He Cares for You!

Good morning to all on this last Sunday of May 2013. This year is really going by quickly, however Waine and I both remark that the older we get, the more times flies. Aleron will be officially an Internist on June 7th. Talking about how time flies. He has taken a position as a hospitalist for Kaiser Permanente in Atlanta. Thank you all for your prayers for our family. A friend of ours once said, "If you have God, family and friends, you may stumble but will ever hit the ground". Truer words were never spoken.

 

I am continuing in 1 Peter 5 verses 1-14 "To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve;  not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”  Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that  He may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.  Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.  She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ." Amen and may God add a blessing and hearing to the hearing and reading of His Word.

 

I wake up most mornings at 4 AM. Its my time to think and commune with God before the hustle and bustle of each day. I frequently listen to Joyce Meyers for my devotion and one of her constant themes is that GOD CARES FOR YOU--US. When she preaches about this subject she does so with so much conviction that I am convicted when I am anxious, and these days I become convicted when I am anxious for anything. She has learned to "Cast all her anxieties on the Lord for she knows that He cares for her"! I was reflecting on my behavior when I feel cared for--I feel secure and comfortable because I don't have to worry about the details of life. This hallmark, "worrying about the details" is what adults do. Adults have to "know"; we have to be in control; we have to control the details. Or do we?? God tells us to be "childlike"; to be trusting in His ability to handle the details because He cares for us! When we have a need we are to lay it at His feet and go about our life "just as if" what we prayed for has already come to pass. An example Joyce Meyers gave last week demonstrates what I am talking about. She needed 12 hand towels and a skillet. She prayed and asked God for 12 hand towels and a skillet. Someone attending her Bible study knocked on her door one day and said "I don't want you to think I am insane, but God laid it on my heart to buy you 12 hand towels! Hallelujah! The reason I rejoice is because that's how I pray. When you trust in God's power you are never nebulous in your praying. You see I think Christians pray nebulously because they secretly FEAR that God will not answer your prayers. But that is not what Matthew 7:7 says. Mathew 7:7 says " Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you"! Hallelujah, thank you Lord!

 

I am never disappointed with the Lord. I sometimes get inpatient but never disappointed. The more I trust and expect, the more freedom I have to ENJOY my life!  Lessons for life, Trust, Obey, Expect and Enjoy!!  Have a GREAT SUNDAY.

 

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace! Amen.

 

Stephanie

 

Love Covers!

Happy Sunday to all. Waine and I are happy to be in Atlanta among all of our familiar memories. It is a rare treat now that we are able to squirrel away to Atlanta. The flowers in Atlanta are in full bloom. We were able too dine in one of our more favorite restaurants, Niko Bistro. If you are in Atlanta you should try it. We also went to worship at our former church home, Providence Missionary Baptist Church. They have a new young minister and a lot of the members who left have come back. I think God is going to take care of the church.

 

I am continuing my journey with Peter, 1 Peter 4, verses 1-19 "Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.  As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.  For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.  They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.  Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.  Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.  If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.  If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?  And, if it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?  So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. Amen and may God add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Holy Word.

 

What an awesome concept. Love Covers!! Christ Covers!! Because Christ loves us He made the ultimate sacrifice out of Love for past, present and future generations of humans who continue to be fashioned in the image of the Creator. When we sin, since Christ has already made the sacrifice, He stands in our stead in front of God the Father and what God sees is the Perfect Love of Christ. What an awesome thought! The Love of Christ covers all of our faults.  So why is it that some Christians determine that they cannot cover the faults of others, especially fellow Christians. There are those of us who profess to have a faith  in God and never cover the faults of others. They are score keepers. Remember the servant who owed his master a $1 million dollars. When the Master was going to put him in jail, the servant pleaded with the master for mercy and the master forgave the servant. When the servant's friend failed to reimburse this silly man his $10.00, this silly man put his friend in jail. Truly this servant neither understood grace or mercy, so was put in prison by his master. Likewise as Christians, if we cannot forgive and cover the faults of others, when our sins have been wiped clean our Master in Heaven is grieved by our childish behavior. We can never repay the debt that has been wiped clean by our Savior so the least we can do is be Christ like in our willingness to forgive and think the best.

 

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

 

Stephanie

 

 



Good  morning to all on this glorious Sunday morning. Waine and I are in Hawkinsville with sore backs because the bed at the Best Western is horrible! Needless to say I am not in the "best" spirit at the Best Western but as I look on the Mother's Day bouquet I have from Freddie, Tracy, Kai and Hailie, I smile. I had left it at home but my thoughtful husband brought it here for me. A shout out to all the mothers out there--Happy Mother's Day. It's GREAT to be a mother and I am blessed to have four wonderful children that allows me to have that title.

