Monday Morning Memo: Accomplishing the Impossible

I recently read this statement, “Accomplishing the impossible begins with seeing the invisible.”  These words have my mind churning.  I read something like this, and I immediately agree with what it says…but then living it out doesn’t come so easy.

Why is it so hard for me to see the invisible…especially when it comes to trusting God?  I trust a lot of other things that I cannot see.  I trust that there is a sun in the sky even when it is completely covered by clouds.  I trust there is going to be air to breathe as I go throughout my day, but I can’t see it.  Many times in my life, when I have been pushed into an MRI machine, I have trusted that the pulses of radio wave energy, which I cannot see, will take pictures of areas inside my body.

But trusting an invisible God, even though I have seen the effect of the power of His hand, is much more difficult.  When it comes to trusting Him, I want something tangible.  I want proof.  I want facts.  I want details.  And of course…I want results!

I have a feeling I am not alone in this, and I wonder how often God shakes His head at our ways.  Knowing how much He loves us and how much He wants the very best for us, I can’t help but believe He is saying, “Please my dear child, trust the invisible…because it is much more wonderful than anything you can even imagine or see with your own eyes.” 

I think part of the problem is that we bring God down to our size, instead of realizing how big and powerful He really is.  Nothing is impossible for Him.  Nothing makes Him wring His hands.  Nothing catches Him off guard or even makes Him break a sweat. Absolutely nothing.

What is it in your life today that just seems impossible?  What do you want to see accomplished but you just can’t make yourself step out in faith because there isn’t anything tangible to hold onto?  Remember the size of your God.  What you cannot see…He sees clearly.  What you cannot do…He has already done.  What you cannot achieve on your own…He already has it accomplished and is just waiting for you to step into His plan.  I happen to believe when we do this and when the fog finally clears, what we will behold will be worth the first step into the unknown.

“We don’t yet see things clearly. 

We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. 

But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! 

We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, 

knowing him directly just as he knows us!”

1 Corinthians 13:12 (MSG)

By the way…if you haven’t already done so…please check out my latest videos on my YouTube channel, Image Seeker, where we are studying the Fruit of the Spirit.  The next lesson will be posted tomorrow…so make sure you are all caught up!  You can check it out at:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0szlDSgNBtFuzzNLBWzwMA

Monday Morning Memo: The Wandering Mind...

Do you have problems with your mind wandering?  I sure do.  There are times when I sit down to write my weekly devotional and the next thing I know, I’m thinking about what I need to put on my grocery list, what I’m fixing for dinner or better yet, what restaurant Dan should take me to next   My mind doesn’t wander because I don’t like writing, because I do.  It’s just that I have a lot going on in my life and it is often hard to just focus on one thing.

In my reading this past week, I came across this statement, “Whatever occupies your mind the most becomes your god.”  I read a similar statement several years ago and it convicted me then just as this statement did several days ago.  Both times it made me give some thought to what brainwaves occupy my mind the most.  Are my thoughts wholesome?  Are they selfish?  Are they vindictive?  Are they spiritually based or worldly based? 

The key words in this statement are “the most”.  In other words, all of us have times when our mind wanders and we have trouble focusing, but this is asking us to contemplate what thoughts occupy our mind the most.   They may not be bad thoughts, but whatever they are shows what our main focus is and what our “god” is.  Thinking about our favorite hobby or sport is ok, but if that is the thing we think about the most, it is then our god.  Thinking about making more money is not a bad thing, but if the majority of our thoughts are consumed with getting rich, money then becomes our god.  Exercising is a good thing but, believe it or not, I’ve actually known people who are obsessed with it and as a result, their own bodies become their god. 

 

We read in Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before me” and in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money.”  Scripture makes it very clear that we are to only worship the one true God; He refuses to take second place in our life but as we have talked before, it is our choice.  We can choose what or who our god is, by the decisions we make and by the thoughts that we allow to permeate our mind.  It is our choice to allow our worries, fears and doubts to control us and become our god. As a result, since we cannot serve two masters, we then send the message to God that He is a liar and cannot be trusted.

As you go through this coming week, take notice of what thoughts are occupying your mind the most.  You may even want to write them down so that at the end of the seven days you can have a clearer picture of what or who your god is.  If it isn’t the one true God, then you need to change your priorities and ask the Holy Spirit to control your thoughts.  He is willing, able, and waiting for your decision.   

 

By the way…if you haven’t already done so…please check out my latest videos on my YouTube channel, Image Seeker.  We are studying the Fruit of the Spirit and so far, we have studied love, joy & peace.  The next lesson will be posted tomorrow…so make sure you are all caught up!  You can check them out at:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0szlDSgNBtFuzzNLBWzwMA

Monday Morning Memo: The Insanity Begins...

