Set the Example

The children in our church go to classrooms while the adults worship in the sanctuary.  I helped with the 4 year old group one week.  I learned so much from these tiny children who lived and experienced much less than I had.  Their spirits filled with joy, their stories told with smiles and they danced and sang for the Lord beautifully.  I took in all the happiness that surrounded.  I gazed around the room and read a poster, "Attitudes are contagious. . .Is yours worth catching?"  This simple question should be presented to each of us daily.  These little 4 year olds displayed attitudes worth catching.  I thought to myself that if I were with these little ones for just an hour a day, my attitude may develop into a positive one. 

Little children possess a carefree, loving, thankful attitude.  They rely on adults to take care of them, their hearts beam with joy and laughter, their words so innocent and they give the best hugs.  Also, the words, "Thank you," come out of their little mouths numerous times daily. 

So, what about us old adults?  Shouldn't we be wiser than a child and understand how to love, relax and give thanks?  We have lived more days.  We should have the good attitude thing down pat by now, right?

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 15:5-6)

"if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—  you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?" (Romans 2:19-21)

How do we move from positive, loving, laughing, kind, thankful children to bitter, negative, critical, serious, ungrateful adults?  Where do we learn such a bad attitude, a poisonous one?  Often, I examine my attitude and quickly see that no one would want to catch this one today.  We must take a stand and eliminate bad attitude.  It hinders our growth and sets terrible examples.  Let us focus on God and see the wonders that each day brings.  Let us strive to glorify God by becoming like Him in spirit. 

God brought us here to teach Truth, love others, raise our children and enjoy life to the fullest.  We cannot do any of these things with ugly, bad attitudes.  We teach our children to love others, bring laughter, give thanks, be kind and use 'nice' words.  Do we reflect what we ask?  If we fail to display the attitude we ask of our children, our words remain empty.  They, as well as others we meet, will learn from us and catch our attitude! 

Continue to focus on God and the life He holds for us in Heaven.  Keep your thoughts on Him and there will be no room for negative thinking, foul words or frowning faces.  Yes, there will be times when we are pushed to our limits or negativity begins to rise up within; but, we can quickly shift our thoughts back to Him.  Seek Him for strength in those moments to avoid advancing to a full-blown negative attitude.

Laugh today.  Love today.  Live today for Him and be like Him!

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.  ~Winston Churchill

Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day.  ~Author Unknown

Every thought is a seed.  If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting Golden Delicious.  ~Bill Meyer

The only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude.  ~Dennis S. Brown

God, thank you for this day.  Thank You for filling me with love, taking care of my needs and bringing laughter to my life.  Rid me of my bad attitude.  I surrender my life to You and relax in Your arms.  I know You will take care of everything today, so I will just live it step by step with a huge smile.  Help me to remain this way each day.  Help me to spread good attitude and shine Your Glory to all.  I love You.

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig

Got Questions? He Answers!

I am going to share a story in my life to give an example of how amazing our God works and how He speaks so clearly to each of us daily.

I work two days a week.  My son attends school and my daughter stays with me unless going to her Nana's on Monday and babysitter on Friday.  Well, I decided to go back to school, which puts me gone more than just the two days.  The prior semester only added one day to my absence in my daughter's life.  She adjusted well with the few hours of a different schedule.  We made it through just fine.

Well, come semester #2, I picked up more classes and now absence occurs every day.  My daughter shifts around from Nana to Mimi to a cousin and to a babysitter.  No more mornings, do her and I chill in our pajamas, read/play, clean up the house, eat lunch together and then go pick up my son.  Those days will be far and few between.  The first week passed of the change and adjustment has been difficult (for us BOTH).  I have not had to be somewhere 5 days a week in a long time and she has always been with me 3 out of the 5 day work week. 

Come Thursday, I dropped her off at Mimi's house.  She clung to my leg like a leech.  I stood firm and told her I had to go and would return quickly.  I said, the quicker I left, the quicker I would return.  I gave a million hugs and a million and a half kisses.  I explained all the fun planned for her.  Nothing worked.  I left her crying at the door.  My heart broke.  I began to cry as I pulled out of the driveway. 

I wanted to turn back, get her and go home.  I wanted to break out in full tears and avoid going to school at all.  I cried out to God.  Was I doing the right thing?  Does this line up with Your Will?  Are the decisions I make coming from a selfish mother?  Should I delay going to school?  What kind of mom am I?  Am I damaging my daughter's spirit?  Will she hate me?

Lots of questions. . .

