Archive for September 2009

September 21, 2009

There is a Season

"To every thing there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1 (Amplified)

There are some blessings that come with living in the Midwest. We get to revel in the change of seasons; when God turns the summer work into autumn bounty; when the seeds that were planted are ready for harvest; when He takes what has grown and makes it ready for renewal in the spring.

I have a beautiful maple tree in my backyard that my husband and I planted together 32 years ago. Every summer it provides blessed shade from the scorching Midwest sun and I am always thankful for that tree. But every fall it becomes a pain as all that shade falls to the ground and I am knee-deep in maple leaves. Do you have to rake leaves as a chore? I used to hate that tree in the fall. But now I thank God for the leaves because it means that He is making that tree ready for renewal in the spring.

"And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years.'" Genesis 1:14

God laid out the boundaries of the land and seas, sky and earth, day and night. He set the stars in the heavens and knows each one by name. Take your mom or dad and go outside tonight and look up in the sky and look at the stars. He made the sun and the moon to mark the seasons. He made you, His child, and gave you these things to enjoy. Just as He has designated seasons for the Earth, He has laid out seasons in our own lives.

As Solomon told us in Ecclesiastes, there is a season for every- thing. The things that are happening in your life right now are just for a season. It may be a difficult season and one you very much dislike, like I used to hate the falling leaves of autumn. But just as we can find good in every season of the Earth, we can find good in every season of our life.

"I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit." Leviticus 26:4

"Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end." Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT)

You see, that's the thing about seasons. For the longest time, I couldn't see anything good that came from the truckload of leaves in my backyard. Do you like to run and jump into piles of leaves and throw them up toward the sky? All I could see was my aching back and 27 black bags that I had to drag to the compost. But God had a purpose in the falling leaves. If the leaves didn't come down in September, there wouldn't be any new growth in April. If there wasn't an autumn, there wouldn't be a spring. Pretty neat how God works that out, huh?

So it is with seasons in our lives. When we look at the circumstances or the time or the things that have been said, we just don't see any good in them. But God has a plan and a purpose for everything. As Solomon said, we cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. All we can see is this particular season of our life. But as many men and women in the Bible have learned, trials can have a way of bringing us closer to God. They can have a way of getting rid of the old to make room for the new. They can have a way of being turned around for our good. Since God is no respecter of persons, they can work the same way in those we pray for.

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Genesis 50:20

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT)

So this past weekend I raked up yet another bag of leaves, I'm going to be thankful for this season because I know that God has some wonderful plans for that tree just as He has some wonderful plans for my family - and for yours.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Still raking leaves,
Kim, a stander in Nebraska
http://rejoiceministries.org/Kim.html
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, FL 33061
http://rejoiceministries.org

September 4, 2009

Building an Ark

"Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior... "Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat-you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring a pair of every kind of animal-a male and a female-into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood...So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him." Genesis 6:14;17- 19;22 (NLT)

We recently experienced a prolonged rainstorm that flooded streets, overflowed banks, and backed up into people's homes. The weatherman on television jokingly commented that he looked out his front window and saw a large boat being built up the street by an older gentleman and his sons. While chuckling about this, many of Charlyne's words about building an ark for our families came to mind.

The storm of strife, separation, or even divorce has touched our families. The winds are howling, the rain is pounding and the thunder is rolling. The storm can be a scary thing. Sometimes we can't see where we are going and sometimes the noise gets so loud we can't even hear ourselves think. Just like we have no control over the weather, we have no control over the storm that swirls around us. But God does.

"Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you." Jeremiah 32:17

"I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses." Psalm 135:5-7

Just as God gave Noah the command to build an ark for his family, so He has called your mom or your dad to build an ark for their family. Just like He gave Noah specific instructions about how to build it, so He leads and guides your parent as they attempt to build a refuge for you from the storm. They want you to feel safe from the winds of strife and protected from the rain of circumstances.

