We Have Been Called to Action

(Picture from Microsoft Office Images)

Ladies, we have been called to action.

Earlier this week I came across a blog written by none other than Beth Moore herself. I have to share with you that it sent chills down my spine - not just because it has a powerful and timely message - but because the topic is one that God seems to be bringing to my attention more and more lately - mentoring. I highly suggest you follow the link under Beth Moore's picture and read her post from July 6, 2012 on the Living Proof Ministries blog before you go any further because there is no way I can tell you what she said any better than she said it herself. Her first sentence is, "I'm really ticked."

(picture from Living Proof
 Ministries Facebook)

Big Sisters and Little Sisters by Beth Moore 

Well, can you relate? I think you can. How do I know? First, because I have been there. I have been that young mother who feels like the bouncy ball Satan keeps slamming up against the wall. I have been that wife and mother who felt like I wanted someone to stop this spinning top and let me off before I go stark raving mad. I have been that "Godly" woman trying so hard to put on a facade of perfection for the world to see, convinced I was the only female in the history of the world to ever feel this out of control. And you know what? This is exactly what Satan wants us to feel - alone, rejected, utter failures, with no hope of ever being successful. Truth be told we have all felt this way at one time or another. And if you haven't, I imagine you will one day in the future. Satan doesn't play fair. In fact, he is downright mean. He is the father of lies, a roaring lion set on tearing us apart. But God is intent on making sure this does not happen. Ladies, we are a part of that plan. Over and over again we are commanded to encourage one another in faith. Titus 2 is founded on the premise of the older women teaching the younger women - mentoring them. 

We have been called to action.

As I write this blog there were over 1200 answers to Beth Moore's call to big sisters and little sisters. I would like to suggest we do the same thing with this post on this blog. Little sisters (anyone 39 and below) write a post and let us know how we can pray for you, how we can encourage you right now in your life. Big sisters (anyone 40 and above) we all know we can use encouragement just as much as the younger women, but let's use this time to minister to them because 

we have been called to action!

Let me encourage you who may not be Valleydale members who may read this blog. You are included in this exercise, also. As you write your comments, please remember they will not appear immediately; however, I will monitor them closely and make sure they get posted as quickly as I can.

Lord, as I close this posting, I want to lift up every woman who will read it. May she KNOW that SHE is fearfully and wonderfully made for YOUR plan - a plan you have specifically designed for HER and no other. May she know that you walk with her every step of every day; that you care about every aspect of her life both large and small; that you are willing to help carry her burdens and rejoice over her victories. May she know that everything she has comes from you; that you love her like no other ever has or ever will; that you desire to give her a peace that passes all understanding. Give her strength when she feels weak, wisdom when she is confused, and courage when she is afraid. Fill her with you Spirit, Lord, so that she can love as you love, see others through your eyes and speak your words. We praise you, Abba Father, for your perfect love that is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. What an awesome, and powerful, and amazing God we serve! May your perfect will be accomplished in each and every life represented here. Amen, and Amen! 

And may we always remember, whether we are a little sister or a big sister, we are His ambassadors, and 

WE HAVE BEEN CALLED TO ACTION.

Transformed by Grace

I have a question for those of you who read my last post: how long do you think it took? How long do you think it was before I picked my baggage back up?  Well, not long, I’m afraid before…

I fell.

Yes, I laid down my baggage.

And I placed my eyes firmly on Him.

I forgot about the world…for a while…

but I could still hear them calling me

          to meet THEIR demands

          to fulfill THEIR requirements

          to reach THEIR goals.

And then my eyes slipped…

          Down…

                   Down…

                             Down…

until I was no longer looking at Him at all.

I was looking…

at the world – again.

Looking…

          at myself – again…

                   Inept

                   Hopeless

                   Inadequate

          But I couldn’t let THEM see me.

          Not like that.

          Not the REAL me.

So I climbed on a pedestal –

          A pedestal of perfection.

BUT…

          I fell.

And it hurt…

          It hurt my pride.

          It hurt my witness.

                   It hurt the people around me.

                   The people I love.

                   The people I care about.

BUT…most importantly

          It hurt God.

When

    I

      fell.

I couldn’t let Him find me like that.

So I retrieved my baggage of perfection…

                   Complete with my collection of intricate masks

and master disguises …

          And held it close to my chest

                    Like a child clutching a security blanket

                             And hiding . . .

