God Nuggets Blog

Numerous passages in scripture refer to us, God's children, as sheep. Sheep, incidentally, are just about the dumbest animals on the face of the earth!  Sheep are totally unable to survive without their shepherd. They are fearful, fragile, weak, vulnerable, and stupid. They easily get lost, fall prey to wild animals, succumb to illness, and eat or drink things that can kill them.

Our society today tells us, "You can do anything you make up your mind to do."  But God tells us, "Apart from me you can do nothing."  (John 15:5) We couldn't even take our next breath if He wasn't keeping our hearts beating! Self sufficiency is not pleasing to God, and the fact is, we're fooling ourselves if we think we don't need Him.

Lambs of God

But what a Shepherd we have! Look at the familiar Psalm 23. One translation says, "The Lord is my Shepherd, and therefore I lack nothing."  He promises to provide for all our needs. He is intimately concerned with the things that concern us. In this Psalm, He promises rest and peace, freedom from fear, power to do what's right, protection, and a life overflowing with blessings. This doesn't mean that we won't ever suffer, but God's blessings and comfort are always there in the midst of suffering.

In the times when the Bible was written (and in some places in the Middle East even today), shepherds cared for their sheep like pets. They named each one of them and lovingly looked after their needs. Isaiah 40:11 gives a beautiful picture of Christ as our shepherd:  "He tends his flock like a shepherd:  He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young."

Takeaway: Imagine the warm feeling you have inside for a favorite pet or beloved child. Magnify that times 1,000,000,000 and that's how God feels about you!

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Once upon a time, there lived a king who was a grizzly bear. This bear was a hunter and a mighty warrior — enormous and mighty.  He was so very big that the ground trembled when he walked!

It happened, as he was moving through the forest, that his heavy steps shook the trees sent the birds into flight.  There was a tiny thud and the giant turned to see what had fallen. A spot of red and a tuft of yellow caught his eye.

Laying his bow and arrows down, the king stooped very, very low and squinted to see what it was. There among the moss and ferns was a tiny creature, covered in blood. A chick had fallen from it's nest! His footfall had done this thing!

The king looked closely at the broken little body and was remorseful and filled with compassion. King Bear lay down beside the poor animal and waited to see if there was any sign of life.

King Bear lay down beside the poor animal and waited

He waited and waited. He was still lying beside the tiny form when he shadows grew long and he was about to give up. The bird was dead.

Just then there was a tiny movement, and the bear's heart beat faster. It was alive after all! "Hurrah!" said the king, "I shall give you the best care in the kingdom — nothing shall I withhold from you."

Then, very, very carefully, he used his nose and mouth to pick up the chick and nuzzled it into the fur on his neck.

The bear lived in a giant cave. Torches lit the sparkling walls and it was very beautiful. There, royal doctors worked over the little body to save the chick. But it hovered between life and death, day after day.

Slowly, the bird grew stronger, until one day the doctors looked in and the chick was happily pecking for food!

"You shall sit with me on my throne"

With time, it grew well and strong and gained even more of the king's favor, because the bird was good and kind. "You shall sit with me on my throne and rule alongside me," said the giant. And so the tiny chick became second only to the king in authority, and all the land marveled at the greatness of this tiny creature.

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We who are wounded and helpless become great in the kingdom of God because of His great mercy and compassion. (Psalm 113:5-7)

The world is full of God's creatures, each having infinite value because it is created by an infinite God. Every creature, therefore, deserves love and care and respect. Furthermore, we are called to operate in the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). We are to employ all of these qualities when we relate to God's creation and that does not exclude ourselves!

Some Christians feel that treating themselves with love and respect is selfish and somehow wrong. Nothing could be further from God's truth. We do not operate in the gifts of the Spirit in most ways, and then cut them off completely with ourselves. No! Treat yourself with gentleness and kindness. Be as patient with yourself as you are with others. Love your neighbor, to be sure, but don't exclude yourself.

Blessings,

Come visit us at warrenfamilylife.com

We often think of our service to God as being the first priority. However, God is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything (Acts 17:25). Instead He glorifies Himself by serving us.