Your mom or your dad is just one refuge from the storm that rages in your life. You may also have grandparents or aunts or uncles or cousins who can keep you safe. There may be a youth pastor or church friends who can serve as a refuge. But the safest, most secure refuge you have is drawing close to God and hiding in the shadow of His wings.

"Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by." Psalm 57:1 (NKJV)

"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8

Noah's ark was not an easy thing to build. Nor was it considered standard housing at the time. God asked Noah to build a huge boat in land that had never seen rain. Can't you just hear the neighbors right about now? "What is that crazy man doing?" "No one builds an ark in desert land!" "Man, that thing is ugly!" "He's going to bring down the property values with that thing!" But Noah didn't listen to the neighbors; he just kept right on building. God didn't tell the neighbors to build an ark, He told Noah.

It's the same way with your family. You may have friends or neighbors who tell you that your parent is crazy, building something useless, they need to get a grip on reality. They may laugh at them or even at you. But just as Noah obeyed what God asked him to do, so too, your family is obeying what God has called them to do. To build an ark, a refuge, a port in the storm. To save a family for the Kingdom of God.

"So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him. Noah was 600 years old when the flood covered the earth. He went on board the boat to escape the flood-he and his wife and his sons and their wives…For forty days the floodwaters grew deeper, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth. As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface." Genesis 7:5-7;17-18 (NLT)

Noah and his family were safe from the floodwaters because Noah had obeyed what God had asked him to do. You and your family will be safe from the storms that rage around you because your mom or your dad has listened to God's instructions and built an ark for your family. You are not alone in this undertaking. Jesus is right there beside you holding the ladder steady, laying out the blueprint, giving encouragement and providing the tools. With a partner like Jesus…well, what an ark it will be!

"Then God said, "I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. … When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth." Genesis 9:12-13;16 (NLT)

Praying for the rainbow,
Kim, a stander in Nebraska
http://rejoiceministries.org/Kim.html
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
Post Office Box 10548
Pompano Beach, FL 33061
http://rejoiceministries.org


