Wisdom Wednesday: According To Who

According to His Grace

As I collapsed in bed after a long day of  three kids, cleaning, managing bills, errands, etc etc etc   LIFE! I was drained physically but I couldn't stop myself from reviewing my day and realized I had not been the best Mommy nor did I even draw on the Lord for my daily strength. I felt that I utterly failed to really focus on the big picture and ended up making my "To Do" list the reason for working hard for the day. The funny thing is after completing my 'To Do" list I didn't have that satisfaction as I thought I would. That is where my personal dialog of negative inside chatter began.

"Will I ever get this right"

"It has been years and I still struggle with..."

"I am a horrible Christian"

"God, why can't I just do..."

"I can't stand my selfishness..."


The dialog went on and on until I had literally beat myself up! I couldn't be satisfied with just being physically exhausted I had to drain myself mentally and emotionally to justify my own failures. It was as if I needed to punish myself for my failures and shortfalls.  That I was not only setting my standard for the whole day with a check list to complete but then I sat myself down after the day and reviewed my failures to somehow make myself feel better.WHAT IN THE WORLD! Then the sweet words from the book of Ephesians chapter one came to my heart. This is not my story but HIS story...that I had done enough self loathing and condemnation over my day and had forgotten it was really His day. That I had literally been so absorbed in my day, my children, my household management, my definition of an effective day that I forgot that the Lord himself had given me this day!

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him…"                                                                            Ephesians 1:7-9

So I lay my head down tonight and remember according to HIS grace which HE lavished on me! Praise the Lord for His grace and mercy that He so generously lavishes on me during the times when I need it most but am too busy or prideful to notice. Therefore, I go to rest my mind and body knowing that His mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23) and I shall arise refreshed and renewed remembering that my day is not for me but it's for Him. I choose to rejoice with the Psalmist when he says: "This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)

Blessings & Good Night,

KtMaude

Driving Out Our Fear

6:24 am is when I was awakened from my sleep due to a bad dream. It was a "Mommy" dream that painted all the horrible things that could happen to my children, marriage, and future. It was a dream that was driven by fear and sadness. I rolled over immediately and asked my husband to pray for all of these things that happened in the dream and he listened closely to every word that I said. Thankfully, he prayed as I had requested and after closing the prayer he gently began speaking these words of scripture to me.

"6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."       1 Timothy 6:6-11 (NIV)

I was comforted by his words and thankful for him to speak over me the Word of God. There was one thing that was said that really resounded within my heart as a mother and wife. Thankfulness is the force which drives out fear. It is my contentment in our good God that will sustain me through all my deepest fears and failures.

How will you walk in thankfulness today? I will remind myself that in 2 Timothy 1:7 the Amplified Bible  "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control." In this truth I will remind myself to walk in His strength and not my own.

Blessings,

KtMaude

I Rejoice!

"I rejoice in the hope of that glory to be revealed, 

for it is no uncertain glory that we look for. 

Our hope is not hung upon such an untwisted thread as, "I imagine so," or "It is likely," 

but the cable, the strong tow of our fastened anchor, is the oath and promise of Him who is eternal verity. Our salvation is fastened with God's own hand, and with Christ's own strength, 

to the strong stake of God's unchangeable nature." 

Samuel Rutherford

Truthful Tuesday

Today is a beautiful day to draw closer to Jesus and to reflect on who He truly is. The true nature of Christ and God have been told to us in the way they want us to know them through His Word. He speaks by His Word, the Bible, and He wants you to draw nearer to Him and see him for who He is and not who we want Him to be. He is not a form of truth but the absolute truth. We have learned that Jesus himself,our Savior,is the fulfillment of all old testament law and that he fulfilled all roles of Prophet, Priest, and King. It is through Him alone that our world has hope from our fractured lives. Praise Jesus!!!


Please take time today to do your part to draw near to Him by a small devotion, quiet prayer, or your choice to "staying the course". As I walk through the study of Hebrews I am encouraged that I serve a God who has left nothing out of His control...I hope this is an encouragement to you as well.

Hebrews 2

Warning Against Neglecting Salvation

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

The Founder of Salvation

5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere,

“What is man, that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man, that you care for him?
7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor,
8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.”

