I CAN DO ALL THINGS

How I long to share what’s on my heart, but you know what? In our first blog message I tried to sum up my desires to help others absorb the SIMPLE TRUTH of GOD’S GREAT LOVE for each individual. Yet, in writing the post that followed and as I start this one, I, too, feel the inferiority, insignificance, and insecurity that comes from mentally seeing and hearing those looking down on my life, questioning why I waste my time, etc,

                1^st) because I don’t live “a good enough” life to be called a Christian

               2^nd)  because I’ve shown my “human side”

               3^rd)  because the attitude comes across, “Why waste your time? Who’s going to bother to read what you write anyway?”        

Okay, enough to tell each of you, I also have these same feelings from time to time, and as I sat here thinking of the difference between 7^th Grade and a lifetime of learning, I wanted to  let you know it’s always a struggle for me, but the SIMPLE TRUTH is there is HOPE, even after all these years.

You see, the devil knows my great love for God. He also knows my weaknesses, so he is trying to take away this method in which I feel well-qualified to use my abilities. Do you think he has forgotten my gift of persistence? Likely not, but one of the additional gifts is a comment from my daughter telling me that God will make sure that whoever needs to see what is contained in these posts will see them. With that in mind, let’s press on.   

I stated I am mentally seeing and hearing these attitudes and comments. No, I’ve not gone off the deep end. Once again, the devil is trying his best to hold me down, but with God’s help, I’m rather like the Weebles-Wobbles-But-They-Don’t-Fall-Down® doll from the mid-1900’s. The doll was filled with air and made of a soft thick plastic. It had a sand-filled bottom so one could punch it down and it’d pop back up no matter how many times it was knocked it over!  It’s my own giving in to the temptations from the devil and allowing judgmental thoughts that can punch a slow leak or a fast rip in my WEEBLES-WOBBLES-BUT-THEY-DON’T-FALL-DOWN® doll, if I don’t turn my thoughts back in obedience to God.

Let’s consider how we handle our self-thinking. We spend time allowing ourselves to develop feelings of insecurity, insignificance, and inferiority. Not one of us deserves any one of those titles, but with the frequency of our self-talk, we are some of the best salespeople on earth. (Have we missed our calling? Should we be selling real estate or cars? J )  Rather than hearing what God says*, the SIMPLE TRUTH is we spend more time listening to our own self-talk, of which we generally have little proof. AND, isn’t our self-talk more often made up of judgmental attributes that we are imagining from other people?  (*from http://seeingsimpletruth.blogspot.com/2016/07/simple-truth-explained.html In Galatians 4:4b and 5b I read that I am His adopted child. “…God sent forth His son…that we might receive the adoption as sons.” John 3:16 says He sent His only Son to rescue me. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” The above scriptures say I must be very special: Made in God’s image! His adopted child! Loved ME SO MUCH He sent His Only Son to DIE IN MY PLACE!)

Most of my life, in regard to judging, the fastest way I’ve been brought back to who God wants me to be is through the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:2, “For in the way you judge, you will be judged, and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” How much more simply could that truth have been presented? I understand myself well enough to know I am a perfectionist at heart, so if I sound like I’m hard on others, please understand, I’m hundreds – thousands- millions – times more exacting of myself!   Unfortunately, in most instances, from the time of my very first childhood experiences with crayons  on a new coloring book page until crayons applied on a fresh picture now, and other things of far greater importance, my perfection plans just don’t come out with the aimed-for perfection!

The SIMPLE TRUTH is I KNOW what God wants and perfection is my aim, but there is balance, and I CAN ONLY BE PERFECT IN HIM. PERFECT equals MATURE. Oh, my! I’ve a long way yet to go to become perfect according to earthly standards, but THROUGH CHRIST IN GOD, I HAVE BECOME PERFECT!

Because I am human, the world and I may or may not see I don’t live “a good enough” life to be called a Christian, I’ve shown my “human side”, the attitude comes across, “Why waste your time? Who’s going to bother to read what you write anyway?”  Please pray with me that each of us will be “taking our every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5b

The SIMPLE TRUTH is “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

YOU can, too!

