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hold nothing back

01 Thursday Aug 2013

Tags

christian living, christian women, expensive perfume, God, Jesus, living faith, living for God, perfume

Today’s guest post is by a wonderful woman of God, Deena Smeltzer.pastors_edit2

Tony & I passed the pastor baton of Living Faith Church to Deena and her husband Steven in November 2012. They are doing an awesome job taking Living Faith to the next level and reaching into the community. You can check out the church at: Living Faith Church

I know Deena’s article will bless you!

Hold Nothing Back By: Deena Smeltzer

One of the most expensive perfumes in our world today is Les Larmes Sacrees de Thebes by Baccarat: selling at $6,800.00 an ounce.

perfumeThe Baccarat crystal pyramid bottle contains a perfume of which the main ingredients are frankincense and myrrh.

If I owned this perfume I most likely would use it very sparingly, and probably only on special occasions; I wouldn’t want to “waste” it. However, I’d like to think I would have no hesitation in pouring it on Jesus’ head should I have the opportunity.

I like to believe that I would pour it all out and hold nothing back, just as He did for me, but would I? Would you?

Ladies of Living Faith get together for what we call “Women of Substance”. Together we search God’s Word to see what it says to us regarding being determined, influential women. We know that substance is what we have, what we possess. It also means who we are and what we are made of. Recently we studied a woman who poured costly perfume on Jesus and a widow who gave two small coins; two seemingly very different accounts, and yet oh so relevant to one another.

In Matthew 26 the word precious describes the perfume, and it meant very valuable.  It says she poured it on His head; she didn’t just dribble a little bit, she poured it! You could say she held nothing back!

In Mark chapter 14 the oil was extremely expensive, costly. We learn even more about its value by the rest of what is said. It could be sold for three hundred pence: one of these Roman coins was equal to ten donkeys which was valued at one day’s labor.

This perfume was worth ten donkeys times three hundred! So this perfume she poured on Jesus was valued at approximately one year’s labor. The disciples considered it a waste. Yet the act of love she displayed was so valuable to Jesus that He said wherever the gospel is preached throughout the entire world she would be spoken of.

Jesus observed a woman giving an offering in Mark 12: 41-44. It says He observed how the people cast money into the treasury. A poor widow threw in two mites; studies say this valued at the fourth part of a donkey. We see here that the amount she put in was much less than the perfume was valued at, and yet Jesus said it was much more than all the rich people had put in combined. How could that be? Jesus said they cast in of their excess, or that which was left over; but the widow gave her entire life’s value, all that she had. We could say she held nothing back.

One woman had something of great monetary value, one did not. Yet we see that Jesus esteemed them both as priceless. What is it that we esteem as valuable and precious? What is it that we have that we can pour out for Jesus?

In Acts 3, Peter declares he didn’t have any silver or gold to give a lame man begging for money. Peter extended something to him that was much more valuable. Peter took him by the hand, lifted him up and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

Are we willing to give the most valuable possession we own, or the very last cent we have? Are we willing to step out of our comfort zone and extend our hand to someone that can’t stand on their own two feet? Jesus, in Matthew 28 told us to go and baptize, or we could say drench all people in the Name, the nature and character of God. Selfless giving, holding nothing back is exactly how we do just that.

Jesus purchased us with His own blood, He held nothing back. Being set apart as His possession is to be completely at His disposal. Are we willing to pour out our very essence for Jesus? All for Jesus, we freely give. All for Jesus, we freely live.

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Posted by Maria Costadini | Filed under guest posts

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wisdom, patience & nevertheless

07 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by Maria Costadini in guest posts

≈ 2 Comments

tina002rrcToday’s post is by a good friend of mine Tina Marino. Tina has a HUGE heart for the homeless and founded The Encouragement Center; a ministry that helps feed those in need of North San Diego County, CA. You can check out her blog: Faith Mamma; where Tina encourages us to keep the faith.

I know this post will minister to you as Tina shares from her heart!

Wisdom, Patience & Nevertheless   By: Tina Marino

I am sure you know that no matter how long you’ve been walking with the Lord, no matter how much Word you have deposited in you, no matter how you “walk the talk and talk the walk”, no matter how much you’ve got this “faith thing” down, there comes a time when it just doesn’t seem to be working. Circumstances get you waylaid. Cares of this world come crashing down. The thing you are standing in faith for doesn’t come to pass. Things go from bad to worse, no matter your faith stand.  You are left questioning, “Why, God, why? Why isn’t it working?”

why God why

First off, I will say:  You are NOT alone! It happens to the best of us, even preachers and ministers of the Word.

