Will You be Ready, or Left Waiting for the Right Time?

Posted on December 21, 2014 by gracemorganwriter

 

With only a few days before Christmas, it’s time to reflect on the Lord and his awesome gift to mankind, salvation.

It seems that every year we get caught up in the waves that rush us through to the end of December, without even stopping long enough to realize how blessed we truly are. I dare say that more people are concerned about their last minute Christmas shopping than they are about their eternal salvation. It’s easy to postpone thinking about eternal matters until after all other tasks have been completed. Maybe it’s time to realize that we are running out of time.

Gift givers come in two varieties: those who begin shopping the day after Christmas, for the next year’s Christmas, and those who procrastinate until Christmas Eve to shop for the current year.

There are advantages for both types. If you plan ahead, by watching for the best deals throughout the year,  you can get great deals, and still save money; and if you wait too late, Christmas Eve, you risk not being able to find the gifts you want, so while you will save money, there will be precious little fruit to show from your efforts.

It is all about planning. Applying this to the spiritual, I ask the question:

Will you be ready? No matter how many plans you make, or how busy you become, there will be a point where you will have to decide if you are ready, or not. It will be necessary to lay the tools down, and wait for the results.

The second part of the question is, “or, Left Waiting for the Right Time?” Procrastination can lead to disastrous results: the gifts are tossed throughout the store, maybe a bit worn as they were picked over during the rush hours; or broken from the fall. The markdowns that enticed you into the store to begin with, don’t help you make a purchase when the condition of the item is poor from neglect. We often live a haphazard Christian life; choosing to follow Christ when it’s convenient.

Twas the Night Before Jesus Came

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How to Survive December.

Posted on December 13, 2014 by gracemorganwriter

Every year when December rolls around, we approach it with both excitement and a sense of unexplained hesitancy about what the season will bring for us.

I remember how I survived December when I was growing up; It used to be simple: I always threw hints about what I wanted from  Santa, and then I tried to do everything right so that maybe, just maybe, my wishes would come true because I had been extra good.

As children, we were willing to play along with the whole gift-giving scenario, long after we became more mature on those matters. This included the white tube socks filled with oranges, apples, nuts, hard candies that stuck together, and sometimes chocolate. This all happened at sometimes 2:30-3:00 a.m. on Christmas morning, because Daddy couldn’t wait any longer. He was more excited about it than we were, I think.

Through our eyes we saw that we were rich, and you can’t put a price tag on the love that was poured over each and every gift wrapped under the tree. Every penny spent on gifts was a sacrifice, so we didn’t expect extravagance, because we already had the most treasured gifts in our family; it was unconditional love. Yes, we did have our challenges; but with the love we had every day for each other, we could overcome the hard times.

It was tradition after all.

Move forward to this year. December has arrived, and with it all of the preparations, and decorations, and fellowships, and shopping, and in all of the busyness, it is important for us to remember, that whether we’re ready, or not ready, every day pulls us closer to the end of another year. The time is short to be effective for 2014.

Why is it that the most difficult day of the year for many people is the day after Christmas? I made up my mind to not allow myself to lose my focus. My plan for this year is to keep centered on the wonder of Christmas; Jesus Christ. If I will stay centered on him, then, this Christmas can bring a sense of fulfillment even when I do feel caught up in the celebration of his birth.

People do feel a let down after Christmas, because no matter how many material things you acquire, they can’t fill the void in your life, the way that knowing Jesus can.

If you want to survive December, and all of its trappings, don’t forget to spend time reflecting on Jesus Christ and his love for us. He is the Real Wonder of Christmas.

2014-12-14 Don’t Miss the Real Wonder of Christmas

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There’s No Excuse for an Empty Vessel

Posted on December 7, 2014 by gracemorganwriter

Sure, I could make excuses as to why I can’t seem to write this blog tonight, but it would just be an excuse. Learning to take responsibility for your actions is a sign of spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity doesn’t have anything to do with age. In my walk with God, I have seen spiritually mature people who are so young in the Lord, and then, I have unfortunately seen the other side of spiritual maturity, where people have lived for God, decades, and still feast off of the milk of the word. They never seem to grow in a deeper level of commitment.

I’m not here to judge other people, because we all have to work out our own salvation; I’m here to challenge us all to accept the responsibility to live for God in the beauty of holiness. Do I fully accept the calling that the Lord has placed on my life, or do I pick and choose what is the most convenient path to follow?

We could use the excuse, that the times are different from when the older Christians were growing up; and to a certain extent, you could argue that life was even easier in the “olden days.”  Yes, much has changed in the past few decades, however, the last time I read my Bible, it told me that “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever.’ It also told me that God searches for those who will worship him in Spirit and Truth. Yet, we tie his hands with our apathetic attitudes toward him. Instead of being overcomers, we complain that we are empty, and succomb to just crawling for God rather than getting to our feet and running to do the will of God. 

