Better is one day in your courts

This Sunday while I was in church the worship band sang....

"Better is one day in Your courts,

Better is one day in Your house,

Better is one day in Your courts,

Than thousands elsewhere"

I thought to myself I do really believe this? It cut straight to the heart and I couldn’t stop thinking about it throughout the service – it was like a broken record on repeat. It sat on my mind throughout the day and it was like God was asking me- Do you truly see me this way?

I spent some much needed time with the Lord yesterday. Reading and praying- it was amazing! I prayed that I would sacrifice anything and everything to him because "Better is one day in His courts than a thousand elsewhere." I think we can get so wrapped up with what this world offers that we forget about eternity- me included. What we don’t realize is everything on this earth is temporary- material things, relationships, jobs and even family! There is something so much bigger than "us" but we don’t get it.

While I was working today I received an email from one of my good friends with Psalm 81- As you read through the whole verse- what comes up…..

A single day in your courts
is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God
than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. Psalm 81:10

I love the verse that follows….

For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.
He gives us grace and glory.
The Lord will withhold no good thing
from those who do what is right. Psalm 81:11

I am speechless thinking about how God continues to speak to me even through the littlest of things. I absolutely love how He reveals pieces of Himself everyday and I long to hear His voice above anything. I leave you with this-

Do you TRULY believe "Better is one day in His courts than thousands elsewhere?"

The heart of the matter

What's on the heart of the righteous? How about the unrighteous?

I can't help but always feel like a runner- Walking... Running... Sprinting... Jumping over hurdles.. Life is hard- no doubt and at times I feel like I make it harder on myself.. After I grow from one situation, I can't help but slightly not learn from my mistakes and fight the battle again... My best friend told me a Saint is a sinner who fell down & got back up. But here's the question- Why do we repeat the same pattern?

At the end what am I realizing is there is only one who stands strong- Christ.. Friends, family and even relationships may let us down but no matter what there is one person we always seem to forget to give our attention, hope, love and dedication to... Jesus.

　

Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

1 Corinthians 15:18-19

If someone took a bullet for you- What would you do? How about someone who got their back ripped open to save your life? How about someone who was mocked & suffered for you? Would you want to give them your life in return?

Why did Christ take all the pain for us yet we continue to push Him to the side at times? He tells us not to worry.. But we do!!!

　

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:25-27

He tells us to trust him... But we don't fully give him our 'issues'.

　

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Do we forget how He heals the sick, raised people from the dead- He can move mountains! God never changes- He is the same today just as He was yesterday and thousands of years ago!

I wish I was strong enough to be smarter in life. My head and flesh take over my heart at times and it kills me! My desire is to dedicate my whole life to Christ but my actions don't always reflect that. How can a Father continue to love a child who constantly rebels? But this is the thing- He NEVER stops loving us- even when we mess up and come crawling back with our head hung low- He picks it up & says- I love you no matter what my child. Now He may want to give us a quick smack (let me tell you I deserve a few) but our God is a God of second, third, fourth chances! But now let's not get carried away with running a muck and not trying to learning from our mistakes!

I know I'm growing- it's an everyday process (to say the least) but I am thankful for the LOVE Christ shows me. I can't even wrap my mind around how He continues to LOVE me even when I deserve to be put in the corner for a 'time out'.

　

Grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:18-19

I'm thankful that even in my dumbest moments He always shows me the way- thank God for conviction! Whew- Tuff at times but I am so grateful for it!

So my story goes a bit like this, I love Christ; He’s my everything- He brings new life into me. I’m definitely not perfect and still mess up but God takes all my broken pieces and makes me whole again- for that- I will spend the rest of my life praising his name!

To God be the glory!

Open your gift

This week I have found that God has been stirring something up in me. My faith has grown stronger, I’m learning about my flaws (who would have thought!.. lol) and learning about God and how he works in miraculous ways.

There has been more than one time this week when I have listened to a sermon on line & the pastor preaches on a specific verse, only to have my pastor recite the same scripture- coincidence I think not!

I attended a women’s bible study this week for the first time and the topic they had been discussing was on Spiritual gifts. They had discussed about certain gifts they have never encountered the prior week and how they wanted to know more about them. One of the gifts they never had experienced was ironically a gift that God had the honor of blessing me with – which I only came to realize last year! I was able to share with the group about what God had placed in my life and of course they were all in shock as they had just discussed that topic last week- coincidence I think not!

As I drove home from the study I cried thinking about the power of Christ and how everything he does is so intricate! He aligns many things in our life- but here’s the kicker- are you willing to allow him to work in your life and be used for his kingdom?

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10