Giving Jesus My Time

Recently I have been so busy. I host a singles group, I try and write for a paper. I help people in their walk with Jesus. I led a prayer ministry. I host two prayer circles All of these things are good things. And I love all the things I do; but I am a very busy woman. Besides my ministry work I still have a family I am busy with working to help.
Lately, I just wonder about myself. I am too busy. My poor Jesus waits every morning. He is still waiting. Each day I humbly bow before him in the evening. “Jesus, I am sorry- another busy day. I goofed up. I ran right past my time with you. Please forgive me.”
I think it is with compassion that Jesus looks on my and my busy world. He never planned my life this way. If I put my time with him first, then I think the day would fall in more smoothly and I would have the time with him, and still get things. But, whether I get it right or not. Jesus still waits, and patiently takes time for me.

Cleanse Me Lord

"Do not be conformed to this world. But be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2, NAV). Jazz here, and boy do I need help in this one! Was joking around with some girlfriends last night and some of the conversation got rather crass--mostly on my end! I love the Lord but I find myself being overly crude a lot of times. I'm a wide-open book as it is, which I think can be a good quality--and a not-so-good one too. For the ideal mate, I'd be a perfect fit, but for most people, male and female alike, I'm quite a bit less than ideal; guess we all are, really. We all have weaknesses we need God to work on. With me, it's not just a matter of keeping my mouth shut--that's hard enough though! But a matter of needing God to come in and cleanse the filth in me. I cannot do it. I can be more careful who I share my feelings with. But I cannot cleanse my mind and heart. I don't regret that I'm an open book with people I care about. But I do need more holiness in me and less garbage! May God begin to cleanse me today. Jazz.

Starting Small?

Ministries don't get big in a day. Even Jesus started with His very first disciple, then soon called the others. And they multiplied, over time, as Jesus preached patiently. Sometimes we want things to take off and grow quickly. We can get discouraged when it takes time. Suppose a grocery store owner let all his employees go after the first day, and went out of business, just because people only bought a few sodas and candy bars that day! We'd think he was incredibly foolish and impatient! Yet as Christians, we often want a ministry and want it now!
Even Paul didn't have a powerful ministry his first week; it took time and much growth on his part before that happened. Prayer and patience are vital keys to any ministry, as well as yielding to God's calling, and not always our own wishes. For as the old tv show stated, "Father Knows Best"! In God's case, HE REALLY DOES! Be blessed today. Jazz.

Overcoming--And The Great Honor It Will Bring!

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 3:15-22)
Jazz here. Wow, this one really gets me thinking! I don't want to just sit back and not grow in my walk with the Lord. I want to move forward. I want to listen for His voice. More than I ever have before.
What really thrills me in this passage is where Jesus will give those who overcome the RIGHT to sit with him on His throne--wow! I don't need a drink after all! I don't need half of the stuff I still do or want today! I need to be an overcomer. Plenty I have to overcome! Then the Lord of all creation will honor me, with an honor beyond description: sitting at His throne! Kind of like I used to sit in my daddy's lap as a girl--and a young woman, too, before he died. That blows me away! Does it blow you away too? It should inspire us to do more for Him, the one Who gave us life--at birth, and when He saved us too! God bless you today; Jazz.

The Power of Being Positive

"A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart, the spirit is broken...All the days of the afflicted are evil, but he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast." (Proverbs 15:13, 15, NKJV)
Jazz here with a little food for thought. Hard times are a part of everyone's life, to some degree or another. They are no fun to go through and we all experience pain. But it seems the happiest people I know turn the negatives into positves; lemons into lemonade! It doesn't mean they deny the problems they have; of course not. But they choose to be happy and choose to praise God in the midst of their problems, and reach out to others. One friend of mine is nearly deaf. She says she does have some serious anxiety issues, however, and that if she could hear, she'd be almost completely overwhelmed and frightened by the sounds of the world around her! And she's just grateful her physical handicap is not something far worse, such as blindness or being unable to walk.
I choose to be happy today. Not to deny my pain, but to be happy and rejoice. And to trust God and to try my best for Him to minister to those around me with far worse problems. May God help us all to laugh and rejoice more, even in this troubled day and age. It's all the more important now! God bless; Jazz.

Jesus Prays for His Brother

This week I thought it was interesting that Jesus prayed for Peter.

Both of my children are not believers. And I pray daily for them. I want them to meet Jesus and I want them to know him as a God of love.

Sometimes I get discouraged. After all, sometimes I see so little progress; it just makes me feel like it is hopeless. But after reading about Jesus praying for his followers- I have more courage.

We do not know how God will answer, but in faith we believe he does. If Jesus can do it, then we can too. And I go by faith believing God is in control.

Solitude with Jesus

We are in a world that is so fast that things seem to spin for us. T.V. Computer etc, all are working to get our attention.

But where do we hear that still small voice? I think it is interesting that Mother Teresa had the point of view to know God meant to spend large amounts of silence. Why? Is it because we need to be still and know God.

Recently I have started a new/ old habit. For years I went to bed and read for an hour. The Lord and I spent that time just ending the day.

Today, God and I take turns. In the morning time with him; he sets my pace to start the day.
But when I put that last hour with him: peace, quiet and a gentle spirit covers me.

I believe that a lost art of Christians is just to be silent and wait on God.

We have been preprogrammed that business and activity is a basic need. How about solitude? Jesus went away for 40 days in the Wilderness. What did he do out there? I imagine he spent quiet time with God.

And before his death- again he was in quiet communion with his father.

