Oooo- Oooo Pick Me!

I remember asking questions in my classroom. Teachers ask a lot of questions. And then what do you do? I used to look around and decide just who I was going to call on for the answer. Do I call on the one who always gets it right? Do I call on someone ignoring me, hoping to "jar" them into paying attention? Do I call on someone who probably won't get it right but if they did it would boost their confidence? What's my purpose here? I would scan the crowd of desks and in a nanosecond I would weigh all the options and call out a name. My heart would rejoice at a correct answer or I'd feel a bit unsuccessful if someone got stumped. I would much rather hear the right answer and think I had taught them something. Compare that with God. It says in 2 Chronicles 16:9, "The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him." He looks around to see who is ready; who needs what God has to give to finish His work on earth. Who is willing? Who knows the desires of God's heart and needs His strength to complete the work? Personally, I want to be the one with my hand waving in the air like our students do when they're bursting with eagerness to get the teacher's attention. I want the Lord to see me and count on me to do His work. Isn't that our job? Isn't that why we're here? To glorify Him? To develop that relationship with Him so that we know His desires and how to serve Him? Pick me, Teacher! Pick me, Lord! Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored,
Barb

Strength for the Asking

I have a pillow that is embroidered with Scripture. It says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13." I have read it a thousand times, I've heard it in sermons, and I've heard people in conversations say that they rely on Christ's strength when they have none. But how does that work? How do we actually get strength from Christ? I believe the answer lies in a promise Jesus made two thousand years ago. He knew He would be leaving this earth but promised a Holy Spirit would take his place. We are promised that when we accept Jesus as our Savior the Holy Spirit takes up residence inside us. That's what gives us the "strength for the asking" when we think we have none. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is available to us...through that same Spirit that indwells every believer. So every morning when you think you can't face whatever trial is ahead of you, seek the face of Jesus, God's loving arms, and the power of the Holy Spirit. God is in control of your day and He has way more resources than you do! Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb

Prayer

If you're anything like me, prayer isn't new to you. What IS new to me is this idea: Prayer is not specific words said at a prescribed time in a certain way. Prayer is a relationship with the Lord. It is continuous and can be as easy and automatic as breathing. It is where we start every morning and end every night. It happens when we are thankful and when we are full of fear; hurting, discouraged, happy or sad. Our God wants to hear from us when everything is going well or when we're overwhelmed. He will listen to our anger and loves to hear our praises. All He wants is to deepen the relationship we have with Him and when we pray, we are communicating with the One who is sovereign and in control. Whatever our circumstances are, good, bad, or ugly, God is still good. He doesn't change just because we do. He is constant, faithful, and all His promises are true. So try lifting every "thing" to the Lord today and give Him the burdens, thank Him for His blessings, and praise Him for who He is. Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb

Free Courtesy Ticket

Last week I went shopping in Hastings. I had never been there despite its proximity to Grand Rapids. Driving through town for the first time, everyone in the car was taken with its charm and quaint appearance. We shopped a little, found a nice place to eat, shopped a little more, and just enjoyed having fun on a beautiful, cool, crisp fall day. Then we headed back to the car. I sat down behind the wheel and noticed a little yellow envelope tucked under my windshield wiper. You know the feeling you get in your stomach when you see flashing lights pulling up behind you or...you see the dreaded notice on your windshield. I grabbed it and read, "City of Hastings Police Department Parking Violation Ticket." I checked the sign on the curb thinking I had been quite careful where I parked and noticed a two hour limit posted. My heart sank. Then I read further. Everywhere there was a dollar sign to show amount owed, I saw, $0.00. Despite the fine chart on the back of this notice, I had no fine. I breathed a sigh of relief, thought about the leniency granted to me, and thanked the Lord for the gift. As I was thanking Him, I thought, "Wow. That's a lot like how I can feel every day when I feel the Lord's mercy and grace for all the 'illegal' things I commit in my sinful life." I felt extreme gratitude to the police in Hastings for the forgiven debt shown to me in my "Free Courtesy Ticket." How much more am I indebted to my Creator for the ever- present mercy He shows all the time! Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored. Receive His mercy and pass it on.
Barb

My New Heart

In Ezekiel 36:26-27 God promised to restore Israel not only physically, but spiritually. It says, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." I believe this verse is meant for me too. Whether I am in a classroom, with my family, or enjoying the solitude of communing with my Lord, I have his Spirit living in me. It is that Spirit that shows love to students, family, or strangers. I can't do it alone but need the grace of my heavenly Father to work in me. Use this power or gift or grace to guide you today; to follow where you're led and love like only God can love. He's just doing it through you. Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb

Meditate on This

I'm taking a class called, "Solitude, Meditation, and Prayer." Our pastor is an awesome teacher and I respect his interpretation and appreciate his delivery. We are encouraged to meditate on several verses of Scripture each week, finding some time of solitude to do this. This week I chose Psalm 119:10-16. Several years ago I chose these same passages as memory work and while it sounds very familiar and I can fill in many phrases, I can't say as I totally memorized it. Our goal in meditating is not memorizing but I find myself in my daily walk, wishing I could pull some of God's Words out of my head and actually use them; for myself or for others. So this week my meditation has been dual purposed. What I found was the same premise I used in my classroom. Repetition Repetition Repetition. As I read and reread and reread and tried to connect the words so I could remember them, I began to develop so much more meaning to the verses. Here they are. I hope they bless you today.
"I seek you with all my heart;
    do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in  my heart
    that I may not sin against you.
Praise be to you, O Lord;
    teach me your decrees.
With  my lips I recount
    All the laws that come from your mouth.
I rejoice in following your statutes
    as one rejoices in great riches.
I meditate on your precepts
    and consider your ways.
I delight in your decrees;
    I will not neglect your word."
Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb

Hold the Rod

Do you know the story in the Bible about Joshua fighting Amalek? The only way Joshua could prevail over Amalek was when Moses was holding his rod above his head. When his arms got tired and the rod was lowered, Joshua would begin to lose. Aaron and Hur helped Moses hold his arms up under the weight of the rod until Joshua finally defeated Amalek.

This story made me think of life's battles today. We can't really fight them alone. We don't have the strength. If we're lucky we have friends or colleagues that will help us fight the battles; friends to pray with us and support us. As teachers, we all face common problems and battles and having a "team" to lean on is a blessing we don't want to be without. Go to your "Aaron and Hur" today and thank them for helping you hold up the rod. May you be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb