Just a thought that I wanted to share...
by Kristina Voelker on Sunday, December 5, 2010 at 12:26am
Lately I have been feeling like blah...like I have no purpose here. I know I do, but I just haven't been feeling it. I dunno what the deal has been. It seems like no matter how hard I try or how much I pray to have that passion for Christ, I just can't get it back. I feel like I can't find that "first love" I had with Him. I dunno...its a feeling I want more than anything...a relationship like I once had with Christ, but can't get. I was chatting with a friend I haven't talked to in awhile and she sent me a link to her blog and I am so glad she did because her thoughts and words are so fitting for my life right now. She starts out by saying:
"Have you ever felt like the Samaritan woman in the Bible? Asking yourself why would Jesus talk to me? And why would he ask me to get a drink of water for him? Jesus answers the Samaritan woman by telling her of the Gift that God has for her. 'Where can I get this gift?' Asked the Samaritan woman. She asks again, please sir…give me some of that water! Then I will never be thirsty again."
I ask myself that so often ,"Why me?" or "How can you use me?" This past week at school, our Bible lesson was all about the angels coming to Mary and Joseph and I have brought up how Mary probably said that same thing, "Why me?" She was a normal girl just like us and yet God chose her for such an amazing, no words can describe opportunity. IF he chose her, he can choose you and me as well. Just like Jesus chose to talk to this Samaritan woman. God has this perfect plan for my life. I tell my students that all the time. God has a plan for their lives and it's far greater than we could ever imagine. I have been reading in James for my devotional group at work and in Chapter 4, it says,
"How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog-its here a little while and then it's gone. What you ought to say is, 'If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that." This reminds us that life is short. We need to live today for Christ. We need to enjoy our loved ones today and do what we know we should TODAY not tomorrow! If we put off what we can do today, it may be too late. Before I ever read this I was reminded that we are all on "borrowed" time. We are only here for that short time and we need to live for God today! Being a teacher I'm not saying we shouldn't plan, because we should; however, we need to seek God's guidance in our plans and focus on what He has for our lives and our plans. Our plans should include Him. As my friend says in her blog, "God wants us to be joyful as we worship Him. He wants to see smiles upon our faces and loving hearts. Everytime we worship God we are in awe of everything that he has done in our lives, he gives us the desire to raise our hands and praise his name! When we focus on God, and take our eyes off of ourselves we can truly worship our Wonderful maker!" I love how she put that because honestly raising my hands in church or stepping out of my comfort zone is one of the hardest things for me. To be able to block everything else out and just really worship God has always been tough for me when I am around others. Yes, I can worship God and sing and just love on Him when I am alone in my car or in my bedroom at night by myself, but it's different when I am in a church setting and trying to block everything else out and just focus on the Lord. It's hard to raise my hand and just give it all up to Him. It's hard to let go and let Him on the things going on in my life, but I know I need I too. I know that nothing compares to his love for me, and the plans he has for me and right now is the time he had given me and I need to embrace it today and choose to let him take control and be the center of my life not any other relationship or my job or my finances or anything.
In my personal time with God a couple nights ago, I read Romans 12:12 which says, "Be glad for all God is planning for you. BE patient in trouble and always be prayerful." WOW! God is awesome how everything in my life right now is pointing to the same thing he is trying to remind me of. In Romans 12:6 it also says, "God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well." As I am constantly telling my students, we are all unique in our own ways. Some of us are good at one area of our lives while others are good at something else. I use this to help my students realize that God made some of them good at math and others good at sports or reading or whatever it may be. He made each of us special in his eyes. He knew us before we were ever born. He knew why he made us and what plans he has for each one of us. Now it's our job to focus on him and those plans he made us for. We have that choice as I was reminded reading that blog earlier. We have the choice and freedom to worship God with all our heart, to worship him and not have the fear of going to jail for it, but the freedom to worship him how heart desires and to love him and tell others about him freely. How lucky are we?!?! I mean people in other countries have to hide their beliefs. We don't! We have that special privilege, therefore, need to share Him with others. As the Hillsong United's song says, "Tell the world that Jesus lives." And what better time than right now to share what we believe with someone else. Live today like there's no tomorrow. Worship God like you've never worshiped Him before. Read the Bible and soak in each and every verse. Don't just read it to be checking off another task on your to do list. Love others, "Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them." (Romans 12:9) We may never see God's plan for our lives today or what our seeds have done that we have planted today, but in eternity it will all become clear...God's purpose for our lives. How have you been living your lives lately? Have you given God your all? Have you showed others that you really love them? Have you lived today like there's no tomorrow? Just a thought that I wanted to share...God's been reminding me of this so much lately....everywhere I turn I notice God reminding me in some way or another...the question is though, "Have I been giving God my all and living for Him?" Have I showed others how much I care? Do I worship God all the time like no one is watching? Who's watching me and how I live my life? Do they see Christ through me?" This holiday season, I plan on giving Him my all. I never would have thought spending money would lift my spirits and remind me what Christmas is all about, but today buying gifts for my family and friends made me realize the greatest gift to me has already been given-Jesus Christ! Who can I share that gift with today? Just a thought...