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,12 saying,

“I will tell of your name to my brothers;

in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

13 And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”

And again,

“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.


Take this day as a day to draw nearer to Our Savior and give Him the glory and praise that is due Him. For He has left NOTHING outside of His control.

Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
   throughout all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born
   or you brought forth the whole world,
   from everlasting to everlasting you are God.


3 You turn people back to dust,
   saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
4 A thousand years in your sight
   are like a day that has just gone by,
   or like a watch in the night.
5 Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—
   they are like the new grass of the morning:
6 In the morning it springs up new,
   but by evening it is dry and withered.


7 We are consumed by your anger
   and terrified by your indignation.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
   our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass away under your wrath;
   we finish our years with a moan.
10 Our days may come to seventy years,
   or eighty, if our strength endures;
   yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
   for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11 If only we knew the power of your anger!
   Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
12 Teach us to number our days,
   that we may gain a heart of wisdom.


13 Relent, Lord! How long will it be?
   Have compassion on your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
   that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
   for as many years as we have seen trouble.
16 May your deeds be shown to your servants,
   your splendor to their children.


17 May the favor[a] of the Lord our God rest on us;
   establish the work of our hands for us—
   yes, establish the work of our hands.

Wisdom Wednesday: Beyond the small perimeter of me

My bread box is my daily reminder

Those Little Eyes

By Richard Netherland Cook

Little eyes are watching you 

Each and every day, 

And little ears are listening too 

Every word you say. 

Little hands are fast at work 

Doing what you do, 

And a little mind is dreaming 

To grow up just like you. 

To him you are the wisest 

He leans on your every word 

He believes in you with all his heart, 

And all from you he's heard. 

When he grows up he wants to be 

A man who's just like you 

So watch the all of what you say, 

And all the things you do.

A humbling thought that our lives have the power to impact so many people. I encourage you to never forget that everyday is an opportunity to use your life, gifts, talents and failures to better the life of someone else. This poem has been my daily reminder of how I must choose to live my life before my children. I have to make a choice everyday to live a honest and simple life that is for the betterment of others and for the glory of God. Our family has been serving in ministry for seven years and with this privilege comes great joy, challenges, and at times pain.  The great joy of ministry has always outweighed the painful moments and by God's grace our family has endured. Many of our hardest seasons as a family has been when ministry has demanded more than our family could give but with the help of wonderful mentors and prayer warriors for friends we have always ...but not easily... made the choice to keep our small family the main priority.  

In what way do you remind yourself to live a life beyond the small perimeter of "me"?  During the hard times  I must run to the Word of God and hide His Word in my heart...one my favorite hidden treasures is: "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."  In other words, everyday of my life, I must choose to live beyond myself- to use my daily opportunities to live as a good example before my little children. This life we live will not be perfect but our imperfect lives are God's masterpiece and that is what brings beauty to our current moment.

Seize the moment to live and love well today

KtMaude

A Beautiful Teacher

Christine Anne

My beautiful sister is a treasure beyond this world. This woman is a wife, mother, sister, friend, daughter, and teacher. Since she was a little girl she always dreamed of becoming a teacher and through her hard work and sheer determination she is one of the best educators I know. As a child I still remember her loving and educational (bossy) ways which I believe were a foreshadow of her greatness in the classroom. As a sister and oldest of four, she has had a tremendous influence within my life and I can only imagine the lasting impact she has had on her students and community. As an educator, Christine Anne has always found unique ways to grow and nurture her own gifts so that she may better educate and inspire her pupils.

             The Amazing Christine Anne

• B.S. in Elementary Education
• Major Science with a Minor in Language Arts and Middle Level Education
• Certified to teach 5th - 9th Science and Language Arts
• Certified to teach K-8th grade all subjects self contained settings
• M.S. in Special Education - Learning Disabilities
• Special Education Teacher Consultant
• Master of giving and loving with her whole heart

Take time today to love and encourage a teacher that has impacted your life or the life of a loved one. This is a perfect opportunity to do good for those who give and sacrifice so much for our children's education. Taking advantage of an opportunity to do good is just as simple as communicating your affections the moment you think of them. This can be done by a simple card, Facebook message, text message or a phone call...never underestimate the power of a kind "Thank You".

 

"One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child" Carl Jung

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week

KtMaude