December 26th, 2009 by Tom Elliff

My Verse for the Year

Forty years ago, a friend challenged me to choose a verse for the year. This was to be a verse that would serve as an anchor, guide, reminder and a point of reference throughout the year. I have faithfully adhered to this practice now, for forty years. And I’m constantly amazed at how each year’s verse has seemed tailor-made for the events I faced over the following twelve months. And for all these forty years, my verse for the year served as the text for the message I would preach the first Sunday in January. Today’s blog is about my verse for 2010.

If you’ve ever received a handwritten note from me, you know that I close with the words of First Thessalonians 5: 18, “Rejoice evermore!” Though not my life’s verse, these words contain an exhortation I believe we all should take to heart. This year, God has led me to claim that verse as my verse for the year. “Rejoice evermore!” Why is it that I am so drawn to those words?

I am immediately taken with the fact that rejoicing is a command. In other words, a bad attitude is not an option available to the believer. But what if you are the victim of some error in judgement, or some awful mistake? Those who have served with me in staff positions over the years have often heard me say that mistakes are inevitable, but bad attitudes are not an option. The single, most humanly inexplicable characteristic of Rome’s Christian martyrs was their remarkable, supernatural joy in the face of imminent death.

Rejoicing is also a choice. In order to rejoice always, I must often make a deliberate choice in the face of circumstances that would rob me of my joy. My eldest daughter is fond of reminding me that once when she had been sent to bed she wailed in protest. I responded by whispering in her ear, “You can go to bed mad, or sad, or glad, but you are going to bed. So what’s your choice?” Rejoicing is a behavioral choice, not simply an emotional reaction.

Though it is difficult to imagine, our rejoicing is to be continual. This does not mean that there are to be no such emotions in life as sadness, grief, perplexity, or distress. But it does mean that joy is to be the over-riding element of of our emotions. While happiness is directly related to our external circumstances, joy surges up from within. Our joy is rooted in Who we have, and Who has us, rather than what we have, or what we a currently experiencing. Our joy should be obvious to others.

Finally, rejoicing is an evidence of confidence. Our rejoicing in the face of events that are perplexing and stressful is a clear signal that we know Who is in control of every circumstance of life. God is not asking us to do something unrealistic here. He is not commanding us to paste a silly grin on our face at every painful turn of life, saying through clenched teeth, “God is good all the time; all the time God is good.” He is asking us to solemnly consider the fact that nothing Has escaped His sovereign purview, and He is, indeed, causing “all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rm 8:28).

So, to paraphrase what this father once said to his child, our Heavenly Father is now whispering to our hearts, “You can go through life mad, sad, or glad, but you are going through life. So what’s your choice?”

I choose to

Rejoice evermore!

Tom Elliff

2 Tim 1:12

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES COME ON!

I don't know if any of you watch college football, but if you do, you saw lots of celebrating this weekend! It was especially big because most of the SEC teams were playing their in-state rivals. Football is fun and winning is even more fun, especially when it is your team, but I witnessed some celebrating at church tonight that could not hold a candle to a sports victory! Seeing over 200 baptisms on video from the past year, hearing testimony of the faithfulness of God through sickness, disease, barrenness and despair are definitely reasons for celebration! And not celebration to a bunch of players, or to a coach, but to an ALL-powerful, ALL-sufficient, ALL-knowing God who is with us through it all!

So, I have a challenge for us all. No matter what you may be walking through right now, I encourage you to take a minute to list fifty things to praise God about, things worth celebrating about! Nothing is too small! (and the more trouble you have with this exercise, the more you need to do it!) Tuck your list somewhere safe, and refer to it when you need a reminder that we serve an amazing, loving God who will never leave us nor forsake us!

Celebrate Jesus! He is the reason you are alive!!

Love in Christ!

Wendy

PUT HIM ON!

Several years ago I saw Beth Moore illustrate a point that I have never forgotten. She had about 12 women lined up on a platform, all wearing coats.. As they turned around one by one, they all had different signs on their backs. One said unworthy, another rejected, another needy and the list goes on and on. She pointed out that we are all tempted to wear labels around like cloaks. We put on those things that others say about us or that we just simply begin to think about ourselves over the years.

