Have Faith in God

            We sing a great hymn in church sometimes called Have Faith in God.  I was thinking about the lyrics the last time we sang it and realized how applicable that song is to my life right now.  Our assistant pastor also found it applicable to his sermon.  He preached out of Luke 8:22-25 about the time when Jesus calmed the storm at sea.  The disciples were doing exactly what God wanted them to do when the storm hit, and that shows us that even if we are following God’s will in our lives, the storms of life can still hit.  We may think we have control for a while, but when things get rough, we finally turn to God in prayer.  That is something we often forget, trials are not always due to sin or wrong choices, they sometimes come to teach us or to remind us of who is in control.  Even if things seem unfair and we don’t understand why, God is still there and He still cares for His children.  We live in a fallen world where bad things are going to happen.  Those of us who are Christians have the task of shining God’s light in the darkest of times and reaching out to those who are lost and hurting.  So, when the darkness falls within our own lives, we must keep our eyes on Christ and have faith.  He can calm the storms and bring peace in His time.

These are the lyrics to Have Faith in God, written by B. B. McKinney:

 

Verse 1: Have faith in God when you pathway is lonely,

He sees and knows all the way you have trod;

Never alone are the least of His children;

Have faith in God, have faith in God.

 

Chorus: Have faith in God, He’s on His throne;

Have faith in God, He watches o’er His own;

He cannot fail, He must prevail;

Have faith in God, have faith in God.

 

Verse 2: Have faith in God when you prayers are unanswered,

Your earnest plea He will never forget;

Wait on the Lord, trust His Word and be patient;

Have faith in God, He'll answer yet.

 

Verse 3: Have faith in God in your pain and your sorrow,

His heart is touched with your grief and despair;

Cast all your cares and your burdens upon Him,

And leave them there, oh, leave them there.

 

Verse 4: Have faith in God though all else fail about you;

Have faith in God He provides for His own;

He cannot fail though all kingdoms shall perish,

He rules, He reigns upon His throne.

When You Leave the Mountaintop

            The youth from my church have been at church camp this week, and since the camp is in our town, I went to the evening services on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.  There has been some good preaching and a lot of decisions of salvation and rededication have been made.  I have helped as a camp counselor a couple times in the past and it is amazing to see God working on those kids throughout the week.  Although I haven’t been highly involved this year, I know that God is still working in their lives.  The catch is that they eventually have to go back home.  A very common problem that we have all probably faced at one point or another is having those mountaintop experiences, and then returning home and forgetting what happened or just falling back into the same habits from before.  Sometimes, it’s an emotional high, and the decisions made are not truly genuine.  Sometimes, a real commitment is made, but no effort to follow-up.  Either way, these kids need our prayers.  Ever since I was their age, I have watched teen after teen get saved or dedicate their lives to the ministry and they appear to be on fire for God.  Some of them do go on to serve God in missions or ministry, but more often than not it seems that many eventually fall away from the church.  This deeply saddens and troubles me.  When I see someone on fire for God, I want them to stay that way, especially since I have been working with these kids on Wednesday nights for the past eight years.  Watching them spiral downhill is hard because I committed some of my time to help them and I want to see them succeed in God’s kingdom.  I know there comes a time in everyone’s life when they must make their own decisions, but I hate it when those decisions lead down the wrong paths.  Sometimes, they will return to the church after a while, but there may be some scars they will have to live with for the rest of their lives.  Sorry, if this sounds a bit discouraging, but I have watched this happen so many times.  The youth from my church are going home today, so keep them in your prayers.  Not just them, but all the kids, counselors, pastors, ministry leaders, missionaries, or any other adult that makes a decision to follow Christ.  Pray that their decisions are genuine and that they commit to following through on the choices they made.  Because the struggle is real and Christians do need to commit themselves daily to following Christ, especially when they leave the mountain to go back into the valley.

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”  Luke 9:23 (KJV)

Ruth

“But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.’” Ruth 1:16 (NIV)

The book of Ruth is one of my favorite books in the Bible. What a woman to look up to! When a widow named Naomi lost her two sons, she told their wives to go back to their homeland and she would return to hers. Ruth was not willing to go back to her old way of life; she wanted to follow Naomi. God rewarded Ruth’s willingness to turn to a new way of life. He provided food for them and a new husband for Ruth. It may not be the most romantic story, but it is an illustration of God’s faithfulness to those who follow Him. In those times, women were dignified by their children and their heritage. Ruth was the grandmother of King David and in the lineage of Jesus. And it was all because Ruth made a choice to follow a good example and listen to her advice. What can you learn from those you choose to admire? Do you set an example for others to follow?

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I am currently participating in the Blogging from A to Z April 2015 Challenge. My theme is life lessons from the Bible. You can find more information about the challenge by clicking on the badge to the right or click here for a list of participants. It has been an interesting experience so far and I have enjoyed finding and visiting other blogs. If you are a fellow participant, thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment!

