What is it that inspires you?

A Fruitful Life

Ps Paula White

www.paulawhite.org

The life of Christ is the greatest example we will ever witness of a “fruitful life” – one that leaves behind a rich legacy of on-going and life-changing work, character, and influence. Of course, there is no amount of good work we could do that would in any way compare to Christ’s completed work on the cross. Nor is there any amount of achievements we could amass that could compare with what Christ’s life, death, and resurrection accomplished: an on-going and never-ending harvest of souls for the Kingdom.

But through Christ, we are enabled to live the most fruitful, victorious, noble, beneficial, and effective lives possible.

Christ based His sense of fruitfulness solely on His mission from His Father. His entire life’s work was so completely rooted and focused in His Father’s work and Kingdom that He was able to succeed in doing the unimaginable: die on the cross, conquer death, return to earth to assign His disciples the Great Commission, and put His “replacement” in place…in the form of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus did not base His sense of fruitfulness, or what some call “success” on earthly possessions, relationships – or on what people thought of Him. His sole judgment of His own worthiness was based in, and on, God and His Kingdom.

The Christian’s self-esteem or success is ultimately a person’s individual judgment of their worthiness in Christ. Here are some ever-lasting and eternal truths and principles upon which we can continue to build fruitful, God-centered lives:

• Know that you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)
• Know that you are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:10)
• Know that you are called by God (2 Timothy 1:9)
• Know that you are more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37)
• Know that you are an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20)
• Know that you are beloved of God (1 Thessalonians 1:4)
• Know that you are a joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17)
• Know that you are overtaken with blessings (Deuteronomy 28:2)
• Know that you are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10)
• Know that you are enabled to do all things (Philippians 4:13)

Starting off each day studying a self-checklist such as this can give you the motivation, inspiration, and rejuvenated sense of possibility to help you make a difference in your own life and in the lives of others!

A fruitful life is a life that is whole, in every sense – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. A fruitful person is healthy, creative, emotionally strong, and spiritually alive and sensitive.

A fruitful person is able to meet the needs of others appropriately, and produces high-quality, beneficial work. Someone who is fruitful loves others and trains up the next generation in things that are good, noble, and lasting.

Take time to assess your own level of fruitfulness in Christ. God has already provided you with everything you need to live a fruitful life…embrace Him and make a difference in our world today!

God is equipping you, strengthening you and preparing you for your divine destiny and His design! ~ PAULA

Thankful for YOU

A friend should be one in whose understanding and virtue we can equally confide, and whose opinion we can value at once for its justness and its sincerity.

~Robert Hall

I am so thankful for the friends God has placed in my life.
Not just people- but the TRUE friends who are there to laugh with me, to cry with me, to encourage me, to pray with me, to care for my family in my absence, to jump in and lend a hand when they see its needed and not necessarily asked for. Give honest opinions, tell you the truth, even when it may hurt but not do it to hurt you but to help you.

 Friends~My Friends.  

Ones whom God has chooses to place around me during different seasons on my life.  


I find it fascinating that He, God, Creator of everything, even little ol' me, for- knew my life, my circumstances and the different paths I would choose, taking great care,He placed special ones for me to share life with and encourage along the road, unique ones, some of whom I would have not chosen myself and others would have been the first selected out of a line up.  

Dear friends, I want to thank you for sharing in my daily life, for loving me, accepting me and encouraging me to be my Best , the one God created me to be, and for helping to propel me forward, whether its through your kind words, a loving smile or a meal made possibly even telling me that truth I needed to hear, in Love.  
You mean so much to me and I will not specifically name who you are but if you are thinking "could she be talking about me"  then YES I am.  You are a blessing to me and I pray that in some way I am able to be that same friend to you.     

YOU

 God knit you together, called you and appointed Y-O-U!   Who you are, Where you are, and what you are....  

His choice of you was based on a deep intimate knowledge of who you are

and ultimately who He knew who you would become.    So if you are pretending to be someone or something you're not,  you are going against how God created you.   You are not be Truthfully and Honestly  You!  Yes, You,  with all your silly little quirks and mannerisms are original, hand crafted by the Creator Himself.  

Why would you want to be anything different? Anyone different?  Do you think You know better than God?

Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it. 

C. S. Lewis 

Compliments

Most people are relational.   And as being such the like to talk ad be talked to.  We need to learn to give honest, encouraging affirmations to one another.  

