No white glove needed

Good Tuesday morning!  Isn't it a beautiful day out there?  God is so good to give us the season of fall!

The verse Steve and I are contemplating this week is from I John 4:18.  "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.  For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love."  Isn't that a great verse?  I think so too!

Too much of my life has been spent in fear.  As a child, it was from the wrath of my dad.  As a teenager, it was from the pressure of my peers.  As a college student, it was from the world and what my place was in it.  As a young wife, it was would I be good enough.  As a mother, it was would I be able to supply all my kid needed.  As a teacher, it was would I be able to make that difference that I so wanted to.  As a Christian?  Ooh, that's where the biggest fears came.  Would I be enough for God to always love me or would He leave me as so many had before?

"For fear has to do with punishment" this verse tells me.  How I can relate to that!  Isn't it great though that my performance, my lack of excellence, and my inexperience does not cause God's love towards me to waver?  He doesn't expect for me to be perfect yet at the same time He is perfecting me so that I am suitable for His kingdom.  He's not going to reject me when I don't measure up.  When my best isn't as good as the gal's next to me, He isn't going to disregard my efforts.  And when I mess up?  He's not going to disown me.  I can never lose His love!!

As you go about your week, please keep this in mind:  if God is doing all of this for ol' Stef, He's surely doing it for you too.  We do not have to live in fear.  We do not have to worry and be anxious.  We just need to be still, to know He is God, and to listen for His voice to tell us our next moves.  We have to be ready for His call.  We have to love because God is love.  He set the example for us to follow and when we walk in His pathway, we become more like Jesus, more perfect, and we get to be fearless.

Let's pray!

Dear Lord, for so much of my life I feared You, feared You were going to smite me for all the horrible things I did, and feared that You would not be satisfied with any thing I did because I just never felt good about myself.  Thank You so much for showing me that you are not this way, that You aren't looking to find fault in me but instead, You are seeking to find favor with me.

Lord, as this verse becomes more real to me, I pray that the things in life I still fear will be replaced with faith.  May I trust You more and depend on the love that You have for Your children will more than sustain me.  I love You, Father.  Thank You for first loving me so that I know how to love better.  In the name of Jesus I pray.  Amen.

Sweet September

September 1, 2015

Don’t you just love the promise of September?  The days will be shorter, yes, but what beautiful days they will be!  The weather cools (often later in the month than we would prefer) and the air turns crisp.  Harvest season comes to an end and the promise--the promise of rest--is upon us.

Proverbs 16:3 tell us to:  Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.  Many of us have plans for the fall season, for the upcoming Labor Day Weekend, and for the rest of the day, for that matter.  As we prepare ourselves and the necessary things are in place for those plans to come to fruition, let’s not forget first to pray, to seek our Lord’s guidance, and to check out the Word to make sure our plans line up with His purpose.  Sometimes it’s that tiny detail that gets overlooked and causes the whole event to go awry.  

Shall we take a moment now to check in with our Father; you know, just in case we are going about our merry little ways and might need a little direction?  Great!

Dear Lord, thank You for the change of the seasons, the new months that promise beginnings of different sorts, and mostly, Lord, for this upcoming season of rest.  Yes, the chaos of getting the kids back in school, the cramming in of last-minute vacations, and the harvesting of the last fruits provided can make us more harried than we need to be.  Sigh.

Lord, You give us so much to enjoy and sometimes in our busyness we forget to say thanks, we forget to take time for You, and we forget to seek Your guidance.  We’re here now, Father, asking for reassurance that we are in the paths You have chosen for us, that we are doing the things that will please You, and that we are loving our brothers and sisters as ourselves.  Help us to not be pious, greedy, nor self-centered as we transition into the autumn season.  Remind us that it’s time to slow down, look around, and see what still needs to be done.  

Thanks again for September (even though You know October is my favorite).  As the days slowly shorten, may our love for You never wane, Father, is my prayer.  I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.