Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God"......
Sometimes, we don't need to talk, we don't need to say anything at all, we just need to hear from God. This is one of my favorite songs from Mercy Me.
"Word Of God Speak"
I'm finding myself at a loss for words And the funny thing is it's okay The last thing I need is to be heard But to hear what You would say
Word of God speak Would You pour down like rain Washing my eyes to see Your majesty To be still and know That You're in this place Please let me stay and rest In Your holiness Word of God speak
I'm finding myself in the midst of You Beyond the music, beyond the noiseAll that I need is to be with You And in the quiet hear Your voiceWord of God speak Would You pour down like rain Washing my eyes to see Your majesty To be still and know That You're in this placePlease let me stay and rest In Your holiness Word of God speakI'm finding myself at a loss for words And the funny thing is it's okay
This morning, I took a couple of minutes and just listened to this song, all the while praying that God would speak to me - just to me - it's amazing what a couple of minutes of silence on our part can do.
All that I need is to be with You, and in the quiet, hear Your voice.
This morning on my way to work, I heard Matthew McConaughey doing a Reliant Energy commercial. I have to admit, I do like hearing his voice! He said, “Say what you will about Texans, but we sure can turn a phrase”.It’s true.Nobody speaks like a Texan. Come to think of it, nobody thinks like a Texan. We are a tad bit proud of our heritage, and rightfully so. I've spent a good bit of time trying to explain the meaning behind some of the things I say to my husband. I'm not sure if he will ever catch on, but he does try. I've even caught him saying "y'all" a few times! Being married to a Yankee, I’ve learned that we say things around here that no one else in our great country says, nor can they understand the meaning of some things we say without a translator.
Things like:
Fixin’ to, as in “I’m fixin to do the laundry”.
I used to could, as in “I can’t run as fast as I used to could”.
Dadgummit, Dangit, Dadblameit: these are euphemisms that allow you to express your feelings without actually swearing.
Tank – what northerners call a pond.
Pallet – a pile of blankets and quilts placed on the floor for company to sleep on when all the beds are taken.
Yankee/DamnYankee – any person born north of the Red River.
We also say things like this when we want to be really descriptive:
She has the personality of a box of rocks.
Ugly as homemade sin.
Having a hissy fit.
Dumber than dirt.
This got me to thinking about words.Words are powerful things.It’s been said that “the pen is mightier than the sword”.When my kids were growing up and were fussing at each other, I used to remind them to watch what they say to each other.You can always come back later and apologize, but you can never truly take back the ugly things you say to someone.It will always be in the back of their mind.
How many times have we said things to people when we are angry or hurt that we wish we could take back?Proverbs 16:24 says, “Pleasant words are like honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones”.We can destroy someone with a string of ugly things hurled at them in anger, but we can also heal someone with words said with love.
No matter how we say it, no matter what euphemisms are used or what kind of accent we have, our words have power.
Psalm 19:14 says, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer”.
To honor God with my life is truly my heart’s desire.Today, I will concentrate on the words that come out of my mouth, and pray that they will, indeed, be acceptable to Him.
I’m one of the weird people that actually like cleaning house.There’s just something therapeutic about it – almost like gardening.Not long ago my husband bought one of those Shark steam cleaner things for tile and wood/laminate floors.At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it or not, because you can only put water in it - no PineSol or LySol or Mr. Clean – when I clean I want my house to smell clean as well as look clean.To my surprise I absolutely love this thing and will probably wear it out in no time.
I spent all day this past Saturday cleaning house and doing laundry.I had finished everything and only had to steam clean the tile floors.I filled up the Shark steam cleaner container with water, plugged it in, selected “scrub” on the dial, and waited the 60 seconds it takes for the water to heat up.While the water was heating up, preparing to turn into steam, I eyed my kitchen floor – it was filthy.I couldn’t wait to run that steamer over that tile floor, cleaning and sanitizing it – just the anticipation of how clean my kitchen floor was going to be made me almost giddy.
Yes, I love cleaning, and yes, I realize I’m weird and there is probably a very technical, medical term for this ailment – don’t judge.
