Cathy in Oxford England

Lately the Lord has been speaking to my heart of my willingness or lack thereof, to serve Him and live my life for Him, no matter the cost. Not allowing the flesh to take the preeminence and affecting my view of my Lord and His work on this earth. It seems as though Satan seems to attack in the most subtle ways. He likes to get us disgruntled at the most simple things and then he gets our attention focused on anything besides that which the Lord Jesus has called us to. So I am convinced more than ever of the importance of keeping Christ Jesus preeminent in our life, not just every day, but every moment of the day. This is not an easy thing or something that comes naturally to me, but rather is something that I must always be conscious of and always striving for. I want to "press toward the mark" and have the right motive for world evangelism. I think that I sometimes, with good intentions, worship the work of Christ, rather than worship Jesus Christ Himself. HE ought to be our sole motivation, and when this is the case, we are in the center of His will and along with this will flow joy and gladness out of a heart completely given to Him.

Another thing that really has blessed me in the past few days is the verse in Psalm 4:5 that says "offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord." It is such a wonderful thing to think that when we live righteously, putting our trust in the Lord, He is pleased. I usually think of making righteous decisions in relation to me, not of the Lord. It is a special gift that I can offer to the Lord, when, though maybe not in the easiest of circumstances, I live righteously and make the decision to do the right thing for the Lord God. In doing this, it also shows God that we are trusting Him! How precious it must be to Him to see a life that is trusting Him, when I so often allow the flesh to take control and thats when things seem to look bleak and scary. What amazing peace must come from trusting completely in Him. I may not have explained this very well, but it has been an uplifting thought for me.

I thank the Lord God that He still speaks to my heart. He is the God of love, may I share this great love that He has shown me, with those I come across each day!

May God bless each of you this day and encourage your hearts!