Seek and Find

All kids love the game of Hide and Seek. It is a childhood favorite. It's fun to watch little ones play because they never stay hidden long enough to be found. As soon as the counter says the famous words,"Ready or not here I come," they spring from their hiding place giggling uncontrollably. The game then turns into a great game of tag. The older you get, no one wants to be it because it can take awhile to find the ones hiding. Hiding places get better and silence is a must. This leaves the seeker feeling lost, alone and somewhat insecure. "Are they playing a trick on me?" "Am I walking right past them but I can't see them?" So of course this got me to thinking. I realized how blessed we are that God is not hiding. He clearly says in Jerimiah 29:13 "And you will seek Me and findl Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." God is not hiding from you or me. He is just waiting for a relationship with us. He wants to be known by His children. I love the story of the prodigal son. When the father sees his son coming from a distance, he runs to him. It didn't matter where he had been or what he had done. This was his son and he had come home. Take a step towards your Heavenly Father and He will meet you where you are. We serve a good God. We serve a faithful and loving God. When you find Him, you will not be disappointed.

Dig In

Well the Bean Family just got back from a two week vacation. We had an amazing time on this trip! During our time on South Padre Island, we spent many hours on the beach. Wow!!! God is so amazing in His Creation. He blows my mind on a regular basis. The sunrises and sunsets were breath taking. One of our most favorite activities was collecting shells of all kinds. We found all shapes, sizes and colors. But there was one shell in particular that drew my interest. This shell went unnoticed by most people. If you walked by and didn't pay close attention, they would look like the millions of other shells that covered the beach. But when you looked closely these particular shells would turn on end and bury themselves back in the sand before the wave would come again and wash it to the surface. This would happen over and over with every roll of the ocean. I saw a characteristic in these shells that I believe we should all share. Determination! Life happens to all of us. Good times and bad times alike. For me, the waves represented the tough times that we all face. Just when we feel secure and comfortable something comes along and knocks us upside the head. We are left feeling scattered and alone. These shells have a different response to the waves than many of us do. As soon as the wave headed out to sea the shell quickly dug back in. I find many Christians do the complete opposite. As soon as they have a moment of trouble, they start the blame game. They turn from God or they turn on God. They allow relationships to go sour. They remain defeated. But God wants His kids to turn to Him in times of trouble. Dig In! Turn to the one who understands what you are facing. Seek His face and He will bring peace in the midst of your storm. Stuff will happen that you never saw coming. But you can't let it keep you down. Don't run from God but run to Him. He wants to comfort you and guide you but you have to choose. Be determined and DIG IN!

Give me, Give me

How many of you want more? More money, more stuff, more time and more of God. I think we have all had moments in our lives that we wanted more or we wanted what "they" have. "Lord if you could just give me ____, I could be happy." "Lord if I just had ______, I could do more for the Kingdom." And then one of my random thoughts popped in my head. Do I appreciate what I have been given? Do I spend the money I do have wisely? Do I save? Do I give to others unselfishly looking for nothing in return? Do I appreciate the stuff I have already been blessed with? Do I take most of my possessions for granted? Do I use my time wisely? Do I give my most importants (MI's) priority in my day? Do I waste precious time on things that don't really matter? And lastly, if I want more of God do I give more of myself? Have I given Him everything? Do I seek His face? "Come to me says the Lord and I will come to you."

I guess what I am asking is what have we done with what we have been given? We have this "Give Me" mentality and yet we don't even appreciate what we already possess. We are a blessed people in a blessed nation. We must stop and take inventory of our lives. If God can trust us with the little, He can trust us with the much. Remind yourself daily how very blessed you are. Speak positive over the gifts you have received instead of speaking negatively over what you wish you had. We serve a God that gives good gifts to His children. He wants to bless His children in every way. Take care of what you have, appreciate what you have and trust that God will give you what you need!

Defending Truth

I was watching an episode of Dr. Drew this week. I was saddened at the Christian man who was being attacked for his beliefs. Have you noticed that the stage never seems to be balanced with opinions? It is never a winning situation. The Christian man walked away looking beat down. He put himself in a position of publicly arguing the Truth. But what do you do when you believe the truth must be told? Does the Word of God need you to defend it? I look at the life of Christ. He did both. In one situation he went into the temple turning tables over. He saw sin in the house of God and He did something about it. But when He was being wrongly accused, He remained silent. Never once did he try to convince those that cursed and beat Him. When the adulteress woman was brought to Jesus to be stoned, He knelt down and began to draw in the dirt. He didn't argue with her accusers, He just asked them a simple question. Their silent answer sent them away leaving the woman with her Redeemer.