	Archive for September 2009 September 21, 2009 There is a Season "To every thing there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1 (Amplified) There are some blessings that come with living in the Midwest. We get to revel in the change of seasons; when God turns the summer work into autumn bounty; when the seeds that were planted are ready for harvest; when He takes what has grown and makes it ready for renewal in the spring. I have a beautiful maple tree in my backyard that my husband and I planted together 32 years ago. Every summer it provides blessed shade from the scorching Midwest sun and I am always thankful for that tree. But every fall it becomes a pain as all that shade falls to the ground and I am knee-deep in maple leaves. Do you have to rake leaves as a chore? I used to hate that tree in the fall. But now I thank God for the leaves because it means that He is making that tree ready for renewal in the spring. "And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years.'" Genesis 1:14 God laid out the boundaries of the land and seas, sky and earth, day and night. He set the stars in the heavens and knows each one by name. Take your mom or dad and go outside tonight and look up in the sky and look at the stars. He made the sun and the moon to mark the seasons. He made you, His child, and gave you these things to enjoy. Just as He has designated seasons for the Earth, He has laid out seasons in our own lives. As Solomon told us in Ecclesiastes, there is a season for every- thing. The things that are happening in your life right now are just for a season. It may be a difficult season and one you very much dislike, like I used to hate the falling leaves of autumn. But just as we can find good in every season of the Earth, we can find good in every season of our life. "I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit." Leviticus 26:4 "Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end." Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT) You see, that's the thing about seasons. For the longest time, I couldn't see anything good that came from the truckload of leaves in my backyard. Do you like to run and jump into piles of leaves and throw them up toward the sky? All I could see was my aching back and 27 black bags that I had to drag to the compost. But God had a purpose in the falling leaves. If the leaves didn't come down in September, there wouldn't be any new growth in April. If there wasn't an autumn, there wouldn't be a spring. Pretty neat how God works that out, huh? So it is with seasons in our lives. When we look at the circumstances or the time or the things that have been said, we just don't see any good in them. But God has a plan and a purpose for everything. As Solomon said, we cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. All we can see is this particular season of our life. But as many men and women in the Bible have learned, trials can have a way of bringing us closer to God. They can have a way of getting rid of the old to make room for the new. They can have a way of being turned around for our good. Since God is no respecter of persons, they can work the same way in those we pray for. "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Genesis 50:20 "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT) So this past weekend I raked up yet another bag of leaves, I'm going to be thankful for this season because I know that God has some wonderful plans for that tree just as He has some wonderful plans for my family - and for yours. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 Still raking leaves, Kim, a stander in Nebraska http://rejoiceministries.org/Kim.html Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc. Post Office Box 10548 Pompano Beach, FL 33061 http://rejoiceministries.org September 4, 2009 Building an Ark "Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior... "Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die. But I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat-you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring a pair of every kind of animal-a male and a female-into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood...So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him." Genesis 6:14;17- 19;22 (NLT) We recently experienced a prolonged rainstorm that flooded streets, overflowed banks, and backed up into people's homes. The weatherman on television jokingly commented that he looked out his front window and saw a large boat being built up the street by an older gentleman and his sons. While chuckling about this, many of Charlyne's words about building an ark for our families came to mind. The storm of strife, separation, or even divorce has touched our families. The winds are howling, the rain is pounding and the thunder is rolling. The storm can be a scary thing. Sometimes we can't see where we are going and sometimes the noise gets so loud we can't even hear ourselves think. Just like we have no control over the weather, we have no control over the storm that swirls around us. But God does. "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you." Jeremiah 32:17 "I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods. The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses." Psalm 135:5-7 Just as God gave Noah the command to build an ark for his family, so He has called your mom or your dad to build an ark for their family. Just like He gave Noah specific instructions about how to build it, so He leads and guides your parent as they attempt to build a refuge for you from the storm. They want you to feel safe from the winds of strife and protected from the rain of circumstances. Your mom or your dad is just one refuge from the storm that rages in your life. You may also have grandparents or aunts or uncles or cousins who can keep you safe. There may be a youth pastor or church friends who can serve as a refuge. But the safest, most secure refuge you have is drawing close to God and hiding in the shadow of His wings. "Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by." Psalm 57:1 (NKJV) "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8 Noah's ark was not an easy thing to build. Nor was it considered standard housing at the time. God asked Noah to build a huge boat in land that had never seen rain. Can't you just hear the neighbors right about now? "What is that crazy man doing?" "No one builds an ark in desert land!" "Man, that thing is ugly!" "He's going to bring down the property values with that thing!" But Noah didn't listen to the neighbors; he just kept right on building. God didn't tell the neighbors to build an ark, He told Noah. It's the same way with your family. You may have friends or neighbors who tell you that your parent is crazy, building something useless, they need to get a grip on reality. They may laugh at them or even at you. But just as Noah obeyed what God asked him to do, so too, your family is obeying what God has called them to do. To build an ark, a refuge, a port in the storm. To save a family for the Kingdom of God. "So Noah did everything as the Lord commanded him. Noah was 600 years old when the flood covered the earth. He went on board the boat to escape the flood-he and his wife and his sons and their wives…For forty days the floodwaters grew deeper, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth. As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface." Genesis 7:5-7;17-18 (NLT) Noah and his family were safe from the floodwaters because Noah had obeyed what God had asked him to do. You and your family will be safe from the storms that rage around you because your mom or your dad has listened to God's instructions and built an ark for your family. You are not alone in this undertaking. Jesus is right there beside you holding the ladder steady, laying out the blueprint, giving encouragement and providing the tools. *With a partner like Jesus…well, what an ark it will be!* "Then God said, "I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. … When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth." Genesis 9:12-13;16 (NLT) Praying for the rainbow, *Kim, a stander in Nebraska* http://rejoiceministries.org/Kim.html Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc. Post Office Box 10548 Pompano Beach, FL 33061 http://rejoiceministries.org
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