All Fall Short

Genesis 37:5
Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.

Genesis 37:23-24
23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the richly ornamented robe he was wearing- 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

I encourage you to read about Joseph. His brothers threw him into a cistern. They then told their father he was probably devoured by ferocious animals. The torment their dad must have went through. Joseph was then sold. He was put in prison and so much more.

All that Joseph went through, how did he handle it when his brother’s needed him? Did he curse them and turn them away? No. He took them in and gave them the best part of the land.

Genesis 47:11
So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed.

After reading the Word we must come to realize that God has a plan. And for Joseph it meant being betrayed by his own brothers. But Joseph stayed true to God and so should we.

People are going to wrong us. And as much as we hate to think it, we hurt and wrong others. We fall short. Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Many times we expect more out of others than we do ourselves. We need to go to God with each experience in our lives and ask Him, what are we to learn from this? How are we to handle this Lord? How are we to respond to this Lord? Speak to me Lord all that I need to know. All that you want me to know. Know this, if we are God’s children He is continuously working on us, in us, and through us. And the same goes for our brother’s and sister’s in Christ. Praise God if God has given you the gift of mercy. That doesn’t mean we condemn those who do not have it as we have. And we do not sin by wanting what God has given someone else that we may not have.

Matthew 7:3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

John 21 :18 Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." 19Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!" 20Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") 21When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" 22Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." 23Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?"

Dear Father, thank you for today. Thank you for allowing me to share Your testimony in my life to others. I pray that our hearts become more forgiving. I ask that you show each and every one of us where we are needing to let go of anger, resentment, bitterness and anything else that is against You Lord and Your children. Lord, forgive us our sins and help us to become more pure, more holy, more loving, more forgiving, more like You. It is in Your Name we pray. Amen.

Tammy

Obey His Voice

Proverbs 21:23He Who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.

1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

1 Samuel 15:22 22And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

1 Samuel 16:17 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

John 10:25 Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, 26but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[d]; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30I and the Father are one."

It is so important that we listen for His voice that we follow and obey Him. For it is more important than any offering. Has God ever told you to help another person and you obey God’s voice? And then, the person you have helped does something to you that you do not think is right? And you feel betrayed by them. You begin to question why you did it for them in the first place and then resentment begins to set in. And then God reminds you, I asked you to do that? You did it for Me. I am certain we have all been there. Remember to lean not on your own understanding but on every Word of God. Listen for His voice and follow. God’s purpose may not always be made known to us but know He is in control and thank Him daily for it. Know that God’s plan is in the works and praise Him for using us to serve others, even when we do not understand or things do not turn out as we thought they would.

Dear Father, help us be obedient to your calling. Teach us to pray. Teach us to humble our hearts in prayer before you so that we can truly hear Your voice. Lord, I know if we were to see you right now we would fall to our knees and worship you. Help us to do that now. Help us to see Your Holiness and Your Love. Help us to show others who You really are. Lord, we want to hear Your voice so that we can walk in the paths you have for our lives. Lord, quiet us so we can hear you now. In Your precious Name we pray.

Tammy

Loving God's People

One thing God has shown me over and over is that when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we become His child. He loves us. He teaches us. He disciplines us. And He has also shown me that everyone who accepts Christ is also His child, whom He loves much and whom he finds much pleasure.

Everyone is at different “levels” (lack of a better word) of the knowledge of God. My husband knows more than I do. His friend may know more than Him. BUT, we are all God’s children and with that, we help each other grow. Our relationships with God are different as well. God made each of us individually and unique. We need to learn to respect each other’s uniqueness because God made us, all of us.

1 John 4:20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

Jeremiah 9:23 This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.

Knowing that all you have including the knowledge of Him came from Him. As well as Love, Peace, Repentance and you coming to Christ was because of Him.

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Romans 2:1You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

Matthew 10:38 and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Let’s look up the word follow in the dictionary. 1) To engage in as a calling or a way of life. 2) To be in act or accordance with. 3) To accept as authority.

In the book titled, “I Would Follow Jesus”, he says: You know a follower because they act and react like the One they are following. A true follower is in the process of a radical reformation because of the influence of the leader in their lives. Are our lives reflecting the One we follow? Are our actions in accordance with His? Are pursuing relationships with other believers and non believers as Jesus did?

