DO YOU HAVE TROUBLE BEING A GLOVE?

We are all a glove whether we want to be or not.  I will be honest with you, there have been times I wanted to hang a sign out that said, "GLOVE NOT IN USE".  We will never be able to do that because every day we use our hands for good or for bad. 

Each morning when we rise we need to ask the Lord to let us be the glove in which he places his hand.  When we do that we are giving up our will to the Lord.  We will be allowing him to have control.  It will not be what I want to do that day but what the Lord would have me to do.  If we do not ask the Lord to wear the glove then we will be allowing someone else to wear the glove. 

Have you ever allowed bitterness to slide his hand into the glove?   As you go through the day and you begin to dwell on the thing that caused you bitterness, you attack some object and destroy it.  The reason we do this is because we allowed bitterness to wear the glove that day.

Have you ever allowed hatred to slide his hand into the glove?  We read or hear on the news daily of people who murdered someone.  What if they had awoked that morning and allowed the Lord to wear the glove that day instead of hatred.  Not only would the life be saved but also the agony of the person that wore the glove would have been saved. 

What about the glove of rejection?  This glove allows the hand to go right out in front of the person as if to says, "Oh no buddy, don't you think that you will be crossing that line" or "talk to the hand because the face don't understand".  Many times we feel that we have the right to wear this glove.  When we allow rejection to slide his hand into our glove, are we just hurting the people that hurt us or are innocent people being hurt?  What about yourself, have you ever wore the glove of rejection only to realize that the glove didn't fit?  The glove was so tight that it ended up wounding you far more than it did the other person.

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies,
 kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;


Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another,
 if any man have a quarrel against any:
even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
And above all these things put on charity,
which is the bond of perfectness.

Colosians 3:12-14

SHAKE IT OFF

There are times in life that I am faced with situations that seem much larger than myself  I will let them get the upper hand on me sometimes when the main thing that I am needing to do is get a new prospective.  There have been times that I would bury myself in the well of despair for days, weeks and sometimes months.  Was this necessary?  No, not at all  If I would get a new prospective I could easy overcome the well of despair but sometimes I just feel stuck.  This story was in our lesson Sunday and a perfect example to us of what we need to do when we find ourselves in the well of despair.

There was once a farmer who had a donkey that fell into an old abandoned well.  The farmer couldn't figure out what to do.  He finally called all his neighbors to come over and it was soon decided that the donkey was old and useless.  The owner agreed since there was no way to get him out that they would all get shovels and bury the donkey in the old abondoned well. 

As all the neighbors bagan to shovel dirt into the well the donkey began to cry and wail but soon they could no longer hear him crying out.  The farmer looked into the well and to his surpirse with every shovelful of dirt that hit the old donkey's back, the donkey would shake his back and the dirt would fall to the bottom of the well, and the donkey would take a step up.

The neighbors kept shoveling the dirt in and the donkey kept shaking the dirt off and stepping up.  Eventually the well was nearly full and the donkey shook the last of the dirt off his back, took a step up and walked right out of the well.

I can actually remember a time where I had been in the well of despair for years.  I wrote in my daytimer that on a certain date that I had finally reached to top of the well and was able to crawl out.  I could see the top of the well for months but I couldn't seem to be able to get out of the well of despair.  As I speak with people now I am able to tell them that the main thing is to keep taking steps forward.  Never standing still, and never going even one step backwards.  It may take you months or years to get our of the well of depair, but keep moving forward.  One day you will be able to walk out of the well just like the donkey did.

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:

for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life,

which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

James 1:12

DON’T SETTLE FOR ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER

Why do we settle for artificial Christianity when we could have the real thing? Is it that we haven’t tasted the real thing in so long that we don’t even know what it taste like anymore?

Steve and I started using artificial sweetner many years ago in our tea. When I go to a restaurant that serves good tea, I remember what I have been missing all those years. McCallister Deli has the best tea ever and when sugar is added to their tea I wonder why I don’t drive to Odessa once a week and get 10 gallons of tea to take home with me. I’m sure our doctor would not agree with that but none the less I think I could become addicted to their tea.

