SSMT: Week 4 - My Work Commitment

Wow...week four already of Beth Moore's Siesta Sister Memory Team, and I have been so blessed to focus on the previous three.  I do look forward to what lesson the Lord has for me with this chosen scripture.

I like to think these scriptures choose me, for I wait until I feel that pull, that tug; that this is the one for me.

Right now, I see this as a two-part scripture:

1. Commit your work to the Lord.
2. Plans will be established.

In my independence and in self-sufficient ways, I hear the message to pray more about decisions that I make within my work, turning to Him first.  Also, the glory that comes from this work should be for Him.  I have worked very diligently within my career, hoping, desiring, wishing always to advance, only most often to be told He wants me right where I am, advancing for Him, not for me.

I do not know the "plans" He has for me beyond this year, not even sure I know from day to day.  Should we?  If He directs our footsteps, that path may change, even from day to day.

We shall see how this scripture leads.  

My previous scripture selection became a warning...in a positive way, one I heeded...hopefully, for He was teaching my daughter and myself humility, to keep that focus on Him, not us.

What is your scripture focus?  How is He speaking to you through this scripture?

Online Christian Bible Book Clubs

Blogging this morning about Angels Walking by Karen Kingsbury (and her online Facebook discussion of her book) resulted in my thinking about upcoming book reads.

Want to read along?

Women's Bible Cafe hosts at least two reads a month, and I am in anticipation of March's choices, for I am seeing a theme in my life:  Prayer.

• Nonfiction:  A Busy Woman's Guide to Prayer by Cheri Fuller (author of 42 books!)
• Fiction:  The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate
• A prequel to The Prayer Box, The Seaside Sisters is available here for $2.51.  Yes, I just bought it.
• February's Fiction:  The County Fair...I actually checked this book out at our county library.  I am sooooo proud of myself, as I may be addicted to books.  I am enjoying in participating in the online discussion..fun!  (Yes, I have purchased all three books pictured here.  Woe...and happy...is I!)

As leader of our Discipleship Training class, I have the privilege of choosing the study for that class.  Last fall, I came across the Masterwork series available at Lifeway. Each quarter, two author's books/studies are chosen to feature in a more in-depth manner.  So far, we have studied Dr. David Jeremiah's Facing Your Giants in Your Life, and now, after a short winter break, we will soon begin Michael Catt's The Power of Persistence, which emphasizes prayer.  See that theme again?

Also, I am enjoying reading the Bible chronologically along with a group led by author Joanne Weaver here on Facebook.  Reading the other's comments is so interesting, for without a doubt, we each walk away with something different.  How is that for inspired word?  Currently, we are in Leviticus...love all the nuggets hidden in all these reminders of the importance of worship.

Lent began yesterday. Last year, I attempted to participate in an online study and doing so again.  (Attempt is the word...I have decided to never be too harsh on myself over what I do not complete...for whatever I do absorb is so good.)  This time...I am joining Margaret Feinberg's reading of the gospels...in a very colorful way!  I even purchased new pens just for this study.  Due to our snow/ice days and not being able to get to a printer, I am a day behind annotating, for I need to print the scriptures.  

What is God leading you to read these cold winter days?

Faithfulness That Is NOT Mundane

Nearly daily, Kara Tippetts blogs here at Mundane Faithfulness as she shares her life with a cancer that to some seems to be wining.  Personally, I see this cancer as the door through which God has chosen for her to enter into our Heavenly Home, a door through which we all must pass; our doors just look different, depending on the one He chooses.

As I continue to check in on her life, I  so appreciate her peaceful approach to meeting her...our...Lord and Savior.  Through her, God sends me a dose of peace, for this is how easing into Heaven should be.  She, as few I have witnessed, appreciates life...both here and the one to which she has to look forward.

You may also meet her here on Facebook.

I hope you visit with her today...she will bless your soul.

A Must Read...

No commentary needed...please take a few minutes to read this...

• The Wake-Up Call That Is ISIS:  Who in the Church Is Answering?