As I ran that steamer over the floor, up next to the baseboards, I hummed a little tune, watching as the steam and pressure cleaned and sanitized my grimy kitchen floor.You can imagine my surprise when, as I was doing the floor in front of the pantry, a bug came wriggling out of somewhere between the baseboard and the floor.There I stood, holding the Shark steam cleaner and staring at this bug that was crawling all over my newly cleaned floor, when another bug came out of the same place, then another.I guess the power and the heat from the steam was too much for them.I killed those 3 bugs and made a mental note to tell Mike that it is time to exterminate again, and went on to tackle the living room floor.
While cleaning the living room tiles, I got to thinking about those bugs, and how I never would have seen them if I hadn’t been steam cleaning that floor.They were there all along, I just didn’t know it.
The power and heat of that steam not only cleaned all the surface dirt on contact, but it also brought those nasty bugs that were hiding underneath the floor to the surface pretty quickly as well, and I was able to get my floor as clean as possible.
It reminded me of the power of the blood of Jesus.When we acknowledge and accept the fact that Jesus was the perfect Son of God, who actually chose to die for us so that we could live forever, and ask Him to come into our heart and take over our lives, His blood automatically covers our sins – all of them, not just some of them – not just the bad things on the outside that everyone can see, His blood reaches deep into our heart, into the secret places that only God Himself knows about, and He cleans it all up, bugs and all – every bit of it – we’re justified through Him.The Bible says that He washes us white as snow.There’s not a place in our heart that the blood of Jesus cannot reach – His blood has that much power.
When the Father looks at me, He doesn't see all my wretchedness and sin, he only sees the blood of His Son, which has cleansed me and made me white as snow - Isaiah 1:18.
I can’t tell you how, just writing about this, makes me feel.My eyes are filled with tears, I am so grateful that the Father would love me enough (who am I?) to send his perfect Son to die for me, and I’m humbled by the fact that even though I don’t deserve it, I’m going to live in heaven, in a mansion, that God Himself built especially for me.I’m going to be able to see Jesus face to face, I’m going to be able to laugh and hug and visit with my family and my friends who are already in heaven.
I’m going to live forever, and it’s all because of one thing:
The blood of Jesus washes me……the blood, it is my victory.
Today is my 4th wedding anniversary. In 4 short years we have gone from being a couple with 5 kids between us, to being a couple with 5 kids, 2 sons in law, and 2 grandbabies with another one on the way. Mike and I have both gained brothers in law, sisters in law, and parents in law. Last year Mike lost his dad, he was diagnosed with cancer, and this year his brother was diagnosed with cancer and isn't doing well at all. Like everyone, we've had our ups and downs.
One thing I can honestly say about my husband is this: he is constant and stable, he is the same, no matter what he's going through. His trust is in God, he believes that no matter what happens, it's all because God the Father is allowing it. I'm reminded of that song "You Are God Alone". The chorus says:
You are God alone From before time began You were on Your throne You are God alone
And right now In the good times and bad You are on Your throne You are God alone
Last week, someone asked me, "what makes you feel safe?". Immediately I answered that knowing my husband loves me unconditionally and that he will never leave me makes me feel safe. I never have to worry about going through any of life's surprises, whether good or bad, alone, because I know Mike will be right there beside me. This makes me feel safe.
In this way, my husband reminds me very much of God.
Mike is a man after God's own heart. We laugh together, we pray together, we cry together - he is my friend, my lover, my husband, the one man I want to spend the rest of my life with.
To say I am grateful that God put him in my life is a gross understatement. There are no words to describe how grateful I am, and how much I truly love my husband - not because of what he does for me, but because of who he is inside. I've honestly never, ever met a better man than he. And to think - I get to spend the rest of my life with him!
