Monday, January 25, 2010
I Love God's Confirmation!
God blew me away this weekend as I attended the Siesta SMT Celebration in Houston, Texas. SMT stands for Scripture Memorization Team and the Siesta, well look on Beth's blog for an explanation. Beth Moore challenged her blog readers to memorize two Scriptures per month beginning in January 2009. Those of us who accepted her challenge would log on to her blog on the 1st and 15th of each month, type our Scripture, its reference, and our name and town. We each chose the verses we personally wanted to memorize. (This fact will be important as you read further in this post.) Months into the challenge, Beth decided she would host a celebration for those completing the challenge.
I immediately knew I wanted to attend this celebration, but would it work out for me to go? As the time drew nearer to register, I looked for someone to attend with me. I only knew one lady in Tupelo who was completing the challenge and she could not go. My husband volunteered to drive me because he wanted me to go, but did not want me to fly alone to Houston and have to get a taxi, etc. So my journey began.
As the day drew near, I began to question whether I was supposed to go, after all it was a long way for a short weekend. As soon as the celebration began, I received my answer. Don't you just love God's confirmation?! Travis Cottrell began our praise and worship time with "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God . . . . ." (Based on 1 Timothy 1:17 - one of my memory verses.) As Beth began to teach, her Scripture reference was from Psalm 119. My Sunday School Class has been reading through this longest chapter in the Bible during the month of January and I had pondered the thought of teaching through this Psalm. I couldn't believe it!
As Beth taught and read from the passage in Psalm 119, she read verses 10 and 11 - another of my memory verses. "I seek you with all my heart. Do not let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You." She could not possibly read all 176 verses from the chapter so it amazed me that she read these particular verses.
As Beth closed in prayer on Friday night, she referred to a passage in Isaiah which just happened to be another of my memory verses. "The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught." (Isaiah 50:4)
On Saturday morning, Beth read another of my memory verses as she began to teach from Psalm 119. "Your statutes are my heritage forever, they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping Your decrees to the very end." (verses 111-112)
God sent me two new friends, Judith and Lisha, who adopted me for the weekend. We shared a cab to and from the hotel to First Baptist Church, so Eddie did not have to get the car out of the parking garage and take me and pick me up. He got to relax in a very beautiful hotel - the Omni - hear FBC, Houston. I would definitely recommend it. Judith and Lisha were a blessing to me. During our Scripture share time on Saturday, we quoted our memory verses to each other. It was something to see 507 ladies quoting God's Word to each other!
This past year has been a blessing as I have quoted these verses every morning. Many of them were said as praises back to the Lord. When I would awaken in the night and could not go back to sleep, I would begin quoting my verses in my mind. Most of the time, I would fall asleep after quoting several. I only remember one time that I quoted all of them and started over before I fell asleep.
These are memories I will never forget. God's Word will always be in my heart and these twenty-four passages will always be extra-special to me.
Did I forget to mention that Eddie and I had a great time together traveling to Houston and back? When Eddie said, "We have really had a good time," I knew God had intended for us to go to Houston, Texas on January 22, 2010. I love God's confirmation!!
I immediately knew I wanted to attend this celebration, but would it work out for me to go? As the time drew nearer to register, I looked for someone to attend with me. I only knew one lady in Tupelo who was completing the challenge and she could not go. My husband volunteered to drive me because he wanted me to go, but did not want me to fly alone to Houston and have to get a taxi, etc. So my journey began.
As the day drew near, I began to question whether I was supposed to go, after all it was a long way for a short weekend. As soon as the celebration began, I received my answer. Don't you just love God's confirmation?! Travis Cottrell began our praise and worship time with "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God . . . . ." (Based on 1 Timothy 1:17 - one of my memory verses.) As Beth began to teach, her Scripture reference was from Psalm 119. My Sunday School Class has been reading through this longest chapter in the Bible during the month of January and I had pondered the thought of teaching through this Psalm. I couldn't believe it!
As Beth taught and read from the passage in Psalm 119, she read verses 10 and 11 - another of my memory verses. "I seek you with all my heart. Do not let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You." She could not possibly read all 176 verses from the chapter so it amazed me that she read these particular verses.
As Beth closed in prayer on Friday night, she referred to a passage in Isaiah which just happened to be another of my memory verses. "The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught." (Isaiah 50:4)
On Saturday morning, Beth read another of my memory verses as she began to teach from Psalm 119. "Your statutes are my heritage forever, they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping Your decrees to the very end." (verses 111-112)
God sent me two new friends, Judith and Lisha, who adopted me for the weekend. We shared a cab to and from the hotel to First Baptist Church, so Eddie did not have to get the car out of the parking garage and take me and pick me up. He got to relax in a very beautiful hotel - the Omni - hear FBC, Houston. I would definitely recommend it. Judith and Lisha were a blessing to me. During our Scripture share time on Saturday, we quoted our memory verses to each other. It was something to see 507 ladies quoting God's Word to each other!