Read what John Piper says in Desiring God, p. 132:

Suppose you are totally paralyzed and can do nothing for yourself but talk. And suppose a strong and reliable friend promised to live with you and do whatever you needed done. How could you glorify your friend if a stranger came to see you? Would you glorify his generosity and strength by trying to get out of bed and carry him?

No! You would say, "Friend, please come lift me up, and would you put a pillow behind me so I can look at my guest. And would you please put my glasses on for me?" And so your visitor would learn from your requests that you are helpless and that your friend is strong and kind. You glorify your friend by needing him and asking him for help and counting on him.

In the same way, God is the Server and we glorify Him by allowing Him to nurture us. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45)."

So when you go to God for your quiet time, do not go as if you are doing something for God. This is to puff oneself up. Go as a child that needs to be nurtured by Him. Make yourself happy in His Word and presence! If you do, you will bear much fruit. After all, "this is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:10) emphasis mine.

We instinctively go to God when we are weary or frightened or sad. He designed it this way. Just as the branch is nurtured in the vine and then bears fruit, so we are sustained and strengthened by God so we can tell a needy world how good He is.

Some other scriptures to ponder:
Jeremiah 15:16
Zephaniah 3:17
Isaiah 40:29
John 15:15

Being nurtured by God is primary. Try it and see how it transforms your prayer time and your life. Service to God is only the fruit of abiding in His love (John 15:9). For without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).

Blessings,

Come visit us at warrenfamilylife.com

Imagine holding a large gathering in your home. You've made preparations and everything is just right. People are mingling and there's quite a crowd.

Suddenly there is a terrific noise overhead. Debris rains down, and you look up to see a blue sky surrounded by the ragged hole of what used to be your roof! Is it a terrorist attack? No. Someone has torn a hole in your roof to get in. What would your reaction be? Shocked? Outraged? Furious?

That very thing happened to Jesus, and his reaction was unexpected. He praised the hole-makers—for their faith! (Mark 2:1-5)

Jesus looks past our actions into our hearts, and sees the good there. That is good news!

Blessings,

Come visit us at warrenfamilylife.com

As many of you know, we have a cat named Ladybug. We adore her. When she comes up and asks for pets or a treat, we are glad to oblige; it gives us pleasure to see her happy and content.

There was a time, though, when Ladybug was sick and I had to give her horrible pink bubble-gum-flavored medicine. She hated it. I’m sure that if she could talk she would have said, “NOOOOO!!! Come on, when was the last time you saw a cat chewing bubble gum? Please not the pink stuff; anything but the pink stuff!” But that was a request we could not accommodate, because if she didn’t take her medicine, something much worse than being forced to swallow the pink stuff could happen to her.

It’s important to note here that I took no pleasure in Ladybug’s suffering. Our episodes with the pink stuff tore at my heart. It would be unthinkable for me to make her suffer that way unless it was for a very important reason.

Somehow Ladybug sensed my good intentions. When I told her it was time for her medicine, she crouched, stiffened with dread, and dug into the carpet as if to hold on for dear life. But she let me pick her up. She didn’t run. Ladybug trusted me and knew I was trying to help her -- even though I think she believed I was stupid and terribly misguided in the way I went about it!

I can’t describe the pleasure I got from knowing that she trusted me anyway.

In the same way, we give God pleasure when we trust Him even through the hard times. My compassion for our cat is nothing in comparison to the infinite compassion of God. As Jesus said, "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11)

Our Father’s will for us is always “good, pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2), although occasionally that good is disguised in the form of “pink stuff.” We can be certain that if the Father doesn’t give us what we want, He will give us something even better.

Blessings,

Come visit us at warrenfamilylife.com

When I'm awake He reveals His love because I need it. When I'm asleep, safe in His arms, He sings over me for His own pleasure (Psalm 42:8; Job 35:10; Zephaniah 3:17).

Blessings,

Come visit us at warrenfamilylife.com

PHOTO: 3 Day Sleep Training

P.S. Heartfelt thanks to Khris of "From the Heart" for the Lemonade Attitude of Gratitude Award! Also, thank you Mikes of "Your Daily Word" for the One Lovely Blog award. I am honored to be chosen. God bless you both! (See Honorable Mentions in sidebar.)

