My Direction for This Christmas Season...

 

Every Christmas is different from the others. This is true again this year.  

Many of you know that our son-in-law, Austin, was hurt severely while feeding cattle with the loader in mid-November.  He was in the hospital for three weeks and then, much to our surprise, was discharged to come home earlier than expected. This is making for a wonderful, joyous Christmas!

We have a large family, twenty-four grandchildren, and many adults to shop for. Also, extra things must be done at our church and the ranch this time of year. Last year, I was a bit proud as I had presents all purchased and wrapped right after Thanksgiving. This is not so this year. I shop all year, so I have gifts but do not remember what I bought; I have nothing wrapped, no decorations up, and very little baking done. 

But it is all okay. I am learning this year to let the Holy Spirit fill and guide me. We have the best gifts—Austin is home and doing well, and we have the birth of the Savior to celebrate. If nothing gets done, it is okay.  

I went to our grandson's music concert last week.  They sang the song Christmas is a Time of  Love.  It really spoke to my heart.  Yes, Christmas is a time of love!  May we celebrate the birth of Jesus, let His love fill our hearts, let the Holy Spirit direct everything we do, and may we not worry about all the details.  

I was encouraged by Psalm 63:7, 8 as I read it yesterday.

 For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

God has a mighty and powerful right hand!  And being under His 'wings' is a joyous place to be! 

I am writing this to you to encourage you to hold tight to God's right hand, to rest under His wings

, and to let the love of Christ dwell in your heart!   Merry Christmas! 

Christmas is a Time to Love

Christmas is a time, Christmas is a time
Christmas is a time to love
Christmas is a time, Christmas is a time
Christmas is a time to love

We often start to worry and people get upset
If things don't all go right on Christmas Day
What we should remember in all the push and shove
Is Christmas is a time to love

Maybe things don't sound right or look the way they should
And maybe they're not perfectly in tune
It really doesn't matter, let's keep our eyes above
'Cause Christmas is a time to love

Christmas is a time, Christmas is a time
Christmas is a time to love
Christmas is a time, Christmas is a time
Christmas is a time to love

Uplifting benefits of listening to Christian instrumental music....

 Let me use this message today to encourage you to listen to good Christian music that will calm and quiet your soul.

Over the years our family has practiced this and found it healing and beneficial. Sometimes we have played just instrumental music, other times it has been hymns or praise music sung in a quiet, worshipful way. 

We used to have a few cassette tapes that we played repeatedly on our old cassette tape players.  Now we have many other options and ways to get the music to us. One of my favorites is to go to YouTube and find one of their options.

We have found this to be helpful when:
we have had members in the hospital or ill,
we are in distress,
we are having trouble trusting God,

we can't go to sleep,

we are wrestling with a decision,

we need peace in our souls,

we are in the office working,

we are driving,

many others!

There are just 'times' when this is really helpful and healing.  Hope it helps you, also.  

Trusting the Lord...I can lay down and sleep in peace

I was getting a little 'worried' and 'fretting' over our grandkids recently.  Whether we have one or many grandkids, we love them and want God's best for them.  Our grandchildren have many stages in life that we are concerned about.  As babies, we are concerned with their health and development.  Then they start school and we worry about who their friends and teachers will be.  Will they be able to learn well?  Will they be safe?  Then they become teenagers!  Will they keep the Godly values they have been taught from their study of the Bible and from their families?  Will they use good judgment?  Will they be able to discern what is true? Oh no, now they are off to college.  What classes will they need?  Where will they live?  Will they be safe? Will they stay on course? Now college is over and there are new decisions to be made.  Where will they work?  Will they be able to get a job?  Where will they go to church? Who will they marry? Will their mates love the Lord and be committed to doing His will?

We now have grandchildren in each of these 'walks of life'.  And I was worrying about them!

Gail has been preaching through the Psalms at Valley Cowboy Church.  Recently he spoke about Psalm 3.  In this Psalm, David was talking to God.  David was fleeing from Jerusalem because Absolom was trying to take over the throne from David.  It was a scary time for David and his kingdom as they left Jerusalem and went into the countryside. The battle was brewing and would soon ensue them.  Yet, David trusted God.

Psalm 3:3-6 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

            I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill.

            I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. 

            I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

This Psalm reminded me that God is with us and hears our cries for help from Him.  We, too, can trust Him with our lives and the lives of our families.  We too can lay down and sleep because we are trusting Him.

Just as our grandkids were trusting the rope as they were swinging in the picture above, we too can hold on to God, give Him our 'worries' and trust that He will carry us through life.  May we leave our cares with Him and sleep in peace. 

Learn to always 'think' the best of your spouse....

 Recently I heard a broadcast on the internet about marriage.  It talked about the different times we go through in our marriages.  The program talked about the four seasons we have in our marriages; likening times in our marriages to spring, summer, fall, and winter.  Some of the seasons are easy and wonderful.  Other times the seasons can be difficult.  They can be a struggle to get through and to keep going. 

I was reminded of our own marriage.  We have now been married for almost 52 years!!! It has definitely had its seasons!  Some of them have been easy and some of them have been difficult.  But we have hung in there with each other.  

