Peace, Power, Pleasure In Service

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that the Kingdom of Heaven is one of service. We are bid to serve the LORD/Lord in all we do. That’s in the Bible, in Ephesians 6:7. We’re bid to serve Him even in rest.

As I think about this, especially in terms of generational curses, (1 Samuel 7:3) is the perfect scripture. “Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and Ashtoreths among you, prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only. And He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” We must strive to keep things in the proper perspective, first of all. There is nothing bigger than God! God first, you second, others next, is the proper order. It’s amazing how many foreign gods we serve without thinking about it. (in-laws, bosses, co-workers, hubby/wife, siblings, children, etc.) Secondly, and this is where the service in rest comes in; give God priority in your heart. Think about His goodness and praise Him-just like you do your hubby/wife, and others in your life. I’m still amazed sometimes, at how awesomely powerful that is. It really does carry over into your resting times. You find yourself actually quieting your spirit and stepping right into that beautiful Presence at will. When we do this, all the giants (Philistines) we’re faced with, become ants. Now, we’re seeing them in a different light. They’re not daunting. We can relax and work with God, to deal with them. You’ll be surprised to find out how much you can learn from a Philistine, when God’s with you. LOL Yeah, the weight of that depression, the unmade bed, all that darkness is gone forever! Thank you, Jesus!

This all translates into so much more power in our walk, and in our service to others. There is peace in serving the Lord. There is power in serving Him. There is pleasure in serving Him. – The pleasure that we bring to others, and the pleasure we derive from that.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Acceptance Changes Them

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to accept the trials that come our way. We are reminded that we cannot be destroyed; that God’s grace is sufficient for us. God’s grace is sufficient for all our needs, in every circumstance. That one’s easy to forget, isn’t it? Something that has helped me in the past, and continues to be a great help to me, is acceptance .

As I thought about acceptance in regard to this message, I saw it in a different light. It isn’t merely acceptance of the trials that matters. It is, first and foremost, acceptance of our new heritage in Christ Jesus, complete with all the authority, peace, power, etc. that comes with that heritage, that makes the difference. (2Co. 5:17) -“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” That acceptance changes the way we see those trials. It changes their size, first of all. Seeing them in light of who you are in Christ, is like looking through the other end of the binoculars. Remember the Israelites seeing themselves as grasshoppers in comparison to the Philistines? (Numbers 13:33)

Jesus showed us how to turn the binoculars around, so we see the truth. The truth is that nothing can separate us from the love of God, He is our beginning and our end, and in Him there is no end for us. (Romans 8:39) (Psalm 91) (John 11:26) Finally, there’s the last part of that scripture about God’s grace being sufficient for us…”for my power is made perfect (or perfected) in weakness. That weakness spoken of there is the laying down of our will, our attitude(s), thoughts and words, and our ways. Instead, we are to adhere to God’s will, His attitudes, thoughts and words, and His ways. (Jeremiah 29:11) (2 Co. 10:5) (Matt. 5:48) That changes the trial to an opportunity to win; just like Jesus does-every time…and, when He wins, we all do. Lord, help me to get this one down for good, please. Thank you.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

We’re Resting…He Isn’t

Sunday’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to rest when we’re weary and frazzled. We’re bid to allow the Lord to come in and do His work of restoring and refreshing our soul.

This post is coming to you on Monday for that very reason. I didn’t accomplish the things I wanted to on Saturday, and was exhausted, physically and in spirit yesterday-so didn’t make it to the library to do the posting I needed to. But, good news! God always comes through! Really, He’s never failed me yet.

When we just stop and lay our head on His shoulder, and just rest there…He knows exactly what we need-and provides it. Inspiration comes out of that rest, strength is renewed, joy is refreshed, and faith is always rewarded. I caught the most beautiful sunrise this morning (Monday), and actually wrote a little verse about it. This is the Gaither Family to help us kick off the week.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Give Them By Bringing Him Into Them

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to give God the moments. A moment here, giving thought to His goodness, brings Him into it for us, too. A moment there, reflecting on the beauty of the afternoon spent with family and friends, reveals His Presence in the whole afternoon. When we give, even just one thought, to God’s love and the joy it brings to those moments, the moments become sublime.

This works quite well when we have our “moments,” too. You know…Monday morning, and everything that can go wrong is doing exactly that…and you are not having this today…you work too hard…OMG…oh, yes, God…JESUS…Oh, JESUS…and the “Peace; be still,” comes over you…and it all comes out okay. I have to laugh at myself when I think of poor Jesus up there watching me in some of those moments. I’m pretty sure He’s had some good laughs over them too.

We have the power to bring God into somebody else’s moments-be they good or bad. If we just stop and step into His presence in that moment, we can change that moment from a bad one to a great one. We can turn that good moment into a joyous celebration.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Preparing The Soil

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to spend more time preparing the soil. Jeremiah 4:3 tells us to break up our fallow ground and don’t sow among thorns.

There are two things that come to mind when I read this scripture. First, fallow ground is unplowed. That means the seed won’t get into the soil because the ground is unpenetrable. If the seed doesn’t get into the soil, it doesn’t get the nourishment required for it to take root and grow. It will just lie on the surface of the ground and be blown away by the wind, or scorched by the sun. It’s important to create the right environment; one that will promote growth and success. This works in every aspect of life; breaking generational curses included. Secondly, we’re told not to sow among thorns. Those thorns represent nay-sayers, or unbelievers, those that keep pulling us back into destructive ways and things, etc. This, also, is very important when we’re breaking generational curses off, and/or breaking bonds of addictions and dysfunctions.

When we spend time preparing the soil, we’re sure to reap the blessings we were ordained to reap.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Thank You, Heavenly Father; Thank You !

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to be brave and thankful. And this in the midst of COVID -19! Just in case you’re heart’s a little weary and weak at the moment, thankfully, we have Psalm 104 to stir us up. It’s a reminder of all that God is and does for us. I hope you’ll be as blessed by it as I am. I always get so excited by the time I get to the end of one like that! Hallelujah! Praise the LORD/Lord!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Interludes Of Peace

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to protect our peace at all costs. We’re told to stop everything and regain our peace whenever it’s been disturbed. As I read this message, I think about Proverbs 4:23, which tells us to guard our hearts above all else because everything we do flows from it.

I found, some time ago, that little interludes of peace throughout the day help to keep me unruffled. These can include a few minutes of some quiet instrumental music-I love bamboo flute music for calming and refreshing my spirit. I used to take a short 30 minute “awake nap” after work each day. This helped me to switch gears and get back into Mom mode. Of course, an evening drive after dinner, or even a sunset picnic out in a quiet area make for a wonderful interlude of peace. I wrote a song titled “Little Wild Rose,” after a drive in the country with my then husband. See how that works? Creativity is always refreshed after an interlude of peace.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu