An Important Reminder

Just felt the need to be reminded today of WHO and WHY I do what I do! So, I re-posted this blog from October 2009 as a reminder to myself. I hope maybe you too will find it helpful!

Increase My Faith Lord! I Feel So Unappreciated!

 

All those meals I cook.

All those beds I make.

All those loads of laundry I do.

All those places I transport kids to.

All those hours spent cleaning the house!

All those times I clean the church building because no one else is signed up!

All those times I fill in as teacher to the children's classes because no one else will!

Do you ever feel under-appreciated? Ever feel like not doing what you do everyday because it really must not matter because it seems to be unnoticed?

I would be a liar if I said I hadn't felt like I had done more than my share and I should just quit because it is someone else's turn to step up and serve me!

I feel like Cinderella! Maybe I just need to increase my faith!

I read a passage about increasing my faith this morning and God came in the back door and "Gibb's slapped" me upside the head!

Read with me:
Luke 17:5-10  Then the apostles said to the Lord, "Give us more faith."
  The Lord said, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Pull yourself up by the roots, and plant yourself in the sea!' and it would obey you.
  "Suppose someone has a servant who is plowing fields or watching sheep. Does he tell his servant when he comes from the field, 'Have something to eat'?
  No. Instead, he tells his servant, 'Get dinner ready for me! After you serve me my dinner, you can eat yours.'
  He doesn't thank the servant for following orders.
 That's the way it is with you. When you've done everything you're ordered to do, say, 'We're worthless servants. We've only done our duty.'"

I am always asking God to increase my faith. I know that as my faith increases so will my trust and obedience grow. That's what the Christian walk is all about, right?

Funny thing I found this morning. Maybe you see it too.

Jesus tells the disciples if they only have enough faith to equal the size of a mustard seed, they will be able to uproot a tree with just their words.

( Those seeds are small! See them to the left of the pencil tip!)

I have some trees in my day to day walk that I would like to be able to move just by speaking! Digging them up gets tiring, and I am already exausted and doing plenty of other things!


Right after that, Jesus talks to them about being a servant. About doing what a servant is supposed to do. About a servant knowing who THEY are and WHO the master is.

The very last verse is where I really received my "Gibb's head slap". Here it is again;

He doesn't thank the servant for following orders.  That's the way it is with you. When you've done everything you're ordered to do, say, 'We're worthless servants. We've only done our duty.'"

Everything I do, is as a servant to Jesus, who is my master. If I sit around and wait to be acknowledged for doing exactly what God has called me to do, then I am out of line. 
God has created me to be a Christian woman to serve in the Church, in my home and in my community. I need to do what he has called me to do knowing that I am a servant.

It all comes down to humility. Know what else? If I am a servant with a servant's mind and attitude,and I am serving King Jesus, my faith will increase!

To quote Perry Noble: " You are only as deep as the last person you served".

Here's to knowing who I am and who I serve!

Chasing Their Hearts,
Glenda Johnson

Daily Devo- 2 Thessalonians " Hold On!!"

2 Thessalonians 1

1 Paul, Silas and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore, among Gods churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

5 All this is evidence that Gods judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

(NIV) 

Lord I am so thankful for this passage in Your Word today! It reassures me of so many things. You show me that the things I am suffering here, are not necessarily a punishment. Just because You don't stop those who are persecuting me and those close to me, does not mean that I am outside of Your will.

You have said You will handle it all when Jesus returns. You have let me know that my standing strong during this time and season of suffering, I am growing and learning to love more abundantly!
My faith is becoming steadfast because I do run from trouble and I do not give up!
Thank you for Your love and Spirit that guides and enables me to hold on and keep walking during the tough times!
The way I handle trials You equate with being worthy of the Kingdom of God. Your Kingdom needs strong people who don't run at the first sight of tough times. We have an enemy who devours the weak, so please take my weakness and make me strong in You!!! I cannot serve and show others the way to You if I give up.

Today:
I will walk in God's love and Truth.
I will remember that God does not miss anything and He will handle everything in His own time.

Chasing After Their Hearts,

Glenda Johnson

My New Years Resolutions

These are my TOP TEN New Years Resolutions.  Take a peek.

10.
1Pe 4:7  The end of everything is near. Therefore, practice self-control, and keep your minds clear so that you can pray.
I will be self-controlled this year so that I am able to pray with a clear mind.

9.
1Pe 3:15  But dedicate your lives to Christ as Lord. Always be ready to defend your confidence in God when anyone asks you to explain it. However, make your defense with gentleness and respect. 
I will strive to make sure that every answer I give to all will be with gentleness and respect. I will never use the Word of God or the guise of truth to beat anyone up.

