Something in Your Teeth?

So you are eating at a restaurant with friends, or with a date, and you are having such a great time. You get home after a fun night, and go to the bathroom to brush your teeth, and low and behold, part of your dinner has been waiting for you between your two front teeth for WHO KNOWS how long?!



I'm sure I would get it out ASAP and wonder "how long has THAT been there?"

In James 1:22-25, the Bible is compared to a mirror that is used to reveal parts of our lives that might need to be cleaned out, or improved, for the glory of Jesus Christ. But how often do we see the flaws - whether it's selfishness, dishonesty, pride, etc., and then back away from the mirror and decide it's not worth fixing "right now". Instead of reacting with embarrassment or an eagerness to rid myself of these habits, I tell myself they really aren't THAT big a deal, and so many others do WAY worse things than I do.

But in God's eyes, the "little flaw" is a BIG BLACK SPECK that is wedged in my soul and needs to be brushed out! And I have noticed that Christ will use things and people and situations to continue bringing that "speck" to my attention. In order to honor my Creator and Savior, I must floss that old junk right out of my life and allow God's Word to transform me and make me a person who reflects the Love and Truth of God to the people around me.

James 1:22-25 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does."

P.S. I have to give credit to my dear friend, Jamie White, for the above analogy.

Where to Be

A friend of mine said this today, and I liked it, so I wanted to share. I also feel like it pertains to where I am right now, spiritually and physically, and where I want to be.

"It is better to be in the center of God's will and be in a war, than outside of God's will and in a peaceful pasture."

Although the very opposite seems to be more comfortable and inviting, it is a trap for me that leads to complacency and stagnancy. The Word of God says that we are in the midst of a battle, and to think that I can ever just cruise along unscathed is a daydream. Jeremiah 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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

One Step...

This thought has been reoccurring lately: everything I do either directs me toward Christ or away from Him. The choices I make demonstrate where my focus is. Do I want to be nearer to Jesus at the end of the day? Then choose Him at every opportunity!

Psalm 86:11
Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

King of Israel

This is a trailer for a short movie that my hubby is making for one of his classes. What do you think?

The King of Israel

Praise the Lord!

I need to make the decision to rejoice in the circumstances God has given me. I can decide to be negative, or I can remember the positive and praise Him and pray to Him.




Psalm 103 "Praise the Lord, Oh my soul; all my inmost being praise His name. Praise the Lord, oh my soul, and don't forget all His benefits. He forgives all of your sins and heals all your diseases. He redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion. He satisfies your desires with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

Put a smile on my face and in my heart today. Jesus is Lord!

This Too Shall Be Made Right - Derek Webb

This probably won't show up on my Facebook page, but I wanted to post it anyway. When I saw this, it reminded me of how sad and tormented this world is. It truly breaks my heart, and I know it breaks the heart of Jesus Christ. He came to bring a river of peace and hope to all of our aching, thirsty souls. All that we see that isn't right will be righted in Him in the end. That's what He promises, and that's what I believe. In Christ we are healed, we are loved, and we are able to love others.

Uncovered

"But as he reached the edge of the pool two things happened. First of all, it came over him like a thunderclap that he had been running on all fours - and why on earth had he been doing that? And secondly, as he bent towards the water, he thought for a second that yet another dragon was staring up at him out of the pool. But in an instant he realized the truth. That dragon face in the pool was his own reflection. There was no doubt of it. It moved as he moved: it opened and shut its mouth as he opened and shut his.

"He had turned into a dragon while he was asleep. Sleeping on a dragon's hoard with greedy, dragonish thoughts in his heart, he had become a dragon."

How many times in this life have I awoke to the realization that I have become dragonish? How many times have I recognized the greedy, selfish, and unkind reflection as I peer into my attitude, my habits, and the way I look at or treat other people. Even today I found myself congratulating a seemingly selfless act one moment, and trying to get ahead of the crowd a moment later.

How many times do I let the cold, lizard-like scales of doubt, pride, or fear interfere with my relationships and prevent me from truly reaching out and meaningfully communicate my deepest longings and desires? They grow up overnight, and suddenly I realize I am eons away from the people I long to be nearest. How many times have I reached out to a dear friend only to feel the cold hard shell blocking my efforts? In a world so full of pain, disappointment, loss, and sadness, it is difficult to understand why we choose to become recluses hiding in our dragon-skin, rather than reach out in love and compassion and mercy toward those around us. We become truly lonely, cut off from the world around us.

More than anything else, I want that relationship that will see me and my deepest cares and longings for what they are and who I am, and will accept and love me anyway. I need someone who understands my fears and brokenness, who will trust me; who I can trust. But I have to tear away the scales for that to happen.

"I looked up and saw the very last thing I expected: a huge lion coming slowly toward me... It came nearer and nearer. I was terribly afraid of it. It told me to follow it... So at last we came to the top of this mountain I'd never seen before and on top of this mountain there was a well... The water was as clear as anything and I thought if I could get in there and bathe... But the lion told me to shed my skin... I suddenly thought that dragons are snaky sort of things and snakes cast their skin. Oh, of course, thought I, that's what the lion means.

"So I started scratching myself and me scales began coming off all over the place. And then I scratched a little deeper and, instead of just scales coming off here and there, my whole skin started peeling off beautifully, like it does after an illness, or as if I was a banana. In a minute or two I just stepped out of it. It was a most lovely feeling.

"But just as I was going to put my foot into the water I looked down and saw that it was all hard and rough and wrinkled and scaly just as it had been before. Oh, that's all right, said I, it only means I had another smaller suit on underneath the first one, and I'll have to get out of it too. So I scratched and tore again and this underskin peeled off beautifully and out I stepped and left it lying beside the other one and went down to bathe in the well.

"Well, exactly the same thing happened again. And I thought to myself, oh dear, how ever many skins have I got to take off? For I was longing to bathe...

"Then the lion said, You will have to let me.
"I was afraid of His claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty desperate. So I just lay flat down on my back to let him do it.

"The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the skin peel off...

Well, he just peeled the beastly stuff right off, just as I thought I'd done the other three times, only they hadn't hurt...Then he caught hold of me and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it was perfectly delicious, and then I saw why...I'd turned into a boy again."

I need others to tear away my scales. I need Truth that will penetrate my selfish ideas and judgmental attitude and remind me that without Him I am merely a dragon, trying fruitlessly to scrape away my bad habits with more bad habits. Jesus, I need you! Please come and daily strip away the hardening in my heart and create in me an attitude of love and compassion. I know it may be painful, but I know the end will be beautiful in Your sight.

(The quotes are from C.S. Lewis' The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)