 "Hear my voice when I call, LORD;
   be merciful to me and answer me." (Psalm 27:7)

I continued with prayer, no more questions, just prayer.  My heart continued to break.  I arrived at school and pulled myself together.  I went to read my current book for a bit before class began and low and behold, God spoke to me.  He always comes through; I should not have even questioned.  Separated apart from the other text, a Scripture shot out of the page and right to my heart.

Here was my answer. . .

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6-7) 

I melted in His arms.  I praised Him for taking care of everything for me.  I knew He had this one and He works all things out for the good of those who love Him.  But, for some reason that morning, I questioned.  Why?  Maybe my thoughts consumed with my busy schedule, making me more susceptible to lies.  Maybe deprivation of sleep or motherly concern overpowered Truth.  I don't know, but I do know God has my back.  Clearly, I am to give all these anxious thoughts, all these questions which create stumbling blocks on my journey and my daily breath to Him!

He will take care of all of it.  What a relief!  Thank You God for hearing my cry and feeding me with Truth.  Separating my daughter and me five days a week for specific intervals benefits both of our lives.  It prepares her for school and me for full-time work in the future.  I cannot see the whole picture, yet I was freaking out and concerned with that moment in time when all seemed wrong.  I cannot see what growth will come from all of this, only He can.  He knows exactly the steps needed to take us further on our journey and remain in alignment with His plan.  Thank You God for taking time to plan my life and guide me through every step, loving me always!

God, thank you for another day.  Thank You for listening, comforting and answering me.  It is in You that I find strength to complete the plans for my life.  I seek You for guidance.  May I be Your hands and feet daily.  Thank You for speaking so clearly to me.  I love You.

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig

Move at His Pace, Not Yours

Do you ever have one of those days or weeks that run together?  The hours are a blur because you run here and run there.  The days all become one due to lack of sleep or compacted itineraries.  You arrive at Thursday and cannot recall what you did yesterday.  So much happened in one day that you cannot assign a theme to that day; yet, a whole week's worth of events captured the day. 

Well, let us slow down this morning and refocus our minds on Him and find strength to persevere through the rest of the week.  Let us not just 'get through', but enjoy the hours given to us.

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
- Confucius

We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come.
- Joseph Campbell

Our plans are the complicated ones.  Follow His plan and life sails smoothly.  With Him as our leader, all is well.  We must rid ourselves of ourselves to experience the new, free life He chose for us. 
(see Ephesians 4:21-24)

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.
- Confucius

The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.
- Joseph Campbell

He created no junk!  Look in the mirror and see the beauty He provides for you and in you.  Place all your fear in His hands and step faithfully.  He intends to shine through you, revealing inner beauty to all you meet.  With each faithful move, He uses you and pours blessings on your life.  Seek His face to find treasure in life!

I slept and dreamt that life was joy.
I awoke and saw that life was service.
I acted and behold, service was joy.
- Rabindranath Tagore

Loving is the most unmitigated and courageous act I perform in a day.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Serving in love is our purpose.  Serve Him in all you do and love others everywhere He guides you.  Keep a check on all the busyness of life and assure that each action or event lines up with His Will.  See that all you do is pleasing to Him.  Seize each moment to serve, love, live for and seek Him.  It is then that pure joy is received (even during the busiest times/seasons). 
(see Joshua 22:5)

Take today, one step at a time.  Don't worry about what did not get done yesterday or what you will do tomorrow.  No amount of worry can change our past or our future.  God has it all in His hands already, so we might as well give it to Him in the first place.  Slow down.  Don't pass God on your path; yet, let Him go first into the plans of your day to assure safety and work all to His good.  You never know, maybe the idea you had in mind is the worst thing for you.  He knows the beginning, the middle and the end.  Let Him lead.  Just sit back and enjoy.

God, thank you for another day.  Thank You for my health, to fulfill Your plan.  May I continue to run at Your pace so to not drain myself before completing Your plan and purpose for my life.  Thank You for creating me with a purpose.  Help me to slow down and know that all I do is in Your hands.  I love You.

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig

Truth Cleans the Heart

Our bodies require cleaning daily.  Before eating, we wash our hands.  Every other day, if not every day, we wash our selves in a shower.  After eating, we brush our teeth.  We take the time to clean our clothes, dry them and then fold or hang them in our closets.  We wipe, or take off, our shoes before entering a house.  Cleanliness brings a refreshing feeling to our soul and healing to our bodies.

Living unclean brings sickness, bodies grow infections and even depression appears.  Failing to care for the physical needs of yourself could damage the body you have been given.  We do not do this to ourselves.  We take the time to care for our hygienic needs.

