It seems that the older I get the less I get done! I used to could run circles around myself.....always picking up the house....doing laundry.....mopping....sweeping....cooking....all in a couple of hours and still find time to play with the kids! Whew....just thinking about doing all that makes me tired. My mother used to tell me that I needed to stop and smell the roses and spend less time doing and more time being! (stop and think about that one)
I reminded myself of Martha....always organizing...preparing.....getting things done.....not spending the time to be still and let God speak to me. However, as I have gotten older I have slowed down a lot. Having a clean house is not quite as important as it once was. Having everything put in its place and out of sight doesn't seem to matter to me as much. Or at least that is what I tell myself. When in fact it really does bother me....I just can't seem to get this old body up and moving like I used to.....I hope that some of this is making sense!!
Anyway, I find that I come home from work, sit down to rest....and I am still sitting "resting" when it is time to go to bed. What is up with that!!! LOL Am I being lazy? Probably!!! Do I have the motivation....not so much.....do I regret sitting and "resting" all night....YES!!! But I still do it. I do what I know I shouldn't do even though I tell myself in the morning that tonight is going to be different. Guess what.....come evening.....back to "resting"!! UGH!
I find myself doing this a lot.....telling myself I'm going to do something.....something good even....and then not following through with it. It can be something as simple as putting the load of towels in the wash when I get home...simple right....doesn't always get done! OR it could be telling myself that I am going to call my friend who had knee replacement surgery a couple of weeks and check on her....see how she is doing.....not hard....doesn't happen!
I have the good thought....the good intention but I fail to follow through. I ask myself is this the same as having an evil thought but not following through??? In Matthew 5 Jesus is talking about adultery but He says that if you have the lustful thoughts and do not act on it...you still sin in your heart (my words). Is the same true...when you have good thoughts....good intentions to do good and you do not follow through is it still sinful? The old saying "The road to heaven is paved with good intentions" rings true here. I don't want to get to heaven and have God ask me why I didn't take food to my sister who was sick and my answer be....."I meant to....I wanted to".
People I just don't think that is living out Jesus in our lives! Am I guilty.....you bet!! I can have all the good thoughts...."meant to's"......wanted to's......NOT GOING TO DO ME ANY GOOD!
I have to do the things that I know I need to do and continually strive to not do the things that I know I shouldn't.
" For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing." Romans 7:18-19
I so can relate to what Paul is talking about here.....I know I shouldn't act the way that I am acting and I know the way I should be acting BUT I keep in doing and acting the way that I don't want to act!!! Whew a mouthful! You get my drift! (I hope anyway?)
As Christians, we have to act on our good thoughts our good intentions!! It does us no good to think about doing good it we don't follow through! I ask again....is it a sin to not act on our good thoughts?? You tell me.....personally I believe it is....for me it's not enough to think about doing good....I have to follow through!!
Father, please forgive me for not following through with the good you have placed on my heart. Please allow me more opportunities to do Your good work.
From my corner of the world......striving to get up off the couch!!!
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Monday, January 7, 2013
All Consuming
In Matthew Jesus is asked what is the greatest commandment in the law? He replies:
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."
I have read this a bagillion times throughout my life but yesterday morning in bible class we talked a little bit about what it means to love the Lord this way....with ALL my heart......ALL my soul and ALL my mind. It was brought up that this type of love is a consuming love. It struck me that was right. When we love the Lord as we are commanded, then we need to be consumed by him.
Another word I would use is to be obsessed with Jesus. He needs to be in my every thought, every action, every breath I take.
I am an avid reader......well maybe more than an avid reader.....okay I am more than an avid reader.....I LOVE to read!!!! I read over 100 books last year.....yes I counted them on my iPad!! Folks that is obsession if I have ever seen it!!! I can get into a good book and can't put it down until I am finished. Yes I have it bad.
Sad thing is.....I'm not that obsessed with loving the Lord. A good book can consume my every being....Jesus needs to be consuming me!
What are the things in our lives that we obsess about? Our homes.....having the perfect yard.....our clothes.....TV shows.......food.....pornography.....money.....you name it people obsess over it. These things consume us!! Or I should say we allow them to consume us.
Jesus tells us to love Him....obsess over him....allow Him to consume every part of our lives. We are to love Jesus so much that He is the center of our world and nothing or no one comes before Him. He needs to be the first thing I think of in the morning and last thing I thing about at night....and all through the day my thoughts are on Him and how much I love him. I need to be so consumed with Him that I have to tell everyone about this great love!!
Jesus, forgive me for obsessing over the things of this world. May I strive to consumed by you today and tell those around me of your love.
From my corner of the world......loving Jesus!
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."
I have read this a bagillion times throughout my life but yesterday morning in bible class we talked a little bit about what it means to love the Lord this way....with ALL my heart......ALL my soul and ALL my mind. It was brought up that this type of love is a consuming love. It struck me that was right. When we love the Lord as we are commanded, then we need to be consumed by him.
