Hello Everyone! Have you had a busy week? Boy, where does the time go! I've finished my last batch of salsa for the season and while it's a bittersweet moment, I'm really glad to put the canning tools to rest. I've got a batch of muscadines to make into jelly and then I'll be officially done. Whew!
When I woke up this morning, I had 3 questions on my mind. I believe it's the topic of our devotional today.
Now, those are some big questions aren't they! What I'd like to ask you to do with these questions is to contemplate them for yourself -- don't go outside yourself and fear for your family, need for others or dream for your children. Ask yourself these questions as if God is asking them to you and only you.
How would you answer the first question? I'll give you my answer -- my greatest fear at the moment is being homeless. I could get deep and philosophical and say that I fear living a life that doesn't please God, but having Jesus as my Savior means that my life is lived under grace and I know outside of my relationship with God there is no way to please Him - so I'm doing my best to live to glorify Him in all I say and do. I'm not perfect, will never be, but I'm trying to be excellent, a good steward and lean on Him as much as I can. But in the last few years, God has taken me to a level of challenge with Him that has truly rattled my cage at times. I never thought I had "trust" issues with God until I prayed and asked Him to make me trust Him more. Oh goodness, has He done that! I feel as though every earthly rug has been pulled out from under me and there are no security blankets left for me to cling to apart from Him and Him alone. That's where He wants me to be. And yet, my greatest fear is being homeless. Why? I think it's more than being a property owner. I think it's more than being out on the streets. It's really a matter of answering the question - what am I going to do with all this "stuff" in my dwelling that I have at the moment. I must tell you though, I don't fear being homeless as much as I used to. A year ago, there would have been no way I could have written this down for others to read. I couldn't begin to murmur the words. I couldn't begin to really even process it, because I feared it so. In rattling my cage in this, God has sifted out the lack of trust I had and has filled my heart with His promises. He's literally shown Himself to be true so much lately, that it's almost a scavenger hunt in His Word to find the next promise that He'll show me is true. But you see, it took being very honest with myself at my own greatest fear and letting God work with me through it, to get to this place now. No, I'm not able to say without reservation that I don't fear that anymore - I'd be lying if I did. But I also know that God promises to provide for my needs according to His riches in glory and He also says that "all things" work together for good for those who love Him and are called unto His purposes. (Philippians 4:19, Romans 8:28) I've seen these reminders in so many places lately - 1 just today and it was simply the book and verse and it didn't register until just now that even then, God was encouraging me to believe His promises are ALL true - not just some of them -- ALL OF THEM!
Ok, so that leads to Question #2 -- What is your greatest need? If we take Philippians 4:19 and look at it -- the verse says that "My God will provide all my "NEEDS" according to His riches in glory." What is a need? How does it differ from a "want"? Well, a need is vital, necessary, useful, fruitful....a want is selfish, not altogether necessary, useful, but to whom? and may or may not be fruitful. How so? Well, consider "sleep" for a moment. I read just the other day that a person can only go 11 days without sleep. What happens on day 12 to that person -- death. Sleep is a need. It's vital for living, necessary for functioning, useful to heal the body and rest the mind, fruitful in that it makes us more productive and efficient. A want may be superficial or it may be something totally useful and necessary. But the thing we have to look most closely in defining whether something is a want or a true need is the heart. I would LOVE to be more fit and leaner. But at this point in my life that's more of a want than a need. Why? Because there are other more pressing things that hold my attention and commitment at the moment. This may not be so for others. But I know that every time I've tried to start a weight management program, I've failed either by injury, infection or stress - and after many failures, I've begun to realize that it's more than just the enemy trying to keep me fat. This is a bigger thing to God than that and He wants me to lean on Him for that process in His time and no one else.
The Lord promises to provide what we need according to His riches in glory. If He's the giver, from His riches, then it stands to reason, He's going to determine the need and give according to His plan - not ours. He's testing me in this daily too. I've noticed that my shopping addiction and shoe closet isn't what it used to be. Neither is my decorating need nor my need to be seen and heard. They weren't real needs -- they were wants to fill the lack of trust I had in God. What I DID need, was satisfaction with what I have, trust in knowing He would provide clothes, shoes and housing items as I needed them, not just to buy without thinking. He's also changed my perspective on prayer too. He's given me the opportunity to pray for His provision over car repairs, bills to be paid, employment for my husband, provision for my Mom, and increase in ministry opportunities for myself to share hope with others. He saw that my greatest need was to trust Him. I thought my greatest need was to dig out of a financial hole. His ways are not our ways. But He is absolutely trustworthy with our greatest needs - because He will provide them - but the condition is it's according to His riches and not our demands.
