Not our Choice
But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22 NIV)
Then Samuel said, Do you think all GOD wants are sacrifices– empty rituals just for show? He wants you to listen to him! Plain listening is the thing, not staging a lavish religious production.
(1 Samuel 15:22)
Oswald Chambers writes:
Abraham did not choose what the sacrifice would be. Always guard against self-chosen service for God. Self-sacrifice may be a disease that impairs your service. If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace; or even if He has made it bitter, drink it in communion with Him. If the providential will of God means a hard and difficult time for you, go through it. But never decide the place of your own martyrdom, as if to say, “I will only go to there, but no farther.” God chose the test for Abraham, and Abraham neither delayed nor protested, but steadily obeyed. If you are not living in touch with God, it is easy to blame Him or pass judgment on Him. You must go through the trial before you have any right to pronounce a verdict, because by going through the trial you learn to know God better. God is working in us to reach His highest goals until His purpose and our purpose become one.
I think Oswwald Chamber’s hit the nail on the head. We have got ourselves so wrapped up in what we think a relationship with God should look like that we forget about God. We get so wrapped up in the technicalities of serving Him and making sure that we dot our I’s and cross our t’s and all that other stuff that we leave God in the living room with a cold cup of coffee wondering what happened to us.
For some reason we enjoy living in a state of dishevel….and we think this is God’s plan for us.
Listen to what the Bible says….
God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible. (2 Timothy 1:7)
Here is what Jesus Calls us to:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me–watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
Are we ready to walk with Him?
Powered by Zoundry Raven
Who’s The Boss
We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, (1 Thessalonians 3:2 NIV)
Oswald Smith writes:
“I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him. I should never say, “Lord, this causes me such heartache.” To talk that way makes me a stumbling block. When I stop telling God what I want, He can freely work His will in me without any hindrance. He can crush me, exalt me, or do anything else He chooses. He simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness. Self-pity is of the devil, and if I wallow in it I cannot be used by God for His purpose in the world. Doing this creates for me my own cozy “world within the world,” and God will not be allowed to move me from it because of my fear of being “frost-bitten.”"
Not my will but your’s Lord.
Powered by Zoundry Raven
A Mother’s Growing Pains
(this picture has been cropped for J.’s security and protection)
Yes it has been an exciting day at our house! My six year old lost his first tooth!!! Now it didn’t happen all on its own, mind you… He has been wiggling it and wiggling it for more than a week now. Most of his friends have all lost at least one tooth. He so wanted to get a visit from the tooth fairy too! He longed for that experience. In his mind, losing a tooth meant that he was growing up. And it is… He was sooo excited! He ran into the kitchen this morning before church…”Mom, mom!”, he said out of breath…”Look, look! My tooth came out!” “I was just giving it a final little wiggle and it came out in my hand. See?” He proudly displayed the bloody tooth and the bloody hole in his mouth.
My heart went into my throat, because for me it also means he is growing up. My baby is growing up! I remember when he was up all night because of the pain of teething and now he is trying to lose them! Not only is he trying…HE LOST HIS FIRST ONE!!! (tears) I held him in my arms and started to cry tears of joy. Then he pulled out of my arms and said….”Mom, we have to call Will.” “Come on mom…call him!” We had to share his special news! It was a very special new family moment for all of us.
So I guess today I was the one feeling the mother growing pains….I was happy for him but in a bittersweet way. I will miss these years…the baby, toddler, just starting school…I need my mommy years. I was in awe really. He has grown and changed so much over the years. But I realize that today we started a new stage of his life. I know that as he is beginning this new phase of his childhood I am beginning a new phase of my life as well…instead of being the holder of him I am being held by the loving, strong arms of William when I need him. I am creating new memories in my life too.
So we put his tooth in an envelope so he wouldn’t lose it. (He dropped it and lost it once when he first showed it to me). Tonight before bed…we wrote on the envelope…. J.’s first tooth…11/8/09. Thank you tooth fairy! I will keep you posted on what the tooth fairy leaves him.
Today at church I celebrated and thanked God for giving me the blessing of being J.’s mom. There are many days when that role is very difficult. But today I realized how much I still love being mom and am looking forward to whatever comes next in his journey….I asked God to help me to treasure even the difficult days. And God reminded me that I am no longer alone in all of this…and that is SO true. You have no idea how wonderful it is to have Will just a phone call away.
It really made me think about my time with M. He is almost nineteen months old now and thinks he is at least two…and lets you know it everyday! It reminded me to treasure everyday even the difficult days. And so no matter what our moods or how trying the times are…I am continuing to work hard to create beautiful memories…but I realize that some of the best memories are the unexpected interruptions of life that just happen ….like J. bringing me his tooth in his hand while I am finishing getting ready for church.
