ME Time.

I just posted this link on my face book. I think it's an awesome, awesome article that unfortunatley rings very true to me. It was hard to read, but at the end I thought, wow, what an excellent article. Just reminds me of how selfish I am of my time some days and I need not to be. I'd like to share it.

Here it is.....ME TIME.

Something to think about.

HAVE I BEEN EDUCATED?

by Carolyn Caines

If I learn my ABCs, can read 600 words per minute, and can write with perfect penmanship, but have not been shown how to communicate with the Designer of all language .... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I can deliver an eloquent speech and persuade you with my stunning logic, but have not been instructed in God's wisdom.... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I read Shakespeare and John Locke and can discuss their writings with keen insight, but have not read the greatest of all books -- the Bible -- and have no knowledge of its personal importance... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I have memorized addition facts, multiplication tables, and chemical formulas, but have never been disciplined to hide God's Word in my heart .... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I can explain the law of gravity and Einstein's theory of relativity, but have never been instructed in the unchangeable laws of the One Who orders our universe .... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I can classify animals by their family, genus and species, and can write a lengthy scientific paper that wins an award, but have not been introduced to the Maker's purpose for all creation, .... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I can recite the Gettyburg Address and the Preamble to the Constitution, but have not been informed of the hand of God in the history of our country .... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I can play the piano, the violin, six other instruments, and can write music that moves men to tears, but have not been taught to listen to the Director of the universe and worship Him, ... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I can run cross-country races, star in basketball and do 100 push-ups without stopping, but have never been shown how to bend my spirit to do God's will, .... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I can identify a Picasso, describe the style of da Vinci, and even paint a portrait that earns an A+, but have not learned that all harmony and beauty comes from a relationship with God, .... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I were to graduate with a perfect 4.0 and am accepted at the best university with a full scholarship, but have not been guided into a career of God's choosing for me, .... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

If I become a good citizen, voting at each election and fighting for what is moral and right, but have not been told of (or believe) the sinfulness of man and his hopelessness without Christ,... I HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED.

However, if one day I see the world as God sees it, and come to know Him, Whom to know is life eternal, and glorify God by fulfilling His purpose for me, THEN I HAVE BEEN EDUCATED!

Baby Christians

This morning I received my daily devotion from proverbs 31. It was about abandoning new Christians and how we shouldn't do that.

I am so grateful for the person that I consider as my mentor in my walk with Christ. I have grown and learned so much from having her to answer my questions. I know I still have SO much to learn, and so much to grow, but God has spoken through her and taught me SO much.

I have had frustration the last few weeks because I have been trying to find some ladies to do bible study with in the summer. I try to spend at least 45 min to an hour every morning doing bible study. My goal in getting a bible study together, was to GROW more. To have other women around who also want to grow in Christ. Who are putting God first in their life. I need that type of fellowship, people who are hungry for God and want to learn and grow.

My frustration came when people were telling me they wanted to keep it "light" for the summer. They don't want a lot of homework. They don't want to commit to too much.

I am confused by this. Do we take breaks from God in the summer? Are we too busy for him? I'm sure I was guilty of this in the past. I am SO happy and excited that I have a few people that want to come to bible study that have never done a bible study before. I am very excited that I will be able to spend time with them, and we can all learn together. I WAS disappointed that my fellow sisters don't have the time for a daily study, but as I was reading the devotion I got today, I realized that maybe the study with the new girls is just not all about ME! I wanted others there that can answer MY questions and help ME grow. But maybe God wanted me to get this study together for HIM. The devotional explained that lots of new Christians are just thrown to the wolves to figure things out for themselves, and we should help them along, even if that means self sacrifice for ourselves. That was huge for me. It Also said that some new Christians come dragging lots of baggage, like addictions, but that doesn't mean we can just push them to the side. I wasn't doing it yet, but the thought was there. There is someone in my family who is saved, but has an addiction, and it's so easy to just say, "oh forget it, then really don't want my help why am I bothering?" But God wants me to "bother". He wants me to keep on, and try and help them. Thank you God for speaking to me this morning through a devotional!

Proverbs 14:12

This morning I was reading in proverbs and something in the notes got me thinking.

For months I have been thinking about home schooling. Not dwelling on it, but the thought comes to my mind a lot.

