Breathe

"Breathe on me, breath of God....fill me with life anew...that I may love what Thou dost love, and do what thou would'st do... Breathe on Me , breath of God."

That's my prayer - no, actually, that is the passion of my heart.

 I was at conference this past weekend ... John Wesley would call it "Holy Conferencing."  It is a great time and a profound sense of knowing we are not alone ... when hundreds of people lift their voice and declare, "Bless the Lord Oh my Soul, Oh my soul ....I will bless his Holy name."  

It makes one think about the multitudes of heaven singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord."

Most of you know I had  a pretty severe allergic reaction  - at the very first meal of conference.  So I'm kind of thinking about this whole breathing thing.  For me these reactions are life threatening- it means I'm going to need medical help and fast, I'm going to fall to the floor, shake violently as a result of the Epi-pen and try to breathe.  It means I am going to go into full anaphylactic shock ...without medical intervention, well...  So off we go to the hospital, after having my shirt cut off of me, in front of the entire conference floor (yeah, not cool!) ... and according to those with me ...not responsive for 9 minutes.

What saves me, beyond the very skilled physicians, nurses and hospital staff, beyond the ambulance ride, beyond the very powerful anti-inflammatory drugs, beyond the hospital care, beyond the seven to ten day regimen of drugs, beyond the Bishop (The Rev. Mark Webb) calling our conference to prayer, beyond (Pastor Lee, Faith, Brenda and Patti) beyond the healing love and support of my family and friends, what saves me ... I will always be convinced, is God.

So yes, God is always good...all the time.  And, yes, this too was the day that the Lord had made and I will be glad (o.k. maybe a little drugged and grumpy) and rejoice in it.

What would happen to us if we were unresponsive in the spiritual sense?  What would happen if we could not feel the presence of God - at all for 9 minutes, 9 hours, 9 days, 9 months,...9 years ...or just one eternity!  Just one!

John, in His gospel gives us a powerful metaphor.  The image of Jesus, entering the room with his disciples, showing them - to their amazement that he is alive, scars and all. Then, Jesus does something incredible - He breathes on his disciples and fills them with the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus breathed on them, and their lives would never be the same. 

So it is true that Jesus, the resurrected one, is alive in our hearts. 

What if we thought about Jesus, the Christ, to be alive in our very breath?  Can we imagine Jesus being as important to our lives as our own breathing? 

Can we imagine Jesus ... being as life giving to us ...  as vital to us, as our own breath?

New life - this is what the risen Christ has given you and me. 

In Genesis (2:7) God formed man out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life so that man became a living being. 

Job 33:4 (ESV),declares, "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life."

Isaiah 42:5 (NLT) reads, "God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out.  He created the earth and everything in it.  He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth."

What we have here is a new creation story of sorts.  What Jesus did for the disciples he can do for us. Jesus breathed life onto his disciples, a group of people who were faithful to him, just as Jesus can breathe new life into us, we who carry on the faith.

I'm Just Sayin' that I find the image of Jesus breathing on me to be profound.  I spent some long, very long hours in the hospital,  trying my best to simply breathe.  At times, I am very still, for those who have never seen it,  frighteningly still, ... in those times ... I imagine God breathing with me, perhaps even, breathing for me.

Breath by breath, by slow, labored breath... and the multitudes sing, "Breathe on Me Breath of God...."

Psalm 150:6 (NIV) ' Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord."

....amen!

See Ya Soon

~Kelly

Choices

293....

Not a magic number, or a secret code ... 293 choices.

If I wanted a chocolate candy bar, the real deal, not just your run of the mill - non-chocolate candy bar - I would have 293 choices... 293!

Every day is about choice....

Stay in bed or get up.

What to eat, what to wear, where to go, who to go with, when do I .... lot's of choices.

 Some of those choices don’t have much to do with things of eternal importance and some of them have everything to do with it! (“Should I break this commandment?”). 

Sometimes we  ask, “Do my choices really matter?” Or we may think, “If no one knows what I’m doing, do my decisions really affect anyone?” The answer is yes! 

Our decisions always matter!

Choosing to keep the commandments shows God that we love Him and are willing to follow Him. The choices we make—including our attitude in making those choices—are a big part of how we grow and mature in our faith.

While you are free to choose your course of action..."It's my decision and I'm sticking to it!"  You are not free to choose the consequences. Whether for good or bad, consequences will follow as a result of the choices you make.” 

