Decisions? Decisions? What Are You Waiting For?

There are times in your life as a Christian that you must make difficult decisions to honor God’s will for your life. They may not be popular ones. Popular world views today often disagree with what the Bible tells us is right. They may be something you don’t want to do. It is hard to break old habits. It is hard to separate for old friends that are bringing you down and making you backslide in your faith. It is hard to stand out from the group because you have made a faithful decision.

Satan often tempts us and then makes us comfortable in our sin, so it is hard to change. Even when we know it is wrong, sometimes the pull is too strong if we try to do it all by ourselves. Just look at all the smokers that honestly want to quit smoking. They know the health risks, but time and time again start back up. Just look at this website to see a list of things people can get addicted to http://www.addictionz.com/addictions.htm

God is there for us. He can be our shield and sword when we include Him in our struggles. 1 Corinthians 10: 12-13 says, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” It does not say you will be able to do it on your own. It says that you can succeed if you trust in God for help.

Some decisions may be ones that totally go against what we had planned for our lives. Sometime we meet someone and think this is it, but God has other plans. Sometimes it is a call to change jobs when we love where we are and don’t want to change. Our plans are not always God’s plans. We have to remember that God sees our whole path and the final destination. We see only what He lets us see. As they say, Hind site is 20/20. How many times have you worried over something or not understood what was going on in your life, only to look back days, weeks, months, or years later to see how God had His hand on the whole situation at all times.

Sometimes God uses these times to test us and to help us grow in our faith. He closes one door for us and then waits on us to get to a certain stage in our lives so He can open the next door. When we merely tread water instead of swimming to the goal God has for us He waits. Sometimes we get scared and pick something closer to us to swim to because we are afraid we can’t make it. This detour can cause all sorts of trouble until we correct our error. Sometimes we even have to get over the fear of getting into the water in the first place, because we can’t see the bottom. It is only when we trust God enough to dive in and swim for the goal that he has planned of us that he opens up that next door and reveals His plans and His blessing for us.

I remember an occasion that this happened to me. It seemed like what God wanted me to do, made absolutely no sense at all. I thought if I do this people will think I am crazy. So I prayed and prayed for what I wanted to happen. Each time I did and each time I talked to people about it, I got a feeling in the pit of my stomach. God was telling me I already had His decision and I needed to trust Him and obey. Finally one night I fell to my knees and gave it all over to God. The next morning I woke up with such a peace inside of me. I knew it did not matter how crazy it seemed it was God’s will and it would be OK.

When I got up that morning I immediately proceeded to do what God wanted me to do. Each time I told someone about my plans and each time I did something to fulfill God’s plan I felt such a peace and joy inside me. Over the next few days all the things that I had fretted about and worried about were all taken care of by God, in a way I can only describe as miracles. He opened the next door.

I remember praying one night praising God and giving thanks. As I was praying I remember thinking, “God I still can’t believe all this. My Heavenly Father how wonderful you are, but what took you so long?” Well the answer came back loud and clear as if God were sitting right next to me. He said, “OH NO! WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?”

Psalms 37:1-6 says, “Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”

Is God waiting on you to make a difficult decision in your life? Is he waiting on you to trust Him enough to just dive in and start swimming? Are you worrying and getting worn out treading water when you should be swimming? As I have said before, “It is not always easy to be a Christian.” The journey from where you are to where God wants you to be can look impossible sometimes. We need to trust God and remember that nothing is impossible with Him. I now have a new saying I tell people when things are rough. “You know the saying, God will never give you more than you can handle?” Well I now add after that, “I just wish He wouldn’t have such confidence in my abilities.” God is great and wonderful. He just believes in tough love.


