Nail Scarred Hands

Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;

your walls are continuously before me.

Isaiah 49:16

He doesn't forget us, how could He?  We were inscribed so painfully on the palms of His hands...there's no way He could or would ever forget us.  So let's not forget Him today.  Live your life to Honor His Name! 

In His Love, Cathy

Spacious Places

I called out to the Lord in distress;

the Lord answered me and put me in a spacious place.

...

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.

Psalm 118:5, 8 (HCSB)

In times of distress and troubles, what or whom do you place your trust in?

Do you place your trust in your own strength, relying on yourself to 'handle it'?

Do you place your trust in others, relying upon them to rescue you from your problems?

Or is there some 'thing' that you fall back upon time after time, something other than God?

I mean, when it really boils down to it, where is your trust?  What or who do you rely upon the VERY MOST in times of trouble?   

If you want to really know what you trust the most, simply take a look at your initial reaction during a crisis.  What is your first instinct?  Does your immediate reaction or thoughts have anything to do with God, even if for a split second?  Or do you immediately turn to someone or something of this world, without even a thought of God until much later on?  Do you follow God's tugging in one direction in a situation, or do you follow the familiar stand by that's worked before but that isn't necessarily the best solution?  I understand that under some circumstances we must react quickly, especially if lives are at stake.  However, if our initial thoughts or actions seek out others and never once reflect on seeking God's help in the situation, we might not have our trust in the right place.

When we trust in God first and foremost as our refuge and strength, He WILL answer our prayers!  And not only that, HE SETS us up in SPACIOUS PLACES!  Now my idea of a spacious place is one where I can spread out, relax, and experience peaceful restoration - no one pressing in on me, imposing their ideas or human limitations upon me.  Yes, my idea of the spacious place in this passage is one in which God surrounds us completely in His presence - acting as the buffer zone of our lives.  When we are in the midst of the storm, we can count on Him to buffet the wind and the waves!  This spacious place He puts us in enlarges our territory for His work and glory!

In addition, we can view our problems as opportunities for God to position us in a spacious place - a better position where He can fully cultivate us into Christ's image and can utilize us in even greater works!

In God's spacious places we can withstand all that comes up against us.  We can't weather the storms of life without Him.  We can trust HIM as our refuge!

Grace and Peace!
In His Love, Cathy

Another Fave

It is I who sweep away your transgressons

for My own sake

and remember your sins no more.

Isaiah 43:25

How often am I tempted to remind others of past offenses...to hold a grudge and not forget or forgive.  Thankfully, when God forgives our sins He also FORGETS!!!  And what's more, He never brings them up again!  Wow! 

We should translate this forgiveness and forgetfulness to others as well.  We must forgive others since God forgives us.  I mean, Christ forgave those who spat on Him and nailed Him to the cross.  Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. (Luke 23:24)  Jesus also said, "But if you don't forgive people your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing."  (Mt. 6:15)  My devotional put it this way, "In refusing to forgive others you break the bridge over which you yourself must pass."     

God can help you forgive those who have hurt you.  It's hard  to forgive sometimes and much easier said than done.  I get that.  I, too, have been hurt deeply many times in life.  But, God's Word is very clear here.  Unless we forgive, we won't experience His forgiveness.

There is FREEDOM in forgiveness! 

Grace and Peace, friends!
In His Love, Cathy

A New Fave

"Indeed, it was for my own welfare that I had such great bitterness,

but Your love has rescued me from the Pit of destruction,

for You have cast all of my sins behind Your back."

Isaiah 38:17

This is my new favorite verse.  King Hezekiah uttered these words of thanksgiving after receiving a message through Isaiah that God had heard his prayer and would spare his life. 

Words can not entirely convey the depth, height, and width of the LOVE our GOD has for us.  (Ephesians 3:18)   I am also convinced no words can completely describe the depth of His mercy and grace.  Yet these words spoken by Hezekiah describe exactly what God has done, and continues to do for all who turn to Christ. 

Our sufferings bring us to the breaking point, the point at which we realize our limited humanity and recognize God's infinite glory!  Our sufferings bring us face to face with the truth of who we are internally and eternally.  For some, this realization is an affirmation of their relationship with God.  For others, it is a conviction of the heart and recognition for a need for God.  Hard times can grow our character, make us spiritually stronger, and draw us closer to God.

There is good that can come from great suffering, especially if that suffering leads us to the foot of the cross!  We can trust in God to bring forth something beneficial in times of bitterness and troubles.  Look for what it is He is wanting to do in and through you during those tough times.    

God isn't out to get you.  He's out to SAVE YOU! 

In His Love, Cathy

Training!

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:6

This morning I awoke to find our youngest son, Michael, playing his Xbox.  We have a rule about playing video games on Sunday morning - don't!  However, I paused when I noticed the game he was playing...NCAA Football 09 - he was Auburn and the opponent was South Carolina.  When I noticed that he was winning, I replied by using of of my husband's famous quotes, "That's good!  That's good!  South Carolina is having another bad day!"  So I let him continue the game just this once.  Michael then asked if he could wear his Auburn jersey to church this morning.  Although Michael has always liked Auburn, his passion for football - especially Auburn football - has only recently emerged.  Of course this thrills his father and I to death as we are avid Auburn fans and alumni!  And though he liked Auburn because we 'trained' him up - now that he's older he's developed a real passion for Auburn!  All three of our children are 'all in' for the Auburn family...and it feels good as a parent to see this fruit of our labor!

