Set Your Sights On Things Above
We so quickly get our eyes off God. Let's get back into
perspective.
perspective.
Prayer is one of the most neglected areas of our Christian life, as well as in the life of the church. We could all improve in the skill of talking with God. We all know of the power of prayer, but how often have we actually experienced it? I have been doing a personal Bible study on prayer, and knowing that one of the most important things behind the power of our prayers is obedience, one of the first things I wanted to do was to find a list of things that we are commanded to pray for. How can we say we are obedient, if we are not even following God's command to pray for certain things? The following is a list of thirteen things that we are commanded by God to pray for every day. Use them to create your daily prayer list, and obey God in the area of your prayer life.
1) Pray for your leaders “That they may offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons.” (Ezra 6:10) The people of God are commanded to pray for their leaders, whether we like them or hate them. In this season of contentious political contests, we would do well to remember that our president needs prayer. I Timothy 2:1-3 says, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;” This command to pray extends to all our leaders. Senators, congressmen and women, city council leaders, mayors, and police chiefs all need our intercession before the Lord. Make a list and pray for them by name. 2) Pray for the peace of Jerusalem “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.” (Psalm 122:6) This one comes with a promise – Pray for the peace of Jesrusalem and love her, and God will prosper us. Who doesn't want that? “And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. (Jeremiah 29:7) This one also comes with a promise. Praying for your city to have peace will cause the peace to “spill” on you. We all need more peace! 4) Pray for your enemies “and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” (Matthew 5:44e) This one I have trouble with – I always end up “forgetting” it when I am in conflict with someone else. But God commands us to pray for even those that persecute us. But it does help us to avoid anger and bitterness, and to have the right attitude about life. 5) Pray for missionaries “Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. (Luke 10:2) We should be praying for more laborers for the harvest of souls, because there are not many to bring in the great harvest of souls that God wants to reap. Careful! Praying for this one every day may cause you to realize God is calling you to be one of those laborers! II Corinthians 8:4 says, “Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.” We should pray for our missionaries, and how we can give of our time, talents, and treasure to participate in the fellowship of ministering to the saints. 6) Pray that you enter not into temptation “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mt 26:41) We are supposed to pray that we do not enter into temptation. Being tempted is one thing, but indulging in it will cause us to stumble, because our flesh is weak. We definitely need the power of God to resist temptation every day! 7) Watch and pray for the Rapture “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.” (Mk 13:33) Because we do not know when the Rapture takes place, we should prepare ourselves for Christ's imminent return every day by prayer. 8) Pray for your fellow church members This one is a big one, and has several facets. Luke 22:32 says, “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” We should pray for our fellow church members, so they can strengthen other church members. Who knows when we will need to be strengthened by someone we have made a habit of praying for? Ephesians also tells us to pray for all the saints, everywhere. Chapter 6, verse 18b says, “and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”. We are also to pray that fellow church members are completely in the center of God's will. “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” (Colossians 4:12) This, among other things, helps promote unity in the church of God. We need to pray that our church family's faith is growing in the sanctification process. “Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?” (I Thessalonians 3:10) Pastors should pray for the members of their flock. “I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,” (Philemon 1:4) Pray for the afflicted, the sick, and the backslidden in your church. “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:13-14) We are supposed to be tending to the care of our fellow church members, and this can best be done by first praying for their needs. If we care enough to be involved to where we know their needs, we will also care enough to meet their needs. 9) Pray for your deacons “Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6:6-7) Praying for your church's deacons helps to promote the work of the church – seeing more souls saved. 10) Pray for your Pastor “And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.” (Acts 14:23) As our spiritual leader, our Pastor needs our prayers more than anything else. We should be spending time daily praying for him. 11) Pray for the spread of the Gospel “Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:” (Colossians 4:3) Souls are the heartbeat of God, and we should be spending time daily praying for the Gospel's spread. I Timothy 2:4 says, “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” Souls should be a major topic of our prayer life. 12) Thanksgiving for our food “which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” (I Timothy 4:3c-5) We should always thank God at every meal for the food He has provided. Some countries pray after they eat, some before they eat, but we should acknowledge His provision at every mealtime. 13) Ask for wisdom “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5) How many of us have all the wisdom we will ever need? Then we should be praying for it every day. When God told Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted, he asked God for wisdom. (I Kings 3:5, II Chronicles 1:7) God blessed Solomon with much more than wisdom, because he asked for that which pleased God. Oh, that we would ask for the wisdom that we need every day! There are many things that we could ask God for in our daily prayer life. But these thirteen things should be on our prayer list every day. Let us transform our prayer life by our obedience to God's command. If we ask for what He tells us to ask for, will He not give it?
