I lack nothing…

Luke 22:35

Then Jesus asked them, ”When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?”
“Nothing,” they answered.

 

Today I am excited and blessed about new opportunities that have been afforded me. I am also confused and apprehensive and bordering on depression. Simply put, I am worried. I am consumed with “what if’s”. I am certain that God is leading, and I will follow. A blessing in disguise, the Lord made me wait and wait and wait, so that when the opportunity came, I would jump instantly instead of hemming and hawwing and overthinking before moving… I still have that apprehension, but it is too late to turn back. I have no choice but to move forward.

This verse has encouraged me today. I know God is leading. He is sending, and I must go. But I am reminded that no matter what the circumstance, with Jesus along for the journey, I will lack nothing. I will never lack anything, because He is taking care of me!

He takes care of you too. Remember today, and every day, that where Jesus sends, gladly go. You will never lack anything!

Be still

Yesterday as I sat on a shuttle bus, waiting at a stoplight, a car behind started blowing their horn. One lady commented that she hates horns, and another stated that she always does the best she can, so what does the horn help anyway? My immediate thought? It doesn’t.

We live in an “instant” world. People have become used to, and even come to expect, everything to happen automatically. And so, we’re impatient. Any hesitation, and we get mad, frustrated, even outraged. How dare that car sit still for even a second after the light has turned green? How dare that waitress take so long to deliver my order? Time is ticking away. How dare that teacher give me a failing grade? Does that mean I have to stay in this school even a minute longer than I had planned?

We’re that way with God too. At least, I am… sort of. Currently. I have been waiting/hoping for months for something specific to happen in my life. Well, there are several things I’ve been waiting for actually. And I tell you, the wait is annoying, frustrating, everything. Sometimes I want to give up. I think, what’s the point? If it hasn’t happened by now, should I even continue to hope? What’s taking so long God?!?!

And a voice says,

“Be still, and know that I am God; 
   I will be exalted among the nations, 
   I will be exalted in the earth.” (Ps. 46:10)

… I hear You God…

O Love that wilt not let me go

1
O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
that in thine ocean depths 
its flow may richer, fuller be.

2
O Light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
my heart restores its borrowed ray,
that in they sunshine’s blaze
its day may brighter, fairer be.

3
O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow thru the rain,
and feel the promise is not vain,
that morn shall tearless be.

4
O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
and from the ground there blossoms 
red life that shall endless be.

I Matter to Me!

Just thought I’d share the wise words of a friend. I Matter to Me!

Jer 29:11

Jer 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 

 

It is an encouragement to me today as I take on a task that on my own, I know I cannot achieve. But with God, I know I will be ok. I am reminded that although I don’t know the future (God knows, many times I wish I did), I do serve a God who does. He controls my destiny, and has plans for me and my life that I couldn’t even dream of. That’s amazing!

 

Lord, I get discouraged at times. It is frustrating not knowing what comes next. But I am encouraged by the fact that if I keep trusting You, You will guide my life in the way You see fit. Your plans are better than anything I could ever imagine. I await the future you have in store for me…

 

Matthew 6

This passage is speaking to me today, in so many ways. May it speak to you also…

Matthew 6

Giving to the Needy

1 ”Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 ”So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Prayer

5 ”And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 ”This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,

10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation,^t
but deliver us from the evil one.^t‘

14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Fasting

16 ”When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Treasures in Heaven

19 ”Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 ”The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,^t your whole body will be full of light.23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,^t your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 ”No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Do Not Worry

25 ”Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^t?

28 ”And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

 

Ps. 61:1-2

The cry of my heart right now…

Ps. 61:1-2
Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Reflections/Committments

Today I want us to stop and reflect on the year that has just passed. What is the one thing (or, better yet, more than one thing) that you can genuinely say you’ve changed for the better last year? One area you’ve improved in; one bad habit you’ve broken? What do you plan on working on in this new year?

