Category Archives: Who I am in Christ

Dusty Furniture

February 18, 2014Christ's rest, Grace, Jesus Christ, Spiritual Encouragement, To Rest in ChristAbba, clean through Christ, encouragement, encouragement in Christ, good enough, Grace, ragamuffin gospel, spiritual encouragementT.W. Allgaier

All furniture gets dusty at some point in time.

Do you dust your furniture and then have to turn around the next day and do it again? Where does all that dust come from? I go from one piece of furniture to another and I am amazed at the layers of dust I sometimes find. How can the table I just dusted 15 minutes ago already have some dust on it and require yet another swipe? Nah.

There was something I noticed though. We continue to use the furniture even with the layers of dust. We do not require that it be perfectly clean and dustless before we use it. We never say, “Stop, don’t sit that drink on the table, it is too dirty and dusty!” Nor do we comment, “This furniture is worthless now since it is soiled, let’s just throw it out!” That would be silly!

And there is never, ever a time I say, “The side table should be completely and totally perfect before I will even think of using it.” If that were the case, my house would be totally void of any furniture.

So, how is dusty furniture spiritual?

This illustration so reminds me of the redeeming love of God. His grace and how He saves us. Nothing more, nothing less.

We may be soiled and layered with dust. We may be a bit dirty. We do not have to get all cleaned up before coming to Christ! We do not have to be perfect to be used by Christ. He delights in allowing us to be a part of His work all over the world. And if we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and salvation through Him, God sees us dust-free anyway…through grace!

Ephesians 2:8-9 ~”For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

There is nothing you have done, or will do that can make him love you any more of any less. If you have made a mistake in the past, dust yourself off and get up again. Don’t let the enemy convince you that you are too far gone to ever be used by God. Don’t be deceived into believing that you are worthless because of your past, all lies.

One of my favorite teachers/authors is Brennan Manning, who passed away April 2013.( http://www.BrennanManning.com) His books spoke to my heart in volumes. He put it this way: “The Good News means we can stop lying to ourselves. The sweet sound of amazing grace saves us from the necessity of self deception. It keeps us from denying that though Christ was victorious, the battle with lust, greed, and pride still rages within us. As a sinner who has been redeemed, I can acknowledge that I am often unloving, irritable, angry and resentful with those closest to me. When I go to church I can leave my white hat at home and admit I failed. God not only loves me as I am, but also knows me as I am. Because of this I don’t need to apply spiritual cosmetics to make myself presentable to Him. I can accept ownership of my poverty and powerlessness and neediness….Our huffing and puffing to impress God, our scrambling for brownie points, our thrashing about trying to fix ourselves while hiding our pettiness and wallowing is guilt are nauseating to God and a flat denial of the gospel of grace.” (Ragumuffin Gospel)

May we understand the Good News, the gospel of grace. Christ makes us clean, not what we do, but what He has already done.

And why not check out your furniture right this very minute. If it is dusty, I bet you use it anyway!!

Blessings dear ones

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

*NIV Bible, brennanmanning.com. THE RAGAMUFFIN GOSPEL, google image*

Worldwide Club Membership

February 11, 2014Christ's rest, Freedom in Christ, Jesus Christ, Spiritual Encouragement, To Rest in ChristChrist, contentment, disappointment, encouragement, encouragement in Christ, God's peace, Identity in Christ, Jesus, spiritual encouragementT.W. Allgaier

What Happened??!

I think that I have thought of a problem that is worldwide. It crosses every line there is to cross. Disappointment. True frustration and sadness. Have you ever been disappointed in someone that you thought you could trust? Have you had someone treat you in a way that you never thought possible? Have you done your very best, only to be yelled at by your boss? How about your spouse raising his voice when he found out you forgot to pay the electric bill? Do you try and try to please everyone only to find out that you can’t; they just complain more!!….(Added bonus here…you aren’t supposed to try and please everyone…can’t happen).

If you have answered “yes” to any of these questions…Welcome. You are now a member of the “International Disappointment Club”. Of course there is no such club, but don’t you feel there should be? Membership dues are self explanatory!

