"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.'" ~Erma Bombeck


Wednesday, July 12, 2017

JOY COMES IN THE MORNING!

Psalm 127

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of Solomon.

Unless the Lord builds a house,
    the work of the builders is wasted.
Unless the Lord protects a city,
    guarding it with sentries will do no good.
It is useless for you to work so hard
    from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
    for God gives rest to his loved ones.
Children are a gift from the Lord;
    they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man
    are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.
How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!
    He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.


Once in awhile in a flurry of excitement, I just want to SHARE something...really wonderful, really funny, really bad, really...anything...with someone...ANYONE!

But then I think:  Would *anyone* even care about this anyway?  Would *anyone* even have time to listen?  (The list is short.) Would *anyone* NOT think I'm a dork? (The list has just grown shorter...)

The hard, honest truth is:  Probably Not. 😏

When God shares a special insight with us, He gives us a pearl.  When we run with our pearls to just *anyone,* it often ends in disappointment.  We must be selective about who we share our heart's treasures with.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:6:

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."

Am I saying our family and friends are pigs?  No.  BUT...when we share things that are close to our heart, and then discover that people just don't "get it" or don't have time, don't respond, or even end up discouraging us, we must ask ourselves:  Was it worth it to share?  

So what do we do with all these pearls (and sorrows, and fears, and, and, and...)?
The answer to all of those questions above is the same:  Give them to God. God always cares...always has time...never thinks I'm a dork.  He already told me what He thinks of me:
I am His good work in progress...
I am His masterpiece....
I am filled with His Strength...
I am Fearfully and Wonderfully made...

That is TRUTH. Because He said so! :)

Philippians 1:3-6
"I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
and

Ephesians 2:8-10
"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."


2 Corinthians 12:9-11
"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. 10 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."

Psalm 139:14
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

Sometimes we as Mamas (and humans, for that matter) forget how God sees us, and we base our worth/success/moods on "how good" we are being...or how funny or interesting we are.  I think at the base of our hearts we are wondering:  Am I special?  Am I making a difference?

The Enemy of our souls would love for us to be defeated in every way every day. I'm so thankful that God took special care to remind us that we are precious because we are HIS, not because of what we do or how far we have come so far. His Strength is Perfect in our weaknesses...I want to glorify Him in my weaknesses (which are countless...ever so many) so that His Power may rest on me!

~Grace and Peace from one of God's masterpieces to another

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