February 21–winter vs summer

Happy Wednesday to you. How are your week been going? Here, we are in the middle of what promises to be the first of our spring floods. We’ve had a steady rain for the last couple of days and last night it turned to a wintry mix. I hear in Tulsa and Kansas City it’s been a blanket of ice since yesterday and in other places not terrible far away, it’s a balmy 77. Alas, the winter-spring transition. As one of my kids said one time, winter and spring are fighting and some days winter wins and some days spring wins. And I think we all like it much better when spring wins, like last Thursday when it was 78 and we ditched the coats and pulled out the tee-shirts! 


I think it’s like that in our spiritual lives too. Winter and spring fight a lot—well more like good battles evil. I think sometimes I can almost hear the fight taking place and I’ve got to choose which side I’m going to take. There’s a part of me that wants to side with the little red guy on my left shoulder that says “awh what will it hurt? It will be fun and you deserve it. It’s your turn. Everyone else is doing it,”. And the. There’s the the other voice that only wants good for me saying “Pam, what would Jesús want for you? Will this bring you good? Will it bring you lasting joy? How will it help the Kingdom? Will it help to point anyone to Jesús?” And I realize I’ve been caught in a struggle as old as time—dark vs light—and I have to decide once again “Whom do I serve?” 


Have you been there? Sometimes the questions and the struggles are over things small and seemingly insignificant but trust me, they will lead to big things, live changing decisions. So friend, my advice here is be faithful in the smallest of things, in even the most seemingly innocuous choices. If you make yourself clear and consistent on those decisions, your big choices have already been made. 

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.””

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”” Joshua‬ ‭24:15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God of Joshua, Jehovah, God of the Angel armies who fights for us, thank you for loving us enough to stand in the gap for us, to fight the enemy for us, to pull us from the pits and to have compassion on us even when we have put ourselves in those pits. You are the great El Elyon and yet you are my friend. Praise Your most holy name. Amen and amen. 

"Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 124:8

Love you dear one,

Pam

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

January 17, 2020

Happy Friday. It’s the end of another week and we have had more opportunities to share the love of Christ with those around us and sometimes that takes quite a bit of effort. I don’t know about you, but I’m not always anxious to embrace others and really listen to them or share with them (especially those who I don’t know well). Sometimes, I just look at them and think “Are you for real?” I don’t always agree with people over politics, sports or of course, religion. And let’s face it, we’d rather spend time with people we like and mostly agree.  And then I read my Bible. God hasn’t called us to sit in our little groups with only those we naturally gravitate towards, but to love people—all people, even those who aren’t necessarily loveable. In this passage, Paul writing to the people of Colosse remarks on how wonderful it is that they truly love others. That love must have really been something over and above the normal and he tells them that it is evident that it comes from the Holy Sp
Read more

January 15, 2020

Happy Wednesday to you. I hope your week is going well. Yesterday, I went to Sams. I was out of things like trash bags, toilet paper, and chicken, so off I went. I like going to Sams because there is always lots to look at and the isles are nice and wide. Everytime I’m there, I am amazed at how much stuff and everything from diapers to TVs to mangos to beds. It just seems incredible that so many things in such quantities are all under one roof.  King David never saw a store with as much stuff aa Sams of course, but he did see countless miracles and understand that God has plans. He knew from creation and history that he was serving a God of miracles and he know that God loved him and his people and would take care of them. He was amazed and awe-struck by the fact that a God who had done such great and mighty things not only cared about his people but that He loved them with such a great love.  “Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can co
Read more

January 9, 2020

It’s Thursday and I woke up to the blowing wind! Lots of it—I’m dreading Boomer waking up and having to go outside with him. That harsh, bitter wind seems cruel and almost evil. But I’ll wrap myself up with a fe layers and boots and brave it all.  Sometimes I think we try to do that with things we know aren’t right—things that are evil. We try to wrap ourselves up and just wade into it, but Paul tells us we should reject it—stay away from it. “Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:20-24‬ NIV When he wrote this he’d been in Berea and the Christians there diligently searched the scriptures to make sure everything Paul said was in line. Paul here is encouraging the Thessalonians to
Read more