A New Heart and a New Spirit

In the book of Ezekiel chapter 11, verses 19 and 20, the scripture reads, “Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.”  Do you find yourself asking, what does it mean to have a new heart and a new spirit?  Often we find ourselves saying, “I love you with all of my heart,” yet we also realize that they are just words we say, and the truth be told, our hearts are really not in it.  We find ourselves saying out of our mouths that we have changed, that we no longer do this or we no longer do that, we find ourselves saying, that this New Year, I will be better, I will try to love more, I will try to give more, I will try to complain less, I will try…I will try…. I will try…, but before the first month of the New Year has passed, we are back doing the same old things.  Why?  Because our hearts have not changed.  We have not totally submitted our hearts to Jesus.  We want change, but we are not willing to undergo a “heart transplant.” Many times, because of all our years going to church, we have never accepted Jesus into our hearts.  We go through the motions, we read our bibles, we pray, but we have never said, “Jesus, I invite you into my heart.” We do good things, we work hard in our churches, but yet, we realize that something is still missing within us.  We can’t put our finger on it, but we know that something is not quite right.  What is missing…Jesus in our hearts…

A person can never truly have a new heart and a new spirit, if Jesus is not in their hearts.  When we accept Jesus into our hearts, then our hearts will change.  We will no longer have a heart of stone, but one of flesh.  When we accept Jesus into our hearts, and as our hearts change, we want to walk in His statutes, desiring to keep His judgments and commandments.  As we accept Jesus into our hearts, we shall become His people and He shall become our God, and our desire will be to serve Him all the days of our lives.  As we get our new heart, we will have a new spirit.  Something will have changed from the inside out.   You will no longer walk the same, you will no longer talk the same, and your countenance will have changed.  What used to be will be no more, because your heart has been changed, it has been renewed…the old heart is gone; you have undergone a “heart transplant”.  Jesus came through 42 generations, to be born of a virgin, to die the death of a criminal, so that we can have life eternal.  He came for all of us, and I often say that if you were the only person in the world, Jesus would have died just for you.  Once you make a decision to receive Jesus into your heart, and to receive that new heart that He has promised you, and then the Spirit of the living God will fall fresh upon you, covering you, keeping you, and comforting you.  A new heart gives way to a new mind.  A mind controlled by the spirit, a mind that desires to do the will of the spirit.

With so many people dying, and the world at war, we need to be sure that we are one with Jesus.  Before you venture off into a New Year with new resolutions, make sure that you are starting your year with a new heart and a new spirit.  Give Jesus your heart today, and walk in the spirit of the Living God.

-Denise Watson-Smith (www.freewebs.com/womanfavoredbyGod/)

The Ultimate Gift

By: Denise Watson-Smith (Dee Dee)

During the holiday season, so many of us run around trying to find that perfect gift.  We look for electronics, toys, candy, and clothing, just to find the perfect gift for that family member or friend.  While we are so busy out searching for that perfect gift that money can buy, we overlook the one gift that is free.  The gift that keeps on giving, we overlook the ultimate Christmas gift that was given to us.  What gift is that? JESUS!!! Over 2000 years ago, God gave His only begotten son, to come to this earth, to live, to suffer, to die and to live again, just so that we can have eternal life. He sent His Son to us, as a gift for us, to continue to give to us daily… (Remember, the gift that keeps on giving).  We get so caught up in the holidays that we fail to remember the reason for the holiday.  Children think that Christmas is about Santa Clause, and they never realize that if it had not been for Jesus, there would not  have been a Santa Clause for them to “rely on” every year.  We spend so much money every year giving the perfect gift, but we fail to tell others about the ultimate gift.  Our children hear about someone who comes down through a chimney, but they do not hear about the one who can save them.  We have gotten so busy trying to take Christ out of Christmas, that we don’t even say Merry Christmas anymore.  We say, “Season’s greetings, or happy holidays or merry x-mas.” Christ is no longer the focal point of Christmas.  People don’t care about that baby who was born in a manager, wrapped in swaddling clothes so many years ago.  They want their diamonds and furs, cars, clothes, toys, etc.  We are so busy giving to others because of the season that we fail to thank God for the season.  When was the last time that we said to God, “Thank you?”  When was the last time that we offered up something to Jesus, after all, it is HIS BIRTHDAY?!  The gift that keeps on giving…new mercies every day, another day, miracles, love, patience, understanding, blessings, family, friends, eternal life, another chance to get it right, forgiveness, health, joy, peace of mind, salvation, God’s grace, integrity, justice, mercy, respect, self-esteem, faithfulness, courage, kindness, generosity, compassion, contentment, hope, patience, passion, wisdom, boldness. Everyday with Jesus is brand new, everyday with Jesus is greater than the day before, waking up everyday to Jesus is waking up to a brand new perspective on life. I know how wonderful it is to wake up on Christmas morning to find a gift under the tree for you, but how much more wonderful would it be to know the Giver of the Ultimate Gift, how much more grand will your life be if you knew the one who was born on that day, so many years ago, so that you can have the freedom to receive the gift.

