200 days

As a math person, it is in my nature to use numbers all the time. A while back I started a countdown (I am very fond of countdowns).

Today marks 200 days until I graduate with my Masters degree in Mathematics!!!

I am so excited to be close to accomplishing this goal in my life!

This road hasn't been easy. And I am beginning to experience what most call senioritis. I am tired, worn out, and weary. The Lord knows our every thought and need and he has blessed me in many ways already this week.

It is a beautiful thing to be able to discuss the Lord, reading the bible, or just reading devotionals with the one you love. To share a true bond like this has blessed me beyond imagination.

And, just as God knows exactly what we need, I leave you with a segment of today's Girlfriends in God devotional.

Rest

Refreshment

Rest

Refreshment

Reflection

Response

Reflection

Redirection

Reinforcement

Girlfriend, exhaustion is epidemic among us gals. I tell you what… let’s talk more about this tomorrow. For today, just rest in knowing that God has a plan for your life and that He loves you dearly!

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, I’ll admit, I’m tired today. I need the refreshment that only You can give. Send the Holy Spirit to reinforce my spirit today! I am expecting His energizing force! Help me to reflect on You and Your goodness all day long.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

I pray today that the Lord would fill your cup, and mine, to overflowing. To bless us beyond our imagination. To use His strength to carry us through the trials and snares of the life. Lead us and guide us oh God. Show us your way, and teach us to walk in it! Make our paths straight oh Lord!! Help us to not stray from You. ~Amen

Desires of your heart

'The Lord will give you the desires of your heart...' This is a phrase we have all heard... so many times. But have we really considered the context of this verse before asking God to give us whatever we want? Let's look at the passage and its surrounding verses for a little more insight (emphasis mine).



Psalm 37: 3-9

3 Trust in the LORD and do good;

Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD;

And He will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD,

Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light

And your judgment as the noonday.

7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath;

Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.

9 For evildoers will be cut off,

But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.

WOW. I see so much more here than just, follow Christ and He will give you whatever you want!! I see more a set of instructions, followed by great blessings of the Lord! Here is my take on the passage...

First, we must trust and do good. Through our faith in Christ we must trust Him to be in control while working daily to do what is best and striving toward his will.

Then we must delight have you ever seen those ho-hum, whoa-is-me people? No fun right.. so many people see Christianity as work... just a set of rules to govern life by. However, it is so much more!! Serving Christ is an absolute JOY!! Oh, praise the Lord for the opportunity to serve him!! Thank you Lord! When serving, we should hold our heads high and full of joy; not hanging our heads saying 'look how hard I am working'!

Thirdly, to commit our way to the Lord. His ways are not our ways.. and rather than asking God for a million bucks to solve all of your problems, ask Him to make His desires yours, to give you a heart like His. Seek Him, and in that you will find your ways changing. Now, it isn't wrong for us to ask God to bless us, by all means ask... but don't get mad when the answer is sometimes no.

Fourth, AGAIN, trust in the Lord!! Our heavenly father is just that, a father! He knows what is best for us and cares for us more than we could even begin to explain! After all, He sent his son to die on a cross for US!! Trust Him, give up the control we so desperately hold on to, in reality, we never really are 'in control'. Give it over to God!

Fifth, rest, wow! In our busy lifestyle how often to we forget to rest, to take time to reflect on God's word and it's meaning in our lives? Slow down, "...be still and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10, stop, think, breathe in this magnificent creation. Take time to rest and worship your Lord!

Sixth, cease from anger, whoa. James 1:19-20 says, This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God." Cease from anger, now, again.. this isn't that getting angry at unrighteousness is wrong, but acting out on that anger in such a way that does not glorify God, is wrong. Pray over those trying situations, ask God to do a work in you and help you to respond in a way that glorifies Him through your actions.

Seventh, do not fret, calm down, relinquish control.. let God handle it and trust Him to take care of your needs. The God who created you so deeply cares for you! He will take care of you!

I believe that if we strive toward each of these principles, then God will grant the desires of our hearts...and our desires will be in line with what He has planned for us. What an amazing word... what an amazing God. Praise Him for His everlasting faithfulness and mercy!

Lord, I pray over those that read this passage today. Open their hearts and eyes anew and fresh to what you have to say to them. Please Lord, change us, mold us and make us like you Lord. Help us to follow in the steps of your word and to seek you diligently each and every day. Bless us indeed Lord, and we give you all the praise and glory! Amen

Devotional

Here is my daily Girlfriends in God Devotional.... Wow, what an amazing message... More from me below! :)

May 20, 2011

A Fresh Word of Encouragement
Gwen Smith
Today’s Truth

Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20b, NIV).

Friend to Friend
This is Gwen Smith, co-founder of Girlfriends in God. My daughter Kennedy is ten. She was home from school a few weeks ago because she wasn’t feeling well. While she was resting, I asked her to spend some time with the Lord and to be creative instead of watching TV. After some time alone, she came and told me that she sat down to write a story, but couldn't think of anything. She told me that her mind was filled with thoughts that she needed to write instead. She wrote the devotion below. Actually, I believe the LORD wrote the devotion through my ten-year old baby girl. All praises to Him! I believe this is a “today” word for some of my GiGs. Perhaps it’s for you. Prepare to be spurred on.