I am here to say to you and to myself that we have worn those coats for far too long! It is time to clean out your closet, dear one! You are not any of those things that the enemy of your soul would love to stifle you with! Remember, he is out for total destruction! Instead, we need to go to the Word, the book of Truth, to see what He says about us!

I saw a verse this past weekend that has rocked my world! Romans 13:14 says, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ!" Now that is an awesome thought! So there it is, the answer to all your wardrobe issues! No more wondering what to wear or allowing the world to tell you how to dress! They will weigh you down every time with all those cloaks we mentioned earlier, but our Savior keeps it simple!

So, in the morning when you get dressed to go out and face the day, don't forget to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" and allow all you are going to face to go through Him first! He is looking good on you!

I love you!

Wendy

GOD IS OUR SHIELD

I read Psalm 3 this morning and it completely changed my day! Imagine that! The entire psalm is great, but the first 3 verses have resonated with me all day. In the first verse, David is completely overwhelmed with the fact that his enemies are EVERYWHERE! They are about to overtake him. They are increasing by the minute and are rising up against him. But then at the end of verse 2 the mood totally changes....look at it, what do you see? A SELAH! That refers to a musical pause, a rest, an intentional "stop and meditate" moment before moving on. Once that pause was taken, David had a new confidence that his SHIELD (which in its original signifies much more than a shield!), his protection would surround him or be "about" him!

That is the main word that I have thought about all day! My grandmother used that word a lot. She would always say, "Don't get about that stove, or don't go about that fire!" When she said that, I knew to stay FAR away from it! She meant don't even think about going near it! That has been the most comforting picture for me today! As God as The Shield "about" us, He has us covered from every possible angle! He is about us so nothing else can be!

Let me share another picture the Lord brought to mind today, The last time I remember attending a Georgia football game, I vowed to never go back! The crowds pressing in on me and all over me was more than this claustrophobic woman could take! The Lord brought that picture back to my mind except this time I had so much circular space around me that I appeared to be the only person in the University bookstore!! WOW!

He is my shield that is about me! He is your shield!! He keeps us from being touched or affected by the fiery darts that are intended to hurt. So, whatever is coming at you today, do as David did in this Psalm, take your eyes off the enemy surrounding you and put it on God! Thank Him for being a Shield about you and surrounding you with His presence. As a result, may you be touched only by that which will draw you closer to Him!!
SELAH!
I love you!
Wendy

LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU8J5l1f5IU

A WORD! Have you ever been served a great reminder through the eyes of a child? It is very humbling for sure! That very thing happened to me this week. One of the little girls in my room brings her little green Gideon New Testament to school almost every day. Mind you, the Gideons have been stopped from bringing them, but NO MAN stops God!!!! Anyway, we have a precious little Muslim girl in our classroom and they are friends. I saw Georgia with her bible on the way to lunch and then during lunch I noticed that she didn't have it. I went over and asked her where it was and she pointed and the little Muslim girl smiled her beautiful smile and pulled it out of her back pocket! WOW!! Tears immediately welled up in my eyes and a lump formed in my throat. I immediately heard the Lord say to my heart, "Wendy, what have you done with My Word today?" "With what thirsty soul have you shared it?" So, I ask you the same question. What will you do with His Word this week? Isaiah 50:4 says, "The Lord God has given me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a Word! He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to listen as a disciple." God can give us a due Word to use in due season to some thirsty, weary soul, but we must be in it and listening every morning! We need to be up with God in the morning, so we'll be prepared to be used in the day! Proverbs 15:23 says, "A man finds joy in giving an apt reply - and how good is a timely Word!" To give the right Word for a Now moment, we must be in the Word so that when God gives us the opportunity we have the Right Word! One that sustains and ministers and lasts! So, at the end of the day, whose back pocket will your Word be found in? What heart will you touch this week with the Words of the Master? His Words bring healing no matter where they are spoken, so go and speak the Life-Giving Words this week to everyone you meet! I love you! Wendy

AM I LISTENING AND HEEDING?

John 10:27 says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." When we choose to follow Him, we must go wherever He leads! I think we could all admit that it can be scary at times. As I thought about that verse, the Lord brought back to mind one particular Sunday many years ago as I was standing in church at the end and we were singing "Wherever He leads, I'll go." One line of that song says, "I'll follow My Christ who loves me so, wherever He leads I'll go." I was dealing with some pretty big fears at that time in my life and as I sang that song the Lord gave me an awesome picture of what that looks like...(I'm a visual person). As a small child I loved to go to the creek with my granddad. God gave me the picture of me following along behind my granddaddy with his Duckhead overalls through the woods, down the creek bank, and sometimes even out in the murky water. Was I ever afraid? Never!! Because I trusted my granddaddy completely! Now, if I could trust him being human, how much more could I trust my Heavenly Father who loves me and has my best interest at heart?? Where has He asked you to follow Him lately? To a foreign land to share His love? To a hospital bed for a whole year? To walk through a hard time with a child? To a job where your boss is almost unbearable? To being a caretaker for someone with a lengthy illness? The list could go on and on and you can let the Lord fill in the blank for you, but know that He only called you to that task because He knew that He could trust you with it! I am praying for you today that wherever He has called you to walk at this time, that you find His presence so thick there that it takes your breath away!! After all, He is leading the way, remember??

I love you!!

Wendy

A RICH INHERITANCE

A friend of mine and I have been discussing our grandmothers lately. Mine went home to be with the Lord in 2001, but hers is still alive and well at the young age of 96!! My grandparents practically raised me. They meant the world to me. Everything I know about the Lord came from them. Proverbs 13:22 says, "A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children." An inheritance is defined as "the acquisition of a possession from past generations." I am one rich woman because of the inheritance they left me. No, I'm not talking about material things. As a matter of fact, most everything in their home at the time of their death was borrowed from one person in the family or another. They lived in a small 2 bedroom wooden framed house. Material things were never important to them, but living a godly life before their Maker and loving their children, grandchildren and great-grands is what they sought after. We must ask ourselves the question: Is that the kind of inheritance that we are working every day to leave our children and children's children? Or do we concentrate more on what we are building up in the bank account for them?... The things that moth and rust destroy... Or the things that will last forever? Are we more concerned about what kind of house they will live in and how many square feet it will have or the impact that they will make on a lost and dying world for Jesus? It is so easy to get caught up in the "practical", but I know that the desire of our hearts is to remembered by all that come behind us just the way I remember my grandparents.....

The House that Love Built

There stands a little white frame house

In a yard that's always groomed

The occupants are not at home

It all seems doom and gloom

But at one time, not long ago

They were there, you see.

The place was such a haven

For Andy, the kids and me.

The house was plain and simple

Just barely kept out the cold

But, oh, the love that that place held

Was more than this heart can hold

If only those old walls could talk.

I'd sit for hours on end

And listen to the memories shared

And wish for one more moment to spend.

They can change the trim or tear it down

Or move it down the lane

But the little house that love built

Will forever there remain.

Let it be said of us!

Love you!

Wendy

KNOWING HIM

KNOWING HIM


Phil. 3:10 says, "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection
and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings....."The Amplified Bible
says, "(For my determined purpose is ) that I may know Him (that I may
progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him,
perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His person more
strongly and more clearly)........OK, this is a heavy verse, but I want to
just take that part of it and camp for a minute.


My purpose, your purpose is to KNOW Christ! The verb form of the greek
word there is "gnosco" and is acquired knowledge through perception. My
life is a book and so is yours! All of us have the same title.......KNOWING
CHRIST by Wendy McLeod. You have one too. There are chapters like,
"Knowing Christ in the Rubble." "Knowing Christ in the Whirlwind." In
Every Season. What would my chapter be right now? What would yours be?
This is so cool. The noun form of that word is "gnosis" and it means
knowledge - present and a fragment of it. The commentary put it this way
and I love it! "The little that I know, the fragments that I know, are
worth the lose of EVERYTHING that I've had to give up!" Don't you just love
that??


Our determined purpose is to Know Christ, so it must become our goal to put
all these fragments of knowledge about Christ to work until we have a
working knowledge of who He is! Then when we see Him face to face it will
be COMPLETE! That is the goal!


So, pull up a chair, get in the Word and sit across from Him and get to know
the mind of the One who paints the sky, who made the oceans, who formed you
in your mother's womb! What a Savior! He is so worth KNOWING!!

I love you!
Wendy