Monday Morning Munch No. 21 - Overflow; a prayer

(This is an unedited prayer I journaled last Thursday, that has been running through my heart ever since.)

The Lord is good and His love endures forever. Oh Lord, I praise You in the gates and in my heart; for the world to hear, and sitting silently before You. 

You are good in the times of plenty, when my heart spills with joy and wonder, and You are good in times of pain, when my heart spills with sorrow and my soul faints in weariness. 

You revive the heart to fear You and You ordain our steps. You have us ever before You and lead, guide and protect.

You are great and greatly to be exalted. Be lifted high in my life so that the world may see You and fear You, for Your ways are excellent and Your laws right. You have given the Blameless for the shameful and the Well for the sick. 

You mend hearts and cause men to stand in awe of Your unsearchable ways. You created galaxies and mountains, oceans and dry land, You made the earth Your Son's footstool and yet You know me. You know my name and remember I am but dust. You are Master and friend, Savior and judge, righteous and humble, and therein lies the divine wonder; that the King of Glory, for which all was made that was made, became a man. Laid His glory down and became the created. All for me.

Oh Lord, You gave it all for my pardon, help me give all for Thee. Be honored and glorified, for all glory is Yours.

Monday Morning Munch No. 20, Dictatorship

There was a time in high school I was borderline-obsessed with learning about Adolf Hitler and the tragedy of the Holocaust. The sordid tale fascinated me and I wanted to learn everything I could about it.

I'm thankful that in America we don't live under dictatorship.

...or do we?

It came to my attention (again) last night that I let circumstances and other people dictate my feelings far too often.

If someone is in a mad mood, I'll respond accordingly. If something happens that wasn't according to schedule/the plan in my head, I'll probably get frustrated. If someone says something hurtful, I'll probably take it too personally and (at least) temporarily be wounded.

You get the idea.

Why am I like that?

The only thing I can come up with is that we still live in a fallen body with a tendency to pity ourselves and incline toward self-imposed bondage.

Our inability to constantly and continuously lead our feelings is evidence of our fallen nature and tendency to be swayed by the flesh. 

God has freed us from the slavery of sin, yet so often--in situations such as those mentioned above--I'm so quick to run back into the dictatorship of feelings and situations around me that I don't live in the freedom Jesus died for.

To be under dictatorship means you have no control over the situations around you, and, while we don't have control over what happens to us, we have control over how we react to them.

"Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it." -John Maxwell

So, today I am seeking the Lord for strength to react in a Christ-like manner to the people and circumstances that come, recognizing that as a Christian I bear His precious name and don't want to do anything to tarnish it (2 Corinthians 5:20).

I am seeking the Lord to choose joy even when everything around me says to be depressed, hurt, sad, injured, etc. (James 1:1).

I am seeking the Lord to live in the freedom He provided and to tap into the eternal resources of life and godliness waiting for us as believers (2 Peter 1:3).

I am seeking the Lord to lay aside the sin that so easily entangles and run with endurance the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1-2).

I am seeking the Lord to live in a manner worthy of the Gospel and the upward calling of Christ (Ephesians 4:1, Philippians 1:27).


Will you join me?

 

Monday Morning Munch No. 19 - Battle, Victory, Battle

Victory = the overcoming of an enemy or antagonist; achievement of mastery or success in a struggle or endeavor against odds or difficulties.

Battle = a combat between two persons; a general encounter between armies, ships of war, or aircraft; an extended contest, struggle, or controversy.

Battle and a Victory

Two weeks ago I experienced a huge victory. One where God proved He would fight for me and all I must do is be silent and watch Him work. However, before seeing the victory, the battle was the most intense I'd ever experienced.

I prayed so much over the situation, seeking the Lord for answers to something infinitely bigger than me and asking Him to dissolve my will into His. There was a wrestling of the soul and complete and desperate dependence on the Savior because, again, I didn't know what to do.

Then victory came.

Joy flooded my soul and my eyes leaked as thankfulness washed over me as God so powerfully displayed His sovereignty, faithfulness and beautiful grace, along with radical and overwhelming love.

Another battle

"You're most susceptible to a great defeat after a great victory." 

That quote came to life the past two week as I've struggled in my walk with God ever since the huge victory. I didn't know what was going on, but God (my two favorite words), being rich in mercy because of the great love with which He has loved us, showed me.

I was living in the victory. But the victory was over.

A new day had come (actually, about 13 of them had come at this point) and with it came a new set of challenges, battles and opportunities for me to seek the Savior for victory, but I was too focused on the past to see the need for Him today.

Doesn't that sound ridiculous? It is.

