Jesus is Everywhere

The other day I stumbled upon a quote that is stirring my heart and mind.

“You need to decide whose standards you will live by, God’s or the world’s.  You will never be satisfied with one foot in both worlds.”  Charles Norton

My heart is totally filled because of a “Jesus Moment.”  Although I find it uncomfortable to share about particular personal acts of charity and love, I truly believe God is calling me to share this encounter.  What I am sharing is for the Glory of God, for we are nothing without him!

The Holy Spirit was in our midst this morning, right in the middle of the morning rush at McDonalds.

There are a few different facets to what transpired this morning, and what it meant to all of us involved.  I will start by saying that my husband and I are troubled by the downward spiral of our country and culture.  It seems that the evil has a life of its own now, and no matter what our constitution says, and no matter what is right in the Lord, decisions are being made and “laws” are being passed to the detriment of society.  Why are so many eyes and hearts closed to the evils that are occurring right in front of our faces?

These thoughts were on our minds this morning, as my husband and I were driving to work.  On the way, as usual, we stopped for coffee at McDonald’s.

Before I go any further, I must tell you God has been tugging at our hearts, regarding a man we see every day at McDonalds. I have even shared about him in a past blog post.  This gentleman walks very slowly with a cane, and seems as though he is in financial need.  My husband noticed a few days ago that the tires on his car are bald, and not safe to be driving on.  There goes the tug…we really feel we should purchase a set of tires for him.  However, we don’t have the “extra” cash right now.  In fact, we need tires ourselves, which we have been postponing because of the expense.

This morning, as we were walking into the restaurant, we spotted him slowly getting out of his car.  We walked over to him and said hello.  He smiled, and said “Jesus is everywhere in America.”  After all the concern we have about what is happening in our country, this man looked right in our eyes and spoke the Truth.  He said again, “Jesus is everywhere in America.”  He went on to say that he is Muslim.  Twenty years ago he was in a car accident, and was terribly injured because he did not have his seatbelt on.  Since then, he has had  many health issues, and had lost his job.  He shared that a neighbor helped him with yard work, and started to take him to Church.  That is where this man (David) found Jesus.

He told us that Jesus is love and he is on every corner in America, in our Churches.

My husband and I were just about speechless.  Isn’t it amazing how the Lord uses all of us to help each other in faith?  These words that came out of David’s mouth, touched our hearts deeply, filling us with the love of the Spirit.

We asked David if we could get him some breakfast, and he went ahead to sit down.  We delivered his breakfast to him, and it seemed as though he looked into our souls when he spoke to us.  He invited us to sit down, however, we were running late for work, so we could not sit to visit with him.  We talked a little, and he kept saying “Jesus is everywhere…I will ask Jesus to be with you.”

When we turned around to leave, the whole event felt surreal.  I happened to catch the eye of a man who was seated nearby, and he had a smile on his face and looked emotional.  It crossed my mind how we are always being watched.  ALWAYS BEING WATCHED…in all situations.

As I was writing this post, I called my husband to make sure I was remembering the details correctly.  He was actually at the tire store, waiting with David for his tires to be mounted.  Praise be to God!  When the heart tugging didn’t get through, God made sure to get his message across loud and clear!  When the Lord  asks you to provide tires, you provide tires!

While David was sitting with my husband at the tire center, he shared that he attends Church every day and talks to Jesus and His Mother…

This morning, we met a brother with a beautiful, pure heart.  He touched us in a way I can’t explain.  Helping me to realize that even in this very sinful world, Jesus is everywhere.

Which leads me back to this quote: “You need to decide whose standards you will live by, God’s or the world’s.  You will never be satisfied with one foot in both worlds.”  Charles Norton

Please Lord, help us to place BOTH of our feet  in your world…in your word.

Help us to walk by faith and not by sight.

Help us to trust you, no matter what appears in the physical world.

We ask that you fill our hearts with love, help us to know your whispers and callings, and please strengthen our faith to carry out your will.   Amen.

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Help Me to Trust

Lord, the closer I draw to you, the more aware I am of my smallness.

Your love envelopes me, strengthening my faith, filling my heart with hope, and intensifying my desire to love as You love.

