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Monday, October 8, 2007
When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. Do you ever wonder why the activity of God can draw a crowd, but the call from Him to be committed, draws only a few? People are ready to get in on the blessings, the buzz that often surrounds His activity, but only a few follow Him on the uphill climb to companionship. Companionship is defined as the state of being with someone. This communicates more than simply a mental knowledge or even fond feeling toward. One is not considered a companion if there is no consistent fellowship and time spent together. It is during this time of intimate fellowship that companions share their heart with one another. It takes work to follow Christ. It is often times a steep hill and can feel like a hard and strenuous journey, but only those that make the climb with Him, are blessed with the quiet place where He sits with you, teaches you, and becomes your dearest companion. God desires to share His heart with us, but it takes commitment and work on our part to follow Him to that quiet place that is conducive for Him to do so. Are you taking the time each day to climb to that quiet spot? Are you putting forth the effort and energy to get up early enough to sit with Him and hear what is on His heart? Are you a part of the crowd that is watching from the lower plains of life? If so, what is it that is keeping you from making the journey up the hillside to be with Him? Is it the lack of discipline to make the time? Or perhaps it is simply being unwilling to give up a little sleep and rise early enough to meet with Him before the rush of your day begins. Whatever it takes, start today with that first uphill step towards that quiet place with Jesus. Find renewed strength through His companionship and enjoy the new perspective and joy that comes from being up on the hillside with the Lord. Lord, give me the discipline necessary to make the climb today to meet with you. Draw me to the quiet place where you are waiting to share your heart with me. Give me ears to hear and the will to climb as high as you lead me today, no matter what the journey requires of me. Tammy... You can read more from Tammy by visiting Steps in our Journey Labels: Christian walk, commitment, Purpose, quiet time, relationship with Christ, Tammy Leave a comment... 0 Comments Links to this post This past week, fellow blogger Christine sent me a quote for "In 'Other' Words" which read, ~ Henri Nouwen ~ It was God's way of whispering, "I wanted to spend that moment with you." I knew exactly what that whisper meant as my mind travelled back a few weeks to an evening of loneliness when all I could do was drive, and pray, and wipe the tears from my cheeks. Not a wound waiting to be healed. Not a space needing to be filled. A gift. Although I hadn't realized this gift at the time, I did later when I reflected on the alone time I spent with my Lord. The answered prayers in the morning, confirming that He heard my hearts cry. The gift itself wasn't the answer to prayer, it was that moment when my spirit of weakness was laid in His hands. Every once in a while we find ourselves emotionally stripped, as all that life holds is swept away. We find ourselves kneeling at the feet of our Lord, grateful that He's there--His spirit a balm to our weary soul. There have been times that I've felt this throughout my life, and like this time, each one has brought me a little closer to my Lord. I pulled up in the driveway yesterday, and just before I stepped out of the car, the same feelings of loneliness crept up for a second--just a wee second--before a smile spread over my face. "Your grace is sufficient for me Lord," I whispered back at Him, "Thanks for this moment with You." "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." ~ 2 Corinthians 12:7-10  Visit me at my personal blog: Darlene Schacht dot com :) Labels: Darlene's Articles, Grace, Loneliness, Love, quiet time Leave a comment... 7 Comments Links to this post "God is our refuge and strength, My life has been running like sand through an hour glass. Nothing I can do to stop the days  running past me. Some days I can’t even remember what day of the week we have. I had to install a calendar on my laptop to remind me if I have to work or I am off…Ever feel that way? Although I know that I can’t breathe without His Word to get me through the day, I have to ‘sneak in’ time with Him. Let me tell you what happened to me this past Friday…During the week our alarm goes off at 4:15am and 4:30am. Most mornings I get up at 4:35am. Why? I like the stillness that permeates the house at that time of day. I love to read my first devotional with my first cup of coffee—alone. It is a great start for my busy day. This past Friday, the alarm went off at its usual time, but I didn’t make it out of bed until 5:18am. I was