4/24/2016
New From Author Annie Douglass Lima!
I'm excited to announce that my young adult action and adventure novel, The Gladiator and the Guard, is now available for purchase! This is the second book in the Krillonian Chronicles, sequel to The Collar and the Cavvarach.
First Things First: a Little Information about Book 1:
Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is desperate to see his little sister freed. But only victory in the Krillonian Empire's most prestigious tournament will allow him to secretly arrange for Ellie's escape. Dangerous people are closing in on her, however, and Bensin is running out of time. With his one hope fading quickly away, how can Bensin save Ellie from a life of slavery and abuse?
The story is set in a world very much like our own, with just a few major differences. One is that slavery is legal there. Slaves must wear metal collars that lock around their neck, making their enslaved status obvious to everyone. Any slave attempting to escape faces the dilemma of how and where to illegally get their collar removed (a crime punishable by enslavement for the remover). Another difference is the popularity of a martial art called cavvara shil. It is fought with a cavvarach (rhymes with "have a rack"), a weapon similar to a sword but with a steel hook protruding from partway down its top edge. Competitors can strike at each other with their feet as well as with the blades. You win in one of two ways: disarming your opponent (hooking or knocking their cavvarach out of their hands) or pinning their shoulders to the mat for five seconds.
Click here to order The Collar and the Cavvarach from Amazon for
Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is just one victory away from freedom. But after he is accused of a crime he didnât commit, he is condemned to the violent life and early death of a gladiator. While his loved ones seek desperately for a way to rescue him, Bensin struggles to stay alive and forge an identity in an environment designed to strip it from him. When he infuriates the authorities with his choices, he knows he is running out of time. Can he stand against the cruelty of the arena system and seize his freedom before that system crushes him?
Click here to order The Gladiator and the Guard in Kindle format from Amazon
for
Click here to order The Gladiator and the Guardfrom Smashwords (for Nook or in other digital formats) for
Annie Douglass Lima spent most of her childhood in Kenya and later graduated from Biola University in Southern California. She and her husband Floyd currently live in Taiwan, where she teaches fifth grade at Morrison Academy. She has been writing poetry, short stories, and novels since her childhood, and to date has published twelve books (two YA action and adventure novels, four fantasies, a puppet script, and five anthologies of her studentsâ poetry). Besides writing, her hobbies include reading (especially fantasy and science fiction), scrapbooking, and international travel.
Connect with the Author Online:
Email: [email protected]
Blog: http://anniedouglasslima.blogspot.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnieDouglassLimaAuthor Twitter: https://twitter.com/princeofalasia Goodreads: http://bit.ly/ADLimaOnGoodreads Amazon Author Page: http://bit.ly/AnnieDouglassLimaOnAmazon Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AnnieDouglassLima LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/ADLimaOnLinkedIn Google Plus: http://bit.ly/ADLimaOnGooglePlus
Now, enter to win an Amazon gift card or a free digital copy of The Collar and the Cavvarach!
4/24/2016
Interview with Annie Douglass LimaTell us a bit about your latest work.
