Monthly Archives: October 2011

Photo credit: Thomas Hawk

Jesus led me to Colossians 3 in my quiet time with Him this morning: “Whatever you do, whether in word or in deed do it all in the Name of the Lord Jesus…” (v. 17, italics added).

He then invited me to live in that verse today.

I exhaled in grateful relief, feeling His peace saturate my heart.

Before I opened my Bible this morning, I was feeling somewhat frustrated. I happen to be very tired following a busy (but fun!) weekend and I regretted that I allowed that fatigue to manifest itself in  speaking rather harshly to my daughter this morning.

I was upset with myself and wearily asked Jesus to help me overcome my stubborn fleshly reactions.

Colossians 3:17 was His answer.

After reading that verse, I found myself asking, “Can I speak harshly to my daughter in Jesus’ Name?”

Um….no!

Can I worry in Jesus’ Name?

Can I be selfish in Jesus’ Name?

Can I harbor negative thoughts in Jesus’ Name?

Can I judge another in Jesus’ Name?

Can I be lazy in Jesus’ Name?

Can I give a half-hearted effort in Jesus’ Name?

The answer is no to all of these things.

What a clear and refreshing way to look at each day!

The word “whatever” in this verse encompasses all of life. Whatever choices this day holds for me , I can choose to ask myself, “Can I take this action, think this thought, say this word in the Name of the Lord Jesus?”

If not, I will ask His strength to make the choice that will honor Him and His precious Name.

He gives me guidance for ways to honor Him in the rest of Colossians 3:

*Set your minds on things above, not earthly things (v.2)

*Put to death whatever belongs to your earthly nature (v.5)

*Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (v.12)

*Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (v.13)

*Above all else, put on love (v.14)

Today, this can be Jesus’ invitation to you as well.

Go..and do ALL in the Name of Jesus.

You will discover that a day lived to His glory is a day filled with His joy.

Photo credit: shattered.symmetry

A young woman (who I will call ‘Mary’)  shared a story in our Mom To Mom group at church this morning that I just had to pass on.

Needing to get away for a little while, Mary had taken a trip to Niagara Falls, New York. She had a lovely two days exploring the area before heading home.

Shortly after she began her return journey, something blew in her car. She was alone, 400 miles from home, and had $30 in her bank account. Through tears, she called her best friend, who advised her to take the car to a Pep Boys that was nearby. The needed repair was going to cost $1000. She was to let them know in the morning if she wanted the work done.

She left the car there, wondering what in the world  she was going to do. As she left Pep Boys, she noticed a hotel right next door. It just “happened” to be the chain that she works for and one of the perks is that an employee can stay at a deep discount at any hotel in the country.

She checked in and spent a restless night, calling out to Jesus to help her. She was in a strange city with barely any money, having no idea how she would get home.

She stayed at the hotel until it was time to check out. In the lobby, she called a family member, who told her that she would wire money to the local bus station so she could purchase a ticket home (the car being a lost cause at this point). However, it would be 24 hours until the money could be transferred.

The tears began again because Mary didn’t have the funds for another night in the hotel and had no idea what she was going to do.

As soon as she hung up the phone, a woman approached her to ask, “Are you all right?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

“Can I give you a ride somewhere?”

“I live 400 miles away.” At that point, Mary shared what had happened to her.

Immediately, this lady offered to have her come and stay at her home for the night. She assured her, “I’m a church-going lady from a church-going family so you’ll be safe. I’ll be happy to drive you to the bus station in the morning.”

Mary gratefully accepted. This lady treated her to dinner and even took her to church that evening. She had a good night’s rest and in the morning, her benefactress took her to the train station, as promised.

All the way home, she praised her Savior for hearing her prayer and taking care of her. Some people would later tell her that it was all a coincidence but Mary knew better.

With no one to help and nowhere to turn, she had cried out to Jesus for help…and He answered by sending one of His own to Mary in her time of need.

He always answers.

He is so faithful.

I find such comfort in knowing that nothing is too small for Him to be concerned about. We can bring any issue to Him and will always find Him willing to listen, to lavish us with His love, to send the help we need at just the right time.

There is never a time when you are out of His sight or out of His thoughts. (see Psalm 121 and Psalm 139:1-18)

He is our beautiful Deliverer…in more ways than one.

If you belong to Jesus, you are safe in His powerful hands…no matter how scary things may look.

Rest in that today.

“I am with you always, to the very end of the age”–Matthew 28:20