Admonition for Christian Living

Wow...here it is, Sunday night already.  Can't believe this week went by so fast!  I guess that means I've been busy...and I have.  I have put quite a few hours in at the office, covering two jobs and working on special projects.  Love to be busy there!  I'll be alone this coming week (except for hubby) since the reservations secretary is still in Florida until March, and the Events Coordinator/Hospitality Director will be gone all week to ONU for a class.  We already have special projects lined up for this week, so should be another fast one.  I don't mind the winter weeks going by quickly, for that means spring will follow.  Spring is my favorite season of the year...love all the blooming (I don't have allergies!) and watching everything come to life again, including the campgrounds!!


I'm going to be attending a Dave Ramsey Financial Class for 14 weeks, starting the 26th.  I look forward to that.  I am a budgeter, and I use the envelope system, but there must be something still I need to learn since there is always more month than money.  We do live by faith, believe me!!


I attended a travelogue meal and presentation on Texas last week.  It was a social outing for me, since hubby likes to spend his time in other ways.  I went with the church bus gang (all senior citizens).  They go once a month.  Food and fellowship is okay...presentations put me to sleep.  But it is nice to get out of the house now and then.  


We also had a Town Meeting after our residents' potluck this past week.  Hubby needed to talk about some proposed changes in the Township ruling on building codes.  This could benefit the camp lots, so we hope it is an amendment that passes.  Township meeting comes up this week.  


On Wednesday this past week my only sibling, my brother, turned 63...two years older than me.  We chatted for a while.  We don't talk often, we haven't been close through the years, but when we do talk all is well between us.  We just lead different lives in different locales of the country.  


We had falling snow for most of the week, though it didn't accumulate to more than 6-8".  It was a cold week, down in the single digits wind chill.  When we woke up Saturday morning we were having one of the heaviest snows of the week.  However, we had to take a deposit on some chairs to Grand Rapids (an hour north), so we took off on our adventure.  There wasn't a lot of traffic out, and the trip went well.  In fact, we even took time to drive around the historic district of Heritage Hill where the rich and famous lived in the early days of the development of Grand Rapids.  Very large and unique homes.   


The chairs are for our Learning Center.  I have been watching Craig's List for padded, stackable chairs for quite a long time.  This week a church in Grand Rapids was unloading 106 of them...very nice, some still wrapped in their packaging.  Hubby is going tomorrow to pick them up.  The church still needed them for service today.  We feel blessed to get this deal since the chairs are so nice, and match our blue decor at the Learning Center so well.


We did our weekly shopping while we were out on Saturday, and once again I was able to stay within my budgeted envelope amount for food, household, and personal care items.  If I don't stick to the envelope amount, I will run out of money before the end of the month, and that's when we get into trouble.  I am determined this is the year we stick to the plan.


Today we attended morning worship at our local church, and then headed to Lansing to meet up with family for lunch.  It was my father-in-law's birthday, and he chose to eat at Logan's Steakhouse.  There were six of us total...nice lunch.  


After lunch we delivered some tables that the camp is donating to He Cares, We Care ministry at the Meridian Mall in Lansing.  This was our third trip there, and each time it is taking on a new look.  There have been some amazing testimonies coming out of the ministry, and we are glad to be able to donate to the cause.  The Jesus Film is the key focus of the ministry, reaching lives that the typical church will not reach.  People that won't go into a church building feel freer to enter a store front in the mall to see what He Cares, We Care is all about.  With couches, tables, chairs, lamps, big screen TV playing the Jesus Film, magazines, coffee, water, and a relaxing atmosphere...it's a great place to just rest from shopping...or to hang out while other family members shop.  


I've been spending most of my evenings working on my I Peter Bible study blog, studying Greek, and reading my current selection of books (see sidebar).  On cold winter nights, it's a great way to relax and yet keep the mind active.  I also like to play Backgammon on the computer, and browse the web for travel ideas.  I'm currently working on a spring break plan for our granddaughters, if they are able to visit us that week.  I'm also keeping entertained by the half dozen cats that show up on our porch each evening.  Some of them are quite playful, but most of them are just very hungry and very cold.  Having warm water to sip and cheap cat food to nibble renews their energy...maybe keeps them alive.





Well....here's what stood out to me this week in my daily reading of The One Year Bible (Living Bible) and "The Word for You Today":


Three rules for living:

1. Control the climate around you, staying away from negativity, looking for the best in others, being stable and consistent.
2. Laugh at yourself.
3. Factor God in...seek His face, consult His Word, for He can move mountains.

Never tire of loyalty and kindness...trust the Lord completely.  In everything  you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.  (Proverbs 3:1-6)

"Reduce the Stress of Serving":

• Stop serving to please others.  "Well done!" must come from God, not others.
• Stop serving in your own strength...remain in God and receive your power from Him.

"If the challenge you're facing doesn't place a demand on your faith, it neither pleases God nor involves Him."

"How God Reveals His Will to Us":

• Through others - attend church regularly and build strong relationships with other Christians
• Through scripture
• Through our heart's desire...what fuels and focuses you?