Well, here we go.  Today, ready or not, is November 1st…which in my mind, is the beginning of the insanity of the holidays.  Thanksgiving will be first and then of course Christmas.  There is food to prepare, family gatherings to attend, gifts to buy and wrap, Christmas cards to sign, school programs to attend, church services to attend (that is, if we have time) and the list goes on and on.  I get tired just thinking about it.  Oftentimes by the end of December we are all just exhausted and frazzled.  

 

Of course, this year may be even worse.  Due to shortages, the media is bombarding us with the need to shop early…hoard early…to make sure all the youngin’s get their heart’s desire for Christmas.  My, oh my, what a catastrophe it would be if they, and us, had just a little less under the tree this year.

 

The tragedy is that it is so easy to get caught up with our activities that we miss out on the true meaning of this time.  Yes, we might find the time to attend church for Thanksgiving and Christmas Sunday, and if we are really feeling religious, we might even attend a Christmas Eve service, but other than that, life pretty much revolves around our family and our agenda.

 

This made me think that maybe we should take some time and remind ourselves what these next 8 weeks should be all about.  What should occupy our thoughts, our time, our money, and our talent?   Here is the Readers Digest version of what’s been rambling around in my head:

 

I believe that Scripture tells us that these weeks (and all weeks) should be filled with three kinds of giving:

1. Thanksgiving:  In Hebrews 12:28 (The Message), we read about the fact that we, as Christians, have been given an unshakable kingdom.  “Do you see what we’ve got?  An unshakable kingdom!  And do you see how thankful we must be?  Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God.”  When was the last time you brimmed with worship because you were so thankful for what you have been given?  When was the last time you even thought about all that God has done for you in sending His Son to die for you, in giving you His unshakable kingdom?  And, allowing you to be His child?

2. Tangible-giving:  2 Corinthians 9:6-15 (The Message) tells us plainly what this means.  This is such a powerful section of Scripture.  Paul tells the believers in Corinth, “Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop.  I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give.  That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting.  God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.  

God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done.  As one psalmist puts it, ‘He throws caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon.  His right-living, right-giving ways never run out, never wear out.’

This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you.  He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.  

Carrying out this social relief work involves far more than helping meet the bare needs of poor Christians.  It also produces abundant and bountiful thanksgivings to God.  This relief offering is a prod to live at your very best, showing your gratitude to God by being openly obedient to the plain meaning of the message of Christ.  You show your gratitude through your generous offerings to your needy brothers and sisters, and really toward everyone.  Meanwhile, moved by the extravagance of God in your lives, they’ll respond by praying for you in passionate intercession for whatever you need.  Thank God for this gift, His gift.  No language can praise it enough!” 

 

Did you catch what this kind of giving produces?  This kind of giving produces abundant and bountiful thanksgivings to God.  You won’t have to wonder what to be thankful for if you are giving to others.  You see, you can’t outgive God, so the more you give the more you will be blessed.  And the more you are blessed, the more you will have to give and thanksgiving will begin to ooze out of you!

 

3. Self-giving:  Before we can genuinely give thanksgiving, before we can truly give to others, we must first give ourselves to God.  He must have us completely.  Romans 12:1 & 2 are probably the most well-known verses that talk about self-giving.  “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.”  God wants us to offer ourselves, as living sacrifices – daily laying aside our own desires to follow Him, putting all our energy and resources at His disposal and trusting Him to guide us.

 

How about it?  During these final 2 months of 2021, will you be so caught up in the whirlwind, that you miss the real reason for the season?  Will you allow those around you to drag you down and determine how you spend your time, talent & treasures, or will you be the one to make a positive difference in the lives of others?  

 

My challenge to you for the next 8 weeks:

1.     If you haven’t already done so, accept Christ as your Lord and Savior.  Then let someone know so they can come alongside you and support you as you grow in Him!

 

2.   Commit to giving at least 10% of your income to the Lord.  Remember, you can’t outgive God.

 

3.   Pray that the Lord would reveal how you can begin tangibly giving.  He’s just waiting for you to ask.

 

4.  Intentionally pour thanksgiving on God!  Don’t forget...He IS the reason for the season and deserves your abundant praise!

By the way…if you haven’t already done so…please check out my latest videos on my YouTube channel, Image Seeker.  We are studying the Fruit of the Spirit and so far we have studied love, joy & peace.  You can check it out at:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0szlDSgNBtFuzzNLBWzwMA

Monday Morning Memo: Discipleship 101: Love Jesus

I happen to love the old hymns…AND the newer choruses.   I know this has been a “hot topic” in many churches over the years and unfortunately has split many congregations.  I believe they all have their place in our daily lives along with our time of corporate worship…and God can use both to speak to us as we worship Him.

