Number Three

So yesterday in my ladies class we were in small groups praying for each other....one of the girls asked for prayer to be more intentional....so that got me to thinking.

  Intentional ~ hmmmm ~ being DELIBERATE  (you got it...D)

I decided I'm not very good at it...intentional is saying you mean to do something...you plan and you strive and it's your goal to do it.  Deliberate means on purpose. Its going out of your way to do it because it requires some effort and sacrifice.

Tonight I was at my WW meeting and I was a little bummed because I wanted to loose more....I thought I lost more than I had.  Then I wondered why I didn't.  It occurred to me that I wasn't deliberate about it...I was sorta like well I think that's about 8 points and I probably only ate about 12 today so I can do that.  But I wasn't intentional about tracking it.  I wasn't deliberate about making sure....so I wasn't as pleased as I hoped I would be.  So as I'm driving home and thinking about this I knew it was time for Blog Number Three...but I knew that it wasn't really very spiritual unless I had sometime scriptural to relate it to.  So I asked God to give me a verse.  And being God....He Did~~

Matthew 25:1-13 ~ the parable of the ten virgins.  Now it basically comes down to being prepared: being intentional and deliberate.  Five of the girls trimmed their lamps, reserving their oil until the groom was ready.  The other five were careless; not very deliberate about conserving their oil ~ as a matter of fact, they didn't.  So they missed out.  The five wise girls were able to go into the wedding banquet prepared because of their intentional decisions.

I think that I need to be intentional about everything in my life ~ to be a better steward of what I have and what I work for ~ to be a better Follower by learning the Word & seeking out its meaning for me ~ to be a better friend by being intentional about caring for people in deliberate ways ~ to be a better mom by praying deliberately & intentionally daily for my children and their futures ~ to be more intentional with the "gifts" I've been given ~ my talents.

So my challenge is that we think about being deliberate instead of being hap-hazard and we think about being intentional instead of being oopsy-daisy.

Thanks for reading ~ love to hear your thoughts!

k<3

Number Two

(continued from Number One)

 ~ Captivity:  that thought has been holding me captive.  
A pun for sure, but nonetheless so true.

What is captivity?  Is it good or bad?  Maybe a little of both.

Captive:  prisoner; someone held against their will....definitely bad.

Captivity: imprisonment, exile, subjection to subservience...maybe not so bad. (another time for that thought)

To be held against your will is not good.  When I think of being held against my will I remember my Dad and  brothers holding me captive underneath the kitchen table and tickling me to death (well almost; or so I thought). I screamed for Mom to help...but she didn't!  Not Good.  It made me laugh....but it made me so mad...kinda...good or not good?  Bad or not bad?

Captive: now that's not good. Except this: Isaiah 61:1-4

[1] The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim FREEDOM FOR THE CAPTIVES and release from darkness for the prisoners, [2] to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor (2011~??) and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn [3] and to provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. [4] They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; that have been devastated for years.

Did you see it....the "D" word....devastated?  Another one I didn't have.   But its awesome because of the promise to rebuild the places that have been long devastated.

So you see friends; the places that have been held captive: that have felt devastated....Long Devastated...God wants to set us free...whatever, wherever they are...if they are people, or grudges, or hurts, or anger, or disappointments, or habits....whatever they are.  God's promise is that he will comfort those who mourn, give them a crown of beauty instead of a shroud,  a spirit of praise not despair.  God's promises are good.

I've been challenged lately to do the right thing...even if it's hard.  I've felt like a prisoner; like I've been held captive by situations that are really out of my control; but yet I know that I have to do the right thing.  I have to do what Jesus would do.  We all do.  We have to love, we have to be honest and upright; we have to be above reproach.  In other words; we have to remember WWJD?  Remember that?  What would Jesus do? (ut-oh...here's the next "D")

He would ask me to bind up the brokenhearted; He would ask me to proclaim freedom for the captives.  That's all He asks all of us really....to be selfless rather than selfish.  To give out of the abundance we have been blessed with.  That doesn't necessarily mean money...but if we really have Christ in our hearts, shouldn't we have an abundance of love??  of smiles?? of faith?? of hope??  Yeah, I do....help me to hear your voice even when my heart is a wreck and to do the right thing....tonight, tomorrow and forever.

Good night...I think now I can sleep.

Thanks,

k <3