Merry Christmas from Encourage One Another!

 I love to read The Word.  One of my favorite verses is Matthew 19:26, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  As I was meditating on that verse the other day, I began to think about faith.  I thought about how it takes faith to believe that verse and apply it to my life. I began to think about the people in The Word that believed it, applied it to their lives and accomplished so much for the Kingdom. 

When God told Noah to build the arc, Noah believed that verse; with God he built the arc and saved himself, his family and the animals. (Genesis 5:14, 7:5)  When God told Moses to cross the Red Sea, Moses believed that verse; with God he led his people across on dry ground, saving their lives.  (Exodus 16:14 & 21)  When God told Joshua to march around the city for 7 days, Joshua believed that verse; with God he marched around the city and saw the walls fall, enabling the city to be taken.  (Joshua 6:3, 4, 20)  

When God told Mary, a virgin, that she would have a baby and name Him Jesus, Mary believed that verse; with God she gave birth to a baby, named Him Jesus and was a part of bringing our Lord and Savior into the world so that we would not have to die in our sin but receive eternal life.  (Luke 1:31, 2:7)

“…with God all things are possible.”  I had to ask myself as I was meditating, do I believe that verse?  Has my past experience with God proven that verse to be true?  As I meditated on all that God has done in my life, the answer to that question for me is, “Yes, I know that ‘...with God all things are possible.’”

I am so thankful this Christmas season that “…with God all things are possible.”  I am so thankful that what seems so impossible for man is possible with God.  I am so thankful that the “impossible” birth of our Lord and Savior to the Virgin Mary was “possible” with God. 

Are there any “impossible” situations in your life?  If so, I encourage you to surrender your life to Jesus and trust God for the impossible to become the “possible”.   Noah, Moses, Joshua, Mary…..all regular people, just like you and me, who surrendered and  trusted God for the “possible”.   It is my prayer for you this Christmas, you join the people in the Bible in surrender and trust God for the “impossible to become the “possible.”

 

Encouraging You In Christ this Christmas Season!

All Praise, Honor and Glory to God!

Wedding Bells!

I just came back from a wedding on the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona.  When I received the invitation a week before the wedding, I was in Indiana and had committed to taking care of Ashton, my 4 year old Grandson, that weekend as his mom was going to be at a Christian conference in Chicago.  Being so far away and having a commitment for that weekend helped me make the decision that I would not be able to attend.  I declined the invitation and said that I would send a present. 

As I talked with Rick about the invitation and how much I wanted to go to the wedding, he encouraged me to pray about it and see if God was telling me to go.  He said he was good with me going.  As I prayed about it, I began to hear and see God opening doors for me to go.  Everything that needed to fall into place did.  Needless to say, I was thrilled.

Long story short…..Ashton and I flew into Phoenix for a 5 day stay with the wedding in the middle of the 5 days.   We stayed at The Encouragement House where my youngest son, Jared, is living.  Jared and Ashton were both so very glad to see each other and to be able to spend 5 days together.  Since Jared moved to Arizona a year ago, they have missed being in each other’s lives. 

 

The wedding was so full of joy for me.  The bride and groom so love Jesus and it was so much fun for me to be able to share in their special day with Jesus at the center.  There were many smiles and much laughter that day.  I was treated like family and was blessed to be able to share in the wedding by taking pictures of the celebration.

Someone once told me, “If God does something big in your life, tell everyone you know.”  So, I am telling you today…..God did something BIG in my life by opening all the doors for me to go to this wedding.  I received so many blessings and so much encouragement through the trip.  Jared, Ashton, and Jared’s girlfriend, Joey, were also blessed with their time together also. 

When I returned home and began to meditate on all that God had done, I was so filled with a sense of peace, calm, joy, contentment, thankfulness, happiness…..all gifts from my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  When I thought it would be impossible to attend this wedding, Jesus made it possible.  (“With God all things are possible.  Matthew 19:26)  Instead of relying on myself to make this happen, I simply laid it all before the Lord and allowed Him to open the doors that needed to be opened to make this wedding trip a reality.  I learned a long time ago that when I try to do things on my own power I mess them up, but when I allow God to work in my life…..the outcome is amazing. 

And that is what this trip was…..AMAZING!

