How to be righteous

Righteous is such a large word, mentally evoking pictures of grandeur and power. So how can you be righteous? It’s simple.

When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, let down your guard and let God have control of your life. Present yourself as you are, acknowledge your shortcomings, and ask God to create in you the person He desires you to be.

Then go to work, play with your kids, wash the dishes, in short, move forward with your life. When you accept Jesus as your Lord, you will want to read the Bible, especially the New Testament, to become acquainted with Jesus. You will want to learn about Him.

When you accept the Lord, a light will go off on the inside and you will be filled with a desire for more light. The brighter the light becomes, the more light you will want. Give your problems to God, humble yourself before Him. This doesn’t mean lying protrate on the ground or demeaning yourself. Humbling yourself before God means you realize that you cannot achieve change on your own. You need God’s help.

Goodness of the Lord

What would have become of me if I had not believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living? Honestly, the Lord did not intend for us to ‘suffer’ through this earthly life. God wants us to enjoy the life He has given us. However, just watching the news scares me, and I’m fearless.


Being an adult, a parent, an individual, is hard work. We struggle to keep jobs, put food on the table, pay bills, and we are at times disturbed by our own attitudes and beliefs. We deal with difficult people at work. Sometimes our own kids and spouses are difficult.

The good thing is that we have the promise of the Lord, that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. So I look for it, wait for it, embrace each small step. And I have seen it myself: in the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, and in my successes. It’s not all grief and sorrow. There is much joy in life.

Loneliness

The soul has lonely places. I am putting together a book of my poetry. I am revisiting experiences as I read and edit my work. There is a sense of introspection.


Later, as I was playing Bingo on pogo, I noticed certain reactions in my spirit. It was silly, but I began to feel the game was against me, that I could not win, that others were ahead of me. I asked myself where this coming from is.

Poets are strange individuals, examining all the forests and clearings. I traced my feeling back as far as I could remember. I learned that some of the disturbances I felt were rooted in loneliness. I have many friends and family in my life. I am not alone. So why do I feel this?

As I talked with God, I realized that we all have crevices, spaces in life where loneliness seeps in and wears gullies in our hearts. I asked God to take this loneliness and fill these spaces. Honestly, this loneliness does not have to spill into my heart.

New Year: New Beginnings

One of my favorite things: New Year New Beginnings. Good or bad, happy or sad, every year ends, and we get a kind of do over. Didn’t lose weight last year? Do-over. Need to get fit? Do-over.

As a Christian, the new year is exciting for me, because I get another chance to finish what I did not finish, procrastinated through, or simply did not start last year. Each new year reminds me that as long as I breathe, there is hope.

This year, I will:

• Start playing the guitar. I already cut my nails.
• Put my poetry together and publish an eBook. 
• Read my daily devotional every day. (Even if I read it before I go to sleep, because I get up too late) 
• I am going to exercise at least four days a week, and make sure I walk and move each day. This means I park farther away from the store, stop piling things at the bottom of the stairs until the pile is so large I almost fall taking it upstairs, and stop piling things in front of my basement door. Those trips up and down the stairs improve my balance, work my lower half, and get my heart pumping.

What is your do-over going to be?

Best Christmas gift ever

I sat on a deacon's bench in my kitchen and read the words "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." I realized this was the truth, and I accepted Jesus at the moment.

For me, Jesus was and is the greatest gift I have ever received. He is the most important gift you can ever receive. I wrote this poem, and now share it each year at Christmas to let people know that, of all the gifts under the tree, none will touch a heart like Jesus.

Wrapped in scarlet, ribboned in beige
Bought with a love that conquers the grave
Presented with kindness, compassion and care
Receiving
I open
And find Jesus there.

Open your heart and receive Jesus. You will be glad you did.

God cares about our well-being

God’s love is exceeding strong. He cares about our well-being. Yet there is another part of us that God cares about, and that is our character. In fact, God is more interested in our character than our comfort.

When Jesus gathered the disciples, He led them through towns to observe Him teaching God’s word. As a group, they slept where they could and ate what could be found. As the disciples comfort level decreased, their spiritual understanding increased.

