Feed Me

Never in my life have I been more reminded of my NEED to eat then during pregnancy.  My stomach growls every few hours almost as if to say, "FEED ME".  God, in His grace, reminded me this morning (yet again another lesson during pregnancy), of another spiritual necessity that I have been neglecting lately...feeding on His Word daily.  I have a hundred excuses from the craziness of this move to the exhaustion during pregnancy, but none stand up to the Truth that I am starving myself when I am not in the Word every single day.  The sweet whisper of the Spirit this morning almost said what my body does everyday, "FEED ME".  


Jesus taught His disciples that spiritual food was much more of a necessity, eternally speaking, than bread.  In Matthew 4:4 we read, "Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’"  Yes, of course our bodies need real food to survive, but if that is the case, HOW MUCH MORE do our "temples of the Living God" NEED God's Word, food, in order to thrive and survive?!  It seems so simple, and I know it in the depths of my heart, but why does it so easily fall on my priority list?  All of this got me thinking, what is the big hindrances in my life to feeding my soul?

Time: I suppose this is the biggest excuse I use, I just don't have time "right now", I'll do it later.  Whether it is because I only have enough time to get ready before I run out the door, some errand I have to run, or maybe that I need to go to bed because I have to get up so early; time is often the reason I don't feed my soul.  And yet, God is the one who has given me the time.  And my excuses just don't stand up to the reality of the situation. In Colossians we are told to 'make the best use of the time'...no need to explain what that means, and in 2 Timothy 2 we are called to rightly handle the Word of Truth...that my friends is going to take TIME.  

" You do not “spend” time with God. You “invest” it. Time alone with Him can be one of the greatest time savers of your life. It is in your time alone with the Lord that you can surrender the burden and the anxiety of the load to Him (Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:7). You can also find the perspective to be delivered from the truly nonessential things that often seem important. You can find new energy and ideas as you “commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established (Proverbs 16:3)."- Bill Thrasher

Treasure: This Truth hits me hard...where is my treasure?!  Jesus Himself said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).  Do I really treasure Him?  If I say I do, then I am going to long to spend time with Him every single day and every moment I can.  My actions speak louder than my words.  If I choose to do other things rather than spend time with God, where does my treasure really lie? I want to be like the Psalmist who said in Psalm 119:103, 

"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

It is these two things that I find are my greatest hindrances, and these two things that I pray the Lord continues to grow me in and grace me with Christ-likeness in.  I pray my soul won't have to grumble like my empty stomach saying "FEED ME", but rather that it will be well nourished and continually satisfied.  

The Sanctification of Pregnancy

Nobody can prepare you for pregnancy, I suppose it is much like many things in life; you read books, you get "wisdom" from fellow friends and family, and yet until you walk through it, you really have no idea what it entails.  I remember thinking pregnancy would be sheer bliss, I mean seriously, after all, you get the "glow" right and that cute LITTLE belly right?!  Ignorance is bliss.  Here I am, 3 1/2 months in, and pregnancy has been nothing like what I expected or 'dreamed' of.  In fact, pregnancy has been a tool in the hand of God to refine me more and more into the image of Christ.  Don't get me wrong, I am SO excited to meet our little "peanut" and SO thankful for this gift growing inside of me, but I will be honest when I say, I didn't expect it to be so trying.

For the past two and a half months the Lord has impressed 2 Corinthians 12:9 on my heart over and over again.  I wish I could say that I have learned to rest in the promise found here and have seen abundant fruit, but instead I have to admit that although there have been days in which I have seen the fruit of this verse, there have been days when I have relied on my own strength and found myself hopelessly discouraged.  To those who have never been pregnant, it probably sounds extreme for me to say that pregnancy, this early on especially, has brought so much sanctification in my life.  But the Truth is, that as believers, God is CONSTANTLY at work in us to conform us to the image of Christ and will use anything and everything to complete His work...even the amazing and miraculous gift of pregnancy. By His grace I am growing in this promise everyday.

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

But what does this verse even mean, and how has it become a comfort to me during this season, or you during yours?!  

The Apostle Paul is speaking of his infamous "thorn in the flesh".  He is praying for the Lord to remove the affliction, something that I do too, every single day.  Praying for removal of this is not a lack of faith but rather an exhibiting of the very faith in a God who alone can remove that affliction if He so wills.  Yet, our prayer must be that the affliction reach its means for why it has come.  There is a desired and purposed end for all affliction.  Even Christ Himself prayed to the Father during His time of great affliction in the Garden.  

And God answered Paul's prayer, and has answered mine each day in the same way...God did not remove the affliction or suffering but rather supplied the grace to endure.  Matthew Henry spoke of this very Truth, "The good-will of God towards us, and this is enough to enlighten and enliven us, sufficient to strengthen and comfort us, to support our souls and cheer up our spirits, in all afflictions and distresses."  

And then the Apostle Paul responds rightly, as I pray I would each day, by saying that He will glory or boast all the more in His afflictions that God would be glorified.  "And the reason of his glory and joy on account of these things was this-they were fair opportunities for Christ to manifest the power and sufficiency of his grace resting upon him, by which he had so much experience of the strength of divine grace that he could say, When I am weak, then am I strong. This is a Christian paradox: when we are weak in ourselves, then we are strong in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; when we see ourselves weak in ourselves, then we go out of ourselves to Christ, and are qualified to receive strength from him, and experience most of the supplies of divine strength and grace." (Matthew Henry) 

And so I want to encourage you all with the same promise the Lord encouraged Paul with and has encouraged me with each and everyday during this pregnancy thus far...His grace is sufficient for you, He will give you the exact amount for each circumstance exactly when you need it.  Depend on Him, rest in that and find peace, and hope.

One Year Later...

I can't believe it has been a year since we walked down the aisle and said "I do".  Time sure flies.  Every time I think back to that day I am almost brought to tears as I reflect on God's glory displayed and His faithfulness and goodness poured out.  I remember wondering how I could love this man anymore than I did that day, and yet my love for him has only grown with each passing day.  It is incredible how God works in our hearts on a regular basis, weaving us more and more together as One, and drawing us closer together as we draw closer to HIM.  There is so much I can say about this first year of our marriage, so many great memories, so much joy, abundant blessings...but if I had to narrow it down to one thing I would say that I have seen God's Love in the most profound and evident way than ever before.  For that I am most grateful.  Marriage is a blessing, something I treasure more every single day; and I pray that as God continues to work in and through our marriage we would see Him as more high and lifted up!