"Have you ever felt like the Samaritan woman in the Bible? Asking yourself why would Jesus talk to me? And why would he ask me to get a drink of water for him? Jesus answers the Samaritan woman by telling her of the Gift that God has for her. 'Where can I get this gift?' Asked the Samaritan woman. She asks again, please sir…give me some of that water! Then I will never be thirsty again."
I ask myself that so often ,"Why me?" or "How can you use me?" This past week at school, our Bible lesson was all about the angels coming to Mary and Joseph and I have brought up how Mary probably said that same thing, "Why me?" She was a normal girl just like us and yet God chose her for such an amazing, no words can describe opportunity. IF he chose her, he can choose you and me as well. Just like Jesus chose to talk to this Samaritan woman. God has this perfect plan for my life. I tell my students that all the time. God has a plan for their lives and it's far greater than we could ever imagine. I have been reading in James for my devotional group at work and in Chapter 4, it says,
"How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog-its here a little while and then it's gone. What you ought to say is, 'If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that." This reminds us that life is short. We need to live today for Christ. We need to enjoy our loved ones today and do what we know we should TODAY not tomorrow! If we put off what we can do today, it may be too late. Before I ever read this I was reminded that we are all on "borrowed" time. We are only here for that short time and we need to live for God today! Being a teacher I'm not saying we shouldn't plan, because we should; however, we need to seek God's guidance in our plans and focus on what He has for our lives and our plans. Our plans should include Him. As my friend says in her blog, "God wants us to be joyful as we worship Him. He wants to see smiles upon our faces and loving hearts. Everytime we worship God we are in awe of everything that he has done in our lives, he gives us the desire to raise our hands and praise his name! When we focus on God, and take our eyes off of ourselves we can truly worship our Wonderful maker!" I love how she put that because honestly raising my hands in church or stepping out of my comfort zone is one of the hardest things for me. To be able to block everything else out and just really worship God has always been tough for me when I am around others. Yes, I can worship God and sing and just love on Him when I am alone in my car or in my bedroom at night by myself, but it's different when I am in a church setting and trying to block everything else out and just focus on the Lord. It's hard to raise my hand and just give it all up to Him. It's hard to let go and let Him on the things going on in my life, but I know I need I too. I know that nothing compares to his love for me, and the plans he has for me and right now is the time he had given me and I need to embrace it today and choose to let him take control and be the center of my life not any other relationship or my job or my finances or anything.
In my personal time with God a couple nights ago, I read Romans 12:12 which says, "Be glad for all God is planning for you. BE patient in trouble and always be prayerful." WOW! God is awesome how everything in my life right now is pointing to the same thing he is trying to remind me of. In Romans 12:6 it also says, "God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well." As I am constantly telling my students, we are all unique in our own ways. Some of us are good at one area of our lives while others are good at something else. I use this to help my students realize that God made some of them good at math and others good at sports or reading or whatever it may be. He made each of us special in his eyes. He knew us before we were ever born. He knew why he made us and what plans he has for each one of us. Now it's our job to focus on him and those plans he made us for. We have that choice as I was reminded reading that blog earlier. We have the choice and freedom to worship God with all our heart, to worship him and not have the fear of going to jail for it, but the freedom to worship him how heart desires and to love him and tell others about him freely. How lucky are we?!?! I mean people in other countries have to hide their beliefs. We don't! We have that special privilege, therefore, need to share Him with others. As the Hillsong United's song says, "Tell the world that Jesus lives." And what better time than right now to share what we believe with someone else. Live today like there's no tomorrow. Worship God like you've never worshiped Him before. Read the Bible and soak in each and every verse. Don't just read it to be checking off another task on your to do list. Love others, "Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them." (Romans 12:9) We may never see God's plan for our lives today or what our seeds have done that we have planted today, but in eternity it will all become clear...God's purpose for our lives. How have you been living your lives lately? Have you given God your all? Have you showed others that you really love them? Have you lived today like there's no tomorrow? Just a thought that I wanted to share...God's been reminding me of this so much lately....everywhere I turn I notice God reminding me in some way or another...the question is though, "Have I been giving God my all and living for Him?" Have I showed others how much I care? Do I worship God all the time like no one is watching? Who's watching me and how I live my life? Do they see Christ through me?" This holiday season, I plan on giving Him my all. I never would have thought spending money would lift my spirits and remind me what Christmas is all about, but today buying gifts for my family and friends made me realize the greatest gift to me has already been given-Jesus Christ! Who can I share that gift with today? Just a thought...
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