This past year has been a blessing as I have quoted these verses every morning. Many of them were said as praises back to the Lord. When I would awaken in the night and could not go back to sleep, I would begin quoting my verses in my mind. Most of the time, I would fall asleep after quoting several. I only remember one time that I quoted all of them and started over before I fell asleep.
These are memories I will never forget. God's Word will always be in my heart and these twenty-four passages will always be extra-special to me.
Did I forget to mention that Eddie and I had a great time together traveling to Houston and back? When Eddie said, "We have really had a good time," I knew God had intended for us to go to Houston, Texas on January 22, 2010. I love God's confirmation!!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
God Is In All and Over All
God is in all and over all. That's a short explanation of the sovereignty of God. I am trying to get a better grasp of this truth about the God we serve, but I only have a glimpse of this monumental certainty.
God's sovereignty does not mean that everything that occurs in the world is His will because He has given us a free will and the freedom of choice. The Holman Bible Dictionary states: "The sovereignty of God involves God's self-limitation in order that His creation might choose freedom in Him." He lets us make the choice to choose Him. He never forces Himself on anyone. Yet, nothing ever happens to us that He has not allowed or caused - He is in all and over all.
When you study the book of Ruth, you get a glimpse of the sovereignty of God. It most likely was not God's perfect will for an Israelite man, Elimelech, to go the the pagan country of Moab when the famine hit Bethlehem, but God used those circumstances to bring about His plan. A young Moabite woman named Ruth married one of Elimelech's sons (Mahlon) while they sojourned in Moab. Elimelech's wife, Naomi, lost her husband and both of her sons while in Moab and then returned home to Bethlehem.
Ruth, one of Naomi's daughters-in-law, traveled back to Bethlehem with her and made a commitment to Naomi and Naomi's God. The sovereignty of God is written all over the life of Ruth as God took this young girl from a pagan country and placed her in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. ("Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth." (Matthew 1:5b)
When you think nothing is going as you planned (and I suspect that Ruth and Naomi had those thoughts), remember if you are God's child, God is at work. In His sovereignty, He is always at work even when we cannot see His hand orchestrating events.
When you reflect on your life, I hope you see the sovereignty of God written all over it. Watch Him place you in certain places at certain times and remember that is a small glimpse of His sovereignty. What a comfort to focus on the sovereignty of our God!
"One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:6)
Serving Him,
Kay Martin
God's sovereignty does not mean that everything that occurs in the world is His will because He has given us a free will and the freedom of choice. The Holman Bible Dictionary states: "The sovereignty of God involves God's self-limitation in order that His creation might choose freedom in Him." He lets us make the choice to choose Him. He never forces Himself on anyone. Yet, nothing ever happens to us that He has not allowed or caused - He is in all and over all.
When you study the book of Ruth, you get a glimpse of the sovereignty of God. It most likely was not God's perfect will for an Israelite man, Elimelech, to go the the pagan country of Moab when the famine hit Bethlehem, but God used those circumstances to bring about His plan. A young Moabite woman named Ruth married one of Elimelech's sons (Mahlon) while they sojourned in Moab. Elimelech's wife, Naomi, lost her husband and both of her sons while in Moab and then returned home to Bethlehem.
Ruth, one of Naomi's daughters-in-law, traveled back to Bethlehem with her and made a commitment to Naomi and Naomi's God. The sovereignty of God is written all over the life of Ruth as God took this young girl from a pagan country and placed her in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. ("Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth." (Matthew 1:5b)
When you think nothing is going as you planned (and I suspect that Ruth and Naomi had those thoughts), remember if you are God's child, God is at work. In His sovereignty, He is always at work even when we cannot see His hand orchestrating events.
When you reflect on your life, I hope you see the sovereignty of God written all over it. Watch Him place you in certain places at certain times and remember that is a small glimpse of His sovereignty. What a comfort to focus on the sovereignty of our God!
"One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:6)
Serving Him,
Kay Martin
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Friendship
God created us as relational beings (to have relationships). Our relationship with Him is the most important relationship in our lives but we also have a need that is fulfilled in friendship. The right kind of relationships/friendships will help our relationship with God because the better we relate to our friends, the better we relate to God. I might also add that the better our relationship is with God, the better it will be with our friends.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 - "Two are better than one . . . . . . If one falls down, his friend can help him up . . . . . . Friends are an important aspect of our lives. They make us better beings. They help us know ourselves better.
