Power Of Making Sandwiches

Key Scripture:  "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things..."   Luke 10:41

Power Point:

     When I was reading this passage recently, I saw something that I had not seen before.  I had always reasoned that Jesus was talking about the current situation with Mary and Martha.  Martha was overwrought because she was concerned that her plans for Jesus, her agenda wasn't going to be completed. Most women understand having an agenda when they plan to entertain. You prepare the grocery list, you pick up the flowers, you decide who you are going to invite.  You clean the house, and make sure that everything is in top shape.  There were a lot of people in Martha's house and I certainly understand her concerns!

     What I noticed as I read these verses today is that Jesus says, "You are worried and troubled about many things."  I  think it may be possible that being "worried and troubled"  was a lifestyle for Martha.  Her life was always full of agendas.  And let's face it, SOMEBODY has to have a plan, don't they?  It's only when OUR plans take precedence over HIS plans that we run into trouble.

    I heard someone say once that Martha was making sandwiches that Jesus hadn't ordered.  Mary, on the other hand, was simply enjoying being with Jesus.  She wasn't listening to Martha, she was listening to Jesus. At some point, I'm sure she got up and went into the kitchen, probably to face a grumpy Martha, (who was worried and troubled about many things).

     God loves to override our plans. He loves doing the totally unexpected thing that makes us stop and take notice of Him.  Do you remember the day of Pentecost?  I would imagine Peter was teaching a Bible Study, and laying out plans for each person's duties so that when the "Power" came-(whatever that meant!) they would be ready and they would be organized. John was hugging someone.  Martha was probably in the kitchen.  Suddenly the Holy Spirit decides its time to interrupt all the perfectly normal, natural, good activities and make His presence known, with a surprising and totally supernatural entrance.

     He changed everything in them, and about them, and the world has never been the same since.  Thank You Holy Spirit!  It was a GREAT plan!

     Perhaps you are like Martha and you tend to be worried and troubled about many things. Jesus encourages you to choose the good part. Many things are good, Beloved, but they may not be God's choice for that moment.  Like Mary, we need to learn that sometimes just stopping and being in His presence is the good part.

     Somehow the sandwiches always get made.

Power Thought:

Many things may be GOOD, but God may have something better.

Which one will you choose?

Copyright © 2014, Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work

Power of Abiding

Key Scripture:  "He holds all things together."  Colossians 1:17

Power Point:

    God doesn't expect your relationship with Him to be a "marriage of convenience".  He never intended to live on the periphery of our lives and only drop in for the occasional rescue.  He never thought heaven was the only reason for choosing you.

    God expects us to learn more about Him by day by day, abiding in His counsel, abiding in the presence of His peace and joy,  and abiding in the safe place of His plans for you.

     Your heavenly FATHER, wants you to spend so much time with Him that you know the family relationship of Father and Child/ Bride and Groom.  The joy of abiding begins in the wonderful moments of the ordinary times, the daily times, day after day, building a trust and a companionship, a growing comfort in being together. 

    When Denny and I were first married I thought he was the best thing that ever happened to me and I adored him.  But I didn't know him fully, and frankly I didn't know ME and who I would become because of his influence in my life.

     As the years progressed and we walked through life's circumstances together, we learned more about each other and about ourselves.  There were times of great joy but there were also times when we had to hold each other tightly and simply keep walking.  The thing is, I gradually came to KNOW that he would hold on to me and keep walking. I came to the place where I never doubted that. I guess you could say that we learned to "abide" with each other.

     As I observe my son David, and his wife Kim-they  definitely have learned the value of "abiding". Now, with the wonder of texting, they are in constant communication throughout the day, wherever they are. It may be just a quick check in or something more important but they have become best friends as well as a married couple.  They've walked through some pretty difficult circumstances but in the process they've learned to know that each of them is there for the other no matter what. They hold on and keep walking.

     The glorious beauty of our relationship with Jesus is that He has opened the door to a place of our ability to encounter our Father's presence any moment-any day-any time. In John 15, Jesus pointed out the fact that we are invited and expected to abide in Him. He said that the evidence of abiding is that what HE has said, becomes the basis for how we live our lives.

     His words are there to hold us together with Him.  His promises, and His thoughts are to be the glue that binds us together with our heavenly Father and all that He is for us.  His words are the "studs" that hold up the foundation of our lives.  And unless HE builds the house, WE build it in vain. 

     The progression from knowing about Him, to really knowing Him is firmly established on Jesus's Words and seeing them come to life in our circumstances.   It's taking the time to sort out what we believe about Him from what someone else has said, and  beginning to increase in knowing Him from what Jesus has said, and has demonstrated by His life.  Jesus is the One who holds all things together by the power of His Word. 

     If He is the One who holds everything together, wouldn't it be wise to at least know what He thinks about things?

     When my husband died, there was a huge void in my future.  The things we had planned together, the dreams we had dreamed together were all tied up in our "togetherness'.  Suddenly I had no purpose, no teammate, and no one to hold me together.  That's when my journey into "abiding" in Jesus, began with greater intensity.  Now, twenty years later, I find that He is perfectly capable of holding me and my circumstances together.  I heard Graham Cooke say recently, that 'If you are IN Christ, then all of your circumstances are In HIM too!"  Good point don't you think?

    I don't know where you are abiding today, whether it is in the counsel of a friend, or the latest world news, or the latest self-help book, but I do know this; If you are abiding in Jesus, then your circumstances are lovingly and powerfully in Him too.

Why not ask Him WHO He wants to be for you in your situation right now?  Could He be bigger than you think?

