Friday, June 24, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The Missionary
Sukhui with my daughter, MiriamToday I had a date with my daughter. OK, actually she had a dental appointment, but we decided to go out for breakfast before and celebrate her birthday (again) as I will be out of town on her actual birthday. This would be month two of celebrating her birthday which isn't until mid May. Any excuse to celebrate!!
As we sat down we were greeted by a very kind and extremely happy waitress who introduced herself and said "I am going to serve you." I felt a stirring in my heart and felt that I should share Jesus with her. I didn't know if she was a believer, but with that kind of joy, I wanted her to know true joy and where it comes from.
I heard her talking to the couple in the booth next to us about the usual Phoenix conversation regarding the weather. She was telling the couple, who were originally from Indiana, how she missed snow at Christmas time when she loves to celebrate Jesus! My heart leaped, she was a sister in the Lord!
Right after that she must have witnessed my daughter and I praying together as we sat at the table, because she then came up to me and said "I am a Christian too." From there (actually before there) she continued to pour out a testimony of love for her Saviour. She testified to the source of all true joy and how there is no one else for her except Jesus.
Her name is Sukhui and she moved to the United States in 1985 when she was 26 years old. At that time she was a new believer and on fire for the Lord (she still is and even more). She came into this country not knowing a thing about American food and even though people doubted her, she testified to all the doors that the Lord opened. And let me tell you, she knows her American food. She knows more about eggs and bacon than anyone I know. She knows how to serve. She knows how to love.
She could not stop talking about Jesus. She began to sing a song about the wonderful name of Jesus, then she sang it to me in Korean. I told my daughter that she was an example of what it means to be UNASHAMED for Jesus. It is simply a matter of opening your mouth and allowing to come out all that you put in your heart. Jesus is what she fed on and Jesus being poured out on her lips is the only natural thing for her.
When she clears her plates she says a "Hallelujah!" When she hand the plates to the cooking staff she says a "Hallelujah!" and they in turn now reply with an "Amen!" That's contagious. Sukhui has been working as a waitress in this particular restaurant for 8 years and 6 years in this particular section. She told me that she is a Korean missionary in America and prays over the room and all that come to dine there. She has even lead a few to the Lord along the way. She has seen people come and go. She lost eight regulars (hopefully dancing now in heaven) in 2008, but she presses on with a missionary heart.
So my joy this day, besides being able to meet her, is the joy and honor of praying for her over a pain that she has in her side. She may have to go in for surgery, but is asking God for a miracle first. So won't you join me in praying to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ for a healing miracle for my new friend, Sukhui. Won't you join me in praying for each person that steps in that restaurant and has a chance to encounter Jesus!
May we all view the place where God has planted us as holy ground. May we see our places of work, our homes and our neighborhoods as a mission field. May we walk boldly, humbly, and unashamedly for our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.
Father, I thank you this day for your miracles. I thank you for being God of all. I thank you for being Jehovah-Rapha, who heals! I asked you to be that God for Sukhui, this day. I ask you to be our Rapha-healer for each of us everyday. Amen!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Power and Authority
So I'm reading through the book of John and I am once again in a new and fresh way being blown away by the boldness and the power of Jesus Christ. Yes, I love all the miracles that testify to who He is, but more than that the the power and authority of His words.
Today I read John 8:12-30 and Jesus boldly says "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will NEVER walk in darkness, but have the light of life." Then He says to the people "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." I don't know if your feeling it, but I can only imagine how this infuriated the people, yet there were those who heard His words and put their faith in Him.
People wanted Him dead. He was claiming to be One with the Father, the Messiah. They wanted to kill him. YET, as it says in the scripture, no one seized him because His time had not yet come. To follow it all up, Jesus then speaks these words "...I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; He has not left me alone, for I ALWAYS do what pleases Him." Oh, how I wish I could say that of myself. "That I always do what pleases Him." But Christ did..He died and became sin for me, so that the punishment would be upon His shoulders and the resurrection would be His glory.
Because of THAT, I am a new creation, always forgiven and through faith in Him I have been given the gift of salvation and eternal life and the daily opportunity to live in light for Him. Jesus was bold and passed on His spirit to us so that we too might be bold in His truth.
Jesus drew a line and said "Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." On the other side of the line are those who reject Him and to them He said "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sin." There is no two way street.
Jesus was bold and right to say you are either with me or your not. Thanks to Jesus, we can stand boldly on the side of Light and Life! Put your trust in Him!