Though outwardly we appear clean and well put together, inwardly we fill with filth.  How?  Our hearts absorb lies, opinions, foul language, stereotypes, insults, frustrations, etc.  We clean every part of our body; yet, fail to even touch the most important piece, our spirit!

“Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them.  “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?  But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.  For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.  These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

(Matthew 15:16-20)

"Blessed are the pure in heart,
   for they will see God." (Matthew 5:8) 

"Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." (2 Timothy 2:22)

As you clean the body with soap, clean the heart with Truth.  Seek God for clean, kind words to use; wholesome, pure thoughts to fill your mind.  Don't allow others to taint your spirit and don't spend your days tainting other's spirits.  Steer clear of the immature thoughts and selfish desires that destroy.  We are beautiful children of God, so let us act as so.   

Purify your heart and your words will always shine God's glory.  Be a person to spread Truth to others, filling their emptiness with God.  Focus on Him, not the opinions or filth of this world.  Avoid conforming to the patterns here, but remain righteous and free of evil thoughts.  Refuse to let others or Satan bring you down.  No matter the situation, stay focused on His light and you will remain pure in heart.  Praise the Lord, for He is good.  He stays by your side through it all!  Don't push Him away through ugly behavior and filthy words.  Push Satan away and pull God closer.  He will keep your heart clean!

God, thank you for another day.  Thank You for the Truth that fills my heart each day.  Rid me of any ugly behavior, foul words or critical thinking.  Help me when these things come my way.  Help me to focus on You and not the words and actions of this world.  Push Satan behind me, so to cling closer to You!  I love You.

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig

Make the Call!

Stubborn attitudes may appear when we feel ill.  We continue to take over-the-counter medicine, try to get some rest and drink hot tea to help with sore throats.  When pain sets in, we pop some Tylenol and move on with the rest of the day.  Why don't we just make the call to our doctor?

We persist on doing this on our own.  The sickness, pain or disease will eventually go away, right?  A doctor cannot help; they just like to gain money from their patients.  We refuse to allow a professional (who knows way more than us about the subject at hand) to take over and help.  We make excuses to avoid a visit to the doctor; too busy, unnecessary, too expensive, etc.

Reality sets in after a few weeks of this roller coaster of popping pills and we pick up the phone.  Upon hanging up the phone, our spirit lifts, nerves relax and we feel somewhat better already.  We know help is on its way.  We placed this in someone else's hands; one who holds the answer, the cure.  We must heed their instructions and follow completely! 

"Answer me when I call to you,
   my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
   have mercy on me and hear my prayer."

"Know that the LORD has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
   the LORD hears when I call to him." (Psalm 4:1;3)

My friends do not walk around this Earth refusing to seek help in our every day.  We cannot do this alone.  We must cry out to God for help, strength, healing, wisdom, love and peace.  He is the answer!  Call to Him, seek His healing touch daily and then make an appointment to go and be fed with Truth on Sunday.  Keep medicating yourself each day with Truth.  For every trial, tribulation, decision, pain, sorrow or past mistakes; He is the answer.  He remains the same throughout, never changing.  He never fails us, always reliable and ready to take you in His arms.  He does all this FREELY!   

Make the call! (Jeremiah 33:3)  Don't allow devil a foothold by listening to his lies that you are too busy for church.  Refuse to listen when Satan claims all the church wants is money or you don't need to visit a building to receive spiritual feeding.  Satan may try and convince you that you need to sleep in at least one day out of the week.  Take a stand and tell Satan to get behind you.  Tell him to get out of your way so you can place all life's troubles in the hands of God. 

The moment the call is made, relief comes instantly.  Knowing God will take care of you and have Him there through it all brings such peace.  Finally, you begin to feel better.  Your eyes see a light.  Your spirit fills with comfort, love and peace.  Keeping faithful to the appointment on Sunday will allow you to remain filled with the medicine needed to cure anything life brings. 

If you fail to take the full prescription given from a doctor, the illness comes back with a vengeance.  You must take all of the prescribed medicine, even if you begin to feel better physically.  Well, we must take in our prescribed medicine continually or Satan will come at us with a vengeance.  He will see a weak soul and attack.  Just as sickness in our body would see weak cells and attack to bring our bodies down again.  Combat Satan's lies with His Truth daily.  Wake up and read His Word.  Seek a church family to receive spiritual feeding every Sunday and form connections with other believers.  Listen to God's instructions and follow accordingly.  He will heal and take any anxiety, pain or sorrow away.  He is the only cure!