All In A Year

I sit here alone now to reminisce
To ponder on the past of 2006
Days now gone never to be retrieved
For some I smiled and some I grieved

The sands of time still to trickle on
A new year arrives before the dawn
The past now set under lock and key
With a future ahead I can not see

Nothing I can do can stop the clock
I have no key that can open the lock
My life is now set to His plan and time
It belongs to Him and no longer mine

I’ve had my blessings and my trials
Love found and lost across the miles
My dear mother also passed in peace
Special memories of her never cease

Paths that were traveled abruptly changed
Sadly I accepted love lost and estranged
New direction sought in tearful prayer
Emotions stripped and lied bare

Then God showed me His healing touch
Giving me the peace I longed so much
In 2007 faith shall be my guide
I know my Lord will be at my side

New hopes and dreams now for 2007
Said in prayer and sent to heaven
Waking in the morning to a new year
With God I know no cause for fear

FaithfulToOne © 2006



Patience

Straining to look through the dense foggy mist
For elusive answers I can not see
Decisions made based on only blind faith
Surely God knows His divine plan for me

Temptations seek to make my faith falter
It reaches out clawing deep to take hold
The answers now will never be given
Until it’s His plan for me to be told

My own quick answers have their costly price
When it is not what the Master has planned
The constant fretter’s cost is often high
When he thinks now without God I can stand

Lord I pray for strength and seek divine light
For peace and patience that comforts my soul
I pray waiting on God’s wisdom and grace
It’s only blind faith that gives Him control

FaithfulToOne © 1998

Psalm 37: 7-9
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret- it leads only to evil. 9 For evil men will be cut off but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.



Silent Standing At My Door

Your words abrasive to my heart
Once so full of love and tender
My faith still leads me down a path
That forbids my weak surrender

The sweet verses softly playing
Now sound different from the first
But the message I keep hearing
Still the same one we once rehearsed

With love God beckons wait on Me
Show obedience don’t despair
The picture will be clear with time
Keep your faith strong with hope and prayer

I’ve released my fears and sorrows
Relinquished tears drop in His hands
God’s grace will choose the place and time
To see what’s written in the sands

Your course I’ll shadow with no blame
Though I feel you’re misdirected
A hard journey to forgiveness
Facing trials least expected

Now silent standing at my door
With feelings boding there’s no end
With God all things are possible
I must endure till He amends

FaithfulToOne© 2006

Psalm 37: 5-8
5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. 7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.Psalm 40:1I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.

THE BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL ON THE INTERNET

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Where Is Your Focus and Your Vision Today?

Today as you start your day, where is your focus, your vision. The alarm goes off and the day starts always too soon for me. I hate the sound of the alarm clock. I know that in heaven there will be no annoying alarm clocks. Oh back to my morning. I get up, put the dogs out, run to the restroom, post my blog, get a shower, let the dogs in, check the weather, get dressed, grab a little breakfast, pour a cup of coffee, check my email, fix my hair, etc. As you can see my day can get going pretty quickly. Unless I set a time aside each morning for my devotion with God it is easy for me to lose my focus and my vision with God. That is why I now set my alarm just a little earlier (Hey, I am a night owl type of person but it is worth it!) so that I have time for my morning devotion. It makes a lot of difference in how I start and approach my day. I also listen to His Radio (I have a link to it on this blog) on my way to work. Listening to uplifting Christian music that praises God really puts things in perspective for me (It is great at defusing road rage too if you get stuck in traffic.) When I get to school I go to my classroom and sign in. Before I do anything else I take a moment to say a prayer for the day. All these things that I have now put in my schedule take just a little bit of time but it is worth it because it keeps my focus on God. How many people stop to say grace before they eat lunch anymore? I don’t care if I am at a fast food restaurant, in a school cafeteria, or at home I take that time to give thanks to God for my food and the many other blessings He gives me every day. These little things make a big difference. The Bible tells us we are to put God first in our lives. How do we do that? We do it all day long. It is a way that we live every day not just going to church on Sundays or saying night time prayers. How can you expect to know what God wants or where He is leading if you are only in contact with Him once in a while? When you make time in your schedule you will see a big difference like I did. There is an old hymn Be Thou My Vision and Psalm 91 that inspired me to write the poem I have posted today. Will you make time to let the Lord be your vision too?


