Do I give like the least of these gives? Hmmm not so sure...

First Grade class in rural Ngaamba, Kenya

When I went to Kenya for the first time in 2008 we spent some time at an elementary school in Ngaamba called Tumbelea.  It was my first experience witnessing the conditions typical of a third world country classroom.  I had so many thoughts and emotions running through my head.


I was teamed up to assist for two days in first grade with my friend Rita.  We were helping the teacher draw pictures on the board and then the kids would have to name the picture in English.  Most of them spoke their tribal language because we were so far removed from any major city.  They didn't even speak their national language Kiswahili.  (English is Kenya's official language)


Rita drew a horse on the board and no one could figure out the picture.  We laughed thinking her picture was so bad, they just couldn't tell it was a horse.  The teacher told us they don't know what a horse is-they have never seen one.  Wow-did that put things in perspective.


Keep in mind, these little ones walk anywhere from 2-5+ miles ONE WAY to school five days a week, most of them with no shoes on their feet.  Their mom's don't drive them to school or walk them to the end of the driveway to catch the bus-no matter how young they are. 


Each morning we arrived, the kids from the entire school would come out singing to greet us as our bus pulled up.  We could not even get off the bus without being bombarded with hands, smiles and hugs and lots of singing!  They welcomed us with open hearts and big gracious smiles.  It touched my heart profoundly.  Most of them had massive dark green runny noses and you could tell many were really sick.  Before I got to Ngaamba, after being briefed,  I was scared that I was going to get menegitis from them or something else-but the second I saw them all running on the playground towards our team, all those fears fled from this first time mission-trip girl.


Something happened the next day that I still think about often.  As we were wrapping up the second day and moving onto out into the field with the rest of our team to dig the ditches to lay pipe for water, the class had a little ceremony to thank Rita and I.  They brought one egg for me and one for Rita and a pot of corn.  Rita and I were so humbled it brought tears to our eyes.

It was confusing for us because we were not comfortable accepting it-knowing their mom, dad, brothers and sisters may go without food that evening because they gave to us-we were mere strangers, whom they may never see again, who don't even think twice about buying a dozen or two or more of eggs for our families, nor do we ever think how fortunate we are to cook corn anytime our heart desires.  

They-so financially poor, so young, so rich in faith and spirit....so Christ-like.

Luke 21:2-4
He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.  "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

Lord-Help me to always remember the example of the poorest of the poor who you have introduced me to.  I look forward to meeting many many more who are so rich in faith.  I learn more from them, then they could ever learn from me.  Amen 

TMI

Psalm 46:10

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, 

I will be exalted in the earth."

This may be too much information to share, but I just have to because it is so amazing to me that I have realized as of late, God whispers to me when I am in four very distinct places:


1.  Driving alone in the car 
2.  When I am walking or running by myself, sometimes with my dog (praying is part of my ritual of my walks/run)
3.  In the shower (this is most often the case when I hear Him)
4.  When I am swimming laps in the pool, praying as well-all the while trying to remember the # of laps I have done 


It is always when things are quiet and I am removed from the hussle and bussle of my day and the world, that He catches me off guard, with a whisper, with a loving word, with encouragement, and also with conviction.  And it is "so God" to do it when least expected and with perfect timing.


I became aware of this repeated pattern of His only during a quiet time, when I slowed down to settle myself.  It is oh so precious to me.


It does not happen in every instance when I am physically in one of these places-no not at all.  Usually it is when my heart is aligned with His-which is not often enough.  I notice when I redirect my efforts for the day towards His Kingdom and am working for Him on projects, ideas, etc. is when it occurs vs when I am simply on autopilot for the day. 


When I ponder on it, it is chilling to think what measures I go to, to readjust my schedule for work, for a personal indulgence, to accomodate my own coziness or comfort or to ensure an hour of exercise-but I don't necessarily do the same for Him.  I feel the continous tug of war inside of me to go to bed earlier so I can wake up earlier and spend the early morning hours with Him and in His Word.  When I do that, my day always takes a different path.  Those days are more of an adventure, with tiny revelations throughout them.  They are exciting days, even during tough times.  I seem to have ears that hear and eyes that see moreso on those particular days.  I am more intune with Him.