Our self worth should not be based on how much or how often we get positive feedback from others but it certainly does help our self image, One nice thing said helps us carry our head a little higher.  Everyone likes genuine commendation, especially when they know there are NO strings attached.  People seem to let their guard down when a complement about their hair, the way they are dressed or more important, when one of their positive character traits is picked up by someone else and considerate complimented.  The act of simply stating one thing about another person does a powerful thing, it diminishes the need for competition.  

Think of someone you have hesitated to give a compliment to, of one reason or another.  Ask your self why.  They too need affirmation on their unique value, whether we “love” it or not it is worthy of mention.

See we have to be comfortable with who we are and the  uniqueness God has placed in us so that we can offer the same to those around us. 

Everyone wants to be loved, accepted and admired.  

Who can you compliment today?

Make it a way of life, making others feel good about themselves.  Find something you can appreciate about people you run into in your daily life and tell them, they need to hear it, and you, You’ll be built up as well because you are enhancing someone else's life and value.  Through your security in knowing you are fearfully and wonderfully made with all your wonderful and quirky attributes, in return you are helping them to understand that too...just one complement at a time.  

Unity of Prayer

The unity of prayer of an intrigal part of how my church was built.

  When like minded believers in Christ Jesus come together and speak the very oracles that have been spoken in heaven, things happen, the place you stand on changes dramatically.

  When Jesus spoke Our father who art in Heaven hallowed by thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven...this is it.  

As you are praying what I say through My spirit in you~ you speak out those things I want to accomplish in your midst.  

 YOU have been placed here for such a time as this,.  You and only you can accomplish the path I have laid out before you.   

Loving

Joyce Meyer Ministries

Loving God, Yourself & Others

by Joyce Meyer

Love requires action. It's not a thing we try to get for ourselves, but instead is an action we express to others through sharing and serving.

Because love is an action, I believe there are three different forms of love God has instructed us to demonstrate, or "live out." Each one needs to be in balance so they can work together. As you read on, consider whether each one is well-balanced in your life or needs some adjustments.

#1 Loving God

Deuteronomy 6:5 says, And you shall love the Lord your God with all your [mind and] heart and with your entire being and with all your might. In the New Testament, Jesus repeats this command and even points it out as the most important commandment of all (as well as loving your neighbor as yourself).

So, how do you express love for God? By telling God, "I love You"? Singing praises to Him? These are good things, but they only scratch the surface.

We show God we love Him through obediencebecause actions definitely speak louder than words. I believe our level of obedience grows as we get to know and experience His love, goodness and faithfulness in our lives. Our desire to follow and obey the Lord's commandments increases as we increase our love of God.

#2 Loving Yourself

When Jesus talked about the greatest commandment of all, He quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 and said we are to love God with all our heart. But He also added the second greatest commandment: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (See Mark 12:31.)

There's something important here that I think people often miss: You cannot give away something you don't have in you. How can someone love another person if they don't love themselves?

“ "You cannot give away something you don't have in you." ”

We all need to accept ourselves, embrace our personalities and even our imperfections, knowing that although we are not where we need to be, we are making progress. Jesus died for us because we have weaknesses and imperfections, and we don't have to reject ourselves because of them. God wants us to love ourselves and enjoy how He's made us!

#3 Loving Others

We know that we have passed over out of death into Life by the fact that we love the brethren (our fellow Christians). He who does not love abides (remains, is held and kept continually) in [spiritual] death (1 John 3:14).

Life, in this verse, is the life of God or "life as God has it." I don't want to be one of what I call "the walking dead"─someone who lives and breathes but never truly lives as God desires.

Loving others is the only way to keep the God-kind of life flowing through you. God's love is a gift to us; it's in us, but we need to release it to others through words and actions. Left dormant, it will stagnate like a pool of water with no outlet.

The act of loving others is one of the most exhilarating things I have experienced. I feel excitement stirring in my spirit and soul when I plan to do something to make someone else feel loved and cared for.

You can experience the same exhilaration just by "loving out loud." Here's a challenge: Think of three people you know who could really use a gesture of God's love. Then think of creative ways you can express His love to these people, and do it. I guarantee you will feel a wonderful sense of fulfillment and joy afterward.

How You Can Continue to Grow in Love

If you will devote yourself to developing your love walk in these three areas, you will experience a huge amount of blessings in your life.

