Sharing God's Love

I have not been able to sleep well for several days.  Thoughts keep coming into my mind so maybe someone else needs to hear what I feel the Lord is telling me.

I have been reminded over and over the last week that if we are seeking God and our hearts are open, God will give us opportunities to share with others about what the Lord has done for us.  And I have also been reminded about some very important truths about God... truths that continued to show up this morning in our bible class.

God will always give you opportunities to tell and show others about Him.  Whether God gives you a platform of 7000 people, a platform of 200 men or women, a platform of a bible class or whether He gives a platform of one; it's how we use those opportunities that will speak volumes into the world around us about who God is.  Regardless of the platform God gives you, God calls you to use that opportunity well.  God calls you to share with others what He has done in your life.  He calls you to give them a message of faith, hope and love.  He calls you to speak love, mercy and compassion into their lives and hearts, and God calls you to be a listener... because sometimes He may speak to you through the words and/or actions of others.

I love how The Message phrases James 1:19-21... "Post this at all the intersections, dear friend: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear.  God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger.  So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage.  In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life."


James 2 (NIV) says, "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment."  Period...


Matthew 12 says, "The mouth speaks what the heart is full of", so I want to make sure my heart is full of God's love, God's compassion and God's mercy.  If God's mercy always triumphs over judgement, then why do we always seem to be trying to judge others.  If God's mercy triumphs over judgment and if I have God living in me, then the words I speak should always be words of Love, words of Hope, words of Compassion and words of Mercy.

So if "mercy triumphs over judgment", the question becomes... How are you going to use those opportunities when God presents them to you?  What if... the moment you spend with that person or that group of people is going to be the only moment in which they will ever hear words about who God is?  What if... that moment is the only moment in which you have a chance to share with others what God has done in your life?  What if... what you speak in that moment defines what a person thinks about God for the rest of their life?  What if... in that one moment you have the chance to change someone's life?

The what if's of how my words or actions about God can define God for someone else is humbling, it's terrifying, it's sobering, it's overwhelming.... but it's also exciting.  Because in that moment, I have the chance to tell them about the God "I" know.  A God who is full of Love, a God who is full of Compassion, a God who Listens, a God who has changed my life and a God who has told me through His word, that Mercy always triumphs over judgment... Praise God!

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 

1 Corinthians 13:13

Blessings!

Holidays... With a Heavy Heart

I love the holidays!  I love that all my kids come home.  I love that they remember things from their childhood about the holidays.  I love that there are certain things, foods, etc. that they associate with each holiday.  All of those things have created many memories that I hold close to my heart.

But holidays can also be for some, a time when your heart is breaking.  A time when you are having to relearn how to live, to relearn how to be happy or to relearn how to just breathe because you've lost someone close to you.  Losing someone is never easy, when it happens around the holidays it's even harder.  Because you almost feel like your holidays have been tainted.  I lost my dad to cancer in November of 1973 just 2 weeks before Thanksgiving.  I was almost 12 years old.  And to this day, 40 years later, I still miss him.  Yes, it's been long enough that it's not the focus of my holidays, but I still think of him none the less.  But now, I remember more about all the fun we used to have and the things we used to do and I don't focus as much on the loss. But the loss is still there nonetheless.  I still miss him when I hear my granddaughter say or do funny things, because I know he would have adored her and would be teaching her all kinds of mischief!  I missed him especially when I got married and when my kids were born.  He would have taught them so many things.  Things I still tried to teach them, but it wasn't the same as having him here.  I still remember seeing my mom break down that first Christmas he wasn't there.  Knowing how much I love Chris, I cannot imagine that kind of pain.

And it's because of all of these things that my heart is so heavy.  Our church has been hit hard this year with loss, with grief and with tragedy.  We lost a great man to cancer who was a great friend, father, husband and son.  We have a member who lost 2 members of their family to cancer within a couple of weeks time and he himself has battled cancer but is in remission, Praise God!  We have lost several of our older members in the last year.  We have members who have lost children unexpectedly. And I know people who have lost moms, dads, brothers, sisters and other extended family. There has just been so much loss. 

It breaks my heart and weighs me down to know what the holidays will be like this year for those families.  And then my heart is full of joy and praise because we have also had numerous members who have battled cancer and praise God are now cancer free! We also have some members who are finishing their cancer treatments and we continue to praise God for the healing He is doing in them.  We even have one member who had an aorta rupture and she survived to tell about it! In fact, she was dead for 10 minutes and came back!  That doesn't happen, so God has big plans for her!

I write all of this to say, be aware of those around you who are hurting.  Whether it's because they've lost loved ones or it's because of another reason you cannot even fathom.  Don't offer them advice just let them know that you there, that you care.  Wrap your arms around them and remind them that they are loved.  And wrap your arms around those who have fought the battle and are winning.  Remind them that God has a purpose for them.  Remind them that it's ok to be joyful and to praise God for "their" healing.  Because deep down it's hard for them when they know others have lost the battle.

