God, Where ARE You?

Do you ever wonder what the heck God is doing?  Why is all the bad stuff in my life happening and what about all the bad stuff going on in the world and in our nation specifically?  What used to be good is now bad, and what used to be bad is now good.  How did that happen and where is God in all of this?  Isn't He supposed to be able to fix all of this mess and make it better?  Then, where is He?  Is He on vacation, on another planet, or galaxy, or a neighboring universe maybe? 

We've got runaway debt in our nation, people suffering physical and emotional turmoil over job losses, health issues, money problems.  Relationships are out of whack and families are being torn apart because of hate, strife, jealousy and worse.

Once flourishing cities are in ruins due to carelessness; children are dying by the millions because they are inconvenient.  Our world is topsy-turvy and things look totally impossible to be fixed, by anyone or anything.

Where is God?  Where is our Savior?  Holy Spirit, Comforter and powerful Friend, where are you?

Have you ever thought that He might be asking the same thing of you and me? 

Where did YOU go?  You once vowed allegiance to Me, yet you're not reading My Word, My Love Letter to you, My Instruction book, The Bible.  You said you'd talk to me everyday, sing to me, worship Me, love Me, daily....where are you?  I haven't seen you for a very long time and I miss you.  You said you'd share Me with everyone you met, feed My sheep, but they are blinded, starving and have no food because you never showed up to give it to them, to share My love with them.  Where are you? 

The children I gave to you to watch over and guide are in trouble or gone because you didn't raise them the way I showed you in My Book.  You decided that they were your possessions and you could push them around, punch them, embarrass, shame and mistreat them instead of honoring them as My gifts to you.  And, to your shame, you have murdered millions of them because they were an inconvenient reminder of things you had done that you shouldn't. 

My Word tells you about how to eat and take care of your bodies, but you continually mistreat your temple with food that isn't healthy for you and will leave your body weak and unable to fight against sickness and disease.  That is not My Will for you.  I would that you be healthy, whole in all areas of your life, but you cannot do what you want and have My Will too. 

You ask where I've been....I've been right here, where I've always been.  I love you, I miss you terribly and am reaching out to you to come back to Me, where you belong.  I'll make you Safe. Secure, once again. But, that comes with some sacrifice. 

Are you willing to lay down YOUR will for Mine?  How badly do you want to see Me work on your behalf?  If you want to see Me do the impossible, then you must lay down your works that conflict with what I'm trying to do in your world and in the lives of you and your loved ones. 

Where AM I?  Not far at all....only a breath, a prayer away.

     
    

  

Check Your Motives Here!

"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs and tries the hearts."  Proverbs 21:2  The Amplified Version

Have you ever felt a "ping" in your heart or stomach when you say or do, or even think, something with a motive or intent of heart that might not be quite right?  For example, you might answer back on a Facebook page something that, if you were face to face with that person you'd never say what you just wrote.  At the time you wrote it, you got your point across, shut down the opposition, (so there!!!), said what you felt needed to be said at that moment.  But now you realize, after pressing the Post or Share button, that the cat's out of the proverbial bag and it's too late to take it back, it might not have been the wisest thing to say.  Especially since you're trying to be a better person, or you're a Christian and you're wanting to represent Jesus the best way you can, expressing your views might not have even come close to representing Him at all.

Or, maybe someone came to your door or place of business and tried to sell you something or talk about their religion and you blew them off as quickly as possibly, even going so far as lying if necessary, just to get them out of your face?  Maybe someone interrupted you with a phone call you really wished hadn't bothered you and you were less than kind on the phone to that person. (After all, you were busy, right?  Watching TV--your favorite show for goodness sake, and they have the nerve to call you in the middle of the best part!!)  Is it ok to be rude to others, no matter what the reason?

Do we ever act this way?

Well, I'm hoping that most all of us would say "No, it's never ok to be rude, even if they are rude to us."  But all too often, I've been guilty of all of the above, more than once I'm afraid, and I have a sneaky feeling I'm probably not alone.  Are you courageous enough to stand up with me and agree that at least once in your life you have had wrong motives for your behavior? C'mon, I know you're out there.  I'll stand with you, does that help?

For those of us who are Christians and consider Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, Soon-coming King, Creator of the Universe, Prince of Peace, and so on,  it is imperative that we pay attention to our behavior, our thoughts and words.  Some serious soul searching would be good here.  We are His representatives in this earth and no one will ever see Him for the awesome and loving God He is, unless we, His children, allow Him to be revealed through our lives every day, through good times and bad.  If we are behaving badly, how does that reflect on Jesus?

For those of us reading this post that have not yet made a decision to follow Christ, may I take this opportunity to sincerely and humbly apologize on behalf of those in the Christian community who have hurt you, offended and caused you to think less of Jesus because of their (my) behavior.  It is not His fault that we acted like Neanderthals or worse!  Our actions, or lack thereof, are attributable to a lack of total commitment to Him and refusal to give up doing things our way in certain areas of our lives.  (Basically, it's sin, but most of us don't want to think about that word.)

