Verse and Message (Week of May 24-30, 2009) May 27, 2009

2 Corinthians 3:2-3

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.  You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 

  

Each day we talk about so many different things. Topics of conversation may range from current events, sports related happenings, family issues, work or school details, politics, hobbies and interests, health concerns, spiritual topics, etc. Most of our conversations include basic chit chat, but we tend to stick to topics that appeal to the people who are a part of the conversation. Typically, whatever we talk about becomes a part of us; essentially this is how the world may define us. 

 

One area that we may be apprehensive in discussing at times would fall under our faith and belief system. Some settings and social circles don’t offer a natural or comfortable atmosphere for sharing our faith. What I have come to realize is that if Jesus is truly the Lord of our lives, it is our calling to share our faith, no matter who is present in a conversation and no matter where we are. It’s easy to discuss Jesus with those in our small group or Sunday School class. However, we are called to express our faith in word and action in our work setting, on the tennis court, at a football game, in the grocery store, at the doctor’s office, or even in an elevator. I believe it was Billy Hornsby (Pastor Chris‘ father-in-law) that said “Let your vocation be your ministry location.” I love that statement!

   

That doesn’t mean that the words that we share need to take on the platform of a “preachy” lecture–it simply means we might talk about our faith as we would talk about anything else in our lives that is comfortable to discuss.  The more we share our experiences of what the Lord has done for us, the more comfortable it becomes to reveal those details even to complete strangers. 

 

I used to worry about stepping on someone’s toes when I would share my faith. As I grew in my faith, I realized that the key to being an effective witness was to reveal what God has done in my own life. As my pastor has declared many times, “No one can argue with a changed life.” We can talk about Jesus until we are blue in the face, but making it personal attracts interest and curiosity.

 

As Christians, we are letters for Christ. People judge us by our words and our actions. Actions may indicate that we are “good people”…but true confession of our testimonies and experiences prove Who we live for! Therefore, we shouldn’t be afraid to speak up.

 

Don’t worry about forcing your faith on someone……Jesus Christ will speak through you. There is no reason to try to control what you think another should believe. Pray that they would see Jesus in you and be attracted to that beautiful Light. It’s easy to talk about something we are passionate about…that’s all we are asked to do!    

 

SPEAK UP…..

WORDS OF GODLY WISDOM FLOW EASY FROM A SINCERE HEART!

DON’T LECTURE, DON’T PREACH, DON’T ANNOUNCE…

JUST SHARE HIS LOVE AND JOY!!

SUSIE MC

Verse and Message (Week of May 17-23, 2009) May 20, 2009

 
 

Psalm 34:17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.     Have you ever known someone who only calls when they need something? Maybe this person needs advice for a difficult time he/she may be experiencing; maybe it’s a friend who is struggling financially and needs a monetary favor; or maybe it’s someone who wants your friendship only because you are close to a person that he/she wants to be friends with…..whatever the case, it’s interesting that when you want to share something with this person about your life–he/she is not available. In the end, you feel drained and used.   For the most part, I think we are all guilty of being self-centered at times. However, there is Someone Who is the clear opposite of self-centered–He is centered around us, and He desires for us to be “Christ-Centered.”   I wanted to share a brief thought I read a couple of weeks ago.  I found it on the blog of Truth In Love Ministries. It was a real eye-opener for me. The message that grabbed my attention was inspired by Brad Tollison and posted by Mark Shaw of Truth In Love Ministries on April 29. Source: http://histruthinlove.wordpress.com/ —– The least read book in the U.S.A. is NOT the Bible – it’s your car’s instruction manual. Very few people read that book. Crisp, fresh, unmarked, and clean is how you’ll find this manual in most cars.   But guess when people do read it? When their car breaks down!   Don’t we do the same thing with our Bibles? When do we read the Word? When we are in trouble and need answers. That’s when we pray the most, too!   Let’s prepare for trouble ahead by reading the Word of God and by praying to Him daily.   You know your car will NOT last forever. You also know that in a fallen world cursed by man’s sin, you are going to experience some hardships in this life. Prepare for it. —–  Thank you Mark for sharing that with your readers. I was also moved by that thought-provoking contribution to your blog.     So, how do you think our Lord feels when we call on Him only in a time of crisis? Have you ever blown Him off when you felt you had everything under control? Why do you bother asking His advice when you are going to do what you want to do when you want to do it anyway? We want Him at our beck and call….but do we make time for conversation with Him?   He is forever faithful–we can always count on Him. He desires for us to pray with focus, passion, and sincerity…even when we are not experiencing a trial. He wants us to cry out to Him, and study His Word, but He also desires to be more than our Life Saver…He wants to be best friends…He wants to be intimate with us.   He will provide discernment when making decisions, provision when in need, protection, security, healing, and His unconditional love…..but He also just wants to hang out with us. He doesn’t like to be used or taken advantage of either…..   SEEK HIM SINCERELY… DRAW NEAR TO HIM… LISTEN TO HIM…    LET HIM BE YOUR BEST FRIEND… HE LOVES TO BE LOVED TOO…. SUSIE MC

Verse and Message (Week of May 10-16, 2009) May 11, 2009

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day with their Mommies!

 

Lately, my heart has been heavy for some friends who have been dealing with some unresolved pain of the past. I discovered an archived verse and message that I had written in 2005 that specifically highlights this area. With the recent LIFE retreat weekend still fresh in my spirit, I thought that the following message may encourage some of you. God wants all of us to be free from the past so we can live in His fullness today! 

