"Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." ... Ephesians 6:10,11
“So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” (Romans 14:12).
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So at Facebook I was messaging with a dear old friend and wrote this:
"When I feel like, 'I just wish the world would end already and Jesus would return,' I remind myself that my record here will count. What I do with my time here matters for all eternity--and well, I want to do it right. To make the choices and do the deeds I'll be able to live with forever and to know that He was pleased with the way I lived here, hopefully brave and strong in Him, only because of Him." **
Later I sat here at my desk chair and smiled. I wondered if, looking back from Heaven, my Life on Earth Book will have cover art like this:
--- or this:
Oy! What a difference. What a choice.
And yes, it is a choice, a responsibility to, daily--as Christians-- make godly, courageous choices. Or, it's possible, instead, to only form boo hoo habits. You know about those, right?
"Boo hoo, Life is harder these days. Darker, scarier."
"Boo hoo, people are mean. Grouchier. Deceived."
"Boo hoo, I just wish this was all over."
"Boo hoo, Jesus come back! I just can't stand this one more day."
Good grief. Those whiny Boo Hoo Habits. They royally get on my nerves, especially when I'm caught in one. 😉
Nope! I want the pages of my permanent record to be grace-written, full of brave adventures. Times that I spoke to people when my shyness exclaimed, "Are you kidding?"
Times when I cleaned my house while no one cheered and only laziness whispered,"Just let it go," or I took a walk even though my body groaned.
Times I refused to become bitter and complaining and consumed by politics or worry or criticism. Or when I gave money while Fear of Lack insisted, "No! You'll need that later."
Times I shared Jesus boldly online or wrote in this blog (as He'd asked that day) when I could've sat outside drinking lemonade.
It all matters.
It all counts, all of it. The lessons, the obedience, the pliability within God's hands. The being remade, remolded. The enjoying God, the loving Him with all our hearts.
Somehow, some way--I believe--it will all matter when we reach Heaven. Rather like this--
"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'" ... Matthew 25:23
A big baby? Or a lady with the heart of a mighty warrior? Today it's my choice to create the story I'll have to be satisfied with for all eternity. Every single day it is.
And may my thousands of days add up to the identical adventurous story God wanted my life to tell from the day He first imagined me.
** To clarify--in this post, I'm not speaking of sins and of God's forgetting them, etc. No, I'm talking about our character and how we'll live with what we became here for all eternity. And how we can be courageous now and at peace, even today, before Heaven.
"Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last."
---C.T. Studd
"Fight the good fight of faith." ... 1 Timothy 6:12
"Fight the good fight of faith." ... 1 Timothy 6:12
"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...
It's about learning how to dance in the rain."
- Vivian Greene
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Need a song to remind you to recall what God says about you rather than what you (or others) say about you?
This one does that for me. Oh my. Makes me want to stand up and act right, like, this very moment.
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Something I shared at Facebook last night--
"The simplistic beauty of a sunflower in my own backyard awes me. God, truly, is in the details."
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Nicole Curtis is back with her Rehab Addict show!
Now, there's a lady who can nudge me back into 'straightening up and flying right." She makes me feel capable like no one else can. (Isn't it wonderful how God uses people in our lives to help us accomplish His purposes?)
You'll find Nicole on the DIY network--and here.
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Oh boy! You hit a sensitive spot with me today. Sometimes I am one of those who sits here and says, “Jesus could you please come back soon?” Sometimes this world seems so dark and everybody seems so whiny and angry, that I long for heaven. But you are right. What we do while we’re here on this earth counts. And it counts big time. Although I don’t believe we will be judged by our works, I believe we will be judged for our hearts. Again, thank you for giving me lots to think about.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Betsy
What a beautiful song! Your post today reminded me of what Brenda said Sunday at Coffeeteabooksandme "I once heard that this lifetime is the only one we will have when we can bring God a thankful heart in the midst of trials." Sometimes it is hard to remember how short this part of life is... we (me) so often can only see what is right before us.
ReplyDeleteOh my, I needed this post. In fact, I've had to read and re-read it, because it's so full of truth. Inspiring. Thank you, Debra!
ReplyDelete