This doesn’t mean that God wants us living poorly to gain spirituality. This illustrates the Lord’s commitment to character and spiritual growth. Daniel was placed in a lion’s den. Joseph was sold into slavery. Both of these men were tested and proven in character.

When I first realized this, I laid my forehead down on the table. “Oh great” I thought. “Can’t You just give me some instant deliverance?” I had to endure, with joy, and climb the mountain. Most of the time I was on my hands and knees, digging in and clawing my way to the top. When my attitude sucked, I slipped back down. In the end, I put my hands down and told God “ok, uncle, I give up, I will do this Your way.”

As we go through our daily lives, we shouldn’t be surprised when adverse circumstances arise. These challenges present opportunity to lean on God and draw out His wisdom. Adversity causes us to dig deeper and grow stronger. Sure, I, like many of you, pray for deliverance from adversity. God, in His wisdom, leads me through it, not out of it. And in the end I am stronger.

Everyday blessings of God

Yesterday I walked to my granddaughter’s house to drop off a jar of creamy peanut butter. When the door opened, my greatgrandson saw me, threw his arms out wide, and exclaimed “Mimi”. I remember when my granddaughter was that age. Whenever she saw me, she would throw her arms out wide and exclaim “Mimi”.


I realized how blessed I am to have this love and admiration twice in a lifetime.

Each morning I thank the Lord for 10 things. I use my fingers to count, and more times than not, have to count my fingers twice. The blessing of the Lord flow into everyday things: a warm house, good health, a sound mind, a car to drive. And don’t overlook the blessings of God’s love, His guidance, His constant care, a listening ear, a kind heart, and hope.

In the dark? God has a flashlight.

I am walking on a path that is dimly lit and at the same time exceedingly bright. I am walking in the grace of God, being provided with a job that keeps the wolves from the door. And with an opportunity to advance in my education and my craft.


Yet as I walk this path, I cannot see an outcome, a goal to be achieved, a clear path. The brightness comes from trusting God. They say faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Honestly, my faith is in God. I have some dreams and wished, sure, but more, I have faith that God has a plan for my life.

Because of this, I am willing to walk in the shadows for a time. I have faith the fog will clear, and everything will be alright. I can do this because I have never known God to forsake me. Even in the darkest times of my life, God whispered “Do not fear, I am with you”, and He was.

So if you are moving in the dark right now, be assured that God is with you, and everything will be okay. I have never seen the righteous forsaken, or their seed begging bread. Trust in God.

Religion or relationship-stunning definition

I heard a stunning definition of religion. Religion is man's interpretation of how to please God. The more I thought about this, the more I understood. This is why there are so many different denominations and ways to follow Jesus. Each branch has a root in the Word, and trys to create a roadmap to reach God.

I also heard the definition of relationship. Relationship is what God wants with His people. Relationship is a covenenat between God and me in which each of us commits to the other, and pledges to give all we have to each other and to the generations that belong to us.

I really don't have anything to give to God, but as I develop in our covenant relationship, I am increased, enlarged, and enabled to give to those whom God also has covenant with.

Honestly, in a true covenant relationship, God is well able to lead us in His direction as we give ourselves over to Him.

God always care for us

God always cares for us. God always amazes me. I have been out of a job for nine months, submitting as many as sixteen applications a day, getting some interviews, but no offers. After a certain age, employers are reticent to hire a person, health costs are too expensive, and they can get younger people cheaper.

Now here's my favorite: BUT GOD...... I recevied a phone call from a company owner who found me on Monster, and now I have a job. I did nothing to get this job, the job came to me.

This is how it is with God. We have really nothing to offer, only sin, bad attitudes, broken spirits, sad lives, pride, etc. But God says "That's okay. I have everything. I love you, and, because I love you, this is an even trade. Your trust for my love."

With God all things are possible

I was thinking about Jesus last night. Jesus was flesh and blood, yet He had the ability to understand God and submit to God's plan. How did He do that?

I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, a miracle mix of a human egg fertilized by the Spirit. He had God's chromosomes. I imagined Jesus standing, and a bolt of light was filling His head. It may seem kind of simple, but as I thought of this I thought of Jesus' sacrifice and the strength it took to submit to the nails, the cross, and death. I remembered He did that for me.