Is there something in your life that you want?  Have you tried to get it on your own and it just isn’t working?  I encourage you to simply lay it at the feet of Jesus and allow Him to decide if it is God's best for you.  If it God's best for you, allow Him to open the doors to make it a reality.  God decided that this wedding trip was the best for me and He made it a reality.

Encouraging You In Christ

All Praise Honor and Glory to God!

 

I Struggle With Life At Times.....Do You?

I don't know about you, but I have lots of struggles in my life.  I struggle with relationships, priorities, finances, rejection, temptation and more.  This morning in my daily Bible reading God reminded me that I am not alone in my struggles. 

 

Of course, I know that the people around me struggle.  I see people every day on the news struggling.  I see people every day in my neighborhood struggling.  I see my friends and family every day struggling.  Life is just like that; full of struggles.

 

But in my daily Bible reading this morning, I saw that Jesus struggled too.  I never really thought about Jesus struggling.....after all He is God, right (John 1:1)?  Right.....but He was also man, and man struggles (John 1:14).

 

Jesus struggled with His family.....Mark 3:21 tell us, "Then Jesus entered a house and again a crowd gathered, so that He and his disciples were not even able to eat.  When His family heard about this, they went to take charge of Him, for they said, 'He is out of His mind.'  Who was closer to Jesus than His family?  He struggled with them.

 

Jesus struggled with the teachers of the law.....Mark 3:22 tells us, "And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, 'He is possessed by Beelzebub!'"  Who should have supported Jesus more in His ministry but the teachers of the law?  He struggled with them.

 

Jesus struggled with the very people He served.  John 6:66 tells us, "On hearing it, many of the disciples said, 'This is a hard teaching.  Who can accept it?'  Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, 'Does this offend you?'.....From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him."  Who was closer to Jesus than His disciples?  He struggled with them.

 

Jesus struggled with temptation.  Matthew 4:1 tells us, "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."  Jesus struggled.

 

Are you struggling?  Are you struggling with family?  Are you struggling with church?  Are you struggling with people you are trying to serve?  Are you struggling with finances?  Are you struggling with temptation?  Are you just plain old struggling?

 

If the answer to that questions is, "Yes, I am struggling!".....then you are in good company.....in the company of Jesus; the Jesus who struggled with family, friends, relationships, finances, temptation and more!

 

This Jesus, our Savior who struggled, knows your struggle.....He struggled with the same things that you are struggling with.  He knows what it's like to struggle.  Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin."

 

Jesus went to the Father when He struggled ("Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."  Luke 5:16).  Jesus saw victory over His struggles.  You can have that same victory over your struggles!  I encourage you to go through Jesus to the Father.

 

I encourage you to take your struggles to the cross and lay them at the feet of Jesus.  Cry out to Him, He understands and He wants to walk with you through your struggles.  I Peter 5:7 says, "Cast your cares on Him because He cares for You!"  Don't struggle alone.....go to The Word and receive the comfort that God wants to give you.  Isaiah 66:13b says, "As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you." 

 

Let Jesus comfort you in your struggles.  Let Jesus care for you.  Let Jesus.......He's big enough!

 

Encouraging You In Christ!

All Praise, Honor and Glory To God!

 

 

 

 

"He's Dead, Sherry!"

I'd been hearing the lie for several days.  "He's dead, Sherry!"  "He's dead!"  I knew this would be coming; this heavy spiritual warfare that could absolutely incapacitate me, make me useless for God's purposes in my life if I would let it.  When my youngest son announced one day that he would be spending the summer hitchhiking to Alaska with a friend, I knew that this would come.

My God knew it too.  My God knew that I needed a weapon to fight it.  My God gave me a weapon that would give me the victory over the warfare when He gave me Philippians 4:4-7 which says, "Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again:  Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Every time I thought of Jared I would use the weapon....."I rejoice in you, Jesus, I rejoice in you."  The weapon worked, the anxiety left, I was at peace.  And then it happened, God really began to stretch me.....Jared's phone broke and he wasn't able to get it fixed or get a replacement.  He crossed the US Canadian border and we lost contact with him.  Then the warfare really reved up and the lies increased.

I was having trouble sleeping at night because the enemy continually told me, "He's dead, Sherry.....He's dead."  For two weeks we had no contact with him.....I had to make a decision every day during those two weeks; was I going to believe the lie or was I going to trust Jesus and rejoice in Him?  I didn't know where Jared was but, I knew that God knew where he was.....  I chose to trust Him!  I chose to believe that His Word was true and that all His promises in it were for me and for Jared! 

