I was cleaning house when Dewey asked me to write something to you this morning. I pray that this will be a blessing from the Lord to you!
Appreciating Love, by Karen Rowe
Earlier this week, I was talking with my son on the way to school. We were talking about riding a dirt bike; and the lessons we can learn that apply to our life with God.
Daniel loves his dirt bike; and he is quite good at riding! Yet, he has taken some spills along his path of learning –that he is not invincible, but rather he has much to learn. At first the pain of wrecking dampened his desire to ride, but as he saw mommy take the 4 Wheeler for a speed ride, his excitement to race surfaced again!
Isn’t our Christian walk just like that?
Today, this writing is dedicated to learning to appreciate everything from God more –With my mind focused on leading your thoughts to renew your focus on appreciating God; and the gifts God has given you! In fact, “Everything comes from God and we give God only what comes from His hand.”
Daniel’s final crash hurt! He was even mad at himself for pulling the front break too hard –the cause of his notorious crash! Yet, his daddy loosened the front break so that he could avoid the same crash next time …
As Daniel and I were talking this past week, in life we can also learn to focus our learning on what caused our “crashes” and what could we do better next time?!
Do we stop sailing across a safe, well-built ramp that we love; and know is a blessing from God? Do we stop from fear of a crash?
Do we give up on a marriage, ministry or people when the going gets tuff? Do we give up on doing good –when we crash and burn with poor discernment … Do we give up on life? Or HOPE?
When we fail, God hasn’t failed us! We are learning about love and God is teaching us about Himself –and who we are to Him.
What is faith, but God! God gives us a perfect measure of Himself through our faith to accomplish good and great things for the good news of Jesus Christ to be seen and heard –Through our Reflection in our life that perseveres, gets up, presses on and ends up blessed by God!
Take a look at some of our gifts from God … Each other –Fellow believers of the same Spirit of God! We need each other!
Had Daniel never crashed, he would have never learned the value of needing help –and the value of how to drive effectively!
As we go through life, think about this … through our mistakes, we experience our weaknesses –but the real value is that we can see the beautiful power of God’s Grace, as God gently picks us up and carries us along!
Had Daniel never crashed, he would have never been grateful that his daddy loosened his front break –because he wouldn’t have known the value of what his daddy had done for him …
As we go through life, and we will experience some hardships, the purpose is to learn from the hand of God who teaches; and then we can appreciate everything God has done for us more.
In a traffic jam, are you appreciating the pain, decision making, expense and dedication that it took to get you ON a road that usually travels well? These are the kinds of “crosses” we can bear in patience and kindness to others, because we appreciate the love God has first given us!
Are you willing? Write in your journal a list of all “you know of” that Jesus has done for you?
Ponder your heart and ask God to show you your journey –and know you have the faith!
Don’t give yourself a choice but to say, “I won’t be selfish –I am willing!”
Jesus endured emotional and physical and even spiritual battles, but He overcome all things as a man with the Word of God because He knew God –Thus, He appreciated life with God MORE than he valued escaping from His responsibility to be loyal and faithful to God alone: LOVE.
Jesus asks us to pick up our cross and follow Him because it is not an easy task to be patient and kind with ugly attitudes, but a must to be His disciple who shows the way to enter the Kingdom of God.
Who is JESUS:
John 14:6 King James Version (KJV)
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23 New International Version (NIV).
Isaiah 40:9 … What is the message from God to you?
“Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!”
O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! (Isaiah 40:9 KJV)
Who is Zion?
I hope this is a blessing to you!
Love in Christ,
Karen Rowe
Hope in Today Ministries, Inc.
www.hopeintoday.com
To God be the Glory Alone!
Thank you Dewey Moede for this opportunity to serve our God! I hope that I have served Him well and by faith I trust in God and Jesus I have. Everything comes from God and we give God only what comes from His hand. 1 Chronicals 29:14.