Now onto question #3 - What is your biggest dream? This question is a little different than the others. But still, I would ask you to be dead-level honest with yourself here. Don't just answer "correctly" or what you think I'd like to hear. Remember, God created dreams. He breathed life into our bodies and inspired us to think outside the box when it comes to His plan for us. Do you let yourself dream? Do you ever imagine yourself really living that dream here on earth? One of my biggest dreams was to own beachfront property, not have to rent it and to live down there 3 to 6 months out of the year. I love the beach and when I'm there, it's as if I've caught a glimpse of Heaven here on earth. Another of my greatest dreams was to be a successful singer - on a big stage, making records and singing to the masses. Both are such selfish dreams. But their "my" dreams and I'm not going to discount them because I believe that there's something deeply important in what we desire most. If I were to break down these dreams of mine to the root, what I'd find there is something deeply spiritual. I'm not patting myself on the back here. My dream of owning beachfront property at the root is to be in a place I love, so that I can see the beauty of God's creation that I love and so I could be closer to Him and away from the distractions of my regular life...it's not to advertise on some property channel to show off to the world. The beach is my refuge, my retreat, my place of healing...deeply spiritual to me. The second dream could appear to be self serving - and I guess on some level it is - but as I've grown closer to the Lord, I've begun to see that at the root of this dream is a deep desire to use the talent that God has given to me to reach as many people as I can and give glory to Him in doing so. Sure, I love the stage, the spotlights and the music - but there is not a cell in my body who wants the pressure that superstars like Michael Jackson, Elvis, Karen Carpenter, Celine Dion and the like deal (or dealt) with. I don't think I could deal with it unless God put me there - and if that happened, I KNOW it wouldn't be because of anything I could do on my own.
Oh, dear sister or brother, please don't think in reading this that I'm writing out of a need to share my "stuff" with you. I'm certainly not looking for a pat on the back. What I hope to do in sharing this with you is to be "real and open" as an encouragement for you to do the same. If we were to let each question serve as one side to a triangle, we'd find a big hollow spot in the middle. It's how we fill that hollow spot that makes all the difference. If we put ourselves in the middle, our questions will only be answered selfishly. If we put someone else in the middle, our questions will never be answered in a manner that satisfies our souls. But if we are able to put God in the center of all our fears, needs and dreams, then our lives will be full and satisfied....not right away and never completely here on earth - but for all eternity.
Don't be afraid to search your heart, dear friend. Don't be afraid to ask the hard questions and answer them honestly. Don't be afraid to dream. It could be that in addressing these three questions with yourself and with God that you uncover and discover the real you that God has been waiting to reveal...
Oh how He loves you and me. Oh how He loves you and me. He gave His life, what more could He give? Oh how He loves you -- Oh how He loves me -- Oh how He loves you and me....
Be blessed...Amy
When I woke up this morning, I had 3 questions on my mind. I believe it's the topic of our devotional today.
"What is your greatest fear? What is your greatest need? What is your biggest dream?"
Now, those are some big questions aren't they! What I'd like to ask you to do with these questions is to contemplate them for yourself -- don't go outside yourself and fear for your family, need for others or dream for your children. Ask yourself these questions as if God is asking them to you and only you.
How would you answer the first question? I'll give you my answer -- my greatest fear at the moment is being homeless. I could get deep and philosophical and say that I fear living a life that doesn't please God, but having Jesus as my Savior means that my life is lived under grace and I know outside of my relationship with God there is no way to please Him - so I'm doing my best to live to glorify Him in all I say and do. I'm not perfect, will never be, but I'm trying to be excellent, a good steward and lean on Him as much as I can. But in the last few years, God has taken me to a level of challenge with Him that has truly rattled my cage at times. I never thought I had "trust" issues with God until I prayed and asked Him to make me trust Him more. Oh goodness, has He done that! I feel as though every earthly rug has been pulled out from under me and there are no security blankets left for me to cling to apart from Him and Him alone. That's where He wants me to be. And yet, my greatest fear is being homeless. Why? I think it's more than being a property owner. I think it's more than being out on the streets. It's really a matter of answering the question - what am I going to do with all this "stuff" in my dwelling that I have at the moment. I must tell you though, I don't fear being homeless as much as I used to. A year ago, there would have been no way I could have written this down for others to read. I couldn't begin to murmur the words. I couldn't begin to really even process it, because I feared it so. In rattling my cage in this, God has sifted out the lack of trust I had and has filled my heart with His promises. He's literally shown Himself to be true so much lately, that it's almost a scavenger hunt in His Word to find the next promise that He'll show me is true. But you see, it took being very honest with myself at my own greatest fear and letting God work with me through it, to get to this place now. No, I'm not able to say without reservation that I don't fear that anymore - I'd be lying if I did. But I also know that God promises to provide for my needs according to His riches in glory and He also says that "all things" work together for good for those who love Him and are called unto His purposes. (Philippians 4:19, Romans 8:28) I've seen these reminders in so many places lately - 1 just today and it was simply the book and verse and it didn't register until just now that even then, God was encouraging me to believe His promises are ALL true - not just some of them -- ALL OF THEM!
