II Timothy 1:7; Luke 2:10 - "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"

I woke up this morning with God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen going through my head. I thought I would check out the story behind the song and was surprised at what I read. This song was one of controversy when it was written more than five hundred years ago. If it were in today's time, it would be consider a song where part of the congregation loved it and the other part didn't because it wasn't the 'normal' church song. It would be considered a 'contemporary' song instead of a 'hymn' in today's world. Why? Because it was different. It was upbeat. The pheasants of the fifteen hundreds wrote many songs that we sing today for Christmas. They did not like the somber songs they sang in church so they wrote some new ones. As I was reading about this song, I was surprised that many years ago the same thing was happening in churches as it is today with the music. I personally like both the hymns and the 'newer' music. All of them speak to me. It saddens me when people 'can't worship' to one or the other. Worship should not be about us but about God. If He lays on a worship leader's heart to do all hymns or all contemporary songs, people should be in a place in their heart to worship. If He lays it on their heart to do a blend of songs, people should be in a place in their heart to worship. When a worship leader listens to God, whatever is done in a service is not their choosing but His. There are some words used in songs written many years ago that are unfamiliar to us. They are words not used in today's society yet we sing them in church. We all need to understand what we are singing. In God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen the word 'merry' does not mean 'happy' in the Old English language. It means 'mighty.' The writer knew Jesus' birth story very well. That is why he included so many points in the song. He also understood Jesus' power and what His birth meant to those who believed. Jesus' birth brought joy and excitement. These two aspects were not found in other songs written at that time. Jesus' birth should also bring joy and excitement to us today. If He would not have been born, He could not have died to save us from our sins and rise for us to live. Another word that has a different meaning is 'rest.'  In the Old English, it meant 'keep' or 'make.' In today's language this song means 'God make you mighty, gentlemen.' How can we be 'mighty'? Only through God. This does not mean we are to be mighty in a worldly sense but in a God-sense. When we stand upon II Timothy 1:7, we stand in His strength. We are empowered to love with His love as we strive to live a life of holiness. He desires us to be joyful no matter what our circumstances. The only way for this to be accomplished is through Him. This Christmas season is a 'tough' one for many. It will be different for those going through illnesses in themselves or family members; deaths of friends and family; financial issues; divorce; etc. But no matter what we are going through God is with us. We need to remember His joy is our joy and He desires us to be mighty in Him. The desire of His heart is for all people to experience His joy through taking our faith deeper and trusting Him more than ever before. In Scripture we read where the angels told the shepherds:

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. (Luke 2:10 KJV)

All people. Not just some can have Christ's joy. All we have to do is accept Him and walk in His way. No matter what our circumstance, His joy is available for us. This is a different Christmas season in our home in many ways. The one thing that is not different is God's love that showers us with His joy throughout these days of unknown.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for this song and its rich history! Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead in this day! I pray Doc has a better day today. I ask for a healing in his body. I pray for those who need to feel Your joy today. There are so many hurting people on my prayer list. The list seems to grow more each day. Father, I pray especially for my friend whose marriage is crumbling to have Your wisdom with decisions that need made. I pray for those who are overwhelmed with the calendar this Christmas season to not forget why we celebrate. I also pray for those who are feeling 'bad' about no money for gifts to realize the gift of Your love is more precious than anything they could ever buy. Lord, may all who are experiencing a different Christmas this year be reminded Your love is still the same as it is every Christmas. Thank You Jesus for being My Reason for the Season! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7; Numbers 9; Romans 8:14; Proverbs 3:5 - "Here In Your Presence"

This morning the Lord told me to read Numbers 9. I don't remember Him ever telling me to read out of Numbers but I did as I was told. This chapter is about the Israelites and the direction God gave them about the Passover. They had a visible sign of God's presence in their lives with the cloud that rested on the tabernacle. When the cloud moved, they knew it was time to move on as they followed it until it stopped again. Then they would set up camp where it stopped. They were following God in the process. The last verse described their life. They lived obediently by God's orders as delivered by Moses. I desire to live in obedience to God. I want to be in relationship with Him where I not only hear His voice but I walk in obedience to it. That means when He tells me to go, I will go. When He tells me to speak, I will speak. When He tells me to be still, I will be still. Matthew Henry writes of this passage:

The leading of this cloud is spoken of as signifying the guidance of the blessed Spirit. We are not now to expect such tokens of the Divine presence and guidance; but the promise is sure to all God's spiritual Israel, that he will guide them by his counsel. 