Still in Love with Myself

Yesterday, I commented on an application of the commandment "Love they neighbor as thyself."  Today, that commandment still rumbles in my soul, especially as I came across the Facebook post about ISIS beheading 21 Christians and this story about hundreds of children being released from child slavery.

I sit here, realizing that I am beyond measure blessed.  Blessed.

Yesterday, our pastor asked, "Will be accountable for what we don't know?"

I have to think that, yes, we will.  

The more we are blessed, the blinder we seem to become, taking all these blessings for granted, expecting them to always continue.  That, though, is not the covenant that God has made with us:  that the blinder we become, the more He will bless us.  Not, not at all.

Please consider this scripture from Ezekiel:

59“ ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant. 60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. 61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both those who are older than you and those who are younger. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on the basis of my covenant with you. 62 So I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. 63 Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord.’ ”

Then, from yesterday's Sunday School literature, Nehemiah 9:32-39:

32“Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty and awesome, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. 33In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly.34Our kings, our leaders, our priests and our ancestors did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the statutes you warned them to keep. 35Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways.  36“But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the land you gave our ancestors so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. 37Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.38“In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and our leaders, our Levites and our priests are affixing their seals to it.”

Side Note:  Re-read the above scripture and, instead of Israelites and Jerusalem, substitute Americans and the USA.  Almost scary, right?

What can I do?  What can you do?  We can pray.  Just call on His Name. For as James 2:19 states: "You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror."  That, my friends, is what we need. We need the enemy, the devil to tremble in terror.

The example for us in scripture after scripture is that the people have to return to where they left God; that begins with prayer.  Then deeds.

When read in context, this scripture in James 2 expects "deeds" to go along with that faith.  I do not have all the answers to which deeds need to be taken.  God does.  He will lead us.  If we return to Him.  That is the covenant.

Love Thy Neighbor...as Thyself

Love thy neighbor...especially if that person is in a burning car...as thyself, for who wouldn't want someone to run to his/her rescue in such a scene?

This past Thursday morning on the way to school, I slowed down for a bus a few cars ahead of me which was picking up some students for school.  When we heard that sound...the sound of two...or three...(or four we later learned)...cars colliding.  By the time my eyes made it to the rearview mirror to investigate that sound, two of the cars were aflame. In my enlightened state, I told The Daughter there had been a wreck, told her to call 911, pulled the car to the side of the road, put it in park, and exited, running to the flaming cars...so did The Daughter, not that I realized this until later.

I ran to the second car where I could see a lady trying to get out of the passenger side..the driver side had born the brunt of the wreck. (The people in the first car were exiting).  I am not sure why the lady could not get out:  maybe she was panicking, maybe the door was locked...but when I reached for the handle, it opened as easily as I ever opened a door.  God was there.

The Daughter had run around to the other car, the driver a classmate of hers, and assisted her, with the aid of the driver of the third car, out of the vehicle which was quickly becoming engulfed in flames.  Thankfully (?) this young lady did not have on a seatbelt, for I am not sure what the outcome would have been had she had one on that would not come unfastened. God was there.

If you are like me, you may have wondered how you would react in such circumstances.  You just do.

In the time since then, I have had many minutes of reflection.  This, I have concluded...

