A Mustard Seed of Faith

If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Matthew 17:20b

I need my glasses, but this particular day while I was sitting on the couch, the screw worked loose and dropped into the couch. How would I ever see the tiny thing? If I happen to find it, who would put my glasses back together? I had work to do! I needed to read for school. I needed to cook supper. I needed my glasses and I was home alone. I stood and began to feel across the cushion as I tried to see the tiny screw. If I lifted the cushion, no telling where the screw would roll to or go flying off to. What was I going to do? "Lord, please help me find the screw." It was a feeble plea. My faith was about as big as a dust mite. But as I lifted the cushion, I heard in my head, this male Southern voice say, almost with disgust, "There it is." Sure enough, along the edge of the couch lining with all the crumbs, lay my little screw. I was so excited I wanted to tell someone. I wanted to jump up and down. I just bowed my head and said, "Thank you, Lord. Thank you." I carefully picked up the screw and got a magnifying glass to help me put my glasses back together.

When my husband got home that night, I wanted to tell him the whole story but somehow it just didn't come out quite the same. Sometimes you just have to be there.

In the Mark 10, Blind Bartimaeus cries out to Jesus. Many try to shush him, but Jesus asked what Bartimaeus wanted him to do. Bartimaeus needed to see. He had the faith it took to ask Jesus for the sight. Bartimaeus' request was immediately granted.

Jesus is always at hand to answer our requests, our needs. Had Bartimaeus not called out, he would have still been blind. If I had not called out, when would I have gotten my glasses fixed? Finding a screw seems like such a little thing compared to what Jesus did for Bartimaeus, but He is interested in even our little things.

What need do you have today? Have you told Jesus? The answer may be just a prayer away. Mustard seeds aren't much bigger than dust mites. Even dust mite faith worked for me.

Blessings,

Gail

Three Little Pigs and a Wolf

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As I was reading Matthew 7:15, it reminded me of the story of the Three Little Pigs. Let’s have a little fun with this story and hopefully you will get the connection.
You can print puppets for your skit from this site or create your own. http://www.educationalinsights.com/text/EI/downloads/guides/1011%20Three%20Little%20Pigs-G.pdf
You will also need:
• a laundry basket
• a white towel or throw
• a box or chair for a stick house
• a broom for a straw house
• and something strong like a hearth for a brick house
Just have fun being creative and putting on the skit with family and friends then, discuss these questions.
How did the pig in each house know when a brother pig was at the door?
How did the pigs know when the wolf came to the door?
Why didn’t the disguise fool the pigs?
How do pigs and wolves look different, sound different, and act different?
Now look back at Matthew 7:15. Tell someone what a false prophet is. What do false prophets want to do? Check out Matthew 7:16-20. Tell someone how to recognize a false prophet.
Seems we need to be fruit inspectors. We need to know what good fruit looks like so we can recognize what is NOT good fruit. Tell someone what you look for when you choose an apple or a banana. Now tell someone what a Christian should look like and act like. That could be a long list but you get the idea. The only way to tell a true Christian is to be familiar with God’s Word. If someone tells you they are a Christian but they don’t look or act in a way that matches God’s Word, you might be wise to look and see if there is a wolf hiding under that sheep’s clothing.

Who's Pulling the Kite Strings?


The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. John 3:8

March – kite flying season. I love the way the wind makes my kite dip and swirl and takes it almost out of sight. Sometimes the string breaks and takes my kite wherever it wants and I wonder where, and who sees.
We are a lot like kites. When we are without Christ, Satan pulls the strings and directs our lives. Like kites, we pull against the string and try to break away. Jesus told Nicodemus that the wind is like the Holy Spirit that comes into a person’s life without being seen and causes changes that takes a Christian in new unseen directions. It is the Holy Spirit through the power of Jesus Christ that breaks the bonds that tie us to sin. Only then can we be free to be carried by the Spirit to accomplish God’s purpose for our lives.
Is sin holding you down? Why not ask Jesus to forgive you and give you that new life of joy and peace that only He can give. Others will see and hear when the Holy Spirit directs your life. Your life may bring change to their life too.

