One evening while holding our cat, Midnight, Chase stated, "Wow, she's in vibrate mode."
Later that evening while trying to explain a situation in detail to my husband, he looked at our son holding the cat in vibrate mode and said, "She hasn't used up her rollover words yet."
Say what?
Engrafted by His Grace--
"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name..” ~~Matthew 6:9 NIV
Each morning, I prayed giving the Lord my to-do list. I asked the Lord to change my husband, to change my children, to take care of situations. I started losing reverence for the Lord. He is holy. I had set up rules and regulations in my own life that the Lord does not abide by.
I’m to be molded into the image of Christ, not attempt to mold the Lord into me. It won’t work as it only leads to frustration. Trust me, I’ve been frustrated. Living in frustration is not living a life in the Spirit of the Lord.
Jesus taught us how to pray. The first words out of my mouth should be reverence for our Father in heaven. His name is sacred and should be treated as so. We’re to enter into relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.
I realized that I’ve been spending more time asking the Lord to do more for me than I ask Him what I can do for Him. John F. Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” So what about applying that principle to the body of Christ? Therefore, starting today, I’m asking the Lord, “What can I do for You today? How can I serve You better?”
Lord, You are holy and worthy to be praised. Lord, hallowed by Your name. Lord, I seek forgiveness for selfishness and self-centeredness in my life. I’ve been focused on myself and not about You and Your kingdom. Lord, I ask You today, what can I do for You? What can I do in service for the Kingdom of God today? Lord, I ask You to guide my steps and establish the work of my hands. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Engrafted by His Grace--
We treat our heeler dogs like family. Okay, they’re spoiled. Yes we feed them table scraps. One evening after our family meal of BBQ chicken wings, my beloved went outside to share the bones. Now when my husband does this, he spreads them out or takes turns with the dogs. The alpha male, Banjo becomes very greedy at these times and doesn’t want to share with Zoe. Therefore, Zoe usually just sits and waits her turn knowing she’ll receive food from “daddy.”
Well, my husband threw some pieces out into the yard for Banjo to go fetch. Eldon then set the bowl down for Zoe to enjoy. Banjo realized he’d been had, so he went over to Zoe and picked up the bowl in his mouth. He proceeded to carry off the bowl toward the tree. All the way to the tree, the bones fell out leaving a trail. When Banjo arrived next to the tree, he set the bowl down to enjoy his booty. But then he discovered that all the bones were gone. In the meantime, Zoe started behind him cleaning up his mess.
Patience paid off.
Engrafted by His Grace--… we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. ~Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)
Paul listed perseverance as the first trait produced from sufferings.
According to Dictionary.com, perseverance means “steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.”
The Greek word used for perseverance is hupomone, which most often translates as patience. To persevere is to have patience under trials.
Often times when I’m facing a situation, I want it resolved instantly. But in the midst of those trials is when I receive the training I need to develop in my walk with Christ. Training comes in steady, controlled increments.
Let’s seek the Lord in all situations allowing Him to develop in us the perseverance (a.k.a. patience) we need to be shaped and molded more each day in His image. Let’s not ever give up or quit in this process. Hang onto Christ and we’ll persevere.
Engrafted by His Grace--Some days I wish I could wake up made up, ready for my day like the women on television. I don’t like taking the time each morning to shower, and using all the chemicals on the face and hair to look presentable. I think it takes up too much time to go through the process. On the other hand, I do not want to go out without makeup and my hair done. I wish for some way to avoid the process it takes to get the end result.
I wish I did not say the wrong thing when someone upsets me. I wish I could be a picture perfect Christian woman like I see in the ads of magazines. I wish I didn’t envy the other woman wearing a dress I wish I could wear because the color or the style is not right for my type of body. I wish I didn’t brag about my latest accomplishment. I wish I made the right choice, but now I’m living with the consequences.
A baby does not just start walking. He goes through the process of scooting, crawling, standing, and then taking a few steps. He did not start talking with complete sentences. He babbled sounds, made syllables, formed words, and finally said a complete sentence.
Reality check—wishes require actions to come true. In order to be presentable I must spend the half hour to hour of time to achieve the end result. Our character development as believers in Christ necessitates a process. It is impossible to wish we had character. The process usually comes through a series of testing and passing of time.
Testing shows up in a variety of forms, some more severe than others. Some face serious illness, others face having to wait longer than expected at the traffic light. However our trials show up in our lives, it develops our character. We choose how it shapes us. We can be better or bitter. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans that:
… we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. ~Romans 5:3-5 (NIV)
Our trials, or sufferings, produce perseverance, character and hope. The hope we have in Christ our Lord will never fail us. We have the deposit of the Holy Spirit who empowers us to go through the process. Henry D. Thoreau said, “You cannot dream yourself into a character: you must hammer and forge yourself into one.” So by the power of the Holy Spirit, let us persevere by hammering and forging ourselves, and enduring the process it takes to reach the end result.
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