Jesus sacrifice enables me to have a bolt of light entering my head, overcoming the struggles with unbelief, pride, and selfishness. As the light enters my body, I am changed: I received God's chromosomes. Since I am just a little lady, I shake at the thought.

What in the world can I do to be worthy of this? I understand there is nothing I can do but let the light fill me up, listen attentively, and be willing. It's a simple thing.

Doomsday preppers: How ready are they

I have been watching the National Geographic show “Doomsday Preppers.” I wonder how ready they really are. The individuals stockpile food, water and other supplies, practice shooting at gun ranges, and have bug-out drills. Some plan for an economic collapse, others for extreme natural disasters, but rarely do I see them plan for a real future after the event they dread occurs.


What happens after they survive? Most individuals are making isolation plans with a few friends or family members. I am intrigued with the combat drills, and wonder whom they plan to fight. Most mention marauding motorcycle gangs and wild thieves. But are they prepared to shoot a mother with an infant and a toddler looking for food and shelter, or the family with young children who have run out of their stockpiles, and are looking for shelter and other survivors.

What kind of world will they build in the aftermath? From what I can tell, it is one where the prepper’s family survives by shooting everyone else. So what kind of life is that?

I do believe the families do need to prepare for natural disasters by developing a plan to be self-sufficient during a crisis. We have seen the lack of planning and preparedness that occurred during Katrina. People should keep a supply of canned goods (which also contain drinkable liquid), dried foods, flashlights, batteries, a heat source that can be safely operated, medical supplies, etc. Families should have a plan to stay in touch, or meet up locations and safe words.

But if people are really so concerned about mass prepping, it is best to establish a survival community that includes carpenters, nurses, hunters, and others with contributing talents. The community should not be implosive or exclusive, and it’s best to have a contingency plan to include at least 50 to 100 folks who did not plan. After all, what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?

For the earth to continue it will take a community of survivors working together, not locked down in a bug-out location.

What happens when I receive Jesus as my Lord?

I was talking with my brother about what it means to follow God. Following Jesus is like living parallel to the reasoning and attitude of current society. It's similar to walking in an alternate dimension while walking through life.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come." (2 Cor. 5:17) But, therein lies the rub. "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matt 9:16-17)

When we willingly acknowledge and accept Christ, we are born again. Yet, we still have the thoughts and attitudes from out upbringing. The next thing is to submit to Christ. We let God work in us to teach us how to live and operate in our new reality.

The best way I can describe the journey:

When settlers came to a new country, their vision was a large farmland with fruitful crops. The land they chose was filled with trees, rocks, grass, and weeds. The land had to be formed into the field. This was not a quick process; it required a lot of work. The trees and stumps had to removed, the rocks cleared, and the grasses and weeds uprooted.

First, the farmer felled the trees and dug up the stumps. As this happened, more rocks appeared. The rocks were gathered off the fields. Then the farmer used the plough, beginning to till the land. This unearthed more rocks, and clumps of grasses. As he cleared the tilled rocks and pulled the weeds, more rocks and ground debris. The farmer continued the process until the land was smooth enough to begin planting the new crop.

But that was not the end. Each day, the farmer walked his field, pulling out new weeds and grasses. Sometimes this meant pulling out some of the plant seedlings and replanting.

Learning to follow God is a process. The good thing is we are the field, and He is the farmer. In the analogy of the settlers, the only thing that didn't "work" was the land. The land didn't fight the farmer; rather it yielded to the farmer's will.

This is the Christian's part in the process.

• Acknowledge your sins and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. 
• Choose one book from the Bible to read.
• Before you begin reading, ask God to teach you, and help you listen. 
• Ask God to bring some older Christians into your life to help you learn. 
• Listen to instruction. However, after hearing, find the same thing in the Word of God. If what you heard isn't there, tell God, and just tuck away the information. 
• Remember, you are the land, not the farmer. Yield to God. Seek Him to discover the areas of your life that He wants to change. 
• Guard your salvation, and rely on God. Men always fail, but God never does.