A PIECE OF MY HEART...how will it end?

Have you ever watched a really good movie with a really bad ending? My family can tell you, the ending to a movie is very, very important to me. I simply cringe when I have spent an hour or two of my precious time watching a movie and the ending is just blah!

I love a good ending. I wonder what it would be like for filmmakers if they started with an incredible ending and then built the story line around the final ending?

 I wonder what it would be like for us if we lived our life according to the final scene of our life? If we knew ahead of time the time, the day and how we would end our life ... would it make a difference how we lived our life?

I would guess that it would make a difference. I am reminded today about how Jesus describes the ending scene of one man's story. (Read Matthew 25:14-21) ...

It is the story of the talents.

One man was given five talents, while another was given two and the third was given one talent. The one with the five talents went out and traded and earned five more talents, likewise, the one with two talents also went out and gained two more talents but the one who was given just one talent was afraid so he went and buried his talent in a hole.

When the master returned to see what the three had done with the talents he had given them, he found both the one with five and two talents to be good and faithful with what he had entrusted them with. But the one with one talent, who was afraid, his master replied, "You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore, take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents." (Matthew 25:26-28)

If the man with the one talent in this parable would have seen ahead of time how this was going to play out with his master...I wonder if he would have done anything differently with the talent given to him?

God expects us to be faithful over the great and the small things that He bestows upon us. It is my prayer that the choices that I make are always considering the ending story ... how will this affect eternity?

Live today like the end is in sight!

and that is a piece of my heart today;

AT THE WELL... sneaky snakes

All we have to do is pick up the newspaper or turn on the local news to see just how evil our world has become.

crime is at a high.

people are lying, cheating and deceiving one another.

It seems like evil has just shown up and is trying to take over our world. But did you know that evil and the lurkings of it have been around for a long time? It is not anything new to God. All you have to do is read the Old Testament to see that people today are doing exactly what the people were doing way back in the Old Testament days. murdering. raping. stealing.

As far as I can tell, it goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden.

GENESIS 3:1-5 "You won't die!" the serpent replied to the woman. "God knows that  your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil."

Snakes are sneaky. They slither and they are silent. Before a dog attacks, you can usually hear them bark. But snakes are so much more dangerous because before you hear them coming - they attack. This describes how Satan, the slimey snake works. Not only back in the garden, but also today, that sneaky snake speaks lies, and sneaks up on us when we least expect it. He twists the truth to trick us and tempts us by disguising things to look and taste good, when in reality it is sour and ends up hurting us.

The good news about the evil that lurks around us today is the same good news that we see throughout the Bible ... and that is God wins the battle. Satan cannot win ... his head was crushed when Jesus overcame death.

Don't be surprised by the evil around us. God isn't.

Don't be surprised when satan loses for good. God won't be.

Don't be surprised when God comes back for His church. God is looking forward to it.

In the meantime, stay strong in your faith and remember that God is in control and nothing is too great for Him. Don't let evil shake you of the promise that He is coming back and He will be victorious over that slimy, sneaky snake!

Join others today over AT THE WELL for today's discussion.

LACED WITH GRACE...raging floodwaters

TODAY I HAVE A DEVOTION OVER AT

 LACED WITH GRACE

entitiled "Raging Floodwaters". I would like to share it with you here as well:

Some of the greatest memories with our kids were made when they were little around the campsite at a local campground. We had the best time sleeping in tents, sitting around the fire at night and roasting marshmallows. One of the other highlights of camping was going on a canoe trip. Oh how we loved to ride those rapids.

I remember one year, when our two oldest boys were old enough – they wanted to have a canoe all to themselves. What a riot it was for us to watch those two young boys, who knew all there was to know about canoeing, try to maneuver their canoe over the rocks and waves.

On that particular day, the water was pretty calm. But on other days, the water could be pretty dangerous as we watched it become like a raging floodwater. I assure you though, any storm that I have ever seen on those rapid rivers is nothing like the people in Samoa have seen this past week…

“I was scared. I was shocked,”said Didi Afuafi, 28, who was on a bus when the giant waves came ashore on American Samoa. “All the people on the bus were screaming, crying and trying to call their homes. We couldn’t get on cell phones. The phones just died on us. It was just crazy.”

Craziness.
Scared.
Shocked.

Does that not describe exactly how you feel when you are going thru a struggle and everything around seems like a raging floodwater? We often begin to feel panic and fear and everything just seems to overwhelm us.

When it seems like your canoe life is about to capsize, remember this: You are not alone. The people in Samoa were not alone. In the middle of the storm stands the One Who is able to calm the waters.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.” -ISAIAH 43:2

Trust this promise from God - call out to Him and cling to Him for it is He that will safely take you to high ground!

What does a vacuum cleaner have to do with a dead guy?

What helps a person to recover or bounce back from a tragedy? The answer to this question is going to vary depending on the spiritual level of one's life.

In last weeks YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I asked the following question, "what helps you to recover when you are tense?" The top 3 answers were:

81% of those polled, said that what helps them is spending time in prayer.
45% voted and said that spending time in God's Word helps them recover from tension.
36% of those voting said that listening to an uplifting song helps them.

I am glad to see that what or Who we turn to to release our tension is the One who holds the answer to all of our problems. Not only does God hold the key but we even see in His Word where He went to great lengths to demonstrate this to us.

Many times before people buy a product, they want to see it demonstrated. They want to be sure they are getting their "moneys worth". That is why carpet cleaners offer specials to come and demonstrate their fantastic new carpet vacuum or shampooer for "free" - they want to demonstrate how awesome of a product they have for sale. Television has caught onto this great sales pitch - that is why "infomercial" is so popular these days.

The principle of demonstrating what you have to offer is a good idea, but RAINBOW vaccums did not come up with it. Actually, isn't what Jesus did through Lazarus long ago, a way that His love and His power over the grave was demonstrated to those who may not believe?

JOHN 11:17 "On His arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days."

JOHN 17: 39 "Take away the stone," He said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." (40) Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

What Jesus was about to do for Lazarus was something much more than just a special favor for a special friend. It was a demonstration of God's power over death and certainly an illustration of what is to come for each of us who believes in Christ.

JOHN 11:43, 44 Jesus called out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" (44) The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

We are much like Lazarus clothed in his grave clothes when we doubt the power of God. But when we respond to the calling of God and believe on Him, like Lazarus, we step out of the grave clothes to start a new beginning.

God has demonstrated His love over and over for us....

now that is something we just shouldn't pass up!

WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD is a reflection of a recent personal study I have done. This past week I was reading and studying the story of Lazarus. I am overwhelmed with the power of God. Aren't you?

IS IT ENOUGH?

Today, I have shared the following devotion over at AT THE WELL, where you can find daily devotional readings...

I recently returned from a long and exhausting trip to Texas. It was not only exhausting physically but emotionally as well. We traveled 8 hours to bring our youngest son to college in Texas. It was much harder for me to do than I thought.

On the long and sad ride home (without him), flashbacks of sweet memories of our children as they were growing up flooded my mind and I found myself wondering what I had taught my children. What were the lasting things that will stay with them now that they have flown to conquer their world? Was it enough to sustain them?

When I think about what I learned from my own mother and other female role models in my life...I can think of some really great things that still remain with me. Things like learning to bake a cake, how to balance my checkbook, and how to write thank you notes.

Actually, when you think about it ... there isn't a lot that we do, that at one point in time, we didn't have to learn. Even when our kids are babies, we still have to teach them to eat, to walk, and to talk. We as parents, have a huge responsibility when it comes to teaching our kids and every single day we are teaching them whether we realize it or not. We teach through our example, with counseling and guiding, by explaining, and we even teach through our discipline.

It is funny to watch my older children interact with the younger ones. Often times, we have overheard the oldest telling the younger ones the same kind of advice I can recall my husband and myself giving him at a younger, more tender age. Whether you realize it or not ... our kids are watching, they are listening and they are learning.

The Bible says that the most important thing that parents should teach their children is the lesson of fearing God! It is our job to show our kids what it is like to treat God with reverence, what it sounds like to talk to Him in prayer, what it means to give our worship to Him, and what it is like to trust Him in not only the good times but the bad.

PROV. 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

So, I ask you ... the things that you are teaching your children ~ is it enough? Is it enough that they will stand firm in their faith and be all that they can be in Christ? It is my prayer that it is enough!

Chcck back later to see this weeks post on  WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD!

A PIECE OF MY HEART...roll with the punches

I really do not know much about the rodeo or cowboys. But one thing that I do know is that when a cowboy is thrown from the saddle, he can do one of two things: he can either tense his muscles, stiffen his arms and resist the fall or he can relax his body and hit the ground rolling.

Think about it ... if he should tense up, he risks further injury like a possible torn ligament or broken bones. But if he rolls with the impact, the chance is greater that he will just spring right back up and be able to remount and keep riding.

I am reminded of a man named Saul, who was a devout Jew. He took a fall because he was resisting. Saul was fighting Christianity will all of his might, he hunted down Christians so they could be impisioned, tried and put to death. On his way to Damascus. Saul saw a great light. He fell to the ground and he heard the voice of Jesus:

"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads". (Acts 26:14)

Eventually Saul stopped opposing the church, he accepted God's will for his life and proclaimed the gospel. Saul learned to roll with the punches. While the enemy wanted him to continue down the wrong road of destruction, God had a different plan for his life. Saul didn't give up, he sprung back and got back in the saddle and rode towards the prize.

When we face adversity, we need to pray for wisdom so we will know how to stand firm and roll with the punches. It is not God's design for you and for me to resist His plan and get banged and bruised up from the fall. God's plans include ciccumstances that will take us to places totally unimaginable...if we would only saddle up and let God take the reins.

and that is a piece of my heart today;

AT THE WELL... your styrofoam cup

HAVE YOU EVER DRUNK OUT OF A STYROFOAM CUP? If you have, you know how very careful you have to be, because if you accidently poke a hole in the cup, all of the liquid inside of it will come spewing out!

Our lives are alot like a styrofoam cup!

When problems or frustrations "poke a hole" in our plans, whatever is inside of us is what comes spilling out! As humans, we just can't help it. It just comes out. Sometimes it might be words of frustration. Sometimes it is just aggravation.

Reality is that ALL of us deal with frustration. We deal with difficult people. We deal with things that can really put us in a bad mood. So I have to ask this today...."what comes spilling out when these things happen ~ do we respond in anger or defense or do we "spill out" love, joy and kindness?"

I believe that we can "help it" ... that is ...what comes spilling out of us.

When the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us when we become believers, the picture pops in my head of when we pour coffee into our styrofoam cup...when that cup spills...what is INSIDE is what will pour out (and often times leave a stain!)

 When we submit to the Holy Spirit, He will change our attitudes, our perspectives and He will order our steps. What resides inside of us is what will pour out of our spirit (and our mouths)!

So next time frustration and trouble comes, remember that your styrofoam cup is leaking exactly what is in your heart. Allow God's joy to spew out of you today!

PSALM 28:7 "The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving."

Today's discussion over AT THE WELL is about joy...click here to read more about it!