Verse and Message (Friday, November 30, 2007) November 30, 2007

  

I received a remarkable writing from a dear sister in Christ a couple weeks ago.  Donna Bonds wrote a message on what God revealed to her one day while she was indulging in a pomegranate.  Some of you who also know Donna may have already received this from Donna, but I couldn’t help but share it with my entire distribution list. 

During this beautiful season of our Savior’s birth, it’s important to recognize that our spiritual journey is blessed from our re-birth to growth and maturity as we are being sanctified day by day. 

In the next few weeks I will be sharing a variety of thoughts, quotes, and scripture as we delight in the Babe that brought us Christmas.  I typically share one verse and message per week, but you may find a few mini messages in your email box throughout December as I have been inspired to share.

I have included an introductory verse to Donna’s message below:

Ephesians 3:14-19

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

POMEGRANATE REVELATION

Donna Bonds

11/13/07

  

During my personal worship today I decided to take time out to eat a pomegranate recently bought because they’re only available during this season of the year. God’s voice is in all of His creation and there’s a message, we too have seasons of spiritual growth on our journey with Christ.

 

            As I looked at the pomegranate I saw the crown on top of the fruit colored red, and realized that, available to us, is a crown of righteousness, at the end of our earthly journey, only through Christ’s blood, as the fruit’s red color symbolized.

 

            As I struggled to break the pomegranate open because of its thick outer covering I realized how difficult we make it for God to break through our flesh to our hearts. After breaking through the outer shell, as I looked inside the fruit I realized that the outer shell was symbolic of our salvation and God entering our hearts. After the break through I saw all these compartments covered with a skin like covering and beneath the skin I could see beautiful seeds covered with red juice, the desired part.

 

            Again, the struggle of getting past the skin, which I experienced, if eaten, was very bitter to the taste, but once past it the fruit juice was sweet. I then realized that the skin was symbolic of our flesh and the many layers of our flesh that we must deal with in order for the fruit of our Savior to be seen, devoured and enjoyed.

 

            As I continued to partake of the pomegranate – it took time, and I was reminded that during our journey on earth it’s a continuing process of dealing with our flesh and we must daily depend on the Seed to produce the desired fruit of our Savior. Then, while tasting the sweetness of the fruit, I knew how wonderful and marvelous we appear to the lost as we allow God to remove the flesh so that only He is revealed. And what a revelation, hundreds of sweet tasting seeds produced from the Seed, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Who can resist His great love?

 

            Finally, as I wiped my mouth and looked at the red stains on my napkin, I acknowledged then – it’s only through the blood that we become like Him and the Seed is revealed.

Thank you Donna for those wise words of wisdom. 

I hope you all have a wonderful start to a PERFECT CHRISTMAS with the PERFECT CHRIST!  GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

  

SUSIE MC

Verse and Message for Thanksgiving 2007 November 21, 2007

Psalm 103: 2-5

Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things He does for me.  He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.  He ransoms me from death and surrounds me with love and tender mercies.  He fills my life with good things.  My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

   

I love my church.  Of course, you all know that by now.  I love the worship and praise time with singing and instruments.  We sing praise music by viewing a screen and joining an exuberant praise team.  It is powerful, and I don’t have to worry about turning to the right page in a hymnal. 

However, I must admit, I am particularly fond of the classic hymns I learned growing up in a traditional Southern Baptist church.  I cannot dismiss how the hymns from days gone by have burned in my memory.  One hymn in particular “Count Your Blessings” touches my heart, especially during this week of Thanksgiving.

Do you recall the following words to that hymn?

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Count them one by one…….  It’s a good thing that numbers go into infinity, because I have so many blessings to count.  Obviously, I am thankful for my Lord, my family, and my friends.  Those are the gimmies (for me) when going around the dinner table expressing my thanks! 

Although I tend to take for granted the Grace of Jesus, the love of my family, and the abundance of special friends, it’s also easy to take the “little things” for granted as well.  Simple things mean a lot.  You cannot put a pricetag on them.  They are there for the taking…..if you take them. 