Another word I would use is to be obsessed with Jesus. He needs to be in my every thought, every action, every breath I take.
I am an avid reader......well maybe more than an avid reader.....okay I am more than an avid reader.....I LOVE to read!!!! I read over 100 books last year.....yes I counted them on my iPad!! Folks that is obsession if I have ever seen it!!! I can get into a good book and can't put it down until I am finished. Yes I have it bad.
Sad thing is.....I'm not that obsessed with loving the Lord. A good book can consume my every being....Jesus needs to be consuming me!
What are the things in our lives that we obsess about? Our homes.....having the perfect yard.....our clothes.....TV shows.......food.....pornography.....money.....you name it people obsess over it. These things consume us!! Or I should say we allow them to consume us.
Jesus tells us to love Him....obsess over him....allow Him to consume every part of our lives. We are to love Jesus so much that He is the center of our world and nothing or no one comes before Him. He needs to be the first thing I think of in the morning and last thing I thing about at night....and all through the day my thoughts are on Him and how much I love him. I need to be so consumed with Him that I have to tell everyone about this great love!!
Jesus, forgive me for obsessing over the things of this world. May I strive to consumed by you today and tell those around me of your love.
From my corner of the world......loving Jesus!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Intentional/Purposeful in 2013
Last year before the 2012 new year began, I read an article about making New Year Resolutions. It talked about people that make resolutions and fail to keep them. The article's main focus was on a year long attitude....one that isn't necessarily met but a goal that makes a difference in your life. I thought a lot about this and did some praying about it.
I came up with the word that I would try to achieve and that was: CONTENTMENT. I sort of made this my theme for the year 2012. I wanted to gain a stonger feeling of contentment....in all areas of my life and in all circumstances. I wrote the word contentment on a couple of cards and put one in the bathroom, one in my car and one in my bible.....places that I knew I would see it. I prayed about being content throughout the year....asking God to bring my focus back to Him and thanked Him for where I was at that moment in my life.
It wasn't always easy to be content all the time....did I fail? Sure I did....a lot!!! But I continued to strive for contentment and kept that attitude close in my mind and on my heart. Looking back I feel that I am more content today than I was this time last year.....I certainly have a long way to go to be as God would have me be! I do believe that by striving for an attitude I attained more of the goal than if I had made the goal of losing weight....been there and failed.....reading my bible every day.....still fail to do that but I keep trying.....I know that God is continually working on me and my attitude of being content in the areas of my life that I seem to struggle with. I am blessed that I serve a gracious God that gives me lots of new starts and loves me when I fail.
This year my goal words are: INTENTIONAL/PURPOSEFUL. I know this sounds weird but let me explain....at least let me tell you why I chose these to words for this year. LOL
I find that so many days go by and I haven't accomplished a lot or that I haven't had any meaningful conversations with my friends......haven't spent any meaningful time in pray or in God's word.....I haven't spent intentional time with Ken or any one of my kids or grand babies....well I do spend more time with the grand babies than I do with my kids....that's just how this Granny rolls....HAHAHA!!!
Seriously, I thought back over the last year and realized that time goes by and I haven't served others like I know that I should, I haven't taken care of or loved myself the way that God loves me, I haven't planned alone time with Ken the way that he deserves......I just haven't been intentional in my relationship with God, with Ken, with my family and friends.
This year, 2013, I want to be intentional in my bible study.....sure I read my bible.....sometimes just to check it off my list. This year I want to strive to spend intentional time in the word not just reading it but studying it....applying it.....and praying over my study asking God to speak to me...intentionally!!!!
This year in 2013, I want to strive to be intentional in my relationship with Ken. He so deserves my undivided attention and a lot of the time he gets a "sure" or "yea" or "hum" and I really haven't heard him or even looked at him......don't tell me that you haven't done that to your husbands or loved ones.....I know I am not the only one!!! I want to intentionally set aside "Ken time" so that he feels he has "me" with him and I am really listening to him!! I want to do things for him the way that he deserves so that he knows that I love him with my whole heart and that he matters more to me than any one else next to God.
This year in 2013, I want to strive to be intentional in our finances....I want to give intentionally and purposefully before anything else. I want to be intentional in my spending, not just spending money and not have anything to show for it.....you know what I mean!! Ken and I both had a lot of money struggles in our previous marriages.....before we got married we talked a lot about how we wanted to handle our finances. I am so blessed that we both feel the same about how we save and give......I just feel that with my allotted "blow money" I am just not using it the way that I should....I want to be purposeful in my spending!! (I hope this makes sense!)