Help me to trust in Your ways, to give Your Holy Spirit free reign in my heart, body, mind and soul.

As I live this life that You have blessed me with, help me to know that You live within me, and Your Holy Spirit is constantly searching my soul, shining Your light on all the dark places that need healing.

Help me to let go of the false belief that I can heal myself…for only You know what lies in the deep recesses of my broken heart.  Only You know my true identity, and the mission You are entrusting me with for the glory of Your Kingdom.

I ask these things, in the sweet name of Jesus.  Amen.

 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  Proverbs 3:5

 

 

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Open Heart

There is a world full of need out there.  All you have to do is read a few headlines or listen to some news, and you can quickly feel overwhelmed with the suffering, misery, and evil in the world.  How many times do you think, “that is just so horrible”, or “how could someone even think to do something like that?”  Sometimes you feel such compassion or empathy for the people involved, that you want to do SOMETHING.  Then you turn off the TV or click off your computer, and you kind of forget about it.

Does that sound familiar?  I think we are overwhelmed because of the sheer number of things we hear about every day.  Sensory overload.  It’s hard to focus because of the bigness of the need…after all, what could one person do that could even make a dent?

I think the first thing we can do is realize that we are watching a biased view of reality.  We are mostly seeing only the negative, because that’s what makes for “interesting” news.  Right at this moment, there are countless acts of love being showered on people in need.  You might hear of some of these acts of kindness, but I can guarantee that the numbers are much higher than you think.  Because of this sharing of love, many sad and hardened hearts will be opened to the pure healing power of Jesus.  There are so many ways the Lord moves to touch the hearts of those who are lost.  Remember, He is the Good Shepherd – He will always find a way to pull in His lost sheep.

Are you ready to be used by your loving God?  Have you made the choice to open your heart and soul to Jesus, allowing Him to work through you? Do you feel a tugging at your heart…a feeling that you are being called in some way but you just can’t figure what it is?  God is calling you to share His love.

God created you because you play an intricate part in His plan.  You can touch certain people in a way no one else can – you possess gifts and talents that are unique to you.  You were given exactly all that is needed for your place in the Body of Christ.

Don’t let the world’s problems overwhelm you into doing nothing. Ask the Lord to direct you…to open your eyes so you can see the needs of those that are around you, and ears to listen to how you can help them.  You will know where the Lord is leading you; you will feel it in your soul.  It may be He is leading you to do something HUGE or it may be small acts of love and kindness.

The key is to take the first step, which leads to the next, and the next.  Once your eyes are open, you will be surprised how aware you become of the people right in your midst…who have been there all along, who are waiting for you to take that step, in love, toward them.

 

Luke 6:38   Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Philippians 2:2-4  ² fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. ³ Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. ⁴ Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others

Love…One Heart at a Time

Remember the old adage, “People need loving the most when they deserve it the least”?  When I hear or read those words, I understand the basic truth, but come on….isn’t this one of the most difficult things to put into action?  I mean, if a person’s general demeanor is negative, and does not care one bit if he offends or hurts me or anyone else, am I really expected to treat him lovingly?  The short, Christian answer is YES!

Let me first say that I don’t recommend spending time with an abusive person, when your very safety is involved.  However, there are other ways of loving.  We will get to that…

In my personal life, there have been family members, friends, co-workers who seem to relish the idea of making me personally feel uncomfortable, or maybe have an abrasive, negative personality toward everyone in general.  You know the kind of person – it’s the one who makes you cringe when she is walking toward you, the one who relentlessly gossips about most everybody, or who constantly shoots stinging remarks, instinctively knowing  how to push the proverbial button on everyone she comes in contact with.  It’s a human defense strategy to back away from people like this, and if you are at all like me, you put up a defensive wall to protect yourself from the pain or embarrassment this person may cause you.  I usually find a way to avoid these people.

So…people need loving the most when they deserve it the least…what does that mean to me?

I have learned that when people truly love, respect, and accept themselves – love, respect and acceptance will shine from them toward the people they interact with. Since they are aware of  their own personal  value, they tend to value each person in their lives.  They will still make mistakes and hurt people occasionally, however, when they are made aware of hurting someone, they are sorrowful and ask forgiveness.