So the story goes like this…..King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold – a big ole statue that measured about 90 feet high and 9 feet wide, and called all the leaders to come to the dedication of this statue.During this dedication, it was decided that every time the people heard certain music being played, they would stop what they were doing and bow down in worship of this image.Whoever did not obey this decree would be thrown into a fiery furnace.Music played – people bowed – all was good, with 3 exceptions.The Chaldeans happened to notice that there were 3 people in particular, Jews that had been set over the affairs of Babylon, that refused to bow and worship this statue.Of course, these loyal Chaldeans had to report this to the King.This information infuriated the King, and he summoned the 3 rebels to ask them if what he’d heard was true, and to give them one more chance.Their reply is found in Daniel 3:
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.
17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.
18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
Ok, wait right there.Verse 17 says, “the God we serve is able to deliver us..”Our God is able.I know this, in my mind, I know this.Sadly, being the worrier that I am, I don’t always act like I believe this.They go on to explain to the King that not only is their God able to deliver them, He will deliver them from the King’s hand.Whether God chooses to deliver them, and they continue living on earth, or if God chooses to let them perish in the flames and they go to heaven, they will be delivered.
It’s a Win-Win situation for them either way.Talk about blind faith – they were pledging allegiance to a God they had never seen – They hadn’t even felt the presence of the Holy Spirit yet, this event happened before Jesus came and the New Testament was written, which makes it even more amazing to me.Pure, unadulterated trust in God gives them the strength to tell the King to take a hike – they’re not bowing to his statue.
Wow.
This really makes the King angry, and he orders the furnace to be turned up 7 times hotter than usual.Then he orders his strongest guards to tie up the 3 men and throw them into the furnace.The Bible says that the flames of this furnace were so hot that it actually killed the soldiers who threw the men into it.I’m wondering….what were these 3 Hebrew children of God thinking during all of this?When I get to heaven, I’m going to track them down and ask them.It’s on my list.
My mind is boggled by their unwavering faith.But wait, there’s more.
So, the King sits back and watches the furnace.He sits down, looks at the furnace, then jumps to his feet.This is how the conversation went:
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, "Certainly, O king."
25 He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire,
27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way."
Every time I read this story I feel like I’m going to have a “Pentecostal Fit” – are Baptists allowed to do that?I’m just kidding…..but seriously, something inside me almost bursts when I read this story and I see, once again, how God delivered these 3 men.How can you help but get excited when you read about something like this!Not only did God save their lives, he untied them, sent an angel to be with them, allowed them to walk around completely unharmed – shoot, they didn’t even smell like they had been around fire.
Our God is able.
God is God, and we are not.He is able to deliver us, and He does, again and again.
God,give me the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
She had the most beautiful head of hair I’ve ever seen in my life – thick, white as snow, always “fixed”.To go along with her gorgeous hair, her skin was flawless – not a pore in sight, perfect tone and color, even though she was no longer young.She always had a smile and a friendly greeting when we went to her house.“Well hello, Brenda Sue!” That’s what she would say to me, always followed by the question, “Are y’all hungry?”Of course we were hungry, we were kids.She always had those orange sliced candy in old, beautiful, covered candy dishes on the coffee table and end tables in her living room.My brothers, cousins and I ate all of them.She always had more.I have very fond memories of spending the weekends at her house.On Saturdays, we would go to Greenville and little by little, everyone else would show up too.My aunts and uncles and cousins would pile into that old house on Pine Street.It had two bedrooms downstairs and a huge bedroom upstairs with several beds in it.My cousins, brothers and I would play outside until it got dark, then we’d come inside and watch TV or read or play games, while the grownups were gathered around the kitchen table, playing a loud, rowdy game of 42.On Sunday morning, we would wake up to the smell of breakfast cooking downstairs – bacon, sausage, eggs, biscuits, gravy.After we ate, the kids would go outside and play while Cleo and her husband, Jim, would sit in their chairs and watch Jimmy Swaggart on TV.
She wasn’t perfect, she had her faults, but she was always ready to help her family when they needed her.Whether they needed a temporary place to live, help buying groceries during tough times, or a listening ear, she was there.She also had a sharp tongue and a strong opinion.If a thought popped into her head, it usually made its way out of her mouth – whether you wanted to hear it or not, it came.If she thought you looked nice, she told you.If she thought you’d gained weight, she told you.If she thought that wearing your tennis shoes untied because it was the style made you look like a thug, she told you.I’ll never forget the time we all gathered at her house and had to eat supper on paper plates because she had gotten angry with Jim and thrown all the dinner plates at him, breaking everyone of them.That still makes me laugh – maybe because that mental picture is just plain funny, maybe because I would never have the nerve to do something like that no matter how I’d been hurt, and I secretly wish I did.
