Be A Light

By Pat

Sometimes I wish I could surround myself with all my Christian friends and family and stay away from the rest of the world. It's so nice to be around people with the same beliefs, values and goals that I have; loved ones who speak my language, so to speak. I just feel different when I'm with fellow believers; in church, at my favorite Christian bookstore, in Bible studies.

But as wonderful as that feels to me, I realize that it's not what Jesus wants of us, for if we only walk among Christians, don't we shine our light in a room that's already brightly lit? Our lights, in order to illuminate the darkness, must therefore seek out those dark corners and rooms. In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus says, "We are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put in under a bowl. Instead they put it on it's stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven".

So that's what we must try to do. It's nice to to shine among the other lights in the room, making it brighter, but it's required to leave the room and find a dark corner in which to shine.

Are You Spiritually Weary?

By MAD21

To be weary means, "physically or mentally exhausted by hard work, exertion, strain, etc.; fatigued; tired..." (Dictionary.com). I'm talking about the kind of weary that we feel emotionally, or spiritually when we are ministering to people, when we are serving God.

There is an analogy of a person's heart, or emotional strength, being like water in a bucket or well.  Proverbs  4:23 says that our hearts are the "wellsprings of life." When we give of ourselves (like supporting someone emotionally) we are taking the water from the bucket. We are able to give freely and as often as needed so long as there is still water in the bucket.

But where does the water come from? Well, from a secular point of view, the water would come when other people do things for us. And there is something to be said about that. Our lives are definitely enhanced and changed when others love on us. However, that kind of water doesn't tend to last very long.

The kind of water we need is the everlasting variety. And that only comes from God. Matthew 11:28-29 Says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

We've all been in situations where we are giving support to our friends and family who are going through trials. As we are helping them through these times (filling their buckets), we need to be sure to also pray that God will continue to fill our own bucket. For he never grows weary and is the source of everlasting water.

If you find yourself feeling weary, emotionally drained or just plain tired. Go to the Well. HE will meet you there and fill you up. Bath yourself in his glory and feel the refreshing goodness of his mercy and love.

Isaiah 40:28 "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom."

Worker Bees

By Pat

I recently read that a worker bee manufactures 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in it's lifetime. That sure doesn't seem like much. Hardly worth mentioning, as a matter of fact. But if you've ever seen a hive, you know how active it is. The work the bees are doing seems endless, and yet a good hive will produce 50 to 60 pounds of honey to survive the winter. Individually, one bee can only make 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey, but collectively the bees make many, many pounds.

Sometimes I feel like that bee...working and working day after day, and yet making very little difference in God's kingdom, but no matter how miniscule my part, I know that I am, indeed, making a difference with the combined efforts of my bothers and sisters in Christ. We have to work together to use the talents we have been given in the way in which God intended. So never let yourself feel insignificant to God. We matter, each of us, to God and to the betterment of His world. What a comfort that is to me!

Thank you, God, for reminding me that I do matter and that many small acts combined have BIG results!

Casting Our Burdens

By MAD21

We all have a lot of good and bad things going on in our lives. The good things we call good, the bad we call burdens. The dictionary defines it as: "...something that is carried; a load; something that is borne with difficulty or obligation." There are a few ways of looking at burdens. One is in the negative. We could whine about how hard we have it, or how great things would be if we didn't have to deal with it.

But burdens aren't always a bad thing. For one, they help us appreciate all the good we have in our lives. But they also keep us humble, and they keep us at a point where we eventually run back to God (you know, after we've tried to handle it all on our own--and you know you do). Burdens also help us to grow, they push us outside of our comfort zone.

You don't have to walk around like Pollyanna and find the 'glad' in all things. But seriously, as you go through your day, try to find the positive in every situation. Sometimes, just changing your attitude or perspective will help you think more clearly and stay focused on the goal, the destination. Not just the distractions along the way.

God wants to help us bear the load of all of our life's burdens. Take them to Him along with your humble self. See that it can bring you to a better awareness of His love for you in every situation.

"Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you..." (Psalm 55:22 ESV)

Rainbows

By Pat

God's promise to Noah and his sons in Genesis 9 was a rainbow, which represented God's covenant to HIs people. I think of God and that promise every time I see a rainbow, and it always lifts my spirits and reminds me of God's love for me and His everlasting presence in my life. But rainbows are few and far between, aren't they? So in my everyday comings and goings, I look for the other "rainbows" God sends throughout my day...an unexpected phone call from a friend, just the right song at the right time, words that are just the ones I needed to hear. The way my heart lifts when I see a beautiful tree in bloom, or the smell of a rose. Countless rainbows, with probably countless others that I don't even notice. God doesn't need to shout at us to get out attention. All He has to do is send each of us our own personal rainbows to remind us that we, like Noah, are never out of God's sight or far from His love.