I’m not so much a fan of New Year’s resolutions, at least, I don’t call them that. I do however believe that one should have goals that one wishes to accomplish and work from there. Based off an idea I got from a speaker at GYC 2010 (click here to find out more about GYC) I formulated a list of short term goals to work on during the upcoming year. This list included goals for my personal devotional life, prayer life, reading/keeping up with the world around me, friends and family, physical fitness, financial planning etc. To be honest, only one thing sticks out to me that I really made significant progress with over the past year. But that one thing was a start. My list was not a list of resolutions that I’d feel guilty for not accomplishing. It was a list of things I know I need to work on over time. And guess what? Most of that stuff, even what I made progress with last year, will roll right on over into this year.

My challenge for myself this year is to see if I keep up with that one item I improved on last year, and if at the end of this year I can see marked progress in one/more other things on my “revised for 2012″ list. That’s my challenge for you as well. Go ahead. List your goals/dreams. Then maybe pick out one/two to really work on this year. Challenge yourself. Stick it up on the wall somewhere to remind yourself. If you falter, dont feel guilty/beat up on yourself. Don’t give up either. Just renew the decision to try to make a positive difference in your life this year, and the years to come.

God bless

~Delle

How I want to spend my New Year

2012 is here!

A few things about my New Years eve give me light into how I should spend the upcoming year. Here they are

1. Seeking God. We drove around searching for a sundown service to welcome in the New Year. We did not find one. The churches we went to were closed. That did not stop us from visiting a public park and closing the Sabbath and the year with prayer, inviting the Lord into our lives as we entered the New Year.

2. Praising God unashamed. Five of us stood in a circle, in the middle of a large gazebo in a public park, bowed our heads, and went around the circle thanking God for bringing us through 2011 and asking Him to lead us through 2012

3. With friends and family. I spent much of 2011 alone, living in a city pretty much without family and friends, visiting what family I did have nearby very seldomly, because of a job in that lonely city, and the inconvenience of visiting more often. I was not a very enjoyable experience. When God made Adam, he placed him in the garden alone, allowed him to experience being by himself, then created him a partner alongside him saying that “it is not good for the man to be alone” (Gen 2:18). I have certainly experienced this fact, and I pray that I am able to spend my 2012, or at least parts of it, surrounded by loved ones as I was able to on New Years eve

4. Helping those less fortunate. A man presented himself to our little group, and introduced himself as David Williams, a person having fallen among hard times, but who was ready to return home. He told us that he planned to take a bus back home, but was short of the fare by $5. We were able to help him out with the cash, and say a prayer with him right then and there. For 2012 I pray that the Lord presents more opportunities to share what little he has shared with me with others who need it more than I do.

So, I am ready to begin my 2012. I pray for guidance from the Lord to make this year an extra special one. A year in which I put Him first and foremost in my life, and put others before myself and my selfish desire. A year filled with pure J-O-Y as a result of living the principles of Jesus-Others-You.

Make me ready dear Jesus… I let go of all my plans, and desires. I present them to You. I give myself away so You can use me

Missed opportunity

I just read this blog over at sheseeks.org entitled please don’t judge me about misplaced priorities, and it just reminded me of a missed opportunity to share this past week. I got home from work in the morning (I work overnights) and decided to run to the store to pick up a few things. As I walked up the street toward my apartment, I saw a man appearing to be rummaging through the trash, and felt impressed to give. I am sometimes wary of giving money to people on the streets, because I don’t know if they will use it to buy food or cigarettes/drugs. But in my shopping bag I had two bags of bread instead of one. He moved away from the trash can and started walking away, but then turned talking incoherently to himself. Fear, and whatever else – I don’t know, made me keep walking instead of giving him the bread from my bag. As I walked I kept looking back at that man, telling myself it was not too late to turn back. But I kept walking. I walked into my apartment with exactly what I left the store with. Missed opportunity… I ask God for opportunities to share Him with others, but then I walk away when the opportunity presents itself…

I pray to God for mercy that I know He is willing to extend after my missed opportunity, but I pray that I will step up to the challenge when the next opportunity presents itself.

In the words of the old hymn, “If I can help somebody as I pass along, If I can cheer somebody with a word or song, If I can show somebody how they’re travelling wrong, Then my living shall not be in vain”

“I may not be able to change the world, but I can change one life. The world will just have to adjust” (quote from a favorite children’s book)