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
Showing posts with label seek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seek. Show all posts
Monday, August 1, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
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
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
Thursday, March 24, 2011
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
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
Monday, February 21, 2011
Life through Rose Colored Glasses
1 Chronicles 16:9-11
Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
I love my sunglasses. I love what they make the world look like, especially the sunrise & sunset. You see my sunglasses are rose colored. Have you ever heard the saying: "That you see the world through rose colored glasses?" It means that you see things as good and right, and nothing is going to spoil your outlook. A lot of people see others who look at the world that way as simple and foolish. But I would have to strongly disagree. (1 Corinthians 1:27) Look for glimpses of Christ in our world. He makes Himself known everywhere and in everything. Keep a piece of paper handy one weekend and write down all the places you see Him, it will amaze you.
Christ in all that we see? Why do we focus our lives to Him? It's simple really. When we choose to look for Christ, He will show up. (Deut 4:29, 2 Chron. 7:14, Ps 9:10, Luke 11:10, Hebrews 11:6)
Does God show up because He knows He's all that & a bag of chips? No, He knows we need Him. Pretend in your mind you see a friend drowning in a lake. You're in a deep part of the lake where it's about 100 feet to the bottom. You know it will be bad if you don't get your friend help. Are you going to quietly talk to your friend as you try to throw them a life preserver, or are you going to be yelling at them to reach for what you know will save their life? When you choose to look for Christ, worship and praise Him, and live for Him, He is your life preserver. This world can be a very sad place. Things have happened throughout history that are horrible, and will continue to happen until Christ returns, because we live in a fallen world. But Christ is our pair of rose colored glasses. (Romans 5:17) He lived the life of a man and faced all the things we face so we would know He understands; He understands our hurts, our dreams, our very lives. He gave all He had for me, and I choose to follow Him, love Him, and live for Him.
Choose to look through His rose colored glasses this week and see how you feel. Write down for one day everywhere you see Him & what you find will amaze you!
In Him,
~ashley
PS~ Make sure you look up the scriptures if you have time. You should do it to verify what I have said for yourself. Don’t trust my words, trust His. It will be a blessing to you.
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| Here is the regular view out of my garage door. |
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| And here is the same view through my rose colored glasses. |
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