I encourage you to seek God about this and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grow in your love toward Jesus, yourself and others. He will help you overcome anything that might hinder you in the process. Remember, God is love. And He loves you. 

The Choice is Yours

Deuteronomy 4: 9

 Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren, 10 especially concerning the day you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’

Are we teaching/telling the what God has done in our life so that the next generation will know?

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

It is our responsibility to teach, to tell, to speak of the goodness of God.  

Otherwise how will they know?

YOU have a choice to make it different in the lives of those you love for the next generation. Will YOU declare them if not who are you expecting to?

Look Beyond Your Limits

February 2012Article taken from: VictoriaOsteen.com

One Sunday, a woman came to me for prayer during the prayer time in one of our church services. She told me that she had made some wrong decisions in her relationship with her adult daughter, and they were in strife and not talking to each other. The woman was so distraught. It looked like there wasn't any hope for the situation in the natural. There seemed to be a mountain in between her and her daughter.

As I listened to her story, I honestly didn't know what to pray, but as I started, I heard myself say something that I don't think I had ever said before. I said, "God, it looks like her hands are tied. There's nothing else she can do." Then something just rose up out of my spirit and I said, "But God, even though her hands are tied, I know Your hands are not tied." As soon as those words passed my lips, something leaped inside of me and a light of hope shone on the woman's face. She immediately changed her focus and was filled with faith. She knew she didn't have all the answers, but she was able to look past her limits and open her heart to what God could do in her life.

Today, you may be facing a situation and feel like your hands are tied. Maybe the negative voices are constantly playing over and over, reminding you that it's not going to work out, or how impossible things seem. It may be true that your hands are tied in the natural, but always know that God's hands are never tied. With Him, all things are possible. He can do whatever is necessary to bring you through. His power is unlimited! Nothing is too difficult for Him!

Not only are His hands free to help you today, they are stretched out toward you, inviting you to come and find rest for your soul. It doesn't matter what you've done; it doesn't matter how you ended up in the situation you're in, God's love knows no limits. He is ready, willing and able to help you when you submit yourself to Him.

Today, I want to challenge you to look beyond your limits and consider what God can do in your life. You may not see a way, but God can make a way. No matter what may come against you, face it in faith and don't back down. His hands are never tied, and He is more than able to do the impossible in your life!

"Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear…" (Isaiah 59:1, NKJV).

FAITHFUL

The Lord woke me up today with the word FAITHFUL.  

faith·full

adjective

1.strict or thorough in the performance of duty: a faithful worker.

2.true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.

3.steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant: faithful friends.

4.reliable, trusted, or believed.

5.adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate: a faithful account; a faithful copy.

Deuteronomy 7:9
“Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1Cor 1:9

When God says something or has a plan - it WILL come to pass.  Just because we waiver in our little human minds, typically our thoughts are based on our circumstances and emotions, this does not change the fact that God has said something.   We are not keeping in perspective the BIG picture, the whole of eternity as God does.  

 Isaiah 14:24

The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying,
“Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass,
And as I have purposed, so it shall stand:

Numbers 23:19

“God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? 

Why can we not just take HIS Word for what it says...literally?  Yet

when we get a note from someone or talk to them, do we not literally take what it says and believe it?

  If Aunt Sally wrote to you and said she was coming for Christmas, we would all expect to see her at Christmas...Right?

So why is it so different with the Word of God? The one who GAVE His ONLY Son, to die for us, thats YOU and

me, how shall he not also freely give us all things?

Our disbelief toward the Word of God for our life today; It ought not be this way. 

My encouragement for you (and myself) today is this...get in your knower, so that you know that you know, in your heat of hearts ~ GOD IS FAITHFUL!  

If He has said something to you, if He has placed a desire in you, IT WILL BE!  

Take heart, Jesus overcame this natural garbage you and I deal with, and is now seated beside God in Heaven

John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

We will too!

Chosen~Set Apart~Appointed

Our true lasting value and self worth must be based on our love and acceptance of our Heavenly Father

He choose us, He set us apart and appointed us for the place we are in right now. 

Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:5 AMP

Now you may not chosen be a prophet, but the message is still the same, and it is still for us today. 

Before you were even formed, thought of by your parents, He knew you and approved of you, before you were born, while you were being formed in the womb He set you apart for such a time as this; Appointed for your situation, for your life right now, as it is.  He preferred YOU over anyone else to be mother, father, sister, brother, friend, employee, spouse, neighbor, Y-O-U!  With all your talents, abilities, relationships, problems, issues, lack, quirks.  HE saw you as FIT for the situations and people you would encounter in this life right now; That person, handpicked by God Himself.

