As I sit down to write this blog, I have already had morning bible study with the girls I live with, discussing James chapter 4. I love that chapter simply because it reminds us to seek God, and in doing so the devil will flee from us. And not to boast in tomorrow, ,for tomorrow is not promised. Make today count. So thats exactly what I plan to do on this Valentine's Day. Make it count.
This past week has flown by yet again. I have never had the priveledge of spending so much time with Jesus and studying his word in all of my life, and I absolutely love it. I can already feel that he is doing some marvelous work in me. On this past Sunday three of us went to a local nursing home here to provide church service for the elderly. Now let me just say, I love old people. I always have, they are so full of wisdom. And although I was still quiet nervous even when more than half of the crowd I was speaking to was sleeping, this is what I shared:
Good morning, my name is Abby Scherf and I’ve been at off the wall for a little over a week now. I’m originally from Jefferson City, Missouri. I’m so excited to see what God has in store for my stay here and to figure out exactly why he wanted to lead me all the way to Ohio to do so!
Today I wanted to share with you one of my favorite life verses, it was the first bible verse that ever grasped my heart about 2 and ½ years ago around the time I was saved. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and future.” Now let me tell you, I am a planner by nature. My mother is an avid planner and always reminding me that I too need a plan, whether it’s just a plan for the day, a plan for the year, or a plan for my entire life. So we’ll just say planning is something I do quite well. And although I do this quite well and enjoy it, it still has a way of driving me crazy, and the down side of it is that it becomes difficult to live in the moment. You are always racing to the next thing on your list, which is therefore the next thing in life. So consequently it would be safe to say I have a love-hate relationship with planning. Now, when I heard that verse I immediately felt affection and warmth in my heart. Was it true that the almighty Lord cared for little ole’ me? You mean he has a plan for my life and I don’t need to worry about all this so much? And well, if he has a plan for me, then it must be a great one, because I know that God is the creator of everything good. I still remind myself of this frequently; it makes me feel so loved and helps me to live in the present and to cease every moment given to us by the grace of God. Looking back over those past 2 and ½ years God has done some amazing transformations in my life, he really does have a plan for me …all I had to do was give him the reigns and hand over my life towards his purpose for me. The greatest decision I’ve ever made.
Just a few days after arriving here I decided to go for my first run in Ohio. I wanted to get out and see the scenery and just clear my mind. As I was running along listening to music and praying to God I came upon a church and on the church’s sign read Jeremiah 29:12. “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” It was like the second half of my life verse. And it was then that the first sigh of confirmation slid into my heart… that I was exactly where God wanted me to be. And simply the sweetness of knowing that everything I pray he hears and he wants to grant me. He wants to give me the desires of my heart merely because he loves me and he delights in me. How beautiful is that? As I got home from my run I opened up my bible to look at those verses and soon realized that I also loved the 13th verse of that chapter , so I then decided that those 2 verses would be the verses I cling onto while I’m on this journey here in cold Ohio. Jeremiah 29:12-13 “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Now, I didn't recieve any special reactions from sharing this, in fact there may have been a yawn or two...and even some awkward moments of silence as I looked up from the podium when finished. But I had prayed about what to say to these ladies and gentlemen, and I felt that Jesus laid those exact words and verses on my heart to share with them and I love that. I can only hope that I spoke a word or two of hope to someone out there. Amen.
I preached a sermon before that I felt was inspired by God, and recieved no feedback, but that's okay as long as we are being obedient to God, who cares what comes next. It may be that God uses that in someone's life and we will never be aware of it, but we did our job!
ReplyDelete