And then, why not ask Him, who He intends for YOU  to become as you abide in Him through this situation? 
Could you be bigger than you think?

The most obvious question is, of course, what are HIS thoughts on the matter?

Wouldn't you like to abide in higher thoughts, wiser thoughts, and victorious thoughts?

It all depends on where you chose to abide today, and who you choose to listen to does't it?

Power Thought:

Jesus never loses or loosens His grip on us.  Hold on tight, and keep walking!

Copyright © 2014, Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work

Power Of Preparation

Key Scripture:  "Prepare the way of The Lord.  Make straight paths in the desert, a highway for our God." Isaiah 40:3

Power Point:

     As a young Girl Scout, I had to learn to "Be Prepared".  That was their motto and we had to recite it at every meeting.  As the years passed, I learned that being prepared was usually a good thing.  If I had a test to study for, it was always better if I had studied what was going to be on that test.  When I became a wife, I discovered that there were areas where I was definitely not prepared!  I had to learn through experience.  When I became a mom, I had prepared space in my home and in my heart, but honestly, except for my "Dr. Spock" book on how to raise children, I think you could say that I was woefully unprepared. 

    As I've gotten older there are still areas in my life that need special preparation.  We're told to prepare the way for The Lord.  I'm learning to do that. At least, I thought I was. A few weeks ago, I was preparing for something and I heard The Lord very clearly, though quietly, say to me, "What are you prepared for?" It was interesting to me because I had spent months preparing for this particular thing.  I had prayed, and fasted, and read and re-read my inheritance words from The Lord many many times. Of course, I was prepared!  Then I heard Him say, "Are you prepared to win?  Are you prepared to succeed"?"  Oh.

     As I thought about it and turned the searchlight on my thoughts, I understood why He was questioning me. Instead of being absolutely confident about the outcome of this situation, I began to hear my thoughts as HE heard them. What if?  How will I do that?  Some of my prayers were "begging" prayers (Help me PLEASE!), and some of them were bargaining prayers. (Father, if you do this (first), then I'll do that!).  Whew!

    I know as well as you do that God always declares the beginning from the end.  I was declaring the beginning with no end in sight.  As I began to re-read my promises from Him, I realized that He had already made extraordinary, success-building promises to me. He had given me the tools I would need to succeed.   He was seeing the end not the beginning. I began to prepare the way for The Lord. I laid down bricks of faith that I could see and walk on, and invite Him to come with me. I made sure that there were no more doubtful thoughts as I focused on His word that I had hidden in my heart. I made a straight path for Him to join me.

     I prepared the way with what He had already given me to prepare a straight path and a highway for Him to walk on.  He always gives you what you need before you begin the journey, because of course, He already knows what you will need.

     I searched out the treasure and He rewarded me for that.  He always does.  You see, Beloved, you are not a beggar.  And even though I am a widow, I don’t intend to pray like one! You believe that He will reward you don't you? Then prepare for that eventuality. He's already paved the way for your success.  You get to prepare the way for Him to lead you there.

Power Thought:

It doesn't matter where you're walking as long as you've prepared the way for the Holy Spirit to walk with you.
He IS coming soon.  Are you preparing the way?

Copyright © 2014, Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work.

Power Of A Name

Key Scripture:  "Therefore God has also highly exalted Him, (Jesus), and given Him the name which is above every name."  Philippians 2:9

Power Point:

    What's in a name?   I've been  thinking about that lately.  My "official" name, given to me by my parents, recorded on my birth certificate, for all time, is Suzanne.  I never liked that name when I was younger. NOBODY else had that name, so I shortened it to "SUE".  Eventually it became "Susan" and then I finally decided I liked the original version, so in college I changed identities again.

       After I became a Christian, I discovered that my name meant something even more important.  It means "Lily" and/or "Grace".  So there I am, right in the pages of Matthew, clearly cared for by my Heavenly Father: "Consider the Lilies."  (He does, you know.)

      To my friend Julie, my name is "Suz".  To Janet, I'm "Suzie Q".  To my two gifts from The Lord, I am "Mom".  To those four absolutely terrifically precious grandchildren, I am now and forever, "Gami".  Those names are all unique to me.  I answer to any of them, but I have some other names that you probably share with me.

    To my Heavenly Father I am "Daughter".  To Jesus I am "My Bride". To the Holy Spirit, I am a "Saint", a Friend, a Companion, an Anointed one, the one to be "Blessed".

To all of them I am precious, delightful, Their masterpiece, and the Chosen one. So are you.

     Each of us is called by the name which only God knows and which will be given to us in heaven. Don't you wonder what that name will be?

    God changed Abram's name to Abraham. He went from being "High Father" to "Father of a  Multitude".  God was naming him what He knew he would become.  "Sarai" meant "princess". God renamed her "Sarah", which means "mother of all nations"

     The shepherd boy David, became King David, and Saul became Paul.  In God's eyes, your name is of the utmost importance.  It is a statement of who He thinks you are.  I was not a Christian when I named my children, but as time has passed, I see that I was divinely inspired when I named them.  They're growing into the names God gave them.

     How about you?  Are you growing into your unique connection with your Father?  Are you feeling more loved today than yesterday, Beloved?  Is the anointing on your life becoming stronger, anointed one?  Do you sense the close presence of your Father, dear child?

      Are you living up to your name?

Power Thought:

He has given each of us His own name-"Christian", "little Christ".  What an honor we have to be called by His name.  I think it's awesome.






Copyright (c) Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work