This was not a halfhearted decision on Gods part, it was methodical, calculated and full of wisdom.   He knew what He had put in you, He knows your full potential, even in you haven’t realized it yet.  The personalized talents and abilities that are hidden somewhere in there, HE placed them in you as little seeds so that one day, when the timing is perfect you are were faced with a situation, you could reach down on the inside and harvest what you need.  It’s all in there we just need to look for it.  We need to take the time to discover what’s in there and ask Him how he wants us to use it. 

 Many years ago a friend of my gave me a little plaque that say “bloom where your planted”.   I still have it hanging in my home and each time I look at it, it makes me think, am I truly blooming where I am planted by God, or am I wanting to transplant myself somewhere else?  Thinking I know better than God…..

One last scripture to think on in John 15:16 it says

 “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you” 

Do we trust that God choose us and appointed us for our lives and situations right now, or are we thinking we know better than Him, where we should be, what we should be doing and with whom we should be doing it with? Are we waiting for Him to do something, or are we moving by faith trusting that He has it all lined out al we must do is take the first step.   

Tapistry

Our lives are like a tapestry woven together over time, not quite seeing the whole of the picture until one day we see fully and discover what the image is.  It is beautiful, but we must let each thread be woven into place to see the full majestic outcome, even when we don’t understand why certain colors and stitches  are used, we must trust that the weaver of the fabric of our life knows what He is doing.

Decision to make a Decision.

Each of us has a decision to make a decision.   

Every day we are faced with the fact that we must choose whom we will serve.  Will we serve self and what we want to do say and be, or will we submit to Gods plan for our lives? 

There are many, many people walking around today with a victims mentality, OH poor me, this person did me wrong, I got dealt a bad “hand” in life, if only I could have this or that, then….  Sound familiar?  It could be you or someone you know.

Well, here is the truth, everyone has had their own set of circumstances they have had to “deal” with in life.  They may look different on the outside but on the inside it is the same battle; what kind of decision did they make to “deal” with their circumstances.  We cannot blame others for where we are, sure there may have been some pretty rough patches but ultimately what kind of choices are you making to shape your life.  Are you choosing to be bitter and live with the bad choices someone else has made, are you living off of someone else’s good  choices   taking a free ride?

Hebrews 4:13 says And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

We must all give an account for our time here on earth.  Whether you know Gods plan for your life or not, it is not based on social economical status, geography, color, weight, male or female, God’s plan for each person is individual and WE have a choice to make. 

The apostle Paul for example, he was a highly educated, wealthy ,raised in a strict Jewish home, and major persecutor of the Christians of his time. A martyr, witnessing the execution of Christians.  His life was the law, the temple and the traditions of his people, anything against that deserved to be challenged.  One day when he was about 30 years old he was on his way to another city when God knocked him off his ride, appeared as a bright light, and as Paul describes it in Galatians 1:16 “was pleased to reveal His Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles”. 

Paul had a decision to make at that point , God himself talked to him and showed him Jesus , now,was he going to believe what had really happened to him and serve God , walk into the plan God had for him rather than the traditions of his family? But his family traditions was all he had known, in fact he spent years studying traditions and the law so he could me more advanced, top of his class if you will.  And now, this.  He had a choice to make. 

You may not have had a “visit” from God like Paul, but the choice is still the same.  It shouldn’t take a major event  or dramatic situation to get us to realize God, who is the same yesterday today and forever, wants to have a real relationship with you. He has a plan for your life that is far above anything you could ever imagine.  But based on the decisions we make or choose not to make that is how far we will go with the plan he has laid out for us. 

Lucky for us Paul choose to serve God and go against his beloved education, the reasoning he was brought up with, and he choose Gods plan for his life.  It changed history forever.  You can too. 

You can change the history of your family, your friends, and your neighbors by the decisions you make on a daily basis.  I know for me it is sometimes a moment by moment basis.  But the things we choose to do or not do, people to talk to or not talk to that is history in the making whether we think so or not. 

Gods plan is divine and He will bring people, situation, things into your life to make it work, its not up to you to make it work out all we must do is decide.