I have a challenge for Christians. Talk to God before you speak. The written Word of God was inspired by the Holy Spirit. So ask the author what you should do about each situation you encounter. I believe we have good intentions but we end up doing more harm than good. Too many people preach the truth but don't come close to living it. The biggest testimony is our life not our words. The best thing you can do is turn others towards Christ. Don't argue over the Truth. At the same time, we must not diminish the Truth. Believe God's Word and stand firm. But arguing will never lead someone to the answer. In fact, it causes them to run from it. I'm not encouraging you to remain silent, but to ask God first.

God is so much bigger than we tend to give Him credit. We often believe He can't do it without us. Yes, we are the vessel He uses but at the same time He is God. Seek His face and speak the Words He would speak and nothing more. We are to be the light in the darkness. Don't let your mouth be the bushel that hides what the world needs to see. The life of Christ shows us that with each situation life brings, our response may be different from one to the next. But Christ was in relationship with His Father. He spoke what His Father told Him to speak. We must do the same. It is about relationship, not religion.

Trials to Victories!

The house was cold when we got up this morning but I was trying to not turn on the heater. I mean it's April for goodness sake. We should be opening our windows for some fresh air. Besides, I was wearing sandals just yesterday. I don't think I will ever understand the weather in Hobbs. I am just glad the Lord didn't call me to be a weather reporter. Anyway, I was in the laundry room starting another load when I realized how cold I was. The warm clothes from the dryer felt wonderful in my arms. And then I had a thought. Where do I find the most pleasure? Do I prefer to be hot or cold? Many of you could easily blurt out one or the other. But I realized the pleasure comes from being relieved from hot or cold. It is so wonderful to be shivering and someone offer a warm blanket next to the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa. Or to be dripping with sweat and given a cool drink next to a high speed fan. What does this mean? When we walk in the middle of the road you tend to forget how blessed you are. If you never have a trial, you never have a victory. If we never walk in the valley, we don't notice how beautiful the mountain really is. Don't run from the situation you might be facing right now. Trust in the Lord and let Him bring your victory. You are a blessed child of God. He is always faithful and He will never leave you.

Have you Missed Me?

Where does time go? I have been blowing and going like most of you I am sure. I can't believe that I haven't blogged in over 3 weeks. The topic I want to discuss today is God's grace. I have been amazed how He uses us in spite of us. Like I have said many times, I am my worst enemy. But I am in awe of how I can feel like I have spent no time with God and He ends up speaking through me. In all honesty, there are days that I feel my worst and God gives me a word for someone. Or things can get quiet around me and I feel God reveal His truth to my heart. Why is His grace and love not conditional? Because it would not be grace or love. God chose us before we chose Him. In the middle of the dirty water God picked us out. Isn't that amazing. Amazing Grace. Let God touch your heart in a special way. Be aware of how God sees you. He is proud of you because He sees who you're going to be. I love the story of Gideon crouched down in the wine press. The angel appears and calls out "O' mighty man of valor!" Gideon was the least of the least and he was hiding out in a wine press but God saw something different. Praise God! You are a child of the King. You have been given power and authority in your life. Rise up out of the pit and claim what God has set aside for you. He says we are more than conquerers through Christ Jesus. So, I don't know about you but I am encouraged. God wants to use you and He will. Just be ready to say "Yes Lord!"

Nothing Gonna Stop You!

I love this saying, "There is no person on Earth and no devil in hell that can keep you from the greatness God has for you." If you are determined to keep your eyes on Jesus, what can stop you? NOTHING! Take it one step at a time and be obedient. Start your day off asking God to open your eyes to His will. Slow down and be observant to each step you take. God has a plan that is so big for your life. Don't let yourself get in the way of God's greatness. You get to decide. Don't let your past nor your present affect your future. Decide to follow Jesus no matter the cost and keep steppin'. Do what you can and let God do what you can't. I believe in you, Jesus believes in you so how about you believe in you!