Delight!

 This is one of my favorite words.

"a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment;  

joy; rapture"

"to give great pleasure, satisfaction,or enjoyment to; 

please highly"

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, 

© Random House, Inc. 2011.

 

In what do you take delight?

I delight in:

my children and grandchildren
conversations with friends  
laughter.
drinking in the sights and sounds of the ocean.
the melody of children's voices.
good Southern gospel singing.
a warm sunny day.
a spring thunderstorm
my dog welcoming me home.

 

I could list many things that bring delight to my life.

I cannot name many material possessions delight me.

I suppose my radio, CD player, and TV do 

because that's how I enjoy Southern Gospel music.

But they are just a means to an end.

My Bible brings me delight because reading it is 

one way I communicate with God.

I delight in knowing I am a child of THE KING!

"Delight yourself in the LORD;

And He will give you the desires of your heart."

Psalm 37:4

 

And I delight in knowing THE KING delights in me!

"He brought me out to a wide-open place; 

He rescued me because He delighted in me."

Psalm 18:19

"Finding" Myself

"I need to find myself."

"I don't know who I am."

So many people are looking for themselves.

"Who am I?"

"Why am I here?"

 

The world gives a myriad of answers to those questions.

Fame, fortune, success, material possessions are just a few of the remedies.

He who dies with the most toys wins.

Only problem is, none of them are right.

This is why so many famous rich successful people 

are the most miserable people in the world.

So how do we "find" ourselves?

Jesus gave us the answer.

"In that day you will know that I am in My Father,

you are in Me, and I am in you."

John 14:2

 

Fusion:

"the act or process of fusing; the state of being fused."

Fuse: 

"to combine or blend by melting together; melt.

to unite or blend into a whole, as if by melting together."

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2011. 

"Fusion with Him means finding who you are."

Joni Eareckson Tada

 

 There is a void in our being that needs to be filled.

It can only be filled by God.

He is the One who gives us identity and purpose.

He reveals us who we are, who He created us to be.

 

This does not happen through keeping rules and regulations.

It is not about being the best we can be.

This fusion is a result of a relationship with God.

He is the One who makes us whole.

 

Fusion takes place as we spend time with Him.

Prayer, Bible study, worship, and fellowship 

with other believers are the keys to this relationship.

 The more time we spend with Him,

the more we grow to be like Him.

 

And it is in being like God that we find ourselves.

 

"So God created man in His own image; 

He created him in the image of God; 

He created them male and female."

Genesis 1:27

 

 

 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, 

there is a new creation; old things have passed away, 

and look, new things have come."

2 Corinthians 5:17

Random Thoughts

The sun is shining today after yesterday's deluge.

It's cold but just the sight of the sun warms me.

I'm having some random thoughts so I thought I'd write them down.

I love to laugh.  

Laughter really is the best medicine.

No matter what is happening in your life,

when you laugh you feel better.

So laugh!

I love to smile.

When you smile at someone hopefully they smile back.

It might be the only smile they see that day.

So smile!

I love to encourage.

Sometimes just a word or two can make a difference to a person.

If someone looks good, tell them.

If someone does a good job, tell them.

If someone lifts your spirits, tell them.

So encourage!

I love to listen.

Listening has become a lost art.

Ask yourself:

Am I thinking of what I want to say, or am I listening?

Am I thinking of what I have to do, or am I listening?

We all want others to listen to us.

So listen!

 

I love to cry.

A good cry cleanses the body and soul.

"Those who sow with tears reap with songs of joy."

The best tears are those shed with and for others.

So cry!

 

 I love to live.

The older I get, the more precious life is.

I wish I'd realized this when I was younger.

I'm thankful I realize it now.

It's not about how much I have.

It's not about what I do.

It's about relationships.

Laughing, smiling, encouraging, listening, crying.

Living!

 RAINY DAYS & RAINBOWS

 

 

It's a dark dreary day.

(sounds like the beginning of a bad novel!)

I like this kind of day from time to time.

 Don't get me wrong.

I love sunshine;

Warm days that lift my spirits.

But I like rainstorms too.

 

A good rain cleanses the earth.

The aroma after a cleansing rain lifts my spirits.

The sound of rain soothes my soul.