Lord Be My Vision

Oh Lord be my vision
Please help me to see
All of the changes
That you’ve made in me
You cast out my demons
To ease all my pains
I’m free from sin’s prison
You’ve broken the chains

Oh Lord be my vision
Now faith guides my eyes
To focus on Heaven
You’ve heard all my cries
Covered with feathers
I’m under your wing
With you I find refuge
Your praises I sing

Oh Lord be my vision
Protector and shield
I fear no more shadows
Now evil must yield
My fortress protects me
The victory is won
My sins all forgiven
Through God’s only son

Oh Lord be my vision
Angels watch over me
Guarding every footstep
The new path I now see
With peace and contentment
True devotion and praise
I pray for that special day
When my soul you will raise

FaithfulToOne © 2006



Be Thou My Vision

Old Irish Hymn dating back to the 8th Century
Go to this website for my information
http://community.gospelcom.net/Brix?pageID=7674

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul's Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge-
10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

Giving God The Tools To Do The Job

Have you ever had the rug pulled out right from under you? If you have or if you are experiencing it right now then you know it is a very devastating experience. Your whole world the way you knew it is changed forever in an instant. You are lost, scared, and in a lot of emotional pain. The experience may come from someone betraying you, from life threatening health issues, from divorce, from the death of a loved one, from the loss of a job, etc. There are different things that can cause this unbelievably stressful time in our lives but the feelings that we deal with are the same. We feel crushed, not knowing where we are going to even find our next breath, or if we even want to sometimes.

I can remember people trying to offer me kind words and encouragement as I was dealing with my divorce. I would smile and thank them. For a moment or for a while I would feel better but then the empty darkness would return and the pain would roll over me again like the tide coming in, flooding me with anguish and desperation.

All that was left was my desperate cry in faith for peace. At first I cried out in faith for peace, but found none. Why was God not answering me? “God you are my only chance! I can’t take this anymore! Please help me!” The problem was I was asking Him to help me but I was not giving Him the tools to do so. How can you expect a surgeon to operate on you and remove the cancer if you don’t give him his scalpel and other tools to do it with?

First we need to throw one tool away. This tool is fear. Fear is Satan’s tool. Fear is the doubt that Satan puts in our mind to mislead us and pull us away from God. Fear is our lack of trust in God’s ability to take care of us and handle what we are going through.

Trust is the first tool we need to turn over to God. How can you expect God to give you peace if you don’t fully trust Him and turn it all over to Him.

Prayer is the next very powerful tool that we need to give to God. We need to keep our connection to God open. How can we expect to be able to deal with things if we do not have a close prayer relationship with God?

Thankfulness is another tool we need to give to God. Yes thankfulness. When we are suffering we often forget or loose sight of the wonderful blessings that we DO have. For me, the one I focused on was my children. If nothing else, I could thank God every day for the blessing of my children. Take time and make a list of your blessings big and small. It may be hard at first to think of them, but after a while it gets easier and more joyful too. Then when you are feeling down you can read over them and offer a prayer of thanks.

The more tools we give to God the more He blesses us. When He blesses us, new tools appear for us to turn over to Him. Hope is one of these tools. When we have faith in God and trust in Him during difficult times we find our hope again. When we turn it over to Him, God fills it up until it is overflowing. Then more tools will appear like peace, contentment, courage, etc. We forget sometimes when we are in pain, that the greatest tool of all is God’s love. To give God this tool to use all we have to do is reach out to Him and call on Him.

You see the real story is that God always had the tools and always will. You just needed to believe this and believe in Him. I have three poems that show the way God can heals us if we trust in Him. They show a progression that I went through. Where are you in your progression today? I pray that you will give God the tools He needs to make you stronger in your walk with Him.



Sound Of Light

Down and at my lowest I take this time to pray
Lord speak to me please
I’m alone now and I don’t know what to say

In silence I wait impatiently listening for Him
Lord speak to me please
The door is open and I want you to come in

FaithfulToOne © 2005


Psalm 37:3-10
3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. 7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. 10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.



Survive

Unable to get a good night’s rest
The weight presses heavy on my chest
It threatens to take my very breath

Can I survive…

A future bleak from all lost hope
Pulls tighter on the noose’s rope
Loneliness choking me inside

Can I survive…

A desperate cry that no one hears
Now all that is shed are silent tears
Defeat shadows with no help in sight

Can I survive…

Depression’s poison flows in my veins
Addicted to my brokenhearted pains
Each new day’s unrest I can’t dissuade

Can I survive…

Exhaustion’s reward shows little peace
I pray each day that this pain will cease
Gripping tightly to my faith I cry

I will survive.