                                      In fear

                                       In guilt

                                       In shame.

Until He called to me…    

MY CHILD, WHERE ARE YOU?

I fell again.

YOU ARE MY MASTERPIECE.

I am unworthy.

YOU ARE MY CHILD!

But, Lord, Remember when I -

NO, DO YOU REMEMBER I DIED FOR YOU?

But I took my eyes off of you.

SEE MY SCARS?

See my sin?

MY GRACE FORGIVES.

But I failed you!

MY GRACE FORGETS.

And I keep failing you.

MY CHILD,

MY GRACE IS REFINING YOU.

IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF MY WORD

IN THE WISDOM OF MY WAYS

SO THAT SOME DAY YOU MAY BE MATURE AND COMPLETE

        SOME DAY YOU WILL BE PERFECT IN MY IMAGE

BUT YOU WILL NEVER BE PERFECT IN THE IMAGE OF THE WORLD.

                       

                              Help me, Lord,

I do not want to walk with the world.

                                       I do not want to listen to their poisonous promises.

                                       I do not want to trust their deceptive disguises.

                              Help me, Lord,

To trade this endless cycle of worldly perfection

                                                For a cycle of spiritual maturity

                                                         to be transformed

                                                                   day by day

                                                                   minute by minute

                                                                   hour by hour

                                                                   decision by decision

                                                                             into Your image.

So I give You

my weaknesses

          And my masks

          And my disguises

                                      

And I CLIMB onto Your lap

To rest

in Your grace.

To trust

in Your grace.

To grow

in Your grace.

To become a pleasing sacrifice

Transformed

Wholly and acceptable unto You.

~by Robin Kelley

My Baggage of Perfection

I have a confession to make. I care entirely too much what you think. Think about that for a minute. I don't even know exactly who you are. I don't know who is reading this blog. I do know, however, that I spend way too much time and energy worrying about what other people think about what I say or do - or even write.

And that is wrong.

Why is it we will trust God to give us grace and mercy the minute we receive forgiveness and ask Him to be Lord of our lives yet we somehow translate that to mean we miraculously become the perfect woman? Come on, now. I am being totally transparent with you. It is your turn. Be honest with yourself - and with God. Haven't you at some point made the commitment to be the perfect wife or mother? daughter or employee? servant or neighbor? There is no "or" to it. Society demands that we "bring home the bacon AND fry it up in a pan" AND keep the house immaculate AND raise the kids to be perfect AND spend quality time with your husband AND minister to your neighbors .... exhausting ... perfection is exhausting and frustrating and downright depressing. 

Not to mention totally impossible.

And wrong. 

God never called us to be perfect. There isn't one verse in the Bible that commands us to be perfect. We are commanded to love one another as ourselves. We are commanded to have an intimate relationship with Him. We are commanded to tell others about how He died for them. But we are never commanded to be perfect. WE are the ones who picked up that very heavy burden and WE are the ones who insist on carrying it around everywhere we go. 

HE has said HE has BEGUN a good work in us but HE won't complete it until the day of judgement. So when I worry about what you think about me, I am sinning because I am looking at you and not at Him. I am taking my guidance from what I "think" you approve of instead of what really counts - what pleases Him. 

So I have an announcement. 

I am NOT perfect. 

I am NOT the perfect mother, wife, grandmother, mother-in-law, daughter, servant ... and that is ok because

I AM His masterpiece in progress.

And furthermore, I care about you, but I don't care so much what you think of me anymore.

I am laying down my baggage of perfection at Jesus' feet and submitting to His will so be forewarned

I will fall - but He will pick me up.

I will fail - but His grace is sufficient.

For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me - but I can do nothing on my own!!!

How about you? Where's your baggage of perfection?

A Woman Unafraid

She's thirteen, and while busying herself with the chores of the day, she wonders what he is like.  She's been pledged to be his bride, and she wonders when the day will come.  She's seen him.  She's heard his voice, but she doesn't know when he is coming for her.  He's made his payment to her father, and it could be any day now.  So she continues her activities as usual, and in her spare time, she makes sure her dress is ready.   She prepares for the day when he will come for her.  She readies herself so that she will not be afraid - afraid of the wedding night and all marriage itself entails. She prepares herself to become a wife.

This particular day though becomes an extraordinary day, and surprisingly it is not because he's come for her.  No.  Mary has had an unexpected visitation.  Instead of Joseph coming, it is Gabriel who has come to deliver a message to her, and Gabriel is no ordinary messenger.  He's an angel.

