When we went to Ft. Jackson for the CHBOLC graduation, we were fortunate enough to embark on a mini vacation. One of the things we saw was The Angel Oak Tree.
Words can't describe the awesome-ness of this tree. It is estimated to be 1500 years old or older.
This tree has withstood many storms, including Hurricane Hugo.
Needless to say, its roots run deep.
I am a mere child when it comes to my walk with Jesus. I am a relatively new Christian and still have lots to learn. However, I'm trying to grow in my walk with him each day. My roots are still growing deeper. I know I will stumble. I'm human. But I have faith in Him who has saved me.
I am blessed. I'm not bragging about that; I just know what God has done for me. My children are healthy. Our major concern revolves around Carson and his respiratory issues. We are not dealing with major illnesses, for which I am thankful. Any financial issues we have, we know they are of no fault but our own. We may struggle sometimes, but we still manage. Our stresses are the daily kind of things. What a blessing! With that being said, I know God can place me in the middle of a storm at anytime. I don't want to be the person who loses faith when a storm hits. I want to be the person who stands strong in my faith, to bring him honor and glory, to show the value of his promises and his word.
I don't want to fail Him because I know He won't fail me.
In my sermon notes, I found where our pastor had preached on this passage. One thing I wrote was this:
What will God's Word do?
1. Establish Us
2. Instruct Us
3. Cleanse Us
4. Keep Us From Sin
That brings me to this:
What can we do to allow God's Word to do those things?
I think:
1. We need the church
2. We need Christian fellowship
3. We need to devote time to prayer and worship
4. We need to live a life of praise and thanksgiving
5. We need to be in a church with a pastor and teachers who teach God's Word, not feel good messages.
6. We need to devote time to Bible study and devotions.
All in all, we need to have an open heart and an open mind. If we are not open to God's Word, it won't do us any good.
The Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way proseprous and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8
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ReplyDelete-Kathleen
Natasha, each day I read your entry I want to click the "like" button. It's inspiring and enlightening. Thank you for listening to God telling you to start this and obeying. You are a blessing in my life an a inspiration for all christians trying to find their way :)
ReplyDeleteI think it's really neat how many different ways the Word of God can speak to people. It is amazing to me that I can read the same verse or passage over and over and get something different out of it each time. And a friend and I can read the same passage and God speaks to each of us in different ways through it. God's word is a Living Word and what a difference that makes! I dearly love reading your daily posts, Natasha, and and thank you so much for opening up yourself and leading this study. Today I thought a lot about the passage Moore choose for today....how at different times in my life the word has fallen on different types of soil and I struggle most with the "thorny" soil. I can be sooo distracted by life, it's worries and busyness...and it struck me hard when she talked about the treasures we miss when we are so distracted. Life lived with God is full of treasures. How many have I missed? I hope as I grow older and hopefully more mature in my Christian walk that I will not miss so many of the lovely treasures that the Lord has for me and my family. His treasures usually seem to come unexpectedly and without fanfare and I love those moments.....the times I feel how deeply He loves me, though I am unworthy and undeserving....the unexpected hug from a 10 year old son who thinks hugs are yucky.....watching someone accept
ReplyDeleteChrist......seeing lives changed because of Him......and even the beautiful moments that come during tragedy, like the beautiful funeral of a newborn baby that I attended a few weeks ago. God is so good. He is here. He is with us.