• No, The Daughter and I are not heroines.  We only did what countless other people would have done in that very situation.  This is the culture in which I have raised my daughter.  Maybe it's because I am a teacher.  Maybe it's because I am a mom.  Maybe it's because I have such tremendous giving role models in my life.  Maybe it's because I would want someone to save me from a burning car.  Maybe it's because I am a Christian.  Yes.
• Saving people from burning cars has its consequences; number one, of which, is the inability to shut off the images, the sounds, the adrenaline.  Neither The Daughter nor I slept very well that night.  I lived that scene over and over, this time imagining all the what-if's.  
• God closes doors to ensure that we will be in the perfect place at the perfect time to do His Perfect Will.  Had I not been a teacher going to school, I might not have traveled that road that morning.  
• Raising your children to do go for others will reap endless rewards.  I have never been prouder of The Daughter than I was that morning.  She remained cool, calm, and, oh, so collected as she did what had to be done.  She felt bad later; she dropped her friend after pulling her out. That was okay.  The alternative was so much worse.  
• Adrenaline will push you farther than you even knew you were capable.  I ran.  Holly pulled.  I am so out of shape it is ridiculous.  Holly has had four heart surgeries, and while healthy, is not in super shape herself.  I don't remember being out of breath, panting, breathless...all was well.
• My true personality came shining through.  You see...I am bossy.  That morning I bossed everyone.  Even the police officers.  I did attempt to so in the form of questions!  I hope, despite that bossiness ("...find a coat for this young lady,"  "...move back; those cars may explode,: "...clear the way for the hurt girls' arriving mother"....I know I really was bossy, wasn't I?!)...I do hope despite that bossiness that others saw me as a servant leader, for that is one of the lessons I learned that morning.  I enjoy leadership, but I truly love servant leadership roles.  A true servant leader will not ask anyone else to what she is not willing to also do herself. 
• Had we not been there, God would have had someone else, for He is not finished with the ladies in the wrecked cars.  His plan for them has not been fulfilled, for they could so easily have been taken that morning, for from the time of the wreck until that car was fully engulfed was just minutes.  I do thank Him that He used us as a part of the plan for their lives.
• Finally, I have been a bit concerned by how many drove away.  Dear friends, we have to love our neighbor as ourselves, not just when the timing is convenient or when the situation is not scary or when we won't be late for work.  You see the cars in front of me drove away.  The cars between me and the wreck drove away.  Some of the cars behind had to have driven around us, for no one came to help me with the lady in the SUV.  No one other than another lady in the third car came to help The Daughter.  It must have been the timing, for it all happened in just minutes.  Surely, more people believe in helping his/her neighbor during the moment of crisis...and just later standing around watching the aftermath.  Surely.

I just could not leave that scene until I had chatted and checked on everyone in that wreck.  When I knew everyone was okay, we left.  Our car was still idling, one door open, waiting.  My job awaited, classes of seniors, willing to listen as I bossed them, too, telling them to not speed, not to tail-gate.

As I drove away, The Daughter began to have a bit of a melt-down, for images of the could-have's began to flash within our brains.  She had been so close she could feel the heat of the flames.  I saw that inflated airbag and smelled the burning vehicles.  

Hug your babies, appreciate what you have...and stop and help people when they are struggling to get out of a burning car.  That's right...that's just who we are...people loving our neighbors.

Something Bigger

This past week our community suffered the loss of two young ladies.  Such sadness.

Every cup, though, is either half empty...or half full. I want to focus on the half full one, for through these gatherings, I have spent some time with former students and peers and have been gently reminded that family is family...no matter how many weeks, months, or years may pass between each visit.

A common thread through the conversations I have had with these former students has been inviting them to church.  Three for three...none currently attend church on a regular basis.  I feel that pull...you know...that tug, a vision that my "kids" will one day go to church with me...or somewhere, for fellowship is just so important.

Today, in Sunday School, we studied Nehemiah 11, where once the wall was rebuilt around Jerusalem, Nehemiah's next pull, his next tug was to bring the people back into the walls.  As the commentator noted, the people did not resist, for they seemed to realize they were a part of something bigger.

We, too are a part of something bigger.

Following one of the two funerals I attended last week, I noted a post to one of the young lady's mother.  The writer shared that following the funeral, she left and went to her jail ministry, where she shared the testimony of this family and of the young lady Rachel, where two of those ladies in jail gave their lives to Jesus Christ.  Yes, we are a part of something bigger.  Praise God!

Nehemiah was a part of something bigger.  He was a vessel heeding God's calling, restoring fellowship within the walls of Jerusalem, bringing the people together for praise and worship.

I have just a touch of Nehemiah's dream, his calling.  Do you?

1 John 1:3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.