8.
Psa 119:30  I have chosen a life of faithfulness. I have set your regulations in front of me.
I will keep God's Word forefront in my mind. I will be faithful to Him in my words and deeds.

 
7.
Psa 27:13  I believe that I will see the goodness of the LORD in this world of the living. 
Instead of looking for the negative all around me,  I will choose to see the goodness of the Lord all around me.


6.
2Ti 2:1  My child, find your source of strength in the kindness of Christ Jesus
I will find my strength only in the kindness (grace) of Jesus. I will stop trying to find it within myself or others. 


5.
Pro 25:15  Patience and gentle talk can convince a ruler and overcome any problem.
 I will have more patience with people. A little time will help solve problems instead of demanding immediate changes from those around me.

4.
Psa 62:5  Only God gives inward peace, and I depend on him. 
If I want peace, I can only get it from God. There are no worldly circumstances that  can produce the peace I am craving.

3.
1Th 2:20  You alone are our glory and joy! 
Only God can be what I glory in and what I can have true joy from. Nothing I can do or experience aside from Him can truly be glorious or joyful.


2.
1Pe 4:8  Above all, continue to love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. 
I will choose to love deeply. In choosing to love, I will be able to look past some sinful things to be able to show the love of Christ to those around me. And pray that others choose to view me through that same lens.



1.
2Co 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have disappeared, and-look!-all things have become new!

I will remember every moment of every day that I have been made new! I can live a new life for Christ. The old life with all of it's failures and pain and sorrow can be behind me. I AM A NEW CREATION!

Any of these sound like a resolution you need to make? You too can be new!

I also should add, out of total disclosure, I have resolved to lose 50lbs to be more healthy!

Chasing After Their Hearts,
Glenda Johnson
www.twitter.com/GlendaJohnson63
womanaftergod@gmail.com

Increase My Faith Lord! I Feel So Unappreciated!

All those meals I cook.

All those beds I make.

All those loads of laundry I do.

All those places I transport kids to.

All those hours spent cleaning the house!

All those times I clean the church building because no one else is signed up!

All those times I fill in as teacher to the children's classes because no one else will!

Do you ever feel under-appreciated? Ever feel like not doing what you do everyday because it really must not matter because it seems to be unnoticed?

I would be a liar if I said I hadn't felt like I had done more than my share and I should just quit because it is someone else's turn to step up and serve me!

I feel like Cinderella! Maybe I just need to increase my faith!

I read a passage about increasing my faith this morning and God came in the back door and "Gibb's slapped" me upside the head!

Read with me:
Luke 17:5-10  Then the apostles said to the Lord, "Give us more faith."
  The Lord said, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Pull yourself up by the roots, and plant yourself in the sea!' and it would obey you.
  "Suppose someone has a servant who is plowing fields or watching sheep. Does he tell his servant when he comes from the field, 'Have something to eat'?
  No. Instead, he tells his servant, 'Get dinner ready for me! After you serve me my dinner, you can eat yours.'
  He doesn't thank the servant for following orders.
 That's the way it is with you. When you've done everything you're ordered to do, say, 'We're worthless servants. We've only done our duty.'"

I am always asking God to increase my faith. I know that as my faith increases so will my trust and obedience grow. That's what the Christian walk is all about, right?

Funny thing I found this morning. Maybe you see it too.

Jesus tells the disciples if they only have enough faith to equal the size of a mustard seed, they will be able to uproot a tree with just their words.

( Those seeds are small! See them to the left of the pencil tip!)

I have some trees in my day to day walk that I would like to be able to move just by speaking! Digging them up gets tiring, and I am already exausted and doing plenty of other things!


Right after that, Jesus talks to them about being a servant. About doing what a servant is supposed to do. About a servant knowing who THEY are and WHO the master is.

The very last verse is where I really received my "Gibb's head slap". Here it is again;

He doesn't thank the servant for following orders.  That's the way it is with you. When you've done everything you're ordered to do, say, 'We're worthless servants. We've only done our duty.'"

Everything I do, is as a servant to Jesus, who is my master. If I sit around and wait to be acknowledged for doing exactly what God has called me to do, then I am out of line. 
God has created me to be a Christian woman to serve in the Church, in my home and in my community. I need to do what he has called me to do knowing that I am a servant.

It all comes down to humility. Know what else? If I am a servant with a servant's mind and attitude,and I am serving King Jesus, my faith will increase!

To quote Perry Noble: " You are only as deep as the last person you served".

Here's to knowing who I am and who I serve!

Chasing Their Hearts,
Glenda Johnson