As I sit here and write this, I can only imagine what Jesus done for me.  I can only sit here and look around at everything that He has given to me and just say thank you.  It is wonderful to know that I can open my eyes and see His magnificent works.  It is awesome to know that I can listen with my ears to the sounds of that which He created. Have you ever wanted something so bad and that when you receive it, because it did not come packaged the way you expected it to, you rejected it, put it on a shelf or in the corner somewhere.  That is how we do Jesus, we want Him and all He has to offer, but because He did not come packaged the way we wanted Him to, we rejected Him, we placed in the corner or on the shelf, but never close to us, because we did not want people to see our association with Him.  Jesus came to this world over 2000 years ago.  He was sent by His Father in Heaven to a woman who was a virgin, to be born into a sinful world, to be made sin for us, to suffer, to have bled and died, just to be resurrected so that we can live forever in Him.  This Christmas season, while you are out trying to find that perfect gift for someone, don’t forget to also tell someone about the Ultimate Gift, because that is the only gift that can get you into Heaven.©

IF THE GRASS LOOKS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE…..FERTILIZE YOURS

A few weeks ago, I was driving along taking my niece back home to Bedford County.  I was on route 122 and I passed this church, and the sign read, “If the grass looks greener on the other side….fertilize yours.”  As I read that sign, it was as if a God gave me an answer to a question.  But not only that, it made me think on the rationale behind churches splitting, congregations divided, etc.  Why do churches divide, why do people walk away from one church and go to another, so many questions, but does anyone have the answer?  When I passed that sign at the church, I realized, so many people talk down about their churches and their leaders of the church, as opposed to continuously lifting them up in prayer.  We fell to realize that those negative connotations that we speak about our churches and leaders are not only hurtful, but self fulfilling.  If we perceive this person as being worthless enough or that church as being no good, then those words that we speak, we begin to live it.  People leave the church because they don’t like the Pastor, or because someone has mistreated them along the way, and because we meet one or two bad people within the church, we accuse the whole church of being that way, but as I grow in God, the one thing that He has shown me is that, “one bad apple DOES NOT spoil the whole bunch.”

When you up and leave your church in the midst of confusion, you know God was not in it.  When you start comparing ministries to each other, seeing what one does differently and saying whose is better, your “vision” can become tainted.  You see this being done this particular way, and your church does not do it that way, then you perceive your church as being wrong, because the grass looks greener, but sometimes, more often than none, when you crossover to that other side, and you look back at where you came from, you see that the grass is NOT greener, you just were looking at it from a different angle.  Faulty vision can have us do crazy things, because we are looking through someone else’s eyes, and not trusting what God has spoken to us.  What is God saying; are you listening?  Did God say pack up and go in the midst of confusion, or did He say, what are you doing to HELP your church?  How can you say the grass is greener somewhere else, when you are not trying to fertilize yours.  How do you know that God is not pruning and plucking and pulling the weeds?  What do you have to offer to your church, to help the fertilization process?  What areas do you see lacking, in which you can be of assistance?  Prayer, love, humility, leading by example?  Have you given God free reign over our church?  It is not about what this one does or what that one does, and trust me, I have been so guilty of that, but it is about serving God and doing the will of God, and allowing God to be the Head of your church.  Going somewhere else does not necessarily mean the grass is greener, sometimes is means you are looking through the wrong person’s eyes. 

I have seen churches split over this and that, but I have never seen them split over prayer.  If you want change, you have to pray for change, but you also have to realize that change comes from within, that change starts with you.  We get so busy criticizing what is wrong, that we don’t see what is good or what is right.  We put on our rose colored glasses and start to look elsewhere, but what happens when you take those glasses off, you find out that people have the same problems and the same issues as you, always seeking for someplace better to go, when sometimes, more often than you know, the better you have been seeking is right where you are, it is just allowing God to operate within you so that you can see that YOU can make a difference.  If everybody wanted to leave their church because of this that or the other, people would be changing churches like they change their clothing.  There is no perfect church, but there are churches who are striving to be everything that God wants them to be.  If you know something is wrong in your church, are you going to be part of the problem, by not praying, not fasting, not loving, or are you going to be part of the solution.  Sometimes you can be in a place that you don’t call home, because you have NEVER ALLOWED it to be home, and when you don’t allow it to be home, you are always going to try and find something better, something different.  A house is just a place, but home, well; home is where the heart is.  We can’t go to someone else’s house and make their house our home, if at first you don’t try to make your house a home.  Before you start looking for another place to call home, try and fix up the home you already have.  Remember, if the grass looks greener on the other side…..fertilize yours.©

