He remembers me

Genesis 8:1

Amplified Bible (AMP)

8 And God [earnestly] remembered Noah and every living thing and all the animals that were with him in the ark; and God made a wind blow over the land, and the waters sank down and abated.

This scripture gives us a beautiful picture of how much relationships mean to God. The waters of judgment and destruction had been flooding the earth, wreaking havoc with all living creatures. In the ark, Noah, his family, and the animals were waiting it out, not knowing what was happening or how long they would be confined to their boat of salvation.

But God remembered Noah. The same relationship that stopped God from including Noah and his family with the rest of humanity was the thought which reminded God that it was time to bring an end to the flood and allow Noah and the rest to find relief.

What does this tell us? Simpy put, it lets us know that many times when God moves, it is in direct response to the needs or requests of someone who is in right relationship with Him. Do you have a right relationship with God? Then ask Him to answer your prayers. Are you in need? Know that God is watching and will move to meet that need because of His respect for you. God remembered Noah, and He will remember you, too.

Be blessed.

Craig Thompson (WalkwithGod.com)

Still I declare

I received this devotion today through "The Redemptive Pursuit" (www.theredemptivepursuit.com). So good...

Still I Declare
By Laura Ziesel
June 18, 2012

Scripture:
"O God, you have taught me from my youth, and still I declare your marvelous deeds." -Psalm 71:17

Reflection:
I grew up in great churches and with great parents, but my faith was not wholly my own until I went to college. During my college years, I felt like I was growing in my relationship with God by leaps and bounds. I was constantly surrounded by challenging books, opportunities for service and prayer, and musicians and artists who led me deeply into worship. Those years almost feel magical when I look back upon them.

Not everyone experiences this type of super-charged spiritual growth in college, but I have found that most adult Christians have experienced it at one point or another in their life: after joining a new church, after enlisting in the military, or upon becoming a parent. These months or years of super-charged growth shape us and train us for the rest of our lives.

However, as great as these periods of amazing growth are, they are rarely sustainable. Now that I am five years out from my college graduation, my day-to-day spiritual growth is not as impressive or exciting as it was during my college years. I continue to grow in my faith, but my growth is slower and markedly less magical.

But I don't think this is bad. In fact, I think this is normal and healthy in some ways. If I think about my relationship with the Lord like it is a real relationship, it only makes sense that sustaining it would be less exciting than discovering it. Like falling in love, my years of extreme growth in the Lord are something I will cherish forever; they were a honeymoon phase, so to speak. But by now, God and I have been married for a few years and I'm learning the dance of day-to-day faithfulness to him in the midst of paying bills, scrubbing dishes, and sorting through emails for work. And learning how to love him now is hard if I expect our love to be the same as it was during that honeymoon phase.

I've heard it said that comparison is the thief of joy. I think we often view comparison to be a problem when we are comparing ourselves to others. But comparison can be the thief of joy even when we are comparing ourselves to a former version of ourselves. If I expect every devotional or church service to be life-altering, I'm setting myself up for disappointment. And if I expect every year of my life to result in super-charged spiritual growth, I am rejecting the reality of how relationships work. Relationships change; they go through intense periods of intimacy and periods of monotony.

I don't know if I'll have another phase of super-charged growth like I had in college. I hope so. It would be great to honeymoon with God again. But right now, today, I need to stop comparing my daily walk with God to what it used to be, and I need to accept it for what it is. It is still an undeserved gift, and that should be enough to make me thankful for it.

Prayer:
Lord, I am so thankful to you for reaching out to me and rescuing me from myself. Thank you for giving me more to live for, for giving me hope and purpose. Thank you for each and every day that I've had the privilege of living for you. Help me to be thankful for today, even if it doesn't feel exciting or life-changing. I want to be faithful in the small things, so I ask for your help. Amen.

The old rugged cross

One of my devotions today referenced this old-time hymn. I felt that I should post it...

