Complete in Him!

I've felt like a failure for the past hour and a half! I wanted to write something. I've started about four different time with the same amount of different subjects but for some reason could just not find the right words to say! Have you ever felt that way?

I've looked in Psalms.

In Proverbs.

In Philippians.

In Isaiah.

All good Scriptures! But I just could not seem to wrap my thoughts around any of them.

And then I came upon Colossians 2: 6-10.

It spoke to me.

Simply.

I hope it may speak...simply....to you as well.

6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

We're living in a world today that doesn't really care what God says about anything. Therefore we must take care to not let that attitude rub off on us if we are Christians! If we have received Christ as our Saviour, then we need to walk in Him. In other words, if we are a Christian, we need to act like a Christian!

7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

We need to sink our roots deep in the Lord. Get established in the faith. Plant yourself firmly in the things of God and then stay there. And be thankful for what God has done for you!

8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

But don't get so comfortably established that you get careless and start listening to the world's philosophers and intellectuals who want to explain away spiritual things, who want to deny that Christ was God in the flesh, or that the Holy Spirit exists.

10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

Be secure in knowing that God is now and always will be in control of our world, our universe, and everything beyond! We are complete....body and soul....when we are in Him!

Praise the Lord!

Marilyn

(This post will also be on the KJV Blog Directory today)

Is Your Life a Channel of Blessing?

On Monday my friend Elaine wrote a post over at Peace for the Journey that I have had on my mind ever since. She titled it "A Single Thing". She spoke of how we never know how just ONE single thing we do may touch someone else. And yesterday I saw that play out in my life.

Early Tuesday mornings are now dedicated to Beth Moore's "Daniel" Bible study.
We have a group of around twenty-five ladies who come to our new Sav-A-Life center to gather in the meeting room to listen to Beth expound the Scriptures. I told them yesterday morning about reading Elaine's blog Monday and how it impressed me. I wanted them to realize that "single" things that they do in their lives for others may not seem like much to them but may seem like very much to the other person! Each of these ladies are such a blessing to me on Tuesday mornings. So my day started out with many blessings!

After I finished the Bible study time I drove over to the "Young at Heart" Senior Citizen center/gym to walk. I went in, got a folding chair and put underneath the coat hooks so I could sit down and change into my walking shoes. I hung my shoe bag and my coat above the chair and started walking my laps around the gym. A group of much older (than me) Seniors were there for their Tuesday morning square dancing. While I was walking and was on the other side of the gym I saw a lady walk over to the chair under my coat....the only chair in that particular area....and lay something down on the chair. In ten minutes or so the little group disbanded and gathered their coats and hats and purses and left. I fully expected that lady to go by and pick up whatever it was lying in that chair but she didn't. When I finished my walking and went to change back into my street shoes I looked to see what she had left.

To my great surprise I found that she had left me a piece of cake carefully covered up with a paper towel.

I had forgotten that they bring refreshments. That was such an unexpected blessing to me! I brought it home and had it for dessert after lunch. And was it ever delicious! The best lemon layer cake with some kind of lemon sauce between the layers I've ever eaten! I'll have to try and find out who left it for me when I see them next Tuesday so I can thank them!

Our mailman runs the middle of the afternoon usually but it's sometimes the next day when I check the mailbox because it's almost half a mile from the house and I don't walk down there when it's freezing cold like this. Yesterday afternoon I hear a horn blow just outside the front porch and my hubby says, "It's the mailman!" He never comes to the house unless there's a package. And, sure enough, it was a package but not the chainsaw parts my hubby was expecting. It's a package for me! And I'm not expecting a package! Another blessed surprise! It's from one of my dearest friends in GA. She had the box packed with so many nice things....each one of them wrapped in soft pink tissue paper. I could hardly keep from crying it touched me so!

She sent a scented candle, bath gel, lotion, two kinds of note paper, a handbag caddie (used to hang your purse from the table when you go out to eat), and a beautiful gold & silver bracelet with a heart on it! Thank you Evelyn! What a wonderful blessing you are to me!

