February 5, 2010

Chores!

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23-24

Do you have a list of chores that you are responsible for every week? Maybe it's to set the table, or take out the garbage, or help make supper. Maybe it's to watch your little brother or sister while mom works or to make sure your bed is made and your room is picked up. Maybe it's your job to scoop the snow when God gives us the kind of winter He has this year.   :)

Do you grumble and complain about your chores? Do you sometimes think it isn't fair that you have to do all these things; things that dad or mom used to do when they were around? Things that you don't want to do? We all have some sort of work to do and it's this work that makes our lives and the lives of those around us run more smoothly.

What do you think would happen if you didn't do your chores? Maybe the house would start to stink because you didn't want to take the garbage out this week. Maybe you couldn't get to school or to the grocery store (or the video store) if you decided not to scoop the driveway. Maybe your little brother or sister could get lost or even hurt if you decided not to watch them. Whatever chore or work it is that God has asked us to do, we need to do it joyfully.

"The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand." Deuteronomy 28:12a (NKJV)

"May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge." Ruth 2:12 (NASB)

I have a small card on my desk at home that says, "Work as unto the Lord." When I see my driveway with five feet of snow piled on it, I look at that card and say, "As unto the Lord." When the yard needs to be mowed and the flower garden weeded, I remember…as unto the Lord. When I'm standing at the sink washing a pile of dishes, I tell myself…as unto the Lord. These are my chores and the work that God has given me to do in this season of my life and I will do it as unto the Lord.

God gives each of us special work to do. He knows our talents and He has given us our gifts. He wants us to use these gifts for His glory and His kingdom. I know you are shaking your head at me right about now and wondering what cleaning the litter box has to do with God's kingdom. Well, it is your way of helping your family to run more smoothly and for everybody's lives to go a little easier and it pleases the Lord when you give of yourselves to help others.

"But now, O LORD, You are our Father. We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand." Isaiah 64:8 (NASB)

If we look at our "chores" as a way to please the Lord, then we can do them joyfully. Don't want to take out the garbage? Do it because mom or dad needs you to and obedience to your parents pleases the Lord. Don't want to watch your brother or sister? Be a friend to them and guide them because a loving family pleases the Lord. Don't want to fold the laundry or help with the dishes? Do it because helping others pleases the Lord. You may not be smiling when you do it, but God is.

"May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands." Psalm 90:17

"As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." Ephesians 6:6b-7 (NLT)

God Bless,
Kim, standing in Nebraska
http://rejoiceministries.org/Kim.html  
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, FL 33061
http://rejoiceministries.org  

January 19, 2010

 Right on Time

"This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed." Habakkuk 2:3 (NLT)

This past year our school board decided to decrease the passing time between classes in order to gain a little extra teaching time at school. Those who were used to the longer time really had to scramble to make it from one end of the school to the other before the tardy bell. There were a lot of late students for a while but eventually they got used to it. Now most students are right on time - not a minute early or a minute late.

Your parents, you, me - we all serve and pray to a God who is always right on time. As Charlyne often quotes, "God's delays are not God's denials." There are blessings He has stored up for us in the heavenlies and He wants everything to be ready to bring about His best blessings. Why settle for something good when He has something miraculous in store for us?

"And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!" Isaiah 30:18 (AMP)

I know that it sometimes seems like this waiting time will never end. Sometimes it seems like we are not all being treated fairly. It's like when you are at the doctor's office and see patients who came in after you get to go in ahead of you. But you don't know what those circumstances are. They might be seeing a different doctor or just be going in for some lab work or (gulp!) a shot. Whatever the circumstances, it is always right on time.

It's this way with the Lord. Some of us feel we have spent way too much time in God's waiting room and don't understand why this is taking so long. Some of us might visit the front desk time and again, checking on our status. Or some might even give up and walk out and say, "It's not that important." But it IS important. It is important for you and for your parent and especially for the one you pray for. Your prayers, your parent's prayers, the prayers of thousands of others who are standing and believing for a healed and whole family - they are all important to God. He hears and He answers and He is always right on time.

