Woe is Me
06 Sep 2011 1 Comment
Have you ever gone to a costume party, one where you had to wear a mask? Sometimes it’s fun to pretend to be someone you are not, even if for just a short time. But some people choose to live wearing a mask everyday.
In the past, the word hypocrite was used to describe an actor. Instead of having a complete cast for a play, one man would act out several roles, wearing a different mask for each role.
Jesus called the Pharisees and teachers of the Law hypocrites. These men pretended to be servants of God; they wore the mask of a follower. But Jesus knew what was on the inside, under their mask.
In Matthew 23, Jesus addressed the Pharisees. His words to these fans can be combined into four Woe Messages.
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.” (vs. 13)
The Pharisees added so many of their own rules to God’s Law that it was almost impossible to obey. Any why would anyone even want to try to get close to a God who required so much from His people? Love should triumph over law, for there is no law against love.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices–mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law–justice, mercy and faithfulness. (vs. 23)
Tithing and church attendance are not what makes a follower. Jesus isn’t looking for your money, He’s looking for your heart.
Many blessings,
T. G. I. F.
02 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
TGIF! It is finally Friday! Do you have big plans for this holiday weekend? One last summer event?
Rest
02 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
How appropriate that today’s word is Rest. I’m so tired! As I lay in bed at 5:00 this morning debating about whether I would eventually fall back to sleep or if I should just get up, I began wondering about this post and what word would be chosen for our prompt. I thought perhaps it would be strength, and my mind began going to all the scriptures pertaining to the Lord’s strength. Maybe that’s what helped me drift back to sleep – remembering that I don’t have to rely on my strength to get my through.
I remember a poster I saw as a child. It showed three kittens lying on their back, sounds asleep. And the caption said, “Rest in peace, God is awake.” I haven’t been sleeping well. But even as I write that I am reminded that God is faithful. He provides rest and it’s not just the kind that comes from sleep.
I have been finding rest in realizing that I don’t have to try to so hard. It’s not always my battle to fight, and I don’t always have to be right or heard. I’m learning, that contrary to what the world tells you, there is rest and peace in just letting go. God wants me to find rest in seeking His approval alone.
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1
Are you looking for true rest today? Jesus is saying, “Come unto me”
Many blessings,
A Seed
01 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
A seed
someone planted a seed in you. A seed of faith and a seed of doubt. A seed of
comfort and a seed of fear. A seed of hope and a seed of despair. Every thought
you’ve ever had started as a seed first.
When I was younger the
seeds of doubt, fear and despair were planted in me. Nothing I ever did was good
enough. I was not “more like my sister” so thoughtful and helpful and loving so
there must have been something wrong with me. Every day, one more seed would be
planted. One more fear was realized, one more dream faded.
My grades
were horrible, I hated school. I had good friends when they felt like
it. Food was my comfort. My music was my joy. I looked for love in all the wrong
places, anywhere I could find it no matter how bad or dangerous or how awful it
made me feel.
These seeds for me grew into vines, into huge steel chains
that made me afraid to go outside as an adult. That made me afraid to speak to
people because of the shame of my past. And then God started chasing me
down…
Is this you today? Are you facing steal chains of your own?
gardner and He’s planting seeds of His own in you.
Right now He says come to me all you who are weary and
heavy burdened and I will give you rest. That’s a promise and a seed. He plants
seeds of hope, love, faith. He whispers to your heart “I believe in you” He puts
people in your path that come along side you and lift you up to Him in prayer.
He gives you a family that will speak love and hope into your life. His seeds
are so much more powerful than Satan‘s. The seeds that were planted in your life
aren’t from the people you knew, they were from Satan. They were to keep you
from your place at God’s table, you make Satan afraid of you so he started when
you were young trying to keep you from God. It’s not about you it’s about what
God wants to do in you that makes him afraid. God is the ultimate locksmith too.
He has the keys to those chains you carry around and He’s giving you the choice.
Are you going to shed the chains, the fear, the doubt and take what He has for
you or are you going to continue walking as you’ve always walked with the weight
of the world on your shoulders. Might I share with you that you were never meant
to carry that weight and He wants it back today.
He’s the ultimate
gardner and the seeds He’s planting today are going to grow with His Living
Water and turn into beauty beyond your imagination.
My story has not
ended yet but I can tell you the seeds that were planted long long ago are being
uprooted every day and I’m being set free every day of one more fear. Shame does
not have its hold on me any longer. Will you choose to fight with me, God will
be victorious but He wants you to fight too.
and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers
of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
realms. Ephesians 6:12
Shipbuilding in the Desert
01 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
But Noah didn’t complain or make excuses.
Hebrews 11:7b (Msg)
In what areas of your life do you need to trust God completely?
Has God asked you to build a ship in the desert?
Many blessings,
31 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
A lesson
in roses
flowers. They make me happy with their bright colors and gentleness about them
as they start growing. We live in town-house/apartment buildings, the lady that
lives right next to us has a GREEN thumb. She has flowers everywhere. Every
spring she plants them all over her part of the yard and she has hanging
flowers. Her house is beautiful. I’ve tried a few times to mimic her flower
planting skills but my husband and I always seem to put way too many tall
flowers in our very small flower box, they never turn out right.
One day
my husband was working on a house (his job is salvaging old historic houses and
refurbishing them) He’s very good at it. He was working on a house that had been
empty for a long time and had an almost dead rose bush in the front yard. He
asked permission then began digging it up. When he brought it home I was less
than pleased but I let him plant it.
This was several years ago, the
rose bush came back to life and produced some beautiful roses, my husband has a
green thumb and knew just what the rose bush needed. This summer has been hot
and humid and down right oppressive. It got hot so quickly, my roses took the
full brunt of the heat. I thought the bush had died. I was sad and planned to
plant some more roses when ever I could find some time, then one day I opened
the blinds to the front window and found this…
with several other buds waiting to open. The rain we’ve had over the last few
weeks brought my roses back to life. I was so excited I wanted to share with
you. I believe there’s a lesson in these roses..
creation;
has gone, the new has come! 2nd Corinthians 5:17.
who you once were, that part of you is dead. It doesn’t matter what you were in
the world, you’re dead to the world and being made new in Christ every day. It
doesn’t matter what anyone from your past thinks of you, God sees you as His
most prized possessions, His precious child. His opinion is the only one that
matters. My roses were dead, God brought them back. God brought me back too, and
I’m going to continue telling the story, I’m going to continue shining my light,
just like these roses are going to continue to grow and thrive. They just needed
water, I just needed the touch of my Father and the Living Water.