1. On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
   The emblem of suff’ring and shame;
   And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
   For a world of lost sinners was slain.
   • Refrain:
     So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
     Till my trophies at last I lay down;
     I will cling to the old rugged cross,
     And exchange it some day for a crown.
2. Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
   Has a wondrous attraction for me;
   For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
   To bear it to dark Calvary.
3. In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
   A wondrous beauty I see,
   For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
   To pardon and sanctify me.
4. To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
   Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
   Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
   Where His glory forever I’ll share.

This speaks to me now...

Many Dreams
By Laura Ziesel
April 9, 2012


Scripture:
"For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God." Ecclesiastes 5:7

Reflection:
Over the years, I've had many dreams about who I would be as an adult. I went to college in New York City, and I dreamed of staying there my whole life, learning every corner bakery and hidden treasure. But I've also dreamed of living a quiet life in the country, with my own gardens and chickens, becoming a pro at picking berries off the bushes. I've dreamed of being a lawyer, a teacher, and a business owner. I've dreamed of being married to a pastor, a city banker, and a cowboy. I've dreamed of having my kids young while I'm energetic, and I've dreamed of putting off kids until later in life. In short: my dreams have been many, and they often contradict one another.

Most of the big choices I've made in life have meant not only that I am saying, "Yes" to one thing, but also that I am saying, "No" to many other things. When I decided to follow Jesus, I effectively said goodbye to living for myself. When I married my husband, I said goodbye to my dreams that didn't include him. He's certainly not a cowboy! As I am now pregnant, I find myself starting to wonder what other dreams will never come true as I had imagined.

Because of this uncertainty about the future, I have been reminding myself a lot lately that my value as a person is not found in my ability to accomplish goals or make my dreams into a reality. My value is not in my life experiences, my diplomas, or my future brood of children. It's not in how well I bake a pie or know how to speak a foreign language. My value is entirely and completely in Christ.

I know that truth about my identity in Christ in my mind, but figuring out what that means has been more evasive. Lately, the phrase that brings it all to the surface has been, "Lord, am I enough?" When I ask him that, I crumble inside. I fear that I'm not enough. I want to become those romanticized images of a respected working woman, a joyful gardener, and a world traveler. This one life is not enough to accomplish everything I want to accomplish, everything that I think will make me joyful and fulfilled. There is only one me, and at all times, I want to be more than I currently am.

When I ask him, "Lord, am I enough?," graciously, and only because of the sacrifice of Christ, God always responds to me, "My dear child. You have always been enough for me. You are the one who is unsatisfied." And that is where I now sit, realizing that yet again, I am the one who has to let some of my dreams die. My dreams aren't God's dreams. God doesn't usually give me a preview of what he has dreamed for me. In the face of my many dreams, my selfish dreams and even the noble ones, God looks at me and asks, "The real question is, am I enough for you?" What he wants is that I would simply follow him and be content with being with him, wherever that is.

Prayer:
Gracious God, you have walked with so many men and women before me. You know how fickle the human heart is. Yet for some reason, you still want us, fickle hearts and all. Thank you for wanting me, for calling me to yourself, for dying so that I could be whole. Help me to surrender my dreams to you and to trust you with my future. Help me to be content in you, to find joy simply in spending time with you. And for all of my failures, I ask for your mercy. Amen.

Copied from - www.theredemptivepursuit.com

Liquid Fast - Week 3, Day 6 (Last Day)

The silence was pervasive. Like the ringing in your ears at the end of the concert, the silence is deafening. Like when the video streaming cuts out right at the climax of your favorite show, the anticipation vacuum was enormous.

Today I want us to put ourselves in the place of those followers, closest to Jesus, on that Saturday so many years ago. As you read the following passage, try to transport yourself to a place where you don't know the end of the story. Let your imagination open up a bit and attempt to feel what they must have been feeling.

Read these words like you were in the midst of the story . . .