Look at the story of the miracle God worked as His people came to the Red Sea. They were backed up against it - with the sea on one side and Pharaoh's army on the other. The people were frightened, confused, and tired but God kept them waiting. All through the darkness, they waited. All through that long night, they waited as "the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land." (Exodus 14:21b)

They waited for their miracle. The Lord delivered. He made a way for them through the Red Sea.

This is the same God who watches over and delivers you and your family. He will part that Red Sea. He will deliver what He has promised. He will make a way through any circumstance or any hard heart or any proud words. We just have to wait for Him.

"Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today...The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:13-14

God is always patient with us. We need to be patient with God and allow Him to be patient with the ones we pray for, too. Use this wait time to strengthen and deepen your relationship with Jesus. Let the Lord continue to work in your life and in your mom or dad's life as you wait for Him to get everything ready. The best is yet to come.

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9

"Yet I am confident I will see the LORD's goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD." Psalm 27:13-14 (NLT)

God Bless,
Kim, standing in Nebraska
http://rejoiceministries.org/Kim.html  
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, FL 33061
http://rejoiceministries.org

January 2, 2010

New Things

"Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful." Revelation 21:5 (NKJV)

Another Christmas has come and gone. Another holiday season is over. Another year is beginning. Did you get some new things for Christmas? Are these new things still so important to you? I'm guessing some of you don't even know where some of your new things are right now. But God knows where His "new things" are. God's new things are you and me and your mom and your dad and your brother or sister or aunt or uncle or friend. God's new things are those of us who believe and trust and hope.

No matter what the season brought for you, because of Jesus, God has a new thing planned. He told us in His Word that He makes all things new. Notice the use of the word "new" here. He didn't say he would cover up our lives with a thin whitewash of "goodness"; with words not felt in our hearts; with light dimmed by circumstances; with hope tossed up and down by life. No. He promised that we would be new from the inside out.

"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ."                        2 Corinthians 5:17-18a (NLT)

"But-'When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.'" Titus 3:4-5 (NLT)

This season we celebrated the greatest gift ever given to us - reconciliation to God through Jesus. This gift is what makes us new from the inside out. This gift is what gives us the promise of eternal life. This gift is what helps us to hang onto our hope when the winds of life blow us here and there. This gift is given to us and promised to the ones we pray for. Did your mom or dad get this special gift this Christmas? If so, praise the Lord. If not, keep praying. Our prayers are powerful and effective. God promises this, too.

"And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven." James 5:16

A new year and a new decade are beginning. We can spend our lives looking back at the past, saying "if only," wishing we could do things differently, regretting our mistakes or being angry at our circumstances. But what good does that do? We can't change the past but we CAN make a new future. We can continue to stand in the gap and pray for the ones we love. We can let our Jesus light shine even more brightly this new year. We can trust that God is in control of everything - the big and the small, the important and not so important, the good and what we think is the bad. We have a Savior who wants to do new things for us and new things for the ones we pray for. He has some wonderful plans for our families in this new year. Because He is the Lord who makes all things new.

"See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you." Isaiah 42:9

"And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known. I will make darkness into light before them and make uneven places into a plain. These things I have determined to do [for them]; and I will not leave them forsaken." Isaiah 42:16 (Amp)

God Bless,
Kim, standing in Nebraska
http://rejoiceministries.org/Kim.html  
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, FL 33061
http://rejoiceministries.org  

December 4, 2009

Pop Quiz

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." I Peter 3:15

I had to smile at the open mouths and deer-in-the-headlights eyes of my students as I outlined what the beginning of their class would look like. Pop quiz! There was a lot of murmuring and fumbling with books as they frantically tried to prepare for something they should have been prepared for. Judging by their reaction, not many had read the assigned text. Since my goal was for them to have that information, not to put a grade in the gradebook, I consented to make it an open book quiz. You could almost feel the relief in the room.

These students had been given an assignment and didn't take that assignment seriously. They were not prepared. You mom or dad, along with you, have also been given an assignment. God has called your family to stand in the gap and pray for the salvation, repentance and return of your absent parent.

"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none." Ezekiel 22:30

When Satan came prowling around, looking for a family to devour, he found a small place of entrance in your dad or your mom. A foothold was all he needed, especially if they were not prepared. It's hard to fight an enemy you don't realize exists. It's hard to win a battle when you don't have the right weapons.