FaithfulToOne © 1998


Psalm 34:15-19
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; 16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;



Safe

My past a whisper in the wind
A tranquil quiet gentle breeze
Gusts no longer howl or blow
God heard my weakening pleas

Angels were sent to block the gales
Through the storms of raining tears
And now like the waters washed away
They have vanquished all my fears

I once stood frayed and frightened
In piercing winds and roaring thunder
Then lightening stuck in raging anger
Its target missed I stood with wonder

Still dazed I felt heaven’s warm embrace
My faith looked up into eyes of love
Safe and secure my head bows in prayer
God has heard me and smiled from above

FaithfulToOne © 2006


Matthew 2: 27
27The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"

Faith Can Be A Tough Pill To Swallow

When I was younger I could never understand why some kids made such a big deal complaining about taking medicine when it meant taking a pill. It was no big deal to me. I could swallow big pills without drinking any water, but some kids would literally gag if they tried to swallow even a tiny pill. If they could eat food why couldn’t they take a pill? Now my “bad medicine” was all that yucky (great descriptive word) foul tasting liquid medicine that would leave an even yuckier (see how well it works) after taste in your mouth. That after taste would take forever to go away. Whenever I would get sick I would try to make deals with the doctors or my parents. If that did not work I would plead (yes I would even stoop to begging) with them to give me pills to take instead of the dreaded liquid medicine. My doctor would usually look at me like I was crazy. He was so used to his pill phobic pediatric patients that he was not sure if I was for real or not. “Listen doctor, I would rather have to swallow big horse pills (That’s what we called those really big pills.) all day than take that gross liquid medicine. Well, it would work sometimes, but unfortunately sometimes the medicine only came in liquid form (I still think they were lying about that one).

My dad would get such a kick out of all the drama, when I would have to take liquid medicine. You know the avoiding, griping, holding the nose, gulping the water afterwards, rolling the eyes, etc. He would continue to tell me that sometimes you just need to deal with things you don’t like if you are going to get better. All the drama just made it worse and prolonged the suffering. He would say, “Just take the medicine! It would have been all done by now if you had just taken the medicine without all the drama.” He was right of course, but just try telling that to a very stubborn, strong-willed, dramatic sick kid. I could only focus on the dreaded medicine and what I was going to do to try to avoid it each time. Hey, I even had the Mary Poppin’s song, A Spoonful of Sugar to validate my struggles. Oh children please don’t take this line of the song literally. Trust me. It does not work. I tried it. Ok, so it was only a case of mind over matter just like taking pills were for other children, but the “matter” back then was always winning the battle. When I finally smartened up and matured I could not believe that I had ever made such a big deal over taking a little spoonful of medicine.

I look back on this part of my childhood now (especially since I had to go through it on the other side with my own children) of course and have a big laugh. But the other day when I started to think of it after I was reading my Bible I started to think about it in a very different light. There are times in our life when we are sick. Not literally sick but sick in our walk with God. God has it all spelled out in the Bible what we have to do to stay well in our walk with Him, but sometimes we just don’t listen or we figure we can push the envelope a bit and still be ok. When we start to get sick (in faith) we often ignore it and continue on with our sinful ways figuring it will just go away. TRUST ME IT WON’T! If we had only nipped the problem in the bud when it was small how much easier would that be?

Ok, so now we at least have to admit we are sick. This does not mean we are ready to deal with things. Often at first we only look at the effect of the illness instead of dealing with the real cause. When we do this, God will allow our lives to continue to suffer and run in circles until we face the cause. This can be years in a person’s life if they do not want to listen to God. Like illness and diseases, small problems can fester and spread in our lives if we refuse to look at the real cause.

I wish I could tell you that the problem is solved when we finally listen to God and face the real cause of why we are so sick in our faithful walk. Unfortunately, we still need to deal with the medicine. Here is where a whole new battle with God can start. Ok, so now I’m going to sound like my dad, “Just take the medicine! It would have been all done by now if you had just taken the medicine without all the drama.” This is where Satan likes to put his two cents in. He will try to blind us with fear, stubbornness, strong-will, etc. to keep us from our close walk with God. We are so wrapped up in our own drama that we often can not see that “the medicine” God is trying to prescribe us (His does this out of His love for us) is just what we need to make us well. All we see is the pain and problems we are experiencing. When God asks us to trust Him and take the pill or yucky liquid we do the same thing I did as a child. We bargain, we plead, we beg, we run away, we avoid, etc. We don’t understand why God would want to mistreat us the way He is, if He loves us as much as the Bible says He does. It is only when we really trust God and turn it over to Him that our eyes are opened and we get better.

