Are You Born Again

By Judy Davis –

To be born again we must accept Jesus Christ into our hearts as Lord and Master of our lives. We will no longer desire the things of the world such as those things we did before accepting Christ. It may take time for those desires to leave, as it is a process. Change will come as we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us.

I have been a born-again Christian for over 30 years. I knew God had touched my heart and life supernaturally when I called out to Him in the midst of pain and suffering. Rebirth had come! Everything was brighter, grass was greener, the sun was brilliant and the moon had a glow of light bursting forth in the darkness. It was as if I had been seeing through a dark glass and had put glasses on for the first time after going to an optometrist.

After being reborn, I could not read and study enough of God’s Word. I was thirsty for the things of God. My life started changing. Today I still have not reached where I would like to be in my walk with Christ, but know in my heart He is leading me beside the still waters.

You may ask, “How I can be reborn?” God loves you and it is His desire for everyone to receive salvation.

First, admit you are a sinner. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NIV).

Second, believe in Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV).

Third, confess your sins and ask God to change your life. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV).

PRAYER:

Father, change my heart O God, make it new. Help me to lean on you every day so that my life will be pleasing to you. Giving thanks for the changes you have already made and the ones you plan to make.

“You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:7-8 NIV).

A Cup of Patience

By Kim Stokely –

It was stupid. I know it was. It was an extravagant little item that I didn’t need.

But I wanted it.

I wanted it bad.

What, pray tell, had captured my attention and aroused my desire?

A teapot.

Yup. A tiny silver teapot. But it wasn’t only a teapot. The dainty beauty sat upon its own little cup and it contained its own little diffuser. It beckoned to me like an island oasis. “Buy me,” it whispered. “Fill me with extravagant tea leaves from exotic lands, and when you sip the liquid from my brew, I will take you there!”

Okay. Maybe it wasn’t quite as specific as that, but the pot definitely spoke to me of relaxing cups of tasty tea sipped over the pages of a good book. I checked the price of this diminutive treasure. Not too expensive, but I still didn’t feel as if I could justify the purchase. It was, however, close to my birthday. I suggested to my mother-in-law, browsing beside me, that she could drop a hint to my kids that this would be the perfect gift. As we were out- of-town, I knew my children only had a small window of opportunity to buy it.

I watched them the following day.

They never left the house.

That night, the entire family gathered at a restaurant just around the corner from the shop where my obsession sat waiting for me. Since I knew my kids hadn’t bought the teapot for me, I decided to walk to the store after dinner and buy it myself. My mother-in-law stopped me. Rather emphatically.

I figured she planned to buy the tea pot and send it to me for my birthday. I waited, like an impatient child at Christmas, for my package to arrive in the mail. As the days ticked down to my birthday, I jumped at the sound of every truck coming along the street, fully expecting the UPS man to deliver my desire.

But he never came.

Instead, the mailman unceremoniously stuck a large envelope in our mailbox. It squished when I pulled it out. My heart sunk when I read the return address and realized that it was from my in-laws. It wasn’t my tea pot. It contained a beautiful scarf necklace. The perfect complement to the new outfit I’d bought with a gift card from my mother.

But it wasn’t the teapot.

I argued with myself that I didn’t need the teapot. That my birthday had been most pleasant even without the gift I’d wanted. As the day wore on, it was harder to convince myself.

But then, just before the day ended, my daughter presented me with a cylindrical box decorated with a bow. I knew without opening it what it contained. My kids had given money to my sister-in-law who’d slipped out, bought the teapot, and snuck it to my children while I wasn’t looking.

Now when I sip my tea, I don’t think about exotic places. I think about how I almost let my frustration rob me of my happiness. The teapot has become a symbol of my walk with Christ. I am reminded that God has a good and perfect will for my life, but sometimes I have to wait for His perfect time. His gifts may not come when I think they should, but I think that’s so I will appreciate them even more when they do arrive.

Ice Cream Dilemma

By Michelle Lim –

There is nothing more difficult for my five year-old than standing in front of the ice cream counter and being asked to choose a flavor.

Superman ice cream, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, cookies n’ cream—the list of choices is daunting.

Hands pressed to the glass he looks down at the flavors. “Superman. No, chocolate.”
He wavers back and forth until I finally require an answer.

It struck me the other day how much that sounded like how God feels about our choice to serve Him. He desires from each one of us unwavering faith.

But just like in Bible times it can be a challenging step. Defining moments come in our lives and we often don’t realize their import until they are gone.

In one such moment in the book of 1 Kings the prophet Elijah reminded Israel to be decisive in its faith. At that time the Kingdom of Israel was under the rule of King Ahab, one of the wickedest kings in all of Israel’s history.

The children of Israel were worshiping Baal and other gods right along with the one true God. King Ahab and Queen Jezebel encouraged the evil that continued to happen in the name of various religions.

Elijah issued a challenge to King Ahab to show all of Israel the one true God. King Ahab was to invite all of Israel to see the display on Mount Carmel. Two altars were built, one to Elijah’s God and one to Baal.