Once we go weeks without the sugar in our drinks and become accustomed to the artificial sweetener, we forget what it was actually like. Are we setting for 2nd best with the Lord also? Has it been so long that you have gone without him that you forget exactly what he is really like? Has our churches slowly but surely over the centuries walked away from the true church? We know that we have but now the question is, “who knows what the true church is really supposed to be?” The Lord gives many examples of what the church isn’t supposed to be.

Let’s look at Psalms 19: 1-10 and let’s ask ourselves this question. When others look at our lives do they see that Christ is more to be desired than much fine gold? If they don’t we might want to see what is wrong with the way we are portraying Christ. Are your friends satisfied with seeing you being an artificial sweetener of Christ or are they asking for the real thing? This has been the cry of many youth in the 21st Century. We are hearing that they want the real thing. Let’s search our hearts and go back to the real thing so others will desire to see Christ whom is sweeter than the honeycomb and much to be desired.

PSALMS 19

The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart:

the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever:

the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold:

sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

WEDDING BAND SHOWS GOD'S ETERNAL LOVE

You might ask how God’s love can possibly be like a ring? The Gold in a ring represents God’s purity. A ring is unlike other objects, in that it doesn't have a starting point or an ending point. This reminds me of God’s eternal nature.

John 1:1-3 

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by him;

and without him was not any thing made

that was made.

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth

  God ‘s love is everlasting. His love will never end. He knew us before we were born and he loved us.  He knew us after we were born and he loved us.  He knows every single bad thing we will do during our lifetime and his love still didn't change.  He loves us no matter what.  You can place your finger on a ring and go around it 1000 times and never find a stopping place. This is how much that God loves us. This ring shows who he is.  He had no beginning and no end. 

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting;

and his truth endureth to all generations.

PSALMS 100:5



GOD'S TELEPHONE NUMBER

 

As parents and grandparents we teach our children the importance of knowing their home phone number or cell phone number. We also teach them how to dial 911 in case of an emergency. It's important for them to know how to find their house and how to tell the police their address in case they get lost. There are many things children need to learn about safety.

When I was a very young child my mother taught me how to find my way home and what my address was but she didn’t stop there. My mother knew the importance of my knowing how to call and find my way to the Lord Jesus Christ during a crisis. She continually would ask me what the Lord’s telephone number was. I think it is important that we instill this into our children’s lives.

To this very day if I find myself in a crisis I am reminded to call on the Lord. This is the precious verse my mother repeatedly taught me so I would have access to my Father, God, at all times.

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. (Jeremiah 33:3)

 

 

LIFE IS LIKE A PIANO

 

Our lives are like a piano. As a pianist I have learned the value of the things I do in my life. The choices I make the places I go, and the things I do, are important.

In order for me to play the piano correctly it takes a lot of practice. I wasn't given a natural talent for music and there have been times the Lord and I have had deep discussions about this topic. My heart longs to be able to sit down and play any music put before me, but I'm afraid that just isn't going to happen in my lifetime.

I did learn through some very rough years in my life that whatever I put into that piano is what I would get out of it. If I never practiced, I couldn't play. If I practiced a lot, I could play well.

I remember praying and asking the Lord to continually soften my heart. Not make me a doormat for others to walk on but to take the bitterness out of my soul. Each day I would sit and play the piano for hours. I soon found if I was angry I might start out playing angry notes but as long as it took to soften my heart is how long I stayed at that piano.

My heart was pretty hard and angry so therefore I had to spend hours upon hours each week playing that piano.

After many years of playing the piano for hours every day and talking to the Lord about my deep sorrow and deep anger, I realized slowly but surely my heart was being healed from all the sorrow and anger.

One day I was sitting at the piano, and a God thing happened. You can ask anyone who knows a lot about my piano playing I do not play by ear. Those who hear me play in public believe I could sit and play just about anything. What they don't know is it takes hours upon hours of practice for me to play one little song. Now once I play that song, I have it down for the rest of my life.

 As I was sitting at the piano one day, the Lord gave me a song. If you were to listen to this piano piece of this song you probably would say it was written from a person that has extreme peace in their heart.

