It occurred to me a while back that, although I’m constantly praying to be a blessing and encouragement to others and, although (and maybe because) so much of what I do is minister to people, it is very hard for me to receive spiritual enrichment and encouragement from others. Scripture says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) and I prefer to be on the giving side of ministry but I find that if I never take time to receive from the Lord, in reality, I have nothing left to give. You cannot continue to drive without refilling with fuel from time to time. So it is in the Christian life.

Even with this realization, it is still a struggle for me. When I am at a conference or a concert, I almost feel guilty just going to receive from God for myself but it could also be an element of pride which hesitates to admit that I need God as much as anyone else does. The truth, however, is that I do–so much so!

I don’t know how most people feel but I would like to encourage you today, especially if you are in a ministry of some kind, to make sure you receive the fuel you need for the work God’s given you to do. If you don’t already have someone, pray for someone who can be there for you to lift you up when you’re down, to encourage you when you’re discouraged, to challenge you when you begin to lose focus. That is what the Body is for. I know how hard it can be to find someone you can trust and who will be the right person for you but God knows what you need and He will bring that person. Burnout is a real thing and, without someone feeding into you, you will eventually become ineffective if you continue to try to do it on your own. Your time with God is what’s most important but He has designed the Body to be His hands and feet and voice at times. Don’t distance yourself from that when it’s available to you. If it’s not available right now, take extra time to be quiet and sit at His feet and hear what He would speak. Those who are looking to us for guidance need to know we’ve been with God ourselves. Let’s not take that responsibility for granted.

^“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:17-21).

I’m sure this weekend brings different thoughts to people’s minds. For some, the cross may be the focus; for others, the resurrection brings a renewed hope and life; for me, I find myself overwhelmed with the love Christ had and continues to have for me. Without Christ, there is nothing good in me and I despise myself but, with Christ, there is hope and life and genuine love and joy.

I may never understand why a God who rules this great universe would love me to the degree that He does, or why Jesus would be willing to surrender Himself to suffer such a horrendous death so that I wouldn’t have to die. I may never understand the depth of such love but I’m thankful for it and I pray that I will be ever faithful to serve Him and that everyone around me will know the depth of my gratitude and love for Him.

This past week, I’ve been thinking about Heaven a fair amount. Maybe it’s due partly to the fact that I’ve been listening to the Chuck Wagon Gang sing “I’m Gonna See Heaven” and The Freemans sing “Hello in Heaven.” It doesn’t take much for my mind to begin wandering but I can’t think of anything more worthwhile to daydream about.

You see, the things of earth truly do grow dim when gazing upon that city. Its beauty far outweighs the most spectacular sight we will ever see down here. The walls of jasper and streets of gold must be more dazzling than I can even imagine but I don’t picture that being what catches my eye. Somehow I think my eyes will not gaze at anything until I’ve caught a glimpse of Jesus and, once I find Him, I suspect I’ll just want to study Him. I’ll long to touch Him to make sure I’m no longer dreaming. I suspect once He takes me in His arms, I won’t want to move. I’ll just want to savor the moment because it’s the moment I’ve waited my whole life to encounter. And I know I won’t be disappointed. What a day, glorious day that will be!

Last night, as I was putting away laundry, a song popped into my head which happens often. What was surprising, though, was that the song was by TobyMac who used to be with DC Talk. I am not into rap, and I don’t think I’ve heard the song in a while but the line that jumped out at me was “I was made to love and be loved by You.” Do you ever stop to think about the fact that we were created to have fellowship with God?

I don’t know why God would want fellowship with selfish, stubborn me but the thought that He does makes me want to praise Him even more. It gives me a greater desire to become a person He would delight in, a person that He could point to when talking to satan and He would say, “Have you considered my servant Sony, that there is none like her on the earth?” I think we sometimes think of Job as super human but he was simply a man who “feared God and [stayed away from] evil” (Job 1:8). Is that us? When faced with temptation, do we go the opposite direction so that it doesn’t interrupt our fellowship with God? Or do we care more about what people think of us than what God does?

People get so wrapped up in “not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together” but do you forsake assembling with God? If we fail in that, our fellowship with the saints amounts to nothing. We have nothing to give our Brothers and Sisters if we have received nothing from the Lord, and we won’t receive from Him if we neglect Him.

If you haven’t done so already, take some time to get alone with God and let Him know how much you appreciate everything He has done for you. You will be extremely blessed as you begin to feel His love and delight at the time you take for Him. He is waiting.

Last night, I read the account in Homecoming magazine about the typhoon in the Philippines which created a mudslide and collapsed a house. The survivors were rushed to local hospitals except for an 18-year-old young man who was left to remove the rubble and find that his mother, his baby brother, his two sisters, and two nieces were all dead. How easily this family could have given into despair and everyone would have understood.  Yet, in the midst of that tragedy, they understood that God has a plan for each survivor and their faith has increased instead of being dashed along with their houses.