The Gladiator and the Guard is the second book in the Krillonian Chronicles, the first one being The Collar and the Cavvarach. The stories take place in a world almost exactly like our own. Although most aspects of the culture are just about what they are currently on Earth, a few sports are different, such as the martial art known as cavvara shil. The main difference, however, is that slavery is legal there. The Krillonian Empire rules much of the world. An emperor, who is never named, governs from the capital city, Krillonia, on the continent known as Imperia. Eight separate provinces (originally independent nations before they were conquered) can be found on nearby continents. Each province, plus Imperia, is allowed to elect its own legislature and decide on many of its own laws, but the emperor reserves the right to veto any of them and make changes as he sees fit. This seldom happens, however, and to most people the emperor is merely a vague and distant ceremonial figure. The prevalence of slavery is probably what would stand out the most to visitors from Earth. There are nearly as many slaves in the city of Jarreon, where both books take place, as free people, and they are easily identified by the steel collars they are required to wear locked around their necks. From each collar hangs a tag inscribed with the slave’s name, their owner’s name, and a copy of their owner’s signature. On the back of the tag is their owner’s phone number and a bar code that can be scanned to access additional information. Many families own one or more slaves who do their housework and yardwork. Businesses often own a large number of slaves, usually for manual labor, though some are trained for more complex tasks. Those who don’t own their own slaves may “hire in” one belonging to someone else. The accepted rate for an hourly wage is two-thirds the amount that a free person would earn for equivalent labor (the money goes to the slave’s owner, of course). To read more about the culture of the Krillonian Empire, take a look at this post on my blog. Here’s the back-cover blurb for The Collar and the Cavvarach†: Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is desperate to see his little sister freed. But only victory in the Krillonian Empire's most prestigious tournament will allow him to secretly arrange for Ellie's escape. Dangerous people are closing in on her, however, and Bensin is running out of time. With his one hope fading quickly away, how can Bensin save Ellie from a life of slavery and abuse? And the blurb for The Gladiator and the Guard†: Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is just one victory away from freedom. But after he is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he is condemned to the violent life and early death of a gladiator. While his loved ones seek desperately for a way to rescue him, Bensin struggles to stay alive and forge an identity in an environment designed to strip it from him. When he infuriates the authorities with his choices, he knows he is running out of time. Can he stand against the cruelty of the arena system†and seize his freedom†before that system crushes him? What first inspired you to begin writing? I’ve been writing for as long as I can recall. When I was seven years old, I had a sudden inspiration for what I thought was an amazing story and decided then and there that I was going to write a book and be the world's youngest author. I ran to my room in great excitement, found an old notebook and a pencil, and started in. Well, that first novel was never actually finished, let alone published, but it got me started. After that, I can't remember a time that I wasn't working on at least one book. Prince of Alasia, which I started in college, was the first one I finished that I thought was worth trying to get published. I looked into traditional publishing and spent a long time trying to get an agent, but to no avail. Finally I learned about Kindle publishing and did it myself the indie way, eleven years after I first started writing the book. A few months later I added the paperback edition. It was quite a thrill to me to finally fulfill my childhood dream! Now I’ve published a total of twelve books (two YA action and adventure novels, four fantasies, a puppet script, and five anthologies of my students’ poetry). What keeps you writing now? I can’t help it. Characters romp around having adventures in my head until I have to let them out. I have no choice! I know you do lots of traveling…what is your favorite place to have visited so far? Why is it your favorite? I’ve been privileged to visit so many wonderful places, it’s hard to pick just one! Since my husband and I live in Taiwan, we’re relatively close to a lot of Asian locations that would be harder and much more expensive to get to from the US, so we’ve been trying to take advantage of travel opportunities. Over our Christmas break, we enjoyed a vacation of a lifetime in