I wanted to share a few of the “simple pleasures” that come to mind.  To the world outside the U.S. and to our men and women in the armed forces, some of these things are genuine luxuries.  We sometimes do not realize how GOOD we have it……

*an open parking spot close to the destination entrance

*a hot shower

*a warm meal

*fresh water to drink

*clean clothes

*a warm bed

*a clean house

*good health

*an unexpected phone call, email,or letter in the mailbox just to say “hi”  

*being in the front when a new lane opens in the grocery store

*an unexpected discount on an item at the register

*a hot mocha when it’s 28 degrees outside

*a sunrise, a sunset, a full moon with a crystal clear sky of stars

  

*freedom to worship my Lord without fear of death

*a smile from a child, a smile from a stranger, a smile from someone you don’t expect to see smiling

*infants, puppies, kittens

  

*my son finishing his homework and understanding it

*being able to use a debit card at McDonald’s

*the chills I experience after hearing the National Anthem

*birthdays

*laughing until your stomach hurts

*hot french fries

  

*the look on someones face after you have given them a gift you know they will love

*getting in the car with a gas tank that is full

*when someone prays with you

*an umbrella offered during a downpour

*green traffic lights

*Christmas Eve candlelight services

*MERCY

*GRACE

*FORGIVENESS

  

I guess, most importantly, forgiveness ranks high in my book.  “What makes a Christian a Christian is not perfection but forgiveness.”

(Max Lucado)  Where would I be without His continued forgiveness? Being forgiven is a beautiful thing.  It’s hard to forgive sometimes…..but when a debt is canceled…..OH MY!  What a feeling! 

I hope I left you today pondering not only what this week is about…..

but what every single day should be about. 

We have many blessings to count!

Celebrate Thanksgiving 24/7!

LITTLE THINGS MEAN A LOT! 

     

IT’S FORGIVENESS FROM THE FATHER–

THAT I AM FOREVER GRATEFUL!!

SUSIE MC

Verse and Message (11/15/07) –special audio clip included November 15, 2007

Before I share my verse and message this week, I couldn’t help but include an amazing revelation from a 12 year old boy in Houston that he shared with a radio station….you don’t want to miss this.  Following this extra bonus, you will find my verse and message for the week! A remarkable phone call from a 12 year old boy to Houston radio station KSBJ FM 89.3.  So profound, the station has it posted on their website.  Click below to listen to it…it’s short, but get your Kleenex!http://www.ksbj.org/eblogs/morningShow/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/logan-calf-story.mp3

Psalm 73:26

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Romans 7:18-19 (Amplified Bible)

For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to carry it out.] For I fail to practice the good deeds I desire to do, but the evil deeds that I do not desire to do are what I am [ever] doing.

I remember when I was in the 4th grade at Franklin Academy, my teacher assigned the class an interesting task.  We were challenged to discover a typo or error in any form of media print (newspaper, magazine, etc). We were asked to cut out the article and bring it to the classroom to share. (This old fashioned style of research didn’t include the Internet luxury).  We would obtain extra credit points if we accomplished this mission.  It was so much fun to find a mistake and take it into class!  Imagine rejoicing over a mistake! 

Mistake is defined in The American Heritage Dictionary as follows:

1.  An error or fault.  2.  A misconception or misunderstanding.

Just because we fail at times does not indicate that we are failures. I doubt very seriously that the writer of a column in a newspaper would be fired for a single word spelled incorrectly.  However, repeating mistakes consistently is what we have to watch out for. No one is perfect…….mistakes are inevitable. 

Pastor Layne Schranz, director of student ministries of Church of the Highlands, delivered a message on our current series entitled “Real Life” this past Sunday that covered the subject of past mistakes and sin. We all mess up, but he shared that we can BURY it, we can BEAT ourselves up, we can BLAME others, or WE CAN BUILD ON IT.

I know that when I have sinned or make a mistake, I tend to beat myself up.  I analyze every facet of the issue and live in torment.  That mentality comes from our enemy.  Our Father wants us to view a past mistake as “a rudder to guide us– not an anchor to pull us back.” You know…LIVE AND LEARN.  Learning may be the difficult part, but in learning we recognize that our mistakes have value!

John C. Maxwell coined a very wise acrostic from the word MISTAKES:

M – Messages that give us feedback about life.

I -   Interruptions that should cause us to reflect and think.

S – Signposts that direct us to the right path.

T – Tests that push us toward greater maturity.

A – Awakenings that keep us in the game mentally.

K – Keys that we can use to unlock the next door of opportunity.

E – Explorations that let us journey where we’ve never been before.

S – Statements about our development and progress.

If and when we can begin to interpret our past failures or mistakes correctly, we are taking the first major step toward maturity.  It’s important that we take responsibility for our mistakes.  We need to confess our mistakes and ask forgiveness.  We need to forgive ourselves.  We need to put the anguish and/or heartache of the mistake behind us without forgetting the lesson. 