"Love your neighbor as yourself" (Galatians 5:14). "As yourself." This may not command self-love, but it certainly makes it a prerequisite for loving others. If you called another person by the names you call yourself would he or she be a moron? idiot? screw-up? loser? Would God want you to love someone else as you love yourself?

We are creatures of infinite value because we are created by an infinite God. To disrespect ourselves is to disagree with God Almighty. If we do that, we can't fulfill God's most important command to love God and others.

What if we don't have self-esteem; where do we begin? We begin by receiving the love of God. "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). I would suggest getting a highlighter that won't bleed through thin Bible pages and highlighting every Scripture that makes you feel loved by God in a special color. The Psalms are a good place to start. Go over these Scriptures (even commit some of them to memory) until they begin to seep from your head into your heart. (On bad days, only read that color.) Just as we depend on the Holy Spirit to help live out God's word, we can depend on Him to help us receive the love of God.

It starts with God's love and spreads out like a triangle to ourselves and others. Each feeds into the other in balance. As we grow in the love of ourselves, we love God more and others more. As we love God more, we love ourselves and others in increasing measure. And as we love others, we grow in the love of God and ourselves. No part of the triangle can be neglected for love to be complete in our lives.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39).

Blessings,

Come visit us at warrenfamilylife.com

Faith is not believing that God exists--even the demons believe that--but it is believing that God is good toward us (James 2:19). "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). Did you skip over the last phrase? That is to believe that God is good is an absolute requirement of faith.

If I said to my friend, "I believe in you." It wouldn't mean that I believe she exists but that I trust her and know I can rely on her. It is the same with God. We can rely on Him. By His own blood He has made you acceptable, lovable, and forgivable--He will never let you down. Knowing that at the deepest level of your being is faith. And you don't need much of it. God says that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed we can say to the mountains in our lives, "Move from here to there," and they will will move (Matthew 17:20).

A mustard seed is about the size of a sesame seed.
Mountains are BIG.

I realize I'm stating the obvious here. I tried to find a picture that conveyed the majesty of a mountain but no pictures can do it. Imagine trying to move a mountain with a shovel. How long would it take? Could you do it in a lifetime? Doubtful, that is, unless you count "Pinnacle Mountain" here in Arkansas. I have included a picture of Pinnacle in all it's "grandeur." Yep, that's it, the little bump way in the back. Now I love Arkansas with all my heart, but folks, I'm from Colorado and this is not a mountain. But I digress.

All we need is a tiny seed of faith in God's goodness and His desire to see our mountain (big or small) moved on our behalf. Doesn't that take a load off your shoulders? A mustard seed. We can speak to that obstacle and move it out of our lives. A mustard seed breathes the power of God into your life!

The last few blogs have been about the futility of our own power and the reliability of God's. We bring that power (the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead) into time and space with faith. And faith comes by hearing the Word of God. So put the Word around you. I'm suggesting you even get PostIt notes and put them in the places you see each day: the bathroom mirror; the refrigerator; the back door; your wallet. And begin the process of building your faith. Find Scriptures like:

Goodness and mercy are following me today! (Psalm 23:6)
I am more than a conqueror! (Romans 8:37)
I can do all things through Christ! (Philippians 4:13)
When I am weak, He is strong! (2 Corinthians 12:9)
God's favor is surrounding me like a shield! (Psalm 5:12)

and say them aloud. Allow these verses to breathe greater faith in God's good intentions into your soul, one tiny seed at a time, and begin moving the mountains in your life.

Blessings,

Come visit us at warrenfamilylife.com

Do you ever get a sinking feeling when you think about God's will? Do you assume it will be contrary to your own?

The Bible says God's will is "good, pleasing and perfect"? (Romans 12:2 b) That means good, pleasing and perfect not just to God, but to us.