Romans 8:14 reads in The Message: God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go! In order to be aware of His Spirit we must be in full relationship with Him. If we want to live in His presence, we must walk in obedience to Him 24/7. Proverbs 3:5 tells us He will take us where He desires when we trust and allow Him to do so. II Timothy 1:7 tells us we do not have to fear anything but instead allow Him to empower us to love with His love. We must pray for His will to be done every day of our lives and mean it. The enemy will put obstacles before us and because God has given us free will we may give into the enemy but we don't have to. Instead we can stand strong in our faith and allow God to work in and through us. This Scripture reminds me of our move to South Carolina. It was not a move we instigated but instead was a move by the Holy Spirit. There have been many times when the enemy has tried to convince us this move was wrong. Many people have questioned us with all that has happened since we moved. 

"Are you sure God told you to move?"
"Why would God move you and then have you go through so many troubles?"
"Why would God move you so far from family and then have both of you go through cancer?"

The list goes on and on of things people have said. The coolest thing about these things is we know for certain, beyond a shadow of a doubt, we are where God called us to be. There is no better place to live than in His will. Our relationship with Him has grown in abundance through the trials over the last three plus years. We trust Him more today than ever before. His Spirit directs our lives and will continue to do so. The 'whys?' of life may never be answered and that's ok because God is in control.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead in this day! Thank You for loving us so greatly! Thank You for Doc having a 'good' day yesterday until evening when the steroids wore off and the side effects started! Thank You for the way You will give him Your strength to not just get through today but to bask in Your presence! Thank You for: being with my friend yesterday as she saw an attorney; giving June strength for these tough days; completing Dale's stem cell transplant without side effects; giving Lynn a reason to praise You with 'no cancer' results; getting Emma into see the specialist and having a game plan with her health issues; continuing to be with Jim, Shirley, Pattie, and Renee with their first Christmas without their spouses; giving Steve strength with Peggy's situation; the sale of Mark's house; an offer for another friend's house; giving Heidi Your peace in her mother's situation; holding Becky close as she is going through a tough time; Emily's book being for sale on Amazon; and all the other ways You blessed my friends yesterday! Lord, I pray for a cleansing in my soul so You can fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I pray You will use me in a mighty way throughout this day. I pray You will not allow me to be distracted so I miss any opportunity You put before me. Thank You Jesus for being My Presence! Amen.

II Timothy 1:6; Psalm 66 - "Praise You In This Storm"

God took me to Psalm 66 this morning which is a song of praise. As I was reading it, I thought about so many people who are going through 'tough' days and may not feel like praising God. Their joy has been taken from them through their health issues or the health issues of family members, deaths of friends and family, financial issues, marital issues, job issues, etc. My prayer list seems to grow daily of people in 'tough' situations. The enemy loves to steal our joy but when we are grounded firmly in our relationship with Christ he can't steal our joy because our joy lives in and through us. God brought the people out of Egypt and He will bring us through the trials of life we experience on this earth. Our trials may seem to go on and on. Sometimes our trials are a test to see just how deep our faith is. No matter what, God never leaves us. He is always with us, ready to empower us to not just get through 'tough' days but to thrive in them. We need to praise Him no matter what is happening in our life. We need to press into His strength when the 'tough' days come upon us. II Timothy 1:7 tells us that He empowers us to stand in His love. That is exactly what I desire to do. I want to bring glory to Him through my words, actions, and attitude. I want God to be proud of me and the way I love with His love. Times of watching the effects of chemo on Doc are hard. It is difficult to watch him spend more time in bed than not. I just want to have a 'normal' life back where we do things together. I want to not have to wonder if we will be able to do this or that due to how he is feeling. I want what we use to have back. But until God heals him I can't wallow around in a pity party. Instead I must be thankful for every day we have together. I know God hears my prayers. I feel His encouragement daily. I know He loves me. I feel His loving arms wrapped around me, especially when I become emotional and fall apart. I know He strengthens me because my MS is behaving for the most part. The fatigue gets nasty from time to time but He encourages me through it. I know I must continue living a life in His presence to be empowered to the fullest of Him. I know that but sometimes I just want to crawl back into bed and not face the day. On those days I chastise myself because that is not what God desires of me. Instead I will remember verse twenty of Psalm 66...Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw His unfailing love from me. (NLT) He hears my prayers and answers them. I will continue praying for Doc's miraculous healing while on this earth. I refuse to give up praying for this. I also refuse to give up living in His presence where I feel His love greatly. I refuse to allow the enemy any open door into my life. I refuse to give up. If I do, the enemy wins and that is not an option in my life. Matthew Henry wrote about the last few verses of this Psalm:

