11.21.2007

Colossians 2:6,7
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Hebrews 12:28,29
…since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire."

Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Hello everyone,

By the time you get this, it’s either Thanksgiving or the holiday has passed. But! There is always reason for us to be giving thanks… While I dislike the idea of doing your typical talk about giving thanks around this time of year, it is something that we constantly need to be reminded of. I say this because it is terribly difficult to do the opposite of expressing gratitude: complaining.

In the States, it’s absolutely socially acceptable to complain about – well – anything under the sun. The government; our jobs; our lack of money; our classes; the terrible quality of television; the neighbors we don’t like; the time it takes to wait in line for something; the food we’re eating; the homes we live in; the families (or in-laws!) that we’re “stuck” with; the state of the church; the --- do I really need to go on? And those are just some of the things I hear pretty much every day either with the people I interact with, people I pass on the street, or even out of my own mouth. Some may be somewhat legitimate in the sense of something being completely askew with the way things ought to be. But most of the time I feel like we complain for the sake of complaining. There are a blessed few out there that barely complain about anything at all. I try to be one of those people, but honestly where I fail the most is in with my thoughts. I might not vocalize it but I’m still complaining. It’s also real easy for some people to get caught up in the complaints of others and just delve into a Complaining Fest.
Yet, complaining is a serious matter to God. There are a number of Scripture references that exhort us to not complain; one such passage compares what happened to the Israelites when they complained (being struck dead! Yikes! Check out 1 Corinthians 10:10 and Jude 1:16).
Complaining really comes out of being ungrateful and having that seated on our tongues rather than praise and thanksgiving to our God. There are many things in the situations that we don’t like that we can still praise the Lord for, and that’s what our focus ought to be. This isn’t something unfamiliar to Scripture, either; some of the verses above are just a few out of many in which we are told to be thankful. Being thankful changes our attitude about a situation or circumstance, and it even refocuses our outlook on life. Rather than being a dreadful place where things don’t really go the way we want them to, the world becomes a place God has made and is continuing to work in.

Now does THAT just turn everything all upside down. I really think that being continually grateful rather than ungrateful is one of God’s ways of giving us new eyes. Now if only I could keep that in mind when I’m tempted to complain about something frivolous … like unfavorable weather.

I pray that the Lord would impress upon us a sense of gratitude that is overwhelming and awesome. I pray that we would be changed in the attitude of our minds, that instead of lamenting about a situation we would be able to see what God might be doing there and praise Him for it. I pray that we would push out our tendency to complain in our hearts and with others so that we can be more and more grateful for the things God has given us.

In love and in Him,
Your sister,
Yvonne

Philippians 2:14,15
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

11.14.2007

Hello!

I pray that this finds you well and that you’re learning a lot from our Lord through whatever your circumstances – good or bad – and that you are continually growing closer to Him. There are a handful of things that He’s been pulling from my own life, and particularly pointing out things that I thought I already went through a few times already.

Recently, I’ve begun to realize more and more how much I allow busyness (and contrastly, procrastination?) to veil over my daily life. While I encourage others to be diligent in prayer and making sure to spend time with God, I’ve found that I have not been taking my own words to heart and my own personal time in the quietness of God has been lacking. This is a dreadful realization. If you’ve been keeping tabs on the Weekly for a while now, this is going to be familiar news to you: you’ve seen where I’ve talked about this before, and probably would have seen it crop up again and again. You would think that I would be able to take hold of the bugger and toss it out, right? Oh - but cyclical sinner that I am, apparently I’m having a terrible time shaking it off even when I see it coming up again. and again. and again. (perhaps there is something you deal with of another sort that follows this particular trend?) BUT-- Praise be to God our Father for being so gracious and patient! How good He is deal with, bring us back, continually love us with discipline and faithfulness. How deep is God’s love for us that He would call and treat us as His children.
And through this busyness of mind, this disordered sense that makes me feel unbalanced and weighed down, there are so many good things that peek through. This Weekly Thing, I wanted to share with you some Scriptures that have cropped up over the past few days. It has encouraged me and a good portion of it has revolved around resting and finding/having peace in the Lord. That’s what I need right now: rest. God’s peace. an assurance that He is in control. that He is using me even when I feel feeble and weighed down. I need refinement and a sharpening. I pray these passages from Scripture, through our faith in Christ, would encourage your hearts as well.

Philippians 4:4-9, 12,13
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 23,24
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
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.

2 Thessalonians 2:16,17
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.


Praise be to God.
In love and in Him,
Yvonne

11.1.2007

Matthew 5:13-16

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Hello everyone!

It has been quite a busy time for me; I should probably be taking more time and paying more attention to rest. I’ve been neglecting certain things that I love doing and certain things that I don’t necessarily love to do, but should get done (particularly the kind of things that require cleaning the apartment – oi!). But with that thought aside, I hope that you have been more restful than I, and have been able to celebrate the gift of down time.

As always, there is much that I could share. There are still things from the last Weekly that I sent that I’d like to talk about, and it’s amazing what can happen between now and then that brings up other thoughts. Lately I’d been in conversations about following Christ and faith; and then I’d also been thinking about serving Him where we live and having the compassion and loving the places where we live. When God called Abraham, for example, Abraham had no idea where he was going. God said “Go to the place I lead you,” and Abraham went. While I don’t think that too many of us (though some of us do) get the direct voice of God telling us where we ought to live next, I do believe that there is a purpose in being in the places you and I are currently at. This was the case with Esther, who found herself in a royal position around the same time when n edict was sent for the destruction of the Jews… she became the king’s wife and was able to plead for her people (Esther 4:14, “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” said to Esther when she was not completely willing to speak to the king.)

Whether you are in school, or working in a business, or working part-time while you look for a career, there’s a reason for being where you are right now. Now, I can’t tell you what that might be. But, I can suggest that perhaps you are where you are to grow as a Christian. I can suggest that maybe there is one person – maybe even the one that annoys you the most – that needs to hear/see the Gospel and the love of God. I could suggest a lot of things but the point is that it can be so easy to be discontent with the place we’re in, that once we start complaining about it we end up missing the opportunity to be blessed… or to bless someone else with the kind of blessing that comes from a servant’s heart. Our scope becomes too small, or too self-focused, or too boxed in. Worse yet, maybe we’re too busy living in our prospective future situation that we totally miss what’s going on in the present. Rather than do that, look for how God may want to use you or teach something to you in your current situation. Look for ways that you can serve those who are around you right now. Take joy in the little things you can find so that your heart can be more grateful for the fact that you have what you do.

There’s a phrase that I heard a long time ago and recently heard again: “Bloom where you’re planted.” Maybe your neighbors need to know that Christ’s love is deeper and more forgiving than they think. Maybe your coworker needs to see what a compassionate Christian looks like. Maybe your classmate’s wounds need to be healed. Maybe your family needs to see what God’s grace really looks like. Maybe you need to learn how to trust in, wait on, or depend on God. Maybe you’re not willing to budge but God really is calling you to go somewhere else.

“Maybe” a lot of things; I don’t know your situation. Take courage though: the God who saved you and holds you close is the same God that gives you strength to be a light in the world. He isn’t going to let you down as long as you look and listen to what He’s got in store for you. And that’s my prayer for all of us.

In love and in Him,

Your sister,

Yvonne