THANKFULNESS
by Kennedy Smith, age 10

Have you ever thought your life was going to end? That the world wasn’t spinning anymore and nothing can get worse? Well you don’t have to feel that way because every day, all day, there is a God that loves you so much! If you're going through those tough times just think the God Almighty loves you, listens to you and is with you every day all day too.

Have you ever felt that you haven’t gotten enough sleep and are stressed with your job? Well everyone should know that the Lord Almighty understands you and your pain and is there with you every step of the way.

Have you ever felt like no one knows you're there and that you’re invisible? Well you should know that there is a wonderful, magnificent God out there that sees you every step of the way - that knows every breath you take. There is a God who sees you all the time.

Have you ever felt like no one can hear you and you're being ignored? Well you should know that there is an amazing Lord that hears everything you say and everything you think. This is everything we should be thankful for.

“You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast” (Psalm 139:1-10).

Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, Your presence is amazing. Your love is overwhelming. Your goodness knows no end. That you would love me, see me, hear me and respond to me is too much for my heart to hold. That you would speak to me through the keystrokes of a child! I’m left in awe of you. Speechless. Emptied and filled. With joy overflowing my heart bows low in deepest gratitude. Surely I have much to be thankful for. Eternally! Please pour me out to bless those around me today. Shine through the cracks of me.
In Jesus’ Name I pray,
Amen.

Now it’s your turn
Read 1 Peter 5:6-7: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Read Psalm 55:22: “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”

Now add your name to blank spaces in these verses…
“Humble yourself, _____________, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, _______________, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)
“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you, __________________;
he will never let the righteous be shaken.” (Psalm55:22)

More from the Girlfriends
Is your heart swelling in response to God’s presence as mine is? Consider this to be a personal reminder - a personal message from God to you. It is clearly from His heart. Now - I think I need to take my shoes off. This is holy ground. Please come to my Facebook page today and share with me about how today’s devotion spoke to you: www.facebook.com/GwenSmithMusic. We will pray over each of you!

NEED ENCOURAGEMENT? Gwen’s full testimony is featured in her book, Broken into Beautiful, along with Scriptural truths and stories of how God has brought restoration the hearts of many other women who had painful life wounds. God delights to transform lives … including your own. Experience God's healing and hope in your life today as you read Broken Into Beautiful! To order the book, go to Amazonor, for a signed copy, visit Gwen's website: http://gwensmith.net/store/.
 
Now... this is an email I sent to a dear friend of mine just last week:
 
So... last night at church our lesson was almost word for word about what we had talked about on the phone... So I figured I would share a little bit. :)


We, as females especially, desire to have that tangible comfort. Someone we can feel, see and connect with. However, God longs for us to take all of our troubles to Him. As much as we would like to vent to our boy or our bestie, God desires that complete and total reliance on Him so that in turn He can fulfill our needs and desires.

This is so hard for me.. especially as this year has passed and I have moved to a new place and had to start all over again. So many times I long for someone to be just right there.. so that I can see, touch or hear them. Do I think this is wrong? Absolutely NOT. I would be a total hypocrite if I told you that I didn't lay in my bed at night sometimes and cry out to God to give me someone tangible to talk to and confide in. But I do believe that, as we express ourselves to friends and others that we should in turn, turn those thoughts and feelings over to God for His ultimate control.

You know as well as I do that I like being in control and having a plan for everything. This is my hardest trial with God. so many times I want to take my life from Him and lead it my way... and that, my friend, is what gets us into trouble. His ways are so much better than ours and we must learn to rely on Him for everything. I will be first to say, this is easier said than done.

But, as a spiritual challenge for each of us... I ask that you not give up talking to me or any other person that you choose to confide in, especially in the bad times...  But we should, after venting, consciously turn our problems over to God. Inasmuch as we start to choose to rely on Him, He will make the trials of our life easier to give Him.

Now with every spiritual conviction comes a cost. Haha, we both know that when you are trying to do what is right the devil comes full force to fight against you. But, my friend, that is why we have each other.. to strengthen and encourage one another to keep fighting.. because in the end the payoff is eternity spent with Jesus.. and what a glorious day that will be!

May you be filled with the Holy Spirit in such a way that you are overflowing with His joy and gladness. I pray that if/when the devil comes marching your way that Jesus would banish him from the room. That your heart would be protected, your mind would be guided and that you would be strengthened to fight the good fight of faith... to never give up.

*This email has been edited slightly. Bold words were added and parts were taken out for personal reasons.*

How I pray that this speaks to you today. I believe that since it is a message that keeps coming up... it is a message that needs to be shared. I pray for each of you as you go throughout your day. May you rely on God for the sole source of your comfort and strength. God bless you.