Passionate Life or Safe Life

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from June 17, 2009]

But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for I see not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.”          1 Samuel 16:7 (WEB)

In Gibeon Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

Solomon said, “You have shown to your servant David my father great loving kindness, according as he walked before you in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you. You have kept for him this great loving kindness, that you have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, Yahweh my God, you have made your servant king instead of David my father. I am but a little child. I don’t know how to go out or come in. Your servant is in the midst of your people which you have chosen, a great people, that can’t be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this your great people?”

The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life, neither have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice; behold, I have done according to your word. Behold, I have given you a wise and an understanding heart; so that there has been none like you before you, neither after you shall any arise like you. I have also given you that which you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like you, all your days. If you will walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”           1 Kings 3:5-14 (WEB)

I watched The Jazz Singer with Neil Diamond and Laurence Olivier again last night. If I had to choose ten movies to take with me to watch on my flat screen TV on a deserted island, this would be one of the ten! I can relate to Jess Robin in that it I had to reach my goals on my own path. It was never the path my parents wanted me to take and it was never the goal they had in mind. I never saw myself as rebellious but very independent!

God gave each of us gifts and the planting of these gifts have created love and passion for the call that we have been given. All my life I love to care for people. No surprise that I became a nurse. Also no surprise that my best time as a nurse was when I worked for a hospice. My love of teaching and caring flourished during that time. It was not the best paying job I ever had. It was not the easiest job I ever had. It was the best.

Some might ask, “Why aren’t you doing that now?” That season has passed. God is leading me into a new season. It is not clear yet how the passion that I have inside of me will be guided by Jesus’ wise and perfect hand into this new time but I know He will do it!

No matter what your age, do not ‘settle’ for anything less than the passion that God has placed inside you! Like Jess in the movie, following your passion and using your God-given talents may mean stepping out of the boat and trusting Jesus to show you how to walk on the water! Decide who you will follow. And family and friends may not be on board with the plan. It may mean deciding who you will serve.

David was only a shepherd. God saw him as a king that from his lineage would come the King of Kings! Solomon was a king. More importantly he was pleasing to God.

Spend time with Jesus and choose to be a passionate servant for God.

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Through the Years

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

O Lord, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced…

O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood…

And now, in my old age, don’t set me aside. Don’t abandon me when my strength is failing…

I will tell everyone about your righteousness.
All day long I will proclaim your saving power, though I am not skilled with words.
I will praise your mighty deeds, O Sovereign Lord.
I will tell everyone that you alone are just.

O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood,
and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do.
Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God.
Let me proclaim your power to this new generation,
your mighty miracles to all who come after me…

You have allowed me to suffer much hardship,
but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth.
You will restore me to even greater honor
and comfort me once again.           Psalm 71:1, 5-6, 9, 15-18, 20-21 (NLT)

Scriptures, God’s Word, is timeless. No matter if I am 7 or 97 God’s words are relevant to my life. Do I have ears to hear and a heart to receive them?

This Scripture became my “birthday passage” a few years ago and every year I still take time to read through it on my birthday and see what it has to say to me this year. The “gray hair” part was pretty loud in my ears back then – but I am past that now.

Save me, LORD. Before I ever knew it, God was saving me. I walked along the edge of cliffs throughout my life but God was faithful and held tightly to my hand, preventing me from stepping off the side. He used many people to pray for me and befriend me, sowing seeds of His love when I did not even know it.

Life here has been tough but You have been with me. Many nights I walked the halls of the hospital and knew that I knew that it wasn’t disease that I was fighting – but fear. And in all my travels and all the patients and their families that I have met, I truly do not know how people make it through without God in their lives. It is that tender, strong hand that I cling to when life is so difficult. A friend, Leah Taylor, sings a song on her CD that says, “LORD, You know better than I.” That is where I try to live. I do not know all the answers to all the why’s. I just know that God knows better than I do.