 

One of my favorite hymns is “My Jesus I Love Thee”.  Let me share the words with you:

 

My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign;
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree;
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,
And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;
And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

In mansions of glory and endless delight,
I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;
I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

 

Reading through these words made me conclude that we often make discipleship training too difficult.  As a result, we have many Christians going through life not having a clue as to what a truly devoted follower of Christ should look like.   To me this is tragic and very disturbing.  We have Christians who look no different than those who do not profess to have a relationship with Him.   They are attending the same movies, watching the same television shows, telling the same jokes, cheating on their spouse and backstabbing at work to move up the ladder.  With their mouth they acknowledge their Savior, but their actions don’t back up their words.

 

What we need to emphasize to followers of Christ is that their responsibility is to concentrate on their relationship with Him.  If the relationship is not where it should be, then fruit will not be seen in their life.   Now at this point you may be thinking, “Well duh, LuAnn, everybody knows that!”  Do they?  Do you?

 

Let me explain.  If we really believe the words to the song I included, then our walk should prove it.  If we truly love our Jesus and desire to turn all of our sin over to Him, then that should be our guide as to how we live.  When we get up in the morning, if we truly love our Jesus, then there should be no place for mistreating our spouse or our children.  If we truly love our Jesus, then we should never desire to step on other people in our workplace just to obtain a higher status.  If we truly love our Jesus, then we should never desire to attend a function where we know Jesus would not approve.  If we truly love our Jesus, then the thought of cheating on our spouse should never be an option.  If we truly love our Jesus, our priorities and our schedule should be an outgrowth of our love for Him.

 

What we fail to realize is that the choices we make each day, make it obvious to others what condition our relationship with Him is in.  No one has to be a rocket scientist to see whether we truly love our Jesus or not, just by listening to our words and watching our actions.   Not only does it show others whether or not we love Him, it also refutes all the excuses we can muster.  No longer can we blame our parents, our children, or our friends for our behavior, because they are not responsible for our relationship with our Jesus; only we are. 

 

I’m wondering if maybe Discipleship 101 could just be:  Love Jesus.  If we truly love Him, then how we live every day should be an outpouring of that love.  It really is as simple as that.

 

How much do you love Jesus today?  Maybe a better question would be, “Do others know how much you love your Jesus?”  If they don’t, then maybe you need to re-think your priorities and make some changes in your schedule this week.  When the right choices are made, we can then sing without reservation, “If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, ‘tis NOW.”

 

“If you love me, obey my commandments.”

John 14:15

Monday Morning Memo: How Comfortable Are You?

Fall has arrived in Indiana…much to my chagrin.  As I’ve shared before, my favorite season is summer.  I really enjoy the warm, sunny days when you don’t have to bundle up in 20 layers of clothes just to step outside.  And even though I know I usually don’t have to do that in the fall…I’m smart enough to know that the next season will require it if I don’t want to freeze!

 

But I must admit that there is one thing about the cooler weather that I look forward to and that is Sunday afternoons.  The reason is because I love to come home from church and put on my sweatpants and sweatshirt and relax.  Now I can come home and relax on most Sunday afternoons regardless of what the weather is outside, but there is just something about being able to wear those clothes that make it even more appealing.

 

Why do those clothes make my afternoon better?  Because they are so comfortable.  They are soft and baggy and don’t bind me anywhere.  They’re warm and cozy and I don’t have to worry that they will wrinkle if I kick back in my recliner and take a nap in them.  When I have them on, I don’t care if I make a fashion statement and honestly, I really don’t even care if they match!   To sum it up…they are easy.  I know when I am wearing them, I can just unwind and not expect too much from myself.

 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every moment of every hour of every day were that way?  Complete relaxation.  Never have to push ourselves to do anything.  Never have to care if we accomplish anything or do anything to impact anyone else’s life.  Never have to worry that something or someone will come along to put a “wrinkle” in our day. 

 

This may sound wonderful…but if we were honest…a life like this would be rather shallow.  It would be a life centered on us and what makes us comfortable.  We would miss out on the blessings which are received when we stop dwelling on us and do something to make someone else’s life a little easier.  We would surely become stagnant in our walk with Christ because our focus would be inward instead of outward. 

 

I think the statement in this graphic is convicting.   “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”  If we are only willing to do what makes us comfortable, we will miss out on the life Christ has planned for us.  He has more waiting for us than we can ever imagine and even though it may include some hills and valleys and detours which we don’t expect…it will be much more fulfilling than any afternoon in the recliner.

 

So, my question to you is, “How comfortable are you?”  If you are really comfortable day in and day out…you just might want to reevaluate your walk with Christ.  Are you listening to Him and following His directions for your journey?  Or are you content to just kick back and only do what is the easiest and makes you feel the best?

 

Life is so short and today is the day we need to step out of our comfort zone and begin living for Him instead of us.  If we don’t, we just might fall asleep and miss out on the adventure He has planned to make us look more like Him!

