Monday, September 27, 2010

To Be Upon Our Hearts

On day 2 of Beth Moore's Paul: 90 Days on His Journey of Faith, the focus is on memorizing God's Word. It reminds me of an elderly black man I once saw on the national news following Hurricane Katrina. He had been trapped on the roof of his submerged home for several days. He spoke of how the Bible had given him hope during such a dark time. He told the reporter, "The only Bible I had was the one I had in my mind. But that was enough." I stopped to wonder, "Do I have enough of God's Word memorized to carry me through when the Book is not available to me?" Memorizing God's Word isn't something we do to earn kudos on Sunday morning. It's something we do because we know the Word changes who and what we are. The more we carry in our hearts, the more we change. I don't know about you, but I am always game for change in this heart of mine!

May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.

The last Word:
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Oh, How I've Missed You

Note: In the Name above all names, greetings to old friends and new. I've spent the past forty weeks wandering in the desert and missing my friends in Blogland. I've wanted very much to write but have felt paralyzed to do so. The Enemy has kept me trapped with messages of, "You don't have anything important to say", "No one wants to read your navel-gazing disorganized thoughts", "Oh sure, you had a long run of writing well but that ended when your mind crashed and burned. You'll never get your voice back." These thoughts infuriate me so. Which is why I'm here tonight. Please pray for me friends as I struggle to resurrect the voice I loved using to glorify God.

A box from Amazon on my doorstep - the perfect way to end a long day at work! Four new authors delivered, ready to leap off the page and renew my mind. Bliss! Among the new soul messages received is Beth Moore's Paul: 90 Days on His Journey of Faith. Last year, I completed Beth's 90 day study of Jesus with several friends here online. I was not the same person when I finished as when I began. So to relaunch my efforts at blogging, I've chosen to share my journey into Paul's life with anyone who cares to listen. I pray you will find something here to renew your own mind. Today, Beth showcased one of Paul's prayers to the Thessalonians. I leave you with my adjusted version - I substituted "I" for "we" in the original text. The result was a prayer that penetrated my heart more personally. Pray this prayer right now, and God will bless your every word.
May you feel His grace today,
Gail W.

The last Word:
This means more to me than anything else, Lord - that you have chosen me for salvation . . . through belief in the Truth. You called me to this through the Gospel, so that I might obtain the glory of my Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, may I stand firm and hold to the traditions I was taught, taking what you have begun in my heart and living it out with faithfulness and boldness. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15.