Isn’t it a shame that just like when I was a child we often go through this time and time again, each time we get sick, before we finally see God’s wisdom and light. When we finally can reach this step in our faith we wonder why we ever allowed the drama to occur to begin with. God sees the whole path and the destination He is leading us on even when we don’t. All we have to do is trust Him and take the medicine. With this said, I want you to now take a look at the lyrics to the Mary Poppins song, A Spoon Full of Sugar. When you read the lyrics I want you to substitute the “element of fun” for “element of faith”. Now substitute the word trust for the word sugar. Boy does this song take on a whole new deeper meaning!

My faithful advice to you today is take some time today to ask God where you are harboring faithful sickness in your life. Pray for his wisdom and guidance so that you can see the true cause of the sickness instead of just the effects it is having on you. Next, pray that God will prescribe the medicine you need to make you well. When He answers you, my best advice to you is, “Trust God and just take the medicine without all the drama.” Grow in faith and be well!



A Spoonful of Sugar

In ev'ry job that must be done
There is an element of fun
you find the fun and snap!
The job's a game

And ev'ry task you undertake
Becomes a piece of cake
A lark! A spree!
It's very clear to see

That a...
Spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
The medicine go down-wown
The medicine go down
Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
In a most delightful way

A robin feathering his nest
Has very little time to rest
While gathering his
Bits of twine and twig

Though quite intent in his pursuit
He has a merry tune to toot
He knows a song
Will move the job along

For a... Spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
The medicine go down-wown
The medicine go down
Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
In a most delightful way



Rejoice In Hope


I’ve prayed for help to seek the light
For my brokenhearted soul
I’ve prayed to you dear Lord each night
Hoping I do not lose control

But finally I think I know
I am just beginning to see
The love you’re really trying to show
With the trials you’ve given me

Your goal is not to torture me
It’s to build my faith instead
The difficulties now facing me
Are only where you’ve led

For character is only built strong
With perseverance, faith, and hope
Your love is there to correct my wrong
I now pray for your strength to cope

Now it’s not control I pray for
But control I pray to give
In faith I wish to give you more
In your love forever I may live


FaithfulToOne © 1999


Romans 5:1-5
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we rejoice in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Are You Ready For The Potter's Hands?

In The Potter’s Hands

Have you ever been doing a simple task or action in your everyday life, when God chooses to reveal something special to you? At any other time it would hold no special significance to you, but then God makes you look at it in a whole new way, to reveal His truth. When Jeremiah obeyed the Lord in Jeremiah 18, he learned God’s truth by watching a potter form a clay vessel. We can learn a lot more from the potter too. Forming the vessel is just the beginning as God reveals the plan He has designed for our lives.

One morning, as I was looking on the computer for an inspirational E-card, to send my faith partner, I was also thinking about ideas for a pottery project for my high school art students. When I skimmed through the E-cards, I came across a card that had been inspired by one of Max Lucado’s books. The picture on the front of the card was that of a potter’s hands busy at work forming clay on a potter’s wheel. The quote on the E-card was taken from Max Lucado’s book, Cure for the Common Life; “God made you. You’re as irreplaceable as the plan God designed for your life, and today I hope He reveals a glimpse of the many blessings He has in store for you.”

As I read the message inspired by Max Lucado and looked at the picture on the card, I felt God opening my heart and mind. I remembered the words of Isaiah 64:8, “Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Like the potter, God takes our formless shape and molds us into the vessel HE wants us to be, a vessel that will best serve Him. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4: 7, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” God creates our earthen vessels so that they can be filled with the treasures that come from our faith in Him. However, like clay some vessels are formed easier than others.

There are days when clay seems to do everything the potter wants it to, easily conforming to the potter’s touch. Still, there are other days when clay seems to resist every attempt the potter makes to form it into the vessel it was intended to be. The potter must break the vessel down and start again. In Jeremiah 18:2 the Lord said, “Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message.” The Lord wanted Jeremiah to watch the potter at work so that He could speak though the potter’s hands. We know that Jeremiah was obedient to the Lord by reading next where Jeremiah said, “So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.” Have you ever felt the Lord directing you to do something?

