Intense Devotion

I did just read something wonderful in Isaiah 9:7 "the Lord's intense devotion for His people will accomplish this." The passage is referring to His devotion to His people Israel and the promises He made them (but we were grafted in when Christ came to save us all). The accomplishing of "this" is His ultimate rule and reign over all peoples, nations, and tongues(Daniel 7:14). The part that stuck me was the word "intense". The Lord is intensely in love with his people and desires to see the fulfillment of His will for all humanity. Be encouraged that when you feel like life may be monotonous, meaningless or without hope..it is not! The creator of all things has intense devotion for His children and will accomplish His plan to have all earthly things under His rule and authority.

SO WHAT? If God can manage the redemption of man and the destruction of all evil, He can help you in sorting out the light and momentary trials we face today.

2Corinthians 4:17-18 For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

For His Glory,
Annie

The Joy in Conflict

Ladies,

Happy Sunday! Hope you taking time to rest and relax from the "business" of life. Since you have taken time to read today I want to send you a word of encouragment.

I am a women who LOVES the Lord and His Word. I mean I could abandon all things (family, friends, all material things, even food for a time) and just devote my whole life to being with my heavenly father. We all have our passions. I even have many interst but nothing comes close the the way I crave me some Jesus! My sister joked with me that I would make a great nun. I laughed but in the midst of my laugh God spoke to my heart and this is what He said..."You would be too sad without Mike (my husband/picture above) because he challenges you the most in your walk with me." Thank you Lord for using my husband, the man I have pledged to spend the rest of my life with, to spur me into a deeper walk with you.

In the conflict, the highs and lows, the simple and complex, our marriages test every part of who we are and want to be. It is easy to wear a mask around those we see on a less intimate level. You may have tried to "play" some role in the beginning of your marriage, but too quickly the real you and the real him was exposed. I mean really, you are literally naked before this person! The encouragment is this:

1) When Jesus enters your life something "good" begins. God always finishes what He starts! Phillipians 1:6 "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus"

2) ALL conflict in your marriage should be looked at with JOY!
James 1:2-4"Consider it all joy, my sisters (annie's change), when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

3) God desires you are lacking in nothing. I will personally testify that trials have equipped me to the place I am now and without them I would be lacking in so many ways!!

SO WHAT? Apply these truth and let the Spirit of God change your heart today. Pray and ask him to show you where you are not looking at life's testings with Joy.

Looking Up,
Annie

By the way, if you do not know what it means to know Jesus and have His Spirit living in you please email me (anniemendrala@aol.com) so I can share with you the life changing reality of knowing Christ as your savior.

Attitude!

Sister:

Today is a day for celebration! Today we celebrate the freedom we received when Christ rose from the dead and conquered sin and death. Our Redeemer Lives!

As of today I have three sons, Michael is the oldest and he is five. Five years has been a lifetime of growth for me and I am grateful for the many lessons I have learned through the role as mom. During my first (second and third) pregnancy I was extremely nauseous the entire nine months. I just wanted to die and I wasn't sure how I was going to make it to the next hour not to mention the next day or month! I became consumed with how I felt and how I was going to try and rid myself of the nausea. It became impossible to plan for tomorrow I had to just make it day by day. I felt like my life at that point was useless and I figured I could be more useful to God if I just came and joined him up in heaven. Well, He did not take my life and instead gave me an innocent little baby boy as a reward for the time served. I felt like I was ready to live again... then the sleep deprivation set in! No one can really prepare a new mom for the complete fatigue that comes with lack of sleep. I became irritable, apathetic and craved sleep! I wanted to rejoin the human race but was drowning in my new world as mommy. That is when God showed me the model of how to live a life pleasing to God through His son Jesus. Philippians 2:5 "You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had." What attitude did He have?

who though he existed in the form of God
did not regard equality with God
as something to be grasped,
but emptied himself
by taking on the form of a slave,
by looking like other men,
and by sharing in human nature.
He humbled himself,
by becoming obedient to the point of death
– even death on a cross!

Well, that put me in my place. The moment I read these words I realized I had to change my attitude to match the attitude of Christ. I had to empty myself of my own desires, humble myself to God's authority in my life, and become obedient to His will for me. I was called to serve my family in love, just as Jesus came into the world to sacrifice His life for us in love. Don't miss the point that His attitude was one motivated by His love for God and His children. Ask God to help you renew your attitude to be one of selfless and unconditional love for those around you today.

Looking up!
Annie

Face to Face

Ladies:

It is interesting to me that we spend our days, weeks and years planning and preparing for the future. It may be the immediate future, soon to be future or far off future, but we are constantly getting ready for the next moment in time. What if your last moment was about to arrive? Are you spinning your wheels over things that are temporary and have no ultimate value. I find myself, as I get older, constantly re-evaluating my priorities. Over time the list has gotten shorter and my expectations are less. Now expecting less can be good or bad depending on the expectation. In a good sense I am learning to not expect perfection, and offer grace to all people (husband, children, friends, person in the car blocking me from getting where I want to go, etc). When I offer that grace I am then able to give it to myself which ultimately was the first gift given me when I met Jesus Christ. After accepting myself as imperfect, letting go of my pride, and leaning on God for all my strength, the priorities of life became God's priority for me. His yoke is easy and His burden light! How freeing!

As I was reading in the Bible a few months ago I came across a wonderful verse that spoke straight to my heart which I have to share with you all:
1 Corinthians 13:12 "For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known."
Ladies! We are FULLY known by God. Even though we have yet to see Him face to face and are seeking to know Him, He already knows you and me. The comfort for me lies in the fact that someone already understands me and is constantly seeking to reveal Himself to me as I seek after Him. Even if you are not intentionally looking to find God, He already knows where you are and who you are. He is waiting. Patiently and with GREAT expectation of seeing you and I face to face one day. Seek Him today and He will reveal Himself to you.

The future will come, the day you will leave this earth and go somewhere. I believe the somewhere is to be face to face with our God if we chose to accept and believe in His son Jesus Christ. Don't miss out on knowing him before the future is no more. If you know Him, make Him your priority today and the rest of life's trials and burdens will become dim in the light of His glory and grace!

Love, Annie