 

Ephesians 1:11

Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago.

Philippians 3:13

No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.

 

One of my favorite movies which is also a Broadway production is The Lion King.

The Lion King was one of the first movies my son ever viewed as a young toddler. It is a very touching and powerful story about the love between a lion ruler, Mufasa, and his young cub, Simba growing up to become the heir of his father’s kingdom. 

 

After being framed for the death of his father in an accident designed by Simba’s evil Uncle Scar, Simba was deceived by his uncle and persuaded to run away from his home out of fear, guilt, and shame. 

 

Several years later, Rafiki, a wise monkey  , discovered Simba, and made it a point to knock some sense into him so that Simba would return to his throne at Pride Rock. Rafiki knew Simba’s father, and told Simba that his father was still alive. Rafiki led Simba to a pond where Simba saw his reflection in the water. Simba stated, “That’s not my father, that’s just my reflection.”  Rafiki pressed Simba to look closer encouraging, “You see, he lives in you.” Simba heard his father’s voice, “Simba, you have forgotten who you are! Remember who you are!” Seconds later, as Simba revealed he was afraid to face his past, Rafiki sympathized that sometimes the past can hurt…….but then declared, “You run from it, or you learn from it.”  These events motivated Simba to return to his kingdom and claim his inheritance as the Lion King. 

 

As Christians, we are given the fullness of God the Father and Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit upon Salvation. We can try to run away when we have feelings of fear, guilt, or shame. However, as Christians, we won’t get very far, because the Holy Spirit will awaken us and shine through us with His reflection…..but it is up to us to come back to Him. 

 

We have an inheritance that is ours by the Grace of the Father. He wants us to claim the GIFT HE has given us. The “Scar” in our lives (the Enemy) and the scars of our past cannot hinder the amazing grace that is ours, because of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. We can either run from our past or learn from our past. After all, every single detail of our past is what makes us who we are today. We must not forget who we are IN CHRIST, because He indeed lives in us! 

 

“Through true guilt, the Holy Spirit seeks to draw us closer to God.  Through false, incriminating guilt, Satan seeks to separate us from God.” (Jim Henry, One Minute Bible) 

 

Our Father wants us to share in the rich and abundant life He offers through Jesus. We must remember who we are in Him, learn from the past, and claim the inheritance that is ours through our FATHER, the PERFECT KING!

 

HUKUNA MATATA (No Worries) when we remember who we are IN THE KING!   

SUSIE MC

Verse and Message (Week of May 3-9, 2009) May 5, 2009

 

Galatians 6:2 Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another. A popular comedy sitcom known as “Cheers” aired for eleven seasons from 1982 to 1993. Honestly, I didn’t watch the show that often, but I will never forget the theme song of the show. The sitcom and the theme song were about real life and the comfort level we desire to obtain in relationships. Check out the lyrics to ”Cheers” theme song:   “Where Everybody Knows Your Name“ By Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo   Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot. Wouldn’t you like to get away? Sometimes you want to go Where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same You wanna be where everybody knows Your name. You wanna go where people know, people are all the same, You wanna go where everybody knows your name.   The reason the show and the theme song were so popular was because “real life” was reflected. I guess that’s why the current ”reality television” era appears to be such a hit.   This past weekend, I was thinking about real life and real people as I was serving as an intercessor at the LIFE retreat at Church of the Highlands. LIFE stands for “Living In Freedom Everyday.”   I won’t get into the lengthy details of the retreat, but I would highly recommend anyone who hasn’t participated to join a LIFE group and attend the wrap-up retreat. You don’t have to be a member of Highlands to participate.   I have been a participant of two previous LIFE retreats, and this past weekend was my second time to serve on the LIFE retreat team. I must say that this experience was the most moving of all I had been a part of…including my time as a participant.   This time, before each individual segment, there were powerful testimonies shared by LIFE leaders and team members. I don’t think I was alone in recognizing not only a profound presence of the Holy Spirit, but also the capacity to relate to each testimony presented. No one can argue with a changed life. The testimonies were real–everyone could connect or relate to one or more of them.   The subject matter of the sitcom “Cheers” translates how we all have issues and so many times, we connect with someone who has been through or who is going through something we have experienced. It also mirrored a comfort level when someone knows your name and wants to be there for you when you are going through a difficult time.   God designed us to be in relationship with Him and with others. Everyone who has participated in the LIFE program at Highlands understands the incredible impact that will occur when we are vulnerable enough to be open and connect with God and others.   We all have issues. My pastor says that if you don’t think you have issues, then that’s your issue..ha. The only way to grow and learn through our experiences is to be able to reach up to God and reach out to others. Life tends to throw some curve balls, so it’s nice to have a team of brothers and sisters in Christ to support us, love us, and pray with us.    If you are struggling through something whether it is financial, physical, relational, or spiritual, I encourage you to seek God and reach out to others. That place starts with a heart of humility and transparency.   God will direct you to someone you can trust to share what is on your heart. Knowing that others have been there and are cheering for you provides a supernatural peace.   “God intends for us to weave our lives together.” (Rick Warren) Be courageous and reach out to others who God has placed in your path. The heart of fellowship builds reciprocal relationships that help and encourage all who take the risk.   Cheers to the gift of fellowship with the Lord and others! Share your heart…. You never know what impact your testimony will have on another! God created us to be in loving relationships! SUSIE MC