Selwyn Hughes makes an excellent point in his devotional book Every Day Light. He warns that we are not to be friendly just to gain a friend because that is the wrong motive - it is self-centered. His point is that we must desire to be a friend more than we desire to gain a friend.
Many years ago, my husband and I were transferred to Tupelo, MS and I was lonely with 2 young children. I prayed for God to send me a friend and He brought Proverbs 18:24 (KJV)to my mind. "A man that hath friends must show himself friendly." I was very shy and I had not been very friendly. I knew the Lord was telling me I would have to be friendly if I wanted friends.
Be friendly! Be more interested in being a friend than in gaining a friend. I think you will be rewarded. I was!
Serving Him,
Kay Martin
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 - "Two are better than one . . . . . . If one falls down, his friend can help him up . . . . . . Friends are an important aspect of our lives. They make us better beings. They help us know ourselves better.
Selwyn Hughes makes an excellent point in his devotional book Every Day Light. He warns that we are not to be friendly just to gain a friend because that is the wrong motive - it is self-centered. His point is that we must desire to be a friend more than we desire to gain a friend.
Many years ago, my husband and I were transferred to Tupelo, MS and I was lonely with 2 young children. I prayed for God to send me a friend and He brought Proverbs 18:24 (KJV)to my mind. "A man that hath friends must show himself friendly." I was very shy and I had not been very friendly. I knew the Lord was telling me I would have to be friendly if I wanted friends.
Be friendly! Be more interested in being a friend than in gaining a friend. I think you will be rewarded. I was!
Serving Him,
Kay Martin
Monday, January 4, 2010
CLEAN OUT, THROW AWAY, KEEP, SIMPLIFY
Whew! Just finished cleaning out the pantry. It's New Year's Day - a great day to start cleaning out, throwing away, and just generally simplifying my life. I began in my walk-in pantry. It's not huge, but it is large enough that it sometimes looks like a small grocery store. I frequently cook, so I like to keep ingredients on hand so a trip to the grocery store isn't necessary too often. As I cleaned, straightened, and organized my shelves, I checked for outdated items. Shocked, I was! I had a number of old dates on canned goods, boxes, etc. How long had it been since I had completed a thorough cleaning of my pantry?!!
You might imagine that I began to think about what I needed to clean out in my life. I began to ask myself - what do I need to get rid of, what do I need to clean up, what do I need to keep, and how can I simplify my life? At times, I try to do too much - too many different things - so I have been asking God what He wants me to keep and how does He want me to simplify my life. What does God want me to do with the resources with which He has equipped me?
God has a plan for my life and yours. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 29:11) How can we find God's plan for our lives? I think the verses following this verse shed some light on the question. "Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you." (Jeremiah 29:12-14a)
As I organized my pantry, I made decisions of what to keep and what to throw away. I need to do the same in my life, but it is not as simple as looking for a date on a can or a box. I need God to show me. Is it time for reflection and inventory? Is it time to seek God with all our hearts? Oh, yes! We have a whole new year in front of us so let's ask Him what He wants us to do with it.
Prayer: Lord, what do You want me to clean out, throw away, keep, and/or simplify in my life? Help me seek you with all my heart in 2010.
Serving Him,
Kay Martin
Note: Now on to closets, drawers, cabinets, etc.!! Wonder what all I will find?
You might imagine that I began to think about what I needed to clean out in my life. I began to ask myself - what do I need to get rid of, what do I need to clean up, what do I need to keep, and how can I simplify my life? At times, I try to do too much - too many different things - so I have been asking God what He wants me to keep and how does He want me to simplify my life. What does God want me to do with the resources with which He has equipped me?
God has a plan for my life and yours. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 29:11) How can we find God's plan for our lives? I think the verses following this verse shed some light on the question. "Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you." (Jeremiah 29:12-14a)
As I organized my pantry, I made decisions of what to keep and what to throw away. I need to do the same in my life, but it is not as simple as looking for a date on a can or a box. I need God to show me. Is it time for reflection and inventory? Is it time to seek God with all our hearts? Oh, yes! We have a whole new year in front of us so let's ask Him what He wants us to do with it.
Prayer: Lord, what do You want me to clean out, throw away, keep, and/or simplify in my life? Help me seek you with all my heart in 2010.
Serving Him,
Kay Martin
Note: Now on to closets, drawers, cabinets, etc.!! Wonder what all I will find?
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