It all started when I started working in the middle school ministry at church, and was around high school kids that were home schooled who were volunteering their time to work with the middle school kids. There was one girl in particular, she was in my group and her knowledge of God was amazing. But her relationship with God was even more amazing to me. It was just so obvious that she had a good relationship with the Lord.

I'm not thinking or saying that kids that go to school can't have relationships with God, but I almost wonder if they weren't exposed to so many bad worldly influences when they are very young would things be different when they are older?The thing is, I have had this thought about home schooling, and the desire to find out more about it, just inquire about it, but when I actually think about doing it with my kids, it really scares me. It almost gives me anxiety to think about it!

The reason that I think it is God that has put this in my heart is because.....I have always been one to wonder why people would want to home school? I had a neighbor who did it before we moved. I used to say, " I'd never want to do that!" or "I'm not smart enough to home school" or "That would be too stressful for me" Or " I'll never have time to myself then!" . I still have some of those thoughts, but they aren't like they used to be. The word, never is not in my vocabulary anymore. I'm actually considering it. I still don't think I'm smart enough, but if God wants me to do it, I know he'll help me.

I know God has put this in me, because I wouldn't even be considering it if he hadn't.

I was talking to a friend the other day and she said to pray that my motives were right about it. I think that's a really good idea. I have been doing that.

I sometimes think to myself, well, it would be much easier for me just to send them to school. Then I don't even have to deal with it, or worry about it.

This morning when reading, this is what I came across.

Proverbs 14:12

There is a way that seems right to a man, But in the end it leads to death.

I didn't think a whole lot about that until I read the notes at the bottom of the bible.

This is what it said..

The "way that seems right" may offer many options and require few sacrifices.( require me to give up free time I have coming?) Easy choices, however, should make us take a second look. (oh good) Is this solution attractive because it allows me to be lazy? Because it doesn't ask me to change my lifestyle? Because it requires no mortal restraints? The right choice often requires hard work and SELF SACRIFICE. Don't be enticed by apparent shortcuts that seem right but end in death.

Wow. That's what I said when I read that, and the first thing that came to my mind was homeschooling. Why do I get a sick anxious feeling when I think about trying to train my kids up and home school? Because it's going to take a lot of devotion and self sacrifice on my part. It's very scary.

I am meeting with someone at church tomorrow to talk about homeschooling. She is someone that does it and loves it. I feel like I have to start talking to others and getting more info to make an informed decision, and pray like a mad women. Because it would be SO easy for me to say, forget it, I'm not even going to go there! It would be easier not to.

But is that best?

Reading about discipline and parenting in the bible, about training up our own kids, and teaching them to love and honor God, makes me wonder, how did school ever come about in the first place? How did it go from kids being taught in the home to school? Just something to research I guess.

I love how the word is living. How I can read something one day and it doesn't mean a thing, then the next time I read it, it has so much meaning.

I wonder, will this be a new journey in my life, or will it just be something that passes and never happens.

I'll be praying for God's will!

Reminders to obey

I have a sheet that I wrote on the other day, reasons why I need to obey what God is telling me to do. This morning I added a little bit to it when I was doing my morning bible study.

Just now I sat down to read some of my emails and came to my proverbs 31 devotional for the day.

She talked about how we see yellow ribbons tied to things to remind us of the military that are fighting for our country and to pray for them and how in Numbers 15 God tells Moses to tell the people to make tassels for their clothing and hang them by a blue cord so that they remember and obey all his commands instead of following our own desires like we are prone to do.

This fits right in with everything in my life right now, once again, God speaks! I was reading this morning how our will follows our thoughts and desires. So if we desire to please God, Our will tends to follow that. If we desire to please ourselves, then our will follows that. It's not that we need more will power, but we need to change our thoughts and God needs to change our desires.

I do want to please God, and at the same time, selfishly want to please myself. I think with my eating, a lot of times I'm putting things in my mouth before I even stop to think about God or what I am desiring when I eat the food. I was thinking this morning, where can I put this piece of paper so that every time I go to eat something, I look at it? Then I get the devotional.

Maybe I don't need to carry the piece of paper around with me. Maybe I can just tie something around my wrist to remind me of what it says on that piece of paper before I go to put something in my mouth.