Read & Feed:
"Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate's
permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there."
- John 19:38-42

Journal:
Do you think Jesus' followers felt discouraged because, not only did their Great Teacher die, but their dreams of a better life died with Him? Or maybe they felt rejected and helpless because what they thought was true turned out to be a lie? Possibly they felt hopeless and weak because they couldn't stop the Romans and religious leaders from killing the truest person they'd ever met.

Life without Jesus was lonely.

Life today without Jesus isn't much different.

As Christ Followers we know the end of the story. We know that tomorrow morning a few women in Jesus' inner circle would go back to the tomb and find that He was alive. We know that His promise of victory was dependable and true. We feel at peace because we know that Jesus is stronger than the grave. Our posture towards God is trusting and loving because we know what happens next in the story.

But what about the people in our lives today who don't know the rest of the story? For many of our family and friends this weekend is confusing because they are not totally sure why we celebrate the "defeat of our God on the cross." Some might even think we're foolish to celebrate what we do.

What could we do to help complete the end of the story for them? How could we help them see that the story does not need to end in confusion?

Tomorrow at Liquid, Pastor Tim is presenting the whole story for your friends. The Easter message of Hope will be explained vividly for our friends and family. You know what happens next in the story . . . what if you had someone with you tomorrow who doesn't fully understand the entire story. Imagine the transformation that will happen in them when they go from confusion to clarity!

GIG Post - "A willing heart" - SO GOOD!!

I had to post this in its entirety. So, so, good!

A Willing Heart
Gwen Smith

Today's Truth
"So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, 'Come back to God!'" (2 Corinthians 5:20, NLT)

Friend to Friend
My husband Brad went on a missions trip to Guatemala a few years ago. What he saw and experienced changed his life and increased his faith in a dramatic way. He was an eyewitness to the healing power of God. On that trip he prayed harder, believed more, and expected more from God each passing day—and as a result, God used their medical missions team as a conduit for miracles.
Do you ever find yourself doubting that God wants to move in and through your life? Have you ever felt like you've needed a faith-lift? Are there circumstances in your life that have left you feeling "unqualified" to be the voice of life to others? Do you want to experience God's strength and power in your average, ordinary days?

If so, then lean in, girlfriend, because what I'm about to share with you is a key to increasing the power of God in your life!
Hector, the founder of that Guatemalan ministry that Brad teamed up with on the missions trip, visited North Carolina, and my family and I went to hear him speak. When I heard him testify of the provision and power of God, my heart was stirred and my faith was boosted. But what moved me most was the story of the lesson he learned about his call after God led him to be a medical missionary.

Before he began the medical ministry that he devotes his life to now, Hector's main goal in life was to make lots of money. Back then he didn't even apologize for it. He was a Christian and figured that God could use his money to help others.

What happened to change the course of his life? Back in the late eighties, Hector and his wife joined a medical team on a trip to a mountain village. The team was blown away by what God did through them while they were there. On the four-hour drive back to the city, they worshipped and sang praises to God. As he worshipped and drove, Hector heard the Lord speak to his soul. This is what I've made you for: to medically treat my people, to pray for their healing, and to share the hope of Jesus with the hopeless and the lost.

Hector felt so overwhelmed that he pulled the truck over and told the team of his call from God to be a missionary doctor. They prayed over him, whooped it up in celebration, and then continued down the mountain with an even greater sense of purpose and excitement. Hector thought that God had called him to be a missionary because of his skills as a doctor. Later, he would think otherwise.

A few years into his work, while visiting a remote village, a woman with a large mass on her side came into their makeshift clinic. Her terrible pain was curbed only by her excitement that the medical team had come to help her. One glance at her tumor and Hector had a strong suspicion that it was malignant. Upon examining her further, Hector was convinced that she was terminal. He became very frustrated with God, to the extent that he didn't even want to share the gospel with her because he couldn't do anything to help her physically.