Do we ever say, if they lived the way they should, they wouldn’t be going through this right now? I have heard that said many times. Did Paul live right? We could say the same things we say about others…well, if he lived right, he wouldn’t have been tortured like that. Or Job? 1There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. Job went through much pain and Job was “perfect” and “upright”. What about Jeremiah? We could look at many people in the Bible that God has given us the privilege of reading and see that hardships do not mean we are not living right and a life of no trials doesn’t mean that someone is. We are to live the life God gives us each day. And when hardships come may we have the love of our brothers and sisters in Christ to help us carry the burden.

Dear Father, my prayer is that we see others as you see them. Lord, we ask for Your Love and Mercy to come through us. Lord we want to be like You. Help us Lord. Speak to us on what we need to hear. Lord, guard our tongues. Help us keep all thoughts captive. We want to be your followers. We want to be what you made us to be. Thank you for Your love…for it endures forever. In Your Name we pray. Amen.

Tammy

God’s Testimony

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Proverbs 28:13 He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

I am so thankful for God’s forgiveness and mercy. Although I do not deserve forgiveness, He has given it to me. His mercy endures forever. He has also shown me that He is using my trial to touch others and for His testimony in my life. And because of that, I have been given more peace than I thought I could ever have going through the loss of my baby. I learned just the other day that my baby already had fingerprints. At 9 weeks, their fingerprints are already designed. It seems I am hearing a lot about babies these days.

Anyway, Mother’s Day, my mother said to me, Tammy, maybe having gone through this you can now understand what so many others have gone through…how they have felt. Maybe you can help others going through this. You have never known what others have gone through. She was right. I had no idea but I certainly know now.

Even though I was unsure of His plan, my mom couldn’t have been more right. The more people asked how I was doing the more they shared how they felt and what they are still going through, having gone through the loss of a baby. I spoke to my cousin a week ago and she told me that all the girls on my dad’s side of the family had lost their first baby. I had no idea. I also didn’t know that my cousin was still in so much pain over giving birth to her baby only to lose her. A baby she thinks about every single day. How could I not know? God has shown me ”the why” over and over but I am just now getting it. I have not invested any time with my extended family and others God has put in my path. . God is teaching me that I must get involved in the lives of others. (The meaning of involved: To enfold or envelop so as to encumber; to engage as a participant; to surround as if with a wrapping). My excuses have always been “I do not live there“ or I that I do not see them as much as I should but we live so far away from everyone…I’m sure you see where this is going…not where God wants it to go.

God is also using my trial as an open door to share him with others. I may see this friend of mine twice a year and God has put her on my heart for a couple of years now. You pray for an open door to share Him with others. You seek God on how to share Him with others. God is using my loss as an open door. My friend had a son die at or right after birth and they still cry over him. They now have a 3 year old and he is just precious. They tried again and miscarried this year. I want to share her email with you on how God is beginning to move in her life. “I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I was so excited for you guys and kept meaning to say congratulations. I suffered a miscarriage and I am still not sure if I want to try again. I admire your courage and hope you are doing okay through this. Please let me know how you are doing. I am doing much soul searching these days and could always use some of your encouragement. I am trying to come to terms with God right now...that is the best way I can describe what I am going through. I was not raised with church or God in my life and now I am trying to decide how I feel or where I am going in my life with God as a part. It is hard to explain. I know that you are a great believer and I am needing support/guidance/prayer from those that I love that truly believe. I hope this is making sense. I am at a crossroad and trying to decide which path to take. “

This has given me the opportunity to share with her, the most wonderful, most merciful, the most loving God. God has turned what was a very difficult trial into joy for me…did I say joy? This would have been very difficult to even conceive just a few days ago. But it has brought tears to my eyes and joy to my heart to share the most loving Father with my friend. And I also know what it is like to go through trials without Christ in my life. It is a very scary way to live. In writing this bread it made me realize even more that having Christ through my loss is more than I can put into words.

