Change From The Inside

By Pat

When I pray, I often ask God to help me to have more patience, or to be less judgmental. I frequently ask Him to help me to not be snappy and quick-tempered and to keep me from saying any words that are hurtful and un-Christlike. And sometimes it works! When I feel stressed, sometimes I am able to hold my tongue and take a deep breath and settle down, or I am able to look at another person and chase unkind or judgmental thoughts and feelings away.

But that's just not enough. Although it's nice to exercise self-control, isn't it un-Christlike to have those feelings in the first place? What good does it do to simply ACT a certain way? We may be fooling other people, and maybe even ourselves, but we're certainly not fooling God. If I am seething inside and have to bite my tongue and paste on a phony smile, am I really better than the hypocrites Jesus often scolded?

I can't imagine Jesus was like that. Jesus had a right heart. He didn't have to TRY to act loving, kind and patient; He WAS loving, kind and patient. He saw through the eyes of God. I began to alter my prayers after this revelation hit me and God opened my eyes to my error. I began asking God to, as the psalmist said in Psalm 51:10, "create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

Acting a certain way isn't BEING a certain way. Now when I pray, I ask God to help me to see others through His eyes. I ask Him to take away my quick temper, not hide it by the way I act. I ask Him to give me a peaceful heart, not the ability to hide my stress and anxiety. And little by little, God is changing me, and for that I am grateful! I don't want to just act like Jesus. I want to BE like Jesus!

Be A Light

By Pat

Sometimes I wish I could surround myself with all my Christian friends and family and stay away from the rest of the world. It's so nice to be around people with the same beliefs, values and goals that I have; loved ones who speak my language, so to speak. I just feel different when I'm with fellow believers; in church, at my favorite Christian bookstore, in Bible studies.

But as wonderful as that feels to me, I realize that it's not what Jesus wants of us, for if we only walk among Christians, don't we shine our light in a room that's already brightly lit? Our lights, in order to illuminate the darkness, must therefore seek out those dark corners and rooms. In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus says, "We are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put in under a bowl. Instead they put it on it's stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven".

So that's what we must try to do. It's nice to to shine among the other lights in the room, making it brighter, but it's required to leave the room and find a dark corner in which to shine.

Are You Spiritually Weary?

By MAD21

To be weary means, "physically or mentally exhausted by hard work, exertion, strain, etc.; fatigued; tired..." (Dictionary.com). I'm talking about the kind of weary that we feel emotionally, or spiritually when we are ministering to people, when we are serving God.

There is an analogy of a person's heart, or emotional strength, being like water in a bucket or well.  Proverbs  4:23 says that our hearts are the "wellsprings of life." When we give of ourselves (like supporting someone emotionally) we are taking the water from the bucket. We are able to give freely and as often as needed so long as there is still water in the bucket.

But where does the water come from? Well, from a secular point of view, the water would come when other people do things for us. And there is something to be said about that. Our lives are definitely enhanced and changed when others love on us. However, that kind of water doesn't tend to last very long.

The kind of water we need is the everlasting variety. And that only comes from God. Matthew 11:28-29 Says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

We've all been in situations where we are giving support to our friends and family who are going through trials. As we are helping them through these times (filling their buckets), we need to be sure to also pray that God will continue to fill our own bucket. For he never grows weary and is the source of everlasting water.

If you find yourself feeling weary, emotionally drained or just plain tired. Go to the Well. HE will meet you there and fill you up. Bath yourself in his glory and feel the refreshing goodness of his mercy and love.

Isaiah 40:28 "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom."

Worker Bees

By Pat

I recently read that a worker bee manufactures 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in it's lifetime. That sure doesn't seem like much. Hardly worth mentioning, as a matter of fact. But if you've ever seen a hive, you know how active it is. The work the bees are doing seems endless, and yet a good hive will produce 50 to 60 pounds of honey to survive the winter. Individually, one bee can only make 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey, but collectively the bees make many, many pounds.

Sometimes I feel like that bee...working and working day after day, and yet making very little difference in God's kingdom, but no matter how miniscule my part, I know that I am, indeed, making a difference with the combined efforts of my bothers and sisters in Christ. We have to work together to use the talents we have been given in the way in which God intended. So never let yourself feel insignificant to God. We matter, each of us, to God and to the betterment of His world. What a comfort that is to me!

Thank you, God, for reminding me that I do matter and that many small acts combined have BIG results!

Casting Our Burdens

By MAD21

We all have a lot of good and bad things going on in our lives. The good things we call good, the bad we call burdens. The dictionary defines it as: "...something that is carried; a load; something that is borne with difficulty or obligation." There are a few ways of looking at burdens. One is in the negative. We could whine about how hard we have it, or how great things would be if we didn't have to deal with it.

But burdens aren't always a bad thing. For one, they help us appreciate all the good we have in our lives. But they also keep us humble, and they keep us at a point where we eventually run back to God (you know, after we've tried to handle it all on our own--and you know you do). Burdens also help us to grow, they push us outside of our comfort zone.

You don't have to walk around like Pollyanna and find the 'glad' in all things. But seriously, as you go through your day, try to find the positive in every situation. Sometimes, just changing your attitude or perspective will help you think more clearly and stay focused on the goal, the destination. Not just the distractions along the way.

God wants to help us bear the load of all of our life's burdens. Take them to Him along with your humble self. See that it can bring you to a better awareness of His love for you in every situation.

"Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you..." (Psalm 55:22 ESV)