the exotic country of Myanmar, and that definitely stands out as one of my favorites. One particular memory is of the boat ride we took through a town on a lake. And when I say “on” a lake, I really mean that the buildings were literally on the water. Not on the shore overlooking the lake, but standing on poles in the middle of the lake, accessible only by boat! Houses, stores, schools, factories, restaurants, government buildings – it was fascinating to see! (For pictures and video of this on my blog, click here.) Do you ever hear from readers? And if so, what is your favorite reader response so far? I do occasionally hear from readers I don’t know, but my favorite readers are my students. I teach fifth grade, and every year I read my class one or two of my books (sometimes an unpublished manuscript that I’m in the process of polishing). They always enjoy them, and I know I’ve done something right when they don’t even want to stop for recess! A few times I’ve even caught students sneakily reading one of my books behind their desk when they’re supposed to be working on an assignment. It’s really hard to scold them when that happens! How do your spiritual beliefs impact what you write? Although my novels are not Christian as such, I always try to keep them clean and to promote positive moral values. For example, in†Prince of Alasia†I bring out the themes of honesty and forgiveness, and In the Enemy's Service emphasizes honesty and grace. †Prince of Malorn features the idea that no matter how great a ruler is, his people aren't likely to care much about him or listen to his message unless he will humble himself, give up his rights and titles, and become one of them. My two books in the Krillonian Chronicles focus on the value of human life in any form. I hope The Collar and the Cavvarach, especially, will make readers think about the value of human life and perhaps take a second look at some of the practices we accept or choose to turn a blind eye to in our own culture. Legalized slavery sounds so impossibly wrong that it’s easy to think we could never let it happen in this day and age, but how many other wrongs do we overlook just because it isn’t convenient to do anything about them? And in The Gladiator and the Guard, I hope readers will realize, as Bensin eventually does, that we can all choose the type of person we want to be, no matter what our circumstances are. We might not have a say in what happens to us, but we can decide how we will respond and what kind of character we will exhibit. What inspired you to begin writing in that genre? Reality just doesn’t offer me enough freedom as a writer! I like to be able to make the rules. When I read, I like knowing that things could happen that just can’t in the real world. What are your plans for future projects? I plan to write at least one more book in this series, though I’m tossing around ideas that may eventually lead to other stories set in the same world. In the meantime, I’m working on a final book in my Annals of Alasia fantasy series, called King of Malorn, which should be ready to publish in the next few months. I’m also eager to get back to Heartsong, the science fiction novel that I drafted for last year’s NaNoWriMo. I hope to have that one polished and ready for publication in another year or so. Lots of irons in the fire!
4/22/2016
Who is We?What's the definition of 'we'?
My contention right now is that in this country people have a fundamental difference in how they define that word. And the difference defines the difference between liberal social views, and conservative social views. I say that because I know people who label themselves socially on the liberal side - claiming that it's different than the conservative side...because they say they care about the poor. They think 'we' should give aid to poor people. They believe 'we' should have a greater focus on education. They think 'we' should take care of the environment. The thing is, I know people on both sides, so I KNOW that conservatives actually want all those things too. You understand, BOTH sides are saying they want the same thing. Conservatives think 'we' should give aid to poor people. They believe 'we' should have a greater focus on education. They think 'we' should take care of the environment. (Yes, they do - and if you don't believe me, it's because you're not a conservative and you're listening to the liberal media and leftist pundits putting a spin on conservative viewpoints.) So I look back and forth at both sides. They both want the same things. Why is there a difference? Here's what I think it is: The difference is in who 'WE' is. To the liberal, 'WE' is the government. To the conservative, 'WE' is you and me... 'WE' is the individual. The liberal suffers from a lack of trust in the individual. The conservative suffers from a lack of trust in the government. And this is the fundamental difference I see in liberal vs. conservative on social views.