Is He truly at the top of my list each morning? No-not always.  Yet I claim I love Him so much.


It takes intention, discipline and obedience to keep our Heavenly Father, the King of Kings at the top of our day, in the center of our life and on the forefront of our mind as we make decisions and choices.  


But I think before we even get to that point, we have to have an open heart to receive Him in, so we can begin to experience the love relationship that He so longs to have with us.  He is after all our Perfect Parent and loves us more than our parents love us and even more than a parent loves their own child.


Lord- Thank you for revealing yourself to me when I am still and removed from the chaos of life.  I cherish those moments.  I am honored to get the nudge or the whisper.  It is a joy and an adventure that compares to none other.  Help me to always receive your Word and put it to good use as nothing You say or do is meaningless.  Thank you for pursuing me continually.

Ain't no mountain high enough

Isaiah 2:2


In the last days,
    the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established
       as chief among the mountains,
   it will be raised above the hills,
   and all nations will stream to it.

• Mt. Moriah's elevation is 2,428 ft.  
• The highest and tallest elevation on the earth's surface is the top of Mount Everest on the border of Nepal and China at 29,035 feet...

Yet we know that this mountain will be raised up somehow as the mountain of mountains when Christ comes again.  It will be the place where Christ teaches from when He reigns.  And all nations will stream to it....I just love that line.....how beautiful-a river of all peoples streaming to it.  I am not sure what it all means..but that is ok.  I don't need all the details or specifics because I have faith and I rest and gain peace in the beauty of the Scripture.


One day...
There will be only one King and He is the King of Kings.
He alone will reign on this earth from both a spiritual perspective and a governmental.
He will reign over all nations.
There will be only His name alone.


Today this mountain, considered the most Holy of Holies, is controlled by Muslims.
This blows my mind. (Although I do not understand all the specifics regarding the fighting between nations on this)


The scripture in Isaiah 2 goes on to say... v3-4

Many peoples will come and say,

   "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

         to the house of the God of Jacob.

    He will teach us His ways,

    so that we may walk in His paths."

    The law will go out from Zion,

       the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

   He will judge between nations

       and will settle disputes for many peoples.

   They will beat their swords into plowshares

      and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not take up sword against nation,

     nor will they train for war anymore.

This mountain, in the last days will be a place of peace.  People will destroy their weapons and fight no more.  Jesus will teach from this Holy mountain and yet today-look at the situation going on with this mountain....it is the cause of the biggest longest lasting conflict in the Middle East.


I wish Israel had control of it.   Regardless....in the end, God's Word stands.


As a follower of Christ, I know while the Temple Mount is holy,  God is with me always through the Holy Spirit and I am ever so grateful for that gift.  Thank you Heavenly Father!

Things eternal.....

It is so easy for me to lose focus on eternal riches, as I get wrapped up in less important things in the moment.

As I was waking up this morning, coming out of my sleep I had a revelation.  

Today is Saturday.  I committed to build a powerpoint deck for my VP over the weekend for a meeting he has Monday morning.  It all just came about as a request Thursday night and I was in an all day meeting on Friday.  Eager to step up and honored to be asked to assist, I was dedicated to the task at hand.  I would drop everything and rearrange my weekend schedule regardless of other plans to get this done.

Do I do the same for God when He calls me to do something?  NO.

So as that was going through my head this morning, I realized how able, willing and ready I was to immediately do this for my VP...yet, I have been working on a project for the One and Only CEO in Heaven for over two months now because I keep allowing less important things to take precedence.  It is something I could have completed in less than a month and here I am in my third month.  Why?

I think it is a combination of things....one I am constantly getting burned out from my daily duties at work and it makes me worthless after 7pm at night.  So-what does that tell me?  I need to wake up earlier to do the important things I want to accomplish.  If that means 5am or 5:30am then I need to organize my evenings to go to bed early enough to wake up early.