And when we pray in simplicity and godly sincerity, our prayers will be answered. This will excite gratitude to Him who hath not turned away our prayer nor his mercy from us. It was not prayer that fetched the deliverance, but his mercy that sent it. That is the foundation of our hopes, the fountain of our comforts; and ought to be the matter of our praises.

I know the foundation of Christ in my life is what sees me through the 'tough' days. I also know He needs me to show His strength through the way I live so others will desire Him. I have a task before me and I need to complete it to the best of my ability through Him.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for this Scripture this morning that encourages me to not stop praying! Thank You for the way You empower me to keep going! Thank You for the love You pour into me to share with others! Father, cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May You be my words, actions, and attitude in a new, different way today. I'm so tired but I know You will be my physical strength. I'm so worn but I know You will be my emotional strength. Lord, there are so many hurting people on my prayer list. I don't need to mention them by name because You already know but I do ask for a continued strength for June and her family with their loss. I also ask for Your strength for Robo's friends and family during this time of loss. Father, put people in their path who will be You to them. Oh how I wish I could be there to love on them. I pray for Your strength to continue to be Steve's. I pray for Doc as he puts his sermon together today to have Your wisdom and direction. I pray against the side effects of the chemo and ask that You use it to shrink the tumor. Lord, I continue to pray for a miraculous healing in his body where all disease would be eradicated. I pray Lord that You will empower me to Praise You In This Storm we are in right now. May praises flow from my lips today in a mighty way. Thank You Jesus for being The One I Praise! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7 - "Days of Elijah"

I woke up with the song Days of Elijah going through my mind. This song is a song of hope for me. Elijah, Moses, Ezekiel, David...they were all great men of the Old Testament who stood up for God. They had days of feeling isolated yet they never gave up living as God desired of them. They all lived under the Old Covenant but we live under the New Covenant.  The thing that is the same under both Covenants is we need to practice righteous living. We need to live with the right attitude in our spirit. The 'right' way is God's way. We do not have to fear anything because He is with us. We will have times of persecution but we cannot give into the evil one. Instead we need to stand firm in our faith. We must live out a II Timothy 1:7 type of life where we allow God to lead and direct every step, every decision we make. We are living in 'tough' days but God is greater than anything that comes our way.

These are the days of great trials
Of famine and darkness and sword
Still we are the voice in the desert crying
Prepare ye the way of the Lord!

We cannot allow 'tough' times to pull us away from the Lord. Instead we must take our faith and trust deeper in Him. He desires us to live holy lives. He desires us to love with His love. He desires to see us stand up for Him. Whether our 'tough' times are things we are dealing with such as cancer, death of a loved one, financial issues, etc. or if they are things such as weather that has devastated a part of the world, politics, etc. we must stay close to Him. We must allow Him to work in and through us through the 'good' and the 'bad' times of life. I love the part of this song about David. 

