2 Timothy 2:20-21 “Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also those of wood and clay; some for honorable use and some for dishonorable. So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.” ~ CSB

When I was growing up, my grandmother had our ‘everyday’ dishes for our daily meals.  But when we had company she would pull out the ‘good dishes’.  This would be a great impression on our ‘honorable guests’.  Sort of a way to present to others, who would visit, a taste of our best.  That is what God does with us.  When He has deemed us ‘ready’, He will present us as His best. 

Some may look at the text and see, ‘wood and clay’ and automatically say, “That’s me…I’m just regular, nothing special.  That is my place in the world.”  This is not true.  God made us all for a purpose.  And in that purpose, we all have a distinct separate value.  This value is in place to ‘set us apart’ from what the world may consider valuable.   

Birthed from a quote by Italian sculptor Michelangelo and his story out about a sculptor who was asked about his famous statue carved out of stone; “…The statue was always there, I just chipped away the unnecessary pieces.” This is God’s intent for us as we are going through that period in our lives where we ‘wait’ on Him.

We often fall into grief, depression, sorrow and our patience are tested during our ‘waiting season’.  Switch our perspective and use this time to ‘chip’ away all that is in us that is not of God.  If we claim to be ‘wood and clay’ then chip away at what is not needed in us so that we will become more valuable than gold and silver.

Chip away at our anger, addictions, sadness, doubt, worry, fear, selfishness, grief, unforgiveness and anything of us that is ‘dishonorable’ and not of the Kingdom.  When the time comes, God will present us to the world as the beautiful sculpture we have always been! He will set us apart and reveal us as His “…special instrument…”  No longer will we be hidden behind all the unnecessary personal and physical traits that were keeping us falling short.  We will be prepared for “…every good work…”

Prepare yourself for the special blessing God has just for you.  It’s yours and no one else’s, but God will not give it to you until you are ready.  So get ready, chip away, ‘purify’ yourself and become a valuable vessel for God and for the kingdom.  

​May God continue to allow His peace to surpass your thoughts and guard your heart and mind in Jesus’ name,

​Amen.

Matthew 7:24-25 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a
wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded
the house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock.” ~CSB
 
Jesus' Words set us up for spiritual success! The Bible shows us that He says, “Love God. Love your
neighbor as yourself. Forgive others who have wronged you. Love your enemies. Ask God for forgiveness of your sins.” Jesus is the Messiah and was given the authority to forgive. This is the foundation for us to stay focused on.
 
Jesus is telling His believers that our 'house' is our spiritual being. When we believe in the words of Christ, we act on it. We move on it. When we do this, our spiritual being becomes strong. This is
important as we live our lives daily.
 
With this spiritual strength, we can be prepared for the negative in people, in situations, in trials, and in tragedy, that may come at us in any moment. The words of Christ fuel us with a spirit of the ‘big picture’. Knowing why Christ died for us. Knowing that we now are graphed in as God’s children. Allowing us to be inheritors of all the promises of God.
 
The belief in this big picture is the ‘rock’ in the text above. With this in our hearts, the “…rain can fall,
the rivers can rise, and the wind can blow…” but we will be able to weather any storm knowing that
Jesus has the power to give us strength and guide us to the point of peace.
 
So, let’s be the best ‘hearer’ we can be, so that we can be the best ‘doer’ of his Word. In that very action, we will not collapse, because our foundation in God’s word, is solid as a rock!

May God continue to bless and keep you as you continue in Jesus’ name.

​Amen

Sometimes people tell me, “I know I’m supposed to believe, but I see this person that doesn’t go to church, and they have all this money. I see that person who doesn’t believe in God, and they have a big house and several cars.” The scripture in Psalm 37, verse 1 through verse 2, says, “Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.” ~NLT

We may see one version of another’s life, but it is God’s will for ours that we need to stay focused on.  First of all, we never know what others are going through. Second, we should never envy others in their blessings. We should know and understand that when God created us, He created us with our purpose, plan and prosperity. All these gifts are ready for us when we were ready to receive them.