Also-I need to plan my weekends better and stick to the plan.  I am not good at this at all....when the weekends come, I sense freedom and I want to just go with the flow.  Oh and how I enjoy that.  I am encouraged to make an about face in this area when I think of all my friends who are parents. (99.9% of my friends)  They don't get to just do whatever they want, whenever they want, rather they have one, two, three children they are responsible for caring for, loving on and driving to places.  Their days are consumed with deeds for others.

Being single, it is so easy to get sucked into focusing on just myself.  I need to defend against that and make the effort to spend my time helping and serving others, otherwise I will end up unfufilled in the long run.  It is one thing to say it and know it and another to actually do it.

Why am I a person who has all of these big ideas, big goals and visions and yet I spend a lot of my time on things of such little value?

I am sure there is a balance in all this.  Each morning is a new opportunity to get things in order.  It is not going to happen without effort, work, and a plan that I am committed to sticking to...day by day.

Do I love Him enough to get things in order?

Lord-  In Romans 7 we learn about how our flesh wants to do one thing and the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us desires to do what we are called to do-bring You honor and glory by loving and serving others.  Yet while we know this and what know what is the right thing to do, we don't do it.  Help me as I struggle with this constantly, to get to a place where I always put You first Lord....always!

Isaiah 1:25

Isaiah 1:25
I will turn my hand against you;
    I will thoroughly purge away your dross
    and remove all your impurities.


Dross- waste matter, refuse
refuse (n)-something that is discarded as worthless or useless


Redeem- to buy or pay off or buy back; to make amends for....


In today's world we often say "I am not going to judge him or her"....or someone else might say in defense..."don't judge me."  Or we might even say, "I am only accountable to God."


But don't we have to stop and ask ourselves... if someone comes to us lovely to give us wise counsel, are we acting foolish if we get defensive and turn our back to them?  Shouldn't we receive their counsel, ponder it, think about if the intentions are pure and loving?  And if they are...take heed.


Most of us can sense if when someone has pure intentions when the come to us.  


I do not think it is healthy for me to only hold myself accountable to myself and God...there is too much freedom there.  I must have an accountability partner or two.  (and in most cases if not all that should not be a spouse who may be bias)  I prefer for it to be someone older than I who is a mentor and who has a deep faith.  I seek someone who calls it like it is and does not sugar coat anything and will be deeply honest and of course keep things confidential.


At the same time, I pray I am wise enough at all times to welcome constructive insight from my family and a few close friends.  If they can not comfortably come to me in truth, then there is something wrong on my side of the relationship.


In the verse above, God was speaking to Judah and its people.  I want God to reveal to me the refuse in my life, what is unnecessary.  I want Him to prune in me a pure heart, so I can walk more pure in my life and shine brighter.  I hope and pray that I am humble enough to receive that from those that love me most as well.


In my Bible in reference to Isaiah 1:25 it says this: 
God promised to refine His people similiar to the way that metal is purged with lye in a smelting pot.  This process involves melting the metal and skimming off the impurse dross until the worker can see his own image in the liquid metal.  We must be willing to submit to God, allowing Him to remove our sin so that we might reflect His image.


I love that!


I know a few areas God is currently pruning me in and one is with my words-they can be negative instead of always positive and up lifting. (sometimes I need to just be silent and use self-control)  I know this is in part a generational trait on one side of my family.  I also know through Christ and keeping my eyes on Him, I can overcome this day by day as I allow God to prune me.  I became aware of this through a loved one sharing with me.  I am not sure that I would have recognized it on my own-by only being accountable to myself...


Sometimes God may give us a gentle whisper or He may chose to send a friend or loving family member to speak to us...so we can be refined, so we can become more pure hearted, so we can be a bright shining light for Him and His Kingdom always.


Dear Lord-Humble me.  When you want to refine me, I know it is because You love me.  Help me to always be receptable to wise counsel, no matter how awkward the circumstances may be.  Help me to always have an open heart to be accountable to You and to others, so I can continue to grow closer to You.  You made each of us in Your image, and the mor the dross gets out of the way, the more clearly I start to be a better reflection of You.  I love you Lord.

Two themes this summer

Isaiah 64:8
Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.