Just like the clay, we must be at the right stage with our faith to take on the form that God intends for us. If we are too lazy or don’t put our trust in God, then like clay that is too wet, we can’t hold the form God wishes to give us. If we are too selfish, stubborn, or too set in our ways, refusing to completely turn over control to God, then like clay that is too dry, we crack and fall apart not bending in the Master’s hands. It’s God’s design that forms the clay not ours. The Bible tells us that during this process, it’s not our place to question our form, or to try and help the potter design what we want our form to be. In Isaiah 45:9 it says, “'Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' Does your work say, 'He has no hands?'" Our place in this process is to be obedient to God, committing ourselves by faith to whatever form God has chosen for us.

The Lord also teaches us in Jeremiah 18 how much love and patience God shows us? He does not give up on us. Even if our vessel is marred the first time he tries to form it, He does not throw the clay aside and quit. What a blessed assurance that even if God has to return us to a shapeless lump of clay, He will continue to work with us until He can form us into vessels that are pleasing to Him.

There is one way that we are very different from the clay. We have free will to accept or reject God’s will for our lives. Only when our hearts are ready to turn everything over to God, can He make us into the beautiful works of art He designed for us. Vessels ready to be filled with His blessings. Once we take on our new shapes we are still not complete in God’s eyes. If you have heard the potter’s story told before, this is where the story probably stopped. However, if you were a potter, you would know that for the whole potter’s story to be told, forming the vessel is only the beginning.

Our vessels for God are not complete yet. Just like clay we must go through a metamorphosis. Prior to the first firing of clay (when clay is heated to extremely hot temperatures in a kiln), if a clay vessel gets wet again after it has been set out to dry, it looses its form and returns to a shapeless lump of clay. It is only by firing clay in extreme heat that the pottery completes the metamorphosis. Our vessels grow stronger, completing their metamorphosis when we face trials with true faith and trust in God. If our faith is weak, with faltering thoughts and actions that try to place limits on God’s power, we too can loose our form for who we are as Christians. We must constantly remind ourselves that God is the potter, and we are just the clay. The clay can’t make itself into a vessel and we shouldn’t try to go through trials without God. God knows us because he made us. He won’t put us through trials until we are ready, just as a knowledgeable potter doesn’t fire a clay vessel as soon as he is done forming it.

After clay is formed, it must take time to dry and harden before it can be fired. Dried too quickly and it can crack. Fired too soon and it can explode in the kiln. The time we spend going through trials is the hardest time to keep our faith and trust strong. We often get impatient, not understanding God’s plan for us. The Bible tells us to rejoice as we are going through trials. It says in James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” When we take things into our own hands, rushing through God’s plans instead of waiting on Him, we must face the consequences. Things in our life crack or explode just like clay dried or fired too soon. We look at the pieces we wonder why?

God misses nothing as he scrutinizes our lives. We can’t hide anything from Him. When something is not right in our relationship with God, it is like an air bubble that gets trapped in the clay vessel as it is formed. You may not see it as the vessel is formed and as it dries preparing to be fired, just as we sometimes don’t realize that there are areas in our lives that aren’t right with God. It is only when the clay vessel faces the extreme heat that the air tramped inside the clay expands. Finally it causes the vessel to crack or explode in the kiln as the air breaks free. Our lives will continue to crack or explode too, if we do not deal with the areas in our lives that aren’t right with God.

Praise God for his love and forgiveness, because all is not lost. If we turn to God with repentance and prayer He forgives us and forms us again. He will form us again and again until we have learned our lesson. God’s design is a finished vessel that in the end will honor and please Him. It‘s a shame that we as Christians don’t realize that this process would be much quicker and less painful if we would only turn it all over to God completely in the first place. How many of us have had to be formed over and over again in our lives because we think we know more than the potter?