Disappointment happens to everyone. People disappoint each other. It just goes with being human. A couple of hours ago I was really disappointed by someone. I have always went over and above the call of duty for this person, only to be hurt. I cried. I could have had an everloving fit and really bought in to the flesh pattern that was being exhibited. But I chose to be quiet. I was hurt and a bit ticked off! Once I admitted to the Father that I felt this way…I waved the white flag…and good stuff came out of my mouth…instead of my flesh!! Then once I quit talking on the phone…I cried. Don’t misunderstand, I don’t think that there is anything wrong with being honest with the person. And I have done that…later…after I thought about what I would say in a loving way.

We have to make the choice to not allow the enemy to have a foot hold in our lives. People are people and sometimes make mistakes. Sometimes that make the same mistakes over and over. Some people will not change. They choose NOT to change. That’s not my problem. I can pray, love…but I cannot allow bitterness, anger and hurt to permeate my very soul. Those feelings can fester and be like a cancer, eating away my joy!

Wait for it……Yep, I will disappoint people myself!! Eggads, not me! I don’t deliberately set out to do so, but I do disappoint people. As one of my dearest friends says..”No expectations, no disappointments.” I like that.

The good news is simple. We are loved by the ONE who will never disappoint or let you down. You might think He is letting you down, but He always has your best in mind.

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

He is always there, He will never talk behind your back, yell at you for not paying a bill. He won’t try to make you feel guilty about anything. Jesus will just love you where you are and offer hope to you when there appears to be no hope!

“And hope, does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” Romans 5:5

Now I am wondering if we should change the name of the club? How about the “International HOPE Club”? Sounds cheesy, but I certainly like the sound of it better than the prior!

Be blessed dear ones~

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

*google search image*

I would NEVER…Just Ask Me!

February 10, 2014Christianity, homeschooling, Love one another, mom, motherhood, Parenting, Spiritual Encouragement, Uncategorizedencouragement for moms, homeschooling mom, loving our children, raising children, unconditional love for childrenT.W. Allgaier

I would NEVER ……just ask me!

Yep, I thought I knew it all. Had all the answers.

You’ve probably heard people say that phrase… I was one of those women who would say things like…”If I were that kid’s mom, I would never let him throw a fit like that in front of people in a grocery store.” Then I had a two year old. And we went to a grocery store.

Or “No teenager of mine would be living in my house if he did___________!” Then I had two teenagers that continued to live in my house.

How easy is it to say what we would do in situations in which we have no idea what we would really do! It always made me feel better about myself when I could point out the failures in “parenting” as I came upon these situations.

I asked the Lord forgiveness for that attitude. And thankfully I was forgiven.

I think that the older you get, the less you realize that you know. Oh sure, experience, trials and troubles have brought a bit of wisdom, but I don’t pretend like I know it all anymore. That is not a characteristic of confidence. The only thing I am confident is Christ in me.

Galatians 2:20-21: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

We have the opportunity to help others that have gone through parenting situations that we might have gone through. And when parents are dealing with something that we ourselves have not dealt with, we have the opportunity to be supportive…not pass judgement. We need to encourage one another. Let the Christ in us encourage.

As for me, when I look at all the careers and jobs I have had over the years, being a parent was the toughest. It was one of the most important things I ever did to be sure…but it was also the hardest. The responsibility became overwhelming sometimes if I really thought about it. So I had to learn to give it to the Father. I had to truly trust Him with my children’s lives.

I told someone last night that God loves our children more than we can even imagine.

Luke 11:11-13 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Isaiah 49:15-16 : “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-6: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

We have to come to the point in our lives as parents when we realize that we simply do not have all the answers. We do the best we can. And we trust the One who created our children. We were loaned a gift, one that He created. Our job is to teach them in the ways of the Lord and love them unconditionally.

Truly love them unconditionally, and realize as parents that we really don’t know it all.

Whether they throw a fit in the grocery store, or do something in which they should not be allowed to live in your house.

Blessings dear ones~

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9