The first thing you do is ask, “What did I do wrong?” or “I don’t understand it; I did all I knew to do. Why didn’t it work for me?” and “Why didn’t I get the victory that the Word promises me?”

There is no other way to say it: You didn’t know all you needed to know! Plain and simple. After over twenty-five years in the Lord and in His Word, I can truthfully say that the more I learn, the more I realize I need to learn. I just don’t know it all. Neither do you!

So, what do we do when we are at this point of seeming failure, of deferred hope that makes the heart sick? We need wisdom. Obviously, God is not wrong, so we are missing it somehow. We must ask for wisdom.

Proverb 4:7 NKJV

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

Fortunately, God has made us a promise: If we ask for wisdom He will give us wisdom!

James 1:5 NLT

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

How do you ask for this wisdom? Well, first you must spend time with the Lord. It is in this precious time with Him that He will speak to your heart. He will reveal tidbits to you, little instructions along the way: talk to this person….give to that man….call this businessman….forgive your dad….give up that bad habit, etc. None of these actions seem really significant in and of themselves, but as you do as He leads, you will see that the way toward answered prayer becomes uncluttered.

Second, you must remember that faith and patience are twins. I know, I know, youpatience grid don’t want to hear about patience! I hate anything that has to do with being patient (waiting in lines and bad traffic just about do me in). While we are really good about standing in faith, we seem to forget that it is through faith AND patience that we inherit the promises of God. (Hebrews 6:12). We need to let patience have its perfect work. When faith begins to waver, our patience will come to our aid and undergird our faith, if we let it.

Third, we must develop what I call the “Nevertheless Stance”. Whatever God tells us to do, whether we understand it or not, whether we like it or not, whether it makes sense to us or not, we must pull a Nike and “Just Do It”. It didn’t make any sense to Peter when Jesus told him to throw the net in after he had fished all night in vain. But, he said, “Nevertheless, at Thy word I will do it.” (Luke 5:5) His reward was great. Get in the habit of saying, “I will do it because You say so, Lord.”

nevertheless

I will leave you with this quote from Vance Havner, Christian minister, 1901-1986:

“If you lack wisdom, get on your knees!”

Wisdom is the principal thing.

Patience is the key.

Nevertheless is the position we must take.

Keep the faith!

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dare to believe

16 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by Maria Costadini in guest posts

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

believe God, christian women, christianity, Jesus, resurrection

Today is a special day…. we have a guest post by my dear friend Amy Stoehr. I have known Amy for 16 years. Amy is the kind of friend that you can pour your heart out to and know that it goes no further; and what you have shared will not change her love for you or her opinion of you. She is a prayer warrior, an amazing wife and mother, a shepherd with a heart and love for people; and a true friend!

AmyAmy and her wonderful husband Matt have been the Senior Pastors of The River Family Church in Vista, CA, for 26 years.  Amy has a blog as well; she wrote a series on prayer that was awesome. You can check it out at Life Words by: Pastor Amy Stoehr.

Dare to Believe by: Amy Stoehr

Precious, beloved ones it’s a great day because Jesus is alive!

I love John 11:25. Remember when Martha and Mary were so distressed because their dear brother Lazarus had died? They were overwhelmed with grief, their strength depleted from sorrow. They were so disappointed in the circumstance and could only see the finality of death, even though the Lord of Life was standing right there with them!

Their minds were on the circumstance, not on Word of God, the One able to bring the dead to life again! Jesus said to them, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.  He who believes in Me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die Do you believe this?.” John 11:25

Jesus is the Resurrection! He is Alive! We must remember this every moment of our days. He lives in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Resurrection swallows up weakness, anxiety, sorrow, disappointment and even those things that are seemingly dead in our lives. Every temporary circumstance is subject to change because of the Resurrection!

Take a moment and ask God to reveal Himself to you as the Resurrection and the Life today. You will receive strength in Him.

What really strikes me about this verse today is the final four words. DO YOU BELIEVE THIS? And that is the question today. Do you really believe that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life for you and in you?

Martha’s response to Jesus reveals that she is hoping for a future Resurrection…. after Jesus tells her that her brother will rise again, she says that she knows he will rise on the last day, in the future.

Here is the truth for us…..Yes we have the hope of  the Resurrection in our future, but the Lord wants us to see Him as the Resurrection today, this moment! He wants us to believe that He is the Resurrection and the Life in our life now, in our circumstance now, in the stressful things…now, in our marriage now, in our family now, in our disappointments now, in His Church now, in our Nation now!

Meditate on this verse today and ask the Lord to reveal Himself to you as the Resurrection and Life this week. You will live life on a whole new level. He is the Resurrection and the Life……do you believe this??????

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Maria Costadini

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