This Generation

Psalm 71:18 - Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to everyone that is to come.

This generation. What do you think of when you hear "this generation"?

I was speaking to a lady yesterday who spoke of teenagers and specifically, young ladies in "this generation." She spoke of how they were immodestly dressed, jumping from relationship to relationship, going to bars, seeming to have nothing to live for but themselves. "What an empty life!" she exclaimed. "It is all in vain!" All this comes from an unsaved woman. Knowing I am a Christian, she wistfully said, "Your lifestyle is so beautiful. It would be wonderful to have a life like yours, to have something to live for." This allowed me to share with her that only because of the grace of God I am not in the same place as those she spoke of.

Now I think...what am I doing to show God's strength to this generation? How much am I allowing Christ to shine through me? If I am not reflecting my Savior and Master, what am I here on earth for? How am I impacting this generation with the Gospel? If I am not...I have no reason to be here on earth.

"We are not saved to sit, we are saved to serve." That is something Dad always said. Are we sitting in our Christian life just watching, criticizing how others work and waiting for something to happen? or are we getting up and doing something to change the direction of this generation?

Pray the Psalm 71:18 prayer: "God, be with me! Do not forsake me until I have shown your strength and power to those around me. Help me to impact this generation with who You are!"

A year ago today...

A year ago today, heaven got sweeter. The man whom the world thought of as an amazing veteran missionary, a preacher touched by God, an instrument through which the Lord worked miracles left this earth to be with his Master who he so faithfully served. Though he was all the things mentioned above, to me he was “Grandpa.” He was the one who told stories for hours, played guitar and sang to us and told the jokes I had heard so many times. I never got them or thought they were funny and he knew it, but he did not care. And that is what made me laugh. Whenever he had finished eating, he would chew on his toothpick and pick up crumbs from off the table and put them on your plate, whether you were done eating or not. Grandpa was the one who took every opportunity to teach us about Jesus.

See, how you saw Grandpa live was not a show. It was what he truly was and it came from a faithful walk and an undying love for God. Every morning he sat in his recliner reading his Bible and praying. He was a man of great faith and immense love. His passion for souls was evident. Everyone he came in contact with heard about Jesus…several times. Grandpa let God use him in so many ways. So many peoples’ lives were impacted and changed by his testimony, my life included.

Today is the day of love. Love is celebrated and expressed. What greater love is there than the one our Heavenly Father gives us? God IS love.

A year ago today, I had read Isaiah 43 and found my Valentine's note from God in the end of the first verse: “Thou art mine.” Today’s reminder is Jeremiah 31:3: “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”

God, the Creator of the entire universe has just told me that He has loved me, still loves me and will forever love me. Not only that, but He wants me to be close to Him. He desires to spend time with me. That is love!

When I tell people my Grandpa died on Valentine’s Day they feel bad and express their sympathy for him passing away on the day where love is celebrated. But God’s love is everlasting and ALWAYS faithful. I miss my Grandpa, but today, I am not sad. God has shown me His love in allowing me to be the granddaughter of Dr. JT Lyons. Today is a celebration that Grandpa has been a whole year in the presence of God. How amazing is it? Frankly, I am jealous. Grandpa had been serving our wonderful Saviour for so long and has finally been able to praise Him face to face.

Thank you God for letting me borrow him.

Are you trying to fool God?

I Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

I can give gifts to someone, I can give hugs, I can sing songs, and I can talk to him every day and fool him telling him that I love him, but that does not mean that I do love him. Outwardly I am doing what a person in love would do; it would seem that I love him. He may never find out that I am fooling him, but that is not a correct relationship because I do not love him with my heart; it is not a true love.

You can give God whatever you want; you can sing him songs, choruses, hymns, praises, psalms…you can pray and talk to him every day, you can do things that please him, you can tell him you love him…outwardly you do everything a person in love with God would do, but that does not mean you love him. Are you trying to fool God? He is omniscient…he knows EVERYTHING. We know this, but sometimes we do not believe it.

Psalm 103:14:  For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. God, knowing everything we are, and what we are NOT…still loves us. Just the same as this verse is in the Bible…John 3:16 still exists. God loves us with all he is…and if you stop to think everything God is…it’s a lot!

Why do we try to fool God? Do we love him with our hearts? Our love…the one we give God…is it true?

2 in 1: power and gentleness

Storms fascinate me! The sound, smell and feel of the rain...the loud thunder...the way the lighting lights up the sky...all of it just absolutely leaves me in awe! I could watch it all day! I stepped outside on the terrace when I heard thunder and God put on a marvelous show for me. I tried to photograph it but there was no way I was able to capture anything even close to how amazing it was. This is the best picture I got. The lighting had light up enough to where I could even see the buildings! (A few street lights helped too)

Jeremiah 10:12 - He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. 13 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

Storms automatically make me think of God's power and gentleness at the same time. I know, I know...you may ask: "Power and gentleness? They do not even go together!" You are right, they really do not...but when we talk about God...oh, they definitely do! I hear God's power in the roaring thunder, see His beauty in the bright, flashing lighting, feel His care in the gentle breeze and His gentleness in the soft, musical raindrops falling from the sky.

Our God indeed is an amazing and powerful God! But even with His great power and might, He loves us and cares for us. The Creator of this world loves me...He loves you. When I look at something so simple and often overlooked, like a storm, I am in awe at the beauty of it and it makes me think...how could God love me more than His beautiful creation? I often sin and disappoint God...why does God care about me when He has such a wonderful nature? God created us for a purpose; we are to bring glory and praise to Him. We should feel honoured that God would choose us as the instruments to lift Him up! What have we done to deserve such a God? Absolutely nothing. That is just God in His mercy and grace!

