Tag: attitude

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Who Then is Willing?

Written by talk2shari Published Discussion Leave a Comment on Who Then is Willing?

It’s Sunday! My favorite day of the week. I spent the bulk of my Saturday preparing for a Sunday two weeks from now. During our Easter Cantata I’ll be putting the finishing touches on 7 paintings as the choir sings; paintings that for me tell the Easter story. I hope I’m “writing” one that the congregation can understand, sometimes my warped way of thinking doesn’t connect the dots like everyone else. But what a privilege it is to have your hands used by the Lord, especially when you know that there are likely more skilled hands in the congregation of the Lord for such a work as this.

In 1st Chronicles 29:3-6, King David is getting ready to pass the holy baton to his son, Solomon for the building of the temple. But before he does he lays a charge to the congregation of the Lord about their responsibilities for the house of the Lord.

Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house. Even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses withal: The gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord? Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king’s work, offered willingly,

The charge still stands:

Setting your affection

Sunday mornings don’t come easy for any of us; the last thing Satan is going to do is allow a child of God an easy ride to worship. He’ll use any and all methods of distraction to make sure that your heart and mind are in a thousand other directions and not on the things of God. Setting your affection is a lot like the setting of the foundation of the house of the Lord. It’s putting the idea of your service in concrete so that no matter what other things arise in life your heart is set on serving Christ.

Sacrificing your assets

David summed it up in verse 14 when he said “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.” The reality of the matter is you’re not sacrificing your assets, you’re returning the smallest of portion which God gave you to begin with, and what a privilege to be able! It’s also a mindset. Given the choice, most will choose to keep it for themselves.

Submitting your artistry

Everyone has talents! And David as leader searched those talents out and used them all in the building of the house of the Lord. Our church house may be built but the church is far from finished, else God would have called us home. I hope today you’ll discover a talent worthy of the Lord’s service either in you, or in someone you lead and when God asks “Who then is Willing?” your hand will be lifted high in praise and service for the Kingdom of God. “It’s me O Lord! Ready and Willing!!!”

Posted in Life Inspiration

Consent to be Happy: Permission Required

Written by talk2shari Published Discussion Leave a Comment on Consent to be Happy: Permission Required

 

If I asked if you had a desire to be blessed, I’m sure you’d say yes! I’d be concerned if you didn’t, but then if I followed that by asking what you’d be willing to do for the blessings of God, would you answer me? After all, we’ve listened to enough sermons to know that’s a trick question! It’s likely going to be followed by some “fun sucking, life altering, righteous living advice that requires way too much effort.” Or so Satan has told you.

I don’t believe that God places desires down in your heart without purpose. That is not to say that every desire is from the Lord. But…There is purpose in passion! Psalm 37 is a psalm of prophetic instruction. It does not say if you do this or that, you will live a life without sorrow or frustration; those who preach that have a lot of explaining to do to folks like David, Abraham, Paul and others who served the Lord with great sacrifice. But what it does promise is that there is a threefold provision to the Saints of God that is well worth every second you put in to service.

Promise 1: The Desires of your heart!

Psalm 37:4 ~ Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Who doesn’t want that? I have desires that I have yet to see fulfilled, but I believe they will be because they’re passions with purpose. They’re not fed by vanity or pride, thus they would be of the flesh and God’s not in that; they are instead fueled by a passion for people and to make a difference in lives. But even those could fail to come to fruition if I put even good intentions before God, which I’ve done many times in my life. But as I’ve grown spiritually I’ve realized that it’s all in God’s timing. Verse 7 instructsRest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:

Waiting… not something I’m very good at, but it’s a prerequisite to faith. Faith is the evidence of things unseen; that’s waiting! And it’s not waiting begrudgingly, but instead like a child on Christmas morning, who knows those packages they’ve been staring at for 24 days have within them the desires of their heart! Woohoo!!!! That’s the kind of God I serve. He knows what I want, and for His glory He’ll provide it, in His time.

Promise 2: An abundance of peace!