4/13/2016
Our Spiritual Gifts in ActionI can't really take credit for the following. It comes from an illustration I heard in a sermon a long time ago. It's been a few years, and I've embellished the details a bit, but in essence, this is it. Here's what he taught us that our spiritual gifts look like when they're being used correctly in our churches. Say there's a potluck at church. Everyone's bringing in their favorite dishes and anticipating a great time of food and fellowship. Then one young lady walks in carrying a heavy load. She's got a full casserole dish, a big stack of paper plates, and a platter piled high with dinner rolls. Plus she's got her purse hanging off one shoulder, and a toddler clinging to her skirts. This woman is overburdened. Immediately upon her entrance, 'Mr. Helps' sees her and begins to rush to her aid. He doesn't make it in time though, and the woman fumbles her dishes. Her entire burden comes crashing to the floor - food smeared all over the carpet, dinner rolls scattering hither and yon, broken glass littering the entryway. Now the other gifts are all activated at once. "Helps" picks up the screaming toddler and walks away so the child doesn't get hurt on the glass. "Mr. Prophet" and "Ms. Teacher" walk over together. "Prophet" tells the woman on the floor that she tried to take on too much herself and should have asked for help. "Teacher" begins to show her how she could have balanced them more efficiently, or taken two trips to bring it all in. "Administrations" goes to get the janitor to clean up the mess. "Mercy" and "Encouragements" kneel at the woman's side and consoles her, saying everyone understands, it could have happened to any of the rest of us, and perhaps offers a humorous anecdote to take her mind off the embarrassment and help her relax. "Giver", without saying a word, has already left for the store to buy more food and replace the broken dishes. "Leader" helps her stand back up again and dust herself off, then leads her to a table where she can help in a different area. None of these responses are wrong. Can you see yourself in any of these? I know I can. And I can pick out people in my church who would react in these different ways, too. Do you see how all the needs of that situation were met? Spiritual, physical, and emotional. Where we get in trouble is when we fail to recognize the spiritual gifts of those around us, and begin to be envious or critical of each other. If the response turns carnal though.... "Mercy" can easily become upset with "Prophet" for being blunt and not caring how the woman felt, while "Prophet" gets annoyed and disdainful of "Mercy" for catering to the woman's feelings. "Teacher" is annoyed with "Administrations" for going to find the janitor and not teaching the woman how to clean up her own mess. "Helps" is annoyed with everyone for standing around talking when there's a mess to clean up, and "Giver" is frustrated that they're the only one who thought to replace all that ruined food and lost dishes. But See? If we just realize that the other person has a role to fulfill, and it's vital to having all the needs met, then we wind up working as a team...each person doing what they need to do, and respecting the role that the others are fulfilling as well. The woman will learn where she was wrong, and be taught what to do better next time. She will be soothed and comforted so she can receive the message and instruction in the proper spirit, and the actual mess will get cleaned up while the broken things are fixed and the lost items replaced. Amazing when you think about it. God created us to be a team, to work together and solve situations in the world as a team. Not to be at each other's throats.
4/1/2016
Guest Post on Grace & Faith 4 UI really like this photo - so I'm sharing it... (don't judge unless you judge this an awesome shot of a sunset at Santa Monica pier, taken by yours truly...then you can judge.)
But something neat happens if you click on this photo, and something even more awesome will happen if you share this post. First, you'll be taken to a guest post of mine over on a different blog, and second, we'll all be grateful if you read and share it. I think those are great reasons to share. Happy April Fool's Day!
3/14/2016
Prayers of Faith or SubmissionMy pastor preached on prayer last night. So many good things were packed in there, but one point that struck me was the point about whether or not we're praying in submission.
Now, he didn't pit faith against submission, and I'm not really going to do that either. But rather, I'm going to challenge our perception of faith in prayer, against real true submission in prayer. I hear so much about having enough faith when praying, but no one ever talks about being submissive in that prayer - at least not very often. You know we should be praying in submission to what God wants? We need to pause while praying - listen to what God wants us to pray, and then pray for that. Sometimes God wants hard things for us, because He wants His glory to shine through us, to show others that He helps us through things that are difficult. There are some who say if we have enough faith in praying, then God will do it for us - whatever that 'it' is. "He will heal us if we just go in to the throne room of God and claim the blood and speak it in Jesus' name." With all Christian love in my heart - do you hear how that sounds? Are we in charge of what God does? Do we have the right to say to God, "I am speaking, and you should obey"? Is God a lesser spirit that we can order around? Is He like a Genie in a lamp, making us His master just because we've got possession of the lamp? Just by saying, 'In Jesus' name' do we somehow force God to do what we want? You may cite the verse that says we should come boldly to the throne of grace, and I agree. But let's look at that verse clearly. Last night my pastor gave us the illustration of his little daughter having complete access to his inner, private office. She can come in there anytime. She has ACCESS to her daddy at any time she needs him. But she doesn't call the shots inside that office. She can't walk in boldly and say, "Ok Dad, I'm here, I want this and this and this, and you need to do it now because you're my dad and you said." She can't do that. She isn't in charge of her dad. She has ACCESS, but not Authority over her father. It's like that with us. We have ACCESS to God, and His power. But we don't have authority over that power. God doesn't give us the right to boss Him around. Instead of assuming we've got the right to tell God what He's going to do, ask instead what God wants. Ask God for strength and His power and grace to get through whatever He wants you to go through. Ask Him for healing, yes, but also ask Him to give you the grace to get through it if He chooses not to heal outright. Bow in submission to God - ask Him what He wants for you - and then you'll have boldness to ask for the big things..not because they're what you want, but because you know it's what God wants you to ask.