And these are the days of Your servant, David
Rebuilding the temple of praise

Woo hoo! God desires our praises as individuals and as corporate bodies of believers. He desires for praises to flow from our mouths, especially to non-believers. The desire of His heart is for His children to worship Him 24/7. Is that possible? Absolutely! When you are sold out in your spirit to Him, it is easy to worship Him. As He leads and directs your day, it is easy to have praises flow from your lips. How? By living in His presence. By allowing Him total control of all aspects of life. We no longer live as those in the time of Moses where only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year. The veil was torn and we have free access to His presence at all time. Woo hoo! This song is one of hope through the declaration of Christ's return. There are days where I am so tired of all going on not only in my little world but in the entire world. It is in those days I cry out to God for His return to come sooner than later. Then He reminds me I still have work to do on this earth. I am grateful for the way He encourages me to keep on keepin' on!

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for this song this morning that encourages me greatly to live a life of holiness! Thank You for the reminders that You are with me! Thank You for the hope that comes from this song! Thank You for the many people who have showed me the example of how to live a life for You! Father, cleanse me so You can fill me. May You be my words, actions, and attitude today in a new, different way. May You be greater than the 'junk' that comes my way. Lord, go before Doc today as he see the oncologist and then has chemo. I pray for Your strength for him. I also pray for: Rhonda with her appointment; a family with grave concerns over their daughters way of life; Kim as she continues to recover from surgery; Dale with the stem cell transplant; June and her family with the loss of Karl; my friend who continues to seek employment; another friend with marital issues; and so many others who are on my heart today. Lord, may You be greater than the things life has brought them. May they seek You in a new, different way today. Thank You Jesus for being My Hope! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7; James 3:9-10; Ephesians 4:15-16; Mark 12:29-31 - "Jesus Lover of My Soul"

Sometimes people just do not think about what they are saying. Sometimes people say things intentionally to hurt others. I was reminded of James 3:10 this morning. This section of Scripture in the book of James is about our tongue. In the New King James Version the tongue is described as 'The Untamable Tongue'. Verse ten reads, Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Verse nine in The New Living Testament reads, Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. Words can hurt to the core when people do not think before they speak. I had a conversation yesterday with a lady in tears because of things people had said to her. I explained people do not always think before speaking but that didn't stop the tears from flowing. My heart broke for her. I strive to build people up with my words instead of tearing them down. This world tears us down in many ways. We do not need our brothers and sisters in Christ tearing us down further. Ephesians 4:15-16 reads in The New International Version:

But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

When we open our mouths, we need to speak in His love. Words are powerful. We have the choice in our words being spoken through His love or not. All it takes for them to be spoken in His love is for us to live in His love. We must die to self to live in His love. We must get to the point in our lives where He is more important than ourselves. He must be allowed to reign in our lives fully to fully live in His love. Then, and only then, will we be able to have His words flow from us out of His love in the manner He desires. We will still mess up and say things we shouldn't but not like before we took the step of allowing God control over our lives. We are told in Mark 12 the greatest commandment and the second greatest. It reads in the New King James Version:

29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Loving God must come first followed by loving others. A life filled with His love is a life filled with blessings. He blesses us by giving us His thoughts, words, actions, etc. He blesses those who will allow Him to bless them. A life filled with Him is a life that can be unexplainable at times to those who do not live such a life. It is a life of empowerment such as II Timothy 1:7 tells us we can live.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead in this day! I pray for Doc to feel better today. I pray Your strength over him in a mighty way. I also pray for more of You and less of me to show through today. I know the only way for this to happen is for You to cleanse me so You can fill me. May You shine through my words, actions, and attitude today. Lord, I also pray for those who spoke negative words over the one yesterday to realize they need to lift people up instead of tearing them down. I pray they will think before they speak and repent for the hurt they caused through their words. I pray You will bless all believers to speak words of life into others. Lord, go before me today and give me opportunities to speak words of life into all I meet. I pray for Your people to speak words of love over June and her family during this time of great loss in their family. May You be their Comforter in a mighty way. Thank You Jesus for being Lover of My Soul. Amen.