Many Christians feel that once they have been through the fire the first time then they are complete. They fail to see that they are applying limits to God’s plan. If the potter stops after the first firing, the pottery will retain its shape. It is functional, but it lacks the beauty and completeness that it could be. For the vessel to be complete with all its many colors and beauty it must be glazed and fired again. Glaze can be very confusing, just as there are times we don’t understand where God is leading us. Glaze looks very different in color before it is fired. Beautiful shiny blue, red, and green glazes can look chalky white, dull, or pasty pink like Pepto-Bismol before they are fired. Someone looking at a vessel that has been glazed, waiting to be fired might say, “How can this vessel possibly look the way you are telling me it is going to look? It looks nothing like that!” How many of us try to second guess God?

God reveals His plan for us in His time, and in His own way. We must trust in the direction he is leading us, knowing that no matter what things look like now, in the end we will shine with His glory, through the blessings that He gives us, for being obedient and trusting in Him. James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

Did you notice that the vessel must go through extreme heat again after it is glazed, in order for the glaze to change into its beautiful final form? I had to stop and ask myself when I thought about this, “Have I limited myself as a Christian because I choose to settle only to be functional?” I had to honestly say yes there are times in my life that this has been true. Why? Well, there were a number of reasons that came to mind. I was to busy with other things that took me away from my walk with God. I was afraid to go through the fiery trials that it would take to get to where God wanted me to be. I was being self-centered in my life wanting to plan my own directions in my own time. I either did not like or misunderstood the direction that God was taking me, so I stubbornly chose not to follow. The clay was trying to be the potter again. Wow, what a revelation!

As an art teacher, I have to reassure my students that if they paint the glaze I give them on their pottery it will look the way they want it to look, after it is fired again. This is where Christian fellowship can be so important. As others go through their fiery trials, feeling discouraged and weak, it is our responsibility as Christians to reassure them and give them strength through God’s truth and through our prayers. Romans 5:1-5 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” It is only when we allow God to “glaze and fire” us with His will, in His time, and through His direction, that we finally become the beautiful work of art He always intended us to be.

As God forms you today, what kind of clay will you be for him? Can you put your trust in God’s will and let him guide you with His loving hands? I hope and pray that as you trust in God and honor His will, that He reveals a glimpse of the beautiful vessel He has designed for you. May you see yourself through the eyes of the potter. Are you ready for the potter?

FaithfulToOne © 2006

The Power of Creation

Worthwhile things are built

Humble like simple clay

By the Craftsman's hand

Formed and shaped

Piece by piece

Bit by bit

With time

Details emerge

Lines are engraved

With loving hands

The pieces are joined

According to His plan

Designs skillfully decorate

This earthenware construction

An understanding takes form

Functional and yet a work of art

Reinforced through constant prayer

Organized with the Artist's wisdom

With creativity made unique

Metamorphosis complete

With care by the Creator

FaithfulToOne © 2001

Words, Words, Words… If You Don’t Have Something Nice To Say, Don't Say Anything At All!

Is common courteously really all that common anymore? What about compassion and sincere kindness? I was so inspired the other day when I watched the movie about Dr. Patch Adams. He reached out to his patients with humor, compassion, and kindness. Yet sometimes it seems that we have forgotten what power words of humor, compassion, and kindness can have. So many people are so rushed and wrapped up in the stressful lives they lead, that now they wear blinders of intolerance and impatience. The sad thing is that it does not take a lot to make a difference. It just takes thought before speaking. Luke 6:31 says, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Matthew 7:12 speaks again to this by saying, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” What a powerful statement. Little words can make somebody’s day, or ruin their day. Words can lift somebody up that is suffering, or they can hurt somebody in a way that cuts so deep that the pain never goes away.

Today try this experiment. Put a big sincere smile on your face. Greet people with kind word and encouragement. Watch them change right in front of you. You have just shown them that you care. For many people you will be the only person today to shows them that they matter and that somebody cares. Reach out to others with kind words today. Think before you speak. Words can work miracles!


What Do YOU Say?

26 different letters
Countless numbers of fonts and words
Words that paint different pictures
Some whose meanings are obscure

Words spoken sincere with honesty
Words spoken selfish with deception
Twisted fiction and false fairytales
In the real end are empty illusions

Words written with true emotion
Flow with a melody that’s their alone
Giving a glimpse into someone’s heart
Looking through a window to their soul

Our faithful words are blessed wisdom
Bible scriptures speak heavenly truth
Exposing the world falsehoods and lies
God’s guide when they’re heeded and heard

There are authors in each of us everyday
As we choose to whom and what we say
Do we honor Him with what we express
Would we say it if He were next to us

FaithfulToOne© 2006



Words

What words will you use today?