May God wrap His arms around each of this holiday season.  May He fill your heart with love and thankfulness for the journey He is bringing you through.  And for those who are suffering loss, may He wrap His arms around you and fill your heart with wonderful memories, may you feel the presence of your loved ones in the traditions you keep and in the laughter of your children and grandchildren.  And may we all remember that He is risen and the tomb is empty and we will see them all again!  Praise God!

"but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40:31

"The Lord bless youand keep you; 

the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;"

Numbers 6:24-25 

Blessings!
Liz

Blessed are Those Who Mourn, for They Will be Comforted

As I sit here at my desk this morning, I am finding it very difficult to focus on work as I think about all the devastation and weeping going on in Moore, Oklahoma.  Literally our neighbors.  I am a Christian who believes and trust in God, I work for a church, I am a parent and a grandparent and I am a child. Even still, it is all so hard to imagine.

I have close friends who have lost children and I have seen the agony and pain that brings.  I think about my own family and I cannot even fathom it.  The thought of kissing your children as the get out of the car for school in the morning, not realizing that the next kiss they receive would be from their heavenly father.

I just wrote a blog this week entitled "Through the Eyes of a Child" thinking about my granddaughter Eisley.  I cannot even imagine the pain of my own family, of my own daughter and son-in-law in the circumstances the parents of Moore are facing.  My heart literally aches for them.

The only thing I KNOW through all of this is this, He is God and I am not.  While I cannot imagine what these parents are going through, I know that God knows.  I know that He is right there beside them, wrapping them in His arms, holding them close to His heart.  My prayer is that each of these families, will feel God's presence in ways they never have before.  That even through the tragedy, especially because of the tragedy that they will not lose hope.  That they will cling to the Father like never before and that they will be able to have some peace in knowing their children are with Him.  That they will continue to praise God even in the storm that rages around them... because the tomb is empty!

Our dear friend Jenny Bizaillion went home to be with God a little over 3 years ago.  She absolutely adored and loved children with all her heart.  Her precious daughter Malaya was everything to her.  I can see her now surrounding each and every one of those precious children with her loving arms and covering each one of them with love and kisses.  Not only are they surrounded by their heavenly father God, but they have a heavenly mother in Jenny.  As my heart aches, those images make me smile through the tears.

May God bless each family beyond measure and give them the comfort that can only come from Him.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Matthew 5:4

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Psalm 147:3

Hallways

Today in worship our minister, Pat Bills, spoke on Habakkuk.  It's an old testament book, one that some people may not have heard of.  And even those of us who have heard of it, don't really choose Habakkuk when we want to read or study scripture.  But after today, I have realized that Habakkuk is a place to camp out; a place to find hope; a place to be reminded of God's promises.  

Habakkuk had lots of questions for God.  And sometimes, don't we all have lots of questions for God?  I know I do!  Habakkuk asks of God, "How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save?"  Habakkuk questions God and reminds me that when I have questions for God, or I don't understand why God is silent, it's ok to question Him. It's nice to be reminded that God can take whatever questions I have for Him.  That doesn't mean that we will get answers right away, but someday they will come.  God tells Habakkuk concerning his questions... "Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay."  The Message says... "If it seems slow in coming, wait.  It's on its way.  It will come right on time."  There are days when I really need to be reminded of that statement.  God's timing, is not my timing.

Pat mentioned today in his sermon how people like to use the phrase, "when one door closes another one opens".  He also mentioned that a preaching mentor added to that statement by saying, "yes, but what we don't know is, how long the hallway is in between doors"! Truer words were never spoken.  We live in a society of quick fixes, quick answers, quick service and waiting can be extremely hard at times.  Sometimes your hallway may be short; sometimes it may be so long you think it's never going to end; sometimes it may take you to a door you never thought you would have to go through and sometimes you may just collapse in the hallway because the next door just doesn't seem like it's ever going to be there.  But God reminds us in Habakkuk that no matter how long the hallway may be, we are never alone.  It's like I've said many times before, it's what we "choose to do" in the hallway that defines who we are and whose we are.  We make a choice every day of what our response will be to whatever hallways we find ourselves in. And even when the hallway seems to have no other door in sight, we choose to continue to trust and we choose to continue to wait.  Because God will not delay; and because He is God and we are not.  As Pat said today, "Faithfulness is not something that comes from us - faithfulness is what comes from God while we are waiting in the hallway." I choose to allow God to fill me with His faithfulness while I wait in the hallway!

We all have hallways in our lives.  I'm going to choose to let God lead me through my hallways no matter how long they may turn out to be!  I will wait for God's open door and until then choose to continuing walking the hallways because I know He is there with me; even if I can't see or feel Him.  I know He will give me glimpses of Himself, and He will shed light through the hallway when it's at its darkest point.  And I will continue to choose to walk the hallway because one day, the open door at the other end of the hallway will show up... right on time.

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord, 

I will be joyful in God my savior.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

he enables me to tread on the heights."

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Blessings!