So now is your time.   You have a decision to make a decision.  What or whom will you choose? You may not have to answer right now for your choices, but one day we will all have to give account to our Heavenly Father, What did we do with the time He entrusted to us here on this earth?   Did we take advantage of the things, resources and people He brought our way or did we ignore and squander it?

Intentional Resolve

The New Year is often associated with “resolutions”.  But our life is truly a resolution.  Our intent, our decisions our declarations that we make each day, each moment of every day is our resolution, our statement to the world and others around us that this IS how we determine how we are going to live. 

See our resolutions, our daily decisions, are making us who we are, they determine the life we end up living, the tomorrow we are shaping, the lives we are influencing, all by the little decisions we choose to make, (or NOT make in some cases). 

So since decisions are what we do all the time anyway the question we need to ask ourselves is this; 

Am I intentional about the decisions I make?  

Am I making the decisions to choose the life I want to live?

We need to make sure that the sign that is written and posted above our lives, the one authored each minute of every day by the choices we make and the decisions we choose, is announcing clearly to the world and our loved ones,  who we genuinely are and what we stand for.  That as we look in the mirror each morning and each evening it is a reminder to US that we are not given to the wind and waves of this ever changing world, but that we are sailing in the direction WE determine, the direction God has for us.

When choice comes a decision has to be made, will you or won’t you, do you go with it or don’t you, whether you can or you can’t….the choice is YOURS.  And when a decision has been made or not made, and the time slips by, because it will if we make a decision  not to choose,  the verdict is in and the conclusion is YOU have just decided how your tomorrow will be. 

The choice is yours and only yours to make, how will you act, respond, do in any situation, are you the victim or the victor, are you the one who is making changes happen or seeing change happen? 

We need to stand up and do business with God.  The word says “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” Hebrews 4:16

WE are to go to the throne so the WE can FIND grace, Gods ability, to help in time of need… decision making.  See if we go to God it will be HIS ability, His Grace that will help us in our time of need to make decisions, stick to resolutions, have a resolve about a particular matter.  We don’t have to do it on our own, we were not designed to do it on our own.  God created us to have a relationship with us!

He is faithful! 

Firstly, When we choose to run to God and not try to do it in our own strength we are accessing His ability in the situation, the choices we make and decisions we face are more than just within ourselves, they are backed up by our Father in Heaven, He is there to comfort you, encourage you, equip you and empower you with His strength, so that you can carry your  sign high and proud and want to share it. 

And secondly when we resolve to go the throne of grace, the throne of Gods ability, it will impact our loved ones, those around us who see our sign.  Even if no one seems to be looking at the sign posted above your head, or actively supporting your efforts to make positive resolutions… they‘re looking, your friends, co-workers, husbands, wives, children, neighbors, in-laws…everyone you come in contact with sees.  The deep impact you have, again not only on you yourself but on the others around you, may not be truly known until you get to Heaven some day but the effects will absolutely change the fabric of your life and those around you. 

The miracle you will feel in your heart when you know it is Gods ability to help make those decisions, stick to those resolutions, in EVERY area of your life; you will look in the mirror and know that you are living INTENTIONALLY, shaping your tomorrow by the little steps of  today. 

I encourage you, Live intentionally, make your resolve, your resolution at the throne of Grace. 

Shape your tomorrow today, with purpose.

The People in our Lives

Those around are placed there from God.  Are you using/ listening to what they are saying? 

God places us in a job, in a family, around certain peopel for a reason, we are to gleen from those around us and always be listening. 

Is what they are saying confirmation to you, or in regards to a situation you are in or going through.  You dont have to shout it from the roof tops if you hear something some one says and it "speaks" to you on the inside.  But be aware.  this is how we get answers.

Its much like a mega puzzle; there are thousands of pieces and they fit somewhere but sometimes we are not sure where until one day after much time has been put in we see the full picture of the puzzle.
that is how our life is.  The Lord graciously and patiently waits for us to pick up the pieces and lay them where they are to go and fills in all the beautiful scenery until one day we "see" the amazing picture.

Don't take for granted the ones God has placed in your life.  It truly is for a much larger more detailed picture than we could ever know.

Benefits of a Plan Laid Out

Friends we have a choice each day facing us of what we are going to do.  We can do our own thing, think up our own "plan", or we can go with One who created this world and everything in it, including Y-O-U, and have loads of benefits while following what He has laid out.

Here are just a few Benefits of following the Lords plans for our daily lives.  