Ok, so that leads to Question #2 -- What is your greatest need? If we take Philippians 4:19 and look at it -- the verse says that "My God will provide all my "NEEDS" according to His riches in glory." What is a need? How does it differ from a "want"? Well, a need is vital, necessary, useful, fruitful....a want is selfish, not altogether necessary, useful, but to whom? and may or may not be fruitful. How so? Well, consider "sleep" for a moment. I read just the other day that a person can only go 11 days without sleep. What happens on day 12 to that person -- death. Sleep is a need. It's vital for living, necessary for functioning, useful to heal the body and rest the mind, fruitful in that it makes us more productive and efficient. A want may be superficial or it may be something totally useful and necessary. But the thing we have to look most closely in defining whether something is a want or a true need is the heart. I would LOVE to be more fit and leaner. But at this point in my life that's more of a want than a need. Why? Because there are other more pressing things that hold my attention and commitment at the moment. This may not be so for others. But I know that every time I've tried to start a weight management program, I've failed either by injury, infection or stress - and after many failures, I've begun to realize that it's more than just the enemy trying to keep me fat. This is a bigger thing to God than that and He wants me to lean on Him for that process in His time and no one else.
The Lord promises to provide what we need according to His riches in glory. If He's the giver, from His riches, then it stands to reason, He's going to determine the need and give according to His plan - not ours. He's testing me in this daily too. I've noticed that my shopping addiction and shoe closet isn't what it used to be. Neither is my decorating need nor my need to be seen and heard. They weren't real needs -- they were wants to fill the lack of trust I had in God. What I DID need, was satisfaction with what I have, trust in knowing He would provide clothes, shoes and housing items as I needed them, not just to buy without thinking. He's also changed my perspective on prayer too. He's given me the opportunity to pray for His provision over car repairs, bills to be paid, employment for my husband, provision for my Mom, and increase in ministry opportunities for myself to share hope with others. He saw that my greatest need was to trust Him. I thought my greatest need was to dig out of a financial hole. His ways are not our ways. But He is absolutely trustworthy with our greatest needs - because He will provide them - but the condition is it's according to His riches and not our demands.
Now onto question #3 - What is your biggest dream? This question is a little different than the others. But still, I would ask you to be dead-level honest with yourself here. Don't just answer "correctly" or what you think I'd like to hear. Remember, God created dreams. He breathed life into our bodies and inspired us to think outside the box when it comes to His plan for us. Do you let yourself dream? Do you ever imagine yourself really living that dream here on earth? One of my biggest dreams was to own beachfront property, not have to rent it and to live down there 3 to 6 months out of the year. I love the beach and when I'm there, it's as if I've caught a glimpse of Heaven here on earth. Another of my greatest dreams was to be a successful singer - on a big stage, making records and singing to the masses. Both are such selfish dreams. But their "my" dreams and I'm not going to discount them because I believe that there's something deeply important in what we desire most. If I were to break down these dreams of mine to the root, what I'd find there is something deeply spiritual. I'm not patting myself on the back here. My dream of owning beachfront property at the root is to be in a place I love, so that I can see the beauty of God's creation that I love and so I could be closer to Him and away from the distractions of my regular life...it's not to advertise on some property channel to show off to the world. The beach is my refuge, my retreat, my place of healing...deeply spiritual to me. The second dream could appear to be self serving - and I guess on some level it is - but as I've grown closer to the Lord, I've begun to see that at the root of this dream is a deep desire to use the talent that God has given to me to reach as many people as I can and give glory to Him in doing so. Sure, I love the stage, the spotlights and the music - but there is not a cell in my body who wants the pressure that superstars like Michael Jackson, Elvis, Karen Carpenter, Celine Dion and the like deal (or dealt) with. I don't think I could deal with it unless God put me there - and if that happened, I KNOW it wouldn't be because of anything I could do on my own.
Oh, dear sister or brother, please don't think in reading this that I'm writing out of a need to share my "stuff" with you. I'm certainly not looking for a pat on the back. What I hope to do in sharing this with you is to be "real and open" as an encouragement for you to do the same. If we were to let each question serve as one side to a triangle, we'd find a big hollow spot in the middle. It's how we fill that hollow spot that makes all the difference. If we put ourselves in the middle, our questions will only be answered selfishly. If we put someone else in the middle, our questions will never be answered in a manner that satisfies our souls. But if we are able to put God in the center of all our fears, needs and dreams, then our lives will be full and satisfied....not right away and never completely here on earth - but for all eternity.
Don't be afraid to search your heart, dear friend. Don't be afraid to ask the hard questions and answer them honestly. Don't be afraid to dream. It could be that in addressing these three questions with yourself and with God that you uncover and discover the real you that God has been waiting to reveal...
Oh how He loves you and me. Oh how He loves you and me. He gave His life, what more could He give? Oh how He loves you -- Oh how He loves me -- Oh how He loves you and me....
Be blessed...Amy
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