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Ephesians 6:14-18

Then the Lord came around, looking for someone who would build up the wall and stand in the gap on behalf of those who had been deceived. He chose your mom or your dad and He chose you. I know it seems like a huge assignment and a hard one, but God does not call us without equipping us. He has opened His Word to us and given us the weapons to fight with. He has made His perfect will known and promised that if we will pick up this cross, accept this assignment, He will be with us, always.

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8

The best way for my students to prepare for one of my pop quizzes is to do the reading; complete the task they have been assigned. One of the best ways for us to be prepared is to do the reading, too. Spending time daily in God's Word not only gives us knowledge and understanding, but gives wisdom, direction, guidance and comfort.

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." 2 Timothy 3:16

The Lord's Word is our arsenal and frequent prayers are our weapons. It's easy to fight an enemy when we have the right weapons and know we have already been promised a victory. The Bible is filled with stories of people who have stood in the gap for others, for their nation, and for their families and have been successful. These men and women of the Bible often faced impossible odds and daunting tasks, but with the Lord there was victory. He makes this promise to us as well. No matter how difficult something is, no matter how long it takes, no matter the impossible circumstances, in God we have the victory.

"With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall…It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great." Psalm 18:29, 32-35

If we do the possible, God can do the impossible. Nothing is too hard for Him. All He asks is that we be ready, be prepared, be prayed up. If we accept the assignment God has given us and do our homework, then we will be ready for any sort of pop quiz that gets thrown our way.

"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:6

Now go study for your quiz,
Kim, standing in Nebraska
http://rejoiceministries.org/Kim.html  
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, FL 33061
http://rejoiceministries.org  

November 24, 2009

Give Thanks !

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

Be joyful always? Rejoice always? Give thanks in all circumstances? I can hear many of you right now. "What do I have to be joyful about?" "There is nothing that can make me rejoice right now." "Give thanks in THESE circumstances?" God's Word tells us that, yes, we are to be thankful. Yes, we are to rejoice. Yes, we are to be joyful. Because this is God's will for us. The holiday season is always a very difficult time for moms, for dads, for their children, and for their extended family.

Traditions and "always" things in the past may have to give way to new and temporary arrangements as you wait for the Lord's perfect timing to bring mom or dad home. There may be someone new cooking the turkey or there may not be a turkey at all this year. There may be a new Christmas tree this year in a new home in a new city. There may be other children that you need to share your dad or mom with. There may be bus rides and plane trips and long voyages by car as you get shuffled back and forth, trying to make something very wrong at least a little bit right.

There may be tears as you think on and remember the holidays of the past. It's OK to cry for the things we have lost because Jesus cries for them, too. He longs to see moms and dads saved, families restored, and children who know and love Him. It breaks His heart to see families torn apart and children hurting. He sees your tears and hears your prayers. In His faithfulness and love, He reaches out from the Heavens to hold you in His arms, comfort your hurting heart, and hide you under the shadow of His wings.

"Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." Psalm 126:5-6

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God… He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." Isaiah 40:1, 11

We have so much for which to be thankful. First and foremost, we have a God who loves us so much that He gave His only Son so that we may have eternal life. We have a Savior who was willing to die for us on the cross. We have a Lord who sets and names the stars in the Heavens and yet numbers even the hairs of our head. We have a Jesus who not only walks beside us but offers to carry us when our burden gets to be too much.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

"He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." Psalm 40:2

We have parents who want the best for us and give us their love and protection, no matter the circumstances in their lives. We have a mom or dad who is willing to stand in the gap and pray for the salvation of those who are away from the Lord. We have grandparents and aunts and uncles who lift us in prayer. We have a church family that cares about our hearts and our destinies. We have Christian brothers and sisters all over the world to join us in praise and petition. Yes, we have much to be thankful for.

I know how difficult it is to give thanks during this season of your life. But giving thanks is not an option; it is God's will for us in Christ Jesus. Today, sit down with mom or dad and make a list of all the things you have to be thankful for. It may be hard to come up with that first one but once you get started, I think you'll find that there is much to rejoice about, always.

"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." Habakkuk 3:17-18

Giving thanks on Thanksgiving,
Kim, standing in Nebraska
http://rejoiceministries.org/Kim.html  
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, FL 33061
http://rejoiceministries.org