But what's more important to us than our son developing a love for Auburn football, was that our son develop a relationship with Jesus Christ.  We've trained up all of three of our children, planting seeds and tilling soil all of their lives, preparing the ground of their hearts in hopes of fertile soil ready for the Lord.  And though I am thrilled that our youngest has now taken on the full mantle of a true Auburn fan, I'm simply AWED at the results of what God has done and is doing both in and through our children!  They are 'all in' for God!

And whenever I doubt where they stand with Christ and how their relationship with God is, God shows me sweet evidence of their faith in action - the rewards of a lifetime labor of love! 

 I'm not saying I'm perfect - in fact I've been far from the perfect parent.  And I'm not saying my children are perfect - like the rest of the human race they struggle with sin.  But what I am saying is that if we as Christian parents dedicate ourselves to 'training up our children in the way they will go,' NO MATTER WHAT,' the blessing for them is eternal! 

But here is the catch...the responsibility of raising up YOUR child is YOURS!  It is not the church's, the school's, or anyone else's responsibility.  As that child's parent, YOU are the one with this responsibility.  The church is there to help, teach, and support, but realistically our children are only at church for a few hours a week.  As parents, we have the greater influence.  If we aren't teaching God's Truth AT HOME and we are not LIVING it in front of our children, then our children could be derailed in the faith!  The stakes are TOO HIGH for us parents to risk soley relying on others to teach our children God's Truth.  God has clearly made training up children a parental responsibility - not just a church responsibility!

"5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. ⁶ And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. ⁷ Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are AT HOME and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. ⁸ Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ⁹ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."  Deuteronomy 6:5-9

Just as training is essential to athletes and any successful sports program, so is training up our children in the Lord.  Training our children not only prepares them spiritually, but also prepares them for life.  Training them up in God's ways better equips them to deal with their world - giving them the tools to help them resist peer pressure, drugs, sex, and alcohol.  Training them up shows them how to make the right choices in life - not that they always do,but it shows them positive options.  And if they lose their way, hopefully, one day, that training will kick in and and they will find their way 'home.' 

Teaching our children to rely on God's strength to help them face anything in life is one of the best gifts we can give our children!  But our teaching must also be couched in our own love and reliance upon God that plays out in front of our children.  And that reliance and love for God can be taught best by Christian parents whose words and deeds reflect Christ!

Training up a child in the way they should go isn't always easy.  Some children are harder to train up than others...but hang in there!  Don't give up and certainly DON'T GIVE IN!!!  And remember, as parents, we have God's infinite resources and power to help us train up our children!  

In His Love, Cathy

Mind Games

I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning,

your minds may

 be corrupted from a complete and pure devotion to Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:3

My father-in-law is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.  Though only 70 years old, he was diagnosed about 7 to 8 years ago.  Anyone who has a loved one with this disease knows just how debilitating it can become.  The sufferer can be just as healthy as a horse physically, but their mind is terribly sick.  "Dad," as I warmly call him, has maintained most of his memory for most of the years he's had this disease.  Short term memory is a challenge for him.  He sometimes tell us the same thing over and over again, just within minutes, but he still knows who we all are and he still loves to crack jokes with the best of 'em. 

The sad thing is, Dad knew he had Alzheimer's.  When he was diagnosed, he was very aware of what this  would mean for him - it ran in his family.  His aunt had it.  The disease has very recently worsened.  Since last spring, Dad's condition has radically declined.  An incident occurred in the late spring/early summer that required quick intervention and change of medications.  Dad was slipping faster down the path he had resisted for so long.  Then another major incident occurred a little over a week ago.  It was such a critical situation that Scott and I had to drop all plans and rush to his parents' home.  All was good, but we stayed for hours and are on call 24/7 in case we are needed once again.

There are so many incidents are happening but I don't want to mention them all out of respect to Dad.  But even in the midst of all this, he's still Dad.  We still see glimpses of him.  He's still with us - trying to crack jokes and when he forgets the punchline, he laughs anyway.  He still knows Scott, Bryan, and all of the grandchildren's names.  But I don't think he's called me by my name in a couple of years - he's constantly confusing me with someone from his past.

I can't imagine the mind games this disease is playing in Dad's head.  I couldn't imagine going through what he is going through.  I can't imagine the confusion, despair, and disarray this disease has conjured up in him.  Alzheimer's has disabled our Dad.  My heart hurts from the realization that his condition will become progressively worse.  My heart also aches for Mom, who is trying so hard to care for him at home as long as possible.       

So, when my devotion this morning touched on the challenges of the battlefield of the mind, boy could I could relate!

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand...

 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—Ephesians 6:13-18

 Like the cruel disease that is attacking Dad, our enemy loves to cause us mental distress and anguish.  He plants seeds of strife, causing in us confusion, despair, and disarray.  He ravages our minds, leaving behind mass destruction.  He feeds us with lies designed to disable us, cause confusion, and send us scurrying in defeat!   

Thankfully, God has provided the right armor specifically designed to protect from this type of enemy attack...the Helmet of Salvation! We can be prepared as Christians by taking up this helmet.  The Helmet of Salvation protects us from the mind games of the enemy...reminding us of God's Truth as we fix our thoughts on holiness and righteousness, shielding us from the confusion and mental disorder the enemy tries to inflict!  My devotion put it so succinctly, "The figure of a helmet immediately suggests to us that this is something designed to protect the mind, the intelligence, the ability to think and reason."  Our minds can be settled when this protection is in place, bringing order and God's peace within us! 

In His Love, Cathy