Words of love quench a thirsty heart
Words of faith feed the soul
Words of support lift up a troubled mind
Words of humor bring happiness
Words of friendship eliminate strangers
Words of wisdom teach and enlighten
Words of encouragement build bonds
Words of guidance develop character
Words of understanding show empathy
Words of praise show appreciation
Words of forgiveness please God
Words of prayer bring us closer to the Father
Words of hope give us a brighter future

Be careful with your words today...

Words of anger can never be taken back
Words of criticism discourage
Words of hate separate us
Words of discouragement limit others
Words of profanity show lack of self-control
Words of unforgiveness sour the soul
Words of intimidation show immaturity
Words of judgment dishearten others
Words of no value are babble
Words of gossip tear down others
Words of constant pressuring create deaf ears
Words of complaint find no solutions

Think before you use your words today!

FaithfulToOne © 2005



Inspired Words

Always continue to write inspired words
A glorious waterfall flowing with His love
Seeing the Spirit's cascading inner beauty
That's found only in true faith from up above

May your words always reach out to others
Sharing all His peace, hope, love, and joy
With the special gifts God's given you
I pray He guards so no evil can destroy

FaithfulToOne © 2007


Psalms 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

On The Road Again

There are times in our lives that we face trials and we often get frustrated, feeling lost, alone, and search on our own to find the way. This poem was like a parable to me because there was a much stronger message I found when I read between the lines.

Destinations

I guess my GPS system is broken
The map soaking wet with a coffee stain
My windshield wipers showing their age
So it’s tough to see through all the rain

I know just where I should be now
Clues how to get there are what I need
Everything looks all the same to me
It’s so dark there are no signs I can read

Do I continue to travel blindly
Should I stop and ask for directions
Only fools rely on stubborn pride
To get to them to their destinations

Oh great I just missed the exit
And the sign says no U-Turns
I should not be driving this fast
All wrapped up with my concerns

So I slowed and pulled my car over
Then I bowed my head to pray
Lord I need you now to guide me
Please help me be on my way

I heard tires stop behind me
An officer walked up to my door
Rolling down my window thinking
I can’t really take much more

Having trouble Miss can I help you
My prayer’s answer had arrived
I was not lost or never alone
My Lord was always by my side

I didn’t have to turn around
Confident I followed His direction
Another life lesson learned that day
I arrived safely at my destination

FaithfulToOne © 2007


Psalm 43:3
3 Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.



Their are times since my divorce that I wonder why people even try dating. I tell you after I tried it a little it seemed like nothing but cluttered traffic. I know for now that God is doing a lot in my life that does not have me traveling in that direction. My faith has grow so much in such a short time. He has given me the strength and courage to reach out in faith the way I never had before. If God wants your attention He will stop you in your tracks and He will keep your life in a bottleneck until you step back and listen to Him. I think that is a big problem for many people today. We get so wrapped up in the traffic of life that we fail to hear God when He is trying to get our attention. Funny (not really) how it is that we get so frustrated with our lives and wonder why. Set a special time aside each day for prayer and devotion and take time to listen for God's direction for your life. With God's directions you will always know where you are going and you can travel in peace. Don't let yourself give into the road rage of life.



Roadwork

The congestion of city traffic,
Another orange sign,
“Oh no!”
Boxed in again.
Turn signal flashing,

“No one is going to let me in.”
This is Rush Hour,
“Move it!”
Nobody cares who you are,

Bumper kissing bumper,
Cutting her off,
Following too close,
“Not again!”
Slowing down,
Looking for the next exit,

“If love is a two way street,
Why do I turn onto one-way roads,
Following a maze of detours?”

Right lane closed ahead,
Merge,
“I need to post
Warning signs too,
Rough Road Ahead,
Dangerous Curves.”

“If love is a two way street
CAUTION,
ROAD UNDER CONSTRUCTION!”

Red brake lights stop flashing
Like a blinking Christmas tree,
Cautiously, slowly,
She continues on her way.

FaithfulToOne © 2005