Hector sent up a few prayers of frustration, but felt God nudging him to share the gospel with this woman. So he reluctantly shared the good news of Jesus with her; and, to Hector's surprise, she wanted to be forgiven and place her faith in Jesus Christ! And as they sat on the floor of that makeshift med-center, this sweet woman trusted Jesus as her Savior. When they finished praying, the woman had a radiant smile and tears in her eyes. He hugged her and she began to cry.

"What happened?" Hector asked. "Why are you crying?"

"As we were praying," she said, "I felt a warmth that started on my head and spread to the tips of my toes." As she said this, she realized something had changed, and she screamed with delight, "My mass is gone! My pain is gone!"

Hector had her lie back down on his examining table. The tumor that had been there just minutes ago was gone. God had intervened. She was healed, both spiritually and physically!

In the amazing celebration that followed, God spoke clearly to Hector's heart. God told him that He had all the power needed for the work He had called Hector to, and it had nothing to do with his medical training. God impressed on his heart that He didn't need Hector's skills or his knowledge; He had all of that covered. He just wanted him to go in His name.
You and I have that same opportunity every day. We have a chance to be a witness of God's healing love to a world of wounded hearts. Did God need my husband and the other volunteers to heal Guatemalan villagers, treat their physical wounds, and share the hope of Jesus with them? No. Did God move in the lives of the villagers because of their willingness to go in His name? You bet!

One of my favorite sayings is, "God doesn't call the equipped. He equips the called." If you are His, then you are called. Not because of who you are or what you can do, but because God can and will do His work through you.

Did God tell Jonah to go to Nineveh because Jonah was a great leader with amazing vision? No! Jonah proved to be quite wimpy. When Jonah finally made it to Nineveh, did God bring a great wave of repentance and restoration because of Jonah's rhetorical gifts? No! God stirred the hearts and changed the lives of hundreds of Ninevites because Jonah finally had the courage to speak God's words.

God wants to do something similar through you. He wants you to stop fighting Him on this and be willing to speak for Him so others can know the same healing and hope that you know. He wants to bring beauty up from the ashes of brokenness all around you.

Let's Pray
Heavenly Father, I'm so humbled that You would call me to anything. You have all the power needed for every job, yet you ask me to join you. Thank you, Lord. Please make my heart willing to say yes to everything you want me to do.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn
Do you have a willing heart? What is God calling you to do for Him? Spend a few moments in prayer and ask God to guide you and strengthen you for the task.

Read 2 Corinthians 5:11-21.

^11-14That keeps us vigilant, you can be sure. It's no light thing to know that we'll all one day stand in that place of Judgment. That's why we work urgently with everyone we meet to get them ready to face God. God alone knows how well we do this, but I hope you realize how much and deeply we care. We're not saying this to make ourselves look good to you. We just thought it would make you feel good, proud even, that we're on your side and not just nice to your face as so many people are. If I acted crazy, I did it for God; if I acted overly serious, I did it for you. Christ's love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do.

A New Life

^14-15Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.

^16-20Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you.

²¹How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.

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Liquid Fast - Week 3, Day 5 (GOOD FRIDAY 2012)

Sacrificial Love

Hey guys! Pastor Ryan here ...

Today is Good Friday! It's the day we remember the greatest sacrifice, the darkest hour and the love that was poured out for the healing of this world. As I said yesterday, in order to get to the resurrection, we must journey through the crucifixion. Death brings forth life!

The Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, spoke of the this day hundreds of years prior to the crucifixion:

"... he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed." - 53:5

I encourage us to spend extra time today slowly reading through the Passion narratives in the Gospels. Pace with Christ... walk in his footsteps, and meet him on the cross!

Read & Feed: The Passion Narratives: Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19

Journal: Spend time writing down your thoughts about this amazing sacrifice!

Jesus became obedient to the bizarre status of a "Suffering Servant." He was asked to drink the cup of wrath, which was to be poured out for the judgment over the nations of the earth due to sin. Wrath is not a popular term in many churches. God has righteous feelings for this world, and when people are abused, his indignation/wrath comes out! I have a hard time saying this, but this world deserves the wrath of God to be quite honest. The wages of sin is death. Nobody is guilt free!

