Friday, January 10, 2014

Some Thoughts From This Week...



I was very blessed by the following devotional this morning.  Not only was it an encouragement to me, but it also prompted my thoughts back to some other things the Lord has been showing me this week.  At the beginning of the week the Lord encouraged me with this verse.
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”  - Isaiah 26:3
I was feeling disturbed about something and then realized that I was not feeling the Lord’s perfect peace.  That means that my focus is off somewhere.  My mind must be stayed on Him; I must trust Him.

Yesterday evening we girls were talking to Mom and she was encouraging me to keep my eyes on the Lord.  Regardless of circumstances I must place my focus on the Lord and leave all the results up to Him.  That means that I can just take joy in where He has me right now and seek to serve Him right now.
 This picture represents something very near and dear to my heart.  The Lord has given me so many ways to serve Him and to “water” the lives of others.  He has blessed me with six precious siblings.  Four of them are so young.  They are little rays of sunshine in my life.  There’s nothing quite like one of those smiling faces bounding toward you with arms out wanting a hug.  They need so much love and attention poured into their little souls.  Amazingly, I have found that when I am feeling down the Lord uses them in a special way to somehow shine joy and security into my heart.  He has given me the opportunity to serve and love them, to invest into them physically and spiritually, and it is very rewarding.

There are also so many others ways the Lord has provided for me to invest into others and to serve Him.  My family and home can be invested into in so many ways it’s incredible.  Then there are other people too; the Lord’s children everywhere.  There are many ways that I can be a blessing and an encouragement to the people the Lord brings across my path.

Instead of worrying about various circumstances in my life and how things will turn out, I need to simply keep my focus on the Lord.  I need to be growing spiritually, seeking to serve the Lord, and be a blessing to others.  The Lord will take care of working out His perfect plan for my life.  As I place my trust in Him and find joy in pouring out myself in His service, He will give me His perfect peace.

I know I’ve been talking about my own life, but these things so apply to each of our lives, wherever the Lord has us.  I hope that this makes sense and is of encouragement to some of you.  May the Lord bless and guide each of your lives and may He use each of our lives to bring glory and honor to His name through His perfect plan.

Divine Recompense
He that watereth shall be watered also himself. (Proverbs 11:25)
If I carefully consider others, God will consider me, and in some way or other He will recompense me. Let me consider the poor, and the Lord will consider me. Let me look after little children, and the Lord will treat me as His child. Let me feed His flock, and He will feed me. Let me water His garden, and He will make a watered garden of my soul. This is the Lord's own promise; be it mine to fulfill the condition and then to expect its fulfillment.
I may care about myself till I grow morbid; I may watch over my own feelings till I feel nothing; and I may lament my own weakness till I grow almost too weak to lament. It will be far more profitable for me to become unselfish and out of love to my Lord Jesus begin to care for the souls of those around me. My tank is getting very low; no fresh rain comes to fill it; what shall I do? I will pull up the plug and let its contents run out to water the withering plants around me. What do I see? My cistern seems to fill as it flows. A secret spring is at work. While all was stagnant, the fresh spring was sealed; but as my stock Rows out to water others the Lord thinketh upon me. Hallelujah!
Charles Spurgeon, Faith's Checkbook, January 10th

Hope you all have a wonderful and refreshing weekend!
~Brittany

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