Talking & Listening - Dinner #79

- A Few Thoughts For The Holidays -

     My girls and I just returned from spending two weeks, in Georgia, with my family.  We usually only get to see them once or twice a year, so every visit is special.  This one was no exception!  I always LOVE watching my parents and my sisters getting to interact with my Little Ones! This year, we combined the joys of Thanksgiving and Christmas, together, and had a very memorable time. For me, personally, one of the most amazing things about the trip, was just getting to “catch up” with my sisters – in person!  They both have long-hour jobs, and if you’re a mom, you know what trying to have a phone call with me can be like! LOL! This was SO much better than the “Oh! I’ve gotta go! Charlotte just knocked over the Christmas tree!” routine. SMILE!  It was some of the real heart-to-heart stuff.

     As I thought about how wonderful the “real heart-to-hearts” can be, I began to think about how it is very much the same with God! You can read pieces of information concerning Him; can skim His Word much like reading text messages; but it is not the same as spending time in His Presence. Talking to God – Listening to God.

Psalm 55:17 declares, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”

Psalm 1:2 “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

David wanted to spend ALL DAY with God! And God DESIRES to be close to us – sinners though we be . . . He is our Creator, and if we are saved, then we are His children, as well! We are part of God’s family!

Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

God wants to spend quality time with US! Just like sitting down to that wonderful Thanksgiving or Christmas Day meal, where you talk, and laugh, and cry - He wants to DINE with us! Perhaps, as you’re reading this, you’re realizing that you haven’t really just sat down and DINED with the Savior, in quite some time . . . And perhaps it feels like you may never be near to God again . . . But have you ever gone a long stretch away from a family member or a good friend, and noticed how much CLOSER your heart feels to them, even after just a quiet get-together over a cup of hot tea? You may have spent far too long away from the Presence of God, but that can be remedied, Dear Friend!

James 4:8 says, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you . . .”

If you make even one small heart-step towards the Father, He is always right there to meet you.

Psalm 16:11 “ . . . in thy presence is fullness of joy . . .” 

It is GOOD to spend time with family and friends – especially over the holidays! But “FULNESS OF JOY”? That only comes from spending time with GOD! November and December fly by, Ladies . . . the presents, the lights, the meal preparations and the gift buying . . . May we all take the time to listen to God and to talk with Him – to dine with our Savior in blessed fellowship, once more.

The Path of Surrender - Dinner #78

SURRENDER . . . Submitting to the Lord Jesus for His honor and glory.  Giving to God a little more of your life.  Learning to give Him your moments and your days.  LETTING Him be Lord.  LETTING Him direct your steps.  If you’re under conviction, it’s about going down to the altar, or lowering your head and your heart in the pew, as soon as that invitation is given.  It’s about doing that task that God impressed upon your heart to do – writing that letter, baking that meal, giving that tract.  It’s about constantly telling the Holy Spirit “yes”,

even if sometimes in your human nature, you’re inclined to say “no”. “Yes, Lord, yes, and yes, and yes, once more.”

Do we daily SURRENDER that day to Him? We have no way of knowing if that one day might be our last.  Are we seeking to glorify God with the time He has given to us?  One very overwhelmed evening, in college, I was speaking with a godly lady from India, after a church service.  I was explaining to her about how swamped I was with projects, and assignments, and upcoming tests, and she told me a valuable lesson I have never forgotten.  “Every morning, when you wake up, give to God your day.  Pray, and ask Him to help you do only what HE wants you to do in that day – what HE wants you to accomplish.” That helped me in college, it helped me in my days of teaching in a Christian school, it helps me now in motherhood  . . . “Please help me Lord to do what YOU want me to do today.  I surrender THIS DAY to you.”  Because if you turn your moments, your hours, your days, over to the Lord, in so doing, you are surrendering to God your life.  You are allowing His Holy Spirit to lead you.  You are allowing GOD to be in charge.  Because WE might think it most important that we clean our house, that we get caught up on laundry, or that we mow the lawn.  I recently saw a devotional quote on Facebook that read: “Sometimes the interruption is the assignment.”  Sometimes that unexpected, that tends to frustrate or annoy, is exactly what God wanted in your day. Are you willing to say, “Yes, Lord!” when it comes?

Ephesians 2:10 declares, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”  Are we following the daily assignments that HE has for us?  Amid the changing diapers and the washing the dishes, are we pausing to write that encouraging letter to someone, or to make that meal for someone sick, when the Holy Spirit prompts us to?  Hebrews 3:13 says “But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day . . .” Don’t put it off . . . Don’t miss out on what God could do with your life!

I think this is an area of surrender, that we don’t often consider in our lives.  As a teenager, we might feel comfortable with giving Him “our life”, in general, but do we hand over to Him the days? Or the hours, even? 

The Bible speaks much about our day – about viewing our day through Heavenly eyes. 

Ephesians 5:16 advises us to make sure that we are “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

And the book of Psalms, in particular, has one beautiful thought for us, after another:

Psalm 35:28 “And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.”

Psalm 71:8 “Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.”

Psalm 145:2 “Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.”

Psalm 71:15 “My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.”

Psalm 96:2 “Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.”

Psalm 74:16 “The day is thine, the night also is thine . . .”

Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

     You see, it isn’t about us – it isn’t about just dishes, and dusting, and grocery shopping.  Now those things ARE important – they ARE often a big part of our God-given role as a woman and as a homemaker.  But sometimes God would use our hands to complete some blessed task, or He would use our lips to pray some sincere prayer, or He would use our mind to think some creative idea, and we miss out, because we have not allowed Him to have full control of our day or of our lives. You may have been saved for decades, but if you haven’t been allowing Christ to be Lord in your life, I want to encourage you to let the Holy Spirit be in charge.  God’s will for our days is so much better than anything we could plan for ourselves!