devastated. No devotion—no coffee. All I could think off was getting my Sweetheart his first coffee made and heading for the shower. For some reason I couldn’t get my eyes open or even form a coherent thought in my head. Somehow I got the coffee made, woke up my Sweetheart and headed back into our kitchen/dining area. I poured the coffee in a cup and realized that it was not the right coffee. You see, I drink flavored coffee; my hubby likes his coffee darker than dark (almost burned flavor)…’Oh no’, I thought—‘quick, make another coffee before he will notice’. By that time I could not breathe—literally. Close to tears, I plopped on my chair to have a few minutes with my Lord…I started praying “Lord I am tired, I am burned out…I”. He stopped my prayer in mid-sentence to calm me… “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” ~ Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV) The rest of the morning went without a hitch. I got ready in time…I prepared breakfast for my Sweetheart, prayed, read a post from one of my friends, made coffee for myself, sent a quick note to some of my sisters in Christ and left the house at the appropriate time…with a song of praise in my head (and material for a CWO post *smile*). My dear beloved sisters in Christ, we are all busy women—if at home or outside the home. We have responsibilities to keep the household running, to be a wife, mom, friend and co-worker. The only way we can do all this is to have Him fill our cup every single day. "Lord, You are our refuge and strength. You are always ready to help in times of trouble. We will not fear what our days have in store for us. Even if our daily oceans of responsibility seem to overwhelm us, we know where we can find refuge. Lord, remind us to be still before You; you are our calm in the storm. In the precious name of Jesus ~ Amen."  Labels: Iris's Articles, quiet time, relationship with God Leave a comment... 13 Comments Links to this post
Friday, March 23, 2007
Apparently, my eighth-grader, Kristin, has been the only girl in her entire school, school district, or in Indiana who has still been wearing (you won’t believe this) jeans to school. This “fact” was exacerbated by the “fact” that she could no longer fit into anything that was discarded all over her bed, floor, dressers, closet, or ceiling fan. It’s true that middle schoolers, like toddlers, can grow a lot in one year, so we went shopping for a few items. We looked for styles we could both approve of, but the plethora of microscopic, miniscule, dinky, veritably undetectable wee shorts and skirts was not acceptable to either of us. But that’s a whole ‘nother post! Nevertheless, we made a couple of purchases. Kristin was excited about her new clothes. In fact, she expressed appreciation several times. All in all, the excursion was turning out to be a great mom/daughter bonding time. But then something drained Kristin’s spirit and zapped her stamina in a matter of minutes: I began looking at a few things for myself. Her countenance dropped. Her knees buckled. Her eyes actually got bloodshot. She dragged her feet and leaned on clothes racks for support. She wasn’t complaining, rude or misbehaving; she had simply gotten what she came for, and suddenly, the party was over. Later at home, we were laughing about her descent into listlessness when she remarked that what she did is similar to the way we relate to God sometimes. That is, when we need or want something, we ask, and a lot of times we get what we want. Sadly, as soon as we feel relief from worry, or the storm has passed, or the wish has been granted, we grow tired of praying. We’re not unappreciative or rude to God; we probably even say “thank you,” just as Kristin did. However, we just don’t sense the same urgency or even remember to talk to him like we did when we were holding out our hands. Galatians 3:25-27 reminds us: “By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise.” [The Message] I am reminded that I’m in a relationship with God, my Father, who is interested in who I am on the inside. I love him, and I want to make sure that I participate in our relationship every day in ways that don’t involve asking for something. Whether in earthly relationships or in the one with our Father, there is joy in just spending time with someone we love. Today, may we dress ourselves in an “adult faith wardrobe,” giving thanks to our Provider but also seeking Father/Daughter bonding time without an agenda. May we adore him and fully appreciate that because of Christ, we enjoy a direct relationship with the pre-existent, co-eternal, omnipotent God, who, inexplicably, desires to meet with us at any time, every day. What grace!  Labels: Linda's Articles, Prayer, quiet time, relationship with God, shopping, Spring, thankfulness, worship Leave a comment... 6 Comments Links to this post
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