God, thank you for another day.  Thank You for providing care every day.  I know You hear my cry for healing, comfort and peace.  You come so quickly to my rescue.  Thank You for taking my life in Your hands.  My eyes are open and my ears listening to see where I should go.  I love You.

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig 

The Greatest of These. . .

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8) 

It is by faith in Christ Jesus we are saved.  Salvation requires no work, only an acceptance to the freely given gift of grace from our God.  We believe in Him, fill our hearts with faith and receive the forgiveness He offers.  Our faith in Him can move mountains.  Through Him all things are possible.

"We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.  In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.  May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you." (Psalm 33:20-22) 

As we continue our journey with Christ, we place hope in Him.  With each situation encountered, our hope in Him helps to persevere.  Under any trial our faith in Him strengthens our hope for Him to help and protect.  Our confidence lay in Him.  We believe, have faith and fill our hearts with hope in our fixed future in Heaven.

What about LOVE?

Well, you can be in relationship with another and stay faithful to them, hoping for the bright future you see ahead.  You trust the other, whether it is a spouse or friend, and know that the relationship is real, committed and strong.  You may long for the specific events planned for the future with the other.  You place hope in the other to help when needed.  As confidence in the other grows and the desires of the heart fulfill, the relationship strengthens.  But something remains empty; missing from the relationship. 

"For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." (Galatians 5:5-6)

"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:8-10)

A marriage or friendship would not survive on faith and hope alone.  Expressing love to one another brings two hearts together, strengthening the bond.  My face lights up each time my husband declares love for me.  I will come home from a long day and he greets me at the door with a hug, dinner is ready to be served and the kids helped keep the house tidy.  My heart fills with joy.  Each time a friend invites me to spend time with them, I am ecstatic.  I know that I am loved through the acts of others to whom I have a relationship.

Well, God desires the same from us, His children.  He yearns to see the love you have for Him.  He first loved us and sent His Son to die and wash away all sin.  Now is the time for us to express our love and thanks to Him.  He sent us here to Earth to gain a relationship and further His Kingdom with children to enjoy what all He offers.  Yes, by faith we are saved.  Yes, through hope we trust and rejoice in what is to come.  But, if we do not love with all of our heart, the other two mean nothing.  God wants to feel loved, honored, important and accepted into our lives. 

What does love for God look like?  Well, for me, it is thanking Him each time I sit to eat, walk leisurely, go through a day without feeling the need to exercise, smile, laugh, receive comfort from my family or kiss my kids good night.  Love for Him reveals in my life by spending time with Him, inviting Him in each moment, mentioning Him with every opportunity and praying through deep conversation daily.  My love for Him cannot be put into words.  I am so blessed to have Him as my father and I cannot express to Him enough of the thanks and love I feel.  But, I plan on taking every day I am given to try and give back the love that I received from Him.  Will you join me today and express love to Him?

God, thank you for this day.  Thank You for my health, for saving me from the bondage I experienced, for giving Your Son to die and wash away all the yuck and sin in my life and for loving me just as I am!  My heart fills with faith in You and hope in all that You will provide for my life.  But most of all, my heart fills with love and such appreciation for the life I have been given.  I know your grace continues each day and I am free through You.  I love You.

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig   

A Perfect Pick

Today marks a wonderful day for our family.  Today my heart fills with thanks for all God does in my life.  Today I receive answers to all prayers.  Today I see a handsome, loving, faith-filled, young man make a stronger commitment to serving God.  Today, my husband becomes a deacon in our church. 

My husband portrays the perfect example of a man after God's own heart.  My husband accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior a few years back.  Since that day, my husband diligently seeks wisdom, direction and comfort from God.  God wraps His arms around my husband and guides his feet to the path leading to Him. 

My husband continually directs our family to Truth, uses each day to express love towards us, keeps an even temper, study His Word and serves wholeheartedly.  God placed my husband in charge of our household, to love and cherish me (which some days can be quite difficult) and the kids.  He never falls short in my eyes.  Each day, I feel my love has reached full capacity; just then, he does something that stretches that love even more. 

Today, a deacon will be added to the others at our church.  I may be bias, but I believe the church could not have picked a better man for the position.

Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.  Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.  He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.  He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.  They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.  They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.

In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.

A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well.  Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 3:1-13)

Today, I am so proud of my husband.  I am so happy for him to have the fulfillment of God in his life.  The light of God shines through this man every day.  

Thank you God for another day.  Thank You for my husband.  Continue to lead him and guide him.  The devil will prowl around and try to steal this life devoted to You.  Protect my husband and shield him from the enemy's schemes and lies.  Thank You for all the answered prayers I have sent up.  I love You.

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.

Sheree Craig