Yesterday in Sunday School our pastor's wife shared how we cannot live on yesterday's blessings, but we must seek the Lord for today. That is exactly what God is teaching me.

I cannot afford to live in yesterday's victory when a war is still going on today.

Application

My prayer for us as believers is that we will see our need for Christ daily and let that need propel us to our knees to pray for help for this day and this hour.

I pray we will be on guard for the attacks of the enemy. He is like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour and he wants to devour our focus, turning it on us, our situations (whether it be a battle or a great victory), or our past, and off Christ. Fight that. Resist him and keep your gaze locked on God (Proverbs 4:25).

Let us not live in yesterday's strength, because yesterday has none. Let us pick up our armor and join back in the fight, remembering the victories and rejoicing in God for them, but boasting only in the cross of Jesus Christ who took our sin so we can experience victory with God.

Nevertheless, I am continually with You; You hold my right hand.

You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

(Psalm 73:23-26 ESV)

 

Monday Morning Munch No. 18 - Headlights and the Holy Spirit

As I was driving home Saturday night, taking the back country roads and weaving between farms and admiring the festive homes and lawns decorated with twinkling lights and Christmas decorations, God taught me a lesson.

The truck in front of me wasn't small, in fact, it was one of the biggest trucks I've ever seen. Because of the size, I couldn't see around it and was forced to simply follow the truck the rest of the way home being content to only see this big truck's bumper, tailgate and window and maybe a little bit of light from the sides of his truck.

Speaking of lights, the truck had light ropes that flashed when braking. Like this little gem below.

So classy.

Anyway, I was borderline frustrated with this monstrous vehicle because it made me go a little slower than I would have gone on my own and, again, I could only see his big truck, nothing in the path ahead of us.

That's when it hit me. Not the truck, thankfully, but the realization that this giant of a truck was like the Holy Spirit. 

Sometimes, in our walk with the Lord, you can't see the next hundred steps, but God allows you to see the next one. Sometimes the walk to our destination, our finished product (He's bringing us to completion, you know), is slower than we would like and sometimes He seems to be putting on the brakes for no reason other than He sees further down the road than we can (and that's enough for me to trust Him... at least it is right now in my blog. In reality, it might be different as I'm learning absolute surrender). Therefore, if we're following Him we need to trust Him, He's most likely preventing an accident or wreck that involves deer, trees and Christmas yard decorations. What a mess that would be.

God doesn't say faith is a leap into the dark; it's a leap into the light. The light of God's revelation, God's knowledge.  -Michael Durham    

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." -Psalm 119:105

God doesn't promise us an entire army of people holding flashlights to light our way, or a future of sunshine that shows exactly what's ahead on our weaving road that is our walk with Him. But He does promise to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, which means we see one or two steps ahead--just enough to take the next move in following Him.

He promises grace for this moment and if we're following Him today, He'll lead us exactly where He wants us tomorrow. 

 

Monday Morning Munch No. 17 - A Favorite Verse

Today's MMM comes straight from the Word of God. It's one of my favorite Scriptures and it's the last verse in the book of John.

The Gospel of John is stuffed full with miracles of Jesus, testimonies of His mercy toward sinners and His plan to save them from Satan's captivity. Healings are listed in beautiful detail throughout the book as well as Jesus' teachings and cruel road to the cross where He died our death before trampling over sin and death by rising victoriously from the grave.

With all that in mind, read the last verse of John:

"Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written."
(John 21:25 ESV)

Does that blow your mind like it does mine? Were all of things things Jesus did (teachings, miracles, healings, acts of love and service to others, fighting for the poor and defending the weak) written down the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

The world is huge and it couldn't hold all the books that would be written! No matter how many times I read that my heart dances around with the realization (yet again) of how big our God is!

Whatever you're facing today, whatever this week looks like for you, just remember you have a God who is bigger than anything looming in your path and He will fight for you and do only what's best.

Monday Morning Munch No. 16 - Be an acorn

Going through an old journal last week was overwhelmingly encouraging as God highlighted things He had done, prayers He had answered, ways He had grown me while reminding me of so many things He had taught me through the years. Things so significant they were written out and documented forever.

One of those things was this excerpt from  Elisabeth Elliot's Passion and Purity, one of my all-time favorite books.

"Think of the self that God has given as an acorn... it is a marvelous little thing, a perfect shape, perfectly designed for its purpose, perfectly functional. Think of the grand glory of an oak tree. God's intention when He made the acorn was the oak tree. His intention for us is "...the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." Many deaths must go into our reaching that measure. Many letting goes. When you look at the oak tree, you don't feel the loss of the acorn as a very great loss. The more you perceive God's purpose in your life, the less terrible the losses will see. 

