My house is His house

I have a devotional I keep by my bed I try to read through before I go to sleep so the word of God is the last think I am thinking about other than talking to Him before I actually fall asleep. The devotional is The Joy of my Heart by Anne Graham Lotz. Well yesterdays message was really neat, something I have not thought about before. She was talking about how she was cleaning her house so when her father came over it would look nice, but how she should keep it looking nice because her heavenly Father lives there and she should want to keep it up for Him. Well, this really got my attention. I am not good at keeping my house clean but it is something I am trying to do. With this thought in mind I want to keep my house kept up because I want the presence of my heavenly Father to be so welcomed that anyone who enters sees He is there and is welcomed by His spirit, not mine. If He lives in me then He lives in my house. This has really changed the way I have been feeling the past couple of days about starting back into my routine of house cleaning. Don't get me wrong, I have been ready to get back into a routine, but not exactly excited about doing the housework again. Well, today, I am cleaning with a new found attitude. I want my heavenly Father to be welcomed all of the time and to feel comfortable here in my earthly house.

A Poem

I said, "Let me walk in the field";
God said, "No, walk in the town";
I said, "there are no flowers there";
He said, "No flowers, but a crown."

I said, "But the sky is black,
There is nothing but noise and din";
But He wept as He sent me back,
"There is more," He said, "there is sin."

I said, "But the air is think,
And smog is veiling the sun";
He answered, "Yet souls are sick,
And your work is yet undone."

I said, "I will miss the light,
And friends will miss me, they say";
He answered me, "Choose tonight,
If I am to miss you, or they."

I pleaded for time to be given;
He said, "Is it hard to decide?
It will not seem hard in Heaven
To have followed the steps of your Guide."

I cast one look at the field,
Then set my face to the town;
He said, "My child, do you yield?
Will you leave the flowers for the crown?"

Then into His hand went mine,
And into my heart came He;
And I walk in a light Divine,
The path I had feared to see.

George MacDonald

This was the poem in my devotional this morning and I wanted to share it with you. The devotional is Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman and it is really a good one if anyone is interested. I want to leave you with the two scriptures this morning. They really ministered to me and I hope they do to you as well!

I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. - Jeremiah 10:23

Lead me in a straight path. - Psalm 27:10

Listening

Good Tuesday Morning! So, have you ever been studying Gods word and the same message just keeps coming back to you. You get the same thing no matter where you turn in the Bible or who you are listening to. This is happening to me right now. It is coming from every direction I turn. I don't know whether to be excited that the Lord is working in my life or concerned that I am not getting something and He is pressing me even more to get it. I want to only serve Him and do what He wants me to do. Like Paul in Philippians 4:11 I want to learn to be content in what ever circumstance I find myself in, to serve my Lord Jesus Christ only. I want nothing to matter to me except that which has eternal value. Lord this is my prayer today. Help me get what You are showing me. Thank You Father for loving me so much that You are not giving up on me. I love You Lord and want nothing more than to serve You in every thing I do!

Prejudice or Stereotype?

My devotional this morning really got me questioning what is the difference between prejudice and stereotype. What do they really mean and are they the same? Merriam-Webster defines prejudice as injury or damage resulting from some judgment or action of another in disregard of one's rights; a preconceived judgment or opinion; an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge; an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics. So, the American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy says stereotype is a generalization, usually exaggerated or oversimplified and often offensive, that is used to describe or distinguish a group. So really, they mean the same thing. So, every time we stereotype a person or group of people we are in a way prejudice. This really bothers me because I thought the Lord had taken my prejudices away. So my prayer today is that He take away my stereotypes also because I don't want to be separated from Christ. If He can lay down His prejudices and stereotypes to minister and dine with the Pharisees who condemned Him, than I can too. After all the word says "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength", so Father, help me in this area and thank you for revealing it to me.

Luke 7:23

Luke 7:23 says "Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." Doubt, what an easy tool for satin to use against believers. I have something for you to ponder today. It is from my devotional and it is something I am meditating on today. "The Hand of God is at work directing divine purpose, or blessing, in all the affairs of the one who doesn't let the perceived activity or inactivity of Christ trap him or make him stumble." May Christ bless you today as you ponder this in your life!

I want to share some of my devotional with you from this morning. It really blessed me and I hope it blesses you too. I am doing Beth Moore's 90 days with Jesus and today's study was in Luke 7:11-17. Specifically verse 13 says "When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said, "Don't cry". So when you think about compassion, what do you think of? What does it mean to you to have compassion on someone? I guess I have never thought about it before but I definitely have never thought about it like this. Have you ever thought about the "areas of restraint Jesus had as He walked on this pavement"? "For example, imagine the thought this funeral procession must have provoked in the mind of the author of life." Okay, I never thought about that. Something so simple as what He thought or felt about things that He saw just walking down the street. Now think about what He meant when He said "don't cry". I know when I say that I am feeling compassion toward the person and typically crying with them because that is how I am, but there really is nothing I can do for them except love on them and let them know I am here. As Beth puts it "please stop crying. I can't bear to see you in so much pain!" "Christ, on the other hand, is never helpless. When He said, "don't cry" He meant, "Not only do I hurt for you, but I'm going to do something about the cause of your hurt." WOW! He is going to do something about the cause of out hurt. He loves us that much that we don't even have to ask because He hurts when we hurt. That is just amazing to me. He has moved in my life so much this weekend and He took away a pain that I have had for most of my life and didn't realize it. The amazing part is He did this just because He loves me and wanted to take away some of my pain because I was seeking Him and wanting to bet closer to Him. God you are so amazing and I am so thankful You love me that much. I wanted to share this with you because it really ministered to me and gave me another way to look at this verse. I hope it gives you another way to look at our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

What do I rely on?

My devotional this morning was on do I have the slightest reliance on anything other that God? Am I sufficiently right with god to expect Him to manifest His wonderful life in me? Do I really let God be to me all that He says He will be? This really got me thinking and a little discouraged to begin with. I started praying and seeking the Lord and He had me read anther devotional I normally keep for later in my day. This one reminded me that God chose me! He adopted me as His very own child. He redeemed me through the blood of His only begotten son so that I became His very own possession. He sealed me with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14). So after all that I still got to wondering are there areas in my life that I haven't completely turned over to Him? The answer is yes. And it is in these areas that I am struggling to believe that He will be all that He says He will be or do for me in them. Thank you Lord for showing me these today. I am trusting in You to help me over come them. Your love is so amazing that I can hardly comprehend it. Let the assurance of Your presence and commitment wash over me moment by moment today. That is the closing prayer in my devotional and I want to make it my prayer today too.