Although my journey with God using this trial has just begun, I continue to seek Him on how He wants to use my trial in order to share Him with others. And I pray He continue to show me how to invest my life with those He has put in my life and in my path. ( Meaning of invest: To clothe, surround). My husband and I both are praying about where and how he wants us to get more involved in the lives of others. The world is hurting. The church is hurting and wounded. How many of us feel comfortable in sharing our trials much less our sin to those we are to call brothers and sisters in Christ? Let’s begin a healing in the church and in the world. We need each other. Romans 12:5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

My prayer for us today: Lord, please give us Your Love, Your Mercy, Your Forgiveness. Lord we want more of you in our lives. Lord, give us a heart of worship and praise. Give us the heart of repentance. Lord, help us to invest in Your children and to increase the Kingdom of heaven. Lord, help us to become who you want us to be. Help us to truly love others as you love us and as You truly love them. Thank you for your forgiveness and merciful heart. Lord, thank you for Your love. The greatest gift we could ever receive is You…if we receive nothing else, let us give thanks, for that gift, is enough. Lord we praise Your Holy name. We praise You Lord for rescuing us from death. It is in Your Holy Name that we pray. Amen.

Tammy

My Trial

Leviticus 19:18" 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. Zechariah 8:17 do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this," declares the LORD. Matthew 22:35-40 35Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

When we are not loving God with all our hearts and our relationship with God is not right, we will not be obeying the two greatest commandments given to us. You will notice that if your relationship with God is not where it should be, other relationships in your life won’t be either. If there is something between you and God, a sin, anger, rebellion it will affect every area of your life including other relationships.

God definitely showed this to me through a trial in my life. I would like to share with you what God has been showing me.

When a trial comes along we can look at it and seek God and what He is doing or we can become angry and seek our own understanding. On April 3rd I found out I was pregnant and on April 6th, I went to the doctor to confirm and an ultrasound was performed. I was 6 weeks and 5 days. And when I saw the heartbeat on the ultrasound and what was growing inside of me, a joy filled my soul like I had never felt before. I saw God’s miracle inside of me and I couldn’t wait to call my husband and share my joy with him. I got his voice mail and left him a message. He said the message was so full of joy he just had to keep the message. My parents were excited. First grandbaby. My dad said this filled a void for him. He has always wanted grandchildren. My sister was already trying to name the baby and asking if she could keep the baby for weekends. The list goes on…and on.

On May 6th the doctor went to hear the heartbeat and couldn’t hear one. Although he felt confident all was okay at this stage, something inside of me told me things were not okay. I asked the doctor for an ultrasound. The ultrasound confirmed that there was not a heartbeat and I would have to have surgery the next day. The sadness of the loss isn’t something you can understand unless you have gone through it. But after the sadness came anger. And boy did anger set in. I asked God why? I became angry with God because I couldn’t understand why He had me experience this wonderful gift only for Him to take it away. I just couldn’t for the life of me understand the point of it all. I have to say, I became very angry with God and it began to affect everything in my life.

At church that same week a lady began speaking about the miracles she is seeing through their missions overseas on childbirth. The miracles God was performing. I thought, what about the miracle He had given me? I got up during her testimony and left the room. Why was God having me at this church listening to this? It was very hard and I wanted to scream. I was beginning to realize that my anger towards God was causing me to have anger towards people. It was hard going to the doctor’s office seeing all the expecting mothers. Fighting back the tears for 2.5 hours because they were running behind. I also questioned God then…why 2.5 hours late? I felt very betrayed by God. I did.

I began to realize that I was heading down a road of destruction and began to wonder if God would even forgive me if I had asked. And I knew that my relationship with Christ was affecting every relationship I had. And when you become angry with God and when your heart becomes bitter, your love for His people and yourself will diminish and hate and anger will take over and destroy you. If we begin to see our relationships w/people take a turn for the worst, we need to look at our relationship with Christ, because something isn’t right in your relationship with Him. The two go hand in hand.

My prayer for us today: God please help us to lean not on our own understanding but on every Word You have given us. Please forgive us for trying to lean on our understanding. Please help us to look to you in times of trial and to not turn away. Shows us what we are to learn and what we are to share with other’s in their times of need. Take away our pride. Lord, help us to keep our hearts right with You. We need You Lord and we need the body of Christ. Please show us how to love one another. Please forgive us our sins, cleanse our hearts Lord. It is in Your Holy Name we pray. Amen.

Tammy