I want to grow up. I want to be filled with all that the Lord has for me to drink. 

It’s time for Christians everywhere to take a stand for this Truth. Without it, you are empty, there’s no one else to blame but yourself. Just as the children who were sent to fill the vessels, came back with their head held low, and defeated, so it is with us today when we don’t take advantage of the daily blessings of God.

It’s high time to take responsibility for our actions. It is imperative that we step up to the challenge and keep moving forward in Christ. No one else will be able to fulfill God’s purpose that has been given to me, so I might as well, accept the challenge and do the will of God for my life.

Who else would like to fill their vessel?

2014-12-7 It’s time to fill your empty vessel

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I Choose to Seek God’s Will; not my Own.

Posted on November 30, 2014 by gracemorganwriter

butterfly pic

But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me behold I have put my words in thy mouth …And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee. Jeremiah 1:7-9, 19.

The excuse that this generation often uses is that they are too young to be fully committed to doing God’s will. Maybe when I’m older, or more settled, I’ll get serious about my relationship with God, but for now, I want to live life to the fullest, without the inconvenience of choosing between a sports event and the Sunday night service.

Time is precious for all who are working so hard to make ends meet these days, but I learned a long time ago that if I’m too busy to bend a knee in prayer on a Saturday night prayer service, or too busy to show up for church for Wednesday night Bible study, or a Sunday morning or Sunday night worship service, then, I have no right to complain to God about being too busy. It is probably time for me to prayerfully reconsider my priorities. The Lord is first in my life, and my relationship with Jesus Christ precedes any other obligation I have.

Sometimes we feel that we are on a treadmill and as we keep adding more speed, we find that we become more unable to sustain a steady pace with our lives. We have a choice, fall and severely injure ourselves, or we could lower the pace, so that we can manage everything that the Lord requires for us to do, and to do it well. Then, after we have decided to give God our all, he will open up doors to give you the desires of your heart.

It only takes a few skinned knees to realize, I could have saved myself a great deal of pain and distress, if I had only allowed the Lord to order my steps in his will. Walking in God’s will, makes life more peaceful, because you are spared from the worry and guilt of not accomplishing anything of great importance. If you do it God’s way, it will succeed, in his time.

When the Lord returns, I want it to be said that I was a good and faithful servant, not an absent part-time half-committed Christian. I want my life to be pleasing to the Lord, and if that means that I have to put some unnecessary time gobblers aside to get closer to him, then I must be willing to do it.

I read the following advice by Dr. Bob Jones, Sr.:”Don’t sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate.” We are an instant gratification society; but, are we allowing our insatiable appetites for pleasure, to dictate to us what we will focus on in our lives, at the expense of our future security and relationship with God? There’s so many questions that need to be answered, but I have one answer that covers it all, in this week’s Lattereign:

2014-11-30 It’s God’s Will, Not my Own

After we realize that we can depend on the Lord, we can live peaceably, even in chaos.

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What do You Have to be Thankful For?

Posted on November 23, 2014 by gracemorganwriter

Being thankful for the blessings of God in our lives, used to be an automatic response; unfortunately, for many people being thankful is expressed only at Thanksgiving.

There’s not enough time to honor tradition; you know the Turkey takes a long time to bake, and why do we need two different pies, when we don’t even finish one pie?

Granted, we did overdo the huge meal on Thanksgiving, but turkeys are big, and that happens to be what the boss gave to his employees on Thanksgiving. It was always ham at Christmas.

For me, the most exciting part of Thanksgiving was being together, and knowing for that one day, everybody tried to be nice to each other, because there was plenty of food to be thankful for, and an overabundance of love that holds a family together, even when the world around them may be falling apart.

2014-11-23 Thanksgiving is Every Day of the Year

What do You Have to be Thankful For?

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It’s Time to Get Up and Do it Again

Posted on November 16, 2014 by gracemorganwriter

fancy-hand-mirrorIf you’ll look in the mirror you will probably see one of your greatest critics. It is yourself. Why is it that we look for the flaws in others instead of the good? Think about it. When someone pays you a compliment, when they see that you’re wearing something new, the appropriate response for you to give is, “Thank you.”  How many times have we complimented someone’s shoes, for example, and they came back with, “they may be new, but they sure do hurt my feet;” or “I have had this dress for ages.”  Leave it to us to sabotage any sense of happiness that a compliment could bring to encourage us.

When did God’s people look for character flaws in people, instead of digging deeply to find some shred of good in others. I can imagine if people spent more time focusing on how to please the Lord and to do his will, there would be less time to fall into the trap that would keep us pushed down into self-condemnation.