• The LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth
• The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face
• The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand
•  He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you
• The LORD will open to you His good treasure
• The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath

WOW!  Notice how THE LORD is the one blessing, commanding, making things happen on your behalf?  And these are just SOME of the benefits lined out for those who obey the voice of the Lord....who follow His plan.
        
                Who wouldn't want these benefits?  


The way to attain the above is simply to spend time in Gods Word on a daily basis.  He will be faithful to fill you with what it is you need for the day ahead.  
He is faithful, all we must do is go to Him, spend time with Him. 


Please read the whole context of the scripture I took this from.  It comes from Deuteronomy Chapter 28 in the New King Jams Bible.  I have attched a link here:  Deuteronomy 28

Humbled to go Higher

Many of us in church or christian circles, have heard people say or be prompted them selves to say " I am the head and not the tail I am above only and not beneath"
Whether in good times or bad they/we confess this about themselves and their situation.  I too have on occasion done this; but the Lord lead me to go back and read in Deuteronomy where our confession is based, the REAL scripture. As a friend of mine would say  "get your eyes on it"
Deuteronomy 28:13 says:
And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God...

What I had missed before was that it says The Lord will make you, not just confessing, I am the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath- Its not ME saying continually I am the head an not the tail, NO its the Lord- Not you, not me, confessing, Doing, being "religious".  NO it is the Lord who will make you the head, and above only, in all situations!

We do have a  part and that is to obey the leading's of the Lord and do what He asks of us- it may well be confess something so our mind becomes renewed by saying out loud the "right" things,  it may be doing something, or NOT doing something, or it just might be that with our daily step of quite time with Him, in His Word, He infuses us with a knowing and when we act on that Heavenly Wisdom, that is what brings us up.

It is not by our works or good deeds that will elevate us above others or our situations- quite the contrary; We are to humble ourselves before the Lord, and He will lift us up, He will guide, BUT the choice is ours to follow His leading and His promptings.

When we do choose His ways we will descend even Higher- We shall be Above only!

Are YOU Dripping?

What more, you may ask, do we want? Ah, but we want so much more- something books on aesthetics take little notice of.  But the poets and the mythologies know all about it.  We do not want merely to see beauty, though, God knows, even that is bounty enough.  We want something else which can hardly be put into words- to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become a part of it.  ~ CS Lewis

We who are of Christ ARE it!  When we spend time with the Father, He soaks us in His bounty, lets us feel the beauty that He created us for.   Just as a child is set gently into a warm tub, drawn especially for the purpose of cleansing.  So to for us.
 As we go about the day our bucket spills out, leaving drips, splashes, of His beauty, fullness of  lave, and magnitude of His goodness, everywhere we go.  Drawing others to see what this refreshing substance is,  and cleansing the vessel it is carried in.

I encourage you Dear one to take time with the Father today!

quote from the book
The Weight of Glory and other Addresses - CS Lewis

Call upon the Lord!

Psalm 116

Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death

 ¹ I love the LORD, because He has heard
         My voice and my supplications.
 ² Because He has inclined His ear to me,
         Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
        
 ³ The pains of death surrounded me,
         And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;
         I found trouble and sorrow.
 ⁴ Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
         “O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!”
        
 ⁵ Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
         Yes, our God is merciful.
 ⁶ The LORD preserves the simple;
         I was brought low, and He saved me.
 ⁷ Return to your rest, O my soul,
         For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
        
 ⁸ For You have delivered my soul from death,
         My eyes from tears,
         And my feet from falling.
 ⁹ I will walk before the LORD
         In the land of the living.
 ¹⁰ I believed, therefore I spoke,
         “I am greatly afflicted.”
 ¹¹ I said in my haste,
         “All men are liars.”
        
 ¹² What shall I render to the LORD
         For all His benefits toward me?
 ¹³ I will take up the cup of salvation,
         And call upon the name of the LORD.
 ¹⁴ I will pay my vows to the LORD
         Now in the presence of all His people.
        
 ¹⁵ Precious in the sight of the LORD
         Is the death of His saints.
        
 ¹⁶ O LORD, truly I am Your servant;
         I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
         You have loosed my bonds.
 ¹⁷ I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
         And will call upon the name of the LORD.
        
 ¹⁸ I will pay my vows to the LORD
         Now in the presence of all His people,
 ¹⁹ In the courts of the LORD’s house,
         In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
        
         Praise the LORD!