Passing the Torch

I'm starting to get older.  My children would say I'm as old as dirt.  I remember when my parents were my age & I thought the same thing.  I don't feel too old to do some things, but I am.  (either by choice or because my body won't do the things it could do when I was a teenager.  total bummer!)  Can this happen in ministry?  Absolutely.

I read a passage from 1 Chronicles this morning I remembered why I love it & I know what God was showing me through it.  (He's so cool that way!!!)  A little info before I post the verse.  David is King of Israel, and he loves the Lord with everything he is.  God Himself said David was a man after His own heart.  (Acts 13:22)  David wanted to build God a beautiful temple to dwell in, but because he was God's warrior, David was not allowed to build the temple.  (1 Chronicles 28:2-3)  What's so cool is that we don't see David complaining; he decides to have everything ready for when his son, Solomon, will build it.  But, before Solomon was crowned as King of Israel, David has these words for him in 1 Chronicles 28:8-10:

"So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever. And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.  Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”

How awesome is that?  David only mentions one time the building of the temple, all the rest is about following the Lord.  David telling his son to rise to the challenge to be and do everything for the Lord. 

As I get older, this is what I know I'm to do, pass the torch to the younger generations; they are to know they have have been chosen to build God's family, so they should be strong and do the work.  The inheritance is not land or riches but eternal life lived in the shadowless love of the Savior.

So to this next generation:  acknowledge God, serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind.  Seek Him.  Be strong and do the work.  The younger you are when you realize that God has put you here for a reason, the more fulfilled you'll be and His peace will be yours. 

In Him,
~ashley

Legacy

The way God works is so amazing to me.  I will have lots different things happen in the course of a day that I may think are not related, but God shows me His single strand that holds them all together.

This morning as I was reading in the one year bible, I was getting distracted.  The first reading was from 1 Chronicles 2:18-4:4.  This passage is all about linage.  Who was the father of so-and-so, who was born of whom...it can get boring.  (especially if you can't pronounce half the names correctly.)  I started thinking that I really need one huge gigantic family tree, that would really have helped me a lot.  What God planted on my heart was not the names but the legacy they left.  The legacy through:  who and how they worshipped; their family; and their service.

Later this morning I was privileged to stand by a sweet friend and sister-in-Christ as she said her earthly goodbyes to her loving grandfather.  Her PawPaw's pastor talked about legacy.  (coincidence...I think not!)  Her PawPaw left a wonderful legacy.  He loved Jesus and showed it through his actions and words; he showed his family he loved them by the kind of man he was; and he served his country in World War II and then served his church faithfully for many decades.  Legacy....

I love the song Legacy by Nichole Nordeman.  It's not anything about me that creates my legacy.  It's about who I am in Christ and what I do with it.  Did I share Him with others or horde him?  Do others see my love for Him or love for myself?  Do I give His love freely away or make people try to earn it?  There are so many ways to carry out the sharing and love of Christ, and each one of those leaves a legacy.  A marking through time where you can see God smiling and saying:  "good job y'all, you made me proud today".  What will my legacy be?  When it is time for me to leave my earthly home, what will others say about me?

                                 I know I want to leave a legacy, what about you?

Dearest Jesus, You showed me what legacy is.  You left Your mark on this earth through your love of God the father and people.  Help me to love like You do.  Help me to not grow tired of doing what is right.  May my words be life-giving, my hands be uplifted in praise, and the words of my mouth praise and share Your name with others.  My want is for all of this to bring you honor and glory forever.  May this become my legacy.  In Jesus name, ~Amen

Loving the Gift

I was reading an online devotion this morning that I receive via email, and it was very timely for me.  The author spoke about our different spiritual giftings.  She had a hard time accepting the spiritual gift God had given her.  She felt it wasn't important enough.  There was a time I felt the same way.  Then I read 1 Corinthians 12  because it is God explaining how each gift He gives is important, even if we don't think it is. 

I wanted to be a person who revealed God's truths to people.  I wanted them to be able to feel God's love through my words.  I wanted...do you see the problem here?  It's me.  God didn't call me to do those things.  He called me to love kids.  He called me to get so excited when a child made the connection of God's love for them and their need for a savior.  He called me to hurt when they hurt and rejoice when they rejoice.  What greater gift for me could there be?

What did He gift you with?  Do you know  your spiritual gifts?  We all have them.  If you don't know yours, I want to encourage you to find out what it is.  Once you find it out, thank God for your gift & chase it with reckless abandon.  God will fill you with more joy when you're doing His work with the gifts He has given you.

Dear Jesus, thank you for your gifts.  I love the way you have made us all different, and given us a desire to work for your kingdom.  I thank you that even in things we may not see as important, You say they are and find value in everything done for Your church.  Help us discover our purpose and embrace it.  Jesus, you are a wonderful savior, and we want to serve you and be difference makers for our generation and the ones to come.  Thank You for everything You are!  In your name I pray, Amen

In Him,
~ashley

Follow Through

Have you ever been a situation that you needed someone to pull their weight with a project, or they promised you something & then didn't follow through?  One of the things that drives me crazy is people who say they will do something and then don't do it.  Something has happened to me recently to see what God says about it, because both sides of this coin are very important.

