Wednesday, May 27, 2015

My Father's Eyes

Photo from creationoutreach.com

“God created human beings, making them to be like Him.” Genesis 1:27

God made human beings like Himself? Really? I often cling so tightly to ME that I wonder how others could possibly see God in me. Yet 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, “Surely you know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you!”

So, if God made us to be like Him, and His Spirit lives within us, what SHOULD we be like? Galatians 5: 22-23 says, “The Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control.”

I don’t know about you, but I just can’t live up to that on my own. In order to show the world what God is like, I need help. Only God’s Holy Spirit can replace envy with His love, despondency with His joy, worry with His peace, anger with His patience, rudeness with His kindness, selfishness with His goodness, disloyalty with His faithfulness, pride with His humility, and overindulgence with His self-control.

Known as the “Fruits of the Spirit”, these attributes will only be evident when we invite God’s Spirit to work as the Master Gardener in the orchard of our souls—feeding, watering, pruning, and harvesting—through Scripture, prayer, the fellowship of other Christians, and walking in faith.

Through His people, others are able to see God. I want to reflect all the goodness that is His. Amy Grant’s song, “Father’s Eyes” says it best. Have a listen! Will you join Amy and me in praying that when others look at you and me, they would see our Heavenly Father?




Blessings!
Pam

©2015 Pamela D. Williams

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

In His Arms


Psalm 131
Lord, I have given up my pride
and turned away from my arrogance.
I am not concerned with great matters
or with subjects too difficult for me.
2 Instead, I am content and at peace.
As a child lies quietly in its mother's arms,
so my heart is quiet within me.
3 Israel, trust in the Lord
now and forever!

The last couple weeks have been trying. A check up with the heart doctor led to my 82 year-old mom having a stress test and then heart catheterization. One of my routine exams showed some discrepancies from previous years, so further tests await me.

On top of these stresses, have been some bittersweet celebrations. This past Sunday was our Confirmation service for 14 young people, one of whom I was privileged to mentor. What a blessed occasion!

Unfortunately, our grandson Kodey’s Confirmation was the same day, a conflict that we thought we had carefully worked out months ago. Needless to say, we missed Kodey’s service. L

There is more but you get the picture. Needless to say, I have not been in that quiet, contented picture painted by Psalm 131. You know what I mean? I am sure each of you has faced similar challenges and distresses.

If only I could let go of matters I have no control over, rather than wracking my brain for solutions. I want to lie quietly in my Heavenly Father’s arms instead of crossing my arms and nursing my disappointment. I wish my heart would be quiet within me, not pounding out of my chest with “what ifs”. I truly want to trust in the Lord and be content and at peace.

I AM getting there. Much of the peace infiltrating my troubled heart is directly related to the prayers of so many friends and family members. Reminding myself of past times when God worked out troubles for the good has also helped. And spending quiet time in His presence, simply being, always brings a balm to my soul.

With God’s help, I am beginning to see myself in the peace-filled picture from Psalm 131. Gradually, I am letting go and trusting. I covet your prayers, my friends.

Blessings!
Pam

©2015 Pamela D. Williams

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Gleaning


“I try to read my Bible, and I do fine for a little while. Then I get to all those laws about sacrifices and I lose interest. Do you have any suggestions for how to study that will help me get more out of it?” a friend recently asked.

I have been reading and studying the Bible for almost 40 years. During that time I have tried a number of methods that have worked for a while and then have become more like a rut than a journey with Jesus. But isn’t that human nature? We need variety in our lives to stay healthy physically and mentally. Why would it be any different spiritually?

I see great advantage to shaking things up a bit from time to time. It keeps God’s Word fresh and creates opportunities for the Holy Spirit to speak. So here are a few techniques I have found effective in gleaning more from God’s Word:

Journibles: A Journible is simply a notebook in which we write out our very own copy of Scripture. Before reading a passage, ask God to speak to your heart through it. Prayerfully rewrite the Bible text on the left hand page. On the right hand page, journal what you sensed God saying to you through it. How does this passage make me feel—comforted? Corrected? Blah? How might the principles behind these verses apply to a challenge I am facing right now? What action is God prompting me to take, if any? How does my thinking need re-shaped, according to this passage?

Bible Study Books and Guides: There are lots of Bible studies available both online and in bookstores. In their books, Bible teachers like Beth Moore, Lysa TerKeurst, Francis Chan, and Max Lucado provide probing questions and insights to keep us motivated. Christianity Today offers an article on the Top 10 Studies on Books of the Bible. I personally like the LifeGuide Bible Study series available from Amazon.com. These booklets offer both topical and whole book studies.

One, Two, or Three Year Reading Plans: BibleGateway.com and BibleStudyTools.com both offer numerous Bible reading plans. When followed faithfully, the readings cover the entire Bible in the specified time frame. These plans usually have a few “catch-up” days built in, which are great for those times when our crazy lives don’t follow “The Plan”.

Devotional Helps: The Upper Room, The Secret Place, SacredSpace.ie, Crosswalk.com and Walk Thru the Bible are just a few of the resources available for our daily quiet time with Jesus. Each of these publications suggests a reading, prayers, and soul-searching meditations to strengthen our connection with God.

How we go about reading God’s Word isn’t as important as the life-changing truths we glean from it. But, if we are honest, we all can use a little motivation and guidance along the way. What works for you? I would love to share your ideas with my friend!

Blessings!
Pam 

 ©2015 Pamela D. Williams

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Consequences

Photo by Pam Williams
Longwood Gardens

“The genius of God's moral code is that everything He requires of us is for our own good. Anything less than obedience to God is not only disappointing to Him-it is self-destructive. There is more than one reason for faithfulness to His Word.” ~QuietWalk.org

When we criticize others, we open ourselves to criticism.
When we gossip, we invite others to gossip about us.
When we show disrespect, we receive disrespect in return.
When we allow anger to rule our tongues, we fuel the fire of anger toward us.
When we don’t take the time to pray, the busyness of the day steals our peace.
When we fail to study God’s Word, we are easily led astray.
When we lie, we spin a sticky web of deceit in which we ourselves become entangled.
When we drink to excess, we poison our bodies and our relationships.
When we reject God’s love for us, we find it impossible to love ourselves.

May we turn from our self-destructive ways and follow God.

Blessed are those whose lives have integrity,
those who follow the teachings of the Lord.
Blessed are those who obey his written instructions.
They wholeheartedly search for him . . .
They follow his directions.
Psalm 119:1-3


Blessings!
Pam

©2015 Pamela D. Williams