Last night, I watched The Robe, one of my favorite movies which I try to watch every year around Easter. Although based on a novel, there is so much in the movie that provokes thought.

The story is from the perspective of the Roman who crucified Jesus. For quite a while after the crucifixion, this Tribune would have nightmares. He felt he was losing his mind and he decided that the robe he had won by a roll of the die was bewitched. The only way he could get free of the torment he was under was to find the robe and destroy it.

After some searching, he found the robe but, when he held it this time, it gave him peace. He saw that the followers of Jesus were different than the Romans he worked with. The Christians were full of peace and love instead of violence and hatred. At the end of the movie, the Tribune surrendered his life and gave it up in death because of His belief in a resurrected Savior.

As you sing, “I serve a risen Savior; He’s in the world today,” do you think about the truth of that statement? “He is risen” is not just a phrase we say to produce hype. It’s a reality. We serve the only living God who is not only living on Easter Sunday but he’s alive 24/7/365. Do you live as if you believe that? Do you tell others on a daily basis that He is living? Is He so real to you that, if faced with the decision to renounce Christ or to die for Him, you would die for Him knowing that to be absent from the body is to be in His presence? These are questions you should ask yourself now. He gave His life for you. Now He asks you to give your life for Him. Are you willing?

The ministry I work for has just entered the conference season which keeps me very busy. I feel blessed to be able to serve the Lord and see lives touched and hearts changed but I’m also aware of how easy it is to be busy doing God’s work and yet become too busy to spend time with the God I profess to love. In relationship with anyone, it’s impossible to maintain a very close friendship if you never have time for each other. It’s no different with God.

When you become too busy to spend quality time with Him, you’re way too busy. After all, if you’re a child of God, it’s Him you’re to be serving. How do you know you’re doing what He wants you to do if you never ask Him? Do you really think you can accomplish anything without His help? Sometimes we act as if we can handle it and then report to Him everything we’ve done “in His name.” I wonder if those are the folks who will hear, “Depart from Me. I never knew you.”

I’m challenging myself as I challenge all of you. Don’t become too busy “serving God” that you lose the blessing of continually drawing near to the God who has called you. The fact that He chose you out of millions of people is a huge privilege but He can easily call someone else. Or He may choose to keep using you but you may find yourself burning out and losing focus. I don’t think it’s an accident that many in ministry fall into sin. They’ve lost the closeness they used to have with the Master. Don’t let that be true for you.

This has been an odd winter. We’ve gone from freezing to relatively warm to rain to snow to sunshine. No rhyme or reason, just variety making it hard to know how to plan each day but I suppose it keeps us on our toes.

In some ways, life is a lot like the weather right now. We wake up each morning not knowing what the day’s going to bring. Sometimes we have an idea of how the day will go, and sometimes we’re right, but sometimes we’re not. I think sometimes storms come to remind us that we are not the ones who control the weather. Whether sunshine or rain, hot or cold, good times or bad, God is in control. Without Him reminding us of that fact, it could be easy to think we are the ones controlling our destinies. Sure, hard work can help to accomplish a lot but 1 Timothy 4:8 tells us, “For bodily exercise profits little: but godliness is profitable to all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” Our relationship to God is what’s important. Everything and everyone else will come and go like the wind, blowing where it wishes (John 3:8), but God never fails. He never sleeps or slumbers. He is always there, watching every step we take, knowing every phone call that’s going to come before it does, and offering us the blessing of His presence in every situation–good and bad.

I, for one, am grateful of that fact. I praise God for His protection from the storms of life. They may happen but, in the shelter of His arms, there is peace. Knowing that, I can get up tomorrow, knowing that, whatever happens, I can face it for He is with me.

“You are my hiding place. You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance. Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

As I sing this song, I feel a sense of peace and security. The words are true and they resonate in the depths of my soul; yet, when push comes to shove, why is it sometimes so hard to trust that God knows what He’s doing? I have no doubt that He does; yet my actions and thoughts try to assume the position of one who has everything under control. In reality, I don’t. I couldn’t get through a single day without God so why don’t I take more time to let Him know I know that?

Scripture tells us over and over not to fear, not to worry about tomorrow, yet how many professed Christians do those very things which Jesus commanded us not to? Could it be that we don’t know Him as intimately as we need to? If you truly knew the heart of my Savior, there’s no way you could doubt Him. You would know that His plans for you truly are good, that He truly is a hiding place where you can go to get away from your troubles. He will truly take your burdens if you would but give them to Him. God’s Word does not lie. If you’re worried about your future, get in the Word. Read God’s promises to those who trust Him and are willing to give their lives to Him. He didn’t promise we wouldn’t go through hard times but He did say, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Psalm 91 gives a great description of the benefits of dwelling in the Lord. He is a refuge, protecting from harm and giving grace for every trial.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me. If you abide in me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you” (John 15:4, 7)

Do you ever wonder if you’re bearing any fruit in your Christian life? A large part of why we don’t is we’re not dwelling with Christ as we should. As each year progresses, it seems like the Church loses more and more power and zeal. We’ve become so much like the world it’s hard to tell us apart. It seems as though we’ve become worried about becoming too Heavenly minded that we’re not Heavenly minded at all.

Colossians 3: 2-3 tells us to, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Scripture tells us repeatedly to put on the mind of Christ, to think about virtuous things, to abide in Christ. God doesn’t make us do these things but, if we are true Christians, each day will draw us closer to Him. We will become more Heavenly minded. We will begin to radiate more of His love and exhibit more of His Spirit until it is no longer us who lives but Christ who lives in us. Brothers and Sisters, this is our goal.

Begin to consciously practice dwelling in God’s presence. Ask Him to walk with you and keep you focused on Him. As you seek Him and draw near to Him daily, you will find yourself changing to become more and more like Him. That’s my goal. I pray it’s yours as well.