Clearly, there are times when things don't go our way, that is, in our human understanding. But if we could be where God is, and see what He sees, I truly believe that we would choose for ourselves even the worst trials that come into our lives. That's because their purpose is big ... huge ... grander than we could imagine! (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Yet it is more important to realize God's tender heart. Everything that He wants us to do, everything that comes our way, has first gone through his filter of love. He absolutely desires what is good, pleasing and perfect to come about in our lives. (Psalm 27:13-14) There is nothing to fear about God's will.



www.warrenfamilylife.com

Thank you for sharing the precious gift of your time in reading these thoughts and ramblings that are often hard come by but rarely wasted. This blog has grown quite a bit in its short existence, and it is only thanks to you my friend. =)

I have no way to show my appreciation; instead let me share this simple paraphrase of an ancient blessing, especially for you this Thanksgiving:

May the Holy Spirit bless you, watch you, guard, and keep you;

May our our Papa God make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious, kind, merciful to you, giving favor to you in all you do.

And may our glorious Brother-Lord Jesus Christ lift up His approving countenance upon you and give you peace tranquility of heart and life continually (Numbers 6).

Much love,

www.warrenfamilylife.com

November 9, 1999 ... I felt like it was the most cruel and unfair thing that had ever happened to me, like God had betrayed me. I just realized tonight, that at that moment, I stopped believing in God's goodness and tenderness toward me. That's the exact moment when I stopped experiencing that vital, intimate love affair with my Papa God. That’s when my quiet times stopped being fulfilling. That’s when my mid-life crisis started: months of depression and disillusionment with life. And I have been disillusioned with God ever since. But I didn't know exactly why until tonight.

Tonight I reminded myself of the things that got me through the suffering when the arthritis was bad: that God would never, never, never let me, his precious child, go through something like this, except for a VERY IMPORTANT reason, a reason that I would even choose for myself if I knew what God knows. God had to do it; it was vital. But at the same time, He hated doing it. It caused Him more pain than it caused me, to let it happen. He cries with me. It rips His heart out.

Could you pray that God will re-establish the truth of his love, goodness, and tenderness toward me again deep in my heart? God has been my Lover, my Husband, my Brother, my Papa--even the Eagle who gathers and shields me underneath its feathers. I can be strong if I know He loves me. But the flesh and the enemy can steal it away in a heartbeat. I want that relationship back with Him.

October 20, 2008 ... Although I am past most of this now, I am still not experiencing the passion that I had with God before. I am in a season where He is showing me how to follow blind--to walk by faith instead of feeling.

Whenever I begin to question, I look at that old rugged cross. This amazing sacrifice that Christ made for me settles the matter of, "Does God really love me?" once and for all time.

Peace to you my dear friend,

www.warrenfamilylife.com

You will lose your baby teeth;
At times you'll lose your faith in Me.
You will lose a lot of things,
But you cannot lose my love.

You may lose your appetite,
Your guiding sense of wrong and right,
You may lose your will to fight,
But you cannot lose my love.

You will lose your confidence,
In times of trial your common sense,
You may lose your innocence,
But you cannot lose my love.

Many things can be misplaced,
Your very memories be erased,
No matter what the time or space,
You cannot lose my love.

You cannot lose...
You cannot lose...
You cannot lose my love.

This is my one of my favorite songs by Sara Groves from her album, "All Right Here." I pray it is a blessing to you. (MP3 available at Amazon.com)

Peace to you,

Cyndi Warren
Come visit us at www.warrenfamilylife.com

When I draw life and meaning from any source other than my belovedness, I am spiritually dead. ... "Who am I?" asked Merton, and he responded, "I am one loved by Christ." This is the foundation of [true self-esteem].

The indispensable condition for developing and maintaining the awareness of our belovedness is time alone with God. In solitude we tune out the nay-saying whispers of our worthlessness and sink down into the mystsery of our true self [the Beloved].

Our longing to know who we really are [is found] in God's relentless tenderness for us. ... Do you honestly believe that God loves you, not just loves you because theologically God has to love you? If you could answer with gut-level honesty, "Oh, yes, my Abba is very fond of me," you would experience a serene compassion for yourself that approximates the meaning of tenderness.

The first time I read this, I trembled inside. The words sounded too good to be true. It took six months, sick and flat on my back, of reading that book over and over and over for the knowledge that God loves me to sink down from my head into my heart. I pray that something in this post will touch you at your deepest point of need and speak God's love into your very being.

Blessings,

www.warrenfamilylife.com