Have I Done my Best for Jesus ~

Do you ever find yourself while all alone, quietly reflecting 

over your past days of walking with the Lord

and wondering...have I really done my best for Jesus?

I do...a lot... because the desire of my heart is to live my life following hard after God.

I love to look back and ponder on life, the good and the bad,

because I believe I can learn from all my past experiences.
There's no better time than now with the New Year here
to look back and reflect on how I have lived my life throughout 2018.
One of my favorite hymns is ~
"Have I done my best for Jesus", the lyrics have a way of speaking
right to my heart about my walk with the Lord.  

~ ~ ♡ ~ ♡ ~ ♡ ~ ~

~ Have I Done my best for Jesus ~

"I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus,
Who died upon the cruel tree? To think of His great sacrifice at Calvary!
I know my Lord expects the best of me."

Jesus paid the price and was crucified for my salvation.
Am I sharing with others of what Christ has done for me?
"For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast"
~ Ephesians 2: 8 & 9 ~

"The hours that I have wasted are so many,
The hours I've spent for Christ so few;
Because of all my lack of love for Jesus,
I wonder if His heart is breaking too."

I often ponder on the hours in a day that God affords me,
am I using them wisely for the Kingdom of Heaven?
Do I go about my daily life, moment by moment
loving Him, serving Him, worshiping Him, praising Him, honoring Him?

"I wonder have I cared enough for others,
Or have I let them die alone? 
I might have helped a wanderer to the Savior,
The seed of precious Life I might have sown."

Do I see the need that surrounds me and faithfully plant the seed of salvation?
Am I sharing the love of Christ to a lost and hurting world? 
Do I care enough to put into action what I know to be true of God's Word
to the benefit of others?

No longer will I stay in the valley, I'll climb the mountain heights above,
The world is dying now for want of someone 
to tell them of the Savior's matchless love."

"How many are the lost that I have lifted?
How many are the chained I've helped to set free?
I wonder have I done my best for Jesus,
when He has done so much for me."

God has supplied a divine formula for rescuing His people who are lost in their sin ~
  His rich mercy ~ Psalm 103:8-12
His great Love ~John 3:16 ~ Romans 5:8 ~ 1 John 4:9
His Grace ~ 1 Timothy 1:13-14 
And all these combined produce a Free Gift ~ Romans 6:23
Received through Faith ~ Romans 10:17

As a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, my desire is to be found faithful
to God the Father, to Christ who redeemed me,
to the Holy Spirit who equips me, to the Word of God,
which instructs me, convicts me, and sharpens me,
so that I can do my best for Jesus.
"For the Love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge,
that if one dies for all, then were all dead; ... that they which live
should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him
which died for them, and rose again."
~ 2 Corinthians 5: 14 & 15 ~
I would be deceiving myself and frustrating the grace of God (Galatians 2: 21)
if I believed I could earn my salvation through doing good works.
What I do for the Lord is out of love and gratitude 
to the Lord Jesus for saving me.

"Go to bed seasonably, and rise early. 
redeem your precious time: Pick up the fragments of it,
that not one moment of it may be lost.
Be much in secret prayer, converse less with man, and more with God."
~ George Whitefield ~ 

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 George Whitefield said it well ~
May we rise early and begin our day redeeming the time
that we have been given so that not one moment may be lost
as we live out our days to the glory of God.
With a New Year ahead of us may we be found faithful
in our prayer life, in our worship time alone in the presence of our Holy God, 
in our moment by moment walk with God
as we are guided and directed of the Holy Spirit.
I am looking to do my best for Jesus, as I daily choose to walk in His perfect ways.
May this New Year find us doing our best for the Kingdom of God.

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Precious Heavenly Father, 
We seek Thee, but we will only find Thee
when we have sought Thee with our whole heart and mind.
We turn to the Holy Spirit, our guide and teacher.
May our hearts yield to Your work with joy unspeakable.

To God be the Glory!
~ Debbie ~

In Your Heart, Ponder

Hello my precious friends!

I would like to extend Christmas blessings

to those of you that have followed along so faithfully

 from the beginning of my blog,

and to those of you who are new friends welcome!

 Thank you for your sweet visits and becoming
a graceful follower.
We have a beautiful community in our world of blogging,
and each one of you have become dear
and precious to my heart.
Merry Christmas and may the New Year bring you
closer to our Saviors heart as He draws us
unto Himself  for that sweet, sweet fellowship
in our relationship with Him.

Over the past few weeks I have found myself
thinking on Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Jesus, the Savior of the world...
My Precious Lord and Savior.
You can read about the birth of Jesus in (Luke 2:1-21)
but it is verse 19 that causes me to think on Mary.
"But Mary kept (treasured) all these things
and pondered them in her heart."
As a mother myself, I can't help but think of what it was like for Mary...
So young and yet a willing servant, obediently saying yes to God.
Becoming impregnated and yet not married,
can't you just hear the tongues wagging
among the village people?
How she must have felt
 knowing she was carrying the God Child within her womb.

Having to travel on the back of a donkey
during the last stages of her pregnancy,
I can't imagine the discomfort she endured.
Giving birth in a stable because there was no room in the Inn.
Being surrounded by the shepherds, wise men and angels.
Glory in the Highest!
No wonder Mary "pondered" all these things.

After Jesus was born, Mary finally had time to ponder on
all the events that resulted in her being a mother.
To ponder means "to reflect on, to consider carefully."
Mary took time to be quiet and think deeply
about what God had been doing in her life
and her body over the last nine months,
and maybe even since she was old enough to know God.
Certainly Mary thought about the wonder of it all.

With the New Year approaching quickly
and the old coming to a close
I have found myself pondering on my own life and
the experiences that have shaped my character and life.
How God brought me to Himself,
and the people God used to bless, teach and guide me
throughout the days of my life.
I have pondered on how God prepared me for
the trials I have faced
and how He has used those trials to bless me.
And I look within my own heart and ask myself the question;
'Am I fulfilling God's purpose in my life?'

I've pondered what it means to be a child of the King.
How thankful I am that I accepted the "Gift" of salvation
many years ago, and have purposed in my heart 
to live my life pleasing to the Lord,
though I have failed many times.
Praise God for His forgiveness, grace and mercy.
I have pondered on what God might want to change in my character.
Am I willing to allow Him to transform me
into the likeness of Himself to a greater degree,
 though it means skimming off the dross
so I may come forth as gold.
I've pondered my relationship with Him,
is it all that He desires for it to be?
I've pondered on my "spiritual bucket list."
What would I like to do in my remaining years for God's kingdom
and for His glory in the days ahead, should the Lord tarry?
Maybe God has a new door opening where I may serve him,
someone that I might pour my life into spiritually,
or come along side to help in time of need.
Oh there are so many needs out there.
Much to ponder on, that is for sure.


***~~~***

  My prayer is that we would all enter into the presence of the Lord
and not allow the noise and business
of this time of year (or all year for that matter) to drown out the Savior.
As we hear the glad tidings of the Christmas message,
may we each hold our hands out to receive
the Christ Child and ALL that He brings.
May the costly gift of Jesus fill all the longings
and desires of our hearts as we ponder on the years past
and look with eagerness to all that God has for our future days.


***~~~***

Heavenly Father, 
may we all look with anticipation, enthusiasm and hope
for the days ahead, that we might obediently say yes to
all that You desire of us, for Your kingdom and Your glory.
We love you Lord, and we lift our hearts to You
with all praise and glory, forever and ever.
Amen.

To God be all Glory!
~ Debbie ~