All In?

by Susan Sampson

So are you all in?  There’s not really any confusion behind the word “all” is there?  All means all.  It doesn’t mean half-way or part way or 99% of the way.  It is 100% total commitment.  It is absolute abandon.  Full surrender.  I know my heart is not all in.  I know there remain walls of self-protection that I continue to cling to.  If I go all in then I will no longer be in control.  It is ironic isn’t it?  Because the truth is that we are not in control.  We are not sovereign.  Only the One true Living God is the Sovereign Lord.  He is in total control at all times.  It is pride, idolatry, unbelief, and fear that cause me to want to be in control.  We must confess and repent.  Our only hope is Christ alone.  Do we believe this?

In order to cleave we must leave.  In order to become one flesh with our husband, we must put our old girl to death.  We must confess our sins and turn in repentance receiving the forgiveness of Christ and walking forward by faith in the grace that is ours in Christ.  This is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit.  The visual example Laurie used was so powerful.  The two hard stones clanging together that cannot mix, cannot become one.  It was the soft and pliable Playdough that was able to become a new entity.  It is truly amazing what our Lord has done for us.  A miracle of new life.  “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.  And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).  Do we believe?

Jesus was all about “all.”  He didn’t meet us half way.  He didn’t hold back a portion of His heart.  He didn’t protect His rights.  He walked all the way to Calvary.  Jesus, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:6-8). He gave us His all.  His very life.  He died so we could live.  This was not something we deserved.  We deserve death, not life.  In Christ, we have been shown great mercy.  Amazing grace.  Do we believe this?  Do we really believe the gospel?

Therefore, our goal is the gospel.  Our goal is to die to self that others might live.  We are to forsake all to follow Christ.  While we were still sinners Christ died for us.  He loves us unconditionally, right where we are.  He loves our husbands the same.  It is so easy for me to notice what my husband does wrong and be completely blind to my own sin.  We must take our eyes off our husband’s sins and look to Christ alone.  Because of the gospel, we can extend the same mercy and grace we have been given in Christ to our husbands.  We can forgive as we have been forgiven.  We can love as we have been loved – freely, lavishly, extravagantly, tenderly, compassionately.  Will we choose by faith to believe?

May the Lord help us all to believe and receive the love the Lord has lavished on us in Christ.  Let us ask the Lord to help us become one flesh with our husbands.  Let us put to death our self-centeredness; fear; unbelief; greed; covetousness; ingratitude; impatience; sense of entitlement; pride and critical spirit.

Lord, please help us leave everything and cleave to Christ.  Help us lay down our very lives and fully surrender our hearts to you.  Apart from you we are unable.  Please help us submit to our husbands as unto the Lord.  You are our Covenant Lord.  May we remember the example of Jonathan and David and love our husbands as our very own soul.  May we remember the example of our Savior and humbly follow Him, living out the gospel in our marriages for the glory of God.  Let us believe by faith and humbly submit to your Word and to our husbands, truly becoming the helpmates we were created to be!

Let us not grow weary in doing good.  Let’s be “all in.”

 

 

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Thistlebend Quiet eMoment

by Laurie Aker

Focus Scripture: Luke 1:57-66 ESV

57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth,

and she bore a son.

58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown

great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child.

And they would have called him Zechariah after his father,

60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.”

61 And they said to her,

“None of your relatives is called by this name.”

62 And they made signs to his father,

inquiring what he wanted him to be called.

63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote,

“His name is John.” And they all wondered.

64 And immediately his mouth was opened

and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.

65 And fear came on all their neighbors.

And all these things were talked about

through all the hill country of Judea,

66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts,

saying, “What then will this child be?”

For the hand of the Lord was with him.

_______________________________

Trust God in the good, the bad, and the ugly.

When we are in our Bible study…

When we are sitting in church praising God at the top of our lungs…

When we read a Scripture that really speaks to our heart…

God is so near.

God is so close.

His presence so real.

Life and His Word all make so much sense…but then…

We have to get up from our Bible study group

and walk out the door…

We have to put on our coat

and leave the church service and go to our car…

We have to get up from our quiet time with the Lord

and face the world…

Out there everything can seem so “out of control.”

God doesn’t always seem to be “right there.”

Things sometimes seem to be going “all wrong.”

And we ask the question..

What is God doing now?

Where is God’s spotlight now?

But know this…

Know this one thing for sure…

If you are a believer in Christ…

If you are His child…

He is God and He is your God!

And

HE IS IN THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY!

He is at work in it all.

And His ways and His timing are perfect.