I will tell my children and grandchildren about my LORD. That is my legacy. For however long God says I am to be here on this earth, I want my life and my words to point my children and grandchildren to Jesus and the Father that we glorify. I want them to know that it was He who picked me up every time I fell. It was He who forgave me every time I sinned. It was Jesus who wiped every tear and listened to every cry and comforted and healed me. It was always God that I wanted them to turn to. May God be glorified today and every day!

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Do You Tremble?

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place.”         Exodus 33:15 (NLT)

The LORD reigns! Let the peoples tremble.
He is enthroned above the cherubim.
Let the earth quake.          Psalm 99:1 (HCSB)

Lectionery Texts: Exodus 33:12-23, Psalm 99, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, Matthew 22:15-21

Have you ever experienced an earthquake? Or had a tornado come through your town or over your head? Or a Category 5 hurricane blow across your area? The power of such natural disasters is spell-binding when seen on a movie or television screen but terrifying when it is lived out first hand. It is this kind of power that the writer of the psalm compares to God. But God created the wind, the earth, and the sea from which these come from, so He is more powerful than even these.

Moses went from Pharoah’s palace to making his way alone through the desert and then marrying in a foreign land. He became a shepherd for his father-in-law until that day in the mountain when he met God in a burning bush. God chose Moses to speak to Pharoah and lead His people to the Promised Land. Moses in no way felt he was qualified for that job! Moses found out the depth of God’s love for him and the rest of His children as he argued and whined his way through plagues and the walk across the Red Sea. The words of Moses is expressed from a heart that has learned from experience. Without the presence of God in my life, I will become lost.

…and you became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with the joy from the Holy Spirit.           1 Thessalonians 1:6 (HCSB)

I have often heard people say that as soon as they committed their lives to Jesus “all hell broke loose”. I am part of that group. But it was also during this time that I repeated Moses’ words, “LORD, if You aren’t with me, I will never make it through so do not send me out of Your presence”. God is faithful in all times but it seems that in difficult times I “tune in” to hear His voice and argue less.

As my relationship with my LORD continues to grow and evolve, I pray for His wisdom and guidance through each season of my life. The psalm writer proclaims his witness that when I call on God, He will answer. So I will continue to fall on my knees and seek His face and sit at His feet to learn what and who is on His heart. I want to imitate my LORD. That makes my heart tremble with anticipation and holy fear.

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On God’s Leash

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from February 8, 2008]

— Henry Neufeld

8I will wisely guide you in the way you should go.
I will watch you and advise you.
9Don’t be like a horse or a mule,
without understanding.
They have to be curbed with bit and bridle,
Lest they come at you. — Psalm 32:8-9 (HN)

There are several different ways to view God’s will, but two approaches serve as a contrast. Most people fall between these two points. There are those who expect God to have a specific will for every move of their lives. For them, God’s will is detailed and specific, and their choice is simply to hear and obey in every detail. At the opposite pole we have those who see God’s will as a generic set of good principles and bad principles. You are supposed to choose to do what is right, but God doesn’t care what particular profession you choose, and he certainly doesn’t care what you will have for dinner.

It’s not really my topic for this devotional, but I can’t resist suggesting a way for these two groups, and those between to work together. Perhaps God works with different people in different ways, guiding some step by step and just handing others a general map. I don’t know for sure, but that seems possible to me.

The Psalmist seems to put himself somewhere in the middle. Check your own Bible version for the word I translated “advise.” It gets translated quite a number of ways, but generally it refers to giving counsel, and the recipient can decide precisely what to do with it. At the same time, it tells us there is a path that God has for us, and he’s going to guide us wisely.

The question for us is how we will follow this path. When I used to take our dog for a walk I had to have him on a leash. He wouldn’t follow me if I didn’t have that leash. He’d go where he wanted to, and I couldn’t count on him to come when I called unless he wanted to. If he was better behaved, he might be able to have more freedom on a walk, but for his safety I had to have control of him.

