Empty Me

As I read my bible this morning, I was posed with the question, “Are you willing to be controlled by God?” My immediate response was yes, absolutely! Upon further evaluation, I began to pick apart every area of my life, to see how it measured up with the answer I so willingly gave. I found many areas that I hadn’t quite fully given control over to God.

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) God tells us that we must set aside our selfishness in order to fully follow Him. This is an inordinate task that we can only carry through to completion by being fully dependent upon Him. By following Him, we are to serve Him and others “…not for what you [we] will get out of it, but because you [we] are eager to serve.” (1 Peter 5:2).

Here is an excerpt of a song by Chris Sligh entitled “Empty Me.” This chorus truly captures the heart of what I want my life to reflect.

“Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you.”

I must confess to God that I have sinned against Him by placing “selfishness inside” of me, over His will, and by centering my life on my “vain ambition[s]” and by allowing my self-conceit to believe that I can be independent of Him.

Lord empty me of all selfishness and help me serve you and others with humility. Allow me to regard others as better than myself (Philippians 2:3). Help mark my life as serving you, by surrendering myself and being “filled with you.” Help me be successful and victorious by your own strength, not mine.

I pray that we can renounce our prideful spirits and allow God to guide us, so that we can humbly say we are willing to be controlled by Him.

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Humble Retaliation

God has called us to respond to others’ sins by blessing them. This sounds counter intuitive to our fleshly selves; however, the Lord wants us to learn tenderness and humility in our hearts.

“Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate when people say unkind things about you. Instead pay them back with a blessing. That is what God wants you to do and He will bless you for it.” (I Peter 3:9)

Some moments I think to myself, how did Jesus do it? I am sure there were moments were it may have taken every ounce of His being to keep Him from thinking and repaying others for the terrible wrong they committed against Him.

As difficult as it may be, we too must submit to God’s calling upon our lives. However, we are not called to do this alone, in our own strength. God provides the Holy Spirit to give us the strength and power to humbly retaliate.

Faithful Service

Thank you, Grandpa and all other veterans for faithfully serving our country. You committed yourself to fighting for our freedom. We celebrate and applaud you for your willingness to endure a task that is only chosen for a few.

Jeremiah was much like each of you. The Lord told Jeremiah, "See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." (Jeremiah 1:10) Jeremiah faithfully served the LORD for 40 years. He was called to prophesy to God's people. Many times his audiences weren't thrilled to hear God's truth. His life was endangered many times and he was severely persecuted, but he depended upon God to give him the endurance to continue faithfully serving.

I am sure many of you may have come to those desperate moments, asking God to faithfully protect and watch over you as you served your country. It was for those desperate moments that you willingly committed your service.

Thank you for all you have done for God and your country. May Jesus continue to bless in all that you do. If you have a family member or friend, take the time to call, email, text or talk to them in person and thank them for their service.

Rotting Fish

Have you heard the phrase, “A fish rots from the head down.” It basically means when an organization or state fails, it is the leadership that is the root cause.

Our lives can be exactly that! Christ requires us to have Him first place in everything. Our lives should revolve around Him and all He has called us to do. We must acknowledge Him as the head of our lives, for He is our crown!

We must place Him as the leader of our household, lives, and world. “Christ is the head of the church, which is His body…”(Colossians 1:18). It is when we don’t position Christ as the head, our lives begin to “rot;” for “He existed before everything else began, and He holds all creation together.” (Colossians 1:17) Christ is the one who came first. He is the one who sustains life. In Him everything is held together. He is our protector, provider, and caregiver.

When we trust in Him to lead our lives, we acknowledge His Lordship. We believe that He will give us the strength and endurance we need in this life to flourish and spread His Good News.

Resource Management

In college I made some very poor financial decisions. I accumulated several thousand dollars worth of credit card debt. The "extra" money I had, left over from paying my tuition and books was used to buy unnecessary items. I look back now and think what a waste! I don't have anything to show for it nor am I really sure what I bought with the money, and on top of that I came into our marriage with tons of debt.

Like I always say, BUT GOD!! Even though I came into our marriage with debt, I began tithing before Aaron and I married. Tithing gave me the freedom to not allow my heart to be attached to money. Many times before, I hesitated to give because I was worried about not having enough to pay my bills and meet my own needs or because I wasn't sure that the church would be using "my" money appropriately. However, it later became a non-issue when I gave it to God. I told Him, I am giving this unto you and if it is misappropriated let that man answer to you!

God calls us to give ten percent of our income (Leviticus 27:30), which is our tithe, to Him. He says, "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!" (Malachi 3:10)

Well I have to say, God's faithfulness has prevailed. Over the years, as we have honored God with our tithes and offerings, and as we have been faithful to manage our resources which include our time, money, talents, and gifts, the Lord has poured out many blessings upon us. We have been blessed with life-long friends, people with financial wisdom, others that have helped connect us with resources to further our ministries. He blessed us with a faithful friend that began helping us through the financial ministry at our previous church. Our friend blessed us with his financial expertise to create a realistic spending plan for both short and long term goals. This plan provided us with the guidance and direction we needed to begin a debt free life.