Look at what Paul says about this in Romans.

Romans 8:28-39

28 And we know that for those who love God

all things work together for good,

for those who are called according to his purpose.

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined

to be conformed to the image of his Son,

in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

30 And those whom he predestined he also called,

and those whom he called he also justified,

and those whom he justified he also glorified.

31 What then shall we say to these things?

If God is for us, who can be against us?

32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all,

how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?

It is God who justifies.

34 Who is to condemn?

Christ Jesus is the one who died–more than that,

who was raised–

who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine,

or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed

all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than

conquerors through him who loved us.

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life,

nor angels nor rulers,

nor things present nor things to come,

nor powers,

39 nor height nor depth,

nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us from the love of God

in Christ Jesus our Lord.

TAKING GOD’S WORD TO HEART

God does everything with a purpose and with a plan.

He uses our joys, our suffering, our pains,

our hurts, our loneliness, our rejoicing…

for good in our lives and for His glory!

He is at work with the same amount of precision

and planning and purpose as He was

in the birth of John the Baptist and the day of his circumcision.

His timing is just as perfect in your life.

He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

MEDITATE or MEMORIZE

Write out the following passage from Luke 1 and recite it 3 times.

Take it with you throughout the day.

63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote,

“His name is John.” And they all wondered.

64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue

loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.

65 And fear came on all their neighbors.

And all these things were talked

about through all the hill country of Judea,

66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying,

“What then will this child be?”

For the hand of the Lord was with him.

PRAYER

Lord God,

I praise you for being so intentional and so in control.

You are God and there is no other.

Your timing is perfect and your love is sure.

 _______________________________

In His hands for His glory,

Laurie

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He Is God. You Don’t Have to Be.

Thistlebend Quiet eMoment

by Laurie Aker

Focus Scripture: Luke 1:39-56 ESV

39 In those days Mary arose and went

with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,

40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary,

the baby leaped in her womb.

And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,

42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry,

“Blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43 And why is this granted to me

that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears,

the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be

a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

50 And his mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

51 He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones

and exalted those of humble estate;

53 he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

54 He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

55 as he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

56 And Mary remained with her about

three months and returned to her home.

_______________________________

Know that God loves you in the details.

Where does Mary go?

Why does she go there?

This is an extremely encouraging passage of Scripture.

It highlights God’s love and compassion for Mary.

When the angel Gabriel comes to

Mary to tell her that she is going to bear God’s

Son through the power of the Holy Spirit …

very overwhelming news …

we see how God has gone before her

and thought of every detail. He considered her human

condition and her human needs.

He arranged for Elizabeth to be with child

at the same time that Mary would.

She would see one who had been barren for a

lifetime pregnant with child and be affirmed that

she had in fact heard the message correctly.

Mary would also be with a relative who could

share with her in this rare circumstance.

God’s tender lovingkindness provided for her

to not be completely alone.

Her Lord goes one step further to affirm and encourage.

What does Luke record? Elizabeth’s exclaims:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is

the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me

that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears,

the baby in my womb leaped for joy” (Luke 1:42-44).

TAKING GOD’S WORD TO HEART

We know that God takes care of all of Mary’s needs.

He speaks to Joseph to validate that Mary is in fact carrying the Son of the Most High.

Mary didn’t know all of these things at the moment

Gabriel spoke to her. But Mary says:

“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord;

let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

God Almighty is your Father.

He loves you.

You are His!

In every situation no matter how complex,

confusing, challenging, or catastrophic,

you can KNOW that He has gone before you

and covered every detail in every way.

He has made provision for the things that are needed.

He has even provided, not just for neccesseties but also

for things that are loving and caring.

He is always faithful, always compassionate, always loving.

You may be in a situation in which you cannot see how it could possibly work out for good.

It may appear that you or someone you love is going to be utterly destroyed

or devastated by the circumstances.

Know this…

He loves you tenderly.

He has made provision for things that you

would never even think of and

He has done it with a heart of love.

So next time it seems as though the world is crashing in,

or things are going to fall apart,

or the future is hopeless…

Know how much your heavenly Father loves you.

Know that He knows you and has made provision for you.

Know that He is in control, not only of the details, but

the entire universe…

He is God.

You don’t have to be.

MEDITATE or MEMORIZE

Write out the following passage from Luke 1 and recite it 3 times.

Take it with you throughout the day.

46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

PRAYER

Father God,

I praise you because you are in control

and you have provided such kind things for me

in the midst of such uncertain circumstances.

_______________________________

In His hands for His glory,

Laurie

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