The Goodness of God in Your Memories

The Goodness of God in your memories

 Memories can be extremely fun and often exciting to remember but also can be very painful. Some wounds run so deep they never fully heal. In those times we cling to Jesus to pull us through with the hope that His word is true, that all the tears will be wiped away, and we will all be together forever with Him.

 In looking back we should also look forward as to what new memories we are in the process of making. What does God have in store for us? Often we ask, is there going to be a happy ending to my story?

 No matter where you are in your story the author waits and watches to see what you are going to do next. It isn't that He isn't aware of every possible outcome, He is omniscient after all. It isn't as if He doesn't know the ending for He is not bound by time. It is your ability to choose according to the freewill God gave you that shapes your future.

 How can we change the future and keep the past from repeating itself? How can we learn and grow and change into someone other than who we are now? Not that you or I are bad, but we know if we use wisdom, we all have issues, demons to conquer...pun intended.

 How do we conquer the demons from our past and have a better tomorrow than today? Today may have been a great day and you may be completely satisfied with who you are and have blessed where you have been and let it all go as they say but memories are tricky things. They creep up on you when least expect them.

 Today I saw a penny on the floor as I was sweeping and something tugged at me... Later, as I was getting something out of my pocket, I dropped a penny on the ground.... a wave of sadness hit me as I picked it up and I realized how much a small penny means to me right now. I thought of times when I had abundance and times like now, when scraping together copper and silver change has once again become a part of my weekly routine.

 Seasons change. I was telling my daughter, as I held my month old grandson, the same thing older women told me...cherish these moments Sara, they go by so fast. You may feel held down or trapped but these moments are precious. What I should have told her but I didn't want to start crying, was that I wished so very badly I could hold her in my arms like that one more time.

 We have had our ups and downs as she was growing up and going through the changes all young women go through but she is still that precious baby girl that I held in my arms.

 I have had the privilege of holding 5 of my own precious babies in my arms...one I will see when I get to heaven, my baby Rose, who must have been so precious that God kept her for Himself. Yet in this day and age I know I am above and beyond blessed to have had so much love in my life.

 Memories keep us warm on cold nights and cause fresh tears to wet our cheeks as if they had just occured. God is good. In all things God is good. Let me say that....for those that love the Lord...and we do....ALL THINGS work together for our good.

 From the time I was 14 years old I have memories of adventures of unbelivable Proportions. Some people say, " Did that really happen?" Yes it did.

 I was a teenage runaway and a 9th grade drop out...but God. I am now a Pastor and also Postmaster of Dublin Texas. Only a compassionate ever present God can take a broken little girl and make her into a strong productive woman of God. I was lost, unwanted, and unloved (so I thought) but now I am loved by a wonderful man who loves the Lord, using my gifts and talents for the kingdom of God and have restored relationships with family and friends, to which seemed impossible for the lost little 14 year old homeless girl so long ago. I am making new memories that are wild, great and full of HIM.

 For those of us that live according to God's word He is ever present in our memories. His word calls us to remembrance. He commands us to remember. If we don't we will repeat our past. I am thankful to live in a world where the past can be the past and the future can be amazing. I am thankful to be forgiven for past mistakes. I am thankful our times are in His hands.

 As the seasons change and old memories creep back in, bless them, let them go, and let God write your future. Let's

 keep our eyes on the prize, which is an eternity with Christ full of love and forgiveness. If you find yourself in a dark place, uncertain and afraid, call out to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He is able to bring about newness of life, restoration and will begin to rewrite your story and give you that fairy tale ending you never thought possible. 

 It took a long time for me to believe in the goodness of God. Today I have found it in my memories.

A Word For 2012

The Invisible Church

A word the Lord gave me about this year of 2012

Rev. Susan G. Honeycutt

Some things you can see , like water, cars, people , and animals.

