Jesus- our "star pitcher"

Confidence: firm belief or trust

This morning at breakfast we were reading from book called Created for Work.  The chapter was called "Confidence".  In this chapter the author told about his experience playing baseball as a kid.  Most of the time he had a hard time hitting the ball, but one day, when they were playing against on of the best teams, he hit every ball like a pro!  His coach asked, "What's happened to you?"  Why, when they were up against the best, could he hit every ball?  Confidence!  He realized that when their star pitcher threw the ball, he wasn't afraid the ball was going to hit him.  The pitcher was so good, that the ball always came straight across the plate.  With every other team they played against, he feared getting hit by the ball, and therefore couldn't focus on batting.  Because of the confidence he had in the star pitcher, he was able to performed at his best!

What do we put our confidence in?  Often times, as a mother, I will put my confidence in myself, thinking that if I do enough things right my children will grow up to serve the Lord.  But it isn't long before I loose confidence in myself!  I get angry, lazy, tired, and fail to be a good example to my children.  Then I get discouraged and think, "If only I could do more things right!".  But even if I did everything perfectly, I don't have the power or ability to make that decision for my children.  Only God can change their heart!  My confidence must be in Him!  When it is, I am free from fear and can perform at my best! :)

"All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God." 

Anonymous

"For the Lord shall be thy confidence and shall keep they foot from being taken." 

 (Proverbs 3:26)

Read and Follow!

I had the weirdest dream last night.  There was this woman who was going around exposing herself to the public.  As I approached her, I covered her and found out from talking to her that she called herself a Christian.  Then I asked her, as my blood started to boil,  "Do you know what it means to be a Christian?"  I said it again to her only louder the second time.  As I spoke all these inquisitive people started to gather around.  Then I shouted it again, "DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN?!"  The woman just sat there staring at me.  The people that had gathered around were all wide-eyed, prodding me to tell them.  Then I said, "If you are a Christian, you read God's Word and follow it!  It's that simple...You read God's Word and do what it says!"  Then I asked the woman, "Do you know what it means when the Bible says, "Let not your nakedness be made known?"  She kinda rolled her eyes at me and said of course she knew what it meant.  Then I started lecturing her again and telling her that she needed to do what God's Word said.

Suddenly I was awakened by a bad storm.  The wind hit the window and both Mike and I jumped up in bed.  As the wind howled, I lie there thinking about my dream.  You know, there are many people who think that because they go to church, they are a Christian.  Others believe that since they are nice people, who do what is right, they are Christians.  And some think that all Americans are Christians...like we are all going to heaven together on some wide happy road....WRONG!

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Matthew 7:13-14

There are men and women who stand in the pulpits of churches, calling themselves Christians and yet will tell you that the Bible is not true...or parts of the Bible are not true!  Those people are worshipping a god that they have made up in their mind.  They are not followers of the God of the Bible.

I am sorry, but if you do not read God's Word and follow it, you are not a Christian.  Plain and simple!

Now, to help you understand the heart of what I am saying here, I must add that reading your Bible doesn't make you a Christian in and of itself.   You must be born again, as you will read in God's Word.  For more information on that see my page titled "Are You Good Enough to go to Heaven?"

Is Anyone Speaking Evil About You?

"If I were fruitless, it mattered not who commended me, but if I were fruitful, I cared not who condemned."

John Bunyan

Critics are like toothaches, most of us have had one or two in our life.  They can help us to see our blind spots in life, which can be a real blessing, but if we are not careful, they can be used by the enemy to breed self-pity, hopelessness and an ungodly sorrow.  True conviction from the Lord will bring godly sorrow, which leads to repentance, but worldly sorrow brings death. 

  

We think to ourselves, "This is terrible, here I call myself a Christian and there are people who don't like me!  I am such a bad testimony!  EVERYONE should think I am wonderful...how else will I draw people to the Lord?  Boy, I have really let the Lord down, and the Christian community!  I should just stop professing Christ so I don't cause people to stumble!"  Hold on a minute!!  Jesus said, "Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake."  The key word here is FALSELY!  If the mean things people say about you are FALSE, then you are blessed!

When someone criticizes us, we need to ask the Lord to show us the truth in it, and then deal with making things right...like asking for forgiveness.  If there is no truth in it, then we should not hang on to guilt or condemnation!  Let it go!  If you have a clear conscience and there is nothing between you and the Savior, rejoice!

 

Something to think about...If you think you are following the Lord with your whole heart, and nobody is speaking any evil against you, falsely, then you may want to check your walk!  The righteousness and holiness of the Lord IS offensive to the devil and his children!  Jesus was constantly offending the ungodly, yet He lived a SINLESS life....HELLO!  If we would really meditate on that fact, we would not be so heartbroken when people speak bad about us for doing what is RIGHT!  Jesus was perfect and they hated Him!!!

Do not let the condemnation that brings death distract you from the work the Lord has for you!  Keep doing what He has shown you to do and don't second guess yourself!  You are blessed!  Rejoice! :)

Journaling With Your Children

About ten years ago, I started a journal with Emily where we would write notes back and forth to each other.  I would write to her and leave the journal on her bed and then she would write back and leave the journal on my bed.  We didn't write every day, just when we had something on our heart to say to the other person.

Sometimes there would be a scripture verse that I wanted to share with her, other times it was just something that she did during the day that blessed me that I wanted her to know about.  We wrote many thank you notes to each other and even drew some pictures. :)

Just last night, I found our journal sitting on my bed.  Emily had written me a sweet note about how something I had done during the day had really blessed and encourage her.  After I read her note, I started paging through the journal.  The first thing I noticed was that we only had one page left!  Time for a new journal! :) Tears filled my eyes as I read the rest of the notes in it and remembered all the special times that we have had together.  Even years later, the notes are still such a blessing to read!

Over the years Emily and I have filled several journals.  I just bought another journal today.  They are such treasures!! 

Emily has even started writing journals with her brothers.  They are great relationship builders and they really do not require that much time...in other words, doable for busy moms! :)  We all need encouragement...and it's nice to be appreciated too! :) 

Start a journal today! :)

Thought for the Day - August 9th

"Don't worry be happy!" ...remember that song?  As Christian women we should be happy, not worried!  Why?  Because God is in control!  If we trust in worldly wisdom, we are not trusting God.  When we are in submission to God, we are able to acknowledge that all things are under His divine control. 

Where there is worry, there is no trust! 

Trust Him today!

Romans 8:28