Learning to be quiet with God is an art I am studying. I try to remain quiet in him, but find my mind running. Yet, it is when I am quiet that I hear his voice most clearly. And I seek to know his voice.

What Do I Do?

Today I have a challenge. God has clearly told us that we are to honor our parents. This is a center text in the ten commandments. But, my mother has really hurt me and made me angry.

I love my mother. But, one area she really falls short in is support on a basic area of my life. I am fat. I have asked my mother over and over to support me in this area: yet, no matter how hard I plead, she sabotages my efforts.

When I visit her, out comes the junk. Yesterday I went for lunch. I thought we were having a simple; healthy meal. Nothing big, just a vegetarian pot pie, maybe a salad. That's it.

No, we had pot pie, pizza, two kinds of bread, salad, two kinds of drinks, and potatoes. Then to top off the whole meal out comes a chocolate cake frosted with candy and marshmallows.

Though I have talked to her a million times, this kind of thing keeps coming. And my question is, what do I do then?

I blew up at her. Because no matter what, she keeps it up. Instead of her feeling any remorse she just laughed and blew me off. That really hurt and made me angry. I feel like she really must not care much, if she will not make the effort to even try and help me.

But...Then, what about honoring my mother. Jesus told me clearly this is my duty. So what do I do? Do I stop visiting, yell- with no results? Do I visit and keep being tempted. One day at myh mothers can cost me a whole week of dieting. I just don't know.

What I do, I guess is pray; pray and wait to see what God directs me to do. Praying and waiting is not an easy thing to do. I want to fix my problems. I get impatient with God.

But when it all comes down, Jesus treated everyone with respect. I have a mother with an addiction to killing me. Now I must wait on God for direction. And we are back to basic bible ways.

Wait on God, and trust in him. Sometimes this is one of the hardest things to do as a Christian; but it is God's way. So I am waiting.

Is it All About Me?

I am trying desperately to lose weight. I have been working at this for about three months. The weight is coming off so slowly I just want to throw up my hands at times. It is not worth it, I think.

But, this is not just about me. It is about more than myself. My weight will eventually kill me early. What about my family? Will my husband want to come home to a house that is empty? Will my grand children want to not have a lap to sit in? Or a voice for stories to tell? And what about my aging parents which need my help in their older age?

It is not about me. It is about many people.

I think that is the same way it is with my Christian experience. It is not about me. It is about God. He came to serve, and I need to focus on that. I, too, am to serve. When I feel like it is not worth it. I need to stop and remember it is not all about me. Jesus served unselfishly- what about me?

Where is God When I Need Him?

I was 22 and was ready to enter a mission field. My heart raced believing God was leading me. I would be teaching missionaries children as they went into other service.

I arrived excited to start "serving the Lord." On my arrival my boss told me that my services were not needed. I started to leave and he said to just stay and they would work on keeping me.

I stayed, but was miserable. For one year I was given busy work. It seemed a total wasted year of my life. I did not see great things being done by my efforts. I hated it in the mission field and can't say I had any spiritual revelations while I was there.

So, what's up with that?

I don't know. I do not know why God took me for a year and seemed to "waste my time"; but that is what faith is all about. Not knowing, but walking instead as God has told us.

I think of many people in the bible that may have walked by faith. Joseph in the prison for years after he believed God was going make him a ruler; must have wondered where God was in all of this.

Moses, tramping through the desert for forty years also must have wondered.

God was still leading these men. Perhaps as they worked their ways through basically nothing, they had time to listen to God. Jesus himself started out his ministry with 40 days of fasting and prayer.

Sometimes it is hard to believe that God is control, when He has taken us in the desert.

I wish I could say that I always am patient and willing to listen. More often I am tantruming like a little child. Waaaaaa.

Oh God, keep me still in the quiet times.

Praising When it's Bad

I love to read about famous Christians. Right now I am reading about two such people; Johathan Edwards and George Muller.

As I was reading about Johathan. I read how he was so sick for three months that he had to drop out of school. He almost died; but during that time he was praising God that he had time to meditate on God and his mercy.

George Muller, too, did not take time to stop and feel sorry for himself.

As I read more and more about great Christians I realize life was not easy.

But the difference of these Christians is they never lose focus. When they are famous and everyone is patting them on their backs. They don't have time for it. They keep to their mission. When hard time come, they spend it in prayer and meditation.

I wonder, how different my ministry would be if I spent time in praise when I am down. Personally I feel pretty self righteous not to complain and feel sorry for myself. I have not gotten to the point of being in praise to God. That will be my goal.

Spider Ministry!

"Pure religion, undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and keep oneself unspotted from the world." (James 1:27, NAV).
Jazz is back; I'm going to share a secret not too many people know about me. It's not to toot my own (dusty) horn, but just a fact of what I do. You see, in addition to writing for this blog and other weekly activities, I also run a shelter: for otherwise homeless spiders! Hey, don't laugh; many of them ARE INDEED widows and orphans, often as a result of my less-than-loving moments!
Seemingly endless numbers of eight-legged guests reside in my home. They enjoy just "hanging around" with me. Many also serve as greeters to welcome human guests to my home!
They do seem to appreciate me for providing my home to them and their countless relatives. I seem to have a spider ministry indeed! Makes me thank God there will likely be no spiders in Heaven; I wouldn't want to provide all this TLC to them for eternity! I'd honestly rather serve God by loving His human creations more!
"There is a time to every season" as Solomon wrote. So with this in mind, I think I need to grab my duster and spider spray, and write a few thousand eviction notices! Anybody want a homeless spider? CALL ME! And God bless any service you do for our Lord; Jazz.