Over the years, we have learned how to manage our resources wisely. We are not perfect by any means, but we continue to strive in our endeavors.
Be being wise with our resources, God has allowed us to be “cheerful givers” (2 Corinthians 9:7). We have given more freely and generously as the years have gone by. We want our time, talents, gifts, and money to be invested in God’s kingdom, not in our own.

“Try it! Put me to the test!” This is one of the only times God challenges you to test Him. He says, “If you give, you will receive” (Luke 6:38) Just know that God’s promises are not always material possessions and we may not completely experience them on earth, but know that He is faithful and always keeps His promises.

God has allowed us to be managers of His resources, not owners. Use what God has given you to bless others that you may invest not only in their earthly needs, but most importantly to their spiritual and eternal needs. Give of yourself, manage your resources wisely, and invest in others. Those around you may need your wisdom in resource management or may need you to invest in them. Maybe it is you that needs investing in? Whatever the case, our Heavenly Father will generously provide for yours and their every need.

Dearest Lord,

Thank you for your gift of today. A gift of new adventures, treasures, and beauty that is seen everywhere. Thank you for the crisp, clean fall air, the warm sun shining down amongst the Christmas roses.

I stand in awe and wonder of how you orchestrate our lives, even in the unseen times. I know that you are always behind the scenes moving in ways that are unimaginable. Thank you Father for never giving up on me and always walking with me—for if it hadn’t been for you by my side where would I be? I thank you Lord for the gifts and treasures that lie inside of me that are yet to be discovered, for they will come in your perfect timing.

I thank you for my wonderful and gracious family and friends that are by my side from day to day. As I learn more and more about you O Lord, it is in those precious moments that my eyes and heart begin to see how much you truly love me.

“I give you thanks, O LORD, with all my heart…I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.” (Psalm 138:1-2)

Love,

Your Beloved Daughter

What about you? What are you thankful for? Share your thanks to God and to those who you are thankful for. Maybe it will encourage them and help them to be thankful for their lives as well. If you are in need of a “thanks” today, give one first and see what God does in return for you.

Strong and Courageous

Over the past 2 ½ years God has cultivated my soil, precisely planted His seeds, watched me through my growth processes, as He provided everything I needed, and harvested His crops to bring forth His fruit. I love to look back and see the awesome miracles He performed in my life; it all seemed surreal and exciting. Don’t get me wrong there were moments in time during my growing season that I wanted to turn around, stomp my feet, and walk away, but I reminded myself of God’s promises to Joshua,”…I will not fail you or abandon you.” (Joshua 1:5) “I command you—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) Throughout the first chapter of Joshua, God continues to remind Joshua to be strong and courageous and that he must obey His law and all of His commandments; it is only then he will succeed.

God has now begun a new season in my life. I can actually say at 32 years-old I am officially retired! I am a stay at home mommy and wife; the two true desires of my heart. I am truly grateful that God designed my life’s blueprints, for if they were up to me, they would have been quite a mess, and definitely not the way the way God would have wanted them orchestrated. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

I love what King David said to the Lord in Psalm 139, you “know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!” (vs. 1-6) God is omniscient and omnipresent. He knows the plans He has for my future. I am excited to move to the next level of my journey for God already knew before the foundations of the earth what I would be doing in this very moment and the plans He had for my future.

God has already begun to speak to me little by little preparing me for what lies ahead. At moments I feel like maybe what Joshua might have felt like in the moment after Moses’ death when the LORD told him, “…you must lead my people across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them.”(Joshua 1:2) I don’t think that it was a shocking surprise to him, given he was Moses’ assistant for forty years, but the sheer thought that he must finish what his predecessor began, must have been overwhelming for a moment or two, but God’s promises gave him the faith and confidence he needed to lead the people of Israel. As He will give me the confidence and faith to take the steps that He has ordered for me.

He too makes those promises to us as we allow him to till our soil, plant our seeds, and harvest His crops. We are able to choose whether our crop will thrive and be plentiful, sparse and scarce, or lifeless and dying. God continues to remind us, despite what is ahead of us to “be strong and courageous!” I pray that whatever God is preparing you for, step forward and walk in faith as Joshua did! As you walk out your faith, it will inspire others to do the same. Encourage others today to have confidence and allow God to direct their future.

Commissioned

About a week and a half ago we met with my neuro-oncologist to review the results of my MRI scans. I was elated to hear him tell us that they were stable, looked good, and he even saw improvement from the last scans! This truly made my heart overjoyed. I remember thinking how God has always been faithful in His promises and has always walked by our side.