1/7/2016
New BeginningsOur pastor is beginning a new series this year on the book of James, and it got me to thinking.
James is a very practical, street-level book. By that I mean it gets down on our level, the place where we walk and talk and live every day. The book of James is all about our faith’s practical application. All the talk of spirituality in all the other books of the New Testament is of course necessary, but the book of James gets right in your face and applies that spiritual stuff to the truly gritty every day life. Interesting too that the author of this book was the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ. Of all the authors of the Bible, James knew Jesus the best and the longest. He saw the Christ every day – grew up with Him – lived his whole childhood right there in the same house just like you grew up with your siblings. James saw the everyday life of Jesus, he saw Jesus walking that talk from the time they were both children. And when it came time, that prepared James for being the one who would write the book that tells us how to walk that walk. Here are some things that I was thinking of in regards to really living each day in faith: Watch what I say… How do I talk in everyday conversation? Do I name drop – making sure everyone around me knows how close I am to important people? Hey, people in the church do this too – making sure everyone knows what great friends we are with the pastor’s wife, or the deaconesses, or the elder or pastor. It might be true, but do we need to tell everyone? Do I say the witty remark, the sarcastic comment, even when I know it could hurt the other person? We do this too, claiming the other person just shouldn’t be so sensitive, or they laughed, so it must be ok. Not true. Even when someone’s feelings are hurt they may laugh to try to hide it. Be aware of others. Watch what I see… Do I look for the bad in others, or the good? Do I assume the worst? Am I willing to think good about those around me? Do I notice the needs of others? Do I see when someone is hurting, or when someone has a need? Do I see the pain in the eyes of those I come in contact with throughout my day? Do I consider the people around me? Watch what I hear… Do I listen to the negativity of the world? Do I stop and let that negativity take hold in my own heart? Do I combat it with something right from God, or do I let it take root? Do I hear what’s really behind what other people are saying? Am I really listening to those talking to me? Am I letting their words take hold, and listening with real understanding, or am I just waiting for them to stop talking so I can say more? Hear the hearts of those around me.
12/14/2015
Little SeedsA smile. A friendly handshake. A kind word when a harsh one is expected. A group of church carolers standing in front of a mall singing on a cold winter night in December. These seem like little things, and when you look at it, they are little. But remember – little doesn’t mean insignificant. One person stands and preaches in front of thousands of people. But someone else stands on a snowy street corner in Milwaukee and explains a gospel tract to a homeless guy getting off the bus. The first seems large and impressive, the second would fly right under our radar – many of us would ignore it, or discount it as a small thing. Again, being small doesn’t mean it’s insignificant. A teacher tells a third-grade girl that she loves her, and that’s why she’s passing down this discipline – because love makes you want the other one to do what’s right. That one word of love stands out so vividly in that little girl’s mind, that as a grown-up she never forgets it, and raises her own children differently because of that teacher’s one action. Those children grow up to be great men and women of God because that mama’s actions were influenced by a third-grade teacher from her past. Nothing you do for God is insignificant. God says Himself that He uses the foolish things to confound the wise. He uses little things to change people, one at a time. He uses small things to change a person’s direction, He uses a different direction to change a person’s destination, and a person’s destination influences an entire sphere of the world around him. So go out and do those small things. Do the little things that make people’s lives better. Give someone that smile. Shake the hands at church. Give a lonely person some fellowship. Give a lost soul the gospel. And don’t do it just because it’s Christmas. Do it because it’s right. |
AuthorI'm Sherry Chamblee, aspiring author of Christian fiction, mom of six, wife to a cool dude, and caregiver to his granny. Besides that, I am just little old me - it's just a phrase, I'm not really old, honest. Check out my new release!
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