giving our all

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts"  -Deuteronomy 6:5, NIV

What is our direction, our purpose?   Do we follow what God wants, even if it is temporarily uncomfortable?  Can others see how Jesus is our reason for living like we do?

I love how the verse in Deuteronomy 6:5 describes how our whole person can be devoted to God.  Our love for God impacts more than just what we say, what we give, or what we think.  Our love for God can permeate into every area of our lives.

How can we express what God is doing within us?  One idea is to give God the glory, when we are complemented for our character or a success.  We can reach out to that person who is hurting and explain how Christ has brought us hope. 

The artist Lecrae writes, in his lyrics for "Background:"
"I know I'm safest when I'm in Your will, and trust Your Word
I know I'm dangerous when I trust myself, my vision blurred
And I ain't got no time to play life's foolish games
Got plenty aims, but do they really Glorify Your name?"

Today is Veteran's Day.  Please pray for those who have given their lives for our country and its people.

If you want to learn more about how to live as a woman following God today, then I recommend going to the W Conference next weekend, November 19-20, in Louisville, KY.  It will be a gathering of women trying to seek God's Word together to see how to live in devotion to God in our culture today.  How to sign up? Go to W Conference Registration

(photo above from maryjaneryan.wordpress.com)

Focus on the Foundation

"According to God's grace that was given to me, as a skilled master builder I have laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it, because no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid - that is, Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:10-11).

Most of my friends know that I have a background in interior design so just one of the ways that I de-stress is by watching HGTV. I love to see how they rebuild bathrooms - they rip the whole room apart and go back to the foundation. They are always careful to get to the root of the problem and not just patch a leak.

All that HGTV may be paying off this week since our master bedroom shower has to be redone. That leak that we have been patching for years has finally gotten to the point that it requires major attention. Nothing like spending the weekend with contractors, removing carpeting, and looking at ways to fix the shower, tile, carpeting, etc. (Who was it that thought placing the shower next to the master closet was a good idea anyway?) It will all be fine...even if I have to live with concrete floors and one shower until after the Thanksgiving crew is gone. : )

The point of all this is that the foundation is critical. In our lives, it is Jesus Christ. It is the basics of discipleship that get us in trouble. As I work with women, I am continually amazed that what gets them confused is not the issues of culture, but the issues of continuing to focus on and live out the basics. The culture has thrown us all for a loop; however, the only way to navigate it with success is to continue with the foundation - daily prayer and bible study, keeping the relationship of the Lord in tact which spills over into the relationships we have with others. I contend that it is the basic foundational truths that we are overlooking that are leading us astray.

Today, let's make a commitment to concentrate on the basics. When we keep the foundatioal truths of Christ in order, it will take care of the rest. It may be messy for awhile, but it is worth it in the end.