Gabriel:  "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

She pinches herself and thinks, "Is this really real?  Is this really happening?  Am I crazy?  No, it is real, and I am afraid.  How could he call me, Mary, a simple girl, "highly favored?"  And why does he say the Lord is with me?  I am just plain ole little Mary.  Who am I that he would greet me so?  Who am I that he would visit me?"

Gabriel:  "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

To herself Mary thinks, "Me, the mother of the Messiah!  Is that what he is telling me?  Surely, this is not true, I am not even married yet."

Out loud she says:  "How will this be since I am a virgin?"

Gabriel:  "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.  For nothing is impossible with God."

To herself, "Nothing is impossible with God.  Elizabeth is going to have a baby.  I am going to have a baby.  Special babies together."  She becomes almost giddy with excitement.

Mary:  "I am the Lord's servant.  May it be to me as you have said."

Then Gabriel leaves.  Mary is full of excitement and hope.  The Lord wants to use her, little ole Mary pledged to be married.  She packs up a bag and goes to visit cousin Elizabeth.  She was as excited about Lizzie's pregnancy as her own, and more so, because Elizabeth is proof that what the angel said to her was true.

She had every reason to be afraid as she journeyed.  What was Joseph going to think?  Would he believe?  Would he accept?  He could leave her.  What were the people going to think?  She thought about the words of Moses she'd heard her father say: virgins found not to be truly virgins were stoned. But she simply believed, that she would carry Messiah, and Messiah would protect her.  She pondered only the promise of what Gabriel had said to her and believed his words to be true.

Upon arriving at Elizabeth's house, she said, "Hello, Elizabeth.  It is I, Mary, come to see your good news."

Elizabeth grasped her belly as the baby growing inside her leaped for joy.  God's Spirit filled her and she said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

"Confirmation of the promise! Indeed how blessed I am."  Mary thought to herself.

Three months later, right before Elizabeth gave birth, Mary returned home.  Her belly began to grow, and over time, she was found to be with child before her wedding.  Joseph was not sure what to do, and he thought about divorcing her.  Divorce would leave her destitute and alone, but it was better than the obvious option of death and of marrying an unfaithful woman.  Instead God revealed to him in a dream that the child in Mary was His.  So even though Mary had waited for her wedding night, Joseph came one day quietly, and with no ceremony that would defile the virgin birth, she moved into his home as wife instead, he simply assuming the child as his own.  It would be months after they'd lived together before a ceremony could be had.  Thus, no ceremony ever was.

Now, it was not just a woman unafraid.  It was a man caring for a woman unafraid, walking in belief with her as they readied themselves to care for Messiah.

What has God spoken to the depths of your heart?  Have you doubted his words to you?  Or have you simply believed them to be true and walked in a legacy of faith, championing others to walk along beside you?

How Beautiful Are Your Feet?

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come over you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8-9 

It is what causes that slightly haunted look in her eyes. And the restlessness in her heart - the urgency in her voice - the passion as she speaks. It is what bruises her heart by the pain she sees and the anguish she hears. It is what causes the ache she has to bring healing. It is what causes every thought she has, every decision she makes, every breath she takes to be centered on THEM. It is what makes her so willing to sacrifice her own needs and desires for people she doesn't even know.

What is IT? It is the power she receives "when the Holy Spirit comes over her". For without that power she is not capable of all it takes to truly love like He loves and serve like He is calling her to serve. On her own she is too selfish and self-centered to feel this passion and urgency and restlessness to reach out touch lost and hurting souls. On her own she is still looking up into the sky, wondering where Jesus went and when He will return. But with the power of the Holy Spirit, she is has received an unconditional Agape love capable of seeing others through His eyes and understanding them with His heart of grace and mercy.

Who is she? Oh, if you think hard enough you can picture her in your mind. We all know "her". She is someone who has taken Acts 1:8 and internalized it until it is not just a verse - not just part of a story we tell to children in Sunday School - but an entire way of life. It is not just a trip she takes every summer to fulfill an obligation, but it is the way she views the people around her. It has an effect on the relationships she has, the way she talks, what she chooses to do with her time...in other words in obeying God's command to go and share the gospel to those closest to her and radiating throughout the furthest reaches of the world, her life becomes less and less about her and more and more about reaching the lost and hurting people around her.

