Your Servant is Listening

In I Samuel 3 is the story of Samuel who hears a voice and thinks it is Eli calling him. But Eli tells him, " Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening,'" The story goes on and God speaks and it is not an easy word for him to receive. There is a whole message in this chapter that could be preached but I will leave it for you to read and ponder. I have been thinking of all the times God has spoken to me at the beginning of the New Year. I always ask what is He saying for this coming year for me. Following are the years I have recorded. They all have scripture with them but I will not add them as it will be too lengthy.

• 1996 Feed on His Faithfulness - Love, Laugh, Trust and Pray
• 1997 Ruach - Be A Mary soaking in His Presence
• 1998 Release
• 1999 Guard the foundation
• 2000 Rest in the Lord
• 2001 Restoration - Restore to me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me by your glorious Spirit. The Message: Bring me back from gray exile. Put a fresh wind in my sails!
• 2002 Command ye Me
• 2003 Trust in Me in 2003
• 2004 Hear the sound
• 2005 ??
• 2006 Behold I will make you a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth. Thou shalt rejoice and glory in the Holy One of Israel.
• 2007 Whatever He says, do it - Let it be according to your Word.
• 2008 In Him I live and move and have my being.
• 2009 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

Listening for the Lord to speak each year has been very important and He has been faithful to me. I have journaled for years and looked back at the end of 2004 and beginning of 2005...a lot of things were happening that year and I evidently heard other voices....especially what was going on in the world and my personal life. The Tsunami hit on Dec 31, '04 and killed thousands and I was battling a very bad attack of asthma. I wonder how many times He tries to speak through the "stuff"and we do not realize it is Him.

I felt led to take this years scripture from the NIV translation. I normally use the New King James Version and most of my memorization is the King James Version. A new thing??? I wonder what it is!

Blessings

Merry Christmas

and

Blessings this New Year

His Love

His Grace

His Joy

His Presence

His Peace

His Healing

in deeper dimension for 2009

Poem - My Christmas List

My Christmas List is more

than just a way to keep track of

The special people God has brought

into my life to love.It's like a treasured scrapbook

filled with pleasant memories

Of all the times God's answered prayer

through friends and family.

Every name's a touchstone

that leads to a place and time.

Where God has used another's heart

to reach out and touch mine.

It may have happened years ago

or even yesterday,

But every person on my list

has changed my life some way.

Through simple conversation,

a warm hug or a shared meal,

Every person on my list

has helped me grow or heal,

Or laugh or love or learn or smile...

the blessings never end

As God allows our paths to cross

as family and friends.

So please know that this greeting

is more than a Christmas wish.

It's a "thank you" card to God

for putting on my list

Each and every one whose name

I've come to hold so dear...

Those who've shown me Christmas joy

each day of the year

written by Vickie J. Kuyper

I came across this poem and it says it so well. As I make out Christmas cards I like to write something that will touch the recipient. The memories come flooding back and what each one means to me and how they have written into my life something precious or sometimes things that were hard but made me to grow in Him. Blessings this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of a King.

Tangible and intangible Gifts

A couple of weeks ago I had this thought: Christmas is a time we search for that perfect tangible gift for those we love. The true gift is intangible and cannot be touched or explained.

The three wise men brought tangible gifts but in their heart there was an intangible joy that caused them to fall down and worship.

Matthew 2:10-11.

"The wise men came into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary...

they fell down...they worshipped...they opened their treasures, they

presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

The following poem reflects what intangible gifts to others may be not only this season but every day as we display the love of Christ and the unspeakable gift He has given to us. It is called

'Christmas gift Suggestions'

To your enemy, forgiveness

To an opponent, tolerance.

To a friend, your heart.

To a customer, service

To all, charity.

To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect.

written by O. Arnold

Wrap your tangible gift with the love of God and give to others that intangible gift that lasts forever. My prayer: Oh Lord may I ever be mindful of those who need your tender touch especially in this season of giving.