Faith Matters

Life is filled with incredible highs and discouraging lows.  One moment we seem to be having the best day ever, but the next minute we can come crashing down to earth.  The ups and downs of life are enough to give us emotional whiplash.

This, to me, is why faith matters.  I personally need the steadying influence that only Jesus Christ can offer.  Jesus has this to say in Matthew 11:28, "Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.”

Who doesn’t crave rest?  We run around to and fro, trying to get more and more done each day, yet it seems we never catch up.  In fact, we seem to slip further behind.  Everyone seems tired and exhausted and a day “off” seems to be more of a myth than a reality.

In Psalm 46:10 we are encouraged  to  be still and know that He is God.  How can we be still?

Well, if we look at the example of Jesus in the New Testament, we see that He would go away to the mountains.  He would go off by Himself to pray and rest. 

I believe we need to intentionally retreat at times.  It might mean going for a hike, a walk or a bike ride.  We might need a stroll by the river, or just to lay down on the couch and veg!  It is possible to prioritize rest. 

The second part of that Scripture  is to know that He is God!  To know something is to understand it with clarity and certainty.  How do we know God?  Scripture says,  “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8)

Why not stop for a moment, read the Bible and pray to the Lord?  Maybe you too will see that faith matters.

Dear God

Dear God,

I am writing today asking that you bless Tsehay, our sponsored child through Compassion! We've known her for over 10 years now Lord and have prayed for her and loved her like one of our own.

Each time we get a letter from her, it touches our hearts and helps us to understand that much more why sponsorship is so important.

Lord, my heart also rejoiced this week when I read that 837 children were sponsored this week. September is blog month for Compassion and the work is already paying off. I can only imagine all those precious children being told they have a sponsor.

As exciting as that number is, there are 2,271 to go this month. Each one waiting for a sponsor.

Father I pray that each one of those children find a sponsor this month.

Thank You Lord,

Rick

PS, for those of you reading this, why not make my prayer come true and check out the sponsorship page? Sponsor A Child

Come to the Party!

I am late to the party but I still hope you will all open the gifts!


This month Compassion is trying to find sponsorship for over 3,000 children.

Here is the Sponsor a Child page!

I want to challenge you to go to the page and to pray over the children. Pray for sponsorship, pray for them to know Jesus, pray for God to protect them.

When we receive our updates on Tsehay, our sponsored child of 10 years, we get so excited to see what God is doing in her life. She is in a poverty stricken area of Ethiopia, yet we have seen the reports and read her letters of all that God is doing in her life and in her family.

I want to challenge you to checkout the Sponsor a Child page and spend time asking God to reveal His heart for the poor to them.

Maybe it seems over the top to make that challenge in these economic times. However, I believe God will provide the means if you follow His leading. My family has had it's fair share of financial struggles but have never missed a month of sponsorship.

What do you have to lose?

I dare you to check the page out!

No Distractions - Just A Thought #53

"Dad! Don't talk to me when I am in town!"

It began with my two year old son playing in the yard. I was resting in the hammock and smiling as I watched him play throughout the yard with his little riding car. He had moved to the farthest edge of the yard and was fiddling with the back of his car. He was definitely in his own world.

I called out to him, "Caleb are you fixing your car?" He hollered out, "Dad!" and then marched back across the yard to finish his statement, "Don't talk to me when I am in town!" I am sure some parents might see that as disrespectful, but I saw something different.

I saw an intense focus.

Caleb was focused on what he was playing and by talking to him, I brought distraction, thus taking him out of the moment.

Proverbs 4:25 says "Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you."

I have found at various times in my life, when my focus is distracted, I take my eyes off of Jesus Christ and I stumble and fall.

When I keep my gaze firmly planted on Jesus Christ, when I focus on Him day in and day out, my joy is firm, my faith refreshed, my strength renewed. When I seek God with my whole heart, I find that nothing seems impossible because we serve a God of the impossible.

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33

No distractions are worth missing all that God has for us. I don't know where you are at right now but God knows. Fix your gaze on Him