 

“Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, 

“If any of you wants to be my follower,

 you must give up your own way, 

take up your cross, and follow me.  

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. 

But if you give up your life for my sake 

and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.

Mark 8:34-35 (NLT)

Monday Morning Memo: Are You Praying...or Wishing?

When I was a child, I used to love to use flowers to play a common game.  If there was a particular boy that I liked, I would take the first petal off a flower and say, “He loves me” and then as the next petal hit the ground I would say, “He loves me not”.  This would continue until I got to the last remaining petal and if I saw that this petal would inform me that he didn’t love me, I would cheat and only pull half of the petal off to make sure I could say he loved me with the final half of a petal.  Yes, I probably should have gone to counseling for this 

Oh, the joys of being a child.  This was really nothing more than a wishing game; a game where I “wished” for a happy ending.  When I was young this was a harmless game of make believe.  I knew my wish wasn’t going to change anything or make someone love me and I really don’t think I expected anything more.

I think what is sad is the fact that many of us carry these same thoughts into our prayer life as adults.  Oh, we pray and ask God for this or that; but we consider our words to be more wishes than true, heartfelt requests.  

I have this tagline at the bottom of my emails, “If answered prayer surprises you, your praying may be more wishing than believing”.   How often do we pray, never really expecting God to answer?  Do we believe that our God is big enough to handle our requests or have we diminished God to be our size?  Are we so in tune with Him that our requests are what He would want to hear?

Too often I think our fears get in the way and we neglect to step out and be bold in our prayers, asking for those things that have been laid on our hearts.  I wonder what would happen this week if each of us would fervently pray and believe that God will answer us.  Not just throwing wishes up in the air, but heartfelt, specific prayers said to the One who is more powerful than any other. Our God is able.  Our God is powerful.  Our God is waiting for us to approach His throne.

I would love for you to join me in being intentional this week in praying and believing that He will answer.  Will He always give us the answer we are expecting?  Probably not.  But I am confident that as long as we trust Him…His answer will be exactly what we need.

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. 

There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace

 to help us when we need it most.” 

Hebrews 4:16

Monday Morning Memo: The Dreaded "C" Word

I asked for prayer last week in my Monday Morning Memo…because I was speaking this past weekend at a church retreat and for their Sunday morning service.  I was so blessed to have several of you contact me during the week…letting me know you were lifting me up to our Father.  God heard your prayers and showed up among us in a mighty way and I just can’t thank you enough for your amazing prayer support!

It was probably one of the most organized events I have ever been a part of, because Teresa and her crew made sure to do everything with excellence for God’s glory.  But (and there is always a “but”!) not everything on our agenda this weekend thrilled me.  You see, something that referred to the “C” word was listed on our itinerary and that word always makes me cringe.

What’s the “C” word?  Crafts.  Right there in black and white…on our schedule…was a time slot for learning how to paint a picture.  Now reading that may make some of you giddy with excitement…but I had feelings that were quite the opposite.  I am not a creative person and just about anything that falls under the title of crafts…makes me feel just a little nauseous 

But as I reflected on this as I drove home yesterday, I came to the realization that the reason I don’t like to do things like this just might be because of my pride.  I must have missed the day when artistic genes were handed out because it just isn’t my gift. So when I know that, more than likely, others around me are going to do a much better job than me…I tend to not want to put myself in that situation.  When I compare my creative talent to the other dear women who were there…I fall painfully short…which just might bruise my pride a little bit.

Comparisons can be brutal, can’t they?  I think too often we compare our weaknesses…with other peoples’ strengths…and as a result we can feel inferior rather easily.  Therefore, that makes us not want to put ourselves in situations where we might not be perfect…OUCH.  Oh, I’ve got a lot to learn in this department.  I know I need to work on facing times such as this as opportunities to grow as a person as I fellowship with those around me, knowing that the end product probably won’t be award-winning…and that is entirely ok.

So, I came home and put my newly painted picture of a sunflower in my library so I will see it as I study and write.  I’m going to have it as a reminder that I’ll never be a Picasso…and that’s ok!  Life is short and I need to work on not taking myself so seriously and be willing to take part in things just for the fun of it.   

In hindsight, it was worth every stroke of my brush to have the opportunity to spend those precious moments with these daughters of the King.  So, I’m going to do my best to remember this, the next time I begin to waste energy worrying about my pride getting bruised over a piece of canvas.  My artwork won’t be going into eternity (thank goodness!)…but those around me will…and I need to focus much more on making them feel my love, acceptance and encouragement.  And who knows…maybe if I do this, they will offer to paint my picture for me next time   

^“So encourage each other and build each other up,

 just as you are already doing.”

1 Thessalonians 5:11