CHOOSE: 4F

4-F, in it's military connotation, is negative---especially for those who want to serve, as did many of the young enlistees in WWII. (Hacksaw Ridge) It identifies one as physically or psychologically unfit. Not worthy. Unacceptable. Unfit to serve.

No one I know wants to be deemed unfit. 

In the spiritual realm, as a member of the household of faith, I am grateful for God's appointment into service, based on His strengths, not mine. (1 Timothy 1:12) I just need to be faithful to Him.

4-F in Christian service is a positive.

Indicators are found in Spirit-filled, Spirit-controlled life of faithful service. (George Verwer, Drops from a Leaking Tap)

• Focus---daily on Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 12:2)
• Forgiveness---His of me. Mine of others. (Matthew 6:12)
• Faith shield---available 24/7. (Ephesians 6:16)
• Fellowship---with other believers. (Hebrews 10:25)

Choosing 4-F in the Christian life is a winning situation as one faces battles each day.

"Out, Out"...Inadequacy BLOT

Mental BLOTS are dark and they can stain one's psyche----the center of his thoughts & feelings.

I have a blot of inadequacy that tends to blotch my confidence when it comes to "publicly" teaching spiritual things that seem "too hard for me."

I know "nothing is too hard for God"(Jeremiah 32:27) so why don't I refocus and "look up" as soon as the blot appears! Before it completely smudges my thinking!

I need to "move" those scriptures, which I know to be truth, from my head to my heart.

For nothing will be impossible with God. ~ Luke 1:37

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. ~ Philippians 4:13

My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me....2 Corinthians 12:9-10

How can one feel inadequate when her adequacy is in Him. Grateful for the quote from, 100 Things God Loves About You, a recent birthday gift from Buddy & Charlotte, because #6 in the book reminded me to, 'throw your hands up to Him and say, "I can't do this by myself!' Because when you reach up, He loves to reach down, lift you up, and carry you close to His heart. (Isaiah 40:11)

That  "reach up" pithy grabber coupled with 1 Timothy 1:12 erased my inadequacy blot and replaced it with a clear sense of thankfulness knowing the the Lord Jesus Christ is the One who gives me strength "because He judged me faithful appointing me to His service."
As His appointee, He will make me adequate, equipped for every good work of His. (2 Timothy 3:17)

TEA WITH THEE Finali-TEA: a farewell cuppa

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, (1 Timothy 1:12, NASB)

This year, "Tea with Thee" has been my way of sharing my quiet times with blog readers. Thine and Mine. He and me. I know a blog isn't typically seen as service or ministry but for me it was just that. 

From His hand to mine. His strength---because it was wearisome at times. He was faithful to keep me going.

Today, 12/31/14, is the end of that endeavor. 

It doesn't mean that I will quit having quiet times. It just means that folks will no longer be privy each day to all my foibles.

A year ago when I sensed God's prompts to blog daily, I began with a "way out" proposition, of sorts. "Lord, I will blog as long as I sense your leading." 

But God.....continued to provide THOTS (Trusting Him On This Subject), ideas, words, "tea words," verses, and WiFi, (many times "iffy, especially on trips") so......

....here I am 365 days later---sipping a cuppa finali-TEA. Farewell to daily "tea" blogs----hello to sporadic blogs of varying topics. 

It's been a year of stretching for me and I hope someday to edit the entries for a tea type book for my Lucy----so that she might know this--- her grandmother loved the Lord, loved her and loved tea!

Sharing Thee and tea with Lucy is this Shug's delight!

Self-served Servili-TEA: a bitter cuppa

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: (1 Peter 4:10, ESV)

1 Peter 4:10 states an important aspect of ministry. Serving one another.

Yet, a recent conversation had my ears opened to words that were missing....only to be found in the verse that followed. I just had to look for it in order to share it with others.

Have you ever been so tired that even your bones are weary? Fatigue seeps in and permeates your entire body.

Is your service so intense that it is cutting you off from God----God who is your resource as well as your reason for ministry. 

Have you ever been so busy caring for God's household that you have neglected your own time with Him---the One who called you into ministry? (1 Timothy 1:12) In hurrying and scurrying to feed others, both physically and spiritually, have you forgotten to feed yourself? 

Often, one knows when her fire needs to be rekindled. But sometimes that truth has to be shown by an outsider.

One who sees her sister's cuppa service has turned into a cuppa servili-TEA needs to share the following verse from1 Peter 4:11. 

If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised. 

"I can not explain exactly  how we are able to receiver the power to serve and to endure through communion with God, but I know it is a fact." (Streams in the Desert, 11/9)

In love, point out how servili-TEA, "an excessive willingness to serve," more easily happens when one is attempting to continue to minister in her own strength. Help her replace her cuppa servili-TEA with a refreshing cuppa of His minis-TEA-ry which is served with His strength.
Encourage her to sip quietly with Him as once again she feeds herself with His Word and His Presence, which will strengthen her anew for His service.

Saturday Snippets.....

5/4/13..............posted on Sunday. I know. It goes against my somewhat compulsive nature to post "late" but the alliterative aspect of the title won out.

Simplistic snippets, those pieces of info, often just bits or scraps have been whirring in my head ever since I volunteered to create & teach a "Summer Refreshment" course at church.

simplici-TEA---a guided study to unjumble our lives and clear out our stuffed and cluttered minds, hearts, and souls....practical and spiritual approach to living out 2 Corinthians 11:3, with "the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." 

It will be similar to joining a friend for a "cuppa" as we take our "simplici-TEA together, one "sip" at a time.

Time has come to put said snippets in some kind of order---to turn scraps into morsels, worthy of sharing with others. A daunting task. But  God.....reminded me that this is to be His work. So....I'm back to the THOTS department of organization--Trusting Him On This Subject!

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who gave me strength, because he trusted me and gave me this work of serving him. (1 Timothy 1:12, NCV)