Imitators

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Matthew 7:21-23

When I was unsaved, I read that passage of Scripture and it frightened me.  Why?  Because at that time, I thought I was saved.  I was actively serving the Lord in a Bible believing church.  Doing all the things a saved person should be doing, only I wasn't really saved.  I knew down deep inside that I was a fake.

I was an imitator.

Recently I was told that only 20% of active church members are genuinely saved.  I was surprised to hear that percentage, but then I shouldn't have been.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:14 "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

So what about the other 80%?  According to Jesus in Matthew 13:24-30, He identifies them as tares.

Imitators.  

Webster's Dictionary defines imitators as :  to be, or appear like, resemble, mimic, counterfeit.

Tares can talk the talk and walk the walk...but from time to time their true colors are revealed.

How?

By the lack of fruit.

Galatians 5:22,23 tells us what fruit a child of God has:  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  Verse 25 goes on to say, If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

It's not my responsibility to judge.  Matthew 7 tells us that that is not our place. Only God knows what is in the heart of man.  But what is my responsibility?

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.  Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobate?"  2 Corinthians 13:5

Wayne Jacobsen once said, "The Fruit of the Spirit is not what we can make ourselves do for a moment, but what God makes us to be for a lifetime."

I don't want to have to 'tell' someone I am saved, I want my fruit to bear witness of God's Saving Grace...

    But that's just me!

"Fruit is always the miraculous, the created; it is never the result of willing, but always a growth.  The Fruit of the Spirit is a gift of God, and only He can produce it.  They who bear it know as little about it as the tree knows of it's fruit.  They know only the power of Him on Whom their life depends."  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Hymns

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Ephesians 5:19-20

Every morning before I begin my devotions, I sing a hymn.  When I'm happy I sing songs of rejoicing, when I'm sad I sing songs of comfort, when I'm discouraged I sing songs of praise and when I'm worried, I sing songs about peace.

Sometimes I make up my own words and melody to express what is in my heart:  mostly thankfulness.

The very first hymn I learned by heart was 'Jesus loves Me.'  Most people think this is just a song for children to sing, but it is an actual hymn that was written by Anna Warner in 1860.  William Bradbury later composed the music and the chorus to this song in 1861.  It's still my favorite hymn to this day.  It's the first song that comes to my mind when I'm scared, sad, anxious, and happy.

Even Jesus sang hymns.  (Matthew 26:30, Mark 14:26)  

Paul and Silas sang in Jail.  (Acts 16)

The more I studied this out, I found that there are over 185 songs in the Bible without including the Psalms and Song of Solomon.  Songs about battles, funerals, victories, defeat, praises, and even about the jaw bone of a donkey.  (Judges 15:16.)

Moses and Miriam had a song-Exodus 15

The song of the well in the wilderness-Numbers 21

The song of Moses and Joshua-Deuteronomy 31

The song of David-1Samuel 18:7, and even the song of the Bow-2 Samuel 1.

The song of David's deliverance in 2 Samuel 22 and Psalm 18

Mary's song of praise-Luke 1:46-55

And the song praising the Lamb Who is Worthy-Revelation 5:9-10

Too many songs to count!

So, why aren't Christians singing?

I will keep singing Jesus Loves Me.  Such a simple song yet holds the greatest of all Truths:

I am loved by the Creator and Saviour of all those who will put their faith and trust in Him.

And that is enough.

A thankful heart can't help but sing.....

    but that's just me!

"Jesus!  It is the name which moves the harps of heaven to melody.  Jesus!  the life of all our joys.  If there be one name more charming, more precious than another, it is this name.  It is woven into the very warp and woof of our psalmody.  Many of our hymns begin with it, and scarcely any, that are good for anything, end without it.  It is the sum total of all delights.  It is the music with which the bells of heaven ring; a song in a word; an ocean for comprehension, although a drop for brevity; a matchless oratorio in two syllables; a gathering up of the hallelujahs of eternity in five letters."  Charles Spurgeon

Weeds

I have been spending a lot of time weeding in my garden lately.  I find it interesting that most of the weeds surround and over take the flowers, while the area that is just dirt, have no weeds present.

I wonder if the flower is even aware that it's life is slowly being choked away?

It's a slow death.

From my perspective I recognize the presence of the weed and see it's destruction;  from the flowers perspective, it goes unnoticed, unaware of it's dire consequences.

When I weed around my flower, sometimes I only get the top of the weed, missing the root entirely.  I can expect new growth from that weed in a few days.  Other times while removing the root of the weed, the flower is yanked out along with weed.  The casualty of allowing the weed to be rooted next to the flower in the first place, too much time passed between weeding.

Sometimes weeds look like actual flowers.  I must know my flowers in order to keep unwanted disease away from them.

Sin works the same way.  Other's may see it in my life, but I might not recognize it for what it truly is.  Maybe I have justified a sin in my life, telling myself that 'it's not so bad.'  And before I know it, it has taken over my life, and when I go to remove it, part of myself is damaged.

Maybe it's a sin that reoccurs.  Maybe it's habitual?  I remove the part of the weed that is seen by others, but I keep the root buried deep inside my heart.

Or maybe this sin is pretty on the outside and I have been deceived, not seeing the destructive work it is doing in my life?

What weeds do I tend in the garden of my heart?  How do I recognize the weeds in my life?

God's Word.  

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart-Hebrews 4:12

I want to weed my heart from sin...but that's just me!

If you're planting your feet in what God says in His Word, your heart will tell you the truth-

Unknown

my father/My King

Once upon a time there was a little girl who lived in a magical kingdom...

or so she thought.

She had two loving parents, two sisters and a brother.  They did everything together and were very happy.  This little girl looked up to her father and believed he was the greatest in all the land.

Then one day an evil influence penetrated this magical kingdom and it became divided.

"And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand."  Mark 3:25

One day this little girl and her mother came home to a half-empty house and a note.  The little girl was confused as she watched her mother cry, but her mother turned to her little girl and said, 'It will be alright...God is good."

This little girl grew and her confusion turned into disappointment and anger and she soon found herself way outside of the walls of her once magical kingdom.  She had fallen and didn't know how to get back up again.  Her rebellious decisions had put her in a place of no return...or so she thought.

But God sent this young lady a friend who introduced her to the Heavenly Father.

This little girl who had become a broken young woman prayed.  She was sorry for all her sins and for all she had done, and knew in her heart that she didn't want to live this way anymore.

"The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."  Psalm 34:18

Salvation had come to this young woman as she let go of her past and turned to Christ.

Her Father, her Saviour, her King.

"I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King."  Isaiah 43:15

"Who is this King of glory?  The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory.  Selah Psalm 24:10

And now I have a new kingdom-

"For our conversation is in heaven; from hence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ."  Philippians 3:20

My earthly father let me down....

    my Heavenly Father, My King, will never let me down...

        But that's just me!

Joy is the flag which is flown from the castle of the heart when the King is in residence there.

    Unknown

A New Car

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.  3 John 1:2

The lease to my old car was close to expiring, so my husband and I went  to our car Dealership and traded it in for a new car.

A very nice car.

Wednesday night, we drove our new vehicle to church, and when we entered the building, friends would say, "I like your car!"  I would smile and say, 'Thank you, our lease was up on our old car so it was time to trade it in....God is good."

But as more and more people commented on the car, my heart began to sink and I felt sick inside.  Yes, it's a new car, but, it's JUST a car!

After church, men followed my husband out to the parking lot to look at the car.  While they checked it out, I continued to give my husband 'the death-ray-stare' that would let him know that I was not at all happy about what was going on and that I just wanted to go home.

When we got in the car I told him that I wanted to walk to church on Sunday.

Our Heavenly Father wants His children to have nice things.  It's ok to have nice things, after all, God is the One providing these good gifts to His children, (James 1:17) but when the focus is on the gift, and not the Giver, then our hearts forget to be grateful to the Father.

I do not want God's Gifts to outshine the Father of Light....

    But that's just me!

"What is wrong with Christians today is that we have the gifts of God but have forgotten the God of gifts."  A.W. Tozer

Prayer Chains

When I was a little girl, I use to spend hours sitting among daisies and making daisy chains.  The delicate flowers, attached and unified to each other to make the chain stronger and more beautiful.

Prayer chains work the same way.

Yesterday my friend's daughter fell down at the park and broke her upper arm and chipped her elbow.  After the initial visit to the ER, my friend was told to see a doctor today to see if her daughter would need surgery.  Immediately the prayer request was sent out to praying friends.  One person would contact another person to pray specifically for this precious, little girl to not have surgery. 

Each person praying was attached and unified in prayer.

God answered our prayers.  I was told today that my friends daughter will not need surgery!

Our united prayers turned to united praises for our Saviour Who not only heard our requests, but answered them!  What a mighty God we serve!

It's been said that prayer is releasing the energies of God;  for prayer is asking God to do what we cannot do ourselves.  (unknown)

Martin Luther once said, "None can believe how powerful prayer is, and what it is able to effect, but to those who have learned it by experience."

That's why prayer chains exist.  Those who pray have learned that God WILL answer.

I know it to be true....

    but that's just me!

That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, LORD, hast done it.  Psalm 109:27

Text Blessings

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

1 Timothy 2:1

Many times throughout any given week, I will receive a text message from a friend that says something like this:  "Just wanted you to know that I am praying for you today!  I love you and hope you have a blessed day!"  Then emoji hearts and kisses fill the rest of the text message.

Talk about a huge dose of encouragement!

There is just something about knowing that someone is praying for you that allows your heart to be full!

And because such an action blessed me, I in turn, find myself sending out 'Text Blessings' to those ladies I pray for during the week as well!

Just yesterday I received a response to such a text, and it said this:  "Do you know that I wondered if someone was praying for me, because I have had such peace, joy and closeness to the Lord today!  Thank you!"

What a blessing!  It's the power of prayer!  It's edifying one another and lifting each other up before the Lord!

Our Friend who sticketh closer than a brother is praying for us too.  Hebrews 7:25 tells us that Jesus is constantly interceding on our behalf.  

Knowing my Saviour prays for me, motivates me to pray for others~

    But that's just me!

"Fervent prayers produce phenomenal results"  Woodrow Kroll

Prayer is asking God to do what we cannot do ourselves~ Unknown