For God is working in you, giving you the desire
 and the power to do what pleases him.
 Philippians 2:13 NLT

Some of us start a “new year” in the fall as the children go back to school.  Is that you?  We may be making lists of things we want to do or have to do in this new year.  Are you feeling overwhelmed or are you giving yourself your old pep talk, “I can do it!”?

According to God’s Word we don’t need to do either.  The Lord has given us sufficient grace and gifts to accomplish all that he asks us to do. (Rom.12:6 NIV) Instead, let’s pray Philippians 2:13 (above) this fall and watch the Holy Spirit give us God’s desires and the power and ability to do only what pleases him.

The Bible tells us that each of us was created by God for a specific purpose, to be accomplished in God’s perfect time.  The good news is that the Lord wants us to know what those are, because, in following the Lord’s guidance, we have the privilege of partnering with him in bringing his Kingdom to earth.  So, have you stopped and prayed over your lists and asked the Holy Spirit to show you which things are not on his list? 

While you are there, you might ask him if anything is missing that the Lord wants to do through you this school year.  If it feels too big, then it is probably God’s idea.  Remember who the Lord says you are.  If it were easy, you would not rely on God to accomplish it, and give him the glory. Also, he wants you to grow in faith and experience his love and joy as you work together.

Dear friends, be blessed as you daily remember to whom you belong.  May your faith be multiplied as you step out with confidence to accomplish all the Lord asks you to do, and not to do.  Enjoy the journey ahead of you.  Remember who is going with you.  Amen.

Mary Sumner ~ August 27, 2024

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat.  
But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon,
that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented
 and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”
Luke 22:31,32 NLT

If you have been a follower of Jesus for a while, you have experienced, like most of us, that there are mountain tops in our faith when we feel God can do anything. And then there are valleys, when we need enough faith just to get out of bed in the morning. So, the passage from Luke above should encourage you, as it does me.

On the night of his arrest Jesus celebrates the Passover meal with his disciple and then turns to Peter and addresses him by his old name Simon, not Peter, the rock that he will become.  Soon Jesus will be gone, so he is preparing his beloved friends for his absence.  Satan will be out to distract them from their mission, disrupt their lives and ministry and kill them.  Satan has asked Jesus to sift each of them like wheat, and Jesus is going to allow that. 

The answer to why he allows it may lie in Romans 5:3-5 where Paul tells his Roman friends to rejoice in their trials, because ultimately those hardships will create endurance in them that will strengthen their faith.  We shouldn’t miss that Satan asked for Jesus’ permission, since Christ has all authority in heaven and earth.  Jesus is not afraid of our failures.  Jesus’ plan is to use our failures to purify and strengthen our faith. If we let him, he can lead us out of defeat into victory.

That same Christ pleaded to the Father for the disciples who would abandon him, that their faith be strengthened, so that they will repent and will turn back to trusting in Jesus.  We have all been in a place of depression or despair when we could not see a way out by trusting Jesus, but chose to fall back into doing it our way, or the world’s way.  Jesus knows our weaknesses. The Bible tells us he himself was tempted to sin, to disobey God and let fear, deception or pride lead him into trouble, as we are, but he did not give in and sin.

I love to think that Jesus is praying for each of us that our faith not fail.  He prays that strong faith, more precious than gold or silver, will develop the strength of character needed to use our experiences to encourage and strengthen others. 

Dear friends, be blessed as you trust the Holy Spirit to lead you and strengthen your spirit.  May you see God use what you learned by your apparent failures to strengthen others in their faith.  Be encouraged as you trust that God is with you every moment and he is working for your good, and smile.  Amen.

Mary Sumner ~ August 13, 2024

 I have told you these things so that you
will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!  
John 15:11 NLT
 
As a new Christian, I tried to do it all right. I studied the Bible, worked hard to serve in the church but, although I was growing in many areas, I remember crying out to the Lord, “Where’s the joy?!”  I wanted joy.
You might relate to that desire.  It took years before I began to realize that the Lord had been answering me.  Our pastor had taught us, “Joy is not happiness.”  Happiness is dependent on our circumstances.
 
While studying the book of Nehemiah I was challenged by his declaration to his people at the completion of the wall, “Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” (Neh.8:10) It dawned on me it’s not my joy, but the Lord’s joy that will overflow and give me strength.

Gradually it began, to accept that joy is not dependent on me.  It is the Lord’s gift to me as I pursue a relationship with him and learn to rely more and more on him alone in every area of my life.  In the grace-filled relationship with Jesus, the roots of my heart gradually grow deeper into the Father’s heart, his love.  I become anchored in God, unshakable by the stress of daily life. 

And as a proud Father, God’s delight, his joy in me, begins to bubble up.  I matter.  I am seen and heard by God. I begin to trust that I am the new creation he promised in Christ his Son.  I am deeply accepted for who God created me to be.  I am loved and never will be rejected nor abandoned.  I belong to our amazing King Jesus, purchased by his sacrifice. My very being is rooted in the unchanging purpose and fulfillment of my eternal destiny.

So, life will bring its challenges.  My health may fail.  A flood may wash away my cherished possessions.  My earthly relationships may fall apart, and my earthly livelihood become insecure. But I remain valued, loved, and secure.  My future destination is irrevocable, because I belong to Jesus my Savior. I rejoice daily that I am known by my heavenly Father and I am being renewed and empowered by the Holy Spirit who lives in me.
 
The good gifts God gives us cannot be taken from us.  If Jesus promised joy would overflow from what he told us, let’s listen and receive it. Expect to be filled daily with God’s gift of joy. And watch the joy overflow!

Dear friends, be blessed with supernatural endurance and strength as you seek and receive more of the Lord and his joy.  You were designed to be loved and filled with joy.  Your entire body, soul and spirit will rejoice as you receive more of God, his love, peace and joy. Smile. Joy is real and is anchored in your relationship with Jesus.  Amen.

Mary Sumner ~ July 30, 2024