up hard.  Now, you’re going to open the top.  What happens?  It spews everywhere doesn’t it?  It might even continue to bubble up and over after the initial part has spewed out.  This is how I would describe the feeling God gives me when I encounter Him.  The joy bubbles through my heart into all of me & I just want to share it with others.  The bible says the Joy of the Lord is our strength.  Why joy?  Why not something else?  I think it’s because joy brings peace even in the midst of heartache and suffering. 

I am thankful for the Lord.  I am thankful that He didn’t leave us to fend for ourselves, but instead gave us Jesus to take away our sins, and the Holy Spirit to be our helper.  I am thankful for the Joy of the Lord.  I am thankful for His promises.  I am blessed in so many ways, and I owe everything to Him. 

Lord, you have said that:  “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  What a great promise!  We are to:  humble, pray, seek & turn.  God in response will forgive and heal.  May you encounter the risen Savior today.  May you feel His love and joy fill your heart.  May you share it because we live in hurting world that is in need of a savior.

In Him,

~Ashley