What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Sunday, February 22, 2015

An Offering of Praise

Remember This post from last November? (Click HERE)   Remember the clues with this picture?


Well, I am back here to tell you how God is blessing this "Open Window" of new opportunity and ministry...

Go back to the Acts chapter two story of the first Christians in the first "church"...

"And they continued steadfastly 
in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship,
in the
BREAKING OF BREAD,
and in PRAYERS.
Then fear came upon every soul, 
and many wonders and signs were done
through the apostles.

Now all who believed were together,
and had all things in common,
and sold their possessions and goods,
and divided them among all,
as anyone had need.

So continuing daily with one accord in the temple,
and
BREAKING BREAD FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE,
they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
PRAISING GOD AND HAVING FAVOR WITH ALL THE PEOPLE.
And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved."
Acts 2:42-47

Back in November of 2014 we started a home Bible fellowship in our home.  In the beginning there was just one other couple and us...along with my mother in law as she is usually staying with us on the weekends...and our son if he is available...but that was it...two neighbors and our own family.  We believed that God was leading us to do this by faith...and to trust Him for the growth of our fellowship.

Today was a special day...we had our first after worship "pot luck" dinner...something all good church people do very well...and my heart has been so full of the joy of how God is blessing.  Here's a few pictures of the friends gathered here...sorry they are a little blurry...but you'll get the idea:







I think the thing that is so exciting to me is that when we moved to this house exactly three years ago, we didn't know what or how God was going to use this home, but we knew in our hearts that He had a plan,  Click HERE for the first post written from this home in 2012, we just didn't know what or when.

Today we exclaimed joyfully that we are seeing God's hand at work in our midst...bringing people into our lives that we could never have known before coming here, and blessing the faith venture of opening our home for worship and Bible study in ways that we could not have foreseen.  Little by little God is putting it all together.  We don't know where it will lead, but we are content and thankful for how it has developed thus far.  Time will tell what the next phase will be.

One of our new friends has a very lovely singing voice, and she so desires to use it for God's glory.  We were all awestruck as she sang "The Lord's Prayer" for the blessing for our meal today. It was almost too holy of a moment to even think about eating after that wonderful gift from her heart rendered to the Lord.  It dovetailed so beautifully with our lesson today from John 12:1-8, where Mary of Bethany anointed the feet of Jesus with a very costly gift of fragrant oil, and wiped His feet with her hair.  Jesus said that her gift was anointing Him for the day of His burial...as He was going to be crucified just a week later...although the disciples did not know that at the time.  It was a pure gift of love from her heart...and that is how we felt after our friend sang "The Lord's Prayer" so fervently and perfectly today.  An offering of humility and love for our Savior...preparing our hearts for the gift that He gave for us...His very life.

What a marvelous way to enter into the holy season of the Passion of the Christ...Easter...His death, burial, and resurrection...all done for us because He loves us so much...and He wants to spend eternity with us.

Lord, how can I say thanks for the things you've done for me?  "To God Be the Glory"..."My Tribute", written by Andrae' Crouch....this song expresses it beautifully.  

What is your offering of praise to the Lord for the things He has done for you? What a wonderful time to think about this...and to offer our thanksgiving to Him. 




6 comments:

  1. Oh Pam my heart is so happy and excited for you and John! What a wonderful way to use your home and how gently God brought it about. Yay yay yay!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Susie! I feel that God is going to do something very similar in YOUR lives in your new home...in His time. Yes, it is a "Yay yay yay!" kind of excitement! I must tell you it has taken time for all the pieces to come together. We have had to learn patience and trust in His divine plan...even when we didn't fully understand just what the plan was. That's how I know it is from God and not something we contrived in our own strength. Thank you for being a cheerleader and prayer partner from a distance...and yet we are not so far apart at all, are we?

      Delete
  2. Pam: This is so exciting. God has already blessed you and your husband. Now, He continues to bless over and above. Read Luke 6:38. I get a mental picture of some one baking with brown sugar. I know its about blessings and maybe forgiveness.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Cecilia! Yes, we are blessed beyond measure..."pressed down, shaken together, and running over..." with joy! I love your visual thought of someone baking with brown sugar...I had to look this verse up right away to get the picture...and I love it! I told the lady today who sang for us that her gift of singing is her offering to God, and He will bless it and multiply it and it will come back to her with joy overflowing. When we give to God all that we have, and in her case, her voice is the gift that God wants her to use...we can't go wrong...and we will see how we cannot outgive God.. Thank you for directing me to this verse...so appropriate today! Blessings to you. I love how we learn from one another.

      Delete
  3. Hi Pamela! Oh my gosh, it's such a dream come true for you and your husband. And it certainly must be a dream come true for Our Lord too. How he loves it when his children come together to study him!
    Your house has really become a place of gathering, and not just on your porch :)
    Blessings,
    Ceil

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, that is so true. The porch is just the "icing on the cake"...the overflow area...God is blessing day by day...so thankful.
      I hope you are doing better each day. Saying a prayer for you today!

      Delete

Thank you for visiting here today. I would love for you to sign my guestbook and let me know you stopped by. I always enjoy reading your comments and words of encouragement! May you be blessed as you go on your way. Please come back and visit again soon.