The scripture continues in verses 3 and 4 where it says, “Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.” ~NLT

Simply put, we must stay in meditation of God’s Word for our direction, as this will keep our focus on target. This will also help us stay within the fruits of the spirit, (Galatians 5:22-23), walking in godly ways. And when we feel good about working and moving in Jesus’ name, we begin to realize how much God loves us, and knows us as His children. At this point there is nothing we can think of in desire, that God has not already prepared for us. Prosperity more than we could ever imagine.

The bible continues in Psalm verses 5 and 6 saying that we should commit “…everything…” we do to the Lord and trust Him with the outcome of it all. In that commitment, those around us will see Him and His works in us. Why? Because the non-believers and the believers with weak faith will see God’s existence in us! And this just might give them what they need to become aware of God’s purpose in their own lives for the cause of Christ!

Verse 7 says, “Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him…” ~ NLT

​Tony Evans says, “Our focus should be on God…We are to wait expectantly for him. Notice that we are not to merely wait but to wait with expectation.” We should not only pray but pray with ‘expectation’. We should not only work in the name of Jesus but work with ‘expectation’. We should not only wait patiently as we endure our trials, but we should wait with ‘expectation’ as we endure through our trials.

Our God is an awesome God and His love for us is powerful and complete! It contains all we need and has our desires, (those desires in the name of His Son), covered. If we feel we have not come into the blessings we have been promised by the Father, look within to see if we have followed past directions from Him. Look within to see if we have stepped into our callings. Look within and recognize the ‘LOVE’ that is only from God that can overtake any adversity in our lives. Once this is recognized, our unique blessings will rain down and be available to pass on to others.

​May God bless and keep you covered in his love and peace as you journey in Jesus’ name.
 
Amen

Luke 1:35 “The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” ~CSB

In this text, Mary was engaged to a man named Joseph. Joseph was God-fearing as was Mary. Because they were engaged, they had not participated in sexual relations as this was not done until after marriage. So, we see the dilemma Mary was in as the angel told her that she would soon conceive and give birth to a son. In her mind she could only see the ‘world view’ of the situation presented to her.

She wasn’t married yet. Her future husband, Joseph would become upset because he would know the baby was not his. And the talk of all the people around them, friends, family, neighbors, church folk, would be so negative and demeaning.

But the angel told her in verse 30, “…Do not be afraid…for you have found favor with God…” This meant that yes, sometimes the world around us may not understand, but those who come to know God and His love for us, can accept and receive what His will is for our lives…even if we can’t figure it out.

We may receive a direction God wants us to go in our lives. Instead of trying to figure out, ‘what’s in it for me…’ we should just embrace God’s will for us and walk in it. Being a child of God, we should not need an explanation from Him. Knowing He favors us should be sufficient.

Yes, He gave Mary an explanation through the angel, but we do not necessarily need one. It is when the mission is complete when we find His blessing to us in it. It is hard to receive God’s blessing from him, because we do not first believe in the mission He sends us on. When He first comes to us with direction, we should believe in His favor in us by choosing us for such a difficult task. A task He will bless many others through us. As well as blessing us at the same time.

We must first believe, no matter what it looks like to others around us. We must first believe, no matter if we think we may embarrass ourselves. We must first believe, regardless of our family or close friends telling us we should not, simply because they do not understand or believe.  Because just like Mary’s situation, if our close friends or family believe as they should, they will see God’s ‘will’ in what they can’t see in the mission. Just like Joseph did.

In Matthew chapter 1, verse 20-23. The angel spelled it out for Joseph and in verse 24, he woke up the next day and did his part in carrying out God’s plan with Mary. Which would turn out to be the greatest story ever told!

Believing in God, and His favor of us, is the first step. That will lead to embracing and believing in His will and mission for our lives. Even when we cannot see the end game. Even when we don’t know His plan, our belief will make us a strong and willing participant in His plan for this unpredictable world we live in today.

May God continue to bless you with the wisdom, strength, and determination you need to walk in Jesus’ name.

Amen