Every time the lie came, I rejoiced in the Lord and gave Jared to Him.  I knew that whatever happened, God was there to walk with me and with Jared.  I wasn't alone and I knew that Jared wasn't alone.....God was walking with him also.  Every time I rejoiced in the Lord, I was flooded with "the peace of God that passeth all understanding."  No, the peace didn't make sense but I was glad for it, so glad! 

After a particularly sleepless night of hearing the lies over and over and over again, I was feeling very oppressed and then, in the twinkling of an eye, it happened.....my phone rang.  I answered it.....and it was Jared.  Praise God!  Praise God!  Praise God! 

Are you hearing the lies?  Does the enemy want to take you out?  Are you feeling incapacitated?  I encourage you to Rejoice in the Lord!  I will say it again, Rejoice!  If you are hearing the lies, you have the enemy on the defensive.....he is worried about you.  He is worried about your power to take him out.  He is worried!  Praise God!  You are a threat to the enemy!  Praise God!

I encourage you to use your weapon, the sword of the Word!  (Ephesians 6:17)  The Word is there for you to fight the battles with.  God has not left you powerless, He has given you the victory!  Praise God!  Rejoice in the Lord!  Praise God!

Jared, on the left, in San Francisco

on his way to Alaska.

Encouraging You In Christ

All Praise, Honor and Glory to God!

"All Things Work Together For Good.....

to those who love Christ and are called according to His purpose."  Romans 8:28.

I think this is one of my favorite verses in all the Bible.  God has shown me over and over and over again the truth of this verse.  I always love it when He shows me firsthand the truth of His Word, and I especially love it when it is working for my good.

I have been struggling with pain in my hands for quite some time now.  I finally couldn't take it any longer and went to an Orthopedic doctor.  Unfortunately, the doc didn't have much good to tell me.  After taking X-rays of both hands, he informed me that I have Osteoarthritis in both thumb joints and he gave me two options:  Option 1:  Cortisone shots in the thumb joints of both hands which would give temporary relief, or Option 2:  Thumb joint replacement surgery where my thumb joints would be cut out and replaced with artificial joints which should give long term relief.  Ha!

Well, since I am not fond of pain, neither option sounded too good to me. Nevertheless, in my mind, I immediately chose the Cortisone shot option.  I knew it would be painful but also knew the pain would be fleeting, whereas the pain from the joint replacement surgery would be long-term.   Unfortunately, which happens so often with me, I did not convey this sound thinking and my conclusion to the doctor but, gave him a response that seemed to take him by surprise.  

After listening to him explain the two options to me, I said, "I'll do the Cortszone shots because I'm sure Jesus will come back before I need the thumb joint replacement surgery." 

Ha!  The doc just gave me a strange look and got really quiet.  I knew he was thinking about what I had said.  He then said, "The Bible says that no man knows the day or the hour when Jesus will return..........you will have the surgery!"  Ha!    

That was several weeks ago and I was able to enjoy relief from the Cortisone shots for about one week.  Then the pain returned in full force.

This past week on Friday, as I was preparing to leave on my mission trip with Fellowship's students ministering on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico, I woke up in the morning with severe leg pains.  I knew that I needed to go to the doctor as I would be leaving town soon.  As I sat in my family doctor's office and listened to her talk about blood clots in the leg and how they can break off and go to your heart and kill you, I knew that I was enduring spiritual warfare meant to keep me from the mission that following week. 

Then she began to tell me about using an anti-inflammatory medication that could take away the leg pain and also help me with my hand pain.  Now that sounded pretty good to me, so I took the medication, went home and began to pray.  Praise God, over the weekend my leg pain had disappeared and my hands were better!

The spiritual warfare that the enemy intended to harm me, absolutely backfired on him.  Instead of the leg pain keeping me from my calling to facilitate a mission trip on the Navajo Nation, the medication intended for my leg not only helped me with the leg pain, but it helped me with my hand pain also.  I was able to have a great week with my brothers and sisters in Christ on the Navajo Nation encouraging and being encouraged through Christ.  All Praise to God!  I absolutely saw the scripture "All things work together for good to those who love Christ and are called according to His purpose." come true in my life in this circumstance.   What a mighty God we serve!  No other God can "use evil for good."  Genesis 50:20

The next time you are in a bad situation, I encourage you to trust that God will use it for your good if you truly love Christ and have embraced Him as your Savior.  Give thanks to Him for your situation (I Thessalonians 5:18), Praise Him for who He is (Psalm 150) and then wait for Him to reveal the good to you.  The good is there, you just need to wait for it to be shown to you.