M Sue       7-23-2016

BEFORE THE BEGINNING

If not all, I know at least almost all reading these words have also read “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth,” from Genesis 1:1, the first verse in the Bible.  I want to go back before that. Are you saying, “Now, wait just a minute. Who do you think you are? How can you go back before the beginning?” Come for a little walk with God and me, and let’s let Him show us more of His wondrous works, more of the SIMPLE TRUTH of His love.

We’ll begin with Ephesians 1:4-5 from the Living Bible: “Long ago, even before He made the world, God chose us to be His very own through what Christ would do for us; He decided then to make us holy in His eyes, without a single fault—we who stand before Him covered with his love.  His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And He did this because he wanted to!”

To my mind, His creating the world leaves me with a whole lot to contemplate. But even before all of creation, He generated these Master plans for you and for me! In following along with our first-post thoughts of overcoming feelings of insignificance, inferiority and insecurity, rather than just pass this scripture on by with one quick read, let’s take these verses apart just a little bit to let God’s Word show you what He was thinking. As you read these phrases, why not write what each one means to you personally? (This is for you to keep to yourself unless you wish to discuss.)

1)     He planned ahead: “Before He made the world” 

a.

2)     ”God chose us to be His very own”

a.

3)     He planned “through what Christ would do for us”

a.

4)     He decided then to make us without a single fault

a.

5)     His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family

a.

6)     His plan has always been to send Jesus Christ to die for us

a

7)     He did this because he wanted to!

a.

 Should we stop our walk so we can sit down a while to think about what God is saying here? He will sit with us as long as we need, because He, THE ONE TO WHOM IS DUE ALL HONOR AND GLORY FOREVER AND EVER, has done all of this for each one of us. Why?

The SIMPLE TRUTH is He did this because he wanted to long ago, even before He made the world!

M Sue  Moore                                                                                                                        7-19-16

SIMPLE TRUTH EXPLAINED

Because I continue to hear more of my Christian Sisters (young married women to ‘empty-nesters” and more), discussing their feelings of insignificance, inferiority, and insecurity, I have longed to try to help them absorb the SIMPLE TRUTH of how very much God loves them. Some may be shocked that I use the term “SIMPLE TRUTH”, but I am concerned that we confuse holding God in ultimate authority with allowing ourselves to reach out to accept the closeness He wants from the parent-child relationship. We tend to say things like, “I can’t bother God with something so little.” Oh, really? When was the last time you took a close-up look at a bird feather?

A few years ago I found a tiny feather that measured 7/8” long and was ¼” wide.  The colors were deep gray-brown at the tip and lighter shades of gray-brown at the base.  I used Scotch tape to stick the little feather in my Bible to remind me of how special I must be to God.

In Jesus’ own words He states: “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not worth much more than they?” (Matthew 6:26 NASB)

If God cares for the little birds as much as the scripture says He does, and I believe His Word is true, how much more does He care for me?  Genesis 1:26 tells me I am made in His image. “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in Our image, according to our likeness…’”

In Galatians 4:4b and 5b I read that I am His adopted child. “…God sent forth His son…that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

John 3:16 says He sent His only Son to rescue me. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

The above scriptures say I must be very special: Made in God’s image! His adopted child! Loves ME  SO MUCH He sent His Only Son to DIE IN MY PLACE!

The feather I found is so small that it makes it fully obvious that little things are of worth to God.  Just to look at each individual barb is impossible for me to do; yet God made each one and knows how many barbs there are on each feather just as he knows how many hairs are on my head.  I cannot even begin to figure how many feathers it takes to cover a bird, let alone try to count those tiny, individual barbs!  Does this mean that things, big or little, in my life are of concern to Him?  What do you think?

Adding Matthew 10:29-31 to my reading about these matters, I find:

“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your father.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore, do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Jesus used “SIMPLE TRUTH” to help His listeners to not only better understand, but also to relate to the very personal love and caring concern the Father has for ALL of His creation.

And you know what? That includes YOU and ME!