This would be true but the story and words behind the song is that of great grief, anger, sorrow, suffering and despair. It took me two years to work the bad stuff out of my heart for my fingers to be able to play the song I wrote.

The words began to flow from my mouth and my fingers began to play a soothing piece of music "Lord I'll Follow You"

We are all going to play a song with our lives whether we want to or not. It can be one of destruction, anger, and despair or one of peace, contentment and joy.

 Some of the trials I experienced in 2002 - 2004 were horrible. Never wanting to recall that experience, but knowing now had I not gone through this time, I wouldn't have seen the importance of continually digging a well.

There are conflicts we face daily that we have to stop and ask ourselves, "What tune do I want the ending note of my piece of music to be?"

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (I Corinthians 9:24-27)

IF YOU RUN WITH A SKUNK YOU WILL SMELL LIKE ONE

Do you ever feel like you should be the one in control of your life? Do you feel that others try to keep you from having fun? Do you feel you are man/woman enough to do things that some people warn you about? This is something I have heard many people say.

We have often heard how that other people influence our lives and we might agree with that with our whole heart. We might even go so far in this belief that we would never hang out with those the drink alcohol, do drugs or sleep around with other people. We consider them to be living immorally. Yet at the same time we may be pulling away from others and isolating ourselves in a room with a computer, tv or magazine looking at sexually explicit information. Others are not seeing what you are doing. You truly think you are getting away with this but I speak with woman on a regular basis that say,”I have felt so dirty for so long and couldn’t put my finger on it”. Others say, “I have no self-esteem left and really don’t know why.” We don’t fully know why woman feel the way they do except for the fact if you run with a skunk you are going to smell like him. He may be disguising himself to look like a businessman, city leader, youth director or pastor but if he is looking at sexually explicit information he is eventually going to start smelling like a skunk. If you are hanging with him, you also will be sprayed with the horrible fragrance.

You might say, “I didn’t ask for this”, or “I didn’t know he was doing this”. It doesn’t matter satan doesn’t care if you innocently walk upon the skunk or if you lay in the bed with this bad boy. The bottom line is, satan loves for Christians to smell like a skunk. He loves for that smell to bleed over onto other peoples lives even if they are innocent. Have you ever walked up to a skunk and heard him say, “hey there young lady/man how would you like to smell just like me”? No, it isn’t going to happen. You aren’t even going to realize many times that the skunk is hiding in the bush. Once you have been sprayed by the skunk, it isn’t easy to get rid of the disgusting smell. If it’s on your shoes, you must get rid of the shoes. If the smell is on your shirt, then you must get rid of the shirt. The problem with sexually explicit pictures is the smell is left on your heart and your mind. You might even say, “I did that weeks ago, why are you upset with me now”. The answer is, you still have the smell on you and I can’t stand it.” Ask these ladies going through this and I promise they will agree.

The next question is, how do I get rid of my heart and my mind? How do I get the smell off of my children? How do I get the smell off of my wife? Lord knows we can’t destroy those items. Does this mean that we are stuck with this ungodly smell the rest of our lives? First of all, for those of you who haven’t been sprayed by this disgusting creature, run as fast as you can in the other direction. The smell is so disgusting that it even irrates people that you try to hang out with. You might get accustomed to the smell but I promise you those that love you will never get accustomed to it.

I receive phone call, letters and text of woman that are sick and tired of having to live with the smell day in and day out. It has destroyed their marriages and relationship with their children. Many times the person that is hanging out with the skunk will blame somebody else for them not having a relationship with their own children. They feel others placed a wall up when in reality the children can smell the sinch of the skunk. They may not know what’s wrong, but they know something doesn’t smell quite right. This pushes the person further back to themselves because nobody wants to smell like them and they feel more and more rejected.

Romans 13: 1-13

1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God:

the powers that be are ordained of God.

2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they t

hat resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power?

do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid;

 for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God,

a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers,

 attending continually upon this very thing.

7 ¶ Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due;

custom to whom custom; fear towhom fear; honour to whom honour.

8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another:

 for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal,

 Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet;

and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely,

 Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

11 ¶ And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep:

for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness,

and let us put on the armour of light.

13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness,

not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.