Me and my helper during our mission trip at

Living Springs Church on the Navajo Nation

in Lybrook, New Mexico.

Encouraging You Through Christ!

All Praise, Honor and Glory To God!

Rejoice In The Lord...When?

I have been struggling with a situation for about a month and I now realize that the struggle could last indefinitely.  It has kept me awake at night when the thought of it pops into my brain.  All I have been able to do with the thought is to say, "I trust you, Jesus."  And then when the thought doesn't leave and I'm trying to sleep, I continually say, "I trust you, Jesus.  I trust you, Jesus.  I trust you, Jesus"...........and on and on and on.  I think you probably get the idea.  It's kind of along the lines of counting sheep.

Frankly, I haven't been too thrilled with the prospect before me of this lasting indefinitely.  I DO trust Jesus in my life but I really don't want to spend every night laying awake repeating this over and over and over just so that I can fall asleep.  You who struggle with a weak brain like me (that the enemy delights in turning against me), will understand what I am saying.    

Well, anyway, this morning in my daily Bible reading, God evidently thought I had enough and chose to bless me with a scripture that was intended just for me.  And I didn't even ask for it!  I love it when He does that!  The scripture was Philippians 4:4-13.  When I read the first sentence which says, "Rejoice in the Lord always." I immediately stopped and read it again.  "Rejoice in the Lord always."  Wow.....I thought.  There is way more than just trusting in Jesus when I struggle, I can rejoice in my struggle...........WoW! 

I continued reading, "I will say it again, Rejoice."  Boom!  It hit me again, I can rejoice in my struggle!  So cool.  Of course, in my 36 years of being a Christ Follower, I've read this verse before, but I evidently hadn't read it when I was enduring a struggle such as the one I am dealing with now.  I really had to sit and let that soak down into my soul.....meditate on it so to speak.  Even as I write this, I find myself still meditating on it.  That's pretty deep, at least for me anyway.  Rejoice always!  Always!  Even in the midst of a struggle!

I was pretty pumped after reading and meditating on that.  I then went back to the scripture and continued reading, "Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near."  Another WoW moment!  "The Lord is near!"  Well, if the Lord is near, of course I should be rejoicing.   There is nothing I want more in my life than to be near the Lord, and here in my face, is the Word saying that "He is near."  Woohoo!  He is near! 

Continuing on, I read, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the Peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  At this point I am thinking, that this is exactly what I am needing.....and I didn't even know it.  God knew exactly what I was needing and I didn't have a clue.  I realized that I couldn't even ask God for what I needed because I didn't know.  What a BIG God I have.  He knows my needs before I do and meets them when I don't even know to ask.  All I have to do is go to the Word when I am struggling and He will meet my need.  "And my God shall meet all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus!"  Philippians 4:19

My conclusion this morning is:

PEACE will guard my heart and mind when I REJOICE always! 

That is what I'm needing right now; my heart and mind to be guarded with God's peace so that the enemy will not trample on them and that I can continue walking the walk as I follow my Master down His path.

It is my prayer for you that you also find Peace as you Rejoice always, even in the midst of your struggles.

Encouraginag You In Christ

All Praise, Honor and Glory to God! 

Living Intentionally

My youngest son, Jared, moved away from home last fall.  He has done great, graduating from and receiving his certification as an Emergency Medical Technical as one more step in reaching his goal of becoming a Firefighter in a big city.  We are so proud of him.  He has set goals for himself and kept going until he attained each one of them.  First there was his goal of graduating from high school.....attained.  Next was his goal of obtaining his Fire Science Degree.....attained.  Then came his goal of becoming a certified Emergency Medical Technicial (EMT).....attained.  Jared spent the last 4 years of his life living intentionally to attain the goals that he had set out for himself.  The week after Jared graduated from his EMT class, God blessed our family by sending him back home to us for a 12 day visit.    We all had a wonderful, wonderful time with Him.....meeting him at the airport with signs welcoming him home.

