He Is Always Working

We don't always like to hear it, especially if we are going through a tough time.  We can't always see it, especially when things are falling apart all around us.  But we need to believe it and we need to trust God like we were shown yesterday in Proverbs3:5-6.  God is always working in our lives.  True, we might not be in a good spot and miserable and yes these are the hardest times to trust, but we need to in order for the work to be done.   Take a moment and pray you can see Gods handy work around you as you go through a trial.  I like what today's devotional says " God is working in your life. Deal with it. Trust Him. Always leave room for Him to direct. And when the road gets rough, thank Him for being with you! "

Have a terrific Tuesday !!!!

Let's Do This

It's Monday morning, work is going to be crazy this week because school for some unknown reason has to start in the middle of August not the end month, I'm tired and life just hasn't been going how I thought it would.  Instead of sulking I went to my Bible App and found a 7 day devotional.  I chose one called God At Work from James MacDonald.  Todays verses, Prov3: 5-6.  The verse Starts out Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart.   If I am going to get thru today or anyway for that matter, I have to learn to trust in him and not myself.  This is a discipline that can be accomplished but I have to put myself to the side sometimes.

I also need to seek his will in all I do, not my own. This too will help with everyday life.  I like when God shows up when I need to. He's always there, I just need to look for him.

Some of the things of the day won't change, but I can change how I approach them and see how God wants to work in or thru me as I go about my day.

Found this too, seems like my day is getting a little better.

Another part of understanding your daily destiny is to live in a righteous and biblical manner where God has placed you, and to do so consistently.

This whole flu thing that is going around is really a bummer.  Our whole family seems to have found it at the same time, some a little worse than others.  The 3 youngest had a fever yesterday so that was no fun.  I think I am almost over it while Heidi seems to be on the back half.  Caleb slept all night, I think , which was better than the previous night when he was up every hour it seemed. Poor guy.  We will get thru it like everything else, by being there for each other and helping when we can.   I do love when the little ones like to cuddle though.

Get well everyone.

Where Are You Walking

As I was going through somethings in my head tonight , an old blog I did popped into my head. Good timing. Right after that some things Juan Martinez spoke on Sunday at Calvary West became crystal clear. Sometimes when you battle with yourself God steps in and clears the dust so you can see better. Here is the old blog. Stay tuned for the second half of what God showed me.
The road less traveled is empty and lonely, and bumpy too. I guess that's where it gets its name. It is not the path of the straight and narrow either. I do think that if you travel the straight and narrow path that you might someday run into the less traveled one. Why? Here are my thoughts:
When you choose to follow God with everything you have, He will take you where He wants you to go. Before you know it, your walking somewhere you have never been, down a road not many have traveled. It's going to be bumpy and rough like any road that doesn't see much traffic. The good news is, God will be there with you. He'll even carry you when you need it. Here are a couple of versus to tuck in your mind when you find yourself on this road:
Jeremiah 29:11 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.
Phil 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. I hope this reaches those who might need to hear it.

Gifts

With Christmas right around the corner, it made me think of "Where am I putting my thoughts this year?" With the first boy in the house, it will be a new season of gift buying in the sense that it won't all be girly toys, but maybe even some trucks and trains this year. I already setup the Christmas train I bought him last year before he was even born. I was excited :-)


As I thought some more about it this morning I realized all the experiences of Christmas gifts I have had over the years. There were the years I got exactly what I wanted and I was very happy all day long. There were years I got nothing I wanted and was extremely grouchy all day long. But what of the next day or week? We soon forget about what we got and didn't get and it is life as usual. Christmas is in the past and we move on.

This year I want to focus on the real meaning of Christmas, the one that stays All year round. Jesus was born for us on this day many years ago. It's not about the cool gift we get from our parents or spouses, it's not about the gift we should have received for being good but didn't. It's about celebrating His birth and everything that came after it.

We will still buy the presents that will be forgotten about a week after Christmas and whats a Christmas morning without wrapping paper all over the house? Here is something to remember this Christmas season:

Don't forget about the present that won't be under the tree,
it doesn't cost a lot of money, in fact it's actually free.

You're probably wondering what kind of present can this be?
It's the gift of Salvation, free for you and me.

Yesterday I shared a Blog on Facebook that a good Pastor friend of mine shared on divorce, it stirred up some real good comments and responses. My reason for posting was not to call out those who have been through divorce for whatever reason, but to encourage those marriages that might be at the beginning stages of spiritual attack on their marriages.

All of the posts were good in either debating for or against what was stated in my friends blog. The one comment I would like to point out however, came from my own wife. She stated that "If only one wants things to get better and not the other, unfortunately there is nothing you can do. God gave us all the free will to choose.."

This is the point I was trying to make. One person can be all in for a very long time, but if their spouse is not, what can you do? There does come a time when the decision to end things will come, I know because I did make that decision, but I was fortunate enough that she finally wanted to make things work again. We continue to grow closer everyday in our marriage and our relationship with God. Our home is better then it ever has been.


Ephesians 5: 25-33 Speaks to men and how they should love their wives just as Christ loved the church. The Message version says "Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives..." The rest of the chapter is really good as well. Men , I encourage you to read this, pray and then begin loving your wife ALL OUT !!!! You won't be disappointed.

Being Mature As A Christ Foloower

In Ephesians 4, we are given some guidelines on being mature. They really aren't all that hard to abide by:

Be completely humble and gentle
Be patient bearing with one another in love
Keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace
Put off all falsehood and speak truthfully to everyone

In your anger, do not sin
Do not let the son go down while you are still angry
Do not give the devil a foothold

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but build others up according to their needs
Rid yourself of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander and every other form of malice
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.

I can only guess Paul saved forgiveness for last, because we all will in some way mess up on the earlier ones and end up hurting someone.

Forgiveness is a strange thing. If someone bumps into you, and knocks something out of your hands, we will most always forgive them right away. It's when things start to hurt more that we find it harder to forgive or even forgive at all. The thing of it is though, the bible says forgive, just as we were forgiven...no levels of hurt, just forgive and be genuine in it. God knows your heart.

Yes, forgiveness can be very hard, but with Gods love in us, we can do it, He wants us to.