For those that are blessed with eyesight, it is common to drive thru any

town and see several churches of different denominations. America is

blessed with the freedom to worship whoever they want in whatever

way they want . What then is the invisible church?

The invisible church is the God given institution of the the Body

of Christ, with the members being made up of people who have given

their hearts to Jesus Christ. It is a body with Christ as the head. It is

an unseen group that surpasses time and space, connected by their

love of the word of God and their devotion to the Father that loved them

enough to sacrifice His own son's life to jointly fit them together.

The greatest act of love is giving of yourself for another's sake, giving,

willingly, out of an abundance of love for the sake of another. Love is

not measured by gifts given or received but by the amount of sacrifice

it took to give that love. A parent sacrifices their youth by working and

providing for their children . Putting another before yourself requires

a sacrifice of love . Pride requires that we put ourselves first, that we

satisfy our own needs first and foremost , but love requires that our

wants and expectations are second when compared to another's. Love

doesn't require that the person be family or even a friend. It is an even

greater sacrifice to love someone you don't know and most great when it

is an enemy.

The Lord is calling the invisible church , the body of Christ, to arms. We

are being called into an invisible battle, not with physical ammunition but

with the sword of the Lord , which is the word of God. Let me share with

you what I hear the Lord speaking concerning this year , specifically.

The word is "The Invisible Church " . Why the emphasis on being invisible?

What can we do when we are not seen? Like servants to the master we do

the work that is asked of us and even sometimes the work no one wants

to do. We are also like foot soldiers that go in the front of the battle , taking

the heavy fire , so the rest may follow. Church , we are called to war with a

sacrifice of love according to the word of God, through the laying down of

our lives for the sake of the other.

I must say that there is a measure of sadness in my heart as I write this,

because I know that so many of the things we will do this year will never

be seen by the naked eye, nor will the rewards be realized in this life , but

will be in the next to come. Just like the church is invisible , so will

our battles be, sensed by the spirit and hard to explain. Some of those

battles might even be fought alone. Why would a member of the body

have to fight alone?

Sometimes the Lord leads us through these times of solitary battle to show

His power in us and sometimes it is to strengthen our faith and resolve that

God is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do. Rest assured

He gives us what we need right when we need it. In this unseen battle God is

a master General who supplies His army with the right equipment and manpower

to take back the ground the enemy has conquered.

Call on your brothers and sisters for their assistance in prayer , don't feel the

need to try and articulate everything you are going through when fighting an

unseen enemy. Call on the Lord for protection for one another and be ready in

a moments notice. Don't proceed , in the work of the ministry, desiring to see

results in this life. Some things are meant to be stored up in heaven, to be revealed

when we are standing before the throne. It is an easy thing to suffer something

when the prize is clearly in view , but what a reward awaits us when we have

lived by faith and not by sight.

We are the invisible church , not bound by any man made institution , denomination ,

or culture. We are jointly fit together by a master carpenter who never wastes

materials on empty purposes. He has a plan for each individual that is profound

and better than that person can possibly imagine. He also has a plan for the body

as a whole , beautifully adorned as a bride, awaiting the bridegroom. He is coming

for His bride , soon. That is the only reward we need to look for , that the one

we love is coming to return that love very, very soon.

There is a spirit of fear that is spreading with the new year and many doomsday

prophecies circulating. It is our responsibility to counteract that fear with love

and truth at every turn. I encourage you , in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

to be the man or woman of God that He created you to be regardless of what

it looks like. Believe in the impossible and do not limit the power of God

through you. Call on every resource made available to you to do the

work that is put before you. Do the tasks behind the scenes that no one

has the courage or the amount of love required to do . Be the Christian you

declared before the Lord you wanted to be. Do it , regardless of whether anyone

is there to pat you on the back . Love no matter what it costs, walk

continuously in the Love of God and store up for yourselves treasure in heaven

where moth and rust will never destroy it.

God bless us all with wisdom and

understanding to do His will this year and always.