All of China Shakes

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Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)

I heard a story on the radio the other day that really challenged me.  I would like to share it with you and see how God can use it in your life.

There was an 80 year old missionary who was bed ridden.  For many years, he had served in China as a missionary.  One day, someone came to visit him.  The visitor expressed that he was sorry the missionary couldn’t be in China.  This was the missionary’s response…

“When I pray, all of China shakes!”

This got me to thinking.  What happens when I pray?  Does anything shake?  Do I truly believe that God can change circumstances?  Do I trust that He will?  Matthew 17:20 says,

“…I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

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Strength through Scripture ~ Part 2

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All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Strength through Scripture ~ Part 1

May you find strength for your current circumstances through God’s Word.  May your hope be renewed as you trust in the Lord.  And may you find shelter from the storm through God’s comforting words!

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Beautiful Reflection

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Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

I love this picture!  It makes me think about what my reflection looks like.  Am I reflecting the Father in my thoughts, my words, and my actions?  If not, what needs to change.  How can I better reflect the One who knows me, who sees me, who loves me?  How can I better reflect the work done on the cross for me?

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Stay the Course

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You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right–you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. (Psalm 119:1-3, MSG)

I learned a valuable lesson last week through my husband putting up cabinets. I watched him work relentlessly to get them up. I was so proud of his work. Then he measured the space between the wall and the cabinet. It was one eighth of an inch off. Did you hear me? I said 1/8 of an inch off. Me, being the optimist that I am… encouraged him and said it was fine. But Paul was not happy with this spacing.

So we unscrewed the cabinet and started again. This time the cabinet landed about 1/16 of an inch from where we wanted it to be. This was okay with my husband, so we left it as it was. Now you might be wondering what kind of lesson I have taken from this… Well, this has made me think about my course with the Lord. I don’t want to be even 1/16 of an inch off when it comes to my walk with the Lord. So why was I okay with 1/8 of an inch for the cabinet. Well, the truth is I didn’t feel like I would notice the difference.

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Beauty through Brokenness

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The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psalm 51:17)

I came across a journal entry I made in 2006.  This was written in the midst of some physical pain that I was going through.  After reading this journal entry, I felt that many of you could benefit from what God was doing in my heart on December 21st, 2006.  I pray these words greatly encourage you!

Dear God, This morning I felt like I still wasn’t getting “it”.  Yeah, I’m waking up in the same pain and in the same willingness to surrender, but something was lacking.  So today I stopped, I rocked in my chair and listened until I knew what was missing.  All this time I haven’t understood my own brokenness.

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