Perhaps this is you. Perhaps you understand all too well the pain as well as the joy associated with loving someone with this kind of love. Perhaps you've freely made the sacrifices. Perhaps you've experienced the overwhelming joy of seeing people's lives changed. THIS is the reason we were created. THIS is our purpose. No matter how hard we work to be successful or how much we accumulate in our lifetime, our fulfillment is completely centered on how totally we surrender ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit. The verse says YOU will receive. You...and me...not they...this is not someone else's responsibility. We must take ownership of our own accountability because we are all called to go and share His love and message with different people. The consequences are too devastating to even consider if we don't! He has people in our Jerusalem, our Judea, our Samaria and maybe even to the ends of the earth that He has called us to minister to. I keep asking myself the haunting question, "If I ignore the Holy Spirit, then how will they hear?" So I am asking you as well as myself: "IF I DON'T GO TELL THEM THAT JESUS LOVES THEM...THAT HE DIED ON THE CROSS FOR THEM...WHO WILL?"

Do we have a haunted look in OUR eyes? Do we have a restless heart? Is there an urgency in our voice as we talk about them? Is there anyone whom God has laid on our heart so heavily that it is bruised with the heaviness of our concern for them? Do our hands ache to bring God's love and healing to anyone? Is there anyone we are willing to sacrifice our own needs and desires for even though we may not know them - or others may not understand them? YOU are eternally important to someone right now. Do you know who that is? YOU have received the power of the Holy Spirit. Do you feel it? Don't quench it!

But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” Matthew 10:14-15

She Has Loved Me Much

I can't help but wonder why she was there.  Perhaps she wondered the same thing herself.  Had she felt herself drawn to hide in the shadows in hopes of getting a glimpse of this man Jesus she kept hearing so much about?  I can imagine someone with her reputation would have a hard time believing all the things she had heard about him and would need to see them for herself.  Or had she already encountered him before and stood in wonder as he looked deep into her eyes until she realized he knew every sordid detail of her past yet forgave her just the same.  Had she sought him out, waiting for an opportunity to reciprocate that unconditional love or had she just happened to be there and acted totally on impulse?  I don't know the answers to these questions, but I do know that irregardless of whether her salvation experience took place some time prior to this incident or on that very night, her worship was pure, came from the depths of her soul and portrayed a genuine example we would do well to follow. . . .

Jesus lay inclined at the feast set before the guests and patiently listened to the conversation around Him. Everyone seemed more interested in impressing the crowd than in showing Him any respect, and seemed to talk at Him and not with Him. In fact, as was the custom of the day, no servant had been sent with a basin of water to wash off the day's dirt and grime from His feet.  How could they treat Jesus with so much disregard? Perhaps as she stood there contemplating the situation, straining for a glimpse of the wayward servant who was tardy in fulfilling his role, memories of her own sinful past flooded her soul, and she began to feel that of all the people present in that household, it was HER responsibility!  You can tell from her actions and demeanor that she did not consider this task a duty but a great honor and privilege as she poured out her heart to Him freely and openly.  For probably the first time in her life, she knew what it was to be loved - an agape love - unconditionally.  And her response was a single-minded yearning to return that love.  In that very instance, her priorities slipped into their proper place and Jesus became first in her life.  She did not let the fact that there were people around them who would vigorously disapprove have any affect on her focus.  She did not worry that she didn't have access to water and a towel. She willingly sacrificed her entire life's savings - her security for the future - an alabaster jar of valuable perfume that had taken her years of saving to purchase - to worship Him.  By doing so she let Him know she was putting her complete and total trust in Him. She showed her sincere repentance by rinsing them with her own tears, and she showed her complete willingness to do anything for Him by using her very own hair to wipe them clean.  She didn't hold anything back.

I have to stop and think for a minute about my own worship experiences.  Is Jesus my first priority?  All the men at the feast had their priorities out of whack.  They were thinking more about themselves and their desires or needs than Jesus who sat across from them. May I open my eyes and see HIM - put HIM FIRST and not myself.  Do I hold anything back? Do I have an alabaster jar filled with something valuable that I could so easily place my trust in instead of Him?  My relationships?  My bank account?  My career?  My status?  My position?  How hard is it to not only give those alabaster jars to Him but to do so freely and willingly and openly?  Am I so willing to commit all that I am and all that I do for His glory that I wouldn't question wiping oil and dirt from His almighty feet? 