Exodus 20: 3-6

 ³ "You shall have no other gods before me.
 ⁴ "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

I did a lot of walking this summer and actually even started running again.  In early July I could only run a half a mile and just yesterday I ran 2.4.  It is the first time in probably 8 years I have ran that far.  But...it was the podcasts I listened to this summer that kept me going.  I listened to an array of pastors and nine times out of ten I would randomly select a sermon on the lists I had downloaded that had two reoccurring themes this summer...

      God is the Creator and everything else in our universe is created.

      We are created for outpouring ongoing worship for Him alone.

But do we?
    
      Worship

• To be totally devoted to           

It was totally bizarre, no matter what I listened to or where I was over the span of the three months of summer, these two themes kept popping up over and over.  God is telling me something as He continiously prunes me.

      Prune (as a verb):

• To cut off or remove dead or living parts or branches of; to improve shape or growth.
• To remove or cut out as superfluous

Superfluous

• exceeding what is sufficient or necessary
• not needed; marked by wastefulness

I have too much of just about everything-whether it is stuff, cosmetics, lotions, clothes, shoes, purses, junk food and snacks, pressures, magazines, wine glasses, worries, chores, excess weight, cards for every occassion, errands, knick knacks, candles, lists, birthday gifts...just in case, folders, jewelry I don't wear too often, etc.

I am superfluous.
It is not in congruence with God's way.
I desire less.
This will allow for reduced clutter and a gain of focus;
Thus, better use of my time.

I am grateful I am aware of this and have eyes to see what He wants me to see. It doesn't mean it will come easy unfortunately but then again I have the Holy Spirit with me to be a constant reminder.

The things listed above get in the way of my love for God.  He created us in His image to glorify Him through a life of worship.  Worship is as simple as serving and loving others.  Worship is waking up each morning and giving Him my day.  Worship is humbling myself at work.  Worship is showing a loving heart towards others.  Worship is being a mirror of Him to others.

There is that saying-where do you spend the bulk of your time?  That is what you worship.  Anything that is created (which is everything...)-our children, our families, our own body, our face and hair, our house, our possessions, the ability to teach, exercise, eat, work or serve, etc.....anything that we focus the bulk of our effort,energy and time on- day after day- other than God...is worshipping something other than Him-our King.


God has spent time with me this summer making me keenly aware of this.  I now recognize it and I have to make an effort daily to put Him first.  I have to be aware of where I spend the majority of my time and energy.

Where is He on my list?
Where is my focus during the day?
What is the first thing I think about in the morning?
How do I prioritize my time and what comes before Him?
Am I bringing Him glory and honor by my actions throughout my day or seeking to bring glory, recognition and honor to myself?

I know it is ok to enjoy all those other things and I do but I don't want them or anything to come a priority over Him.  That is not what He intends as He continously creates all of us and all things.


Heavenly Father-  I love you so much.  I am so glad I know you and that you love me Lord.  You alone are the Creator of all things.  Help me to recognize in my days when I am focused on creation/things created and not on You.  Lord remind me in the early morning to walk in the Holy Spirit and live my day to bring You alone glory and honor....not myself.  Thank you for making us in your image.  Thank you for creating us for a love relationship with You.  Lord forgive me when I don't do things that bring you honor and glory.  Thank you for revealing to me this is my single purpose in life to bring you glory by loving others whatever that may look like day by day.  I love you

A Day of Rest. Really?

Exodus 20:8-11 

 ⁸ "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

God calls us to observe the Sabbath still even today in 2010.  Do I do this today?  No.  I have really been wrestling with this lately.  I always tell God I love Him so much and yet my actions and how I spend myself and my time do not always align with my love for Him.  It is one thing to not recognize it-but when I do notice I am out of sync, that is when I must step up and make a decision.  Am I going to stop paying people to work in my yard on Sundays because it is convenient for me-since I am too busy during the week to get these things done?  Is it ok if I do it sometimes?  No not really-I need to honor God by my choices and obey His commands regardless.


Yet I like all others am not perfect and I do not obey Him always-but when I know something is being pressed on my heart, I need to do an about face and be obedient.


