Jesus Calling-Just What I Need

I had heard great things about the daily devotional, Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young (available here) around the blogosphere for a while so I ordered it from a local book store for my mother-in-law for Christmas. The bookstore brought in two copies because they didn't know which style I wanted and on a whim I bought them both, one for me and one for her.
Sometimes it is the small things that make all the difference in the world. I can't even begin to tell you how the words on the pages seemingly jump out at me when I need them the most. It was as if they were put there at exactly the right time just for me.
This morning I read "Come to me for rest and refreshment. The journey has been too much for you, and you are bone-weary. Do not be ashamed of your exhaustion. Instead, see it as an opportunity for Me [God] to take charge of your life." Hallelujah we are not in this uphill battle on our own. We have a Savior who is here to carry us the rest of the way.

Ephesians 1 - A verse for our child

How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.

Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.

It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.

That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!

christmas blessings

This Christmas was unlike any we have had before, tradition wise anyways. But you know what, it was great. I am so so so blessed to call these people my family and I couldn't be happier!

It's not about the gifts, or whose house you're at, it's who you're with that matters. It's about remembering that we are here to celebrate the birth of Jesus our Saviour and the joy we have because of that very fact.

I hope that you and your loved ones had the very merriest of all Christmases!

stressing or serving?

When you are wide awake at 4:00 a.m. and you realize you have hives breaking out on your hands because you are stressing out over situations you cannot do anything about, or at least do anything about for at least another 6 hours, it's time for something to give.
This year has brought some big changes for me work wise. I absolutely love my job but it has tested me in ways I never thought possible. One thing it has done for sure is test my willingness to serve - am I happy to serve anyone and anywhere or do I only want to serve when it's convenient for me, when it fits nicely into my 9-5 schedule I've created for myself? Do I really feel like serving when it's a week before Christmas and I would rather be quietly shutting down at work and daydreaming about the scent of christmas cookies and the sight of soft twinkle lights by my tree at night? Ashamedly the answer is usually no, I don't feel like serving but then Christ quietly reminds me what my purpose here on earth is, and what the purpose of this Christmas season really is. Christmas is not for spending hour after hour indulging myself on whatever I feel like doing, but rather, it is about remembering the birth of the Saviour who forever changed this planet. Christmas is about serving, about driving the extra trips to move someone into their new home, it's about loving and encouraging new members to our community, and serving when called upon.
When everything seems to be going astray and I feel as though I could literally pull my hair out, and I've missed lunch yet again I am reminded to stop and pray and just breathe. And guess what, the hives even went away :)

Edit: I was reminded of this amazing song this morning and hope it can speak to you too:
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea,
A great high Priest whose Name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart,
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free,
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me,
To look on Him and pardon me.

taking back my ground

The topic for the Beth Moore conference I went to last weekend was the theology of walking. At first that seems a little bit odd, but let me try to explain. Several times throughout the Bible God calls His people to walk in faith, to boldly go forward, to walk with Him, etc. Beth also explained how Satan will try and take the, metaphorically speaking, ground from us that we have obtained while walking in Christ. She asked us what area of our life we now felt further behind in than we once were. I cannot remember the area that she talked about from her own personal journey, but I remember her response to it. Once realizing how Satan had been stealing this area from her, she got real mad! It is a righteous kind of anger to be mad at how Satan has been attaching you, your family, or your relationships.

Well tonight I had one of those realizations. I have been completely controlled by fear. Not anymore though, I'm taking back my ground! I refuse to be governed by fear anymore, the irrational kind of fear that keeps me up at night and causes spontaneous bursts of tears. No, everything that happens to me will not be all positive and happy but I do not need to live in the fear that my marriage will end in divorce, something tragic will happen to my parents, I'll be fired on the spot and so on and so on. I'm taking back my ground!
Quite soon after signing up for pinterest I found this picture and pinned it to one of my boards:

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To this day, this picture is still my most repinned pin (if you have no idea what I am talking about I apologize, but you'll have to check out pinterest!) and it made me think that maybe a lot of other people struggle with fear as well. Is it you? I hope and I pray, that as I work out not living in the bondage of fear anymore that you could find the same freedom.

"For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you."

Isaiah 41:13

"For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father."

Romans 8:15

not made to be empty

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Sometimes you will hear something that can leave such an impression on your heart and mind that you can't help but share. Tuesday night I had one of those moments where something just clicks and even though it's a relatively simple concept it was like I finally got it. You know what I mean? At Bible study we just started a new series by Beth Moore on the book of James in the New Testament, and in the DVD, Beth said,

The power of the resurrection means that nothing but the tomb is meant to be empty. 

Just think about that for a minute, that has the power to revolutionize our thinking if we'll let it. Let me explain, our lives may be difficult at times, and sometimes we might not even know how we're gonna make it through, but as difficult as it may be during a season, it was never meant to be empty. When we allow God to be at the center of our lives we never have to face empty promises from Him, empty heartache, empty longings, or empty dreams. God desires to fill us completely! 

I don't know about you, but I always try and cram so much 'stuff' into my life to make me feel satisfied. If I'm mad at someone or had a fight with Jordy my first instinct is to go and console myself by going shopping for things I don't even need. Or if I'm feeling really sad or depressed about something I start eating every sugary thing in sight in order to try and make myself feel better. The sad part is, is that it's all just stuff and it's never gonna fill us up or get rid of that empty feeling we have inside. 

God is amazing and desires for us to live so much more than an empty life! Where else can you be best friends with the King?