Glory-Strength

Ever had "One of those days?"  I did just yesterday......ugh!

One of my devotional books is Jesus Always and it gave me a new concept to contemplate!!!  

Glory-Strength.  Look at this version of Colossians 1:11 - it's amazing!!!

Colossians 1:11 (The Message)

" We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul - not the grim strength of gritting your teeth, but the Glory-Strength God gives.  It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into JOY, thanking the Father who made us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that He has for us!!!"

Are you gritting your teeth trying to make it through the day?  Are you sticking it out over the long haul?  Or, are you your family's version of the Grim Reaper?  If so, I get it!  Yesterday was one of the "grim" days for me..........I couldn't really put my finger on what was causing the grimness, but it was there in full force!  

So, how do we tap into that Glory-Strength God promises to give us?  How do we find that Joy that only He can give?

Reflect on your life.  How's it been going?  Spend time with the Lord.  Where are you allowing God to motivate you?

Whatever your answer, remember, you were given a talent, a gift that NO one else has - use it!  God doesn't want us to bury our gifts in the ground and hope for a return on our investment.  He wants to use the talents and gifts He has given us for HIS Glory!!  Are you using your gift?

One of the greatest gifts I have been given is being at home the past 10 weeks.  Yes, it has been without work, but it has given me time to reflect on what's most important.  

Have I gotten a few things done around the house?  Sort of....

Have I planted a new garden?  Yes.

Have I worked out every day?  No.  

Have I walked most days?  Yes.

Do I have a great roommate?  Yes,

Have I shared special time with my family in Ohio?  Yes.  

Have I been counting my blessings?  Yes, for the most part.

Yet, my worries about finances and how things will turn out in the long run got me down yesterday.   What has been unendurable for you for the past 10 weeks?  Does your "cup runneth over," or are you in a grim mood?  If your cup is not running over with blessings, then may I suggest you do the following?

1)  Write down 3 things you are grateful for - right now!  1, 2, 3......try doing that every morning when you wake up or every evening before you lay your head on the pillow!   Gratitude!!!  Thankfulness - it works every time!!!

 2) Look for the Bright and Beautiful in your day, your home, your yard, your spouse, your children and grandchildren, your job, your retirement, your dinner menu, your laundry and even your dishes!!! 

Grit your teeth if you must, but God gives us HIS Glory-Strength to endure the unendurable - yep!  You were made for the long haul.......the unendurable!!!

Go use that talent you have been given!!!

Marriage...

Today, June 6, 2020 is a very special day for a sweet friend of mine, Jesse - she is getting married!!!
I am so excited for her and for Donny!!!  And, I am honored to be able to read I Corinthians 13 for them at their service.  Together they read through many versions of this Bible Scripture, contemplated what each version meant to them, and have decided on the HCSB version which is below:

“If I speak human or angelic languages but do not have love, I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body in order to boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not conceited, does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for languages, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things. For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known. Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (HCSB)

People who know Jesse, realize that she has been through many rough patches in her life. People who know Donny, realize that he has gone through many trials as well. And, yet, through it all, they each have relied on God to help them through every part of their journey,  And, God has been faithful and has brought them to THIS day.

When Donny proposed to Jesse, he said that he knew if he were faithful to the Lord that God would bring the exact person he needed to go through this life with....and God did just that!

Jesse and Donny are perfect for each other - they compliment each other in Spirit, they work together in every endeavor, and they love their families dearly!!!  They trust each other, they respect each other and they love each other with all their hearts.

Their motto is:  I  CHOOSE YOU!

Isn't that amazing?  That after all the ups and downs they have each gone through in their lives that they would CHOOSE each other - For life!!!

Marriage is Sacred. It is Holy.  And, it is God-ordained between a man and a woman.  It is a close union, an alliance that should be honored above all human relationships.

God knew exactly what He was doing when He brought these two love birds together!

The beautiful part is that each of them love the Lord their God with all their hearts, with all their minds, with all their souls and with all their strength.  They put God first in everything they do.  And, the love which has come to them through the Lord is for everlasting!!!  Always, forever and ever.

What a JOY it is to celebrate this union that God has brought together!!!