Thank you Jesus for the Light of Life. I ask today that you would press me, push me, prod me and never leave me alone. Amen!
Today I read John 8:12-30 and Jesus boldly says "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will NEVER walk in darkness, but have the light of life." Then He says to the people "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." I don't know if your feeling it, but I can only imagine how this infuriated the people, yet there were those who heard His words and put their faith in Him.
People wanted Him dead. He was claiming to be One with the Father, the Messiah. They wanted to kill him. YET, as it says in the scripture, no one seized him because His time had not yet come. To follow it all up, Jesus then speaks these words "...I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; He has not left me alone, for I ALWAYS do what pleases Him." Oh, how I wish I could say that of myself. "That I always do what pleases Him." But Christ did..He died and became sin for me, so that the punishment would be upon His shoulders and the resurrection would be His glory.
Because of THAT, I am a new creation, always forgiven and through faith in Him I have been given the gift of salvation and eternal life and the daily opportunity to live in light for Him. Jesus was bold and passed on His spirit to us so that we too might be bold in His truth.
Jesus drew a line and said "Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." On the other side of the line are those who reject Him and to them He said "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sin." There is no two way street.
Jesus was bold and right to say you are either with me or your not. Thanks to Jesus, we can stand boldly on the side of Light and Life! Put your trust in Him!
Thank you Jesus for the Light of Life. I ask today that you would press me, push me, prod me and never leave me alone. Amen!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
In View of God's Mercy....WORSHIP!
I love to worship God. That is the blessing for me, but the reality of it is that I am commanded to worship Him. Not because I feel like it, but because He is worthy of it. John 4:24 "God is spirit and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and truth." Yes, the time has come. I ...we MUST worship Him.
This past weekend I got hit by a two ton depression truck. Although I don't get hit with depression like I used to and when I do it doesn't last for long periods, when it does come, I become immobile. I saw it coming, I knew that the trigger was there and so I prepared as best I could, but when Saturday came, my body shut down. The pain of depression was deep in my bones and I was out of commission. I kinda felt like David when he cried out to God and said "I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joint." That would be the biblical response yet as I pressed through Saturday, some of the whining that got through the filter of my brain sounded a bit more garbled.
These are the instances where I again thank the Lord for my husband who has walked along side me through so much, who knows just the right things to say. So he said "honey just rest today because tomorrow, you are going to get up out of that bed and do the things that you are suppose to do." He allowed a day of rest for my body and at the same time would not allow me to rest in my self and self pity. I praise God for a man like him. Here is a shout out to my husband, Bob..."I Love you!"
When I woke up Sunday morning, I barely made it out of bed and to church where I was to sing on the worship team. There was nothing in my flesh that felt like singing, there was nothing in my flesh that felt like leading people in worship, YET there I was hearing God say, "you worship me, not just when you feel like it, You worship me because I am worthy." And so, although my flesh was weak, my spirit responded by taking myself out of it and looking solely at His face, the face of my Lord.
Worship is not the few hours I give on Sunday, Worship that pleases the Lord is this..."In view of God's mercy, ..offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-THIS is your spiritual act of worship" ~Romans 12:1. Did I want to go early to church on Sunday, did I want to stand in front of the congregation tired and weary, did I want to muster up every last bit of energy that I had just to open my mouth and sing? Did I? Either way, crucifying self, offering my body to him in as a sacrifice is what pleases him. There are those days where the sacrifice burns a little more than others. Sunday was one of those days for me. I worship Him because He is worthy.
I heard on the radio yesterday Alistair Begg talking about worship and he quoted a Puritan writer who wrote something like this.....when we do receive or benefit anything as we worship Him who is worthy, It's like flowers being picked by a soldier along the road of duty. The soldier didn't set out to pick the flowers, he just benefited because He was following the orders of his fathers. That's how I feel so many times. I worship God because He is worth every ounce of my being, yet what a blessing I receive along the way, not because I am setting out for the blessing, but because my father whose orders I strive to follow sings and rejoices over me and blesses my heart with joy and peace.
I just have to say again how thankful I am for God's grace and mercy in my life, for continual forgiveness as I stumble through life, for His righteousness, His love, His peace and the sacrifice that His son Jesus Christ made on the cross which has saved me from eternal punishment. Thank You God for faith in Jesus Christ to cover all my sins through His death and resurrection.
And here I am this day, back, out of the sadness with my body and mind fully restored. My husband said to me yesterday "Welcome back, honey!" Good to be out of the pit, good to know that God is good even while I was in the pit. God is just good all the time!!
