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

A Message Worthy of an Encore

Reading through my Message Bible yesterday, this passage stopped my heart. The Lord had some work to do in me.

It was pause-worthy.

1st Peter 4:7-11
"Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless--cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: If words, let it be words; if help, let it be God's hearty help. That way, God's bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and He'll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything--encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!"

So many applications jump out at me, and I'm caught off-guard by the depth of them. 

"Stay wide awake in prayer."

This doesn't mean stay up all night. Rather, each situation I face can be one in which to pray through or over. Every person I meet can be one to bathe in prayer. Of course I'm not necessarily going to grab their hand and start praying out loud with him or her, but in my mind, heart & soul, I can pray to the One who knows them intimately.

"Love as if my life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything."

It's intentional. Urgent. Insistent. Christ's love in and through me is miraculous, and it is to be showered on others. This kind of love is really important to the Lord, and it is the kind of love He lavished on me.

"Be generous with the different things God gave me..."

I always want to give my money away and buy people things, but am I generous with my words? With tangible help? With prayer? With His message? Am I generous in love?

All of it is so that "God's bright presence will be evident in everything." 

I pray that I will never feel entitled to someone else's applause or love in return to what I give out. When I'm serving others because I love Christ, then I expect nothing in return. If I'm loving His way, the receiver experiences God's presence. Period.

I pondered:

How many times do I "love" someone until they say something that hurts or offends me? 

How often do I count what others have or have not done for me based on what I've done for them?

Do I hope deep down for applause? An encore even?

Have I grown complacent in praying for others?

Am I sometimes numb to the needs of others?

Even more deeply, I pondered:

There is so much pain. How can I possibly meet all the needs around me? What are the boundaries?

Are there things I spend my time on that are fruitless which could be shoved aside to obey in these areas?

How are these verses lived out practically in my season of life as well as the way He's wired me?

I praise the Lord for helping me come up to answers to these things inside my heart and mind, at least for now.  I'd share them, but His answers may be different for you.

One thing I can tell you for sure is that I pray my hands & feet & mouth & heart & mind would give the Lord the renown He is due...that His light would beam through me, making His sacrificial love evident to all.

May it be so, Lord. I lift my hands in praise, giving You an encore with my everyday living. You are mighty to do so in me as I stay surrendered to You.

How do these verses cause you to ponder in your life? 

Who is He?

"Who is He, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
He is the King of glory.
Selah"
Psalm 24:10

Now this is a question over which to pause, ponder & praise: "Who is He, this King of glory?"

He's "The LORD Almighty"!

But who is He? So many great resources exist on the names of God and the attributes of God. One of my favorites is "The Names of God" by Ken Kemphill. Before you read any other book (other than the Bible), I'd encourage you to grab this one or another that focuses on who God is & what He does.

As you read your Bible, and you see a character trait of God, underline it, circle it, highlight it, journal it, whatever. The more you know HIM, the less you need to understand yourself. The more you know what HE does, the less you need to strive yourself.

One of God's promises that gave me incredible comfort and encouragement in my youth is 

"You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and You listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more." 

Psalm 10:17-18

The fact that He hears, He listens, He encourages, He defends...that stays with me each and every day when I feel lonely or defensive or downcast or negative.

I love the Lord, that He has an answer for every problem, be it big or small. He has a promise to grab & run with each day. He is my King of glory. I could go on and on, but I'd love to hear from you. 

What promise, what fact, what characteristic, what action from The Lord Almighty, your King of glory gives you reason to pause, ponder & praise Him today?

A Gift To Return

It's a busy week. I don't have time to post or write at all. But as I serve at Fine Arts Day Camp all week long at my church, I am reminding myself of the same message I am telling to the kids. Our gifts must not be buried. Our talents must be used. But all for His glory. All for His name. All for His purposes. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the show and the production, that we can lose our focus. I almost lost mine today. Then I was reminded of a poem I wrote almost exactly one year ago...for the same camp. I am praying this poem He wrote on my heart for me, for the other leaders, directors and teachers, and especially for the kids of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship's Fine Arts Day Camp 2008:

A Gift To Return
By LauraLee 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

Father God, I give You this new day of using my time, my talents and my spiritual gifts for Your glory. May I be small in my own eyes, and show You off HUGE in the eyes of others. I give You all the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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.