Following the Leader

"Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me." ~David


I've been praying for direction. How does God want me to invest my talents and time to further his Kingdom? I shared this recently and a friend reminded me that everyone wants to know what God's will for their life is. We get the idea that it's this big and fantastic life changing epiphany when in reality it's making the small choices every day to choose that which glorifies the Lord. Whether it's doing dishes, sweeping floors or serving customers it needs to be done with an attitude of gratitude as if you were doing it for the King himself.


"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." ~Paul

Back to Basics

"Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love." ~Jesus


There are times when I have to be reminded to go back to the basics. The past few weeks have been one of those times. I've been struggling with self control again and didn't want to admit it. I've been reminded of how important God's grace is in my life and how he even uses my failures to mold me into the image he has of me. The perfected me. The me that's abiding in eternity. I'm also reminded that I reap what I sow and this past year, I'm ashamed to say, I've been praying a lot for crop failure!


The sad part is that this spiritual lethargy was self inflicted. My sin had separated me from the love that God has for me. I'd spent days focusing on ways to combat desire only to fail again and again before I realized that I had left my first love. Ways to serve others for Jesus hadn't occupied my thoughts at all. My thoughts were monopolized by guilt and anticipated failure. It was time to put the helmet of salvation back on and repent of my stinkin' thinkin'. Time to fall in love with my savior again. I consumed the book of John with an acute sense of God's presence. How could anyone not love this man? *Sigh*... Then on to the "Song of Solomon"!



"Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first." ~Jesus

Body Parts

"The Israelites are to camp around the Tent of meeting some distance from it, each man under his standard with the banners of his family." ~The Lord (Numbers 2:2)


I was honored to get to be a camp councilor at a winter camp recently and I always come away with so many wonderful spiritual lessons from doing so. This time was no exception. The thing that struck me most about camp this year is the unity of God's people. 


The Israelites in the desert for forty years came to mind as I watched the efficiency in which we set up camp and tore it down. God had given them instructions on how to set up and tear down their camp in an orderly fashion. They moved as a unit; a body. They could mobilize quickly with each individual doing their part. Each person belonged to a family which belonged to a tribe which in turn was part of the nation.


Our little band of believers all belong to each other, a local tribe and part of the Kingdom of Heaven. Through the Holy Spirit, I could almost hear the prayers of my fellow citizens for us all weekend. What a joy to be accepted by God and allowed to be a member of the body of Christ!


"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." ~Paul