Consider the Lilies

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Luke 12:27-28 – Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

I absolutely LOVE lilies! There is the water lily, flamingo lily, water lily, calla lily, stargazer lily… but my favorite is definitely the tiger lily. I am not sure why. It could be the fiery orange color, the unique smell or the wildness shown in the spots; it could be the elegance it represents or maybe the sense of mystery it gives. Either way, when I see a lily, I cannot help but to stop and let out a gasp of awe as I go up to look at it more closely.

If you live in this world (which you do if you are reading this…and if not, something is not right) you know that in our world of worry, our time of trouble and turmoil, we get all stressed out and burdened. Our finances don’t seem to come in or hold out until the end of the month. Relationships with family, friends, church members and/or co-workers sometimes go wrong or don’t work out the way we want them too. Parents get impatient, children get crazy and cranky, teenagers get touchy, and on and on it goes.

In all this spinning and swirling chaos, when was the last time you stopped to “consider the lilies” and thank God for His provision? What has God given you today to be thankful for? The strength to get up? The simple fact that you are breathing right now? That you can live another day? The sight to read this? The ears to hear this if it is being read to you? The clothes on your back? The meal you ate or will eat, however simple it may be?

Many times we think of “provision” as a check of $1,000 or a new car, or a laptop. Yes, that can be God’s provision; but why do we overlook the smaller things? If we are to be thankful, does that not mean to be thankful also for the small things? So stop for a while and consider the lilies God has put in your life.

“Consider the Lilies”

Consider the lilies they don’t toil nor spin
And there’s not a king with more splendor than them
Consider the sparrows they don’t plant or sow
But they’re fed by the Master who watches them grow

Chorus:
We have a Heavenly Father above
With eyes filled with mercy
And a heart filled with love
He really cares when Your head is bowed low
Consider the lilies and then you will know

May I introduce you to this friend of mine
Who hangs out the stars
and tells the sun when to shine
And kisses the flowers each morning with dew
But He’s not too busy to care about you

Playing in the park of sin and serving a holy God

Romans 6:19 - I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

Chapter six of Romans talks about sanctification and that there should be a change in our lives after being saved.

We, our bodies are instruments. We serve either sin, or we serve the Lord. By our nature, we serve sin. We were born in sin, live in sin, and were dead in sin, slaves of sin. For this reason, God sent his Son Jesus to live a life without sin, pay our debt, die for us and rise from the dead giving us the victory of eternal life. When we decide to accept this and receive the gift of God, we automatically are made children of God.

Being a child of God does not mean we are free from sinning. We are free from the debt of sin, and God gives us the strength to resist and not sin. But I repeat: we are not free from sinning, in other words, it is possible for us to still sin. We SHOULD NOT sin, but because of our humanity we fall and sin.

This verse that we have read tells us that in the same way that we yield ourselves to serve sin; we should yield ourselves unto righteousness. Doing the wrong comes so naturally to us. I do not want it to be that way. I want DOING RIGHT to come naturally to me.

But how can I do right with this body and this mind that has so long served sin? I will give you an illustration: Imagine that you are outside playing in the park. You run from place to place, you swing, you slide down the slide…you have fun. It starts to rain and with the rain come puddles. Even better! You jump in the puddles, you get wet, you get dirty and enjoy. Then, you enter the kitchen to help Mom with the food. But you are full of dirt, sweat and you stink. How do you think you are going to help in the kitchen?

This is a representation of us. We go out, play in the park of sin. We run from one sin to another, we swing on the swing of disobedience, we slide down the slide of lies, we jump in the puddles of bad thoughts and we end up dirty and smelling bad. Then we want to enter into the presence of our holy God and do right. How do you think you are going to do right?

Even though we sin, God loves us and always forgives. But we need to decide who we are going to serve. Luke 16:13 – “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Or we serve God, or we serve sin. When we serve God, we cannot come dirty and full of the world, we need to sanctify ourselves. We should yield our bodies, minds and abilities to the Lord so that He can sanctify them so that we can be clean instruments, appropriate and worthy for the service of the Lord. When the Lord cleans you, do not return to the park of the world. Do not go back to getting dirty with sin. Each day go back to Christ and ask Him to sanctify you and make you holy so that He can use you.

I don't want to do the right thing!

Doing the right thing is hard! It is tiring, at the moment it does not seem very rewarding, people do not appreciate it…sometimes I do not want to do the right thing! Of course, God has something to say about this. Here are the verses:

Galatians 6:9-10 – And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Do you ever get tired of doing the right thing?

-“And let us not be weary in well doing…” Sometimes I feel like it is not worth it, like I am wasting my time and I just want to give up and do what everyone else is doing. But we are told that if we faint not, if we do not give up, if we keep going, if we are faithful…we will reap. We do not know when, maybe here or maybe in heaven, but we are to rely on God’s strength to continue, and in time (God’s time…not ours) we will see the results of our labor for Christ. Don’t get weary in well doing!

When should do you do the right thing?

-“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good…” So when should we do the right thing? As we have therefore opportunity…whenever we have the chance. But this does not mean we sit around and wait for the opportunity to pop up. We need to be looking for opportunities to help and be a blessing. Ask God to help you look and see the opportunities to do good!

To whom do you do the right thing?

-“…unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Unto ALL men? Yes…that means the ones we love and the ones we do not love so much. There are just some people that are so easy to get along with; then there are just some people that really make you want to throw them into a river. But we are to do good unto all men. How can we show the love of Christ if we only help certain people? Romans 2:11 says “For there is no respect of persons with God.” God loves all, we should too. At the end of verse 10 we are told “…especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Many times we are hurt, by our own brothers or sisters in Christ. We need to forgive them (even if they never ask for forgiveness) and continue loving them. If we do not show love to our own brothers and sisters in Christ, how can we show love to the world that is lost? Do good to ALL men!