Open Hands

While driving in my car one morning in
Southern California, I needed to reach
over my shoulder and get something that
my daughter was trying to hand to me.
It was then that I noticed my hands had
been tightly clinched to the steering
wheel. In order to “receive” what she was giving
to me, I had to let go and open my clenched hand
(of course, only one hand. After all, I was driving!)
Through this simple transaction God brought a picture
to me of how we are to be walking through our day.

He said to me, “How do you receive?” In an instant,
a picture of open hands stretched out appeared in
my mind. How do you receive a present, a hug, a
sweet picture drawn by a child? We do that with
open hands stretched out. That is how we receive.

Now what if our hands are clenched so tight,
desperately holding on to whatever it is in
life that we haven’t let go of. Are you holding
onto a grudge, a hurt, or bitterness? Are you
holding onto your past? What about material
possessions, money, your position in a career?
When God offers to us the mercy, the strength,
the forgiveness, are we able to accept it? Not
if our hands are already full of stuff. Do we
trust that what He has to offer is better than
what we have clenched in our grips?

Handing over our worries, cares and treasures
to Him is the way to receive His gifts. Do you
trust Him, do you love Him? Do you really? Do
you know that what He has to give far outweighs
what we are holding in our flesh? It is through
Him alone that we receive what we need. He is
our Source. In Isaiah 58 the Lord declares,
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither
are your ways My ways.” Letting (fill in your
own blank) go and giving it away to God shows
that we love Him, that we depend on Him, that
we trust Him. “Trust in the LORD forever, for
the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.”
Isaiah 26:4

Zsanae

A Personal God

Jeremiah 33:3: "'Call to Me, and I will
answer you, and show you great and mighty
things, which you do not know.'

I am thankful that the God of the Bible,
the Creator of the Universe, the One who
gives us our very breath and knows the
number of our days, is a PERSONAL God!
He is not a God that we can only wonder
about, He is a God who reveals Himself
to us in many different ways. Study
God's Word if you feel like you don't know
who God is and what He is like. If you
are truly seeking God, He will make Himself
known through the Holy Spirit.

What I wanted to highlight about this verse
is the fact that He tells ALL of us (that
means YOU too) to CALL to Him. His promise
is that He will show YOU, yep- YOU, great
and mighty things. He doesn't say, "I'll
show your pastor, I'll show that Professor,
I'll show somebody who is much more godly
than you." God says, "I (the Living God)
will show YOU, but you need to CALL to Me."

How do we know He is personal? Well, when
He shows us those great and mighty things
(when a verse pops us over and over in
Bible study, then in church, then on the
radio, we realize- God is giving me that
verse for a reason)(or when somebody is on
your heart and you just can't shake it, and
you reach out to them and realize they really
needed to talk)(or when God teaches you a
lesson and you finally GET IT, you want to
jump for joy and say, "OK God, you TAUGHT
ME, I get it now!!!), just to name a few
examples, you know God is working. He is
speaking to you directly and specifically.

Have you ever been excited and shared what God
was showing you and not gotten back the response
you would have liked? Have you ever thought,
don't they get how big this is? Before I
might have been bummed out that somebody wasn't
as excited about the lesson God taught me, until
I realized that the message was for ME! Not
for them, but for ME!!! Now I rejoice that it
wasn't received in the same intensity or excitement,
because My Father in Heaven was speaking to
ME personally. He reveals Himself in unique
ways to us, always lining up with the Bible
and always in truth. It is always amazing
to realize how much God cares for us individually,
and yet He created the entire world and every single
person in it!

Reason to Rejoice

Romans 8:1
"There is therefore now NO condemnation to
those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not
walk according the to flesh, but according
to the Spirit"

I love this verse!!! It gives us reason
to have hope, and reason to rejoice!!!
Life is hard and can get complicated at
times, but we need to make sure we never
accept condemnation in our lives! That is
not from God, it is from the enemy. As
children of God, we walk according to the
Spirit because we are IN Christ Jesus.
In John 15, Jesus says, "Abide in Me,
and I in you." This verse, along with
Romans 8:1, reminds me to cling to God's
truth and not listen to any "condemning"
thoughts that I might get.

As we stay close to God,
He will give us His peace and His joy,
and we will be reminded that we are
made in His image!

Preparing for God's Calling

God has a plan for us, we read in Jeremiah 29:11.
Many times we find ourselves wondering what that
calling is and when is it going to take place.
First and foremost, we need to walk daily in
obedience to God. If we do that, we can trust
that we are in the will of God. I know some
passions that the Lord has given me and sometimes
I catch myself asking, "God, when are you going
show me the plan for my life?" Then I remember,
that plan is a daily plan, not just some big
event that is waiting to take place down the
road. I am also reminded, that daily God is
preparing us (if we are willing to be prepared
by Him) for what He has next. I was encouraged
by these verses today:

Psalm 78:70-72
"He (God) also chose David His servant,
And took him from the sheepfolds;
From following the ewes that had
young He (God) brought him.,
To shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel His inheritance.
So he shepherded them according to
the integrity in his heart,
And guided them by the skillfulness of
his hands."

God chose David and brought Him into the
calling for His life. God chooses us and
will bring us into His calling for our lives.
Even if God hadn't called David to be the
king of Israel, David was honoring God by
the integrity in his heart, even as a shepherd
to a flock of sheep. God knew He could trust
David with His flock (God's children). God
will prepare us and use us but we need to
trust Him and learn from Him. David also
guided the Israelites by the skillfulness
of his hands. Remember that our talents
come from God and He will allow us to use them.
Let's live lives of integrity and trust that in
God's timing, He will continue to unfold
His plan in our lives. Let's trust God
in the good times and the hard times. To
God be the glory!