A Cup of Tea, Please!

I wanted to share this little analogy with you about the Tea Cup by Donald S. Whitney. Since I collect tea cups and love drinking hot tea, it really helped me understand why scripture memory and meditating on God's Word was so important.

You are the cup of hot water and the intake of Scripture is represented by the tea bag. Hearing God's Word is like one dip of the tea bag into the cup. Some of the tea's flavor is absorbed by the water, but not as much as would occur with a more thorough soaking of the bag. In this analogy, reading, studying, and memorizing God's Word are represented by additional plunges of the tea bag into the cup. The more frequently the tea enters the water, the more effect it has. Meditation, however, is like immersing the bag completely and letting it steep until all the rich tea flavor has been extracted and the hot water is thoroughly tinctured reddish brown.

John 3:19-21

John 3:19-21 (New International Version)
19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

Lord,
Help me to decrease so that you may increase.

Peace during Uncertain Times Ahead

No matter how the election turns out, we must remember that God is in control and He works everything out for the GOOD of those who love Him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

I am very thankful that we have the opportunity to vote and I realize that it is not always going to turn out the way we would like, but we have to remember that God is sovereign. Does that mean I don't worry about voting? No. As a follower of Jesus, I believe that we have the God-given responsibility to vote according to His Word. After reading Ephesians 1:15-23 I asked Him to make me intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally and to open my eyes to His Word so that I may know exactly how he wanted me to vote. It was a no-brainer. Still having some uncertainty in my heart about the times ahead of us, I continued to ask Him for peace. I am so thankful that no name or no power are exempt from his rule and that he is in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments.

Lord,
Thank you that you are in charge and have final say on everything.


Ephesians 1:15-23(The Message)

15-19That's why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn't stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I'd think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!
20-23All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.

It's Not About Me

Have you ever asked God to put someone in your path on a particular day that you could minister to, but you got so caught up in your busyness and your daily routine that you totally forgot you had requested this? This seems to happen to me from time to time.

Philippians 2:3 says "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit but, in humility, count others more significant than yourself." And so you don't merely look out for your own interests, you look out for the interests of others.

How do you count others more significant than yourself? To begin to do this, during my quiet time, I make a list of ways I can begin to look out for the interests of other people. For instance, for my husband, I begin to write down – what are the things that speak to him or might be his love language? It's getting on his agenda, entering his world, doing things the way he likes to have them done, and to spend my time with him on his agenda. I have to admit that I have alot of work to do in this area. If you haven't seen the movie "Fireproof", it is a must see. It has totally changed the way I view my marriage.

Also I must keep my radar up for my children. What does God want to do for them today? Then my neighbors, extended family, friends, grocery store clerk, doctors, nurses, teachers, principals, janitors, cafeteria workers, waiters and waitresses, postman, ups man, banker, teller, florist, insurance rep., pest control man, plumber, and the list goes on. Please don't get overwhelmed by this list and feel that you must touch every person every day. Sometimes it may only be one person a day. Other days it may be more than one. The purpose of this list is to get you to open your eyes to those in need around you.

Several years ago, I felt like I was in my own little Christian sheltered world. I only hung out with other Christians. I asked God to get me out of my comfort zone so that I could be a light for him in a dark world. What he has made me realize over the years was that I was the one putting that shield around myself. He opened my eyes to those in need around me. They were around me all along, I was just to busy and caught up in my own agenda to notice. Recently, I have started to pray, "Lord, what is your agenda for my day?" It is not about me.........

Here are some other related scriptures regarding this topic. As you can see, I love reading the same scripture out of different versions of the Bible. Hope you enjoy!

Philippians 2:3 (The Message)
1-4If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Philippians 2:3 (NLT)
Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Galatians 5:26 (NASB)
Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;

Ephesians 5:21 (HCSB)
and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

Romans 12:10 (HCSB)
10 Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Romasn 12:10 (NIV)
10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Colossians 3:12 (HCSB)
Therefore, God's chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Keeping a tight rein on our tongue

Hello friends ~ Just wanted to share with you what God has been teaching me over the past few months. I have found myself greatly challenged and convicted over my words and thoughts. Can anybody relate? As I have studied God’s word about this particular topic, I have found that I talk too much. Can you believe that? For those who know me well, you don't have to answer that.

When I was in highschool, I knew all the words to a rap song called “You Talk Too Much” by Run DMC. Does anybody out there remember this song? Wow! Have my tastes in music changed over the years!

Below are some things that God has been teaching me about my tongue. Maybe we can pray for each other about this.

The best way to improve speech is to improve the heart, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). A heart filled with the Holy Spirit and the truth of the Word of God will produce godly speech that brings life to the speaker as well as the listener. This is where we start.

We create a world for ourselves by what we speak. Words have power, and we can either speak life or death into a situation. When I say something over and over I start to believe it. The Bible says that what we say can get us into trouble or keep us away from it. It can even save our lives. “ He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction” (Proverbs 13:3).

Here are a few other verses out of Proverbs.

Proverbs 10:19 (New International Version)
19 When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Proverbs 12:18 (New International Version)
18 Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing

Proverbs 17:27 (New International Version)
27 A man of knowledge uses words with restraint,
and a man of understanding is even-tempered.

Proverbs 21:23 (New International Version)
23 He who guards his mouth and his tongue
keeps himself from calamity.

Proverbs 10:8 (New International Version)
8 The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

Proverbs 29:20 (New International Version)
20 Do you see a man who speaks in haste?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

In a commentary by Nancy Leigh Demoss , she says it this way:

Proverbs reminds us that in the multitude of words—too many words—sin is inevitable. Too much talking leads to all kinds of other sins: the sin of exaggeration, lying, foolish jesting, meaningless chatter, and criticism. You get in a group, start talking, and you say too much. Invariably, I find myself about to say something—about someone else—that is critical. Almost always, I would have been better off if I had just restrained my lips and spoke less.
The tongue reveals the condition of my heart. The words that I speak are a mirror into my heart.

The words come out. That’s what’s heard; that’s what’s evident. But they reveal what is not so evident until I speak the words, and that is the condition of my heart. So if I’m a foolish person, I’m going to speak foolish words. If I have a wicked heart, the words that come out of my mouth are going to be wicked words.
Hundreds of years ago Francis DeSalles said this: “Our words are a faithful index of the state of our souls.” So, you want to know what’s in your heart? Jesus said, “Out of the abundance [or overflow] of the heart, the mouth speaks.”
So if I have a critical heart, what kinds of words are going to come out? Critical words. If I have a mean-spirited heart, what kinds of words are going to come out of my mouth? Mean words, unkind words.

If I have a proud heart, I’m going to speak arrogant words. If I have an unloving heart, I’m going to speak unkind words. A self-centered heart is going to speak selfish words. And when I speak angry words, what does that tell you about my heart? It means I’ve got an angry heart.

If I speak profane words, what does that tell you about my heart? It’s profane. Impatient words come out of an impatient heart. Complaining words come out of a discontented heart. A heart that is selfish is going to talk about what? Self.
I can remember my dad telling us as we were growing up that one of the important things in conversation is not to talk about yourself. He said, “People want to talk about themselves. So ask questions that draw them out.”
As you think about the people you know who have a lot of friends, people that others want to be around, one of the things you’ll notice is that they talk about others. They ask questions about others. They’re not always talking about themselves.

Also in the book of James:

James 3:1-12 (New International Version)

Taming the Tongue
1Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. 3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt[a] water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.


And last but not least:

Psalm 26:2 (New International Version)
2 Test me, O LORD, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;

Psalm 51:10 (New International Version)
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.


I could go on and on.

Change my heart, O God!