I just love how the Lord does things. I know no-one as organized and prepared as He is.
I was up early on Monday (3a.m.) .. I call that my Jesus Jingle, or Jesus Jab, at any rate I know He wants to meet with me. I was excited to arise and get some coffee brewing .. a new kind I'd never before tried .. Cinnamon Swirl by Folgers .. tastes so good and smells just wonderful!
My feelings had been hurt the day before that morning and I had wanted to 'react' to that with mean words, but I didn't. However I did think about the incident for awhile almost doing the rehearsal of I wished I had said .. I know better then this, what your mind dwells on gets magnified, and then it in a sense becomes the god of you at that time .. which is not good.
There is nothing else in my life that I can't stand more then emotional pain. I had that for too many years because I did not know how to get free from it, but once I got free, I do fight to stay that way.
So, I was praying for God to help me lay it down .. leave it be, forgive and restore fellowship in my own heart with the one that had hurt my feelings.
So, as I was reading the Word that morning at 3:30a, enjoying my coffee, the Lord took me to:
Matthew 16:24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
And I read that over/over as I knew it was speaking to me .. then finally I knew the "new" application to my life of that life verse, denying myself (the freedom of speech to vent and react), and taking up His cross (His words, commitment, dedication, obedience, humility) and following Him - (forgive and move forward).
So tonight while reading online .. guess what? He reconfirmed His word to me again! And I wanted to share this article/writing with you.
Love - Diane
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
It came to pass . . . that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." —Genesis 22:
I can hardly imagine inviting special friends over for dinner and then throwing a few leftovers into the microwave to serve up to them. But if I were to do that, it would speak volumes about how I really feel about them.
Giving God the leftovers of our lives speaks volumes about His true worth to us. When God asked Abraham to give Isaac back to Him as an act of worship, Genesis 22:1 calls it a test. A test to see if there was anything in his life that he treasured more than God.
It's no different for us. There are times when God requires something really important to get His work done. He'll ask us to give up our natural instincts to seek revenge so that we can communicate His forgiving love by forgiving our enemies. He may call us to sacrifice portions of our time or money or comforts to advance His cause. Or He may require us to allow our sons and daughters to go to a far-off land to tell others about His saving love. The way we respond to what He requires says volumes about how we really feel about Him.
Anyone can offer the leftovers. Only those who love God more than anything else will serve up the very best for Him. — Joe Stowell
"Take up thy cross and follow Me.
"I hear the blessed Savior call;
How can I make a lesser sacrifice When Jesus gave His all? —Ackley No sacrifice we make is too great for the One who sacrificed His all.
COOL -HUH?
Hugs, Diane, Your SisterFriend
"Your word I have treasured in my heart..."Psalm 119:11a
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