Be Blessed

DWS

Obligation by contract…or by Love

A few days ago, I was talking to a young man about church and “obligations.”  The young man is affiliated with a certain ministry in his church, but he did not feel obligated to that ministry, because he never signed a contract.  It made me wonder, what obligates us to be in service for the Lord, a contract, or love?  I am not picking on that young man, but that question is important to so many of us, what obligates us to do what we do, what obligates us to sing on the choir, or teach Sunday School, to usher, to be a missionary or even to preach.  Do we feel that we do those things because, one, God has called us to do that, and two, because we love Him so that we will serve Him at all cost.  Sometimes, I feel that people have it confused by participating in ministries; we often do that to please other, but we should do it to please GOD.  The Bible tells us in I John 4:19, that “We love Him because He first loved us.”  I believe that our love for Jesus should be the reason why we do anything that we do.  We should not do things in the church because a contract obligates us, we should do because we love God.  Our obligation should go beyond our day to serve or what we get paid, our obligation for Jesus, should reflect the sacrifice He made for us.  When Jesus died for us, He did not sign a contract; He did it because of His love for us.  When Jesus died for us, He did not say it was not His day to die for us or to serve us; He showed up and did what He was required to do.  He showed up so that we could live forever with Him, but not because we signed a contract, but because we love Him.  We are contracted to do a job, we serve Jesus because we love Him.  Serving Jesus is not a job, it is an honor.  We should feel honored when we are able to bless others in our service for the Lord.  If we look for pay for service, then aren’t we doing it for the wrong reason?  It is one thing to receive pay, but it is another thing to expect it.

People need not sign a contract to serve Jesus, all they need to do is say “Yes.”  Our values are all wrong when we look at serving God as a chore instead of serving Him out of love and devotion.  Suppose He told us that we owed Him because He died for us, you could never re-pay Him, ever.  What do you give to someone who gave it all up for you?  What do you give to someone who bled and died for you?  What do you give to someone who rose again 3 days later for you?  It is not about signing on the dotted line for a period of time, when Jesus gave His all for us, it was for eternity.  Not for today, or tomorrow, but forever.

I believe as Christians, we need to realize, “when we make a commitment to serve in this ministry or that ministry, we should serve faithfully and cheerfully, not because we are under a contract, but because we are covered under the blood of Jesus, who loved us so much that He died on the cross for us.  Don’t just show up because it is your day to serve and you have to, show up because it is your day to serve and you want to, you can be of service every Lord’s Day to someone, if you just show up and if you allow the love of God to live within you.  Don’t be obligated to serve God because of a contract, let your obligation to Him be your love…..allow love to be your motivation to serve!

Be Blessed

DWS

This Morning When I Rose……what did I do?

So many people have so many different things that they do in the morning when they wake up.  Some people wake up to a cup of coffee, some wake up to their spouses or the sounds of their children saying good morning.  Some wake up to a pet or the alarm clock, but how many, if we are being honest say that we wake up to Jesus?  We wake up to this or that, but do we really wake up to Jesus and just say, “Thank you?”  Some of us feel that we woke up on our own without any help from anyone, while others say, if it had not been for the alarm clock going off, I would still be sleep.  Truth be told, the alarm clock can go off at anytime, but there is no guarantee that you are going to wake up.  Quite often, I feel that we take God for granted.  We just assume that we are going to wake up because it is another day.  We act as if God owes us that much, and because we feel that God owes us that, we fail to say thank you to Him.  We fail to give Him the credit that He so rightly deserves.  We give credit to the alarm clock, our kids, our spouses, our pets, but we don’t give God the credit for waking us.  We barely give God the credit for saving us.  We often can’t even say thank you to God for sending Jesus to become sin for us and die for us that we may live forever in Him.  I often wonder, what is it that people do when they rise up in the mornings.  Honestly, there was a time when I would wake up, and God would not even be on my mind, and thanking Him was definitely out of the question, and I would venture to say that, that was not so very long ago, probably within the past 5 years.  I too use to thank everyone else but God, I would give credit to everyone else, but God, I would say good morning to everyone else but God, I would invite everyone else in to my home….BUT GOD!!!!  It is a dangerous thing, when you can invite everyone else in your home, but not God.  Now….just think on this, if we don’t invite God into our homes, are we really inviting Him into our churches.  Do we really say, God, you are welcome into this place? 

Today, did we say thank you to God just because, and you can fill in the blanks, just because He saved us, just because He kept us, just because He loves us, just because He gave us our children who may bug , but thank God for them, just because He gave us a boss who is so very hard to work for, but thank God, we have a job, just because the rain is storms are raging, but thank God, because we are alive.  It is time to thank God for all things, whether good or bad.  It is time to give credit to God for all things, not just what we want to give Him credit for.  Thank God for the storms that are raging in your life, thank God for the people who despise you, thank God for the for those who talk about you, thank God for being God.  If we wake up to God in the mornings, our days would be brighter, because then you could see evidence of the “Son” all day long.  We have to realize, it is not what we wake up to, but who we wake up to that counts.  I may wake up to some mess, but if I wake up to Jesus, He will work that mess out.  We have start waking up everyday saying, “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!”  Thank God for every new day.  Thank God for every new morning, every new song, every new wrinkle….because you know that you are alive.  So now, when you wake up in the mornings, who do you plan on waking up to?