"Standing when Everything Around You Is Falling":

• live on your knees
• strengthen yourself with God's Word
• refuse to let pride or inadequacy defeat you

Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.  (I Cor 10:12)

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.  (Prov. 16:18)

The man who knows right from wrong and has good judgement and common sense is happier than the man who is immensely rich!  For such wisdom is far more valuable than precious jewels.  Nothing else compares with it.  (Prov 3:12-13)

If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.  If you cling to your life, you will lose it, but if you give it up for me, you will save it.  (Mt 10:38-39)

How To Live

From my devotional readings this morning, I have been given some things to think about and put into practice.

Acts 9:31: The believers were walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. That's how we should be living in our daily walk with God through this journey of life. Fear in this application is another way of saying "respect" or "honor". If we give our respect to God, and honor Him by our lifestyle, we have no need to "fear", or be afraid, or worry, about the economy and the things facing us as a nation.

Our sermon yesterday was about seeking the kingdom of God first, and all "these things" (the things we need) will be taken care of. There's no reason for Christians to run around like chickens in a flutter over what might come, or how we will survive. When we honor God, we receive our comfort from the Holy Spirit. He gives us peace and assurance that it is well with our souls, and God is in control. What more can we ask for? Any more than that, and perhaps we would be out of the will of God. If we truly want to go it on our own, He will allow us to do that. But why would we want to?

To receive God's best, life is not about investing our money, but rather it is about investing our very lives. We do this by:

1. Making time for family and friends - they are God's gifts to us.
2. Being grateful for God's provision and protection. He is always there for us!
3. Practicing contentment - Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8, NLT) There are plenty of things that could get us down and discouraged, but we need not focus on the negative side of life...God has given us the ability to rise above that and choose to dwell on the beauty of life.

I'm going to visit Bob this morning. He has acute leukemia and has already outlived the number of days his doctor gave him. I can't imagine what it would be like to just wait to die, waking up each morning wondering if this was the day. Well, my last devotional reading this morning talked about "The Dying Words of Christians". Death for the Christian is just a "threshold to the palace of God" (Dr. Billy Graham's words). I can't imagine waiting in anticipation of walking across that threshold!! Especially if it is something I have believed in and waited for my whole life!

I am going to take Bob some chocolate chip/oatmeal/raisin cookies. I can't imagine what his first meal will be like in heaven! The Master Chef will far surpass the culinary skills of the finest of cruise ship chefs. And to dine with the saints of all the ages...the giants of the Bible, like Abraham, Moses, David, Apostle Paul. To have a hearty laugh with Jesus as He slips His arm across my shoulders. Death doesn't need to be a thing to dread or fear. It's like the best looking gift under the Christmas tree, all wrapped up and labeled with our name! We open the gift, and walla! We step across the threshold into eternal life. I'm going to ask Bob to give Mom and Dad a hug for me and tell them I can hardly wait to see them again!

Spending time in God's Word and on my face in His presence and in some good devotional books only inspires me to give to Him this day the best that I have. To serve Him by serving others. To love Him by loving others. To make my life count for something by investing my time and resources for Him. Wow...what an opportunity! Please join me!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Good Morning, Jesus!! It's your birthday! All over the world this morning people are celebrating this day...a day set aside to commemorate your birth into our world over 2,000 years ago. I just want to stop and say THANK YOU!! for coming as a babe in a manger, knowing you would be exiting our world on a cruel old rugged cross. But you came anyway. You loved us anyway. You forgave us anyway. And today I want you to know that I LOVE YOU!!

I have thought about what to give you for your birthday. I don't have the riches of the three kings that came at your birth, so I have nothing elaborate or expensive to wrap and hand to you. I don't have the power of politicians who reign and rule our world today, so I can't you give any valuable property. I'm not even a leader in the church...so I cannot even install you in a position of authority.


Therefore I have been contemplating what would make you happy, Jesus. After all, you created this world, so you already own everything anyway...and you have all Power, so you do not need a mere "position". You have the final say, for you are Sovereign, you are the ultimate Ruler...King of kings, Lord of lords. So what can one person give you that would make a difference? It was then that I was reminded of what Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians : Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

I thought to myself, "Yes! That's it! I will give you my mind for Christmas! But then I had to ask what that really meant...to give you my "mind". Well, it's something you have been talking to me about most of 2008...ever since I started preparing my message for the retreat last spring, "Hope Springs Eternal". So, I went back to the words of Paul in the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible, and this is what I read in Philippians 2:5-11:

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.

When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

When I was a child at the age of 11 I knelt before you, Dear Jesus, and gave you my heart. When I was a young mother at the age of 30 I knelt at your holy altar, Lord Jesus, and surrendered my complete life to your service. Today, a grandmother who is still learning how to please you, I want to give you my mind...I want my thoughts, my ambitions, and most of all my attitude to be the same as yours, King Jesus, so that you might be exalted in my life and honored above all others. Happy Birthday, Jesus!