So, with that said, perhaps it would be good to take stock and seriously review our motives, intentions, and ask ourselves some questions:  "Why am I doing what I'm doing?" "Who benefits the most from the actions I'm taking or about to take--me or others--and is that a right thing to occur?"  "When I finish doing what I'm doing or wanting to do, what are the long term results likely to be?"  "Are those results benefitting more than just myself and/or the futures of my family and friends?"  If the answers you get, providing you were serious when you asked them, are not leaving you peaceful, perhaps you might want to stop... maybe pray about it first, until you do feel peace.
Motives, intentions of the heart, can make or break relationships and futures, let alone "presents", for good or ill.

"If you [profess ignorance and] say, Behold, we did not know this, does not He Who weighs and ponders the heart perceive and consider it? And He Who guards your life, does not He know it? And shall not He render to [you and] every man according to his works?"  Proverbs 24:12  The Amplified Version

The actions you take based on the intentions of your heart may have a profound effect on the lives of many people you didn't even think about, so check your motives and if they aren't good ones, the good news is you can change!

Who's Got Your Back?

Well, today I decided to take the plunge that I have been thinking about for awhile and I redesigned my original blog a bit.  ( Ivegotconfidence ) You will notice a pretty significant difference if you have been following for awhile, but I hope you like it.  I've been tweaking it all morning so if you have tried to read any of the posts, there may have been some unintended interruptions.  Please excuse our dust..as they say at construction sites!

I guess there are not only times when we get tired of doing or seeing the same old things and have the opportunity to make changes with little to no disruptions, but every so often we must make major changes to our lives if we wish to prosper, be in health and allow our souls to prosper, as the book of  III John 2 says.  If you are in the midst of that type of spiritual, emotional, or physical upheaval, please be assured that your Heavenly Father has your situation firmly in hand and will not allow anything or anyone to destroy His perfect plan for your life.

He does have a plan for you, you know.  One that began so many long years ago when you were first created in your mother's womb...carefully knit together and formed with patience and love.  His plan is for you to live in abundance, to the full, till it overflows.  His plan is for you to be healed by His stripes that He took for you on His journey to the Cross.  His plan for you is to prosper in your soul, as well as to have health and wealth so you can pass it on and help others, thus establishing His Kingdom, His Covenant on this earth.

So, with that in mind, may I just encourage you to look up, hang on, trust and have confidence in the One Who loves you the most, Who carries you when you can no longer stand, let alone walk on your own.   When we are weak, He is strong.  When we are poor, He makes us rich.  When we are sick, He is our healer and provider.  I cannot think of any one or any thing else I could possibly put my faith, trust and confidence in whole heartedly other than Jesus.  I encourage you to do the same.  He has your back!

God Bless You!

Planting Seeds

Every once in awhile I run across a story that touches my heart and I can sense it's more than just for me but is worthy to be shared.  It's not necessarily Jesus oriented but certainly contains the character that Christ wishes us to emulate, so for that reason I thought I'd pass this story along for you to enjoy and think about what kinds of seeds we are planting in our lives, and what sort of harvest we will reap.  Hope you like it! 

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Wonder how many of us would stop to help him? 

Good morning said a woman as she walked up to the man sitting on the ground.

The man slowly looked up.

This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new.. She looked like she had never missed...
a meal in her life.

His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before.. "Leave me alone," he growled....

To his amazement, the woman continued standing.

She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry?" she asked.

"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away."

The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm.

"What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone.

Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked..

 "No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?"

The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?"

"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."

"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. "Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything."

"This is a good deal for you, Jack" the officer answered. "Don't blow it.."

Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived...

The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table. "What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this, is this man in trouble?"

"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered.

"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business.."

Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."

The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled....... "Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"

"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."

"And do you make a godly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?"

"What business is that of yours?"

I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."

"Oh."

The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference." She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"

"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."

"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"

"Yes, ma’am. That would be very nice."

The cafeteria manager turned on his heel, "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer."

The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said.

"That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this."

She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently.. "Jack, do you remember me?"

Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes. "I think so -- I mean you do look familiar."

"I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."

"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.

"I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."

Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said.. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."

"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble... Then, when I looked over and saw you put the price of my food in the cash register, I knew then that everything would be all right."

"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.

"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card.. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons...He's the personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet... If you ever need anything, my door is always opened to you."

There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you?" he said.

"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus...... He led me to you."

Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways....

"Thank you for all your help, officer," she said.

"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And.. And thank you for the coffee."

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We never know what will happen when we "pay it forward", but if we don't, nothing will.  Take a chance, do something nice for someone.  Be assured, God will see even if no one else does, and He will make sure your kindnesses will be rewarded when you least expect it.

Please share this story with those you care about....and even those you may not.  You never know what God will do.