Meeting Jared at the airport was exciting!

We all knew that Jared was coming home for several weeks, so we intentionally made time in our schedules to be together as a family in order to enjoy all the time that we could with him.  We packed the 12 days he was home with lots of different activities.  With 3 little ones age 3 and under, we did lots of activities that they could enjoy; we camped out in our backyard, rode bicycles, walked around the pond in our addition, went to a parade, played in our backyard with the little ones, played basketball, ate together; simplying enjoying being together as a family again.  Our family spent these 12 days that Jared was home living intentionally to attain the goals that we had set out for ourselves this week with him.

Fixing a broken pedal on Ash's bike on our bicycle ride.

Jared playing cars with Layla & Seeley.

Jared, Rick, Travis and a friend, Aaron, enjoy a game of basketball.

Eating together at Chipolte, Jared's favorite restaurant.

Watching the Waynedale Memorial Day Parade together.

In my daily Bible reading this morning I read about Paul, a man who lived intentionally to attain the goals that he had in life.  He expresses his goals in Philippians 3:10 where he says, "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death and to attain to the resurrection of the dead."  and then again in I Corinthians 1:17 where he says, "For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel." 

Paul's goals in life were to know Christ and His power, fellowship in Christ's suffering, preach the gospel, become like Christ in His death and attain the resurrection of the dead.  In II Timothy 4:7-8 Paul said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing."   Paul knew that through his intentional living, he had attained the goals that he had set out for himself.  He knew Christ and His power, he had fellowshiped in Christ's suffering, he had preached the gospel, he had become like Christ in His death. 

What an example Paul is for me in my life.  Paul knew that because of his intentional living for Christ, he was able to face the end of his life with confidence that he would participate in the resurrection of the dead.   I want my goals in life to always be in alignment with God's Word.  I want to live intentionally so that I know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.

 

 

Like Paul, I desire to live intentionally for Chirst.  I want to be able to say, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, I will share in the resurrection of the dead."  This is my prayer for you as well!

Encouraging You In Christ

All Praise, Honor and Glory to God!

Shhhhh! Listen! Did You Hear That?

Have you ever been told that you aren't good enough?  I have.  I  used to listen.  I used to believe that.  I used to hate myself.

Until.....I met Jesus!  Jesus changed everything for me!

I was told just 2 weeks ago that I wasn't good enough.  That I didn't measure up.  I was rejected.

I don't believe that any more!  I don't believe that because Jesus whispers in my ear that that is a lie.  Jesus whispers in my ear that I am good enough.  Jesus whispers in my ear that I do measure up.  Jesus whispers in my ear that He won't reject me.  Shhhhh!  Listen!  Did you hear that?  Jesus whispers in my ear.....  Since I met Jesus and asked Him to be my Savior, I now know that the enemy tells me lies. The enemy wants to take me out. "The devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." I Peter 5:8.  But God has something better.....

So now when someone tells me that I'm not good enough, when someone tells me that I don't measure up, when someone rejects me; I just laugh.  And then Praise and Thanksgiving begin to flow out of me."   "...let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of Praise."  Hebrews 13:15.  "...give thanks in all circumstances...."  I Thessalonians 5:18. 

You see, I now know the truth of who I am in Christ.  And since I know the truth, I don't have to believe the lies any more.  The truth:  Would a Holy, Righteous God leave heaven and His perfect form to come down to this earth and take on a human body, live among sinners, be told He wasn't good enough, be told that He didn't measure up, be rejected, be persecuted, be beaten, hang on a cross, die and then come back to life for ME if I wasn't good enough?  If I didn't measure up?  If I deserved to be rejected? 

I don't think so.

So now, anytime I am told that I am not good enough; anytime I am told that I don't measure up; anytime I am rejected; I laugh with glee because I know that since I am covered by the blood of Jesus, God sees me "white as snow".  Jesus blood tells me that I am good enough, that I do measure up, that I am not rejected by God.

Isaiah 55:8 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.  As the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My Word that goes out from my mouth:  It will not return to me empty, but willl accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.  You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." 