We (she and her future husband Jim) were being asked to trust, to leave the planning to God. God's ultimate plan was far beyond our imaginings as the oak tree is from the acorn's imaginings. The acorn does what it was made to do, without pestering its Maker with questions about when and how and why."

So here's to being more like an acorn.

Monday Morning Munch No. 15 - Present

I woke up in the middle of the night battling sickness for about two hours. 

Yesterday my heart was heavy for our nation.

Last week I was writing an article for the magazine.

The list goes on.

These few things have a common thread: prayer. 

Prayer was the action taken during each of the aforementioned items. When I was sick, I prayed. When my heart was overwhelmed I went to the Rock (Psalm 61:1-2). When I was writing I sought the Lord. 

Today I am thankful for God's presence. He is not a far-off God who must strain His ear to hear us. No, He is a God who has come down to us, who is with us continually and is our present help. 

"God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble." --Psalm 46:1

There are situations that sometimes propels us a little faster to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and help than others, although we are to be in a ceaseless flow of communication with our Savior (1 Thessalonians 5:17). And when that happens we should remember that any strength we may have is not our own and that God is our ver present help in trouble. He is with us. Because of that exceedingly great and precious promise, we have hope and won't fear.

"Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling." --Psalm 46:2-3

I pray you take courage today and remember that no matter your circumstances, battles, obstacles and desperate situations you have a Present Help--One who loves to be near you and longs to be sought by you.

If you are doubting, remember Jesus' very name signifies that He is with you, not against you and not far off-- Emmanuel: God with us.

He is with us 

"The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress." --Psalm 46:7

"Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." --Isaiah 41:10 

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are Mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
When you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you." --Isaiah 43:2-3

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." --Matthew 28:19-20

    

Monday Morning Munch No. 14 - Definition of a Christian

Today's MMM is extremely short and said by someone infinitely wiser than I, whose words convict, challenge and point back to our only hope--Jesus Christ.

"A Christian ought to be a comforter, with kind words on his lips, and sympathy in his heart; he should carry sunshine wherever he goes, and diffuse happiness around him." --Charles Spurgeon

Such is the life of a light. Such is the life we are to radiate to all we encounter, always ready to give an answer for the hope (and joy) that lies within us.

I'm praying his quote will be true in my life and the lives of believers everywhere.

Monday Morning Munch No. 13 - Hide and Seek?

I have a simple mind. Maybe that's why chocolate wrappers and tiny things like that speak to me. 

This chocolate wrapper especially struck me.

Lose yourself in a moment.

As I read that I was struck by the inconsistencies of the human race. People go to far away colleges and on world-wide voyages to escape current situations so we can "find ourselves," but then when we get there what happens? Dove chocolate tells us to lose ourselves in a moment.

Wait, wait, wait. Are we supposed to find ourselves or lose ourselves?

It is my belief that we "find ourselves" but then want to just as quickly "lose ourselves" (even if only for a moment) because we're actually not happy nor content with our "finding." 

I mean, let's be honest, the more we dig into ourselves the unhappier we become as we realize we aren't all there is to life. That's why we (think we have to) go to far away lands to discover what we're really about. 

The little chocolate wrapper is partially right though (and therein lies its danger). You do need to lose yourself. "Lose," as in 86 your life, nix yourself, give yourself the slip. 

"And (Jesus) said to all, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." (Luke 9:23-24 ESV)

 In contrast to the glorious inheritance we receive upon losing ourselves for the Lord's sake, "finding ourselves" just isn't that glamourous. 

"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we say we have not sinned, we make [God] a liar, and His word is not in us." (1 John 1:8,10 ESV)

"Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool." (Proverbs 28:26 ESV)

"For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person." (Mark 7:21-23 ESV) 

"And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone." (Mark 10:18 ESV)

The list of verses proving our depravity go on. We have to first lose ourselves and our pride before we can realize and accept the fact that we are a helpless and hopeless people without the grace and mercy of the holy and just God of the universe. 

So I admonish you to indeed lose yourselves.

Don't gain the whole world and lose your soul.

Instead, lose yourself in the greatest exchange of all times; not to escape or evade the reality of this present life, but to accept the pardon of a gracious and perfect God who sent His Son to die for our sinful and wicked selves.

Studies show that 10 out of 10 people die, so what will it profit you if you base all happiness on something (this life) you will one day lose? Therefore, lose your life now so you may keep it for eternity, that is what God is asking of you today.

Ironically enough, a synonym for "lose" is unburden. 