The prophets of Baal tried to call down fire, but their sacrifice remained cold. Elijah had more faith than I could possibly imagine. His faith didn’t waver. He called out to the people of Israel to quit wavering between religions, but to believe and serve only the one true God.

Dousing his sacrifice with water over and over, Elijah ensured that there would be no doubt about the hand of God. God consumed the sacrifice with fire.

When I watched my son try to pick ice cream flavors, I was reminded of how easily we can be distracted by other things in our lives, choosing them almost as if they had God’s place in our lives.

It’s amazing how something as simple as picking ice cream can challenge a heart.

“Elijah came near to all of the people and said, ‘How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ But the people did not answer him a word” (1Kings 18:21 NASB).

Slurp!

By Cheri Cowell –

Have you walked through your garden lately and heard the slurping sounds? That’s right, slurping coming from your plants as they soak up all that wonderful rain. For weeks I was watering for at least a half-hour every night because there had been no rain. Lately, though, we have been getting those terrific steady rains. I know my plants appreciated the water I was giving, but there is magic in the water that comes from heaven. The plants show it by how strong they get, how green they become, and how much they grow. It’s as if they are saying, “Praise God!”

We are like that. We can go along for quite a while with a little watering by the water this world has to offer. Our thirst is temporarily met by lunch with friends, a walk, ice-cream, or a good movie, but after some time we begin to show how sun-scorched and parched we are. We may become irritable, easily frustrated, tired, overwhelmed, and needy. When you and I see these warning signs we need to call upon the Lord to send in the rain. The scriptures tell us He will satisfy our needs if we are willing to cry out, and do a few other things.

Isaiah tells us true faith is not just about us, but also about what we do in relation to others. We are being called to take what we learn and let it transform us so much that we stop pointing fingers, talking maliciously, and holding onto our pride. When we do this we will begin to serve others and shine like the noonday sun. When we do this God will quench our thirst in a way that only the Lord can.

“Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and God will say, “I’m here.” If you remove the yoke from among you, the finger-pointing, the wicked speech; if you open your heart to the hungry, and provide abundantly for those who are afflicted, your light will shine in the darkness, and your gloom will be like the noon. The LORD will guide you continually and provide for you, even in parched places. He will rescue your bones. You will be like a watered garden, like a spring of water that won’t run dry” (Isaiah 58:9-11 CEB).

PRAYER: Praise God for hearing my cries for help. Thank You for being the Living Water that my spirit needs. Show me the ways in which I point fingers, talk wrongly, and harbor pride. My heart’s desire is to be like a well-watered garden, watered by the Spring of Living Water that never fails.

Praying

By Heather Allen –

It is late. A yawn slips past my lips. As I reach for a grocery cart, another mom pushes hers beside me. I smile at her gaggle of children. One of her toddlers stands at her side whimpering. She attempts to carry him with one arm and push her cart with the other. We trail each other from aisle to aisle. As we leave the cereal aisle and head towards paper products, my admiration grows. She herds her sleepy, slightly cranky crew with gentle correction. Her face is etched with exhaustion. Our carts pause simultaneously in front of the toilet paper. We smile at each other and attempt small talk. She tells me she just finished work and the cupboards were bare, so her long day is a bit longer. I silently wonder if she holds it all together by herself.

One of her toddlers reaches for me. I hold his chubby hands in mine. He slips them up around my neck, pulling me close. The yogurt on his face sticks to my cheek as he presses his face close. It does not matter, he needs a hug. Maybe I do too. The mom and I share a look of mutual surprise and joy.

My heart tugs. I remember what she needs, and I begin praying for her. For a few moments, my life is anything but ordinary.

Peter is in jail. James, his friend, is dead. King Herod finds favor with the Jewish leaders for harassing and killing the apostles. But the church is praying. While they gather together to intercede for Peter, an angel visits the jail and sets Peter free. At first he thinks it is a vision or dream, but moments later he greets those who have spent the evening praying on his behalf.

I have to confess, I do not understand how this divine conversation moves heaven to move on our behalf, I only know it does. I know Philipians 4:6 tells us to be anxious for nothing but to spend that energy praying instead. God’s word also tells us that confession brings healing and a persistent prayer life avails much. But then something upsetting happens in my life, and I pause over my contact list wondering who I should call first.

Ah I can be a silly girl. I have the King of heaven and earth asking that I call on Him. Why would I call a human first? His name should be the first on my lips.

I meditate on this. Convinced that the days I have lived extraordinarily are the days when I have responded to His presence, when my life has revolved around someone infinitely greater than I. This means talking to strangers when He prompts me and being willing to look foolish. It means choosing humility over self-image. It is hard. It is everything that my flesh would have me avoid. And yet, at the end of the day and at the end of my life, I do not want ordinary. I want to walk with Jesus, wherever He leads. Prayer is my response to His presence. It is allowing His thoughts to trump mine and His will to steer mine. It is servant-hood. It is finding my true calling.

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