I just love days when I can just see God all over the place speaking to me.

Step by step, becoming like his son.

Maybe I'm a slow learner, more then likely though, I'm learning just as God wants me to learn. As my friend Diane says, "step by step".
Last week I was called to fast. At first I didn't know it, but the thought kept coming into my mind over and over. As much as I didn't want to do it, I finally decided that is what he wanted me to do. What I thought it was all about was to help me get off the junk food and get moving on eating right. Maybe that was PART of it, I'm not entirely sure, but as I started the fast, I got my OWN ideas. I wasn't even sure how long I'd be fasting, I was going to wait for God to tell me when to stop. By day 3 I had my ideas of going off the fast with vegetables, then starting fruits, then starting meats and eating all healthy and perfect. I'm quite sure these were MY ideas and rules but didn't know it at the time. I did the fast for 3 1/2 days, then broke it with carrots as I planned. I emailed Kevin at work asking him to stop on the way home for some the ingredients to make vegetable soup. Well, he didn't come home until after 6. By then I had already given in to a craving of pretzels. Then I ate what I was making my kids for dinner, a taco. So much for eating vegetables an fruits. I had blown it already. I was not happy with myself. Having a pity party. What is wrong with me? I'm weak. It's true. I am weak, no doubt about that. But two days later when I saw Diane she reminded me that maybe the only eating vegetables and fruits was not God's plan or idea but mine. I think she was right. She reminded me that I am like a child, and you can't expect a child to go from first grade to high school in a day. That God takes us step by step. Maybe I didn't make an overhaul in my eating in those three days, but God did teach me something. He taught me that I am able to resist food. I didn't eat for 3 1/2 days! I find it VERY difficult to choose healthy good foods over junk. That is a huge problem I have. I also like to snack when I'm really not all that hungry, just for pleasure, and God doesn't like that.
Anyway, I guess the point of that all is God asked me to do something and he helped me do it. I was able to fast when he asked me to fast. He was there with me to help me along, and if I'd just give up the junk food for him, he'll be there with me to help me through that too. But will I do it? I don't want to. Why? Because I enjoy eating junk food. So what does that mean? It means that I am putting junk food before God. I am telling myself, and GOD that I'd rather have the junk food then him. How sad is that? The thing is, I know it, and God convicts me of it, and I hate that fact that I am choosing a stupid food that isn't even good for me over the GOD of creation. But I have a really hard time controlling it, I say one thing, then do another.
This morning I was doing my bible study on the book Idols of the heart and it brought me to Isaiah 26. This is what Verse 10 says - "Though grace is shown to the wicked (me), they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the Lord. "
That's exactly what I am doing. I just go on sinning and not bother to think about our holy God.
At the bottom of my study bible the explanation for verse 10 says this~ "Even wicked people receive God's benefits, but that doesn't teach them to do what is right. Sometimes God's JUDGEMENT teaches us more then God's good gifts. If you have been enriched by God's goodness and grace, respond to him with your grateful devotion."
I AM receiving his grace right now, he is being patient with me, even though I am being absolutely ridiculous. But this also gave me back my healthy fear of God. He is loving, but he is also capable of making me pay for being so disobedient. I already have the consequence of being heavy for eating the junk food. But God could allow something worse to happen to me. This prompted me this morning to make a list. It's not real long, but it's a list to look at when I decide that I am going to eat something junky.

Why should I be obedient with my food?
1. Because he commands it, and God's ways are best.
2. Because I don't want to receive his judgement/wrath or for him to allow something else to happen to me because of my bad eating habits. (healthy fear of God)
3. Because he has given me Grace as a sinner, he is patient and loving to me, teaching me and giving me chances to "get it".
4. Because he loves loves me and he only wants what is best for me.
5. Because I love him. I owe him.
6. He is God. God of everything, everyone, the great I AM. Who am I not to be obedient to him?

I know I can't be perfect, but I should sure be giving it more of a shot. I feel blessed that he cares enough about me that he convicts me about this time and time again. I do grow weary of this entire food problem and really just want to throw in the towel some days and say forget it. This is just too hard and I am happier just eating junk and being fat. But he reminds me- get back up and try again Amy, he still loves me.