I Speak Jesus

 It is get the morning praise music rolling in the morning. Right now I'm starting with "I Speak Jesus" and usually hit replay. Yesterday, the Spirit was so strong I cried as the sun rose literally during my ride.

Now if you know me you know I'm not a "work up emotion in order to worship" girl. But friends, the words! I'm old. I've done this teaching thing a long time. I've had accolades through the years. However, right now I want to speak Jesus!

"Your name is power
Your name is healing

Your name is life

Break every stronghold
Shine through the shadows
Burn like a fire"

There's just something about it. Philippians 2:10 says, "...so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth."

Matthew 10:27 says, "“What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops."

Oh friend, what if we all "Considered" this Jesus and spoke Jesus where ever we went?

Hebrews 10:24

 

Yesterday, the preacher started preaching in Hebrews. This verse seemed to jump off the page. Did you know the word "consider" in this context is only used twice in the book of Hebrews, here and in chapter three, verse one? 

I had to stop and think, do I get up every morning and ask God to show me what I need to do for others?

John Piper said, "When you get up in the morning, Consider — think about, ponder, deliberate, meditate, mull over — other people, with this conscious goal: what can I do today so that they will be stirred up to love and to good deed?"

Piper went on to say, this should be the aim of our lives.

Friend, I used to think only certain people were gifted to be an encourager, but after reading Hebrews I think we all are called. It isn't a selective gift given to a few, it is a call on us all!

Lord, help me consider those you put in my path and spur them on!

Psalm 61:5

 For you have heard my vows, Oh God. You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name.

Psalm 61:5

Many people take offense when you say anything about fearing God. They will quickly say this is "old time" thinking, because God is love.

The writers at gotquestions.com answer this best, "For the unbeliever, the fear of God is the fear of the judgment of God and eternal death, which is eternal separation from God (Luke 12:5; Hebrews 10:31). For the believer, the fear of God is something much different. The believer’s fear is reverence of God. Hebrews 12:28-29 is a good description of this: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ’God is a consuming fire.’” This reverence and awe are exactly what the fear of God means for Christians. This is the motivating factor for us to surrender to the Creator of the Universe."

Reverence and awe of God. I don't find that a point in many sermons today. The psalmist tells us that God heard that vow we made to serve Him, and in return there is an inheritance for those who fear (have awe and reverence) your name.

The writers at gotquestions.com go on to say, "Fearing God means having a reverence for Him that greatly impacts the way we live. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshiping Him in awe."

This may be the key to this verse, when you made that vow to follow God, did it change the way you live? Do you weight your actions on the basis of are they pleasing to God.

You see my friend, He heard and hears you. Does He see a awe and reverence in what you do? Do you weigh everything in light of His word? I've heard people say, "Well, I've got fire insurance." Yikes! I don't think that is being a Christ follower.

Alistair Begg said it so eloquently, "Gathering with the 'Jesus crowd,' being able to say all the 'Jesus words,' singing all the 'Jesus songs' is no ticket of admission into heaven."

He hears us, carries such deep meaning. I pray I'm walking worthy of His name.

Psalm 90:12

 A few weeks ago I saw a tic tok video where the man was talking about his parents aging. He lived across the country from them. He talked about coming to the realization that he would see them about 15 more times in his life. Sobering thought!

It was odd to come across the video, because Dan and I had recently discussed that we are at the winter of life. Somedays that thought hits me hard.

Now this came on the heels of Alistair Begg asking his church to pray for singer, Paul Simon. Begg was greatly influenced by music as a lad and often incorporates musical lyrics in his sermons.

Begg's sermon started me thinking about the music of my own life. Surely, it is filled with Bad Company, Eagles, Bonnie Raitt, Lynard Skynard, and the Allman Brothers band. This trip down memory lane had me contemplating my "days".

Which brings me to yesterday.

As I listened to ABB I came across Gregg's last recording which was released after his death. "My Only True Friend" is a haunting song of the end of life with such lines as:

"You and I both know this river will surely flow to an end..."

"Still on and on I run it feels like home is just around the bend

I got so much left to give

But I'm running out of time, my friend"

As I listened to the song on repeat yesterday, and I wondered if anyone ever shared with Gregg that this life isn't the end. I hope so.

Friend, as I'm "numbering my days", I'm in deep thought on the mark I'll make. Gregg's song says, "I hope you're haunted by the music of my soul...When I'm gone."

I want my song to be Jesus. I want to spend the next few years serving Him. I don't need travel, we wore the road out in our younger years. If God intends for me to teach, then I want to have the energy and physical strength to be the best. If God intends me to write on a larger scale then that's what I want to do.

In the words of Henry Martyn, "I want to burn out for God."

So Lord, teach me to number my days that I can gain wisdom, because I know that this life is not the end of the road - it is only the beginning.

Genesis 50:20

 As you've traveled this life have you ever felt like another person has treated you unfairly? Maybe you've even felt targeted in your treatment. Well there is a lot we can learn from the life of Joseph.

You see I'm one of those people who hates change. I'll hang in no matter the circumstances or treatment because the alternative is change.

For a person who hates change, the last three years have been nothing but change. God has given us a snapshot of how our circumstances are filtered by God's hand in the story of Joseph. Samuel Emadi wrote, "Within Reformed circles, preachers often use Joseph merely to illustrate how divine sovereignty and human responsibility intersect..."

Emadi goes on to say, "God’s sovereignty figures largely in the Joseph story because God wants us to see how he puts himself in impossible situations and yet finds a way to keep his covenant promises."

If you know me you know I filter all of life through God's sovereign plan for me. I can't even begin to tell you how this helps me face each day.

The last three years have been nothing but change. I've changed jobs, churches, and my diet, and one thing I can bank on is I'm going to continue changing.

Friend, we all pray, "God use me." We heroically sing the words of Isaiah, "Here am I send me," but secretly add "just don't make it painful."

So you may ask, "What caused this reflective moment?" The answer - an eye exam.

Seriously, I felt like the lyrics in a Johnny Nash song,

"I can see clearly now, the rain is gone

I can see all obstacles in my way

Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind..."

Don't get me wrong I know hard days will come, but I also know that the same God who has allowed the hard days in the past three years will be there using them for my good.

Philippians 1:6

 There is an old Southern gospel song, "I Wouldn't Take Nothing for my Journey Now." This morning while studying the life of Elijah a deeper meaning came forth.

"All of his life set the stage for the life God had planned for him." (Shirer, p. 35) That was so deep and I had to read it twice. See I learned a lot about God in my 26 years in Oklahoma. My formattable years.

Carter County, Oklahoma is where I'm from.

Carter County, Oklahoma is where my heart was formed.

Carter County, Oklahoma is where my own personal set of trials and difficulties became a start a process, a process of living and thinking and navigating my journey by faith. (adapted from Shirer p. 37)

Wow! Just WOW! God prepared me for this journey in those early years. Shirer says, "Elijah's whole life was about to become a clear, bold declaration of God's power and provision. And so is yours."

So me...I'll just be over here thanking God for my journey this far and trusting that He is using every part of this journey to form me into His image!

Quote - Beggs