I even enjoy the thunder and lightening.

They remind me of the 

power and majesty of the Creator .

I love to stand in a sheltered spot 

and soak in the sights and sounds 

of a good rainstorm.

 

 Once the rain is over, 

God's promise often appears.

In some of the darkest times of my life

God has sent me a reminder of His faithfulness.

If we didn't have the rain,

we couldn't have the rainbow.

 So celebrate the rain!

Let it wash over you and renew your spirit.

Then look for the rainbow!

 

"I set My rainbow in the cloud, 

and it shall be for the sign of the covenant 

between Me and the earth."

Genesis 9:13

 

Thankfulness

Thankfulness opens windows of heaven through which blessings fall.

"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
      That there may be food in My house,
      And try Me now in this,”
      Says the LORD of hosts,

      “ If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
      And pour out for you such blessing
      That there will not be room enough to receive it."

Malachi 3:10 

 

Tithing is just one of the ways I can show 

my thanks to my Heavenly Father.

I can tithe my money, possessions, time, and talents.

 

Counting my blessings is another way to give thanks to God.

I have found that I can always find something for which to be grateful.

 

A smile, the laughter of children, a friend's hug,

a good cup of coffee, a warm house on a cold day,

my family, a job I enjoy, a butterfly, 

a clear night when I can see the stars,

and most of all, my Best Friend.

 

Life IS in the little things.

And little IS much when God is in it.

 

  "...giving thanks always for all things to God the Father 

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ..."

 

Amen! 

 

 I just began reading UPRISING by Erwin Raphael McManus.

One phrase in particular from chapter 2 jumped out at me.

"You cannot follow Jesus and remain the same." 

(pp. 34-35)

Then one of my friends on Facebook 

posted a link to a story about Francis Chan.

The Crazy Mission of Francis Chan

www.relevantmagazine.com

 This article relates how Chan left his megachurch 

without knowing exactly where God is leading him.

He and his wife are stepping out in faith even though it scares them.

He talks about how the church needs to step out and live a life that is modeled on Christ's life.

I need to take a good look at my life.

Am I allowing God to change me to be like Jesus?

Or am I afraid to be different, to be thought of as weird?

I want to be like Jesus!

I want to risk all for His kingdom.

I want the world to see Jesus in me.

Not for my sake; for His.

I so often allow fear or what others may think of me 

to keep me from stepping out in faith.

I don't want to do this anymore.

I have no idea what God is going to ask me to do.

I do believe He is preparing me for something.

I want to grow in and like Christ.

"Father, I want to be willing to step out in faith no matter the cost.

Make me a fit vessel to serve Your Kingdom.

Empty me of self and fill me with You.

In Jesus' Precious Name,

Amen

The father of a good friend past away this morning.  

He's been battling cancer for a while.  

I started to say the cancer won, 

but for him death has no sting,  no victory. 

So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, 

and this mortal has put on immortality, 

then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written:  

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
       “ O Death, where is your sting?
      O Hades, where is your victory?”

1 Corinthians 15: 54-55 

This was a true man of God.  

He was a pastor who loved the Lord with all of his heart.  

He was leading the flock of a church 

after "retiring" several years ago.

He ministered to people with love and compassion.

And he loved his family well.

Even to the end, he prayed with his family 

and those who visited him.

He sang hymns of thanksgiving and praise 

as he lay in his bed at home.

He encouraged others to be thankful.

He truly loved the Lord 

and I know he is rejoicing and worshiping 

in His presence right now!

I look at his example and at others who are in my life 

and I see people who do not allow illness, pain, old age, 

or just being tired keep them from serving God daily.

At the same time they talk about being ready to go.

They embrace life while not fearing death.

They know that to die is gain.

“Let not your heart be troubled; 

you believe in God, believe also in Me.

In My Father’s house are many mansions; 

if it were not so, I would have told you. 

I go to prepare a place for you. 

And if I go and prepare a place for you, 

I will come again and receive you to Myself; 

that where I am, there you may be also."

John 14:1-3

This is the promise for those who are in Christ.

This life is but a journey preparing us 

for an eternity in God's presence.

Jim McGee has entered that presence.

We on earth mourn his loss.

Heaven celebrates his gain.

Praise God.