Be Still

Turbulent waves slap against the shore of my heart
Agitation eats away at me like strong acid

But You are the Prince of Peace
Father, I lay my cares at Your feet
I find rest in the shelter of Your capable arms
I in You and You in me

Be still my soul
Rest in God your Rock

Smooth waters now reflect Your glory

He Still Uses Vessels of Clay

Then Jesus came to them (the disciples) and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:18-20

These were the last words Jesus spoke before his ascension into heaven. This is Matthew's account of the Great Commission, which is where Jesus gave His disciples their mission. Jesus called them to go and make disciples. He didn't make the great suggestion but the Great Commission. We too are called to make disciples of all nations. We are to go. We are to preach. We are to speak with His authority.

Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go...” The word authority in the Greek means power, force, strength, and delegated influence. Jesus has delegated His authority to us for the purpose of making disciples. This does not mean that we need to have forceful personalities, but as we obey the Lord in ministering to others, we do so in His power. And that power is perfected in weakness or dependence upon Him.

We can each become effective witnesses for Christ no matter our personality type. God wants to use us to spread His word and to teach believers how to live the Christian life.

Let us remember that we – like the early disciples – have been commissioned to make new disciples. Let's ask God to make us bold for Him and through Him. He will enable us to make a difference in the lives of those around us. With God all things are possible. He still desires to use vessels of clay like you and me to touch the world.

Being an Effective Witness

When the Advocate comes, whom I will send you from the Father – the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father – he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. John 15:26-27

An effective witness has something persuasive to say that affects the course of a judicial case. We, as witnesses for Christ, have the good news of the gospel to share with those in darkness. But when we share, are we persuasive? I can look back and see times where I was effective in communicating the gospel and times where I was not. I believe that in order for us to successfully testify of the good news, we must have something to give.

It's not enough for us to relate memorized messages to lead people to Christ. We must give from what we've received from the Holy Spirit. The Scripture says that the Spirit of truth will testify to us about Jesus. The Holy Spirit wants to give us a message to share and He wants us to know Jesus intimately. As we spend time with Him, He shows us more of who He us and gives us instruction from His word. When we witness to others from this place, our message will be clothed with power. When we allow the Lord to minister to us from the Bible and from the Spirit of God, we will have something to say to those lost in darkness.

We will be like Peter and John. The religious leaders were in awe of their courage. They determined that Peter and John spoke so boldly because they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). We will also find boldness to preach the gospel by spending time with Jesus. We must have an abiding relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (the Three in One). Then we will have power to be persuasive witnesses. Then we will have an effect in people's lives toward their ultimate fate before the Judge of all mankind. We can help win them to Christ for eternity.

Precious Holy Spirit

Like a feather

Yielding to the wind.

May my heart surrender to

You again and again.

May You be greater and I be less.

May You have Your sovereign way

Through every trial and test.

You shower me with your grace.

Precious Holy Spirit, I love You this day.

To You be glory for ever and more.

Come display your power Oh Holy Lord.

In You I live and move and have my being.

You walk beside me. To You I cling.

You live in my spirit. Breath of my breath.

You live in my heart. I am forever blessed.

Overcoming Disappointment

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7

Nothing stings worse than the disappointment we feel when someone close to us lets us down. It deflates our hot air balloon. That is if you can imagine yourself as a hot air balloon. The Bible tells us that placing our full trust in a man or woman is not wise. Rather we are to put our trust in God. He will lead us to victory. He will never deceive us, and he always keeps His word.

We know Jesus was betrayed by Judas, who was one of Christ's disciples. Jesus knows what it's like to be let down by people. He understands. When we spend time in His presence, we gain the strength and encouragement to forgive the one who has wronged us. In His presence, we renew our perspective by placing our trust on Him who is unseen.

When our focus is on God, we live out the life of a conquerer In fact, the Scripture says we are more than conquerers When we face these kinds of difficulties, let's spend time in our Lord's presence. By doing this, we are filling our balloons with hot air causing us to soar over our problems. Come, let's put our trust in Jesus. I assure you that we will not be disappointed.

The Mirror

The mirror reflects my true self

Not a mirror on the wall

But through the pages of Your word

I see myself through truth's lens

I see dark clouds there

Past the curtain of my self importance

As I yield to truth's light

Darkness erases

Your Word reflects realities

Righteousness in my innermost being

Bought with a price

The blood of the Lamb

Righteousness offered and received

A gift to those that believe

The mirror reveals by the Spirit

All that we need to see

Christ in us the hope of glory

By His word we are being transformed

By that mirror we are changed

From glory to glory

Sweet Sleep

When my feet start to drag

When my run begins to lag

When my eyelids hang heavy

Because my pace is more speedy than steady

When rest evades me

Though it should sustain me

I have to stop

He gives His beloved sweet sleep

In the Shepherd’s hand to keep

I find a reservoir of peace

When I rest at Your feet

My body once torn

Now finds health restored

In the simple act of sleep

I, Your exhausted sheep