God's Word has come into my life and has accomplished what He has desired.....it has brought Joy and Peace to me, I see the mountains and hills bursting into song and the trees clapping their hands.   God is using me because I know the truth.....I don't believe the lies anymore.  I don't have to hide from the world, even though the world is telling me that I am inadequate.  All Praise, Glory and Honor to God.....I Can Be ME!   I can be the person God created ME to be.  I can be that new creation in Christ.  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come."  II Corinthians 5:17.

So, let me ask you again.  Have you ever been told you're not good enough?  How you ever been told that you don't measure up?  Have you ever been rejected?  If your answer is yes, you have a choice.....you can listen to the lie OR you can listen to the truth. The truth being.....because of what Jesus did for you on the cross, you are good enough, you do measure up, you do not have to worry about rejection.

Believe the Truth.....GOD LOVES YOU!

Throw off the lie.....GOD LOVES YOU!

GOD LOVES YOU!       GOD LOVES YOU!       GOD LOVES YOU!       GOD LOVES YOU!

God has a plan for your life if you will only believe the truth and live out His Word.

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.

Plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you a hope and a future." 

Jeremiah 29:11

Encouraging You In Christ

All Praise, Honor and Glory To God!

Delight In God's Discipline..................... Not Today, God!

I am currently working through a Bible study called, "Walking By Faith, Lessons Learned In The Dark" by Jennifer Rothschild.  My lesson today was titled, "Delight in the Discipline That Strengthens".    One of the questions in the lesson asked me to identify an area of my life where I needed God's discipline.  Uuuuhhhh, I thought, I have experienced God's discipline plenty of times in the past, but right now, I don't see an area in my life that God is working on disciplining me.  

I so love God's sense of humor!  God used the very next verse that I read, to discipline me.  LOL!   The verse was Proverbs 19:11, "A man's wisdom gives him patience, it is to his glory to overlook an offense."  I had been offended in the past and I thought I had overlooked it, but this past Saturday I was reminded of the offense and now, looking back on the incident, God showed me that I had not overlooked it.   Oops! 

At that point, I realized that I needed to work on what God was disciplining me on, so I decided to  go to my Concordance and look up every verse in the Bible on "offense".   The first verse I found was Proverbs 17:9 which says, "He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends."  Wow, I thought, that is pretty powerful.  Isn't Love the whole message of the Gospel?  Isn't Love what God is callling me to?  Love the Lord your God.....love your neighbor.....love good.....love your enemies.....love your wives.....love your brother.....love one another.....the fruit of the Spirit is love.....love never fails.....the GREATEST of these is love and on and on and on.  My Concordance listed 3 pages in the Bible where the word "Love" is found. 

Through this search of the word "offense", God showed me that if I allow myself to take offense with others, that the love He wants to show them through me cannot come through.  God showed me that if I allow myself to take offense with others, I take the focus off of His  love and put the focus on myself and my lack of love.  God showed me that if I allow myself to take offense with others, I damage my testimony of God's love.  God really showed me.....

And so, my lesson entitled "Delight in the Discipline That Strengthens" really hit home today.  And Yes, it is true.....God's discipline does strengthen.  I am stronger right now because of His discipline.  He has strenghtened my resolve to love those in my life who may not be so loveable at times, because let's face it, I'm not so loveable at times.  He has strengthened my faith because I see that He loves me so much, He will not allow my sin to go undisciplined.  He has strengthened my love for His Word that convicts me at exactly the time that I need it.  He has strengthened my love for Him!

The last verse God gave me to read this morning was I John 4:19-21 which says, "If anyone says I love God yet hates His brother, he is a liar.  For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.  And he has given us this command:  Whoever loves God must also love his brother."

And so my friends, I have some work to do.  I have some work to do on myself in letting this past offense go, so that the love of God can flow freely through me.   I have some work to do on myself with future offenses, so that I don't stifle the love of God flowing through me.  I have some work to do..........

I have some work to do.....if you are reading this today and I have offended you in any way, I ask for your forgiveness and that you would grant me the grace that God has granted all of us through His Son, Jesus Christ.  "...it is by grace you have been saved."  Ephesians 2:5

Encouraging You In Chist!

All Praise, Honor and Glory to God!

What Makes The Difference?

I see so much pain and suffering in the world around me.  When I take my eyes off of myself I see it.  It’s everywhere; in my friends lives, in the newspapers, in my own family, in strangers.  I see hurting, hurting, hurting people wondering why, why, why?

