Pray

Is my default when I hear the state of my brother or sister's heart to pity to pray?

So admit your sins to each other, and pray for each other so that you will be healed. Prayers offered by those who have God’s approval are effective. (James 5:16 GW)

So in obedience we speak with boldness and faith to each other and for each other to the One who is faithful to hear our prayer and whose arm is NOT to short to save!

James 3:18

Camelot

The Great Shepherd

The story if found in Luke 15:4-7

⁴ “Suppose a man has 100 sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the 99 sheep grazing in the pasture and look for the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵ When he finds it, he’s happy. He puts that sheep on his shoulders and ⁶ goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says to them, ‘Let’s celebrate! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ ⁷ I can guarantee that there will be more happiness in heaven over one person who turns to God and changes the way he thinks and acts than over 99 people who already have turned to God and have his approval.”

The Great Shepherd follows, goes after, pursues the lost sheep until He finds it. What a great God we serve, all the while we walk away from Him and pursue other things, in His prevenient grace, He pursues us... until we turn, until we fall, until we see our need for Him.

I have often understood this parable from this perspective, but what of the other sheep. What are they doing? Sometimes I think they are getting in the way trying to save the sheep themselves. Other times they may get bewildered and go their own way too, since the Shepherd is not taking care of things right now. What will I do? Trust and Obey is my answer out of habit and I am glad. Sometimes the obeying is harder and sometimes the trusting is harder, but to be happy in Jesus, that is what I will do. While I do, maybe sometimes I will be the sheep crying out for the Great Shepherd and maybe sometimes I will be the sheep dog, helping others to remain faithful along the way.


The picture above hangs on my office wall as a reminder...

Jesus while You do what You do best, I will trust, I will pray, I will cry, and I will be faithful to the One called Wonderful, the Great Shepherd.

James 3:18,
Camelot

Rise up

Arise, arise, put on strength, O thou arm of the Lord, arise as in the days of old, in the ancient generations. Hast not thou struck the proud one, and wounded the dragon? (Isaiah 51:9 DRA)

There is a song, "Give Me Faith" that repeats, " I may be weak, but Your Spirit's strong in me!"

For everything there is a season. Now it seems good to me to "Rise Up". The dawn is here, God is alive and good. He alone is mighty to save. May my heart rest, trust and rise up in Your Name Jesus.

James 3:18,

Camelot

Hope and Grace

Our lifegroup met last night to begin a new study on Relationshipping. I know... not a word, but if any other word would have been used there would be stereotypes and preconceived ideas. While I would love to tell you all that we talked about - it was good - let's skip to the end.

Two questions were given

1. Whom don't you like?

2. Whom does Jesus excuse you from loving?

Obviously the answers are easy, but when asked together one answer or the other become sheepish. Amazing how quickly questions start you thinking. I had no problem listing a few EGR's in my life. EGR- Extra Grace Required. I also know there are plenty of people who consider me an EGR.

 The main thought I kept thinking is how to do we maintain this love relationshipping attitude toward all others as Jesus commands. 1 Peter 4:8 passes along the command repeated everywhere in the New Testament, "Above all, love each other deeply"

Hope, Grace, and Peace are all I have. 

Hope - filled with the knowledge that God is as work through me and sometimes in spite of me.

Grace - that knows I know nothing and my perspective is dim, so I trust in my Omniscient Father to meet all needs or expectations I have

Peace - Freedom from expectation and excuses, but guided by God, by Love.

James 3:18,
Camelot

It's Time

ECCLESIASTES 3:1-4

1  There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance.


James 3:18
Camelot

Pray

James 5:16 NLT

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

James 3:18
Camelot

Safeguard Your Faith

One of my most favorite quotes by Mother Teresa is "The reason we have no peace is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."

Philippians 3:1 reminds me of one aspect of this. "Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith. (Philippians 3:1 NLT)

Do we have people that we have given permission to safeguard our faith? Even if it hurts sometimes. I do not love discipline, but I welcome it not only from God but through those that I know God has put in charge as an overseer of me. 

Are we bold enough to love those God has entrusted us with by risking the offense of the truth?

The army has a saying, "Be all that you can be." Many sergeants and generals ensure this is true for you in the army. Not in the same way but with the same outcome to be all we can be in His Image, our gentle Shepherd guides us, encourages us and redirects us many times through those that He has charged as shepherds in our lives. May we rejoice with this safeguard, and welcome the truth and the servants of God with open arms.

James 3:18

Camelot

Love vs Sin

I have not posted in a while not because I do not have anything to say, but I have so many thoughts going through my mind, I barely have time to think them.:)

Here is one... 

I have been going through and made aware of many trials and troubles in my life and in the lives of those I love.

I do not remember feeling this worn by emotion since I was in the depth of sin. I know a harsh contrast but go with me a minute.

When I was bound by sin I was exhausted with feelings of inadequacy, heartache, loneliness, isolation, regret, and even apathy. While the sin I was involved in made me forget for a while, I still woke up to these feelings in increasing measure. They piled on with no relief. I did not know the end at the time just the reality of sinking in every area of life.

Recently because of relationships in my life that are filled with love, feelings of inadequacy, heartache, loneliness, isolation, regret, and compassion ( which takes more emotion than apathy) flood my heart. While all of these different circumstances collide, I wake up in the Presence of my Heavenly Father, but with each passing moment of the day, the reality of each situation settles in on my heart and well pile on. If I did not love most, if not all of these emotions would not be very intense. If I did not care, we'll things would be different, but I am understanding being bound by love in a new sense. I not only weep under my own reality, but the reality of those I love as well.

Sin vs Love ... I am reminded today of the similarities, BUT I am also reminded of the differences.

Each day I wake in the comfort of my Heavenly Father. My inadequacy is strength as I yield yo Him. My heartache reminds me this is not my home. My loneliness begins the feeling and prayer of need that welcomes the Spirit of the Living God into my heart with gates open wide(doors would be an understatement for my need). My isolation compels me to proclaim the reconciliation that we can have in Christ Jesus. My regret has ebbed and now flows with the continual debt of love that I have to those around me. Finally, my compassion is not mine, but the reality that the God of all creation is still at work in me and through me. 

Not to mention the end of these two roads. Sin leads to death (Romans 6:23), but Love leads to dying(John 15).( I warned you my mind is continuous these days.) I am thinking a lot on this, but for now suffice it to say. Sin death is final separation...BUT Love dying is yielding your life to and for the One who holds true life everlasting in His Faithful Hands.

James 3:18

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