“Come to Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest to your souls.For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

I’m one of those people who find myself stressed and overwhelmed at times. It seems there is always more to do than I seem to have time to do, yet it all needs to happen somehow. This month, God brought the above verses to mind, and I’ve been reminding myself that His burden is light. Sometimes we put burdens or requirements on ourselves that God never intended us to have. Other times, we may be doing what He’s called us to do yet, instead of resting on Him and allowing Him to do these things through us, we try to do them ourselves. This is not good. Burnout is a real thing but is not something children of God need to experience.

If you find yourself constantly stressed and not enjoying life, ask God to show you why. Are you taking on more than you should? Are you too busy trying to achieve that you’re not taking time to bask in His presence and refuel? Focus on resting this week. Not necessarily physically but in the Spirit. I believe you’ll see a difference and, although your habit may be to be constantly on the run without pausing, it’s a habit I’d suggest breaking. With God’s help you can.

Now you may have seen me strong and victorious
The enemy fallen down at my feet
But holding the sword is a hand that was trembling
For I knew that alone, I’d face defeat.                   ~Squire Parsons

Do you ever feel like that? I’ve experienced that so many times. I know people look at me as a strong warrior when, inside, I feel like a child. I praise God that in His weakness, I am strong. I may not always feel strong but, as I run to my Father, He steps in between me and whatever foe is facing me to win the battle for me.

There are mountains that I’m asking God to move out of my way but I thank Him for the assurance that, if that’s the mountain He has for me, I don’t have to climb it alone. Sometimes the road ahead is scary if I think about it too much but I’m striving to keep my eyes on Him for He knows what’s best for me. If I truly believe that, I won’t worry. I’ll simply reach out, take His hand and say, “Lord, lead me where You desire me to go. Help me to trust You unwaveringly.”

If you find yourself falling into fear and depression due to the path you see ahead of you, don’t let the enemy take you there. Cling to God’s hand and praise Him for His faithfulness. If you believe you serve a good God, that won’t be hard to do.

“Friend, how would you feel if your heart were made with a window on each side so that all could see not just outward charm but detected inward harm?”  ~ sung by James Blackwood

“If my heart were a window you could look through, oh, the pain and scars you would see.”  ~ Dottie Rambo

For the southern gospel fan, these songs are very familiar. You’ve probably listened to them and sung them countless times but have you ever stopped to think about the fact that your heart does have a window? Maybe it’s too murky for others to see through but God has a way of seeing past the image we try to convey to the root of our souls.

Sometimes, you may not even want to see your heart but I encourage you to be brave enough to ask God to show you what’s really there. Have you convinced yourself you’re a good person while lying hidden in the depths is bitterness, anger, conceit, lust, etc.? This is not a good place to be. David cried out, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24). If this is not genuinely your prayer, your heart is not clean as it should be.

“Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in His holy place? He that has clean hands, and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Psalm 24:3-5). I for one need God’s blessings in my life. How about you?

Aren’t you thankful that God’s mercies are new every morning? I think of this most days but the first day of a new year is when it more fully hits that the old is past and the new is come. We can start over getting rid of old patterns, walking in victory, letting the past remain in the past, etc. I don’t make New Year’s resolutions as I learned a long time ago that typically all they are are ideals but goals that won’t be met unless it’s the Spirit working in me to change me. That, however, is something I am praying for. As I see the tests I’ve failed this past year, I ask God for strength to overcome in the new year. I pray He will help me to be willing to give up my fleshly desires to become more like Him. I long to be a daughter He can be proud of.

Each year produces births and deaths. Many of us may say goodbye to loved ones this year. We may face trials that we never thought we’d have to face and aren’t sure we are able to stand. Let me remind you now to hold to God’s unchanging hand. Nothing takes Him by surprise. He knows how the economy is going to fare, who our president is going to be, who is going to live or die, and everything else that we can only wonder. It’s important that, as Christians, we walk through this uncertain world full of faith and victory, able to say with Job, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” My prayer is that I will have that kind of faith and trust. I hope you are striving for that as well.

As you continue on in your journey, don’t forget to praise God continually. Let Him know how much you love Him. Ask Him to help you to be a light in a dark world and to give you more of a burden for those who don’t know Him. It’s easy to focus on your trials and forget those around you but don’t realize that many are going through a worse trial than you are. Let’s continue to challenge and encourage each other until the day we meet in a land where there will be no more tears, sorrow or death. I can’t wait. God bless you all.

This week marks four years since my first post went up on Southern Gospel Blog. In many ways, it seems like last week that Daniel asked if I would be interested in contributing occasionally. I don’t remember at that time if we had planned on me posting every week but I’m very thankful to Daniel for giving me this opportunity. It’s been a blessing to be able to share my heart and y’all have been so gracious in reading my thoughts and encouraging me along the way.

This next year promises to be hectic but, as God continues to change me and draw me to Himself, I will continue to share what He’s doing in me with the hope that it will speak to you as well. Life is full of ups and downs, trials and victories, joys and sorrows. Through it all, we serve a God who is in control of it all. There is nothing that escapes His eye.

In case I don’t post next week, I will go ahead and wish you all a very blessed Christmas. For those who have lost loved ones who will not be with you this year, I pray God comforts your heart and reminds you that you still have a Reason to celebrate. Make sure He is at the center of your celebration. He didn’t have to leave the splendor of Heaven but He did … for you and me. Don’t forget to tell Him how thankful you are.

If that isn’t love, the ocean is dry, there’s no stars in the sky, and the sparrow can’t fly
If that isn’t love, then Heaven’s a myth, there’s no feeling like this, if that isn’t love.      ~Dottie Rambo