“I feel like killing myself.”  Quote from a young lady who is suffering from depression.  “I am blessed.”  Quote from a lady who underwent a biopsy to see if she has cancer.  “He didn’t check on the injured player for over 25 minutes.”  Quote from a hurting mother of a high school soccer player who is unhappy with the coach.  “God is in control.”  Quote from a single mother struggling with the consequences of her divorce.  “Whatever my lot…it is well with my soul.”  Quote from a blind wife and mother of two.  “Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds.”  Quote from a writer.  “Everything is OK.”  Quote from a mother of two children in the hospital.  “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”  Quote from a man in prison. 

As I think back on the last couple of weeks and the conversations I have had with people, I am struck by the huge contrast in how people view their painful circumstances.  What makes the difference?  What it is that causes some people to be positive in their suffering and some people to be negative in their suffering? 

Tonight as I pondered that question, I sat down to do my Bible study.  While reading  the Word, God impressed upon my heart that it is He that makes the difference.  It is He that causes people to be positive in their suffering.  It is He that allows people to look past their circumstances and say, “It is well, it is well with my soul.”  It is God Himself, rising up out of His Word and consuming us with His grace, goodness and mercy, so that we can “give thanks in all circumstances.”

I had to ask myself tonight; how will I react when my circumstances become painful.  It is my decision to make.  Will I run toward the devil by reacting negatively and allow him to have a foothold in my life.  Or, will I run to Jesus, dig into The Word and pour my heart out to God, allowing Him to be in control of every circumstance, knowing that “all things work together for good to those who love Christ and are called according to His purposes?” 

Am I going to claim that I am a Christ Follower, but in name only?  Or, am I going to live The Word?   “If you love me you will obey me.”  John 14:23.  Am I going to “be content whatever my circumstances?  Philippians 4:11.  Am I going to “consider it pure joy when I face trials of many kinds”?  James 1:2.  Am I going to “do everything without arguing or complaining so that you may become a blameless and pure child of God.”  Philippians 2:14.  Will I allow my circumstance to cause me to say, “it is well with my soul”? 

What makes the difference?  Living Jesus Christ, that’s what!

Encouraging You In Christ!
All Praise, Honor and Glory To God!

Where's My Treasure.....Horses?

Those of you that know me personally know that I LOVE horses!  One of my favorite things about traveling in Arizona and New Mexico is that I get to see horses.....lots and lots of horses.  I can literally hop on my bicycle at The Encouragement House, ride one block and I can see horses.  Oh yeah, horses.....lots and lots of horses!

It has been my dream for the last year that I would be able to find a place to ride close to The Encouragement House.  Every time I would come to The Encouragement House I would tell myself that I would look for a ranch close by where I could ride.  There are trails everywhere surrounding Apache Junction that wind among the Saguaros, around and through the mountains.  The Arizona desert is an amazing place to ride a horse.  Well, a whole year went by without me having any time to even look for a place to ride. 

And then this past week, it happened!  Quickly!  So quickly that it took me by surprise.  I heard of a ranch just 5 minutes from The Encouragement House, made a phone call and before I knew it, I was riding a horse among the Saguaros at the base of the Superstition Mountains.  And it was amazing.....everything I had dreamed it would be.  Wonderful.....just plain wonderful!  Truly a dream come true for me!

So now that I'm riding again, I'm really getting into horses.....REALLY!  Twice this week I went to the Arizona Arabian Horse Show in Scottsdale to watch horses and riders from all over the country compete with their Arabians.  Today, as I was watching a pleasure class  of Arabians and their riders, I began to think about what it was like to compete in a horse show.  I used to do that when I was a teenager.  I didn't have an Arabian but I had a hunter/jumper horse that I rode in horse shows all over Indiana.  And let me tell you, it was fun.....fun to ride, fun to compete and fun to win those trophies.  Way Fun!

As I watched the show, I began to think that I would like to show horses again.  I began to think that I could show horses again.  I began to think that I could win trohpies again.  I began to think.....

