The Grace Factor

As you may or may not know, I get a daily devotional from Girlfriends in God. The devotionals though, aren't just for us girls, but everyone can benefit from them. Today's devotional was written by Mary Southerland. The scripture she uses is "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD" (Psalm 40:2-3 NIV).

Instead of posting what she sent, I would like to do my own today, if that's ok.

In today's world, when everything seems to be spinning out of control, we need to have an anchor to keep us safe. I just finished sharing my testimony in General Chat. For those of you who have not read it, believe me, most of my life was spinning out of control. Yet even when I was not serving the Lord, He was my anchor because of the prayers of those who loved me. Even in my darkest hours I could feel strength when my own failed.

Now I am serving God and trust Him with everything I am or will become, I realized that His grace is, was and always will be sufficient. No matter how angry I have gotten and yelled and screamed at God, blaming Him for my hurts and pains, He was there waiting for me to realize that without Him I would be nothing, but in Him, I have everything I will ever need.

It's time for each of us to realize who our rock is, who our anchor in the storms is. It's only through Him and by His grace any of us will draw our next breath.

We fear so many things. Death, poverty, hunger, homelessness, snakes, storms. Yet when we stop to think about how awesome our God is, we come to the realization that none of these things should have a hold on us. Instead of fear we need to walk in faith that God's grace is sufficient.

Is life going to be a bowl of cherries? No, we still live in a fallen world where sin abounds. We still live in a world that is imperfect and can therefore harm us. Yet what is the worse that this world can throw at us? Death? O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Cor 15:55) Poverty? For the Lord heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners. (Psalms 69:33) You see, anything we can fear, God has already made provisions. He has bestowed on us His grace, it's up to us to reach out, in faith, and accept it.

That is so true.
By the way what made you write snakes on the list?LoL
I just get tierd of people that can't see that"it's up to us to reach out".
I also get tierd of people trying to maniputait other people in the church to do things the way they think they should be done insted of fallowing the people that have been put in leadership positions. If the leader does something wrong God will see to it that they get what they desurve.
I've even in countered some of the women in our church trying to change the way some of the other women dress or get them to color their hair,because they think they will look better to them.( I'm talking about women that already dress modestly.) I'm not talking about someone wearing a short skirt. I've even over hear some of these women trying to tell these other women that they should wear more make up and cut their hair. I consider this a waist of time and can and has caused some women to leave the church. Who cares if a woman choses not to wear makeup and has long hair that she puts up in a bun and wears a bonnet. Or likes to wear dark stocking to cover her legs. Or who deside to let the grey show in her hair. And all the talking about what other people are wearing and not wearing is idol talk.
Sorry,Sonshine,I didn't mean to take over. I geuss I just needed someone to spill my guts too.LOL
Thanks for being here.

Boy, they would have a heyday with me. I don't color my hair, it's shoulder length. I dress for comfort, not for show, so I'm sure not a fashion statement. LOL And the only make-up I have worn in years has been my clown make-up when I'm doing my clown persona, Sonshine. But I do know what you are talking about. People are more concerned with what others are or are not doing than they are with their own walk with God. It's a shame really. They completely miss what God is wanting to do in their own lives because they are so busy trying to be fashion police.

Those are my thoughts too. We should all be looking inward at our own relationship with God,not what we think others are doing with thiers.
I just used clothing and makeup as one example. I've even incountered it with the ministrie that I'm suppose to be incharge of at my church. I'm suppose to be the benevolance leader,but have been undermind and told that I shouldn't help this kind of people or that person because someone in the church doesn't like them. It gets really ruf some times that is why I'm wondering if I should stay or go. They like the cash when we give it, but don't seem to want other stuff. Like donating trash cans, or a storage building even though these are things they have complained about needing.
Why give me a leadership position if you don't think I can lead?
The benevolance Ministrie has a yard sale every year to raise money for the things that we can't store. (Some people in the church think we shouldn't be storing anything) God blessed our efforts and we raised over 1000.oo this year. My team decided that we had more than enough to cover what may come up and made a donation to the church for bibles because that was what they said they needed other than chairs. They already had fund raisers going for the chairs but not the bibles they said they wanted.
So we gave 200.00 for a box of bibles,they still haven't gotten them. The yardsale was back in the spring, which leads me to believe that the need was not as urgent as I was told.
The building my husband and I donated for storge, has been met with critasized as bing our building and not the churchs. People keep making coments about us useing out on our property. I even had one guy say that we are keeping too much junk and we should get rid of everything. He is one of the ones that only wants to help surtan members in the church and feels that their are enough welfare agency out in the community. But I'm not running it like a welfare agency, It's like they don't trust my judgement,but yet they expect me to go allong with everything they do even if it isn't biblical. I just keep praying for these people and the church it's self.
The women I guess have desided that I'm not going to be apart of their little cligues. All because I don't to every event that they put on and because I don't go to Their bible study. I'm not against them on the comtrary, I'm sad for them and pray that their eyes maybe opened. I just don't find the things they like to do fun, It's always about spending money, going out to eat nice restarants, going to casinoes, going shopping in the more up scale store and about whats new and fashonable. Not all of this is biblically wrong, because God does want us to enjoy what he does give us,but I just can't afford it. Not to mention we just can't up and leave our animals for more than a daytrip. It just seems that If you don't go to all their outings and events, they take it personally and think you are not supporting the church. Which is stupid. I keep verbally telling people that we have animals and are working on our property/house and can't come out every Saturday to an event and still come to Church the next morning.
Their just seems to me to be so many people that have no Mercy anymore.

Have they all got'n so damaged by the world that they don't beleive in mercy, compasion, and true forgiveness. They still seem to want to look at someones background and want to judge them for it.
I'm sorry I just feel soo deeply about the Bible and what God really wants from us and for us and how badly people can mess other people up in their walk. Satan is really trying hard to distroy everything that is good and keep people so confused that they mis the point of it all.
Thanks again.

I think many of the "organized" religions haven't gotten very far away from what the Bible teaches. I know of many Christians that have stopped going to church for this very reason. I get frustrated too at what I see in the church, but believe that I am doing what I do for God and to further His Kingdom. So even though, like you, many times I feel like an outsider, I continue to go and try to do what God has called me to do. In the end, it's Him that we are answerable to.

Have you tried to talk to the Pastor about your conerns? Sometimes it helps. I'm sorry you're going through this, but just keep doing what you're doing as long as it's what God's led you to do.

I've tried in the past and he always seems to be too busiy to have a serious confersation with me. He will sit down with my husband, but not with me. He all ways has something else he has to do. I have even tried to talk with his wife,but she doesn't want to talk about what is going on in the church, or give me straight answers. They seem to want to poopoo my conserns. I know it is God that I will answer too, that is the only reason I have stayed as long as I have. That and for the sake of my husband and son they both really like our pastor. And I don't want to stop their growth in the Lord if their is at least one person that they will listen to.