II Timothy 1:7 - "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"

As I was hanging the ornaments on the tree, my thoughts went to past Christmas' when the boys were little and decorating the tree was so much fun. Then after they grew up and had babies there were fun times when they would come and put up the tree. Things have changed. Many miles separate us so I am the one decorating the tree. There were many years with a live tree but that went by the wayside many years ago. There was always a large tree until last year when a small one was bought. Instead of it taking hours to decorate it now takes minutes. So many things in life change when you downsize. Some of those changes are harder to accept than others. I would have to say the smaller Christmas tree is one of the hardest for me. Yesterday as I was finishing the decorating of it I had tears come to my eyes. I was grateful the Lord knew I needed Him to be felt in my spirit. This year is different in many ways in our life but God loves us just as He always had. One positive difference is that we are not waiting to go to Ohio in February as we have since moving to South Carolina. We are going to spend Christmas there. Woo hoo! God has opened doors for this to happen and for that I am grateful. Getting to see all our grand babies for Christmas is something that hasn't happened for the last few years. Being with my Momma for Christmas is also something that hasn't happened for a few years. God is definitely blessing us with this upcoming trip. I am so grateful for His love and blessings. I do not know what the future holds but I know who does and that is all that matters. I do not have to fear what is ahead because He loves me and will empower me through it. All I have to do is stand upon II Timothy 1:7 and allow His strength to work in and through me. Woo hoo!

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead in this day! Thank You for loving me so greatly! Thank You for going before me and making a way for what You desire in my life. Thank You for Doc being able to preach yesterday! Thank You for the Christmas tree being decorated! Thank You for empowering me to not just get through these tough days but to depend upon Your strength for them! Father, cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May Your words, actions, and attitude be mine throughout this day in a new, different way! Thank You Jesus for being My Everything! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7 - "Beautiful Day"

I was so tired and hurting before going to bed so I had an extended prayer time for pastors in case I didn't wake up. I should have known God had other plans. He woke me three times to pray. The first time was a general prayer for pastors and their congregations. The second time was for pastors and their spouses who were having health issues. The third time was for pastors during this Christmas season. Everyone's calendar becomes over packed during this time of year. The thing a pastor has to deal with is not only their family calendar but also the church calendar. They also have to be prepared for disappointment when people choose to do other things than participate in church activities. Many times shopping, baking, work parties, etc. win out over church activities. People cannot do everything and will choose where their heart is. Pastors cannot take that personally. They also must take it personally when church finances drop off during this time of year. If people are not committed to tithing, their money will go to buy extra groceries, Christmas gifts, etc. Pastors also need to be ready for those who walk in the church just because it is Christmas. Many who do not normally attend or who have quit attending will return for the holiday. We must be ready to love them with Jesus' love and allow Him to work through us to pull them into church. The most important thing for me during this season is to not allow myself to get over tired. When I do, I miss opportunities He puts before me. When I over-do physically, I become an emotional wreck and my mental capabilities are diminished. Yesterday I was thinking about a big project I wondered if I could complete before Christmas. I thought 'if only there were more hours in the day' or 'if only my body didn't hurt' or 'if only I could do that.' God stopped me and said, "Daughter, you do what I desire and that is enough." Wow, God! He knew exactly what I needed to hear! I do not need to stress over anything. All I need to do is live in His presence. He directs me to do what He desires. He puts opportunities before me to love with His love. If I overstretch myself, I will miss such opportunities. I no longer have to live in such chaos but instead can bask in His love, listening to His voice. Woo hoo! Once again, He reminds me to stand in His empowerment instead of fearing not being enough. II Timothy 1:7 is being held close to my heart.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the opportunity to pray for pastors throughout the night! Thank You for loving me so greatly! Thank You for the reminder of Your words yesterday that kept me with reality! Thank You for cleansing me so You can fill me with more of You! May You be my words, actions, and attitude throughout this day. May You be greater, may You be greater. Father, once again I pray for all pastors but especially those with health issues themselves or in their family. I pray for Doc for strength to not just preach today but to feel Your empowerment over him. I pray for: Steve; Mark; Kim; and my two pastor friends with cancer to also feel Your empowerment. I pray for all pastors during this Christmas season to stay close to You and allow You to direct their lives. I also pray for a pastor friend who is seeking a church to continue to hear Your voice. Lord, I pray for the pastor and church that is feeling spiritual warfare so greatly. May they stand upon II Timothy 1:7 in an intentional way. Lord, be with all churches during this season. I pray all will love with Your love to all who enter in their doors. Thank You Jesus for being My Enough! Amen.