My day was full of blessings! I was tired at the end of the day and went to bed before hubby did. I was so tired that I left my sink full of dishes which I hardly ever do any more! But I told myself I would just clean the kitchen in the morning when I got up. During the night I woke up and went in the kitchen to get a drink of water. Lo and behold the kitchen sink was empty and clean!

Had the dishwashing fairy been to my house??? No.... my sweet hubby had washed the dishes for me! You know, I think I slept better knowing that chore was taken care of! And I don't think that he realized when he was doing it what a blessing it would be to me!

I woke up this morning thinking of all the blessings I receive every day from the Lord. And most of the time He uses a person to send the blessings to me! If you're reading this I'm pretty sure He's used YOU at one time or another to bless me! And I could not get the old hymn "Make Me a Channel of Blessing" off my mind.

"Is your life a channel of blessing? Is the love of God flowing through you?

Are you telling the lost of the Saviour? Are you ready His service to do?

Make me a channel of blessing today. Make me a channel of blessing I pray.

My life possessing. My service blessing.

Make me a channel of blessing today."

(Harper G. Smyth, 1873-1945)

And today? I was blessed to play with my grandbabies. And our DIL treated us to lunch!

May my prayer everyday be, "Lord, make me a channel of blessing in at least one single thing today" !

Marilyn

How's Your Heart?

Just as I did in 2009 I am trying to "meditate on" two Bible verses each month, picking a new one on the 1st and the 15th of the month. Today sort of "snuck up" on me! Didn't realize it was time for my new verse until I saw Leah and Yolanda's blogs!

Since yesterday was Valentine's Day I have picked Proverbs 4: 23 as my verse to meditate on the last two weeks of February.

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

Do you ever like to just pick a verse apart and examine it? I do. So I got out my dictionary and looked up "Keep". It can mean: to protect; guard;take care of; preserve; to hold for the future; to hold and not let go. "Diligence" can mean: constant effort or work; doing this work carefully. "Issue".....results; consequences.

So in Proverbs 4: 23 we have some very sage advice. This verse tells us to basically make a constant effort to protect, guard, and hold for the future our heart...for our lives will show the results or the consequences of these efforts. Matthew 12: 34(b) and 35 say this: "for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things."

Making an effort to put good things into our hearts will pay off. God says so!

God bless!

Marilyn

What Happened???

Remember all that beautiful, white, CLEAN snow we had Monday morning? Well, the temperature came up, we had a little bit of rain, and this morning we have ugly, dirty, muddy, slush in our yard and driveway! Quite a different scene as I look out my front door today! It didn't take long for the picture to change. Less than twenty-four hours!

I could not help but think that sometimes my life is like that. Maybe you can relate? I go to a revival meeting or a Bible study and get convicted about some sin in my life and then repent and get right with God. Clean. White. Joyful. Then perhaps in less than twenty-four hours someone has insulted me and made me mad. Or some sin has crept back in my life. And there you have it. Ugly, dirty, slushy sin right back in my heart keeping me from being all I could be for God. Don't misunderstand me. I know that once I have been saved my soul is white as snow in God's eyes! But my daily fellowship with Him depends on how I obey Him. I can mess up our fellowship with my sin.

So what's the solution? For the dirty, muddy slush in my front yard....a few days of warmer temperatures and a lot of sunshine will do the trick! For my heart? Getting in the Word and letting the SON shine in should do it!

"That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." Ephesians 5: 26

I hope God is blessing you mightily today!

Marilyn

Snow! Again!

(Our dog Blackie LOVES romping in the snow! I think he may have some Husky blood!)

Just wanted to share some pictures of a rare phenomena with you.....the second snowfall in MISSISSIPPI in less than a month! We don't usually get this kind of weather on a regular basis here in the South! We woke up to a beautiful blanket of snow on the ground and snowflakes falling in almost whiteout conditions!

(View from back porch. If you look closely you can see our old barn through the trees)

Very quickly the amount of snow started increasing! Looks like we may have at least 5 inches or so
by now! And it's still snowing!