I used to think that I would never be good enough, smart enough, rich enough, or pretty enough to fit into my inflated view of what I thought the ideal person would be like. Then, after much prayer, I realized that the pedestal that I was trying to climb, wasn’t the Lord’s will for my life, but my own personal Tower of Babel, that would definitely need to come down before I could be effective in any ministry that the Lord purposed for me to accomplish.

It’s so difficult to experience true joy when there’s a cloud of condemnation over our heads. Why do you think that the Lord took the time to redeem us if he didn’t think we were worth saving? He loves us. Just because a child makes a mistake, you don’t throw them out with the garbage. You teach them how to correct it for the next time. You help them see where they strayed from the path, and help them to get back on it. 

The spirit of the Pharisees who always wanted to be seen for how much money they gave, (although it was a small amount compared to the widow who gave all that she had), is alive and well in the church. Unfortunately, many people have captured that spirit of being self-important, and forget where the Lord found them. 

If you feel defeated because of your own thinking; or you are discouraged because it seems that lately you have met nothing but roadblocks in your walk with God; it’s time to dig for the good. Know that the Lord loves you, even if you fail, and he is our Father who knows how to get us on the right path, so dig deeply for the good in others, and most of all, don’t forget to dig deeply for the good in yourself. The Lord knows you are worth life itself; can we reject the compliments he gives?

It’s Time to Get up and Do it Again

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“Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”

Posted on November 8, 2014 by gracemorganwriter

be still and know

 

 We live in a troubled world, but we don’t have a troubled God. He is in control of our circumstances, and if we will learn to trust him, we can live in peace. Peace sometimes is not manifested outwardly; it is sometimes just knowing that the Lord is with us because we feel his presence. We have this blessed assurance that he walks before us and clears our path so that we are not hit with the fiery darts that try to overtake us.

I am thankful that the Lord knows the beginning from the ending, and he is the Alpha and the Omega. Too often people panic when they see everything around them falling apart, but just as quickly as the tides roll in and the sands seem to wash away, they wash back on to the shore. We have a choice to make; live a defeated life of worry and anguish about every setback or problem faced by the world, or we could just choose to trust God. What we fear the most is what we will experience, but if we set our mind on things above, we can overcome fear.

It is difficult to worry when the Lord is flooding our lives with hope; but it requires us to be open to the blessing of God so that it can overtake us. People have a tendency to lock up their emotions so that they can protect themselves from experiencing them (especially the ones that requires them to feel pain and sorrow.) The dilemma occurs when our emotions are locked up; we don’t experience true joy and happiness that the Lord desires to give to us.

I  challenge you, today, to open up your heart to experience all that the Lord has for you. You can overcome and live a victorious life, filled with hope, peace, and faith in God.

Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

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Rest in the Lord; Wait Patiently

Posted on October 30, 2014 by gracemorganwriter
“Come unto me all ye that  labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall  find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Rest? The Lord promises us rest?

It’s time that we stopped trying to carry all of the burdens on our own; instead, we should allow the Lord to take control of our circumstance. Why is it, that all we hear lately is how tired people are? Okay, I understand. You are tired. I have caught myself saying it; until one day, I listened to my negative words and decided that I may be tired, but with the Lord’s help, I wanted to change my way of thinking from negative to positive.

I made a promise to myself that whenever I spoke to people, or to myself, that it would be words of encouragement. Being negative all of the time takes it’s toll on your thinking, but it’s a difficult habit to break. I was willing to try, if it meant that people could feel lifted up after they spoke to me. If people were lifted up in their spirit, then I could also feel encouraged. By changing my attitude, I changed the whole atmosphere around me.

When you are in doubt about what to say, it is usually best to remain silent until the words from your mouth and the meditation of your heart is on the Lord.

Rest.

In the past week, I have seen and heard numbers of people, who are overworked, report their very busy schedules on social media, and complain that they have no time to rest in their demanding positions. Yet, the Lord commands us to rest.

The very idea that we could possibly fit rest into our busy schedules is ludicrous; and for some people it could even seem an impossible task in this age: however, this is exactly what we have been called to do: rest.

We may not like it; we may be stressed; because we can’t add ten more hours of work into our day, but it’s time to put the brakes on our busyness, and rest.

He Leads me Beside Still Waters

Still waters are not tumbling out of control, or trying to fill every crevice of their surroundings; they are still. No movement other than stillness. Still waters are a place of peace. The world stops long enough for us to breathe in fresh air and rejoice to be alive. Still waters gives us time to notice God’s creation and appreciate being in his presence. Still waters are not troubled with details about how to manipulate every move that will be made to advance further down the stream. They are not concerned with the next promotion, or crisis. The Lord leads me beside still waters so that I can be reminded that he loves me. It’s impossible to fret when we are focusing our whole attention on being in his presence. There is faith and trust in his presence. We may not know how everything will turn out, but we have this assurance that it will.

Isn’t it time for us to rest?

