Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

  Hello, friends!  I am so excited to share my latest book with you.  Download it on Amazon today and be blessed!   Download here ❤ Elizabeth

In a word, slowly. Nothing in nature grows instantly or overnight.  No flower blooms in a day.  There is no kind of fruit that reaches ripeness in one second.  And an acorn takes many years before it becomes the mighty oak. So when we don't see miraculous, overnight results in our spiritual growth, we should not be surprised one bit.  Growth of any kind takes time. Now these may seem obvious statements that I make, but how many of us want to grow up and mature in our faith more quickly?  How impatient are we with ourselves in this area? The pace of our modern age has ruined us in some ways.  We've come to expect instant this and instant that. Instant success.  Instant income.  Instant fame.  The younger generations know how to "grow a brand" in a matter of weeks, or even days.  They can release a new app and see overnight results in its sales or downloads.  And we call this progress.  We call these "advances" good.  But why? How is anything that causes more

  I am so excited to share my new book with you!  It is available on Amazon now.  Read it and be blessed!  Here's the link:   Holy Habits Love, Elizabeth

I know this sounds nuts.  How can suffering bring us joy?  I mean, we suffer when we suffer, right? Not as Christians. God even redeems our suffering, so great is His reach. The Bible tells us over and over, in various Scriptures, to rejoice in our suffering and trials.  Why?  Because it brings about character and hope in us, lasting spiritual fruit and maturity. And character and hope bring us the good stuff - the joy that does not disappoint. Some of the most precious times I have felt the Lord's Presence the most were in times of suffering.  Remember, He is near to the brokenhearted, to bind up their wounds. He is near to us in our weaknesses. He comforts us in our sorrows. It's not like we need to seek out pain and suffering!  The Lord knows the perfect dosage of suffering to mete out to each of us to bring us into His joy more deeply, awareness of His Presence, so that we grow into His likeness.  Too little, and we get "flabby" and lazy in our growth.  Too much,

Bloom where you're planted, so the saying goes.   Where are you planted?  Do you like the "pot?"  Or does your soil smell like manure? When you belong to Christ, HE decides what soil is best for your growth.  It may not look, feel, or smell like the kind of soil you want.  That is of no import. What matters is that we trust Him  to choose the best soil for us. Throughout Scripture, we see less than desirable "soil" that God's chosen were planted in.  They were too busy obeying and trusting God to worry or care about the pain or sacrifice.  They knew, as we should, that following God will always cost us something, but that He is more than worth it. It's not easy to give up control for some people.  So much so that they never fully surrender to God.  Big mistake. It's a matter of pride when you get to the root of it.  "I know better," is what you're really saying, though not out loud.  Really? You know better than the Omniscient God who m

  You can find anything online!  Here's a manure chart!  What kind to use, on what garden, and in what season(s). God is the Master Gardener.  He knows exactly what it takes for each of His "flowers" need to grow into His likeness. Would Paul have written his letters to the churches if he weren't in a feces-ridden prison cell?  Not sure.  But we have the majority of the New Testament thanks to Paul allowing God to use him in the crappiest (literally) of circumstances. What about us?  We are most likely not in a literal prison cell.  But what parameters is Jesus using in your life to grow you?  Do you want to mature and grow? Paul wasn't being chastised or punished by God!  Paul was not "in sin."  Quite the contraty!  He was imprisoned for  working for God!  For preaching the gospel.   So when our "stinking" situations are not changing, will we let God use it to grow us up?  Will we let ourselves be used by Him instead of complaining, getting de

My passion is spiritual growth.  I want to grow not only in the knowledge of the Lord, but in His grace and character.  This is a holy work done by His Holy Spirit in me and through me. Please note the word work  here - for it is work!  It is hard.  Why?  Because it goes against the grain of our culture, for the most part.  We stand out, or at least should, when we truly follow Jesus and His ways. We cling to our hope in Christ.  The world clings to the stock market or whatever else gives them a sense of "security."   We look for a better world to come.  The world fights like crazy to preserve this world, their earthly lives.  Note:  of course we are to be caretakers and take the best care possible of the Lord's world here and now.  But Christians know that this is not the final world. We discern good from evil and are not afraid to say so.  The world has come to call evil good and good evil (never thought I'd live to see the day!). We belong to Christ and therefore l

Once in a while, I read a book that is so overwhelmingly helpful in my walk with Christ that I must tell others about it. I have been reading "Maturity," by Sinclair B. Ferguson.  I am on chapter eight which is about Fighting the Enemy.   Here is the link where you can buy the book.  This is all I want to share with you today, to tell you of this wonderful book to read and ingest.   https://www.amazon.com/Maturity-Growing-Going-Christian-Life/dp/1848718659 I am simply encouraging you to read this book.  It is rich in God's truth.  It is helpful for growing in Christ.  It is chock full of wisdom that we all need. I pray you buy it and read it and that you grow in your faith in and walk with Christ as a result. Lord Jesus, I pray for all those reading these words right now that You would move in their hearts to buy and read "Maturity."  I pray that it moves them to become more serious in their commitment to You, Lord, in this New Year and always.  In Jesus' Na

Jesus tells me... Keep loving people so matter how they treat you. Love is not a feeling.  It is a choice.  It is action. I chose and loved Judas knowing from the start he would betray Me.  But he was a crucial part of the Father's plan. So when your enemies "send you to the cross," so to speak, since everything that comes your way must be approved by Me first, I am allowing it for your ultimate good. Though the cross is excruciatingly painful - dying to self, to "rights" - it births a resurrection always if you follow through. If you refuse to "go to the cross," then you forfeit the fruit, the rewards. Because it is the cross that eventually gives life.   " And  after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace,  who has called you to his  eternal glory in Christ, will himself  restore,  confirm, strengthen, and establish you."  I Peter 5:10 So don't be too quick to complain or grouse when you are mistreated for My sake.  They