(Hubby requested snow cream first thing! Have to admit it was delish! May have had something to do with the Mexican vanilla I put in it!)

I just love that when the snow comes and covers everything in a thick white blanket I can look out my window and where there was "junk" lying around, it's all covered with beautiful pure white snow! And isn't that a great reminder of what God does with our "junky" lives when we come to Him for salvation?

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isaiah 1: 18

So, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Marilyn

Hope Shared = Hope Multiplied

Have you ever bought or been given a piece of jewelry that just becomes a constant part of your life? If you're married your wedding ring is your constant companion. And if you're like me, you can't live without a watch on your arm! Sometimes we get other pieces of jewelry that for one reason or another are special to us. I have several. A locally crafted gold bracelet. A gold nugget cross pendant from my husband. And and a necklace that has a pearl and a silver plate with the word "HOPE" stamped on it. Let me tell you the story of the necklace.

For a long time now HOPE has been one of my favorite words. The word itself means "a feeling that what is wanted will happen".

Several years ago my friend Felesha, who is also the Director of the Sav-A-Life pregnancy center where I volunteer, asked if I would speak for five minutes on the topic "Why I Serve as a Volunteer at Sav-A-Life". For several days I pondered this question without being able to come up with a clear answer. Then one night a single four letter word came to me as the answer....HOPE. That's why I work there. To be able to give hope to those who may feel they have lost it. Because we are a Christian organization I'm also able to share the gospel with them which is the greatest Hope there is! I know that even though I went to church regularly from the time I was born it was not until I was about twenty-five that I came to trust Jesus Christ as my Saviour. Before then...even though I may have looked like a good person....I was "without Christ,....having no hope, and without God in the world." (Ephesians 2: 12) It's not our goodness that saves us...it's His grace.

After that Terri...who is Assistant Director (sorry Terri, I can't remember your real title!)...gave me a little wall plaque with HOPE on it. Later she also gave me a beautiful little Willow Tree Angel whose name was "Angel of Hope". Then one day she handed me a little gift box and when I opened it, there lay a beautiful silver chain with a pearl and the word HOPE on a silver plate. I loved that necklace! I wore it often! For over a year I wore it and every time it reminded me of the Hope we have in Christ.

I wore it until a couple of weeks ago. January 22 to be exact. My sister Leola was in the ICU at the Tupelo hospital and my husband and I had gone down to spend most of the day there with my nieces. When I was putting the necklace on as I got dressed to go it seemed the Lord was saying to me..."Give this to Vicki". (One of Leola's daughters) I remember thinking to myself..."No, Lord....not THIS necklace! Not my HOPE necklace!" It was tempting to take it off and leave it at home! :) But I didn't and as the day wore on at the hospital, I knew it no longer belonged to me but to my niece Vicki. As I was getting ready to say my goodbyes for the day I told Vicki I had something for her. Then I took the necklace off my neck and put it on hers. I told her that it said, "HOPE". She smiled through teary eyes and replied, "That's what we need!" I hugged her and as I left the hospital I felt a sense of peace knowing I had done what God had put on my heart to do. My sister passed away in less than 48 hours after that.

On Monday I stopped by Sav-A-Life for something and confessed to Terri that I had given away my Hope necklace and told her I hoped she would not be mad at me. She said that of course she wasn't...and that I had not given my HOPE away because it would never leave me! And she was right! On Thursday I came in to work. I had been there quite a while and had seen at least one client when Felesha took a small beautifully wrapped package from her desk and said simply..."This is for you!" Having not the least idea what was inside, I opened it. You can guess what it was! Yes! Another Hope necklace! What sweet, sweet friends I have!

(Terri and Felesha....my partners in HOPE at Sav-A-Life!)

HOPE....it's such a short little word....but it means so much to so many! "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose HOPE the LORD is." (Jeremiah 17: 7)

So it just seems to me that when Hope is shared......then Hope is multiplied! Share your Hope today with someone!

Marilyn