The Lord’s Table

I am reminded this morning of growing up with my Grandma and eating meals at her table. There were certain behaviors that were acceptable, and expected. Most importantly, I remember that her table was a place of privilege.

Even at a very young age, I understood that I had a “place” there. No matter how many others were present at the time, my “place” was never filled by anyone else. It was “reserved” just for me, and that reservation was never in question of being cancelled. It did not matter if it was day or night, sunshine or clouds, a season of harvest or famine. I knew I belonged there, because I was loved and accepted by my Grandma.


So it is with the Lord’s Table. No matter how young or old, how rich or poor, how successful or lacking we are, we all have a “place” reserved just for us. It is a place that cannot be filled by any other. This place is ours, and that never changes. Whether we choose to accept this place or not is up to us, our decision does not determine its availability.



In Psalm 23:5, David speaks of the Lord “preparing a table” before him in the presence of his enemies. So it was for him, and so it is with us. One thing that I was always sure of was that my Grandma was always for me, she was never against me. She was always on my side. No person or circumstance could ever sway her from that position. When everything else in my life seemed to be going wrong, I could always come to my Grandma’s table and find not only nourishment for my body, but encouragement for my spirit, as well.

You see, she had “prepared” beforehand. Actually, I believe that she lives in a state of “preparedness.” Every day she reads God’s Word, and she prays. She brings her heart and her petitions for her family before the Lord. She gives Him her concerns, and He gives her His peace, and wisdom. She knows His voice, because she has taken the time to become closely acquainted with Him throughout the many years and challenges of her life.



So it is with the Lord, also. He has “prepared” a place for each one of us. Although the enemy of our souls would come only to kill, steal and destroy us, our Lord came that we might not only have life, but life in abundance, till it overflows (John 10:10). What an amazing truth this is. Even before we understood our need to be reconciled with His Father, Jesus was making a way for us. He was “setting the table” so to speak. He was waiting for us to come. He still is.

Whether I came as a child or as a full grown woman with children of my own, and now even three precious grandchildren, my Grandma’s welcome has never ceased. Her warm smile and loving embrace are always there to greet me. It is something that I have learned to depend on. Her love and faith have helped me throughout the many changing seasons of my life. She has remained constant in her love, and true in her devotion to the Lord. She is someone that I not only admire, but that I deeply respect. Because of her, I have learned how to “set” my own table, and to “prepare” for those that the Lord would bring me.



I am thankful for the loving example of my Grandmother, and for the amazing devotion of her Lord and Savior. How loved we are, that we can call Him our own. How precious it is that He would sit and dine with us, in a place the He had prepared for us, and then teach us to do the same… for others.



Written by Beverley A. Napier

Wrestling with Emotion

Have you ever known anyone who was an emotional eater? I have known a few friends, male and female, who have used eating to cope with their emotions. I think we’ve all heard the often true, not so funny joke about being an emotional eater: “I eat when I’m sad, mad, happy, glad, bored or lonely.”


I am having my own emotional moment right now. I need to get something done, but I am unsure of how to handle it or quite where to start. So, I want to go get something to eat. I don’t think to myself, eating will help me think. But I’m acting like that’s what I think. Oh, I’m not thinking of a salad either. I’m wondering if there are any Pringles left in my daughter’s room. Or if there’s any candy stashed in a corner cabinet.

Sometimes, if it is mealtime, or I haven’t eaten in hours (see how flexible I am), I’ll start out making healthy food choices. I’ll make a sandwich, or have a hard-boiled egg or such. If I’m feeling well, and in control, I’ll be done. But at other times eating the healthy food is only the beginning. Some sort of door has opened, and I don’t stop with the reasonable amount of food. I will see cookies, and start with two, because I know one will never do, and then I go back for just one more, again and again. Or I’m craving salt and I snack on whatever I can find, and if it’s not salty enough, I just keep trying. In my heart I can tell I am not looking for food. I am looking for satisfaction and contentment.

Yet I know that true contentment comes from within. I know that being sure that God loves me and will be there with me, even if the whole world should turn against me, is what will give me true contentment.


In Philippians 4:6-9, Paul clarifies what I should be focused on and how I can find true release from stress, rather than distraction from it:


“Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.


Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. “(MSG)


Even satisfaction has to come from God. Never in this life will my life be perfect enough, clean enough, orderly enough, happy enough, serving enough, saving enough, giving enough, sharing enough, fun enough, or accomplishment enough to gain total satisfaction.


In Hebrews 13:5-6 it says “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”


So that we confidently say,


"The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”(MSG)
If that’s what God’s word says, then I can trust it. I just have to repeat His words over and over to myself until they are what I think of first. Even if it takes awhile, it is an exercise and discipline that is good for me. If I persevere, I will be rewarded with my heart’s desire: that no matter my situation or circumstance, I will have true contentment because I will so completely be trusting in Him.


Written by Mary M. Wilkins

God Is Our Restorer

I am so thankful that our God is in the restoration business. God wants His
people whole and strong and complete in every way.
I recently had a dream about a friend of mine that is going through some tough
times. In the dream we were both standing in this line. I was a few feet a head
of her. I turned around and shouted to her "restoration,restoration". I knew God
was wanting to restore to her and her family healing where there has been wounds
and brokeness. He is calling me to pray for her and her family for restoration
because that is His heart. That is God's heart for every one of us and our
families.

I looked up the word restore in the Websters dictionnary. It means to renew, to
give back and to return. Everything the enemy has stolen from us God wants to
renew,give back and return. What a wonderful promise from our God.

Joel 2:25-26 says, "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust
has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My
great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And
praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And my
people shall never be put to shame.

In the midst of restoration we can praise Him for His righteousness and His
goodness.

Written by Sandy

Power of the Spirit

John 14:23

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me,

 he will keep my words: and my Father will love him,

 and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

In other words, "the Spirit of truth" will take up residence. Do we have God the Son and God the Father running around inside of us? No. The mind of God, the Spirit of God, is in us, residing in us. It has taken up residence, and therefore the Father is there, as well as the Son.

The apostles were literally seeing the Holy Spirit of God, the essence of God's mind, in the action, in the life, of a fellow human being—Jesus Christ. He was the literal Word of God. He was with them, teaching, leading, guiding them into truth. He was truth personified. His word is truth (John 17:17). His word is spirit (John 6:63). They could literally, directly, see Him and hear Him, the Son of God, which is why He said the Holy Spirit was with them. It, the essence of God's mind, was in Him. What they witnessed with their eyes and ears was being fed directly into their minds, becoming part of their experience.

The Spirit, the essence of God's mind, was on the verge of residing in them, but it was not yet firmly lodged in them where it would consistently manifest the characteristics of the God Family.

This is why Luke 24:49 says, "Tarry in Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." Power to do what? To submit to the will of God. He gave them the power to keep God's law in the spirit, not just its letter. Any human being with enough willpower can keep the law of God in the letter, but God must empower us to keep it in the spirit. We need more power than what we humanly have to keep God's law in the spirit. God is looking for people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), and He has empowered us to do that by His Spirit.

Written by Annie Allen

Psalm Twenty-Three

I just wanted to share one of my favorite psalms with you today. It is precious to me because it is a beautiful picture of God's provision, protection, guidance, healing and a glimpse into our eternal future with Him.


A Psalm of David

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters,

3 He restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

(NIV)

-Shared by Cathy F.



BEAUTY

(This topic was brought up at a retreat I went to last weekend, so I don't take credit for all the thoughts here; just wanted to share them with you, expand on them and explore more of what the Bible says about the topic.)

Are you beautiful?

When you think about this question, perhaps you answer something like, "Yes, on the inside I am beautiful. I have a warm and loving heart. I have a giving spirit. I have a lot of beautiful personality qualities." We are usually comfortable talking about inner beauty.

1 Peter 3:3-4 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

What about outward beauty? We are all aware of the false messages we find in the media, of what is considered outwardly beautiful in society. When we see the faces and figures of top models and actresses in print, they likely have been photo-shopped and changed so much that what we actually see is far from reality. We know that for most women this "look" is unattainable in real life. But just because we can't live up to this image, does that mean we are not outwardly beautiful?

Sometimes part of our poor self-image is due to messages we received early in life, possibly even from family or friends. They may have been spoken words that were thoughtless, or unspoken jabs in how they looked at us or treated us. We begin to believe these messages and internalize them, and even repeat them to ourselves. Many of us are uncomfortable describing ourselves as beautiful on the outside. We see our flaws much more readily than our assets when it comes to our looks. This is a lie told to us by Satan, that we somehow are not beautiful. But God has a different opinion:

Psalm 45:11 The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.

