365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 238

Have you ever wondered about some of the people in the bible who may not even be named but you wonder what happened to them. Paul and Silas in Acts 16 are beaten, flogged and put in chains and thrown in jail. They are praying and singing hymns to God about midnight when an earthquake happens, their chains fall off and the doors open. Now it says that the prisoners had been listening to them. I am betting this praying and singing went on for some time. I can imagine some of the prisoners complaining wanting them to keep quiet and maybe some of them snickering and making wise cracks but as midnight approached they were listening. Had the time and words finally sunk in. Did Paul and Silas just plant seeds of faith? The earthquake and escape are like the water and fertilizer all at once. Did the other prisoners leave, racing to their homes and telling of what they heard and witnessed? Were they forever changed just because they were in that prison with Paul and Silas? We don’t know. There are many things we just don’t know. It would be impossible to write every story of every person who encountered or experience Jesus or the early church. A lot will remain a mystery. Paul and Silas may never have seen these prisoners again until heaven. Maybe the prisoners greeted Paul and Silas when they entered Heaven and shared with them their story that started the night in that prison. Perhaps one day we will have people we have touched, encouraged, loved and cared for and shared with about Jesus that will come to us in Heaven and share their story with their own Seed Sower.

Lord, We don’t know the plans you have for any of us but I do know you love us in ways we cannot ever understand. Lead me to be a Seed Sower of your love and truth. Amen.

Acts 16:25  About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and the other prisoners were listening to them.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 334

I have been reading a book called the Dangerous Act of Worship by Mark Labberton for a class at my church. It really makes you think of what worship is, what it looks like and what it should look like. The biggest point so far that I can’t get out of my head is how the author/pastor thinks that most of us are asleep when it comes to God. We are revived and awakened when things get shaken up like when a disaster happens but otherwise we are as a song that I heard puts it “going through the motions”. Life is busy, tough and complicated and we are making “our” worship of God fit into an easy fit thinking if we go to church on Sunday and do our singing, praying and listening than we have done our worship. That is how man has carved it out to be but is that how God would like it to be? I will share more on this topic as I read through this book. I am already pretty sure worship should be an on-going integral part of our lives. What do you think?

Deuteronomy 10:12-22 And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 47

I was seriously in the grips of the worst migraine ever last night. It was indescribably bad but in the morning I was at least able to move my head a little without it going into full blown intense pain mode and after about an hour it went away. I am just thankful today to be able to get out of bed. I sang in my head last night to help me see past the pain and be able to calm dawn and stop the crying which, of course, makes it worse. I thought of my Grammie who I have been told suffered from these migraines as well and asked her to talk to Jesus for me. Have you ever been so down by something whether it be physical like my migraines or depression or some grief that you can't even think. Praying words aren't possible and all you can do is moan and cry. Thankfully our Everlasting God is always with us and knows what we need without us speaking them. In the sermon on Sunday, Pastor Jim Smith said that the Reward of prayer is God himself not the answer to the prayer. I held on to that thought and kept talking to God and we got through it together. He was with me and yes, there was reward just in that. Have you ever looked back on a difficult time that the Lord helped you through and saw the reward of God's presence?
Matthew 6:8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 36

My shoulders continue to hurt and I have delved further into researching surgery option and found there may be other options related to a particular kind of calcium. I will probably call my acupunturist today and get in and hope that some of those needles will be able to alleviate the pain at least until with God's help I can figure out what to do. I have been praying about guidance on what to try. I really don't want to have to do the surgery especially after more research and finding that there are way too many that have had negative things to say about the outcome of their surgeries. So I am praising God for this glimmer of hope to avoid the surgery but praying he will give me a definite answer that I clearly know is from him.
Psalm 62:5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone: my hope comes from him.