When we truly love Him genuinely without regard to anything else around us; when we willingly give up all our Alabaster jars for Him; when we totally commit all that we are and do for His glory; when we become "broken and poured out" at His feet just as this young woman was . . . our priorities - fall into their proper order. God's order - where He is first and everything else is in its proper place according to HIS perspective and not mine.

How sweet to hear Him say, "She has loved me much." She has loved me much...personally, I think those words of affirmation that I have pleased God are worth any Alabaster Jar I could possibly ever own. 

copy written by Robin Kelley

Living Room Intimacy

It was one of those once in a lifetime experiences where the air is so charged with excitement you can almost feel electricity coursing through your veins.  HE was HERE.  Jesus!  Jesus - the man who HEALED the sick!  Jesus - the man who turned WATER into WINE!  Jesus - the man who fed 5,000 people with 5 LOAVES and 2 FISH!  Jesus who walked on WATER!  

Jesus!  This man she had heard so much about was here at her house, sitting in her living room. And what was more, He was beckoning for her to join Him!  Oh, she had so much to do!  After all Jesus wasn't the only guest they had at their house, and she should be about taking care of making sure they were comfortable.  But He was calling to her in such a gentle and soothing voice.  He looked at her with such genuine love and compassion.  And the way He spoke!  The things He said!  She had never heard such things before!  She had never felt such joy or peace.  She never wanted to leave; she wanted to sit right there at His feet and listen to Him forever.

But then she heard that familiar voice - her sister. "Here you are!  What are you doing?  Don't you know what all we have to do?  Or do you think I should do it all while you sit in here?  Jesus tell her to quit being lazy and get up and do her chores!"

Ok, be honest, can't you relate just a little bit to both sisters?  Anyone who has ever had guests in their home can certainly feel Martha's pain.  You can almost hear the list going through her head.

"They need to be fed - not just any meal but a meal fit for Jesus!  And beds needed to be prepared for the night - and not just any bedding but bedding fit for HIM!  I want Him to know He is a special guest in my home.  I won't rest until I have proven that to Him.  His every wish must be fulfilled.  His every need must be met almost before He realizes He needs it."

I can remember being a Martha several years ago.  My parents, brothers, and their families were all coming to stay at my house for a few days.  I was so excited!  These were the most important people in my life outside of my own husband and children.  I wanted everything to be perfect.   I spent countless hours and energy before they arrived preparing everything for them.  But unfortunately, I spent more time in the kitchen cooking fabulous meals during their stay than I did visiting with these people who had come so far and meant so much to me.  What I would give to have that time back now.  You see one of my brothers passed away about 10 years ago, and I'll never again have the opportunity to sit and enjoy his company here on earth. (Though I will again in Heaven one day!)

Keep this in mind as you read Jesus' response to Martha.  He didn't rebuke her - because WHAT she was doing was not wrong.  Serving Jesus is a good thing.  She thought she was giving Him her best. But He gently told her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things.  Only one thing is important.  Mary has chosen the better thing, and it will never be taken away from her."  (Luke 10:41-42 NCV)  Martha gave Him her works.  Mary gave Him her availability.

Many of us would do well to listen closely to His message.  Put your name here. I'll start.  "Robin, Robin, you are worried and upset about many things.  Only one thing is important."  Now it is your turn.  "(your name), (your name), you are worried and upset about many things.  Only one thing is important."

And what is that one important thing?  Sitting at Jesus' feet.  To quote Joanna Weaver in Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, "Jesus invites us to come and rest, to spend time with him in this incredible Living Room Intimacy.  Intimacy that allows us to be honest in our complaints, bold in our approach, and lavish in our love.  Intimacy that allows us to hear our Father's voice and discern our Father's will.  Intimacy that so fills us with his love and his nature that it spills out to our dry, thirsty world in Kitchen Service.  In the Living Room.  That's where it all begins.  Down at His feet."

Think about it, ladies.  We should be so excited the air around us is charged with electricity! But it isn't a once in a lifetime experience.  It is a daily, hourly, minute-by-minute opportunity we have to sit at His feet. Jesus is HERE!  HE is HERE!  Jesus!  Jesus - the man who HEALED the sick!  Jesus - the man who turned WATER into WINE!  Jesus - the man who fed 5,000 people with 5 LOAVES and 2 FISH!  Jesus who walked on WATER! Jesus who died on the cross for our sins is HERE, and His greatest desire is to spend time with YOU.  Let that sink in for a minute.  And think about all that He has for YOU at His feet.  It is at His feet that we are filled with the love we need to serve.  It is at His feet that we receive His power - the same power that raised Him from the dead and saves us from our sins.  It is at His feet that we learn God's will for our lives.  Jesus Himself has issued the challenge.  Only one thing is important.  In the busyness of life, will you choose the better thing?  

