February 29, 2012

One last thing – Leave A Godly Legacy

Have you ever thought about your legacy? When you die, how would you want people to remember you?

Several years ago, we lost several of our friends to cancer. They were in their early-mid forties, WAY too early to leave their young families, but it made everyone aware of how precious life is and that it can be taken from us at any minute. As we attended those funerals, my husband and I talked about living every day with purpose and about the legacy we will one day leave behind.

As I wrapped up my study of Deuteronomy, I’m reminded of Moses’ legacy. While the Israelites mourned his death, they penned his eulogy:

“Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt–to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.” ~Deut 34:10-12

Pretty impressive, isn’t it? Notice there’s no mention of the sins of his youth, only the obedience of his mature years. Moses learned from his mistakes, followed God and left a legacy of faithfulness.

It’s never too late to start walking faithfully with God [Read more...]

Posted by Susan on February 29, 2012 | 9 Comments
February 22, 2012

One Last Thing – Blessings Follow Obedience

Photo Courtesy Dreamstime

“But I don’t WANT TO!” I spun around just in time to see the frustrated young mama snatch up her impudent toddler and whisk him out of the store. “Bless your heart,” I thought, “been there, done that.” Something that began as a simple request (“Put on your shoes”) turned into an out-and-out power struggle.

Parents want what’s best for their children, and we have certain standards so they can learn to be well behaved. But we constantly battle their selfish attitude of,

I want what I want when I want it!

Sadly, many adults live by the same creed and it’s created an egocentric society where every behavior is justified. There are no absolute standards, only what’s right for the individual. We term this thinking “post-modern” but there isn’t really anything modern about it since we see it in God’s warning to His children before they crossed into the Promised Land. [Read more...]

Posted by Susan on February 22, 2012 | 18 Comments
February 15, 2012

One Last Thing – Integrity & Your Testimony

When was the last time someone did something unexpectedly nice for you? I’m not talking about anything you may have received yesterday for Valentine’s Day. I mean some random-act-of-kindness that made your day?

One of mine came while I shopped for Christmas gifts last December. As I stood in the checkout line, I noticed the lady in front of me redeem a coupon she’d clipped from the newspaper.  I’m not a coupon-er but I do have a minor in math, so I quickly computed the $18 I’d saved if only I’d taken 20 seconds to rip off that corner. Grrr

The lady paid for her items and completed her transaction. Handing over the receipt, the sales clerk returned the coupon and explained that it could be used it again. Instead of pocketing it, [Read more...]

Posted by Susan on February 15, 2012 | 24 Comments
February 8, 2012

One Last Thing – You’re Different

“But MOM, everybody ELSE…”

I’ve heard it dozens of times; I’ve SAID it dozens of times. There’s something about being different that’s unsettling. When you’re different, people look at you and talk about you. They distance themselves from you. They might think you’re weird and tease you. Being different is hard.

When I was growing up, we moved several times because of my dad’s engineering career. I hated being the “new girl,” and the worst (and thankfully last) time was the year I entered junior high school. Being twelve and geeky and needing braces was bad enough, but what was especially awful was that I didn’t know anybody. My sister was still in elementary school, so I didn’t even have anybody to ride with on the school bus. On my own in a sea of strangers, all I wanted to do was blend in and not call attention to myself. [Read more...]

Posted by Susan on February 8, 2012 | 17 Comments
February 1, 2012

One Last Thing – Love God

“Come on, Asher, you can do it!” we urged my little nephew. Tiny toes gripped the edge of the pool as he bounced in anticipation of jumping into his daddy’s arms. “One… Two… Three!”

Are you bouncing in anticipation of anything today? Is there a wonderful opportunity in your future, like a new job (or retirement!) or college or a new hobby? Or could it be that you’re about to enter a trial, such as a loss or a health issue or maybe a responsibility you didn’t ask for?

Even if it’s only the start of a new day, we’re always on the brink of something. And that something, whether it’s a good or a bad thing, it’s designed by God to bring us closer to Him. But that’s easier said than done, because each has distractions.  [Read more...]

Posted by Susan on February 1, 2012 | 21 Comments
January 25, 2012

One Last Thing…

“One last thing before you go…”

A collective groan rose from the class as our professor assigned us an interminably long reading assignment for the weekend. “Seriously?” I muttered under my breath. I was looking forward to hanging out with my friends and going to the football game. The last thing I needed was a pile of work to do.

One last thing…  [Read more...]

Posted by Susan on January 25, 2012 | 10 Comments