Hold me together

Colossians 1:17 "He is before all things and in him all things are hold together."

I love to read about the apostle Paul.......what an amazing man he was. As I opened Colossians this morning and turned to Chapter 1, the Lord began to reveal some neat things to me. What I just love about scripture is the fact that you can read it once, and totally miss something but then when it is "time", the Lord will show you just what you need and you're like "OH MY GOODNESS, I never knew!!" The first thing that I just LOVED about Chapter 1 was this, verse one says, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother." An apostle by the will of God........that's something to really soak in.

I have this great commentary and it says this, "To a people whom he had not met, Paul identifies himself as an apostle "by the will of God." He writes not as a self-appointed teacher but as on specially chosen of God."...........That's an amazing concept and when you really start to think about it, it's our lives too! I did not choose the gifts God has given me. I can't tell you how much I wish the Lord had given me an American Idol voice! I have an ok church choir voice......but no American Idol one! =) Through this scripture I can see that Paul clearly identified that anything that came from him......wasn't from "him".

As I read through more of Chapter 1, I begin to see more and more things to come to my attention. Paul is asking for three petitions to God, 1. That they will have real God-given wisdom........oh how this is a prayer of mine! I am definitely NO bible scholar, and it doesn't come easy or natural to me to understand and break scriptures down, I have to do it ONE BY ONE. 2. The second petition is that they would live a life worth living, bearing fruit and spreading God's word all around, that everything they did would produce "good things"........oh how I want that for my girls........3. The third thing Paul asks God for is spiritual strength, I see words like "endurance" "rescued" and "redemption". Oh how much I need those gifts in my life today.

Pressing on through verses 16-17..........I see here that Paul clearly once again give credit where credit is due! God has existed before ALL things, He's always been there! Nothing is "new" to him! All authority is under God according to this scripture and He rules over everything! But my favorite verse through this is verse17......"He is before all things and in him all things hold together." I take from this verse that God knows what is ahead of me even today...........He holds it all in His hands and it will only be by Him that anything great come from my day.

As Dr.Brown shared with us yesterday, God gives us all the same 24 hours in a day. What am I going to do with my time to make it worth something? Today is hard since I'm home with lot's of kids again, but, I can look at it different ways. I can look at it as time to spend in prayer over these children, even if they are not my own, I still am called to love them and pray for them. The Lord has set this day before me and I can sense the attack that began yesterday in my mind. But, I'm ready today, I'm armed with God's promises to me..........to me........ today. He is what will hold me together through all of my frustrations of life. He is who called me to share my heart.......his heart.

Yesterday was just a pretty rotten day. It was Kris's birthday, Happy Birthday honey! And that's not why it was rotten.........goodness no. But I knew as I posted that last post that it would "be on" with the enemy as soon as I put it into words. I didn't get the reaction I had hoped for from some people and that's ok.......God's working on that in my life. I'm such a people pleaser, and that has got to stop. But as I was in church yesterday, I had a lot of doubts come into my mind.......like "they are never going to think differently of you" and "what about so in so, she sure doesn't like you". UGH.........I'm ok today though, I will press on and hold my head high. I do not live in shame anymore and I have overcome this! I just have to kick my head sometimes and say, "NICKI NO MORE, BEEN THERE, OVERCOME THAT."

Well, I'm off..........to start the race of the day! At least I'm prayed up and scriptured up today! I can tell I'm going to need it! Praying for each of you on my heart today.....you know who you are. I love you all and thank you for reading each day. I treasure your comments and encouragement!!! Have a blessed day!

Walking by faith and never by sight,
~Nicki