                                         He waits for you longingly every morning.

Robin Kelley

all rights reserved

Single-Minded Faith

I wonder if she planned it when she woke up that morning or if it evolved through the circumstances of her day.  The scriptures don't give us a lot of details, but I've often imagined what it would have been like to be her.  Did she rise wearily off her pallet in the wee hours of the morning, exhausted from battling her pain in an effort to get some much needed rest?  Did she watch out the window as the other women in the village walked in small clusters toward the well to gather their family's water for the day?  Can't you feel the loneliness that must have enveloped her after 12 years of living the secluded life of someone considered "unclean"?  Can't you almost sense the longing that must have filled her heart for human contact - to be loved and accepted?  Can't you almost feel the weight of desperation she must have had to be healed of her hemorrhaging and feel well again?

Perhaps she heard the women chattering excitedly of all the people Jesus was healing in the village.  We don’t the HOW, but we do know that at some point she became so focused on getting into the presence of Jesus that everything else faded away into the background. Jesus was coming!  If she could just slip out and touch Him maybe she could be whole and well again!  For the first time in years she felt the warmth of hope flicker in the darkest regions of her soul - a yearning that soon grew into an intense hunger, permeating every area of her being.  With every breath she became more and more determined that no matter what she MUST see this man Jesus.  If she could just touch Him, she knew deep within her heart of hearts she would be made whole again.

She was so single-minded she didn’t care that she wasn’t supposed to be around other people – She MUST see Jesus.  She didn’t care that she was so weak she had to crawl along the ground probably getting stepped on and kicked.  She MUST just touch the hem of HIS garment.  She summoned every ounce of strength she had and when she was so exhausted she didn’t think she could go any further, she put her eyes on Him and continued on inch by inch.  Would she make it before He passed by?  She must just keep going.  If she could just get close enough to touch His cloak - to be in His presence if even for just a moment.

And there He was. One final push…one reach…one brush of His garment…oh, the power she felt surge through her body!  And then He stopped.  And her heart stopped.

“Who touched me?” he asked quietly.

And he looked down at her, looked in her eyes with a love she had never known, and reached out His hand to her. She felt a peace and joy like she had never known!  Jesus who heals LOVED her.  Jesus who saves SAVED her.  Jesus who knew everything about her CHERISHED her and wanted to spend time with HER.  Can you stop for a minute and just imagine how it felt to lie there at His feet and look up into His eyes as He reached down to take your hand – to touch you when nobody had wanted to get near you for 12 years?

Ladies, that same Jesus LOVES you.  He died to SAVE you.  He CHERISHES you.  No matter what you have done.  No matter whether you think you are worthy.  No matter whether other people think you are valuable.  God LOVES YOU.  He desires a relationship with YOU.  If we truly believe that shouldn’t we have that same single-mindedness to be in His presence?  When was the last time we were so focused on fellowshipping with Him that everything else faded into the background?  Is there a longing, a hunger within us to know Him – to have such an intimate relationship with Him that thoughts of Him are foremost on our minds and hearts as we go about our daily lives?  That is the kind of single-minded relationship He desires to have with us. 

Jamie Hovey is challenging us to have a single-minded faith –much like the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment.  A single-minded faith that keeps our eyes and heart focused on Him.  A single-minded faith that spends time in His presence.  A single-minded faith that reaches out and takes His hand every morning and walks with Him all throughout the day.

Jesus, we come to you praising your name that you love us, that you cherish us, that you died on the cross to save us from our sins that we might have a daily relationship with you.  Create in us a hunger to know you.  Create in us a single-minded faith that we will keep our eyes focused on you no matter what is going on in the world around us.  May we always remember that your hand is reaching out to take ours and walk with us through each and every day, each and every trial, and each and every triumph. 

Lord, close our ears to the lies Satan whispers to us.  Open our ears to hear what you want us to hear.  Open our eyes to see what you want us to see.  Prepare our hearts, our hands, our feet to do what you want us to do today.

In your name and for your glory,

Amen and Amen