What Comes DOWN Down down, must go up Up UP!

Romans 11:36 (NLT)
For everything comes from Him and exists by His power
and is intended for His glory. All glory to Him forever! Amen.

As I read this passage, it jumpstarted my heart. He read it to me piece by piece, and it was powerful.

For ___________ comes from Him—

Fill in the blank. For (blank) comes from Him.

Think of a gift, a talent, a provision, a privilege or a blessing. Put it in the blank.

and exists by His power…

Whatever you put in the blank—not only does it come from Him, it exists by His power. That means that it is still there because of His power to give, sustain and take away. Whatever you have been given and still have is nothing short of His choice for you to have it.

and is intended for His glory…

This thing, do I really use it for His glory? Am I proud of the gift itself or am I proudly proclaiming the Gift-Giver? The word intended kind of caught me off guard. He, the Maker, the Giver, and the powerful Sustainer didn’t intend for us to use our fill-in-the-blank for our own egos…but for His glory. Period.

All glory to him forever!

All that we have, all that we are, all our hopes and dreams…they are to be for His glory. The forever part makes this so.

Want a promotion in your job? Only if it is for My glory, Child.

Are you using a special talent for Him? Please care more about My fame and renown than your own, Dear One.

Have you been given wisdom and faith? Let your motive be to draw others closer to me.

May the very life we have been given be used for His glory. This is something we must ask from Him, because it will not come naturally for us. It very well may be a trait that is grown little by little in us as we submit to Him each day. Let’s pray to earnestly desire for Him to be our glory forever and ever…

Lord God, I am blown away by the power of Your Word. So impacting. The same Word that has been there from the beginning of time—in its power—in its perfect timing—has convicted me once again. May it do the same in my brothers and sisters as You choose, and may we constantly remind each other of all the glorious things You have done in our lives. I pray from the bottom of my heart that You would help me to learn how to use all my stuff for Your purposes…that I would come to You with empty hands, an undistracted mind and an open heart. Lord, for all of us, when we see each others’ gifts and talents and blessings, may we see only You—and You alone. And then give You the glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“For in HIM we live and move and have our being.”
Acts 17:28a

If You Want To Change The World, Pick Up Your Pen

I came across a verse at the Supernatural Living blog yesterday for Word-Filled Wednesday. For some reason, it struck me and stayed with me all day.

"Write down the revelation..." 

Habakkuk 2:2b

Of course there's more words surrounding that verse, and I don't want to take it out of context, but it reminded me of one of my favorite quotes:

"If you want to change the world, pick up your pen."
Martin Luther

Think about it, the power of the written word has changed the world, and it has changed you and me. The Word of God is the most influential of all, and the list goes down the chain from there.

But it got me to thinking, what revelation do I need to write down? Sights and sounds and situations bring new revelations all the time. Beyond that, how could I influence my world by picking up my pen? Pen is figurative, but go with me.

~ Pause.

How does this apply to you?

Perhaps you need to write that book you've been putting off writing.
Maybe you are feeling led to be more purposeful with your blog.
Could you make a huge difference by getting on the floor and drawing a picture with your child?
Do you need to send a letter to that Senator? that Superintendent? that newspaper?
It might be time to pull the "thank you" or "thinking of you" cards out of the drawer.
And way outside the box: could your Facebook use a facelift by making a difference with your words there? Perhaps send some Scriptures a-twittering and see where they land.

With your pen, you can write "Great job at the presentation" to your employee, or "I'm praying for you" in your child's lunchbox. You can raise support for a cause or remind your spouse how much he/she means to you. You can draw a gospel presentation on a napkin at the coffee shop or loan a pen to the person next to you in church.

Whatever you do, please don't leave His pen behind your ear...

~ Ponder

Has God laid anything on your heart to write lately?
Do you have a revelation burning that God wants you to share?
Are you faithful to share the most important Word of all? 

Isaiah 55:11: "so is My Word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

~ Praise

Father in Heaven, Thank You for Your Word, especially the Word made flesh, that lived among us and then chose to die for our sins. We praise You for giving us the Bible, to study, to hide in our hearts, and to share with others. And Lord, we long to be faithful to use our own words--speaking ones, writing ones, thinking ones--to make a difference in this world, big and small and in-between. Show us what You want us to write or draw or teach through our pens, God. And we pray it all in Jesus' name, Amen.

 

***I hope you'll go by the Internet Cafe tomorrow and see what God laid on my heart to write about bikinis, (cough), I mean about appearances. I pray it is just the revelation you need for your soul this week.

A Gift To Return

A friend of mine helped me mull through some ministry issues today. We got to talking about how much our pride can get in the way of being used by God. We shared openly, honestly, transparently about our "garb"--you know the stuff you can't tell the whole world, lest you be judged by all who are listening.

Then I talked with my sis who spoke more Truth to me. Then a letter came which reminded me why I do what I do. All sorts of stuff began to come together in my heart and soul, and it was my Father at work in me. In His great wisdom, He brought out an old letter and showed it to me. It was a poem He wrote on the tablet of my heart one day...a simple poem that I wrote for the young ones I minister to. Today, he pasted it on my bulletin board and reminded me of its message:

A Gift To Return
By Laura L. Shaw

Your life is precious to our Lord,
“It is very good,” He exclaimed.
Your talent is a gift from Him,
So use it as one unashamed!

Whatever you do with your talent~
Don’t compare, looking around,
or
You’ll find yourself on sinking ground.

Because the Fact is:

Your talent is needed in this world.
It can make a difference, you know,
For when you use it with His strength,
HE is the star of the show.

Whenever you shine with your talent~
It’s by the power of the Spirit,
and
He is the One who is able to steer it.

Because the Truth is:

“…you have received a gift in order to serve others. You should use it faithfully. Then in all things God will be praised through Jesus Christ.
Give Him the glory and the power
for ever and ever. Amen.”
1 Peter 4:9b,11b


All of it. All that I do is for His glory...whether it's something I want to do, or something I should do, or something I'm dreading to do. When I use it with His strength and His leading, it is HIM that people will see. It first came from His hands, and that is where I want to return it.

You know, I'm relieved. I think my fear all along is that they would see me instead of Him. That would NOT be a good thing.