 

I am continuing my journey in 1 Peter 3 1-22 " Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the Word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands,  like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.  For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?  But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.  After being made alive, He went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to Him."  Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

 

Peter is providing instructions to the early Christian church so that their behavior could be distinguished from that of the Romans and Jews that they lived among. The lesson here for me is that we are not to live by responding to situations and people, but live because Christ sacrificed all for us. The hustle and bustle of each day can REALLY distract you and mess with your peace. In our day and age of emails, if you wake up and start reading them they can mess with your peace as  mine did this morning. I am up trying to start this blog and ruminating about some emails I received. What's the lesson--keep your mind and heart on Christ all day. Just think the best and the best will happen. I have been practicing this a lot for the past several weeks. When certain people do things that are objectionable, instead of thinking the worst I actively pray for their success, even though my natural tendency is to wish for the contrary. I am doing it as a behavior even though  my spirit has not kept up with the behavior. I know that as I keep practicing my spirit will catch up. You know you just have to be obedient. You don't have to understand it or like, just do it. Submit your will to that of the Holy Spirit and one day you will wake up and your spirit will have caught up with your behavior. So today the lesson for me is just to submit.

 

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

 

Stephanie



By His Wounds You Have Been Healed!

Good morning to all on this 1st Sunday in May. In fact it is Cinco de Mayo, or the Mexican Independence Day. Waine and I are in Thomaston and it rained all day yesterday so I had my husband home on a Saturday which was very nice but weird as my beloved can be found on a golf course somewhere if its Saturday. We were able to have lunch together and he even went with me to the nail salon and enjoyed a peicure wit me! All is well with us and because we are best friends we can just han toether! We saw the Orlando grandchildren last weekend as Tracy and Freddie celebrated their 6th anniversary. Boy time flies; it just seems like yesterday that we were in St. Petersberg to celebrate with them at eir wedding!

 

I am continuing my journey in 1 Peter 2 verses 1-25 " Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to Him, the Living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to Him  you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a Stone in Zion, a chosen and precious Cornerstone, and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame. Now to you who believe, this Stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The Stone the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone,” and, “A Stone that causes people to stumble and a Rock that makes them fall. They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.  But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 

 

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us. Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.  Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.  He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.” When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by His wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,”but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. " Amen and may the the Lord add a Blessing to the hearing and reading of His Word.

 

By His Wounds you have been healed! What a statement--you have to just shout hallelujah. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin, took on our sin, so that we might have eternal life. What more can be said. That says it all. Now this is being written by Peter who denied Jesus 3 times because of his own arrogance and fear. Peter, because of his own arrogance, never "got" Jesus--Peter was always projecting his own image of what Jesus should be and never embraced who Jesus was until the very end when Peter put it all together. See in God's timing He doesn't care when you "get" it, He only cares that you do "get" it. You see, Peter was looking for the Lion of Judah and Peter interpreted Jesus not as a lion but a lamb--so Peter denied Jesus just as Jesus predicted. This is the same Peter who walked on the sea of Galilee with Jesus. This is the same Peter who Christ declared as the rock on which His church would be built.  So how can God use such flawed people?  Because Jesus "gets" us! Jesus doesn't look at our actions--He looks at our hearts. When the disciples were asked by Jesus, "who do men say I am" remember it was Peter and only Peter who answered "You are the Christ! The Messiah!" Could this be the same Peter who denied Christ 3 times. Yes! We are all like Peter. When we are in the Spiritual Sanctity of God's love we are bold and enlightened. When we  choose to dwell in the realm of our own strength Satan can create fear with thoughts of doubt which can quickly over take us. When you are being assailed by the "winds and  waves" of life, that's when you should look up and out so that you can see Christ and rise above the winds and waves and meet Jesus at the foot of the Cross where you laid down your sins. You are then a new creation; a new person because you have your eye on Him and not on your own self.

 

By His wounds you have been healed. By His wound you have been healed. By His wounds you are victorious. If you are not "feeling" victorious you are like the Peter who denied Christ. Get out of yourself and become the Peter who trusted and obeyed and walked the winds and waves to meet Jesus. Hallelujah. If you are not lifted up today it is because you won't let go of the weights that you have taken up. Let them go and be blessed.

 

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you  and give you peace.

 

Stephanie