But do we think of this only in terms of what we apply to our bodies? Do we only feel somewhat beautiful on the outside if we have on our makeup, fix up our hair, put on pretty clothes, wear gorgeous jewelry, do our nails, etc.? How many of us could stand in front of a mirror totally naked and believe that our bodies are beautiful? But to God we ARE! He sees us as beautiful even when we are bare; He makes us beautiful.

Ezekiel 16:7, 13b-14 I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew up and developed and became the most beautiful of jewels. Your breasts were formed and your hair grew, you who were naked and bare... You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign LORD.

Many things hit home with me while I was at the retreat last weekend. God, in his amazing timing, sent this song over the radio as I drove home from that retreat - so fitting, and with it I close this writing with prayers that we all appreciate our full beauty:

"Beautiful" lyrics

by Mercy Me

The days will come when you don't have the strength
When all you hear is you're not worth anything
Wondering if you ever could be loved
And if they truly saw your heart they'd see too much
You're beautiful... You're beautiful
You are made so much more than all of this
You're beautiful... You're beautiful
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His
You're beautiful.

And praying that you have the heart to find
'Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you've held inside so long
And they are nothing in the shadow of the cross
You're beautiful... You're beautiful
You are made so much more than all of this
You're beautiful... You're beautiful
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His
You're beautiful.

Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
Of all the earth and skys above
You're the one He madly loves
Enough to death
You're beautiful... You're beautiful
You are made so much more than all of this
You're beautiful... You're beautiful
You are treasured, You are sacred, You are His
You're beautiful.

 You ARE beautiful... inside and out !!!

Written by Jan A

Wisdom from Job

I have been doing a Bible Study on the Book of Job. I have found so much that speaks to my heart and illustrates many important points.

Oh my goodness, right when I started to read chapter 6 and read the first verse, "If my misery could be weighed and my troubles be put on the scales", took my back to a place of when I was going through a very hard time. It reminded me of the moments I felt like the world was on my shoulders, I felt the pain just coming over my heart and I thought there would not be an end to that deep pain I was experiencing. My heart breaks for Job. Because even though we have faith in God, doesn't mean we won’t feel deep pain. Job was a blameless man, but he was also human with emotions. I just love how in verse 5 of chapter 6, he questioned, "Don’t I have a right to complain?" Of course he does. He was not cursing God or he wasn’t blaming God, he just wanting to say, "Hey, I’m a human being, I have a right to feel." As sad as this story of Job is, I praise God with all of my heart for allowing me to see that even someone as faithful as Job felt a lot of pain, and, yet, he did not turn his back on God. Why is that it takes times of trouble to happen for us to get closer to Him? Is it because we want a miracle to come our way or is it because we truly pay attention to what He is doing in us in the midst of troubles?? I hope this makes sense, why it that I can really relate to Job. The difference is that I am not blameless, I fall short and I allow for busyness to take over my relationship with my Father.

There have been several verses that speak to my heart and give me insight in this chapter…

"If my misery could be weighed and my troubles be put on the scales,

they would outweigh all the sands of the sea."

Job 6:2-3

NLT

It reminded me of days at the beach when I allowed my children to bury me in the sand. Did you ever do this? Think about when you bury yourself in the sand at the beach and how difficult is it to get out of it?? It’s like that with pain, it weighs you down. You try to get up and keep going, but the pain holds you down just like the sand. Often we go through these Job experiences that get us buried in sand, and it is so hard to get up from under them.


Another verse spoke to me is Job questioning…

"Don't I have a right to complain?"

Job 6:5

NLT

That is exactly what I ask God when I am going through a trial in my life. I don't want to use my flesh as an excuse to complain to God, but I want to complain. I envision God standing with His arms crossed saying, " Okay Liz, keep complaining of what you’re going through, even though I see it, I want to hear it from you, Oh, tell me when your finish complaining so I can do what I'm going to do." It is a wonderful thing to remember that God always knows what we are going to wake up to in the morning, He already has our day planned out even before we we wake up.

Written by Liz Chavez