This year in 2013, I want to be intentional with my time and with my home. Ken and I are in the middle of a complete remodel of our home....both bathrooms have been gutted down to the studs and cement floors and remodeled, the house has been leveled, we have a new roof....thus far. In April or May we will begin the kitchen/living area....it's open and the major part of our four bedroom house. As we complete this remodel, I want to be intentional with using our home to invite people in, welcome them into our home. I want to use our home to purposefully glorify God and make people feel welcome. I want others to walk in our home and feel and see Jesus there among us!!
I hope that this has made sense....it does to me but I'm not sure I can get it down on paper and make sense out of it!! I just feel that time goes by and I haven't been intentional/purposeful in the things I have been involved in. This makes me feel sad and unsuccessful in being all that God wants and intends for me to be....I want to do better....this is my goal for 2013!!! Yes, I will lapse, become lazy and just go through my days....but I know that God will be patient with me and I will continue to pray to be intentional/purposeful in my life.
From my corner of the world striving to be intentional in all areas of my life!
I came up with the word that I would try to achieve and that was: CONTENTMENT. I sort of made this my theme for the year 2012. I wanted to gain a stonger feeling of contentment....in all areas of my life and in all circumstances. I wrote the word contentment on a couple of cards and put one in the bathroom, one in my car and one in my bible.....places that I knew I would see it. I prayed about being content throughout the year....asking God to bring my focus back to Him and thanked Him for where I was at that moment in my life.
It wasn't always easy to be content all the time....did I fail? Sure I did....a lot!!! But I continued to strive for contentment and kept that attitude close in my mind and on my heart. Looking back I feel that I am more content today than I was this time last year.....I certainly have a long way to go to be as God would have me be! I do believe that by striving for an attitude I attained more of the goal than if I had made the goal of losing weight....been there and failed.....reading my bible every day.....still fail to do that but I keep trying.....I know that God is continually working on me and my attitude of being content in the areas of my life that I seem to struggle with. I am blessed that I serve a gracious God that gives me lots of new starts and loves me when I fail.
This year my goal words are: INTENTIONAL/PURPOSEFUL. I know this sounds weird but let me explain....at least let me tell you why I chose these to words for this year. LOL
I find that so many days go by and I haven't accomplished a lot or that I haven't had any meaningful conversations with my friends......haven't spent any meaningful time in pray or in God's word.....I haven't spent intentional time with Ken or any one of my kids or grand babies....well I do spend more time with the grand babies than I do with my kids....that's just how this Granny rolls....HAHAHA!!!
Seriously, I thought back over the last year and realized that time goes by and I haven't served others like I know that I should, I haven't taken care of or loved myself the way that God loves me, I haven't planned alone time with Ken the way that he deserves......I just haven't been intentional in my relationship with God, with Ken, with my family and friends.
This year, 2013, I want to be intentional in my bible study.....sure I read my bible.....sometimes just to check it off my list. This year I want to strive to spend intentional time in the word not just reading it but studying it....applying it.....and praying over my study asking God to speak to me...intentionally!!!!
This year in 2013, I want to strive to be intentional in my relationship with Ken. He so deserves my undivided attention and a lot of the time he gets a "sure" or "yea" or "hum" and I really haven't heard him or even looked at him......don't tell me that you haven't done that to your husbands or loved ones.....I know I am not the only one!!! I want to intentionally set aside "Ken time" so that he feels he has "me" with him and I am really listening to him!! I want to do things for him the way that he deserves so that he knows that I love him with my whole heart and that he matters more to me than any one else next to God.
This year in 2013, I want to strive to be intentional in our finances....I want to give intentionally and purposefully before anything else. I want to be intentional in my spending, not just spending money and not have anything to show for it.....you know what I mean!! Ken and I both had a lot of money struggles in our previous marriages.....before we got married we talked a lot about how we wanted to handle our finances. I am so blessed that we both feel the same about how we save and give......I just feel that with my allotted "blow money" I am just not using it the way that I should....I want to be purposeful in my spending!! (I hope this makes sense!)
This year in 2013, I want to be intentional with my time and with my home. Ken and I are in the middle of a complete remodel of our home....both bathrooms have been gutted down to the studs and cement floors and remodeled, the house has been leveled, we have a new roof....thus far. In April or May we will begin the kitchen/living area....it's open and the major part of our four bedroom house. As we complete this remodel, I want to be intentional with using our home to invite people in, welcome them into our home. I want to use our home to purposefully glorify God and make people feel welcome. I want others to walk in our home and feel and see Jesus there among us!!
I hope that this has made sense....it does to me but I'm not sure I can get it down on paper and make sense out of it!! I just feel that time goes by and I haven't been intentional/purposeful in the things I have been involved in. This makes me feel sad and unsuccessful in being all that God wants and intends for me to be....I want to do better....this is my goal for 2013!!! Yes, I will lapse, become lazy and just go through my days....but I know that God will be patient with me and I will continue to pray to be intentional/purposeful in my life.
From my corner of the world striving to be intentional in all areas of my life!
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