This past weekend I got hit by a two ton depression truck. Although I don't get hit with depression like I used to and when I do it doesn't last for long periods, when it does come, I become immobile. I saw it coming, I knew that the trigger was there and so I prepared as best I could, but when Saturday came, my body shut down. The pain of depression was deep in my bones and I was out of commission. I kinda felt like David when he cried out to God and said "I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joint." That would be the biblical response yet as I pressed through Saturday, some of the whining that got through the filter of my brain sounded a bit more garbled.
These are the instances where I again thank the Lord for my husband who has walked along side me through so much, who knows just the right things to say. So he said "honey just rest today because tomorrow, you are going to get up out of that bed and do the things that you are suppose to do." He allowed a day of rest for my body and at the same time would not allow me to rest in my self and self pity. I praise God for a man like him. Here is a shout out to my husband, Bob..."I Love you!"
When I woke up Sunday morning, I barely made it out of bed and to church where I was to sing on the worship team. There was nothing in my flesh that felt like singing, there was nothing in my flesh that felt like leading people in worship, YET there I was hearing God say, "you worship me, not just when you feel like it, You worship me because I am worthy." And so, although my flesh was weak, my spirit responded by taking myself out of it and looking solely at His face, the face of my Lord.
Worship is not the few hours I give on Sunday, Worship that pleases the Lord is this..."In view of God's mercy, ..offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-THIS is your spiritual act of worship" ~Romans 12:1. Did I want to go early to church on Sunday, did I want to stand in front of the congregation tired and weary, did I want to muster up every last bit of energy that I had just to open my mouth and sing? Did I? Either way, crucifying self, offering my body to him in as a sacrifice is what pleases him. There are those days where the sacrifice burns a little more than others. Sunday was one of those days for me. I worship Him because He is worthy.
I heard on the radio yesterday Alistair Begg talking about worship and he quoted a Puritan writer who wrote something like this.....when we do receive or benefit anything as we worship Him who is worthy, It's like flowers being picked by a soldier along the road of duty. The soldier didn't set out to pick the flowers, he just benefited because He was following the orders of his fathers. That's how I feel so many times. I worship God because He is worth every ounce of my being, yet what a blessing I receive along the way, not because I am setting out for the blessing, but because my father whose orders I strive to follow sings and rejoices over me and blesses my heart with joy and peace.
I just have to say again how thankful I am for God's grace and mercy in my life, for continual forgiveness as I stumble through life, for His righteousness, His love, His peace and the sacrifice that His son Jesus Christ made on the cross which has saved me from eternal punishment. Thank You God for faith in Jesus Christ to cover all my sins through His death and resurrection.
And here I am this day, back, out of the sadness with my body and mind fully restored. My husband said to me yesterday "Welcome back, honey!" Good to be out of the pit, good to know that God is good even while I was in the pit. God is just good all the time!!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Holding Nothing Back
Acts 20: 36-38"I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me" Acts 20:23~
Yet, Paul still goes. I think that my natural inclination would be that if the Spirit was warning me of great hardship and prison, I might interpret that as "DON'T GO!" But here is Paul saying that "He considers his life worth nothing" and his only value is in the goal to "finish the task that the Lord Jesus gave him, the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."
I think of how greatly I fall short. I think of how many times I go out of my way to avoid hardship because "the Lord doesn't want me to feel pain, right?" But the truth is that He calls me to suffer for the sake of the Gospel. Not suffer for the sake of my comfort, but suffer so that I might finish the task set be fore me which is to testify to the Gospel of God's grace.
2 Timothy 1:7-9 "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace."
I pray for myself and for you who read this that we might, that I might, take the call, the command so seriously and like Paul, hold nothing back for the sake and joy of the Gospel. May we dare to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 2:2
"We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition."
Friday, March 4, 2011
Toilets
Today, I thought that God would understand if I skipped devotions. I even thanked Him for understanding. Seriously, My parents are flying in today, I have to clean the house make new room sleeping arrangements, get to the store, pick up kids from baseball and school. God is understanding of all this.....Yet, as I got down on my knees, scrubbing the toilet, I remembered where He really wants me.....On my knees. Thank You Lord for stopping me.....off to devote my time to you, seriously He has given me 24 hours in each day, all the rest will get done.
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well"
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well"
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Peace~Philippians 4:7
There is a peace that exceeds my understanding and His kind of peace keeps and guards my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus.
That makes this soldier want to press on.
That makes this soldier want to press on.
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