Won't you share how the Holy Spirit is taking you in new directions as He uses you for the kingdom?

Faith In Action

When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. Mark 2:5

On the communion table in front of the pulpit at our church is a little church with a slot in the top, originally for offerings. We use it to put in names for prayer. It reminds me of the Jews who stick their prayer requests in wall in Jerusalem. Hopefully that little church bank reminds us to bring those names before Jesus in prayer.

Four men carried a paralyzed friend on a mat to Jesus. Because of the crowd, they could not even get the friend through the door. So up on the roof top, they removed some of the tiles and let their paralyzed friend down where Jesus was teaching. Jesus, knowing the faith of all five men, declared that the paralyzed man’s sins were forgiven him. The scribes who were watching all this take place thought Jesus blasphemed by claiming to forgive sins, since God is the only one who can forgive sins. They did not have faith to believe Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus went a step farther. He asked the question whether it is easier to forgive sins or tell a person to get up and walk. Then he told the paralyzed man to get up, take his bed and go home. Immediately the man obeyed, walking out through the crowd with his folded mat. Wow! What a scene to witness! The people all declared they had never seen anything like that before.

I’m wondering what the five men had tried to do for their friend before they brought him to Jesus. Had they taken him to warm mineral spas? Had they massaged his legs? Had they tried to stand him up and help him walk to strengthen his legs? Had they taken him to their religious leaders? Regardless of the things they tried, their faith in Jesus was the only thing that worked.

Do we have friends and family that are paralyzed by sin? What have we tried? Talking to them, trying to convince them to change? Taking them to rehab? Talking them into going to church? But have we really done the only thing that matters? Have we urgently taken them to Jesus in prayer? Yes, ultimately it is our friends and family who have to desire Jesus’ forgiveness, but our prayers are part of the process too. Let us fall on our knees before God for our families and friends, our churches and communities, our nation and our world that Jesus would be moved to forgive us and heal us of all our sin. By the way, the wall in Jerusalem where the prayer requests are placed is called the Wailing Wall.

Are there prayer requests you would like to share? Has God answered your prayers? Would you like to give praise for God's goodness to you? Why not use the comment space to share?

Blessings,

Gail

Blinding Snow

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalms 46:10

The weatherman predicted record cold with moisture rising from the Gulf to meet the sinking arctic air. Snow was on every mind. Hurry to gather groceries, meet deadlines, check the woodpile and the flashlight batteries.

It started with the gathering of clouds and robins in the yard. The still, the quiet, the smell, it all said snow. Then a small twirling flake, and another, and another. Faster, thicker, the white fluff hung to grass and elbows of trees. Close the schools and make the last mad rush for milk and bread only to find empty shelves and long lines. Hurry home through driving snow, black snow. The speed of the car and the thick falling of the snow created a darkness that was blinding. But snow was white, light. How then this darkness, this blindness?

The speed of life does not wait to contemplate the Light, though the Light gently swirls around us every day. If we look below, it softly falls around our walk. If we look above, it lights gently on our faces. If we look straight ahead, the Light is there in every nook and corner of our lives. At the speed of life, Light is not allowed to shine, like the fear of the unknown, the confusion of being told of beauty without the ability to see. It is only when we take the time to Be Still that we can know that He is God. He is here to light our way, shine down on us and direct our paths.

How easily we forget and allow hurry and deadlines, woodpiles and the ever ready battery that runs our lives to keep us in darkness. Be still. Be still and know. Be still and know that I am God, He gently calls to us. 

Won’t you join in the conversation? Won’t you share what busy-ness hinders you from seeing the Light for your path? What ideas do you have to help us slow down and know that He is God?

Blessings,

Gail