SHAPED TO SERVE!

How does one enter his/her golden years and beyond as a servant of the LORD? I have found that service isn't self-service! Wisdom not only gained from age but even from a child can be valuable.

Mine came from a 3 1/2 year old princess on our street. (1/2 emphasis is hers!

She can bring dandelions or some colorful leaves to my porch. Occasionally, it can be a flower that has fallen to the ground.They are always given with a smile. I try to have a small receptacle ready; she loves the splash of water as she "stuffs" them in.

Flowers are sparse these days and our 34° temp didn't help. But God used a nudge from the Holy Spirit to have me pick some that had fallen in case she comes by today. I even found the perfect container!

My "Shaped to Serve" vase is eensy but perfect to hold a few straggly flowers. It's a bit cold for me to porch sit but I have it in the window in case she "skips" by. If not, I know where she lives!

There was even a verse in the box with it---"just for me"! 

O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. (Isaiah 64:8)

A reminder that even things I am finding only recently after out sudden and tumultuous move, can speak God's wisdom to my heart. 

I am not a horticulturist and will never be a Master Gardener but.......

I am grateful for dandelions from a 3 yr. old! Oops 3 1/2!

FRIDAY IN PHILIPPIANS!

Philippians: an encouraging epistle.

Ask self, "Do others see Christ in me" daily? 

Is my identity with Jesus Christ more than surface?

Certainly as others view believers through the lens of life, it's important that they see the life and hear the lips of Jesus. Lips that promote instruction. (Proverbs 16:23)

Manner of life is important. Being of same mind with other believers, who see others more significant than self. (Philippians 2:3)

Jesus Christ, dwelling deeply in me/you, is magnified by sacrificial, self-emptying servanthood. (Found in Philippians this Friday.)