Thanks for God's Special Christmas Gift!

God blesses us in many ways everyday. If I ever stop and try to list all His blessings, there are too many to try to name. But, every once in a while, He gavis a special blessing - a once in a lifetime moment. Last night, at the Christmas program at Frazer UMC in Montgomery, I experienced one of those moments of God's special blessing. To see such beauty of scenery, paintings, and dance, and hear such glorious music and to listen to the Christmas story presented in such a meaningful way was thrilling. But, for all of that to have come from an idea God gave to our son Ken - an idea, or really feelings, that he had as a child - and to see God use that and use Ken in such a powerful way, was glorious and awesome to me. I cried tears of joy through most of it. I only wish everyone I love could been there too. I am thankful to God for His gift to us of Ken for the gift of His Son, Jesus, Who we worshipped last night.

I've Moved!

In Due Season has moved to http://indueseason2.blogspot.com so that Heather and I can have separate blogs. Thanks!

Relationship – Key to Blessings

We were recently getting ready to go visit our daughter to celebrate her birthday with her. We have two other children and we love them dearly. But this child, born to us later in our marriage, has been with us longer than the others and God has blessed us with a very close relationship.
I cannot wait to see her. (Now if I were going to see either of our sons, I would feel the same way.) I am taking her a lot of stuff! I keep thinking of more things to give to her! I just can't wait to bless her! Other people are sending her gifts for they love her too and want to give to her. She is that kind of person, by God's grace.

I thought to myself this morning, “If I feel this way about her, how much more does God feel that way about me, and all His children?” We sometimes “shy away” from a closer relationship to God, thinking He may want something terrible from us. Or He may take away something or someone dear to us. But a parent who loves a child and sees that child loving him back and being obedient and wanting to please him, why, they just cannot give that child enough. They will sacrifice a lot to give to that child. God loved us so much, He sacrificed Jesus, to show His love. Now He shows His love for all, like we love our children, even the selfish and rebellious that want nothing more than to get away from us. But we cannot give to that child like we'd like to, not because we don't want to but because they will not receive it! In their hearts and minds, they want blessings, and yet, they cut themselves off from the very source of blessing! Wow! What a revelation!

Do I want God's blessings? His love, joy, peace, eternal life, a home in Heaven where everything will be perfect? Do I want to have victory here, over trials and difficulties?

The “secret” is to “draw near to God” through Christ Jesus and His perfect sacrifice on the Cross. The closer I get to Him, the more He will be able to pour out blessings on me. And they greatest blessing of all is Himself. Our daughter will enjoy the gifts but most of all, she will enjoy being with us. In fact, it would not matter if we could not take her anything, she would be happy to just be able to spend time with us. Oh, how I long to be like that with God! Oh, how He longs for me to love Him like that, in response to His love!

“Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it Jesus is my plea -
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be!”

God's Correction

“And I heard a voice behind me saying, 'This is the way, walk ye in it.”

Recently, I was visiting my sister-in-law and she was riding with me to a restaurant. She was giving me directions but those were interspersed with her telling me of something very sad that had happened to her. I was listening intently to her and all of a sudden she said, “Turn right at this next light.” My ears heard her, but I was thinking of what she was talking and looking at the traffic ahead and they were all turning left! So, I followed my focus and headed for the left lane! She, of course, said loudly, “Becky, you're supposed to turn right!” I was able then to move across several lanes and get into the right hand lane. Later, I was thinking how that so often happens spiritually. I know in my head what is right and the right way to go and the right thing to do. But, if my mind is engaged in another direction (what is going on in the world or what the world is saying) and my focus gets on the direction everyone seems to be heading, then my natural and strong tendency is to go in that direction, even though I know what God's Word has said and it is the opposite. And God, like my sister-in-law, has to get my attention to get me to change direction and go in the way that will get me to the desired destination. He may do this in a number of ways. It may be through reading His Word and the convicting of the Holy Spirit that I realize I am headed off the right road. He may use a sermon, a conversation with a friend. Or if I'm stubborn about going my own way, He may have to use more severe methods to bring me back. But, I am His child and He has promised to guard and keep me and He will discipline me to keep me from being lost. Though the discipline is painful, I am thankful for it. I am thankful He love me so much and He will not let me wander so far off the right path as to be lost – hopelessly lost. He is the Good Shepherd and I am His little lamb. And even if He has to break my legs, He will, in order to get my mind, will, and focus back on the right path and back onto Him. Let us be ever mindful to keep our minds, our eyes, and our affections set on Him and He will keep us on the right road and bring us to the desired destination!