And in my thinking about showing horses again.....God began to speak to me.  He said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Matthew 6:21.  When he said that to me, I looked at the horses in the ring.  I looked at the equipment in the ring.  I looked at the people in the ring.   As I looked at the horses and the equipment, I realized the massive amounts of money it takes to own and show horses.  As I looked at the people,  I saw how important showing the horses was to them.  I saw great joy in the faces of the winners and I saw great disappointment in the faces of the losers.  I saw the ribbons and the trophies the winners received.  As I looked at the ribbons and the trophies, God reminded me that one day those would all burn up.  God reminded me that all the money invested, all the time invested, all the work invested would one day all burn up.....unless it was done for the glory of God. 

So tonight, God has asked me to spend some time evaluating where my treasure is.....is it in horses or is it in Him?  And I've come to the conclusion that as much as I love horses, I love Him more.  He is the One who created the horses!  He is the one who created the Saguaros and the mountains that I ride among!  He is the one who created me so that I can ride among the Saguaros and the mountains.  He is the One!

Soooo.......... shoud I just stick to riding my bicycle with Rick?????

LOL!!!!!  Uh.....NO.....I don't think so!  LOL!!!!!  I will keep riding horses.  Riding horses among the Saguaros at the base of the Superstition mountains.  Riding horses.....Praising God all the while for the beauty of his creation.  Riding horses, riding horses, riding horses.....cause that's what God created me to do.  All the while riding horses, giving Him my Heart.....because I am His Treasure, He is my Treasure!  "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenants, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession."  Exodus 19:5

Encouraging You In Christ!

All Praise, Honor and Glory to God!

A New Perspective

God has blessed me with a dishwasher.  I am thankful for my dishwasher.  My dishwasher washes my dishes for me so that I have more time to spend with the people in my life.  Yesterday, my dishwasher did more than wash my dishes.  My dishwasher taught me a life lesson that I would like to share with you today.  (Actually it was God that taught me the life lesson and He used the dishwasher to do it.)

After I put the dishes from our lunch in the dishwasher, I attempted to close the door.  I have found that the dishwasher works better and cleans the dishes better when the door is closed.  But, unbelievably, I could not get the door to close.  The bottom rack was stuck half way out of the dishwasher and it would not go in; no matter how hard I pushed, that bottom rack would not go in the dishwasher.  I pushed and pushed and pushed.  I looked under the rack and on top of the rack for the problem.  I must have looked at the bottom rack, pushing and pulling for at least 5 minutes, but I just could not figure out why the darn thing wouldn't close. 

Usually when I have a "mechanical" problem, I go straight to my husband who is a "mechanical" genius compared to me.  But this time, as I looked at that rack on that dishwasher, I just couldn't bring myself to say, "Honey, I can't get the dishwasher door closed."  That just didn't seem to me to be the thing to do.  Actually, the more I looked at the problem and the more I tried to shove that rack in, the more foolish I felt.  It was just unbelievable to me that I could not get the door to close!

Finally, I decided that I needed to step back, walk around the door that was laying open in front of me and go look on the other side to see if I could find the problem.  As soon as I stepped back and walked to the other side of the door, I saw the problem.  A knife had slipped down through the silverware tray and was stopping the rack from closing.  As soon as I saw that knife, God said to me, "You just needed a different perspective, Sherry."    By stepping around the door and looking on the other side, I had a new perspective and I found the problem.

At that point, God showed me that there are times in my life that I just, "need a different perspective."  When life is rough and I find myself struggling, God showed me that I sometimes just need to step back and look at life from His perspective and not mine.  My perspective on that dishwasher door was limited and frustrating, but when I stepped back, my perspective expanded and I saw a bigger picture that took me beyond my limitations and frustrations resulting in a solution to my problem. 

That's what God wants to do in my life; take me beyond my limitations and frustrations expanding my perspective, so that I see situations through His eyes and not my own.  In order to do that, I need to surreder my will to Him so that I am not limited by what I know, but I am limitless by what God knows. 

But how do I surrender my will to Him so that I can move beyond my perspective and experience his limitless perspective?  I believe the answer to that question can be found in Joshua 1:8 which says, "Do not let the book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night."  and then again in Psalm 119:15-16 which says, "I meditate on our precepts and consider your ways.  I delight in your decrees, I will not neglect your Word."  

God's perspective on life is found in His Word.  Meditating on it day and night can take us far beyond what we know and show us what God wants us to know.  I don't know about you, but I don't want to be limited by my knowledge; I want to experience life through God's knowledge and gain all the benefits and blessings that come along with it.

Encouraging You In Christ!

  All Praise, Honor and Glory to God!