Some people are like that. You’ve probably encountered them at work. They can do things, but they need to have all the rules and procedures laid out in detail. If you forget to close a loophole, they’re sure to find a way to create disaster. Others require less direction. They’ll follow the spirit of a supervisor’s instructions even when the detailed letter didn’t cover the situation. You can tell this second sort of employee to “work safely” and they will, even going to the trouble of discovering what is safe.

God’s children need to learn to be guided by that wise direction, to accept that counsel, and to follow the spirit of God’s will. God will work with us no matter who we are. If it’s a bit and bridle, God will provide! Remember that Psalm 32, from which I took our passage, is a Psalm of confession, and the confession comes after God’s hand was heavy on the one who had sinned.

So he has good reason to give this advice. Be easy to move in the right direction. Make a habit of repentance, rather than avoiding it. Don’t wait for God’s hand to be heavy on you before you correct your course.

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Yet I Will

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

This prayer was sung by the prophet Habakkuk:

I have heard all about you, Lord.
I am filled with awe by your amazing works.
In this time of our deep need, help us again as you did in years gone by.
And in your anger, remember your mercy…

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights.

(For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)            Habakkuk 3:1-2, 17-19 (NLT, my emphasis)

I frequently mention J. Lee Grady and his articles in this devotion place. He wrote another good article, When Life Gets Tough, It’s Time for Shigionoth! from this third chapter of Habakkuk.

Habakkuk is praying. He looks around at the world around him and he hears God tell him that the consequences of the choices the people have made mean that it’s going to be a while before there is restoration. Habakkuk is struggling. He reminds God of His mercy. Then Habakkuk tells God – “I’m going to praise You, LORD!”

I can read this passage and nod my head. I know that Habakkuk is right. It is much easier to nod and agree when I don’t paste my life into those last verses…

Even though there’s no money for birthday presents or power bills or gas or rent, I will rejoice in God!

Even though I am praying for ______, who has cancer and we’ve heard no encouraging report, I will rejoice in God!

Even though I am alone, I will rejoice in God!

(These are all prayer requests I’ve heard this week.)

WHY would I or should I praise God in these situations? Am I delusional?

I praise God – because He is. He was. He will be. I mean that God was here before the difficulties in my life. He didn’t ignore me. Based on history, He probably prevented worse and strengthened me to make it to this point. God is still here today. Right now, He is holding out His hand to guide me through these days, up the rocky paths, and comfort me in the darkness. And tomorrow, whatever comes next, He will be there, too.

Jesus set the example that we come together as His Body to praise God and support each other in tangible ways (Acts 2:42-47). He did not mean for church to be a superficial social club where everyone is “fine” but a “clinic or hospital” where He, as the Great Physician, would prescribe treatment and we would carry out that plan through the giving of our time, talents, tithes, and offerings. We have been given “freely” and so Jesus told us to give to others just as freely (Matthew 10:8).

So if you are having a tough week, rejoice – again I say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4) Take time. Start here with this song: Yet I Will Praise You

 

 

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Agendas

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from May 9, 2007]

– Henry Neufeld

(15) And they came to Jesus and saw the demonized man, who had had the legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. (16) And those who had seen what had happened to the demonized man and about the pigs told them all about it. (17) And the started to beg him to leave that area.      Mark 5:15-17 (HN)

There are quite a few instances in the book of Mark when Jesus is helping someone, and some people around him complain instead of rejoicing. We saw it with the paralytic in Mark 2:1-12. In Mark 5 there are a number of such instances. Our text tells of the people in the region of the Gerasenes who witness a spectacular miracle—the healing of a possessed man whom nobody before had been able to control.

Many readers automatically assume that the reason they wanted Jesus to leave was the pigs. I must admit that I’ve always wondered about those pigs and why Jesus allowed the demons to go into them. There are various explanations, but none so far completely satisfy me. It’s natural for people to assume that the reason these folks wanted Jesus to leave was that they had lost money in the form of their pigs.