God created us to witness to others by showing and telling them what He has done for us. The Holy Spirit gives us the confidence, courage, boldness and authority to minister to them through His works in us. As Jesus taught His inner circle of disciples, He instilled in them God’s love, His word, and His forgiving nature. Before He completed His mission on earth, Jesus prayed for Himself, His disciples, and future believers.
In His prayer for His disciples, Jesus said, “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.” (John 17:9-10) I love that Jesus has commissioned us to spread His Good News to those around us. He has given us our families, coworkers, friends, and neighbors to guard and take care of, so that none of them are lost in this world. He wants us to follow Him so that we may become one with Him and the Father. He wants us to be of one accord. (John 17:20) Jesus came to this earth to show us how to live as faithful servants in His kingdom. For those that live by God’s standards in this life will be made great in God’s kingdom.

Matthew speaks of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Jesus began his teaching by describing the characteristics that He was looking for in His followers. These are called the beatitudes; they taught the heartfelt obedience to God. The beatitudes stated how to be blessed by God. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted; blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth; blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled; blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy; blessed are the pure in heart, for the will see God; blessed are the peace makers, for they will be called sons of God, Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3-12) Each of these beatitudes describes traits that are a contradiction to worldly ways of life. We must learn to exemplify those traits if our objective is to become more like Him.
Many think that being “blessed” by God means that we will have financial prosperity and always have laughter and pleasure; however, being “blessed” by God means experiencing His profound joy and hope regardless of our external circumstances. To have His joy we must follow Him no matter what the cost.

As we become the salt and light of this world, we must remember to be “like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden” and “in the same way, let [our] good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise our heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:13-16). We must fulfill what we were commissioned to complete. I pray that you keep shining your light, like a beacon in the night. Share with others your testimony so they too may understand and feel the hope and joy of Christ.

Restless Desire

Daily I experience a longing that has such an intense and profound grip on my heart. This insatiable desire, like the one of the psalmist (whom some believe was King David) who wrote, “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?” (Psalm 42:1-2). It is in this inconsolable longing that I have come to understand my very purpose; the purpose for which my very soul was created.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it (Matthew 16:24-25). Committing my life to Christ has allowed me to have a taste of what it is to fill my restless desire. By following Jesus I risk: the possibility of losing friendships, being marked by the title “holy roller” (in a bad sense), losing face with co-workers and friends when I choose to have integrity over dishonesty, and never acquiring what this world calls “wealth.” My benefits far outweigh the risks I take, even if it involves losing my physical life. In my life, whether I live or die, I want Jesus to be glorified.

My desire is to be part of the bigger story—taking up my cross daily. I want to exhibit the light Christ’s Kingdom brings to this world. I yearn to bring people to know our Father God in a real way. All the hidden choices I make, set-up God’s story. As I whole-heartedly turn from my selfish ways, I discover what it is to “find” my restless desire.
Give your Father God all that you have and He will give you all you need. Share with others what it meant for you to risk your life for Him and you begin to see your greater purpose. If you are struggling and need help making this choice, seek a strong Christian friend or pastor in your community that can guide you in the right direction.

Eyes of Faith

When we first gathered to talk about starting Thrive, the amount of work seemed insurmountable. How would we know where to begin? Would we have sufficient resources and how could we acquire them? Where would we store equipment? How would Tom and Jackie manage the cost of their living expenses given there was hardly any money for a salary?

I knew in my heart of hearts that this vision and dream was from God. He prepared every intricate detail, but I couldn’t see through my eyes of faith how it would come to pass. In 2 Kings 7, Elisha prophesied that by the next day the people of Samaria, who were in the midst of a famine, would see that “five quarts of fine flour [would] cost only an ounce of silver, and ten quarts of barley grain [would] cost only half an ounce of silver” (vs.1) The king’s officer said, “that couldn’t ever happen even if the Lord opened up the windows of heaven!” (vs.2)

It was difficult for me to envision how this vision would come to pass. Now looking back, I discovered how my eyes of faith were clouded by not allowing our Father God to reveal and present His resources.

I was astounded as God blessed Thrive with $25,000 worth of audio equipment from a local church that believed in our vision. Then there was a couple, who owned their own marketing business, and donated about $10,000 worth of fliers toward our first mailer into the community. I was truly astonished as God took care of every component and detail. Like Noah when he built the ark (Genesis 6), we obeyed as God commanded.

Yes there were moments of uncertainty and momentary panic. We were elated that God opened the window of opportunity for relocating Thrive in a prime area of Katy. We were confident after “securing” the location, that it was God’s will. Out of necessity, we established teams to bring about more structure and organization to various processes that were essential to our future success as a church.

Soon after the announcement of our new location, the prearrangement of our “secured” location fell through. We were perplexed and a bit disheartened. But God! At the midnight hour, He provided a more suitable arrangement (our current location) which afforded us the opportunity for storing our equipment in the facility and more flexibility in event planning and usage of space. His faithful promises opened more windows of opportunity we couldn’t have foreseen.

My eyes of faith no longer seem to be clouded, but are instead now clear. When we keep our eyes on Him, He will “generously provide all [we] need. Then [we] will always have everything [we] need and plenty left over to share with others.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

Keep your eyes on Him and He will open windows of opportunity that will amaze you. Share with others today the lessons that you have learned and continue to learn. They may need to hear your story and it may come at their “midnight hour.”