Psalm 37:11 ~ But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

I will never be convinced that the unsaved have peace. They may have a false peace or sense of security from earthly wealth, but deep within them their soul is unsettled with God and there can be no peace. But to us who are saved – oh goodness and glory, we are given an abundance of peace! Even in the worst of times, when the world is crashing down around you and debt is around your neck trying to choke the life out of you, there is peace to the saint of God that is more valuable than the gold in Fort Knox. How? From meekness; the submission and humility in the life of Christian that does not show themselves arrogant in their nobility as a child of the King, but humbled that they’ve been given such a great position.

This takes an understanding of who you are in Christ. He preached it Himself in His sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:5 ~ Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth. He spoke it of Himself in Matthew 11:29 ~ Take my yoke upon and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. There is rest to your souls by allowing the God of the universe to handle the affairs of your life. It does indeed require humility to let loose of something you’re passionately concerned about, but it’s the only way to know if it’s a part of God’s plan.

Promise 3: Direction

Psalm 37:23 ~ The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.

The providence of God is a wonderful thing, if we allow it. Matthew Henry said it well when he said “By his grace and Holy Spirit he directs the thoughts, affections, and designs of good men. He has all hearts in his hand, but theirs by their own consent.” The Direction’s there, but only when we allow God to provide it. I won’t say it’s easy. I’ve had more battles with the flesh than I care to admit. But the truth is, and I know it to be, God’s ways are so much better than ours.

Are you struggling with something today? It fits in the bounds of Psalm 37… Give it to God, He’s way better at handling it than you are.

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The “Stuff” Good and Bad Days are made of

Written by talk2shari Published Discussion Leave a Comment on The “Stuff” Good and Bad Days are made of

I discovered a new phrase this morning as I clicked onto the homepage of www.biblegateway.com to read scripture. In one of their articles was the phrase “thought leaders.” It was a reference to people they’d interviewed for an article. Their thought lead my thought down this path this morning; who’s thoughts are we leading and how? Attitudes are formed in the bowels of mankind; you can take that however you’d like but the Bible speaks often of bowels in relationship to the heart. In the Song of Solomon 5:4 Solomon wrote “My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him” in reference to his loves delight in his return home. It’s not the most romantic of words in our culture but it speaks of the queasiness you feel when you love someone that much. We flower it up by saying we get “butterflies in our stomach.” And the same queasiness or uneasiness in our soul can be stirred up in strife or anger. It is then nausea and it’s often spewed forth in vile words that are meant to produce nausea in the life of someone else. It’s the “stuff” good and bad attitudes are made of.

David wrote in Psalm 94:11, “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.” Most of our thoughts are self-centered in some form or another. Even our grandest, most unselfish ideas have at their core the idea that it will work to our favor somehow. It’s the nature of man. We most often think that we are superior to those around us in way and in deed. When someone belittles us or speaks unkind we don’t usually think “Oh, that’s okay, I did that to so and so last week.” No, we usually think, “Who do you think you are?” Those thoughts and actions turn our thoughts and actions into a negative state, and by that we are now “Thought leaders.” We have set the tone for the day. We’re far more powerful than we comprehend.

By the same token a kind word or deed can create a positive spin to a conversation and everyone leaves with their bowels refreshed. When’s the last time you said that in a conversation? Paul said it to Philemon in his letter in Philemon 1:7 ~ “For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee.” Again, it’s a cultural thing, but it’s so fitting; because in the pit of our stomach is where those emotions reveal themselves.

So what should we do about our thoughts? After all many of them are controlled by circumstances we’re not in control of. A little self-examination goes a long way. David said in Psalm 119:59 ~ “I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.” The Word of God is a thought changer. We have to go into every day understanding that we are one bad situation away from vain ideas. One negative comment either to us or from us that ruins an entire day. But the Word of God can change all that. If we have started our day reading and contemplating what thus saith the Lord we’ve put goodness into our heart, and if we dwell on His thoughts, our thoughts can be pushed aside. And if we’re confronted by a “Negative Nellie,” we can thwart Satan’s plan, and his bad day intentions will have gone awry!

Praise God the Lord doesn’t think like we do. Psalm 92:5 ~ O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. Our shallow thoughts cannot compare. How much greater to think on His thoughts than ours and to lead those around us down His path.