But notice in verse 15 just when they become afraid. It’s when they see the demonized man clothed, peaceful, and mentally healthy. It’s the authority that Jesus has that frightens them. They become afraid when they witness a healing. So they send the healer away because of their fear.

Further on in the chapter, Jesus is going to the house of Jairus, and a woman touches his garment. Jesus knows what has happened and he has something to say to the woman. The disciples think he’s wasting his time, but he stops, finds the woman, and speaks to her.

When he continues to Jairus’s house, he is again interrupted as people inform him that Jairus’s daughter has died. But even this doesn’t distract him from his mission. He keeps going forward. The folks at the house laugh at him. It’s time to get on with mourning. Nobody comes back from the dead, and this girl is dead. They know precisely how things work. But Jesus just moves forward and calls the girl back.

Throughout chapter 5 of Mark the people around Jesus are continually trying to turn Jesus aside from his ministry. Perhaps I shouldn’t say “trying,” but their actions would pull Jesus away from the people he wants to serve if he let that happen.

The question for each of us is this: Can we see the mission Jesus is on and go along with him?

It’s easy to get distracted. It might be fear, as it was with the Gerasenes. Their fear resulted in Jesus leaving. How many sick people in that area never had a chance to receive his healing touch?

For the disciples it was “the program.” Jesus must not get distracted. But for Jesus the woman who touched his garment wasn’t a distraction; she was the mission.

When a little girl was reported dead, the distraction was simply the way things are. She has died, and that’s the end of the trail. Don’t keep trying to heal, Jesus. It’s already too late.

But for Jesus there’s one priority: The people he can save. He’s never lacking time, and he never shows up too late.

I ask myself this: How does my agenda compare to Jesus’?

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Honor Your Father and Mother

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.                       Exodus 20:12 (HCSB)

What does it mean to give “honor” to your parents? I think it means that I do things that reflects well on them. Sometimes that is a troubling Scripture to me.

I know many parents who are extraordinary. They love their children. They support them with their time and prayers as well as meeting their physical needs. And though they see their children as they are, they love them as they can be. They teach their children more by their example than with their voice. They want so much to be good parents and they know they can only do it with the strength and wisdom of God.

I know some parents who did not do those things. They may not have had good examples. They may have had difficult problems of their own. They may have been “stuck” in their own childhood and so they never learned and grew in wisdom (maturity).  They didn’t choose to reach out and grab the hand of the One who was always there.

Most of us would find our own parents somewhere in both of the above paragraphs. They weren’t perfect. They tried. They cared. As their children, we may have read God’s command to honor our parents and found there were days that this was difficult. Maybe it seemed to be an impossible command. We may have been beaten physically or emotionally as a child. We may not have had any parents or wished we hadn’t. How or who do we honor?

He [Jesus] replied to them, “Who are My mother and My brothers?”  And looking about at those who were sitting in a circle around Him, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!”              Mark 3:33-34 (HCSB)

Family, including mothers and fathers, often have nothing to do with biology. In my own life, there was a ‘season’ when I had six wonderful children in my home. We were a family. I don’t know how we did it but it was truly one of the best times of my life. It is a memory that will always keep me warm as I grow older. (smile) Those children do live their lives today with honor as they now raise their own children.

Jesus told us that His mother and brothers and sisters were the ones who were serving God. His Father was in heaven. Jesus showed us how to give honor to our parents. Maybe His words to us in Mark’s gospel are to reveal to us that our family in God’s eyes is about those whom we share a love and honor of the Father God. And neither geography in this world nor the separation between our time here and heaven can separate us from our family when we are “related” by that Father God love.

Let us consider today who our mother and father are. Let us consider how we can honor them. Let us do that the way Jesus honored His mother. And His Father.

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Atonement

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

[Jesus sharing the parable of the wedding banquet] “Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

For many are called, but few are chosen.”     Matthew 22:13-14 (NLT)

Lectionery texts: Exodus 32:1-14, Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23, Philippians 4:1-9, Matthew 22:1-14

This weekend, in the Jewish year, was Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Leviticus 16 is a good place to begin reading about it. After reading and discussing the lectionery texts, Henry and I spent time discussing the history of this day and what it meant then to Moses and the Israelites, and what it means now to us in the new covenant with Jesus. With these lectionery texts in my mind, the word “atonement” isn’t just about a day, is it?

Jesus shares a parable with the people about a king who prepares an extraordinary wedding feast. Jesus is our Bridegroom. We are His Bride. He came to make the perfect atonement so that His bride may be found spotless, without blemish.

All are invited to the feast. Jesus invites us all into a relationship with Him. He wants us to know that He loves us with an ever-lasting love and desires that we live for all eternity with Him.

Some refuse the invitation. It is hard to believe that the forgiveness of my sins is freely given. The concept that Jesus loved me before I knew Him, before I accepted Him, is overwhelming. Some people refuse to believe it’s true or they may decide that the cost of changing their lives is too large. They are blinded to eternity.

Some accept the invitation conditionally. I believe this is the man that Jesus describes as a guest without wedding garments. In my own local church and community I see people who are members of the church and believe that is all they have to do. They may not really believe in the One who has invited them into the feast but attending the feast is the “right” thing to do or the “acceptable” thing to do in their family or community. They do not want to change their clothes and become truly like the Bridegroom.

Some become totally committed. To me, the most beautiful, intimate moment in a wedding is that instant when the bride and groom first see each other. All the words that cannot be expressed are in their eyes and are expressed. All the preparations and headaches to get to this moment are forgotten in that moment of fulfillment and love. The two become one. That is what God asks of me. He wants us to become one. I cannot be divided in my love or loyalty. God asks for my total commitment.

As I continue my journey toward that promised wedding feast, I find there are still some difficult roads that I must walk. But I have my wedding clothes on. I am committed to my Bridegroom. And grateful beyond any words for the atonement that He has already made and given to me.

Praise the Lord!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?
Who can ever praise him enough?
There is joy for those who deal justly with others and always do what is right.

Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people; come near and rescue me.
Let me share in the prosperity of your chosen ones.
Let me rejoice in the joy of your people; let me praise you with those who are your heritage.    Psalm 106:1-5 (NLT)

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Listen, Children!

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

Good friend, follow your father’s good advice;
don’t wander off from your mother’s teachings.
Wrap yourself in them from head to foot;
wear them like a scarf around your neck.
Wherever you walk, they’ll guide you;
whenever you rest, they’ll guard you;
when you wake up, they’ll tell you what’s next.
For sound advice is a beacon,
good teaching is a light,
moral discipline is a life path.        Proverbs 6:20-23 (The Message)

Oh, how often as a child and then a teenager was I told to listen to my parents! My response most often was a roll of my eyes.

My parents told me to listen to them. They wanted so much to keep me from making bad choices. I don’t think they were trying to keep me from making the same mistakes that they had made – they didn’t think in those directions! But they could “see” with their “parent antenna” that there was cause for concern. They were trying to pull me back from the edge of an unknown cliff.

Pastors, coaches and teachers throughout my life tried to teach me moral and practical rules that could be a compass as I made decisions. I thought they were old-fashioned and out of touch. Their way of doing things had gotten us into a heinous war (Viet Nam) and driven many of my friends to drugs. It was so easy to blame my life on the sins of my parents’ generation. The war and the death of three of my friends in a car accident during my junior year in high school, showed me that my life could be short and I should live while I could. Who knew if I had tomorrow? It was all about me and today.

