2018 GOD with US!

Another cold and glorious morning! I am ALIVE!

The question for all us living, breathing folks is simple: How do I make this world a better place because of my life?

The only way for each of us to make this world better is for each person to fulfill their own place.

And how do you do that? Simply, be YOU!

YOU are unique. No one else can fill YOUR place and YOU cannot fill anyone else’s place.  So…

Seek The Lord. Call on Him.

Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. ~ Isaiah 55:6

The great thing is that the Lord is always near because He dwells in us through the power and presence of His Holy Spirit.  God’s Spirit is the very essence of who He is and He wants to fill each of us with His presence!  The truth of this is vastly beyond my ability to fully comprehend, yet I know it is the truth!  How?  Because I experience the joy of His presence in my life every single day!

This truth is the reality of what we just celebrated at Christmas.

Jesus left the splendor and majesty of Heaven to come to earth. God Incarnate. He was born as a baby–fully human and fully divine. Jesus  came as Emmanuel–God with us.  He grew up, lived his life, had siblings and worked. He began ministering to people. He selected His disciples; a group of regular people, much like you and me. He walked, talked, taught, ate and slept. He healed the sick and delivered the afflicted. He also prayed, wept and mourned over the condition of mankind. Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us.

He gave Himself. He is the only One worthy–completely free of sin, spot or blemish–to be offered as The Sacrifice on our behalf. He died. He was buried. He rose from the dead. His disciples saw Him as the resurrected, risen Savior. Before He ascended to Heaven, He made a promise to send a Comforter. That Comforter is the very essence of Himself, His Holy Spirit, who dwells within us.

Jesus, through the power and presence of His Holy Spirit, is still Emmanuel, God with us because He dwells within us!! Click To Tweet

What’s more is that I(we) did not have to ask Him to make this sacrifice. He chose to give Himself before I knew I needed Him.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit–fruit that will last–and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.        ~John 15:16

He promises to be near to us, to reveal His presence to us when we ask.  We are taught this from the apostle James when he stated, ”Come near to God and he will come near to you.”  He goes on to tell us we can be clean before the Lord when we, through the blood of Jesus, “Wash our [your] hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:8)

When I seek Him and draw myself near to Him;

He will draw near to me and direct my path.

He will show me His will and purpose for my life.

He will enable be to produce the fruit that will last. Love.Joy.Peace. Patience.Kindness.Goodness.Gentleness.Faithfulness.Self-control. (Galatians 5:22)

He will inspire me to move forward to fulfill that purpose.

It’s time. Let’s go!!

 

Destiny~One Step at a Time

I had the most wonderful conversation with my friend, Ellen, this morning.  When we first connected, we became walking buddies.  Each walk required added distance and steps to the previous because we needed more time to visit.
From the moment of our first meeting, Ellen and I knew we shared a kindred spirit (Thank you, Janis, for connecting us!).  We can talk over anything we are dealing with or struggling through, and feed encouragement to one another over every aspect of our lives.
Today, we met at a local coffee spot, Urbana Coffee Works (BTW, if you’re in the Amarillo, Texas area and haven’t been, you need to try it!)  It had been quite a while since Ellen and I had conversed more than an occasional text or Facebook greeting, so we were overdue a good heart-to-heart conversation.
While enjoying our delicious hot beverages, we talked for more than two hours about recent occurrences in our personal lives, the discipline of prayer and Bible study, the work of ministry, and the direction the Lord is leading each of us.
Although we both are taking on new adventures, personally and professionally, Ellen’s life will also take her to a new residence nearly 1,400 miles from me.  Still, our kindred friendship will remain heart-to-heart.
 
Isn’t it interesting when our plan meets with God’s, it rarely takes us where we thought we were headed?
We have an idea of what our life’s direction will be. Then as we place our lives and our trust in the Lord, He moves upon our hearts, directs our thoughts, molds us more and more into His image, and orders our steps, directing us toward the destiny He has planned and purposed for us.
 
I will miss the walks and coffee meetings with Ellen and am thankful for airplanes and good roadways!  I also know this:  Our GOD is good, merciful, gracious, and kind. HE NEVER takes us in the wrong direction!
 
“A man’s steps are established by the LORD, and He takes pleasure in his way.” Psalm 37:23
“A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
Blessings to my friend as she traverses new ground prepared for her by our AWESOME GOD!~~Leah