I'd like to share with you one of the verses that really helped to carry me through. These verses are from the Amplified Bible. The verses from the Amplified Bible are generally wordier and more explicit about the ideas in the Bible. Let me share with you from Ephesians 5:33b

"and the wife [must see to it] that she respects and references her husband - that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, generates and esteems him, and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly."

I actually wrote these exact verses down in the back of my Bible so I could go to them and remind myself how I should be thinking/acting/ and responding to Gail.  Is he perfect?  Am I perfect?  Absolutely not!  But we have tried to seek God out and live as the Bible has asked.  When struggling with your spouse and marriage, remember these verses and check your thoughts and actions.  God will be glorified and can get you through the hard times. 

Praying aloud with your spouse or family...

 When Gail and I were first married someone told us to pray aloud with each other at bedtime.  So we committed to doing this together.  It has been a wonderful discipline for us for many reasons.  By praying together we know what each other is concerned about and praying for.  Also, it has kept us at peace with each other.  We know we have to settle our differences before we go to bed.  We just can't pray together if we aren't at peace with one another! 

Gail and I also have prayed out loud for our children or grandchildren at bedtime. This is something we've done for years.  When we'd tuck our child in we'd pray for them and then our child would pray.  We've carried this over to our grandchildren.  It is a great way to end the day.  Sometimes the grandchild does not want to pray and that is alright too. 

A book I was recently reading said our prayers can really comfort the grandchildren and give them peace at bedtime. Praying aloud also sends a much-needed message that tells the grandchild, "You are loved and valuable." It also shows them that God loves them, knows them by name, and cares about their every need.

Aren't we so blessed to be able to speak to our Heavenly Father?  HE IS GOOD! 

Hang in there through the years.....teach the next generation.

 Yesterday was an encouraging day as we were back in the Limon area.  We had lived there for about thirty years some twenty years ago...so we'd lived there quite a while and we have been gone quite a while! It really was encouraging to go back.  We attended the church that we had been a part of for many years.  We had helped to build the church after the old one was destroyed by the tornado in 1990.  We'd taught there and been in leadership.  It was so good to go back and see our brothers and sisters in Christ still faithfully serving our Lord and Savior.  

Two specific people came up to me and thanked me for making a difference in their lives many years ago.  Wow!  What a blessing to know that I had made a difference in their lives.

Then we were able to go to a FCA banquet.  There they talked about the impact that those in the organization had made on other people through the years.  And the impact those currently serving through FCA are making on teachers and students now.  

The day really encouraged me.  It encouraged me to see the faithful still serving, to see that what we have previously done has made a difference in others' lives, and to see that it is still important that we keep serving God!

My morning devotion contained these verses that I thought were so adequate for this blog.

Psalm 71:17-19

7 O God, from my youth you have taught me,
    and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
18 So even to old age and gray hairs,
    O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
    your power to all those to come.
19 Your righteousness, O God,
    reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
    O God, who is like you?

What is success?

 Last week I told one of our grandchildren that I wanted him to be successful in life. Later when I was praying I saw in my prayer book that I had written that as a prayer request for this grandchild. So I got to thinking what does that mean? What does it mean to be a successful person?

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I looked for a definition of success. This is what I found on the internet.

Success is the ability to reach your goals in life, whatever those goals may be. Other words used for success may be attainment, accomplishment, or progress. It is not necessarily a destination but a journey that helps develop the skills and resources you need to thrive.

There were five keys to success listed: Confidence, Perseverance, Organization, Getting Along, and Resilience.

There were four factors listed that contribute to or determine success: intelligence, social skills, work ethic, and luck.

Qualities of successful people were passion, optimism, persistence, creativity, self-discipline, a desire to improve, and a commitment to learning.

There were seven steps to happiness and success.
    Believe in yourself, and identify your natural talents and abilities…
    Develop a Vision. First, define your path and start working on your plan…
    Develop good habits. Happy and successful people choose good habits…
    Show gratitude…
    Take a chance…
    Give to others…
    Take responsibility…

These are all good points and thoughts and ideas for the world we live in but.......what about success in spiritual terms?

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I turned to Got Questions.org to see what this site said about spiritual success. This is what it said:

Riches? Pv. 22:2 says God makes both the rich and the poor. He is the giver of all things to all people.

Skills and abilities? I Cor. 4:7 “For who makes you to differ from anyone else? What do you have that you have not received?” Our abilities and skills come from God.

Influence and power? John 3:37 “A man can receive only what is given to him from heaven.’ If a man is successful it is only because God has given him or her that ability.

Things of the world? I Jn. 2:15-17 “Do not love the world or anything in the world.” If we love the world and what it provides more than we love God we will find our lives to be empty.

True success is to have salvation and to know God. Lk. 10:20 ‘…rejoice that your names are written in the book of life.’ When you have salvation you will have the promise of eternal life which is stated as not a length of time but a quality of life where you are known by God and are in His presence. We are not to rejoice because of our abilities, victories, and possessions in this world. True success in which we rejoice is: being saved, overcoming this world by His grace, and communion with Jesus.

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So as I recap about encouraging our grandson to be successful:
    I am thankful for his commitment to our Lord and his profession of faith…
    Now may he overcome the world by using what God has given him and keep his focus on Christ! May he and you and I be successful in God's eyes! May we truly follow and obey Him!