I’m reading a book right now, Mama Made the Difference by T D Jakes (ISBN#0399153993, Putnam Adult, 2006). It’s made me think about what my parents did and did not teach me. I think like most parents, they thought if they just constrained me from the “wrong” people and the “wrong” experiences, I would be content and safe in this cocoon. I didn’t want a cocoon. I wanted to experience things. I wasn’t into drugs (being the control freak that I am) but I wanted to meet all kinds of people and travel. Bishop Jakes has led me into thinking about what I did learn from my parents and how that translated into what I taught my children.

As a parent, I am going to teach my children. Even the most disinterested or abusive parent teache their children – in a negative way. It occurs to me that Solomon with his 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3) did not carry his famous wisdom over into his family life. As a king, and with the number in his family, it would seem to me that Solomon’s influence would be rather negative. And yet he encourages children to listen to the teachings of their parents. Give your parents the consideration that they just might know some things that would be worth listening with both ears. And now, looking back, they did know and I should have listened.

And if a child doesn’t have a good example from a parent, they do have a good example in their Father God. I know a young girl who came to youth meetings at a church I attended. Her parents had no interest in church or God but were happy that their daughter was occupied 2-3 evenings a week with “good” people at a church, as long as they didn’t have to provide any support through their time or money. This girl would ride her bike, even in the rain, to come to church. I have never forgotten her example of “hunger” and faithfulness. She made a difference in my life and she didn’t even know that she was teaching me God’s wisdom straight from her Heavenly Father.

I hope you will join me in Proverbs this weekend, maybe even read some in this book every day. Let’s listen to our Father. BLESSINGS to you all!

By the way, I found Bishop Jakes’ book at my local library. It is an excellent read.

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Speak? Or Be Silent.

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Jody Neufeld

“As for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me.  If I say to the wicked: Wicked one, you will surely die, but you do not speak out to warn him about his way, that wicked person will die for his iniquity, yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. But if you warn a wicked person to turn from his way and he doesn’t turn from it, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.”       Ezekiel 33:7-9 (HCSB)

Any Christian who raises their hand and says joyfully, “I want to be a prophet!” – I truly question your sanity. Even a scan through the books of the prophets will give a clear picture that the life of a true prophet is certainly one of severe persecution, even to death.

I am not called by God to be a prophet. But God does give all of us a commandment to “love your neighbor as you love yourself”. That commandment means that I care if I see someone else doing something personally destructive (The Prodigal Son, Luke 15:11-32). It means I care if someone is hurting (The Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37). I care about the eternal life plan of those I love and those I meet (1 Timothy 2:4).

So how and when and what do I say to people when I see them in these situations? For so many years I have been reluctant to say anything. I was convinced that people would be offended and angry to have their problems and flaws identified. The Pharisees certainly didn’t appreciate Jesus’ corrections, did they? But I have seen in Jesus’ life His example of first reaching out to connect in a relationship with people and then direct them into their “right path”. He reached out to Zaccheus and Mary and the rich young ruler, gave them His undivided attention and love and healing but always left them with the admonition, “Go and sin no more”. Jesus desired that they would leave their life of sin and turn and save their life. Some did. Some did not.

God has given me a mandate to not stand by and just let someone fall off the path when I have been given insight. I am a watchman by just being a part of His Kingdom. God may want me to stop right then and cry out to Him in prayer. He may want me to say to the person, “I can see you are in difficulties and I will be praying for you. Can I take a moment and pray with you now?” Just in those two responses, God’s Spirit may open up a time of prayer and discussion with someone. Am I open to His direction? Am I willing?

It is God’s plan to use each of us to speak His truth, His healing words, His comfort to a world that is spinning out of control. He does not have a Plan B. He has used great speakers like Billy Graham and Steve Hill to touch thousands but more often God uses Peter, James, Thaddeus, Miriam, and Jody. It is not the greatness of my talents that will make the difference. It is the greatness of my LORD who gives the talents and takes me into His hand and does something extraordinary.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be only what you give me and be pleasing to you, my God, in all that I do. Amen. (paraphrased from Psalm 19:14)

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