In the scene at Gethsemane before he was sentenced to death, Jesus asked the LORD to take this "cup" from him: the cup of wrath! But he finished the prayer with, "not my will, but your will be done."

Jesus could have called down a legion of angles to wipe out the Roman Empire! But he chose to drink the cup of wrath. He chose the greatest form of love. He was beaten for you and for me. Christ becomes the perfect sacrifice who was slaughtered on our behalf. And, it is by his wounds that we are saved!

THAT IS HOW MUCH HE LOVES US!

We cannot forget this story. We have to speak of this story. This story is for the healing of the nations. It's about the peace that comes straight from our heavenly Father. The movement from orphans to sons, slavery to freedom ushers in a new movement of love in a dark world. Yes, this world is broken, indeed! But the LORD loves us way too much to keep it that way, which is why the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ is imperative to our life stories today. He emptied himself so that we might be filled with the fullness of His love. Jesus died, so that we could live!

Pray: Father, we thank you for sending your Son as the perfect sacrifice for the world! Jesus, thank you for your ultimate sacrifice, and for showing us what it means to live a life of freedom. Help us receive you a new today. Give us the boldness and the love to spread this news to a world that is in need of your goodness and healing. We are grateful for you, and we love you from the bottom of our heart. Amen

********************************

Lord, You are calling me to express this same kind of sacrificial love to my brother and his fiancee and to Maria. I've received your forgiveness for the YEARS of neglect and avoidance of Brandon and Maria. However, I will not be under condemnation, nor will I allow seeming consequences to scar what can be a great future in You for both of them, for Anthony, Junior and his family, Alex and Tawana and her family, my mother and my father, and Jonathan and Kay. This is a family -- maybe Tawana will be part of it, maybe she won't. Your mighty will be done. For now, I'm gonna extend an olive branch, through your power. I will love my brother as I've been directed to in Your word. I will endeavor to lift him and all those concerned with him in prayer - especially over the next few months.

I speak holiness and blessing over Brandon and all those connected to him, in the mighty and precious name of Jesus. I loose healing, wholeness and a thirst and hunger for the things of God, for intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I bind the enemy's attack upon Brandon and his attempt to use Brandon to cause pain and anguish to those connected to him. I bind, in the mighty name of Jesus, any demonic possession in Brandon - DEMONS FLEE, In Jesus' name! Lord God, the Spirit of You lives in me, and greater things am I able to do through the Spirit, as You mightily declared, so I stand on Your word and I believe that Brandon is set free! I thank You that You will move his heart to attend church, even this Sunday. I thank You for restoring his relationship with my mother and evidence of a changed heart and Life! I thank You for restoring his relationship with Anthony, Junior, Alex and above all Maria. I thank You for blessing and healing Tawana and keeping her and her grandchildren and her daughter. And I come to You, in the mighty name of Jesus, speaking LIFE over her daughter and I cancel the enemy's attack against her, keeping her addicted to drugs and under lock and key. In Jesus' name, she is loosed! from the ties of evil that bind her and set free to live for Christ! Even NOW, I give praise for all she has gone through and all that has come against her and offer You praise for the healing work that only You can do. I give You PRAISE, HONOR, and THANKSGIVING, for all the many wide roads that Brandon, Tawana, Maria, Junior, Alex, myself, Anthony, my mother, my father, and Kay have traveled over the course of our lives - thanking You that You have used each one for Your absolute PERFECT WILL AND PLAN for our lives. I declare, Lord God, in the name of Jesus, that change is afoot and that Your mighty power is working and effective even this very hour as we remember the great sacrifice, the scourging, the torment, and the painful death of our King Jesus! who laid down His life for us so that we can have ETERNAL life, and a life that is full and abundant here - a life of blessing, service and honor to our Father and to our fellow man. Lord, move, move, move in this family. Move, move, move as only You can.

MOVE!!!

In Jesus' name, I pray, AMEN.