Part of the Plan

I am part of the  plan of redemption. When I get up in the morning, I am a missionary: "one on one" with someone in my world. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," put His light in my heart so I might know Him through Jesus Christ. But God never said, "Go and make disciples and good luck." He never said, "Here are the rules, good luck." He said, "I will be with you." And so I am like a clay jar holding a great treasure. The all-surpassing power comes from God, not from me.
Am I qualified to be a missionary? No, but He doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. My job is just to show up as a minister of reconciliation in a world that hates Jesus Christ. I am to know peace with God, be at peace with myself, and have peace with others. I am to major in salt and light, resisting evil and showing God's direction.
I may be a paragraph in someone's life, a sentence, a chapter, or maybe just a comma, but I will never be the whole book. Nevertheless, I am called to be part of the plan.
Insightfully yours,
Paulita

The Difference Between a Believer and a Pagan

I've been cleaning my files lately and ran across this unidentified clipping:
What is the difference between a believer and a pagan? Portia Nelson has written an insightful piece, An Autobiography in Five Short Chapters: "Chapter 1: I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in he sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost...I am helpless. It isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out. Chapter 2: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. I can't believe I am in the same place, but it isn't my fault. It still takes a long time to get out. Chapter 3: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it  is there. I still fall in...It's a habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately. Chapter 4: I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it. Chapter 5 I walk down another street."
The difference between a pagan and a Christian is that the pagan starts to like the holes.
Insightfully yours,
Paulita

Halt! Who Goes There?

Why is it that Satan seems to come when I'm least prepared? I visualize putting on my armor and being prepared to go into battle like an Onward Christian Soldier Marching as to War. But that's not when I encounter him. He generally comes roaring in like a lion when I'm tired or lonesome. Or he sneaks in undetected and suddenly appears when I'm angry. Or he floats in on the wings of the poor-me's when I'm hungry.
Somehow it's easier to analyze what has happened, than to always be alert. But my goal, at least, is to shorten the time between the attack and time I realize the enemy is in my camp.
There is an old song that ends with the words, "Take good care of yourself, you belong to me." God says that to us. Our bodies may house the Holy Spirit, but they also react in human ways because they are made of flesh and blood. They get hungry, angry, lonesome, and tired.
Let's try a simple acronym to remind us to stay alert and close to God. H stands for hungry. A stands for angry. L stands for lonesome. T stands for tired. H.A.L.T. Halt! Don't allow yourself to get too hungry, too angry, too lonesome, or too tired before you go to God for help. Someone said, "Come apart, before you come apart." That's good advice to HALT Satan in his tracks.
Insightfully yours,
Paulita