Sunday, December 21, 2014

ADORE:

(5 minute Friday)

Adore: honor - exalt- worship
The first thing that came to mind was a song I sang as a kid. I used to go outside on a warm summer night and look at the cloudless sky. I would be so overcome by the beauty of the stars in the black sky and the vast number of them. I would sing this song as a praise to my God.

Father, I adore You
Lay my life before You
How I love You
Spirit, I adore You
Lay my life before You
How I love You
Jesus, I adore You
Lay my life before You
How I love You

I think it is not an easy thing to truly adore God 
Not without visual help
When I see the depths of the ocean
When I see the majesty of the mountains
When I see the beauty of nature 
I am awe struck by what His hands have made
I automatically cry out in praise and adoration.

But when I see the storm
When the giants are all around me
When I start to give way to fear
My first thought isn't 'Father I adore You'

When unexpected blessings come
When someone sick is healed or made well
When I witness a miracle
I am quick to say 'Jesus, I adore You'

When I think of life itself
Sacrifice
Surrender
Pain 
Sorrow
even in all this I should be able to say 'Spirit I adore You'

It is because my vision is cloudy, that I do not see my God clearly in the everyday. My adoration is conditional. It is based on sight, emotion, and circumstances, not faith. I need to adore my King and my God because of who He is, and because He alone is worthy of all praise and worship. He deserves to be adored.

"Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O LORD, and this is Your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things." 1 Chronicles 29:11 (NLT)

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Prepare:

(5 minute Friday)

This December my thoughts have been less focused on the season.
I feel a stirring in my soul.
All that is happening in the world around me, and the uncertainty of what 2015 will hold..
I want to use this last month of the year...
to prepare
I want to take time to catch up on my journals
to go through our "Blessings Jar" that is full of recorded blessings
to remember what God has done this last year
and in my mind.. prepare
I want to have my heart ready and full of memories to hold onto
Full of answered prayers to Praise God for
Full of goals accomplished and laughter shared
and in my heart... prepare
I want to take time to see what worked for my family
And, more importantly, what didn't.
What can we learn from those times that were hard?
I have no idea what next year will bring.
I need to prepare.
Year by year passes and then the start of a new one comes.
New goals, new ideas but very little time to reflect
I must prepare.
I want to start a new tradition in my family.
A tradition to cherish December as a time to ponder, a time to get my heart and mind ready for next year.
A time to prepare

"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17
"If only you would prepare your heart and lift up your hands to Him in prayer!" Job 11:13