We can jump to Isaiah 58:13-14 and see it again with a promise.
"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
   and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight 
   and the Lord's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
   and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
then you will find your joy in the Lord,
    and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
    and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
                                                              The mouth of the Lord has spoken.


It always comes back to God's intentions as the Creator.  He intended for us to have a day of rest.   Why? Well to take the notes from my Bible...
   The day of rest should be observed and regarded not only because Sabbath-keeping is a commandment but also because it is best for us and because it honors God.  Keeping the Sabbath shows proper respect to God, Our Creator, who also rested on the seventh day.  Our day of rest refreshes us spiritually and physically-providing time when we can gather together for worship and when we can reflect on God without the stress of everyday activities.


It also unifies and sets priorities for our family.


I remember Sundays at my grandmother's house as I was growing up before we moved to Atlanta.  It was so much fun and a great tradition that I so enjoyed.  Being with my mom's extended family at my grandmother's house and all sitting down together to eat on Sunday afternoons was one of my fondest memories as a child.  I grew close to all my Aunts and Uncles and Grammy and had lots of fun with my cousins too.  My grandmother didn't have a fancy house or anything.  We would mix and match tables, pull chairs together and extend the tables from the dining room into the living room for the kids table.

The early morning...

Isaiah 50: 4

The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue,

to know the word that sustains the weary.

He wakens me morning by morning,

wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.

The early morning just has something unique about it.

The smell of the air, the dew on the ground and the things that are low to it,

the sky, the moment, everything about it. I treasure it...when I can wake up early enough to

submerse myself in it.

My brain is like a sponge in the early morning-it soaks up everything. It is so alert.

This is also my favorite time to read God's Word.

But most of all, when on rare occasion I am awakened by the Holy Spirit from my sleep,

this is when I am most delighted. It is very hard to articulate the closeness to God I experience when this occurs but it is always the same and thus why I know it is of Him. I usually hear myself praying and since I am asleep-I must be praying in the Spirit when this happens.

Thank you so much Lord for this great gift!

GUARD GATE

Philippians 4:7

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I find more often than not, I have to consciously make a very concerted effort to guard my mind. It is a difficult but necessary task, that requires consistency as well.  Guarding my mind is what keeps me focused on God and His ways. It is so easy to within an instant, allow the world's way to distract me.

Let's take beauty for example. To the world, it is primarily on the outside...clothes, shoes, handbags, houses, cars, our hair, our body, our jewlery. Sure we can see beauty through the sparkle of someone's eyes, the gorgeous big smile of a child, or a stranger, or a loved one. Or we may see it in the mountains, the ocean, the butterfly that crosses our path or the aroma of flowers in a garden or on a hillside. But we must protect our minds from defining beauty as the world does.

This revelation came to me almost three years ago, when I felt the pressing on my spirit to stop reading Hollywood and fashion magazines.

Heavenly Hosts

Romans 12:10

Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Today I was listening to a podcast and the pastor posed a great question. Do you use your home to host those who are maybe too uncomfortable to go to church? You can break bread with them at your dining room table and entertain and serve them or just love on them by listening when they are in need-all while exemplifying the love of Christ.

He asked if our homes have been used to pray over people? I smiled with excitement as I was grateful that I could say yes. But then I was immediately humbled as I thought to myself....well-it's not in that way enough.

And then it got worse when I realized my answer to the next question. He then explained that we are called to be missionaries not just overseas and outside of our borders-but in our own backyard and across the street. That is when I got so frustrated wtih myself and realized my own next door neighbor does not even know I am a follower of Christ and love Him so much.

And...I have just recently started to become a better hostess. For years I was always so stressed when people would come over. I didn't take time to talk to my guests because I was so busy with the details of the dinner or party. I didn't slow down and relax so they could enjoy themselves. I took on too much and I was always late for my own party. I always wanted to be the best entertainer and wanted my house to look as perfect as I could make it. I wanted to do it all myself. But that was all for my glory-not God's. About a year ago, I read this verse below and then it sunk in. I had been doing it all wrong. I am now focused on doing what I can to make them feel welcomed and comfortable. It is so much easier when the change comes from the Holy Spirit and not the effort of my flesh.