Rest in the Lord; Wait Patiently

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When the Waters are Troubled, Step in By Faith

Posted on October 26, 2014 by gracemorganwriter
candle 2

Are you going to be the light in a dark world?

“Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord” (Psalm 4:5).
“My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up” (Psalm 5:3).

Our tendency, when we face challenges, is to run away from them if at all possible. It isn’t part of the plan that we have mapped out for our lives; so, we procrastinate getting involved. For some of us, being in a crowded room is still an empty place, because we hide our true feelings from others.

I imagine that if I had to, I could master the art of isolation. I see myself activating my invisible force field that protects me from all of the negative influences in the world; so that when I walk through the mall, I can make myself invisible. (Not really, invisible, but unnoticed.) It’s good to protect ourselves, isn’t it?

God didn’t tell us to hide in a corner somewhere, drink in his blessings, and stay in our comfort zones. No, he tells us in Matthew, to “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” It is true that we are not of this world, and that we should “set our sights on things above.” But, it also tells us that we are a “City set on a hill,”We can walk in the mall, for example, and on either side of us are real people with real circumstances who are crying out for someone to help them.

That someone is Jesus Christ, but unless we get involved and show our light, who will tell them? Can we risk becoming vulnerable for the sake of a soul, in public? Unfortunately, not with our protective shield; sadly, that inferior shield has so many layers of indifference that it’s hard to penetrate it to feel the peace of a God who desires to bless us.

How can we feel the peace of God, knowing that we could have reached out to offer someone hope of a life filled with joy that will last for eternity? That hope, could give someone, who cries out for help, just the motivation he needs to make a life change. Yet, we pass by people who are hurting every day. We are too busy to notice that they are hungry. Their hunger could be for a kind word, a smile, or just a reminder that they matter to God.

If I was invisible, I could see clearly how the Lord wants me to see, through eyes of unconditional love and compassion. There’s not enough of that being practiced, today. It’s time that we shine our lights just a little bit brighter, and lead some people to salvation.

It’s time to step into the troubled waters and trust Jesus to go with you as you navigate the decisions that you must make if you want to follow Christ. It’s only after you have fully committed to serving Jesus Christ that you will find true peace in your heart. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Today, is the time to step into the troubled waters, leaving the outcome to the Lord; by facing our fears; we become victorious; we can do exploits.

Trouble the Water

 

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Leave it at the Altar; You are not Alone!

Posted on October 19, 2014 by gracemorganwriter

My desk is a mountain of opened books, and papers. The scary thing is that everyone of these books are necessary; but on my desk cluttering up my space? Probably not.

I find that the very things that I need, sometimes becomes a burden to me, because try as I might, I am NOT a multitasker. I do my best work when I learn to focus on the most immediate task at hand, and then work my way through until I either zone out because my brain tells me that it’s time to not think anymore, or I reach the end of the stack. I have always been this way, surrounded by paper, even when I was only in the second grade and I tortured my older sister’s boyfriends to look at–in awe, I might add–every piece of artwork I had created in class, while she finished getting ready for a date. I realized when I grew up, that those guys probably didn’t care if I colored inside of the lines so magnificently. In college, the book bags weighed more than a week’s worth of groceries on my shoulders, but I had to carry everything. As a public school teacher, well, you get the idea, the heavy- laden spoken of in the bible had nothing on me, as I immersed myself in other people’s paper. You would think that as technology has become more sophisticated that I would reduce my papers and books around me, and I have, somewhat. But the security of having everything written down is still something that I practice.

Why? Because computers crash, and I can always depend on a piece of paper.

So, where are you going with this line of thought, and what does this have to do with not being alone? (I’ll be able to answer this question when I reach the end of this post. Right now, I’m trying to let the Lord lead me to say what I need to say to make a point about not being alone.)

Every week the saints of God congregate to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth.

We offer up a sacrifice of praise. We hear the word of God being delivered from the pulpit, and we respond to the message, and to the leading of the Holy Spirit to present ourselves a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. We feel renewed and strengthened to keep pressing forward through our week. We leave the altar, and for some people leaving the church, means going back to a household where not everyone is living for God.

My point today is this; we bring all of our past and present trials to the altar and lay them down.That is where they need to stay, under the blood of Jesus Christ.

He wants to carry these for us because they have become unnecessary weights to us. Unfortunately, many people cry out to God, and then drag the same pain and circumstances with them as they leave from the presence of the Lord to go home. Our hope is that we never leave the presence of the Lord. He is always with us, even when we face a real world that may not be saved.

When we learn to trust the Lord enough to let those things go, he will step in and take care of the circumstances in his will, and be with us as we walk through this journey of life.

He promises to never leave us or forsake us. Our hope is in him. Isn’t it time to just clean off your desk, and make room for the blessings that the Lord has promised? Praise Him in the evening time. If this post has been a blessing to you, leave a comment, below.

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