I pray each morning that God will lead me to make wise choices and to use good judgment throughout my day. When I submit myself to the Lord and allow Him full control of my daily steps, I have the confidence to do what I need to do in my walk. I also realize that He is not surprised when I make mistakes….He wants me to depend on Him as I strive to live in complete obedience.  

As F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “Never confuse a single mistake with a final mistake.”  Isn’t is cool that the Savior allows “Do Overs?” So another thought is that if God forgives us, we are directed to forgive others….and that means to continue to forgive others….

Matthew 18:22
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Be thankful for the grace and unending mercy of a forgiving and loving God who adores us so much that He sent His only Son to die for our mistakes! Don’t dismiss that sacrifice!

Remember Christ is the Teacher….we are His students!

  

SUSIE MC

Verse and Message in honor of Veteran’s Day 2007 November 9, 2007

John 8:32

And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you FREE.

  

Isaiah 61:1

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim FREEDOM for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.

  

Yesterday I had the opportunity to enjoy a profound program for National History Day at Pizitz Middle School.  This day was designed a few years ago to honor our veterans and the sacrifices they made to allow us to be FREE.  I cannot tell you how moving it was to experience those minutes of reflection and inspiration as we recognized relatives of Pizitz students who are veterans.  What would we do without our representatives in the armed forces? These brave men and women fought for our freedom, as our troops are actively doing now.

It’s important that we remember the FREEDOM we have in this country.  We, unlike other countries, have the CHOICE to be FREE. But, the most significant FREEDOM we have received was won more than 2,000 years ago on an old rugged cross.

Even as Christians, we sometimes choose to wear the shackles that our enemy entices us to wear.  BUT…we have the choice to remove those shackles of emotional and/or physical pain because of the PROMISE OF FREEDOM given to us by God through JESUS CHRIST.

Our Savior came to give us freedom from our past that could hold as as prisoners. The enemy of our soul wants us to perceive that we cannot escape the prison that once held us captive.  We also have the gift of freedom for our future.  His plans for us are for GOOD, not harm. (Jeremiah 29:11) The Lover of our soul wants us to embrace the future to become all that He has created us to be.

Our Lord suffered the most horrific death in order to give us beautiful FREEDOM.  AND WE DIDN’T HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS FREEDOM….AND WE WILL NEVER HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS FREEDOM…BECAUSE IT IS FREE!! All we have to do is receive His FREEDOM. We must recognize that Jesus had to pay for our freedom, and our courageous men and women of the military have paid a price for our freedom in this country.  Ponder how blessed we are……don’t take it for granted.

In addition, we cannot allow Satan’s lies to engage us into any form of bondage.  It’s up to each of us to hand the key over to Jesus to release us from the chains of sin, anguish, torment, stress, fear, anxiety, pain, bitterness, abuse etc…and all the ugly things that for some reason are difficult to release to the Father.  The choice to loosen our grip on those things that keep us in shackles will FREE us to love and forgive others as well as ourselves.

The enemy attacks those who have been set FREE, or those who are trying to cut loose of the chains. If we allow ourselves to be bound in the darkness, we must know that a FREE FALL is in our future.  The miracle, however, is that each time we fall…..no matter how many times we fall, and no matter how far we fall…..we can rest assured that we have a Savior who will catch us……He ALWAYS comes to save the day. 

Not only do we have to recognize our own FREEDOM, just like our armed forces, it’s up to us as disciples of Christ to be brave enough to stand up for God and set the captives free. 

DO NOT LET SATAN ROB THE JOY AND FREEDOM THAT CHRIST OFFERS!

Allow the Lord to heal you and release you of whatever it is that is restricting you from being FREE IN HIM.

“Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional.” (Max Lucado)

Take a moment to reflect on your freedom this weekend. Our freedom is paid for…..express gratitude to our active military and veterans when you see them!  And, thank our Lord and Savior who wants us to be FREE INDEED! 

In Conclusion, I wanted to share the lyrics of one of my favorite worship songs.  I think it’s from the NEWSBOYS….

I AM FREE

Through You the blind will see
Through You the mute will sing
Through You the dead will rise
Through You all hearts will praise
Through You the darkness flees
Through You my heart screams I am freeChorus:
I am free to run

  
I am free to dance

  
I am free to live for You

  
I am free
I am free

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

  

BE FREE!

SUSIE MC