Wanted to share one of my all time favorites with you, Friend! It's a great reminder that through it all, Jesus is our constant! Enjoy!
Find Joy in Him, Beloved!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Cuckoo!
Hello sweet Friend! How much do you know about the Cuckoo? We've named a clock after this bird. My great grandmother (amazing woman who is now with the Lord) used to have one, and every half hour & hour, the little bird perched in the rafters of her clock would abruptly exit it's tiny chamber and call out "Cuckoo!!!" repeatedly until we were all acutely aware of the time! I always wondered why she had, what I thought was, such an annoying contraption. Rather than hearing "cuckoo!" I always heard, "Your life is ticking away! Just wanted to remind you!" Well, here's what I've since found out about the bird within the clock, and why it was so named.
When a mother cuckoo needs to lay her egg, she doesn't build her own nest. You see, she has no intention of caring for or raising her baby. Instead, she lays her egg among the others, in the nest of another bird & flies away. When the baby cuckoo hatches, it usually shoves all the other eggs out of the nest, keeping for itself, all of the food & attention from its new Mother. I found this shocking! You'd think the original mother bird could've at least written a note of warning..."I've left you with a greedy li'l booger that will make your life miserable! Be prepared for disaster! Oh, and thanks for doing this so I don't have to." This baby bird is not a creature that goes out of its way to make others feel wanted or welcome. Quite the contrary. I just have to post a few pictures of this because they speak louder than words.
Often times, I see myself as kindred to this baby cuckoo. I am loud and obnoxious, and I'm sure I cast others aside while focusing too much on all that concerns me.
See this:
Sometimes, that big squawking, odious bird...yeah that's me! Sad to say, the nature of it comes naturally. I'm sure folks know when I've got my "all about me" attitude goin' on. Now unlike the cuckoo on the wall awaiting the gears to trip it into action, I have no excuse. My purpose is opposite that of the cuckoo. Acting as such is not the way to win friends & influence people and it certainly isn't a clear representation of Christ.
If we live as we are called, then we must constantly battle against our "cuckoo" moments. Here are some scripture passages that can help.
"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires." Galatians 5:24
"I have been crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me..." Galatians 2:20
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." Luke 9:23-24
"He must become greater; I must become less." John 3:30
"Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Romans 12:3
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourself." Philippians 2:3
Friends, let's strive to be Christlike, not Cuckoos! Make room in your life for others, and put forth effort to ensure they know you care!
Find Joy in Him, Beloved!
When a mother cuckoo needs to lay her egg, she doesn't build her own nest. You see, she has no intention of caring for or raising her baby. Instead, she lays her egg among the others, in the nest of another bird & flies away. When the baby cuckoo hatches, it usually shoves all the other eggs out of the nest, keeping for itself, all of the food & attention from its new Mother. I found this shocking! You'd think the original mother bird could've at least written a note of warning..."I've left you with a greedy li'l booger that will make your life miserable! Be prepared for disaster! Oh, and thanks for doing this so I don't have to." This baby bird is not a creature that goes out of its way to make others feel wanted or welcome. Quite the contrary. I just have to post a few pictures of this because they speak louder than words.
Here's the newly hatched little rascal putting the other eggs on its back & tossing them out of the nest.
Here's the growing cuckoo trying to remain squeezed into the nest while still being fed by its adopted mother.
I have to admit, it makes me chuckle. :)
I just can't get over the nature of this bird...ridiculously comical!
Scary that we too can be guilty of assuming a similar position of entitlement in life.
Often times, I see myself as kindred to this baby cuckoo. I am loud and obnoxious, and I'm sure I cast others aside while focusing too much on all that concerns me.
See this:
If we live as we are called, then we must constantly battle against our "cuckoo" moments. Here are some scripture passages that can help.
"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires." Galatians 5:24
"I have been crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me..." Galatians 2:20
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." Luke 9:23-24
"He must become greater; I must become less." John 3:30
"Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Romans 12:3
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourself." Philippians 2:3
Friends, let's strive to be Christlike, not Cuckoos! Make room in your life for others, and put forth effort to ensure they know you care!
Find Joy in Him, Beloved!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Notice Him!
Now when she had said this she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. John 20:14
"It's hard to imagine someone looking at Jesus and not knowing it is Jesus. Yet that is what happened to Mary. She didn't recognize Him because Jesus appeared to Mary in a way that was unfamiliar to her. Is Jesus working in your life in unfamiliar ways? Do not assume that He will work in a certain way, or at a certain time according to your expectations. When you bring a need to Him, you may not always recognize how He is answering your prayer. His answers may appear to be coincidental or circumstantial, but always remember that He often uses ordinary people and everyday events to work in supernatural ways."- His Footsteps, My Pathway
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways." Isaiah 55:8
We tend to be so fixated on awaiting Jesus' "answers" to our prayers that we miss His daily workings in our lives. How will we notice the Lord without training our eyes to see Him in the simple things. Often times, Jesus Christ works miracles in big way, and it is unmistakably His Handiwork; but He performs small miracles all the time and sadly, they go unnoticed, because we're too busy expecting something awesome & extraordinary! Friend, I urge you to notice the subtle wonder that surrounds you, for in it lives the goodness and closeness of God!
Find Joy in Him, Beloved!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
"...in much patience, in tribulation, in needs, in distress." 2 Corinthians 6:4
When you have no vision from God, no enthusiasm left in your life, and no one watching and encouraging you, it requires the grace of Almighty God to take the next step in your devotion to Him, in the reading and studying of His Word, in your family life, or in your duty to Him. It takes much more of the grace of God, and a much greater awareness of drawing upon Him, to take that next step, than it does to preach the gospel.
Every Christian must experience the essence of the incarnation by bringing the next step down into flesh-and-blood reality and by working it out with his hands. We lose interest and give up when we have no vision, no encouragement, and no improvement, but only experience our everyday life with its trivial tasks. The thing that really testifies for God and for the people of God in the long run is steady perseverance, even when the work cannot be seen by others. And the only way to live an undefeated life is to live looking to God. Ask God to keep the eyes of your spirit open to the risen Christ, and it will be impossible for drudgery to discourage you. Never allow yourself to think that some tasks are beneath your dignity or too insignificant for you to do and remind yourself of the example of Christ in John 13:1-7.
- My Utmost For His Highest: March 6th
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Dive in & keep swimming!!
Hello Friend,
As it is the beginning of a new month, I just want to encourage those of you that aren't already reading through the Bible in a year with us, to jump right in! There's no time like the present! You will find links to our location in the Word of God to the right of the screen next to the corresponding date.
For those of you that are interested in chronologically reading through the Scriptures in a year, but want to start from the beginning, just click on this link & starting today, March 1st, you can begin your journey in Genesis, where it all began.
http://www.ewordtoday.com/year/niv1984/cmar01.htm
Enjoy digging deeper!
Find joy in Him, Beloved!
As it is the beginning of a new month, I just want to encourage those of you that aren't already reading through the Bible in a year with us, to jump right in! There's no time like the present! You will find links to our location in the Word of God to the right of the screen next to the corresponding date.
For those of you that are interested in chronologically reading through the Scriptures in a year, but want to start from the beginning, just click on this link & starting today, March 1st, you can begin your journey in Genesis, where it all began.
http://www.ewordtoday.com/year/niv1984/cmar01.htm
Enjoy digging deeper!
Find joy in Him, Beloved!
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