On the other hand, when people do not love, respect and accept themselves, they are not happy deep inside, so they don’t have too much love to share.  Which leads me to the  “Somebody Loves Me” act of love for the day…

Make today the day to send love to that one person who just rubs you the wrong way; or that person who is so negative, you can hardly force yourself to spend time with him/her.  Love can be sent in many ways; I will share some that have worked for me.

The first and most important way to love is to PRAY for that person.  Yes, pray that the Holy Spirit fill his heart with total love, that he will feel the love of Jesus. Ask the Lord to send His Holy Angels to guide him toward Jesus, and to protect him from satan.  Also pray for healing for that person, whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual.  As you pray for him, you will eventually feel a softening of your own heart toward him.

The second way to love is to ask questions.  Ask him about himself, get to know him.  Really LISTEN to what he says.  You may get a clue as to what he has experienced in life to bring him to the place he is now.  I have learned that the people I have the hardest time with have usually suffered and endured painful, horrendous things in their past.  Once I know a little of their story, I find more compassion in my heart for them.

Other ideas may be sending cards (even anonymously), little thoughtful or funny gifts, or simply flashing a genuine smile.

So, let’s make this the day to take a step forward in unselfish love.

Please share your ideas of ways to help a person know  “Somebody Loves Me”.   God will magnify your efforts!

Matthew 5:43-48      You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

1 John 4:7   Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

1 Peter 4:8   Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins

Where is God?

When something bad happens, especially when it’s something so shocking and painful that we can’t even comprehend the how and why, we tend to ask the big questions.  Why would God allow this to happen?  Where is God?

I can’t even attempt to answer those questions.  Only God knows why He allows evil, sickness, and pain to exist in our lives.  Sometimes, we may feel that if our faith is strong enough, if we just pray hard enough, we are ensured  a peaceful, happy, successful, and financially secure life, without ever experiencing pain.  We fall into the trap of praying for the specific want or need to be answered in a particular way, and forget to add the part that says “not my will, but yours be done”. *

Lately, I’ve begun to realize what it means to truly trust Jesus.  It means to completely let go, and trust Him with your very life.  That no matter what happens, you trust that “all things work together for good for those that love Him”. **  Your trust in Jesus no longer hinges on whether or not you get the answer you want.  You trust Him and know that all things work toward your good, and also the good of His Kingdom!  We are all in this together, and all play an integral part of the beautiful tapestry He is weaving.  Only our Lord can see the complete, beautiful tapestry of His plan…we are only capable of seeing a veiled, partial view. ***

I always longed for a true relationship with Jesus.  In the past, I based the relationship on whether prayers were answered, and what God seemed to be “doing for me”.  It was almost as though if I did not get the results I anticipated, that either I wasn’t praying correctly, or God just wasn’t listening.

What I learned to ask myself is – what am I doing for the relationship?  I expect God to always be there for me.  Am I there for Him?  Am I meditating, spending alone time with my God and listening for His loving whispers? Do I align myself with Him, and make necessary adjustments or do I go about my life, making the excuse “that’s just the way I am”.  Do I stand on the Truth of His Word, or do I listen to the deceit and lies of satan…..through modern culture, political correctness, and the entertainment industry.  Do I make the effort to  choose what is most pleasing in God’s eyes, or do I make choices that are most offensive to the ONE who loves me perfectly and unconditionally?

We all have sin in our lives.  The closer we pull to Jesus, and allow the Holy Spirit to enter our hearts, we will notice subtle changes. It becomes easier to pull away from sins that were strongholds for so long.  When we struggle and fall, we look to Jesus to cover us with His forgiveness and grace.  Sometimes, we feel overwhelmed by the burden of a sin that is so strong within us, even after prayer, confession, and repentence, that the only thing we can do is totally surrender it to our Savior.  He is always there for us, loving us and waiting for us to let Him in.  What are we waiting for?

So my simple answer to the question “Where is God?”… He is all around us, and the most wonderful and joyful reality is that He is in each heart that invites Him in.

*Luke 22:42  Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.

**Romans 8:28  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

*** 1 Corinthians 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.