Monday, August 27, 2018

Indeed Only One

Are you getting the alerts sent to you? Are your security settings up-to-date?

At the click of a button, reminders can flood you from every possible avenue you can think off. 

What’s today’s weather? How many steps did I take today? Did my bank balance drop to a dangerous low? Pick up the groceries. Oh, my manicure is due today. I almost forgot, I have a date night with my husband tonight! And on and on it goes!

All this controlled by apps and the proper settings on our “mobile brain”, I meant mobile phone.

Life is so busy that we need reminders to get things done.

Before mobile phones and clever reminder apps, life seemed simpler. Advertisements promised that we would have more time. It seems to me I have less time. The same 24 hours is now crowded by nagging beeps throughout the day reminding me of all things I did NOT do!

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

No matter how many times we read this verse, if we are not careful we fall back into the busyness of life.

The interesting thing is that we often choose to make our lives busy. Not every party invitation requires a yes. The world won’t stop spinning if we leave the dishes in the sink and rest.

Toddlers seem to be happy playing with a cardboard box and a ball. Why are their rooms cluttered with toys they barely use? Which by the way requires more cleaning time.

We drive to the sports game and then rush through some fast food restaurant and feed the family. We grab a cup of coffee to stay awake as we drive home. We arrive, sleep and it begins again with a BEEP! Yep, another reminder. Get up its about to begin again. Oh, and this is just Saturday!

Where is the simplicity of life?

Beeps, alarms, clutter, and stuff all competing for our time while Jesus waits for us to sit and talk.

Is there a reminder to sit with Jesus on our phone?

Does the phone remind us to pray?

Do we have the proper settings in place to commune with God?

Life is pulling at us and requesting our attention. It desires our time which is limited with allotted days.

I don’t have the answer to life’s busyness because I too have been trapped at times. This I have learned.

Set time to sit with Jesus. Read the Word which imparts wisdom. Being refreshed in God’s presence helps me realign my priorities.

Learn to snip away time slots to talk to God. Yes, if it requires us to schedule it in, then let’s do it! This is one reminder I want and a task I want to complete.

Is the Holy Spirit sending you alerts? We must listen and secure our time with Him.

We need reminders to REST. “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

Beep, Beep…this is your reminder today. Sit. He is waiting for you.
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God bless you!~Liz

Monday, August 20, 2018

Go Deeper!

Go Deeper
“And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in.”
(John 20:5)

This is the account of the disciple that arrived at the tomb to confirm the story Mary Magdalene was sharing. His eagerness to decipher the story Mary was telling caused him to run fast. He arrived, His eyes saw and then he stopped. Why didn’t he go in?

As a student of the Word of God I know that I just can’t read the Word, close the Bible and walk away. The Lord wants to open my eyes and cause my ears to hear more than what my physical body is telling me through my senses.

Peter arrives at the tomb and he looks, but then, “went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.”

God requires us to go closer and to discover a deeper revelation. Peter walked into the tomb. He did not know all that was happening, but his desire was to go deeper.

It’s the gift within the box, that’s within a box, within another box. The discovery of the precious stone in the tiny box is the giver’s treasure to his bride to be. She always knew that he loved her but her small quest discovered the treasure that revealed his heart in a profound way. “Will you be mine?”

The details are overlooked if we only look on the surface. The revelation of God is there for the asking. Ask the Lord to show you his heart and we’ll discover that the Good News is for the Jew and Gentile. We’ll discover that the gift of eternal life is the result of the One man’s obedience to go to the cross.

The thief on the cross choose not to heckle Jesus but to listen carefully to the words being spoken. His heart was drawn to Jesus and discovered that eternal life was his, “today you will be with me in paradise.”

Wisdom comes from God. (Proverbs 2:6)

The fruit of the Spirit is given and developed through God. The struggles of life can produce patience as we go deeper into the Word. Love can be discovered as we love the “unloveable”, those we think don’t deserve our love. We discover God’s faithfulness when in the midst of trials, we continue to call on his name day and night. We learn not only God’s faithfulness but also that the Lord has been teaching us to remain faithful in him!

So, don’t just bend down and look into the tomb where dead things lie. Walk in and discover that the One who was raised from the dead is still resurrecting life all around us. He is no longer there! Let’s go deeper! Open the box that’s in the box, that’s in the box and discover the Love of the Bridegroom. The treasure is you!

God Bless You!~Liz

CHANGE, WELCOME IT!

 Acts 9:32-34 As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas,...