To me, she was the epitome of a strong, Southern woman.She named her kids decidedly Southern names like Jimmy Don, Linda Ann, Billy Ray, Betty Fay, Mary Laverne, Barbara Jean.She worked hard all of her life – out in the cotton fields when she was younger, out on the farm, later on she worked as a nurse’s aide, taking care of sick people.There was nothing she couldn’t do.She was so smart.She was so strong.
Often, when someone makes me angry, I threaten to “go all Cleo on them”, meaning I am fixing to tell them just how it is and what I really think.I truly believe that Cleo was the original Madea – sometimes I swear Tyler Perry modeled the Madea character after Cleo.I tell my family that when I turn 50, I’m going to let the Cleo in me loose so they better get ready!Of course, I’m kidding, but only partly.The truth is I could do worse than to try to be more like Cleo.This was a woman who loved her family, all of them, unconditionally.Although there were times of trouble and hurt feelings between them, as often happens in a family as large as hers, her home was always open.So was her heart.I think she was a passionate person who loved God and felt very strongly about things and didn’t mind telling you about them.
The older I get, the more I think about her.I often dream about her.I’d like to be like her in many ways.I know I won’t be, simply because I’m not as strong a person as she ever was, but I’d like to take all those good things about her that I admired and apply them to my life.
She was there. She was so smart.She was so strong.She was so Southern.
She was my grandmother - my Granny Buck.The older I get, the more I miss her.
This morning on my way to work, I was thinking about that New Testament passage in the Bible that says that there are two things that Jesus commanded us to do, but I couldn’t remember exactly where it was.I Googled it (what did we EVER do before Google?) and this is what I found.Luke 10: 25-29 says this:
25And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
I stopped right there and snickered to myself.Jesus is giving this guy only two things to focus on:Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.Oh, and one more thing:Love your neighbor as yourself.
Sounds pretty simple, right?
But that wasn’t enough for this lawyer.He poses the question, just to be clear, “Who, exactly, is my neighbor?”
Jesus goes on to tell the story of the Good Samaritan to make his point to the lawyer, but as I went back to re-read this passage, starting with verse 25, I kept stopping at verse 29.
29But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
Willing to justify himself….that’s so typically human.We want to do what we’re supposed to, so that we can justify ourselves, but not a bit more.Not even a smidge more.
Again, I’m convicted.
I try very hard to do what is right, both in God’s eyes and, admittedly, in the eyes of others.But how much is really expected of me?And who, exactly, is my neighbor?I’m reminded of the fact that everything we have is given to us by our Father (James 1:17).Mike and I work hard for what we have, but in reality, we are able to work hard to obtain what we have only by the grace of God.Why, then, do I neglect to share our resources with others outside of our family?I’ll admit that when I see someone in need, most of the time my immediate reaction is “How can we help them?”I’ll also admit that I don’t always follow through, even though I have good intentions.
I realize that there are more ways to love my neighbor as myself than by meeting physical needs through financial support. What about just taking the time to listen, to be there when someone needs emotional support? It's been said that spending time with someone is one of the greatest gifts you can give them. Time. It's a precious commodity these days, one that I waste alot of on a continuous basis, it seems.
The question, for me, boils down to this: How am I using everything God has given me to love my neighbor as myself?
Loving God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength is easy for me.If my goal in life is to be like Christ, then loving my neighbor as myself should be just as easy. I'm thinking that if you truly love someone, even a neighbor that you don't really know, you show it through words and deeds.
This is something that's going to be on my mind for a while, I imagine. I have a deep desire to be like Christ, and I think working on these two simple things might be a really good place to start.
I wish it was as easy as it sounds. Starting today, I'll be praying that God will give me the mind and heart of Christ.