Our lives are made up of a series of choices. Some with meaning only for that day or that moment but others that can have ramifications far reaching into our futures and determine the course our lives.  The point is that we need to be more respectful of the choices we have to make in this life and recognize that they often wield a power greater than we can see. We have a habit of bringing God our problems – after we have made the choices that resulted in them.  I believe God would much rather we bring Him our choices, so that we do not have to experience the problems of poor decisions. 

So how do we get there...Paul said,

Romans 12:2  (MSG) 

12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

I'm just sayin' ...

Turn off the distractions and turn up God...

Psalm 119:130  (NIV)

The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

• Is the world shouting so loudly —  that it’s drowning out God’s answer to your prayer? 

Seek Christian counsel from those you respect and study the Word...

Proverbs 19:20 (AMP)

20 Hear counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come.

• Look around  ... has God already placed someone in your life you can talk to and trust.  Who among your Christian friends has walked this road?

Naturally limit your choices...

Colossians 3:17 (NIV)

17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

After laying out your options, cross out the ones least likely to honor God, and circle the ones that could bring him the most glory.

Humbly confront your motives: do certain choices appeal more to YOU than to him (James 4:3)? Eliminate options that are more about saving face and keeping control than about pleasing the Father.

Choices that honor God will ultimately be in your best interest!

Do something...

James 1:22 (NLT)

22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

If you’re only waiting because you’re afraid to act, set fear aside and step out in faith (Joshua 1:9).

If you’ve sought God through prayer, Bible study, counsel, (and appropriate pacing) place your confidence in Him and decide. 

Just make the choice! 

Trust that God is true to his word—you ask in faith for wisdom; He will generously supply it (James 1:5-6).

Give thanks and trust God...

Instead of second-guessing the decision you’ve  made, give thanks for it. Believe that God will work good out of your choice (Romans 8:28). 

Psalm 28:7 (NLT)

The Lord is my strength and shield.  I trust him with all my heart.

He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.  I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

I wonder what Solomon was just sayin' when he said...

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.   Proverbs 3:5-6

...now about that candy bar...decisions....decisions....so many decisions....

See Ya!

~ Kelly

Devotion

 “Who and, or,  what has my allegiance and devotion?”   God's word is designed -- by God -- to make a difference in the way we think and live.

“God is faithful (reliable, trustworthy, and ever true to his promise, and he can be depended on)” 1 Corinthians 1:9 (Amplified)

Our ability to serve the Lord is directly related to our trust and commitment of God’s values and priorities.  But single-minded devotion is also an evidence of maturity and insight to what is truly meaningful and has eternal consequences in our lives.  So, then,  Commitment,  or, total devotion to Jesus is the evidence of our maturing faith.  (2 Cor. 4:16-18; Matt. 6:19-21, 30-34; 1 Pet. 1:17-18).

Being intensely devoted to Jesus -- creates intense desire for His word.  Acts 2:42 (NIV) says..."They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."

Being intensely devoted to Jesus grounds our faith.  Romans 10:17 (NIV), "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ."

We can be comforted when we face sorrow and pain (Psalm 22:24, 56.8, Psalms 119:48-52 ) It is in the truth of who Jesus is and what he promises that we have comfort.  We can be courageous when we face giants in our lives! (1 Samuel 17:45)

Devotion to the Lord gives us stability and strength to face life.  As Christians, living our lives begins with a solid foundation of faith that comes from  hearing, taking in and obeying God’s word. The more you read God’s Word the more you see the unfailing love of God.  The more you read, the more you see the justice and judgment of God.  The more....You see His providing and protecting. 

 Romans 8:29 tells us that the purpose of God’s goodness revealed in Jesus and through the Word -- is that we would be transformed into the image of Jesus. 

More than just cute quotes, Facebook faith and Bible stories - HIS word is meant for  transformation!! 

Through devotion we are called by Jesus Christ to let our light shine so that others may see our good works and glorify God.  We are called to be lamps shinning for God’s glory.  Lamps do not talk they shine.  The way we act, and react, to each other reveals the reality of who Jesus is -- in us.  We should ask ourselves does my life reveal the character of Jesus, and my devotion to Him? 

Am I forgiving, patient, kind, good, gentle, self-disciplined and loving.  Devotion to Jesus brings clean and clear conduct. Ephesians 2:10 says....(NCV)

10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing. 

It takes time to develop personal spiritual disciplines—Bible study, praying, fasting, reflecting, worshiping.  It takes time to advance the kingdom of God.  But  our commitments of time are a good measure of our devotion to Christ.

I know, you know...I'm just sayin'.

See Ya'

- Kelly