The cure for heart hardening

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever."
1 Chronicles 16:34
The Bible

I read a devotional today that used 1 Chronicles 16:7-36, which is titled "David's Psalm of Thanks," as a basis for talking about our hearts becoming hard. I know that for me, as a mom, well, as a wife, friend, daughter, and sister too, it's very easy for my heart to lose its softness. I can easily get caught up in my lists of all that I have to get done, and forget to feel, to care, to be thankful. Just as with our physical bodies being in great danger when our arteries are hardened, or when our hearts are not working properly, our spiritual and emotional pieces of us can be in danger if we let our hearts grow hard. Does this make sense? And really the only way to "cure" this drifting toward hard heartedness is to consistently spend time with the one who made this heart, to spend time in worship and in thankfulness, realizing that even when I am totally out of control, He has it all in control. He is good.

Not exactly daily...

Well, my intent when I started this blog was to give moms like me, or just anyone like me, small bite size pieces of truth to chew on, crumbs of inspiration if you will. :) Unfortunately life has gotten busier and busier and the lack of inspiration on here kind of parallels the lack of inspiring moments in my own life. It seems like lately the days whizz by without me taking a moment to close my eyes to lift them up, or to really be thankful for them. Soooo, I apologize. I am going to purpose to make this blog my morning accountability stop for my personal quiet time. Let's see how that goes tomorrow morning - hopefully I'll see you here!

More to this life

This song is just so powerful. How can you live life without believing this????

Funeral celebration

You live one final breath from your own funeral.

Which, from God’s perspective, is nothing to grieve. He responds to these grave facts with this great news: “The day you die is better than the day you are born” (Eccles. 7:1). Now there is a twist. Heaven enjoys a maternity-ward reaction to funerals. Angels watch body burials the same way grandparents monitor delivery-room doors. “He’ll be coming through any minute!” They can’t wait to see the new arrival. While we’re driving hearses and wearing black, they’re hanging pink and blue streamers and passing out cigars. We don’t grieve when babies enter the world. The hosts of heaven don’t weep when we leave it.

Oh, but many of us weep at the thought of death. Do you? Do you dread your death? And is your dread of death robbing your joy of life?

Jesus came to “deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying” (Heb. 2:15).

Your death may surprise you and sadden others, but heaven knows no untimely death: “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed” (Ps. 139:16).

Dread of death ends when you know heaven is your true home. In all my air travels I’ve never seen one passenger weep when the plane landed. Never. No one clings to the armrests and begs, “Don’t make me leave. Don’t make me leave. Let me stay and eat more peanuts.” We’re willing to exit because the plane has no permanent mailing address. Nor does this world. “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior” (Phil. 3:20).

Why don’t you do this: give God your death. Imagine your last breath, envision your final minutes, and offer them to him. Deliberately. Regularly. “Lord, I receive your work on the cross and in your resurrection. I entrust you with my departure from earth.” With Christ as your friend and heaven as your home, the day of death becomes sweeter than the day of birth.

From
Come Thirsty
© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004) Max Lucado

What a difference a change in perspective makes!! And who has the better, more accurate perspective? The God who is over all, or me, in the middle of it all?

Compassion

This is such a neat ministry. We've been sponsoring a child for years, and it's been a blessing to us, and to her, and real tangible way to teach our kids how to reach out with compassion.

From Dr. Jack Graham - good reminder, encouragement and challenge...

Does your life feel like it's falling apart at times? Maybe even today it seems as if the world is crumbling around you.

If so, let's take a moment to think about the life and living hope that we have because of Jesus, the chief Cornerstone.

Because of what Christ did for us on the cross, we've been set free from our past, fully and freely forgiven. Now, we've been given a life of purpose and significance.

In this life, we are no longer alone or isolated or living independently of God. We have been loved unconditionally and accepted into God's family. Which means we should live without fear of the future because we have this hope in Christ! He is sufficient for every hurt, for every habit, for every challenge and test in life.

But we must first choose to build our lives on the Rock. Our Scripture for today reminds us, "For it stands in Scripture: 'Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame'" (1 Peter 2:6).

Though rejected by others, if Jesus is the Cornerstone set in your life, there is consistence, strength, and significance.

Maybe you are wondering today why your life doesn't seem to fit together... why things aren't working out the way you had planned. If you're trying to build your life without Jesus, the Cornerstone, everything will ultimately fall apart.

As the old hymn says, "On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand, all other ground is sinking sand." Jesus is the solid Rock. So learn to consistently build your life upon Him... not on the things of this world!

PRAY AND ASK GOD'S GUIDANCE TODAY FOR THE CHALLENGES IN YOUR LIFE.

Held

Wow. It's been a while since I've heard this song, and this video clip has some pictures that just tear at your heart. Listen to the words though... In the middle of this crazy screwed up world, God is holding out His arms to hold you, to hold you tight and cry with you... This is what it means to be held....