Saturday, June 29, 2013

Threading the Needle

I attempted to thread a needle
But could not see the eye
I turned the instrument under the light
Then the hole fell into sight

With a movement of my hand
The thread pierced the hole

When we face a problem
The solution may not be easy to see
Until we seek the Lord

He gives us His perspective
Then we can thread the needle
And find success in all our endeavors
Because of Christ our Leader

With God's help
All things are possible
The big and the small
The little and the tall

God's resources are never meager
With His wisdom, we can thread the needle


Friday, June 28, 2013

Happy Anniversary Lou!!!

Seek and you will find.  This is true of our relationship with the Lord, but it is also true when finding someone to spend your life with.  My wife continually encourages me to reach higher and to go further in all of life’s pursuits.  She is a beautiful woman, but her beauty reaches deep beneath the exterior.  Her love for the Lord draws me closer to her, and that genuine love for Jesus and for me causes her to shine.  I am grateful to God that I have her as my companion and my lover.  I don’t know where I would be without her.  This day marks our eleventh year anniversary.

Happy Anniversary Lou, my Angel!!!

Love,

Tom

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Sabbath-rest

There remains, then a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; (Hebrews 4:9 NIV)

There is a tension between work and rest and a time under heaven for both. But sometimes I struggle to find the healthy rhythm that pleases You. You ordained both diligence and ease. You desire for us to excel in work and ministry, but You also are delighted when we allow time for Sabbath-rest.

In our busy culture, those who are highly successful in business are lauded and praised. We don't normally find encouragement when we take time to rest and play. But God rested on the seventh day after His creation of the world. He did this to provide an example for us so we would learn to take time to worship Him and find refreshment.


Teach us Lord to work diligently as unto You. Teach us to be productive and to use our time wisely for your glory. But, Lord, help us to know when to lay aside the daily grind and to glory in Your embrace. For there is both a time to work and a time to rest and receive all that You have for us. Thank You Father! In Jesus name we pray, Amen.  

Friday, June 14, 2013

I Remember

I remember times when you answered me
Times when you rent the heavens
You heard my prayer
Days when I found victory
Even in my weakness

You upheld me
You healed me
You showed me the way
I remember Your faithfulness 

You are perfect in all Your ways
When I look back upon the road travelled
I see Your guiding hand
I see Your character displayed 

Not all my questions are answered
But when I see You face to face
The veil will be taken away
Those things I saw as through a mist
Will be understood clear as day 

Thank You Lord for Your faithfulness
You are good and Your mercy endures forever

Saturday, June 1, 2013

The Way to Peace

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 NIV

The heart of every Christian carries Christ. We are one with Him in spirit. But what happens when our hearts are divided, when we fellowship with our Lord on one hand and worry and fear on the other? We sometimes allow ourselves to be distracted by worry. In fact, one of the Greek meanings of the word translated to worry means to be distracted. In the parable of the sower of the seed (Mark 4), we are told that the cares or worries of this life choke the word that is sown into our hearts. Worry causes us to be drawn in different directions. It displaces the life of God inside us. It is detrimental to our spiritual and emotional lives. It can even affect our health. We can break down the word disease into two parts “dis” and “ease”. Scientists have proven that many medical conditions are caused by stress and anxiety. Finally and most importantly, the Bible commands us not to worry and calls all anxiety sin.

So we understand that anxiety is not good for us, and we can see that it is not what God desires for our lives. But how should we tackle the problem of a worrisome heart. The Scriptures give us the antidote. He outlines for us the way to peace: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).”

We are to cast our cares upon Him. We are to come to Him with specific requests concerning what we are anxious about, and we are to follow these requests with thanksgiving. Why? Because a person with true faith believes that he or she has received the thing that they are praying for before they receive it. We are also to surrender the outcome of any situation to God. When we do these things, God promises to give us His supernatural peace. We can rest like a baby in her mother's arms even when things are not going the way we want them to. We must trust in His provision and His intervention in our lives. Always remember, the Lord that we pray to is our loving Eternal Father. He will take watchful and diligent care of us. He will envelop us and fill us with His supernatural peace that passes all understanding. He will give us the grace to walk in His peace.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Please search my heart and show me if I am allowing worry to distract me. I give to You all my cares and concerns. I trust You to make a way where there is no way in my specific situation. Thank you Lord for working on my behalf. I receive Your peace. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.