Reading this account reminded me that, in reality, most of us really have nothing to complain about. Life may be hard but it could be a lot harder. We may not understand why certain things happen to us but God is still very good to us just like He was good to this family. It may not seem like goodness for God to let them lose their home and some of their family members but God has a plan and I trust that He will somehow use this for His glory. Maybe others will come to know Him because of the faith of this family. I don’t know but I do know that God’s love is strong for each of His people and He loves you as well. No matter what you are going through, take some time to thank God for His love and His goodness. Sing “It is Well” for, if you are a true Believe, it really is well with your soul and that is truly something to be thankful for.

“He locked the gates of Hell behind me and then He threw the key away.”

Have you heard that song from the Kingdom Heirs? I get excited each time I hear it as I think about the reality of those words. Do you ever stop to think about what God saved you from? If you do, I don’t know how you could cease to praise Him from here to eternity. From the day we arrived in this sinful world, we have been deserving of Hell but thank God He provided a way of escape. I shudder to think where I would be today if God hadn’t found me but His timing is always perfect. I remember the days without Him and I have no desire to go back.

Have you taken time to share with someone what God has done for you lately? It seems like many people find it easy to hand out tracts and I know God can use that too but I think this world needs to hear personal experiences of what God has done for us, how He saved us from ourselves when we were wandering aimlessly with no hope and no purpose. He put a spring in our steps and a smile on our face which can never be erased. And He changed the course we were heading on so that we can spend eternity with Him instead of spending it in total darkness.

Thank You, Lord, for locking the gates and throwing away the key. I am so thankful that I can spend the rest of my days with You.

I heard part of a country song the other day which was talking about people who complain about things. It said, in essence, that troubles are a part of life so buck up and quit complaining. Even though the song didn’t give the listener any hope or real encouragement, it occurs to me that the world may have a more realistic picture of life than we do.

As Christians, it seems like we often think we shouldn’t have trials but Scripture says the exact opposite. “In the world, you SHALL have tribulation: but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). ”All who live Godly in Christ Jesus SHALL suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). It is a part of our life too but Jesus told us to “look up, and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28). Now is not the time to get discouraged and quit. It is the time to raise our heads and look to Him who is not taken by surprise in anything. His plan for us is good and not evil. If you realize that, it will help you to totally relax in His arms. When you’re with Him, you will still go through fire and deep water but, in His arms, the rivers will not overflow you and the fire will not burn you (Isaiah 43:2). He will be a shield against the arrows of the enemy. The arrows will be thrown at you but, if you stay close to Jesus, they will be deflected so that they will not injure you.

Let’s show the world that it’s possible to do more than get through life. Let’s move forward in faith and victory with a song in our hearts no matter what comes our way.

“If you could see where He brought me from to where I am today, then you would know the reason why I love Him so.”

This past week, I’ve been thinking again about what my life used to be: a life of hopelessness, trudging through each day dutifully without joy or peace. I cried a lot and longed to be taken out of the world.

Thank God for His mercy that saw this poor, lost, fragile girl and said, “I can use you. Will you give up yourself and everything you’ve ever known and follow Me?” It took several years of God reaching out to me before I totally opened up my heart and realized that His plans for me were good, not evil … and those plans haven’t changed.

Life with God has not been a life of ease but it’s been so much better than life without God. Without God, circumstances make one feel hopeless; with God, I know that “Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.” Without God, even my greatest attempt at smiling was hollow and sad; with God, I’ve been told that I smile too big. He gets the glory for that. I thank Him often for saving me when He did. I shudder to think what my life would be like if He hadn’t but praise the Lord! Because of Him, I will one day have a new life where death and pain will be forever removed and I will finally get to hear Him say, “Well done, My good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy I’ve prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” What a day that will be! I hope you will be there to experience it with me.

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19).

I have contemplated the topic of love a lot in the past year or so. When I read 1 Corinthians 13, I realize how far I have to go to truly become like Christ. Can I truly say that I love my neighbor as I do myself? Do I have that love that is willing to lay down my life for a friend? I’m convinced that, until we truly understand Christ’s love, we are unable to love others to that degree but Scripture describes love to us for a reason.

Love is more than words; it’s more than gifts; it’s much more than candy and (believe it or not) chocolate. Those things could be given in love but they could also be given by strangers. Let’s make sure that, if we tell someone we love them, that we show them our love by our deeds. Go step by step if you need to. Am I patient? Am I kind? Do I keep a record of wrongs? Do I serve self or do I truly serve others? If others wonder if you love them, you probably don’t but God can fill you with that genuine love that truly reflects Him.

Make an extra point today to show your loved ones how much you love them.

The other day, I was thinking about success and what it really is. Dictionary.com defines it as

1. the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors.
2. the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.
3. a successful performance or achievement.

But is that the true definition of success? At the end of my life, I will feel successful if I have stayed close to my Savior … if I’ve fulfilled His purposes in my life … if I was a light in a dark world to lead others into relationship with Him. If I’ve done all that, nothing that the world terms success will matter because it will all burn one day anyway. I can’t take worldly success with me when I die but I can take the people who come to know Christ as a result of me being a Godly success and, to me, that is worth more than anything this world has to offer.