Joseph

“Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.” Genesis 41:39 (NIV)

 This will be my first post about a person from the Bible. I will be featuring a few more people who have put these biblical lessons into action in days to come. Joseph lived a very difficult life. Can you imagine being thrown in a well and then sold into slavery by your jealous brothers? And that was just the beginning! After that, Joseph was working for Potiphar until his aggressive wife falsely accused Joseph and sent him to jail. Some years later, this mistreated and forgotten man was finally noticed in that jail cell when Pharaoh needed an interpreter for his dream. Talk about endurance and grace! But, in the end, Joseph was blessed with the second highest position in the kingdom and he was able to save his family from famine and death. He was even willing to forgive his brothers because he knew that God had a greater purpose through his sufferings. “But Joseph said to them, Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Gen. 50:19-20, NIV) You can find the complete story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50. What would you have done if you were in Joseph’s position?

 

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I am currently participating in the Blogging from A to Z April 2015 Challenge. My theme is life lessons from the Bible. You can find more information about the challenge by clicking on the badge to the right or click here for a list of participants. It has been an interesting experience so far and I have enjoyed finding and visiting other blogs. If you are a fellow participant, thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment!

When Life Gives You Lemons

           I can’t believe another month has passed. It’s amazing how quickly time can go even if you are not necessarily having fun. I’ll be honest, I have not had a good week. I had to work 6 days in a row, I have had allergy and congestion problems the entire time, and we were short-handed at work with two people gone on vacation. I guess it’s no wonder that I’ve stayed sick, since I have not had a chance to rest and recuperate. I try not to complain, because I know that God is always with me, but there were moments when I just wanted to give up. As Christians, we are not promised a life full of perfect days, in fact the Bible states the opposite:

“We sent Timothy…to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them.” (1 Thessalonians 3:2-3)

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)

The sad thing is that my “trials” and the “trials” of many Christian Americans today are nowhere near as troubling as what the early Christians had to go through. Currently, we have it easy in comparison, although, I’m afraid a time will soon come when we too will suffer persecution for our faith. Regardless, there is no reason to grumble and complain about any circumstances. Paul and Silas sang praises when they were chained up in prison, Jesus slept through a storm at sea, Esther stood up to her fears, and there are so many other examples of how God’s people have overcome their situations and fully relied on faith in God. So, instead of focusing on your current surroundings, focus on finding God in the midst of it all. Some people find peace in the beauty of nature, some through hymns, and all of us should find it through the promises of God’s Word; just allow God into your mind and heart and let Him fill you with His joy. Even when I find myself surrounded by noise and people, I still pray silently for His strength and peace.

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (James 1”2-4)

Remember that God works through your trials to help you learn and grow. Don’t focus on circumstances, look instead at what God is doing with your life and how you can use what you have learned to help others.

A Life Worth Remembering

            This has been on my mind since my church’s ladies’ retreat back in September. The theme was “A Legacy to Remember” and each of us was asked to name someone who left a legacy in our lives. Almost half of the women present, myself included, named our grandmothers. With Christmas just around the corner, I can think of no better time to celebrate the life of my mother’s mom and remember all those childhood Christmases I spent at Grandma’s house. I was only 12 years old when she died, so I was too young to notice some of her character traits. But, looking back, I can see some of those qualities that make me wish I still had her here today.

Louise Swoboda was a devoted wife. Granddaddy had a stroke before I was born, and it got to the point that Grandma could not handle taking care of him by herself, so she put him in a nursing home. Whenever I came to stay a few weeks over the summer with Grandma, she would go to the nursing home to visit Granddaddy at lunchtime, every single day. I would sit in the floor and play with Polly Pockets or explore the corridors with the nurses. Sometimes she would bake cookies for him and his roommate. I remember one time that my cousin, Susan, and I got into an argument over who would give the cookies to Granddaddy and who got stuck with the stranger. When it came to Thanksgiving or Christmas, Grandma would take Granddaddy home to celebrate with the family. I remember he slept in his old chair most of the day, but now I know that those were probably some of their favorite days, spending time at home together. Granddaddy died in July of 1996, and Grandma died a few months later. She was so devoted to her husband that she didn’t want to live without him.

Louise Swoboda cared about people. She was very giving, not only with gifts, but with her time. I got an extra aunt because my Grandma took her in as an “adopted” daughter. Mary loved Grandma as her own mother because of the care and time that she gave Mary’s family. I have almost as many memories with my “adopted” aunt as I do with my real aunt. I asked my mom about my grandma, and I found out Mary wasn’t the first. Grandma had a heart for teens and young women. She would invite them in her home and provide them with a meal and Godly counsel. I remember getting to know the small town of Globe, Arizona pretty well. Whenever I stayed with her, she would always be visiting someone. She liked to play dominoes with some ladies her age, she visited the homes of her pastor and his wife and their grown children, and she would even visit with and get to know some of the other residents in the nursing home. At home, she kept herself busy with phone calls, writing letters, baking, and caring for grandchildren. And she didn’t keep these traits to herself; she passed them on to those she came in contact with. She taught me and Susan how to decorate Christmas cookies, and more importantly, how to share with others and that giving is much better than receiving.

Louise Swoboda was a faithful servant, and her life is an example of her love for others. She was truly the matriarch who held our family together. Maybe she didn’t do everything perfect, but her love for God allowed her to become a great woman, at least in the eyes of those whose lives she touched. This will be my 15^th Christmas without her, but I hope that her legacy will live on in my life.

With love to Grandma Louise (Ryan) Swoboda, you are and shall continue to be greatly missed. One day we will meet again in Heaven. Thanks for the treasured memories here on Earth.