Maybe if I invite the neighbors on the one side over who I love and adore, it will help me get the courage to invite the one on the other side whom I barely know.

Out of this world

We are called to live in this world but not to be of it, not to love its ways-because its ways are not God's ways.

1 John 2: 15-17

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

These few words are so rich in substance, meaning and truth. It amazes me that although the Bible was written very long ago, it provides perfect counsel and wisdom for the current day.

For me, worldliness starts with my mind. I have to guard it. The Holy Spirit prompts me when I start to go off track. Then it is up to me to make the wise choice from there. I think as I begin to walk more often in the Spirit instead of my flesh, it becomes easier each to get back on track each time I vear off. But it takes self-control and a conscience decision to turn from one's longstanding ways. (or at least for me it does) I can not do it on my own. I need the Holy Spirit to guide me, as well as friends and family members who hold me accountable.

As we grow closer and closer to Christ, and when we receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit-we become keenly aware of how vastly different the world's ways truly are from God's. We care more about His concerns, we become less self-focused, we take on the likeness of Christ...some more than others, each at our own place and time-as we go through this adventure of faith and intimacy with Christ.

Galatians 3:26

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

We actually begin to rid ourselves from the world's ways and become clothed in Christ. It feels awkward at times. But wouldn't that make sense? Just because we live in this world, does not mean we are of it.

As I begin to feel uncomfortable in my worldly patterns in different areas of my life, that is my way of knowing I am growing closer to Christ and becoming more aware and even obedient.

Dear Lord- Thanks for keeping me on a tight leash and on the right track. Thanks for giving me ears to hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit. I know at the same time you call me to make the wise choice all the time as you have given us both knowledge and faith. May we walk wisely and humbly in this chaotic world, that is yet so beautiful too because you created it.

Thirsty...

John 7: 37-39

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

John 4:11-14

"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

Our souls hunger and thirst, just like our flesh does. How do we feed our soul?

Christ is the Bread of Life. He tells us that those who thirst will thirst no more-when we come to Him.

If you think about it-in regards to food and nourishment-we can learn all we want about healthy eating, we can study it and we could look at all the healthy food all day long but if we don't eat it and fill ourselves up with it, what purpose does it serve? What good does it do us to just know the truth about it, to just watch others eat healthy.

When we decide to eat healthy and wisely, what changes? Do we feel refreshed? Do we come alive and have more energy? Does it take a desire and self discipline to eat healthy and make wise choices about our food and drink and what we put into our bodies? Do we have to focus on it until it becomes natural? Isn't that the same way with our Spiritual appetite as well?

What good does it do us to just know the truth about Christ? Not much. We need to make it a priority to feed our souls with Him. He is the Bread of Life. When we drink from His well, we will thirst no more. But it doesn't just happen. We have to put Him first. We have to make the effort and take the time out of the busyness of life to be self disciplined and to make room for Him.

When we come to Him, He will fill us up. His Holy Spirit will fill us up with rivers of rushing water when we put Him first-over all else...over exercise, over work, over our family, over our spouse, over our children, over our things, over our comforts, over our fears, over all.

The Bible is called His Living Word.

He is the Bread of Life.

In Him we will no longer be thirsty.

What do we allow to "fill us up"?

The things of this world or Him?

Let's be honest with ourselves. A good view into this-is to look at where we spend our downtime? If we work and/or care for our family 8 hours a day and sleep 8 hours a day, where do we choose to spend the rest of our time? Focused on who?

Even the bad guys take care of their own family...

I remember when I lived in Beverly Hills back in the late 90s. Our priest told a story that has stuck with me ever since. He told about a lady at his church who had eight children. She had no help and she had so much to do to care for her children, but yet she was the one who volunteered the most at the church. She volunteered to serve the poor, feed the hungry, love the unloved. She allowed herself to be inconvenienced. She chose to serve and not be served. Christ was first in her life and everyone saw that without her having to say a word.