Therefore, unburden yourself and turn to Jesus, the One who bore your burden so you wouldn't have to. 

May it one day be said of you:

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.  

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:1-9 ESV) 

Monday Morning Munch No. 12 - Our Great God

"No unbelief made (Abraham) waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised."

(Romans 4:20-21 ESV)

Fully convinced. I want to be fully convinced that God is faithful to do big things, things bigger than anything I could ask, think or imagine.

Things so big, if God doesn't come through they will never happen.

Yesterday morning at church our pastor spoke on faith versus worry and how asking God for big things honors Him.

He told me the same thing a week ago and after repenting of limiting God by human logic and asking God to help me believe Him for big huge things, I read a part of A Chance to Die, the biography of Amy Carmichael (missionary to India. She rescued Indian girls and raised them as her own, she was like Katie Davis before Katie was even thought of)  that jumped off the page and nestled deep into my heart.

In the early 1900s, Amy saw, for the first time, the need for boys to be rescued from trafficking and idol worship as were her girls, but he didn't know where the men for that job would come from.

After asking numerous people for guidance and help, she realized she was looking at the wrong source for help. She began praying and this is what happened:

"The matter of where the needed men would come from was settled finally, in the forest again, this time not by the quiet pool but by a waterfall. Watching the ceaseless cataract pouring down from above she "heard a voice from heaven, the voice of many waters, 'Can I who do this, not do that?'" Spiritually, in that hour, the work for boys began."

Wow. What a tremendous encouragement and beautiful reminder-- God is infinitely bigger than I picture Him. And for Him to breathe the stars into being and waterfalls into existence is no more difficult (for nothing is difficult for God) than saving all my True Beauty girls, helping Oak Grove take the Gospel to the world, supplying 50 people to support the magazine, providing for Real Truth Matters's every need, or give me a car.

To come boldly before God (Hebrews 4:16) has taken on a whole new meaning since yesterday morning's church service when Bro. Michael defined bold as:

Bold = Praying and seeking God for things much bigger than our capacity.

God is huge and therefore we can ask huge things from Him. Let's ask big things from Him, but don't leave it at that. Believe Him for big things. And more than that, be fully convinced He is able to do what He has promised. Let's stake it all on Christ. He is sufficient.

"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" -Luke 11:13

Oh, Lord, grow my faith and help my unbelief. 

Monday Morning Munch No. 11 - Fairy Tales

Once upon a time there was a 23 year old girl who loved blue ink pens, pumpkin spice lattes, camping and Hallmark movies. 

She loved the Lord more than anything in the world and would be perfectly content curled up with a good book and a steaming cup of coffee as the hours ticked by, or perhaps just a journal and an ink pen (preferably blue) by the fireplace. 

In fact, that's where the following blog was conceived. She hopes it encourages you. 

Hallmark movies are so wholesome and sweet and, although thoroughly predictable, I genuinely look forward to watching each new movie they produce. I get swept up in the (predictable) love story, the quirky characters and the impossible situation which true love always overcomes.

Today, as I was washing dishes I realized those movies probably weren't the best thing for my heart.

I mean, they are nothing more than fairy tales. Fictional stories. Nothing but unrealistic fantasies that cause women (and maybe men?) to set standards for a relationship/marriage so high no human could possibly reach.

And, as I continued washing the casserole pans and giant pumpkin-carving knives, it hit me. No, not the knives, thankfully, but the realization that even though I'm single, I'm a part of a love story that puts even the greatest fairy tales to shame.


God, the Creator of the Universe, has redeemed me from my sins, my morality and my good works--which were taking me straight to hell--and lifted me from that path to destruction and sat my foot firmly on the rock- Jesus. Now that very same God, the One who called stars into being and who took the death I deserved, calls me His bride.

What? Yeah. I'm the bride of Christ.

Wow.

And what a wedding feast it will be when He returns for His Church. We really will live happily ever after.

For eternity.

What a celebration of love.
What a Savior.
What a marriage.

“Fear not, for you will not be ashamed;

be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;

for you will forget the shame of your youth,

and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.

For your Maker is your Husband,

the LORD of hosts is His name;

and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,

the God of the whole earth He is called.

(Isaiah 54:4-5 ESV)

Monday Morning Munch No. 10 - Rebuke, Encouragement and Things I Hate

Sometimes I think I receive encouragement differently than most people.

I (usually) don’t enjoy compliments. Mostly because I don’t believe they are given sincerely. False flattery is probably No. 3 on the list of things Sophie hates. Apparently it makes me so mad I speak in third person. (For those of you wondering, sin is No. 1 followed by a deep abhorrence to candy corn.)

