Wow, what an awesome week that we have just lived through at VBS!!! It has been so wonderful seeing the laughter and life running through the halls in both adults and children! Funny last night I could not sleep because I had sooo much blog running through my mind and now tonight I am struggling to fill the text box! We sang a number of songs through this week at VBS and one really stood out to me. It says You say go I will go, You say tell I will tell. You say love I will love, you say trust I will trust, Is that not the step out on faith that Dathan and I have just been journeying through. God has a plan for us all and it is so important that we stop looking at our lives through our own worldly eyes and thinking me, me, me and start thinking Him Him Him and You You You! God calls us to go and tell not to go and be told. God calls us to love and trust not to ask why we are not getting enough love and trust! If I have learned anything over the past few years it has been that the more I show love, the more I study with intent to tell, the more I share Jesus and His love to others... The more loved I feel! I could spend my life waiting to be ready to teach a Sunday School class, or even sing in a microphone which I really struggled agreeing to this week, but ultimately God will give us all the courage if we have faith! If we live in faith in Him, in love for others, and trust Him to guide us in those relationships He will be part of those relationships, even at the top of them! I never saw myself back in my hometown but God called and we said we would go, I just pray that our time here is spent in complete love to Him. Sharing Jesus and praising Him in all that we do! It is so easy to get frustrated and negative in daily life anywhere but I remind myself to turn to God and look for positive! It is so funny, in teaching the 5th and 6th graders last week and the youth each Sunday I have learned so much myself. I have especially learned to trust God to give me the courage to step out of my fear and be myself in Him. I sure did that last week. I jumped around with those kids like I was a kid and every second was in praise and honor glorifying God!
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river. Jeremiah 17:7-8a
I spend much of my days thinking I can get through any storm in my life because I have faith in God. I as many Christians do, say, He will get me through. He has promised me that! Well the truth is that He will do just that. He has provided me a Holy Bible to read and learn from. He has sent Jesus Christ to die for me and my sin! I ask now why is it that so many of us have a desire to serve ourselves and place Him on the back burner? Why is it not important to attend church and join the family of God? Why is it not important to go regularly if we are members? Why do we not jump in and join bible study groups or even start them? We expect God to get us through the storm that we know will come but we do not want to give up our selfish desires! Something that I have learned is that the more I give to God, the more time, the more love, the more study, the more praise, the more it becomes my desire. I desire to grow stronger in Him, to praise Him and share His love with others! I have more courage and more strength to step out of my ordinary and boldly praise Him in what I do! I read the verse above and it explains all of this to me! I have learned since moving back to my hometown that even the strongest appearing trees can be uprooted in a storm. We have had a lot of storms here lately and I see many huge trees laying across yards with these giant root balls pulled right out of the ground. I think to myself.... Is that me???? Sure I look strong and bold for Christ, I am a preachers wife but are my roots deep enough in Him that I can withstand storms and droughts in my life? I do not intend to tell anyone that God will not get them through if they trust Him but how you get through is a whole different story! With deep roots of scripture, prayer, supportive Christ centered friendships, love, and trust, we can come through a storm or drought still praising Him, still finding Him everyday. But with out these we forget to turn to Him, we do not have friends that remind us of Him when we are overwhelmed, we can't pull the scripture back to the surface and know that He is there! I don't know about you but I need to keep strengthening my roots. I know that if I stop then they become weak and will not last as long through a drought or storm. If I do then they will. I need to be fed and I need a church family, I need to love others as much as I can because He first loved me. I need to forgive and get pain and anguish out of the equation and I need to build a relationship with Him. I need to learn and know scripture so that I can call on it in dark times when I can not see the words in His book. I need to study scripture and hear it's interpretation so that I can recognize what to recall. A drought calls for one but a storm may call for another! Who are we to think we are better than Him. Who are we to place our selves and our earthly joy ahead of His righteous joy! Why would we ever say I do not have time for church, I am always to tired to read the bible or do a devotion? I am embarrassed to talk about Him with my friends! Why???? We want what He has given but at no sacrifice. Yes salvation is a free gift but in it we should desire Him, we should appreciate His sacrifice so much that we want to sacrifice our selves and desire Him more and more!
So tell me about your roots! Are they deep in the ground or are they simply on the surface? Are they even there? Message me, comment, whatever, just let me know what I can do to help you strengthen your roots, can I pray with you? can I study scripture with you? I love Him because He first loved me! Friend if you are reading this, I love you because He first loved you! I am here and if there as anything I can do to help strengthen your roots I would love to!
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