Lord- I love you so much. Help me to be wise with my time. Thank you dear Lord for giving me ears to hear You as You often make me aware when I am wasting my time on things that are self indulgent. I am grateful I am becoming more and more aware of this. I pray that I may go to sleep earlier so I may wake up earlier and spend my mornings with you. I desire to put you first in my day and may nothing else come before you each morning. I struggle with this. I don't understand why I want it but my flesh does not always do this. Help me Lord to be self-disciplined for I can not do it alone, only through your Spirit. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit that fills me up. I do get confused on the Scriptures though because I can never get enough of You-my thirst for You oh Lord is never quenched. I always long for more. But my soul is satisfied in You alone-so I guess that is what it means. I love you Lord!

Oh how HE loves us....Oh how HE loves

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹ O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

² You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

⁵ You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, ^{a]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]} you are there.

⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

¹¹ If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

¹⁷ How precious to ^{b]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[b]} me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

¹⁸ Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.

²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?

²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

An appetite is never satisfied...

Cognitive Dissonance

The uncomfortable feeling caused by holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously. The theory proproses that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance by changing their attitudes, believes and behaviors, or by justifyin or rationalizing them.

Cognition-the act or process of knowing; perception

Dissonant-not in harmony

Dissonance- lack of agreement; especially : inconsistency between the beliefs one holds or between one's actions and one's beliefs

The classical version of this idea is expressed in the Aesop fable The Fox and the Grapes, in which a fox sees some high-hanging grapes and wishes to eat them. Unable to think of a way to reach them, he surmises that the grapes are probably not worth eating anyway (that they are not yet ripe or that they are too sour). The dissonance of the desire for something unattainable versus the lack of fulfillment is reduced by irrationally deciding that the grapes must be flawed.

Because it is often easier to make excuses than it is to change behavior, dissonance theory leads to the conclusion that humans are rationalizing and not always rational beings.

Today in church we continued on the subject of one's appetite. An appetite of any kind can never ever be fulfilled. The only word it knows is more.

Appetite-the desire to satisfy a bodily craving.

We read from Genesis 25, as we learned how Esau literally traded his birthright to his brother Jacobfor one measley bowl of stew. Esau was so desperately hungry, he sacrificed his entire future and birthright as the first born son of Issac, because of a short term desire that was right infront of him because of how good the stew smelled and how starved he was at that very moment. He had focalism on his hunger.

Focalism- allowing too much focus on one event and not enough focus on the consequences of future events

As we live life, we need to be aware of what we want our future to look like and carry that picture with us-so we don't allow our appetites to get in the way of us being healthy down the road, of us being financially secure down the road, of us not being the best parents we can be by spending time with our children.

Impact bias-when we over estimate the length and intensity of impact of an emotional event. (maybe we thinking buying a new car or getting our drivers liscense will make life all better and we will feel great for as long as we have it-when in fact it the happiness will only last a little while.)

What short term financial decisions can cause a long-term impact we spend too much time digging out of?

What impact does that have on our family?

What example does that set for our children?

What is at stake as a business leader?

What impact does unhealthy eating have on our bodies longterm?

Do we use cognitive dissonance to justify eating junk food and food we shouldn't eat? I do.

Do we have focalism that causes us to make unwise impulse decisions?

Shouldn't we be more sound in our thinking and consider the consequences of the decision and not be so quick to react-but be discerning and thoughtful?

The sermon was ended with this:

If you don't have a clear and simple picture of what your future will look like-you will settle for anything that feels good in that given moment. Don't let your current appetites derail your longterm plans.

It is critical we become aware of this within ourselves, our habits, our decision-making and reframe and redirect our appetities. Be intentional and wise. Don't be foolish by being impulsive.

Dear Lord- Help me to defend against my impulsiveness whether it is with my tongue, how I spend my money, my eating habits, or my time. I pray I always turn to the Holy Spirit to guide me and I don't allow my flesh to just be reactive. I pray that I am able to walk in the Spirit in this area so that eventually the way I react to an appetite is natural for me and I make wise decisions that allow for my long term picture to be fulfilled. Lord-may I lean hard into you on this always-so that at any given moment, I am wise and I think big picture. I love you. Amen