The order of importance there is still a little sketchy. Mice are on that list too. Probably ahead of candy corn.

I digress.

The way I do receive encouragement and feel the most loved by people is when they rebuke me.

You know someone really loves you when they sacrifice both their comfort and yours for the sake of something greater.

As always, the Bible says it best (I mean, it’s hard to beat the whole God-inspired-Word stuff).

“Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.” –Proverbs 27:5-7

The awesome thing about receiving a rebuke from someone is that when those same people offer you compliments or encouraging words you know they are genuine—they have proven they can be trusted.

The Latest Rebuke

Sometimes rebuke comes from the most unlikely places. Most of the time it comes from sermons, books or my closest friends (I know they’re my closest friends because they love me enough to point out things I’m blinded to, sins, areas needing growth, etc.), but the last zing of conviction and rebuke came from Lecrae.

Yes. Lecrae. The rapper. If you don’t know who he is, look him up. You’ll get more theology in one song than in most American church services every week. Combined.

The rebuke came from a line in “Boasting,” one of my all-time favorite Lecrae songs. If you don’t know it you can watch the video/lyrics here.

Glory was solely meant for You,Doing what no one else could do.With all I have to giveI’ll use my life, I’ll use my lips.I’ll only glory in Your Word, a gift to me I don’t deserve.I’ll live in such a way that it reflects to You my praise.

The rebuke came gently but firmly.

How many times do I pray for God to use me but (sometimes subconsciously) have a preconceived idea of what that will look like? I fear that so often He wants to use me but because of anxiety, intimidation, pride and all kinds of other stupid things, I don’t open my mouth—a tool He has given each of us to use for His glory, purposes and divine use. I ask to be used but don't use what He's already given me. That's just silly.

“With all I have to give I’ll use my life, I’ll use my lips.”

So God, here am I, send me. Send me to the farthest regions of the world or just to a hurting person right here. Use me to speak grace, life, love and hope to everyone I encounter in the form of Your glorious Gospel upon which You gave Your life and I now stake mine.

Monday Morning Munch No. 9 - A New Name

Growing up there were a number of titles I wanted to be known by at some point in my lifetime:

Olympic gold medalist
Wife
Mom
All American
Magazine designer/editor
Kroger cashier (...I had big dreams)
Sports journalist

But now that Christ has invaded my life and I bear His name I only want to have one title:

A beggar.

Not just any beggar, but a beggar of souls.

I am no longer content to sit idly by while the people I love (and the ones I haven't met yet) speed through their one life, wasting it on the failing promises of this temporary world.

John Piper proposed this to Don't Waste Your LIfe's readers:

Of course, we do not use the word cool to describe true greatness. It is a small word. That’s the point. It’s cheap. And it’s what millions of young people live for. Who confronts them with urgency and tears? Who pleads with them not to waste their lives? Who takes them by the collar, so to speak, and loves them enough to show them a life so radical and so real and so costly and Christ-saturated that they feel the emptiness and triviality of their CD collection and their pointless conversations about passing celebrities? Who will waken what lies latent in their souls, untapped—a longing not to waste their lives?

This is what God has called me to do for not just the middle and high school girls at my church, or my classmates at school but everyone I encounter.

I want to not just be the friendly girl who is known by her "bubbly" and "sweet" personality. I want people to know me as the one who loves them enough to tell them the truth. I want to be known as a beggar of souls.

"Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell." — C.T. Studd

Brothers and sisters, we are ambassadors for Christ. We have been given a new name, a new life, a new heart and a new part in this world. We are to proclaim the Gospel with our lives and our lips and love deeply, give freely and forgive in the same manner that Christ Himself has loved, given and forgiven us.

I pray we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and exercise zeal with wisdom, boldly sharing the Good News of the Gospel with everyone around us - it is the power unto salvation for those who believe.

But how will they believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ... Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:14-15, 17)

Be a Beggar

""'Not called!' did you say?'Not heard the call,' I think you should say.Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face — whose mercy you have professed to obey — and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world." — William Booth, 

Do we really grasp the gravity of the gift we've been given? We have been given life. Life. We were dead and now we live. Why do we not share that verbally with others who are dying?

My encouragement for you (and me) is to prayerfully watch for opportunities to speak life to others around you. Whether it be your spouse, kids, neighbor, fellow church-goer, classmate or complete stranger, speak life to them. Be obedient and leave the results up to God.

He will use it. He will use you.

Go. Speak. Share. Love. Give. Send. Serve. Obey.

May the Lamb of God receive the reward of His suffering,