Are You Willing?

"For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have" 2 Cor. 8:12 (NIV).

Sometimes it's easy to discount what we have to offer to God. We think we are not qualified enough to be used by him. We may not have a degree or enough experience to do what we feel He is asking us to do, but God isn't as impressed with our credentials as he is with our willingness to serve Him.

If the willingness is there, He will accept and bless our efforts. We don't have to worry about what we don't have, just be willing to offer Him what we do have.

Prayer:
Lord, we come to you just as we are, willing to serve you in whatever way you lead us. We will not fret that we do not have enough experience or knowledge, but trust you to equip us to carry out your will. Thank you for accepting us just the way we are. Amen


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(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

Peace, Quietness and Confidence

"And the effect of righteousness will be peace [internal and external], and the result of righteousness will be quietness and confident trust forever." Isaiah 32:17 (AMP)

If you long for peace, quietness and confidence in your life, here is the answer - righteous living.

While righteousness can sound like a lofty, unattainable goal, it's really quite simple. Righteous living is merely the act of living right. It's making sure that your attitude and your activities are pleasing to God. It's ridding yourself of those things which you know do not please the Father.

Righteousness does not mean that you are suddenly perfect, but that with God's help, you are willing to lay aside that which is wrong to do that which is right. As you do this, a wonderful peace begins to blossom in your life - the fruit of righteousness is peace and the effect will be a quietness and a confidence in your spirit, which will endure forever.

Prayer:
Dear Father, thank you for this wonderful promise, that as we pursue righteousness, you will fill us with peace, quietness and confidence. Please reveal to us areas of our lives which are not pleasing to you and give us a willingness to lay them aside. Amen

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(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

Believe AND Rely

“Did I not tell you and promise you that if you would believe and rely on Me, you would see the glory of God?” John 11:40 (Amp)

Have you ever prayed about something and placed it in the Lord's hands intending to leave it there, only to find that later you've picked it up again and are wrestling with how to work it out on your own?

No? You mean it's just me?

Ok, I admit it - I sometimes do this. Not all the time, but when there's a particularly troublesome situation in my life, I tend to want to help God figure it all out.  I present him with all the possible solutions I can think of and then give him about ten minutes to pick one.

He must get a real chuckle out of this crazy, little daughter of his.

I notice that the verse above says that God promises that if I will believe Him and RELY on Him, I will see His glory. It's the relying part that sometimes trips me up.  I tend to be self-reliant, which is why I find myself on my knees so often, praying my way out of sticky situations.

Prayer:
Father, forgive my foolishness and teach me to not only believe on you, but to rely on you to direct my footsteps and to get me through all life's ups and downs without any help from me. I'll just hold onto your hand and be a good little girl!

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(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

Gifts and Talents

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. I Peter 4:10 (NIV)

Sometimes we forget that the gifts and talents we've been given by the Lord are not so much for our benefit as they are for others.

As a writer I can get all caught up in writing "my" book or posting on "my" blog. I can stress about whether or not my writing will be accepted by a publisher, whether I can find an agent to represent me and whether I can write a book that will bring me recognition and validate my calling, but in reality, none of that matters.

What matters is - Am I using the writing talents God has given me to help others? Do I write with the reader in mind? Do I allow God to influence what I write, because He knows who will be reading it and only He knows what they might need at that moment.  Will the words I write encourage and uplift? Will they point the way to Christ?

These are questions I need to ask myself so that I will be able to evaluate whether or not I am using the gift I've received to serve others, whether I am being a faithful steward of the talent I've been given, because it's not all about me!

Prayer:
Father, thank you for the gifts and talents you've give each one of us.  Help us to use them to serve others just the way you intended us to do. Amen

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(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

A Racing Mind

"I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me." Psalm 16:7

Did you ever have one of those nights when your head hits the pillow, but your mind refuses to slow down long enough for you to fall asleep?  This happens to me when I have a decision to make or I'm contemplating a new story line for a novel or when I'm facing a situation that befuddles me. (Befuddles-is that word still used?)

My mind will race through all the scenarios I can imagine, all the possible choices I could make and the pros and cons of each one. I toss and I turn wishing I had a remote that would just turn my brain off so I could get a good night's sleep.

I came across this scripture this morning and I think it holds the key to my sleeplessness. If I will quiet my mind and focus on the Lord when I lay my head on that pillow, praising Him for who He is and what He's done in my life, then I can rest assured that He will instruct my heart and help me to work things out, even while I'm asleep.

Prayer:
Thank you, Lord for the assurance that you have the answers to any dilemma I may be worrying over. Teach me to put my mind at rest and just focus on you, trusting that you will instruct my heart. Give me a good night's sleep tonight as I relax and let you unclutter my brain. Amen

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(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)

The Trinity in Action

"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." 2 Corinthians 13:14 (NIV)

I read this verse this morning and marveled at how such a simple sentence could tell us so much about the the character and purpose of each person of the Trinity.

"the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ..."
Grace - the definition of Grace is "the unearned favor of God". Isn't that just what Jesus is all about? That while we were yet sinners, He came to lavish us with His favor. We didn't (couldn't) earn it, but He gave us all He had to give... salvation, forgiveness, restoration, a selfless life, lived for our benefit, for our example, for our redemption!

the love of God...
God has never offered us anything less than His perfect love. No matter how many times we fail, He loves us. No matter how many times we turn our backs on Him, He will never turn our backs on us. His love keeps reaching out, calling us to share in all that He has to offer.

the fellowship of the Holy Spirit...
Ah, sweet fellowship with God, available through the Holy Spirit! Jesus said when He went away, He would send a Comforter that would guide us into all truth.

Jesus said, "But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into all truth. He will not speak his own words, but he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is to come. The Spirit of truth will bring glory to me, because he will take what I have to say and tell it to you."  John 16:13-14 (NCV)

The Holy Spirit leads us into fellowship with God.

Prayer

Thank you, Father, for giving so freely of yourself in so many different forms, that we might know the fullness of the Godhead. Teach us more about yourself and all your wonderful ways. Help us to know you more.

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(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)