The Bridegroom and His Bride

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him, with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

Jesus compares Himself to a bridegroom and we who believe in Him are His chosen Bride! He declares His love for us and His intention to marry us, to make us His own. We, through the faith and grace He gives us, believe that He really means it and we accept His offer. At first, we enter into an engagement, or bethrothal period. And just as a prospective bridegroom usually seals the engagement with a ring, the Son of God gives to us His Holy Spirit as a “pledge of our inheritance.” The Spirit is His sign to us that we indeed are His own and He intends to fulfill the promise in full measure. In Bible times, as now, there is a time of preparing for the marriage. But in Jesus' day, unlike now, it was the bridegroom who determined the wedding day! The bride, responsibly, was to get herself ready and stay ready and when the bridegroom had everything prepared and the home ready to receive the bride, then he and his family and friends would travel to the bride's home to bring her back and consummate the marriage. What a glorious picture for us of what we have in store as the bride of Christ! He has given us His Holy Spirit as a pledge of His intent to fully make us His own. And now we are charged with the responsibility to be ready for His return. What does the bride think of during this time? Nothing except the Bridegroom and being ready and listening for His voice! She keeps herself pure and her heart becomes more and more devoted to her beloved as she readies herself to go to the home he is preparing for her. Oh that that would be the way it would be for us who believe in Christ and know Him as Savior! That we would believe that Jesus is preparing a home for us His bride and we would be preparing ourselves to go and be with Him. We would cleanse our hearts of all earthly thoughts and desires and be focused on the joy awaiting us when we hear Him call us to come and be with Him. Oh, to see this earth as only our temporary home and our training and preparation ground for the permanent, eternal home Christ is building for us in Heaven. May we, as His Bride, be pure in heart, pure in body, through the power of the Spirit who is the pledge of our inheritance. Christ gives us the gift of Himself and the power to enable us to become and live forever as His holy bride. What a joy to say “yes” to Him!

Which Door Do You Choose?

Fear or faith?
Trust or doubt?
Flesh or Spirit?

The choice is mine, and I make it each day, even each moment. I used to enjoy watching "Let's Make a Deal," a game show where you had to choose a door with a prize behind it. Well, we play that game in a spiritual sense every day. We choose whether to believe God and walk in faith, acting on God's promises. Or else we choose the door of doubt and the “reward” behind that door is discouragement. It's an open door to let Satan come and wreak havoc in our lives. To choose the door of doubting God is to choose fear instead of faith. It is to let our flesh rule, instead of letting God's Spirit be in control. When faced with thoughts of doubt, fear, and discouragement, we must choose to reject them and bring them captive to obedience to Christ, which means we choose to think God's thoughts. Claim God's promises. I am not alone. God promised to always be with me. I am not poor. God promised to provide all my needs. I am not useless in this world, for God lives in me and He has ordained good works for me to do. And He promised to complete the work He started in me!

So, when fear and doubt and discouragement knock on the door of my mind and heart, I must choose to send faith to answer and faith will find no one there. For the enemy of my soul must leave when the mighty rightful Owner of the house appears. That coward must run for his life. He cannot stand face to face with the Master.

So – when we are facing the doors – one marked faith, the other fear, doubt, and unbelief – O let us choose faith and receive the reward of the inheritance God has stored up for those who belong to Him.

Stress Stop or Rest Stop?

While on a trip recently, my husband and I stopped at a rest area along the way. You wouldn't think of a rest area as being a place that brings tears to your eyes as sweet memories fill your heart, but that's exactly what this one does for us. You see, we have been stopping at this particular rest area for many years. It is between our house and our son's house. We've been traveling to visit him ever since our daughter was young and our two oldest grandchildren were born. So, there are many memories of our daughter running out into a beautiful meadow there and pictures in our minds of our two grandchildren rolling down a hill and laughing like crazy and us laughing with them! There have been tears of joy over meeting them there and tears of sorrow when we had to say goodbye to them there. Yesterday the thought came to me of how thankful I am that God has provided that rest stop all these years. And it is a place of beauty and cleanliness and even of friendliness to break up our trip and make it more pleasant. The question came to me, “Am I like a rest stop for people who come through my life? Do I give a kind and encouraging word to help them on the way? Or am I a stress stop who loads them with complaints and criticisms and who makes them wish they had never crossed my path? O Lord, my prayer is to be a rest stop! Please help me, by letting the Holy Spirit be in control of me, give others a smile, a kind, encouraging word and help them along their way instead of hindering them. May I even give them “words of life” - the Gospel – or at least plant some seeds of it. May I make Christ known to all who make a rest stop in my life. May they go on their way rejoicing because it has been a “divine encounter.” I thank God for the people He puts in my life who are a rest stop and not a stress stop for me! Let me be a blessing today by thanking them. There are even those whom I have only met in print, like the Apostle Paul. Every time I read his letters I am so encouraged. She he is a rest stop for me! But Jesus is the ultimate rest stop, a refuge, a hiding place. In this way, as in every way, may we strive to be like Him.