If you are the person who has said you will do something, do it.  It doesn't matter what it is.  Be trustworthy.  I went to one of my favorite websites, biblegateway.com, and looked up trustworthy.  The first time that word is used is in the book of Exodus.  God had saved the Israelites from Egypt, and Moses' father-in-law, Jethro came out to meet him at the base of God's mountain.  Moses was do everything himself and not letting anyone help him.  Read what Jethro tells Moses in Exodus 18:20-22, about finding people to help him: 
"Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you."

We were not meant to do life on our own.  When we choose to do it by ourselves, we are robbing others of God's blessings.  This is a very hard concept for me.  I have been left holding the bag when others don't do what they said they would do.  But, like Jethro tells Moses I need to pray for wisdom in choosing those who will be sharing my burden, because the load will be made lighter.

On the flip-side, if I am the person who says I will do something, I need to make sure I understand what is required of me, and do it.  When I decide not to follow through several things happen:  1.  People know I can not be trusted to do what I say; 2.  I will not be asked to handle bigger responsibilities, and grow my relationships with my fellow man and God; 3.  I can ruin my testimony of Christ.  Of all the consequences, ruining my testimony for Jesus is the worst.  If someone can't trust me in the little things, how can I be trusted with something bigger?  It doesn't matter how small that responsibility is to you, because it matters to someone who is counting on you. 

Lord Jesus, You had the ultimate follow through.  You could have decided not to die for me on the cross, but You finished the job so thoroughly and have allowed me to approach your throne.  Thank you for Your example.  Help me to be willing to trust my fellow man and when it's my turn to be trustworthy, let me follow Your lead and do it for Your glory.  Thank you Jesus for all You have done for me.  You are my precious Lord.  Guide me in all I do.  In Your name, Amen

In Him,
~ashley

Fighting Apathy

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.  Hebrews 10:24-25

Apathy as defined by the Miriam-Websters online dictionary:
1.  lack of feeling or emotion:  impassiveness
2.  lack of interest or concern:  indifference

Apathy is a killer.  It's a  killer of purpose, vision, drive, joy, and relationships.  Apathy can take someone who has a heart for God and His kingdom, and turn them into someone who becomes egotistical and selfish; someone who just doesn't care anymore.  It happens in churches everyday.  It's happened to me.  When it does happen sometimes it's better to step back and regroup with God.  Ask Him to reveal His will for your life.  Praise Him that He knows better than you do where you should be.

That is why the verse from Hebrews is so vital.  It can be easy to be apathetic.  We rush around all week:  work, school, activities, and when Sunday arrives we're spent.  Church is meant to recharge us for the week.  Meeting with other believers, connecting with Jesus through praise & worship, studying our bibles, and tithing are just some ways that we can be spurred on toward love (this love is God:  1 John 4:16) and doing good deeds.  (advancing the kingdom of God)  The good deeds have already been prepared for us in advance by God himself.  (Ephesians 2:10)

Another way apathy can sneak in is when we try to do everything.  If I'm doing everything, I'm not finding joy in the things God has called me to, and I'm stealing the works that God has prepared for someone else.  God compares all believers to a physical body.  Every part has a special roll to play.  No one part is better than the other, just different, and those parts fulfill a role that no other part can fill.  You may not think a finger or toe is very important to your body, until you can't use it.  Even the smallest part of your body is important, because when it doesn't work right, it throws the whole body off.  The body of Christ is like this too.  It doesn't matter what job you do within the body; your job is important.  Without you, the body doesn't function like it's supposed to.   I love 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.  I'm not going to put it all here because it's long, but go look it up, it's a great verse. (Hint:  Use Biblegateway, there's a link for it over there -->)  :)
 
Apathy can sneak in when you're not watching and take over your life.  I have a friend who jokes that she is going to write a book called:  "The devil comes to my house on Sunday".  I have felt this way.  Children are bickering amongst themselves, some come down wearing something different than what I told them, some may have overslept, I'm frustrated because we're going to be late to church & get stuck in traffic.  These bumps in my road are intended to make me feel that it's just easier to skip today.  I start to rationalize that it doesn't matter if we show up late, God knows I'm trying my best.  But am I really?  Am I giving God my very best, or just the bare minimum?  What if going to church was suddenly outlawed, and owning a bible could get me thrown in jail?  I am pretty sure I would really value the things I take for granted every day. 
 
Lord, you are a loving father, and like every father you want what is best for your children.  Help me with my apathy.  Help me to treasure my time with you, my time in your word, and my time with other believers.  Lord, when I'm in Your will I find joy.  Show me Your will.  Guide my steps each day, and show me ways to share You with others who don't know You.  Thank you for loving me even through my apathy, and renewing me everyday through Your word and Spirit.
In Jesus Name,
~Amen
 
In Him,
~ashley