Keys of the Kingdom

I wish to share with you an idea I got from God's Best for My Life, by John Ogilvie. He based his idea on Matthew 16:19. It says, "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Ogilvie goes on to say that Jesus has given US the keys of the kingdom and we use these keys to unlock the various kinds of doors we meet in other people. There is a key of listening, a key of discussion, a key of witness, prayer for another, and the key of unchanging love. We can use these keys to admit people to the kingdom or we can block them if we don't share what we know or have found.

My favorite sentence says, "We have the power to forgive in His name and to assure people of His love." What an awesome responsibility! What will you do this week with the keys that have been given to you? Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb

Hangin' On

It's the middle of September and I managed to get sunburned at the beach yesterday. The sun doesn't care what the season is. It still burns.While I was there I was reminded of the water show I watched a few weeks ago from the same spot. I sat fascinated while three men danced and sped all over the waves on small boards the size of skate boards. The difference was they were attached to long ropes that were then attached to sizable sails. Maybe sailboarding? I don't know the term but during this two hour performance, I noticed how effortless they made it look. They held on, they followed the direction of the wind, they jumped and somersaulted in the air, landed on their feet, breezed into shore, turned and sped back out towards the deep, and started all over again. All the while they seemed carefree and safe. Never having seen this kind of "sport," I was mesmerized. Then it came to me. These men were at the mercy of the wind and their sails. They probably were exerting a lot of energy but their level of expertise made it seem simple. It's like us. In life, we are at the mercy of a Holy God, connected to us by His Son, Jesus. God does all the controlling while we speed, jump, turn, expend energy, and try to act like we're in control. But if our wind shifts or dies down or we get in over our heads, we find we are really not in control at all. I want to remember every minute of every day, who really provides the ropes and the sails in my life. I'll hang on for safety, mercy, and goodness. Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb

Overwhelmed?

Isaiah 43:2 says, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when  you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;" We heard this in church this morning as the pastor was addressing the topic of being OVERWHELMED, and what we can do when this happens.

My guess is there are several of you who are already feeling overwhelmed and you've completed only a few days of school. The advice we heard was the path Mary, the mother of our Lord, took when the angel told her she was going to have a baby. ( Her feelings might be similar to what you might be feeling now; specifically in your job. Not to say there are no other areas that are overwhelming in your life.) What I heard was this: let go of the need to control the situation...we live in a broken world and don't always know ahead the path we walk because we walk by faith; let others help you out...we as teachers rely on each other all the time, and let God give you strength...we know we don't have enough for the job anyway so why not ask He Who is Most Powerful to be your strength?

My prayer for you this week is that while you acknowledge those times when you feel you are overwhelmed, you seek the face of Jesus, knowing He is ultimately in control and it is in Him you will find your rest. And the reprieve from feeling "overwhelmed." Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb