Simple Thoughts

It’s that time of year again. The time of year when azaleas bloom and Japanese magnolia trees bloom, and everything comes to life again. The high temperature for the day is 70-something degrees, and it feels like the perfect springtime day. It’s that time… that time… except for the fact that this is the end of January???? Don’t get me wrong. I’m loving the weather. But it would feel more appropriate if it were March or April – not January. Out of season. Have you ever felt out of season? There are times that God will take certain people and call them to be forerunners, and they will appear out of season. They may even feel out of season. They may be doing things and speaking things that just don’t seem like what everyone else is saying or doing – or may not seem like what is typical of the time. But let me go back to our weather comparison for a minute. It’s January. But suddenly, instead of waiting for spring, I am now craving spring. I am longing for that amazing weather. I ...

I watch so many people daily. They are chasing dreams… chasing things that will not fulfill them… that will not leave them satisfied. They are “running after broken cisterns.” I just want to scream it from the rooftops… “There is something more!!! There is a love that will satisfy the longing in your heart! God has a dream in His heart for you to fulfill that will complete every desire of your heart! He has called you to greatness! He will take your emptiness and your ashes, and He will give you beauty and fulfillment! No applause of men, no sensual gratification, no amount of wealth will ever fulfill your heart. Never. It will never satisfy. BUT GOD. He knows you more intimately than anyone. He is the very one who put desires and dreams inside of you. HE is the one who knows how to fulfill these desires. And He will! He will! He doesn’t just tease us into following Him and then not deliver! He gives such fulfillment and grace in the midst of even our pain and growing. TRUST HIM!...

Do you ever just wonder what your contribution should be? God – how can I make a difference in my family? How can I make a difference in my church? How can I make a difference in my workplace? How can I make a difference in the world around me? Lord, You’ve placed me in all these locations and situations with purpose… Why am I here and what should I be doing? There are seasons when this question seems totally answered, and then other times, when I wonder about specific areas. There are many verses where we are told how to act and what to do. But there is only one thing ringing in my heart right now as I ask the Lord that question. Mar 12:28-34 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 'And you shall love the LORD your God...