Sunday, May 23, 2010

Don't Settle for Less


How are you doing? I pray blessings and covering for everyone.


I thank God for bringing me through another interesting week and I’m still smiling. Praise God. I had to deal with some past emotions that were kind of difficult, to say the least. In the end, I realized that sometimes you just can’t go back. We should always strive to go forward in life and let God direct our path. God desires the best for us and will not give us anything less than the best. It can be challenging to let go of past desires to embrace the unknown future; however, God is the only one that knows our future.  Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalms 37:4).

Do you know who you are? Do you know your purpose? It’s important to know who you are in Christ. Be encouraged and stand firm in Christ. Psalms 139: 13-14 reads “For you formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well”. God is saying that He created us in His image. We are His children and precious in His sight. He loves us. We don’t have to settle for anything less than the best. There are going to be times when people reject us, hurt us and leave us; however, if we stand firm in whom God has called us to be, we will rise above the situation. Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world. We were created for purpose. For those of you, who are unsure of your purpose, ask God.

While writing this blog, I receive a phone call from a friend. She has what many would consider a severe disability; however, from the moment I met her, I didn’t see a woman with a disability. I saw a woman of honor, strength, distinction and determination. She is an amazing woman of God. She is an over comer. She fights for the rights of the disabled; she fights for justice. She was at an event today where quadriplegic men and women competed in a painting competition. They use their mouths to hold the paint brushes to create the paintings. The paintings were some of the most beautiful paintings she had ever seen. Can you imagine that for a moment? These beautiful men and women aren’t letting their disability stop them from doing what they love to do; neither does my friend. They are fulfilling their purposes in life in spite of their circumstances. They aren’t settling for less.

There are so many folks walking around in perfect health, complaining and whining about this and that, not even taking the time to be appreciative of what they have. Let’s stop and smell the roses for a minute. Tell someone how beautiful they are. You never know how long someone is going to be in your life. Tell God how much you appreciate Him for creating you with a purpose. Define your purpose. Don’t settle for less. 

From my Book: Hope is Alive “Don’t Settle for Less”:
http://www.anointedgifts.net/

Have a blessed and safe week.

   

6 comments:

  1. I know who I am. I know who God is (EVERYTHING!). I am sooo appreciative of what I have and what we are given. I am and will always be in awe of Nature, the landscape that God has created for us. I know we are to be in the world but not of the world. I still am unsure of my purpose though. I think I know what my gift is - I have a great capacity for love and empathy. I share that. Is that my purpose?

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  2. What a delightful and uplifting blog. I really enjoyed reading the posts. May our Lord continue to shine through you. God bless, Lloyd

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  3. I think that we have much in common with our worship of the God of the Bible.
    I write a Christian Journal that shares the Gospel and the Word of God to all who would listen. A great place to get a Bible is:
    biblefortoday.org
    My wife is dying of heart disease and we live in S.E. Wisconsin.... prayers requested, please.

    Cordially,
    Tom Schuckman
    tschuckman@aol.com
    Disabled Vietnam Veteran: 68-70
    Jesus is my Lord and Savior --Heaven is my Home.

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  4. I enjoyed visiting your blog. Very insightful. Hopefully, you will be blessed by my writings.
    God Bless, Bob West
    http://westbob.blogspot.com/2010/05/god-vs-science.html

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  5. Hi Tom,

    You and your beautiful wife Sharon are in my prayers. I am asking everyone that reads this blog to lift both of you up in prayer. You shared how your wife is ministering to others about the love of Christ, while she is ill. I know that God is using her. I pray that God will continue to bless her with strength, joy and love to keep on doing the work He is calling her to do. I pray that God will shield her from pain. I have a dear friend that went through cancer treatments a couple of years ago. God used her to minister to many people while she was receiving treatment. Because of her faithfulness to God, many other people that may not have even thought about calling on the Lord, did so and were drawn to Him. God carried her through the treatment without pain or scarring. As of May 1, 2010, my friend was two years cancer free. God is the same God today that He was yesterday. He never fails. Lord thank you for using Tom’s wife Sharon during these trying times. Thank you for the people that are being drawn to you because of her faithfulness.

    Tom, praise God for your faithfulness to His word and to each other.

    God bless you.

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  6. Hi Middle Child,

    Thank you for your post. We all have a purpose. We are called to glorify God.

    I agree with what you said, when you said God is everything. That's a powerful statement. Do you realize how much better this world would be if everyone believed that and better yet, started living like they knew that God was everything? There would be peace on earth. Praise God. Love is the greatest gift. Love conquers all. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Unfortunately, everyone doesn't know how to love or give love. You are truly blessed.

    God's will, is that we have a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.

    God has given each of us gifts and abilities to use in His service. God always equips us to do what he calls us to do. If you aren't gifted in a certain area, God is probably not calling you to minister in that area. (see Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 and Ephesians 4:11-13 for lists of spiritual gifts and a discussion of them.)

    God's ultimate purpose for all of us is that He would be glorified (1 Corinthians 10:31) and that the gospel and God's kingdom would be advanced (Genesis 50:20 and Philippians 1:12).

    God has great plans for your life. We were created by God in His image for a purpose.

    “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declared the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

    The Bible says that God's will is “good, pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

    Seek and pray to God for clarity of your individual purpose. He will lead and guide you. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your path: Proverbs 3:6.

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