Light-Hearted

"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.  And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.  For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.  Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.  And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight."  I John 3:18-22

Good morning, dear friends,

Life attacked last week...and the blog did not happen.  Sorry to leave you all hanging in the middle of my countdown to "Heart Day." I trust that everyone is enjoying their special day with the ones they love.

I spent my day in church, with the one I love the most, surrounded by some of those closest to my heart, and listening to my sweetheart proclaim God's love for me....

Today's "heart verse" is one of my favorite passages about the wonderful work that God does...in my heart!

For many years, even after becoming a Christian, I struggled with feelings of condemnation. I knew that God loved me, that God forgave me, but I was unwilling to forgive myself.  I knew myself, my past sins, my evil thoughts, my doubts, my self-loathing, all those things that Satan and my flesh would continually bring to mind, especially in the middle of the night.  I would beg God over and over for forgiveness for the same sins, never feeling the peace that comes from knowing my sins are truly forgiven.

My husband was the one that finally helped me to figure this one out.

We would have a disagreement.  I was in the wrong. I would apologize, and he would forgive me.  Later, still feeling guilty, I would go to him afterwards and ask for his forgiveness, a second time.

He would look at me blankly.  "I don't know what you're talking about."

I would remind him of the wrong I had done him.  He would shrug his shoulders and raise his hand innocently.  No clue to what I was referring.

I would become even more insistent, reminding him of the wrong I had done him.  

My husband gently reminded me that all was forgiven.  As far as he was concerned, my wrong to him never happened.  

I must confess, at first his attitude was a mystery to me.  I wanted to relive the wrong I had done, until I felt satisfied that all was right and forgiven.  My husband just wanted to move on in love.

Needless to say, my husband had the right attitude.

Sometimes, when we have disagreed, I would need a minute to cool off.  I would go away and then come back to apologize, but before I could open my mouth, my husband would say to me, "I forgive you."

I would get upset.  I needed closure.  I needed to make things right.  I needed to relive the moment, and then beg my husband for his forgiveness.  Nope.  He gave it freely, no strings attached.

It took some time for this attitude to work in my heart.  My husband was willing, at the very first, to forgive the wrongs that I had done him, no matter what they were or how often.  

I cannot tell you the impact that this has had on my life, on my marriage.  I learned so much about God, from my husband's willingness to forgive.

There is nothing more freeing, more comforting, more releasing, than KNOWING that my heart is clean, and that I am right before God.  

"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth..." God wants me to put action behind my words.  When I say, "I love you," I need to be able to show it with my works.  My love should be grounded in the truth that comes from knowing God and His Word.

"And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him."  God has given us so many beautiful promises in His Word that we can know that we are His children.  This knowledge should reassure us of our position as beloved children of a Perfect Heavenly Father.  

"For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things."  Those times when I am tempted to doubt of God's amazing love and forgiveness do not come from God.  They come from my own flesh, Satan's whispers, my own tendancy to trust my feelings instead of what God says in His Word.  When God forgives, it is finished.  He knows all things, and when He forgives, there is nothing left to confess, work out, beg or plead for.  It is forgiven.

"Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God." Is there anything more comforting, and reassuring, than knowing that our sins are forgiven, that there is NOTHING standing between us and our Lord?

"And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight."  Just like a beloved child can come to his parents at any moment and ask, so I can come to God and ask my requests.  There is nothing between me and God, as long as I follow His commandments and do what is pleasing in God's sight.

Now there is a freedom from worry, or guilt.  Nothing between me and my Creator.  Forgiveness.

That is a wonderful heart gift this Valentine's Day.  There is nothing more special than knowing that I am loved by God, and that makes my heart lighter than air.

And you, do you know this forgiveness?  May the Lord help us all today to recognize the release that comes from the Lord forgiving all our sins.

There's my Heart: Children's Discovery Club

"Lay not up for yourselves trasures upon earth...but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...for where you trasure is, there will your heart be also..." Matthew 6:19-21

Good morning, dear friends,

It's been a while since I shared updates from our Children's Discovery Club, and there have been many goings-on.  Let's try to catch up and share the latest news!

December Clubs

If your month of December was anything like ours, it was busy! Every year Christmas gives us many opportunities to share the good news of God's coming to earth with those around us.  Our children's clubs were no exception!

Our first club in December, taught by our coworker Damaris, was all about Jesus's coming, taught through the message of...the candy cane!  The children really enjoyed...

...our candy cane cake...

...and our craft time!  Damaris led the kids in making a candy cane Christmas ornament with the message of the candy cane attached to it.  No red pony beads here, so Damaris dyed some wooden ones with Koolaid!  Smelled nice, too!

During the Christmas season, the children practice for a Christmas program to which we invite the parents.  We were thankful for the families that came and saw firsthand what our children's clubs are like!  One mom came early and stayed for the lesson time.  Our children always practice and perform well.  This year we gave them a song to learn in English!  (C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S)

Thankful to share the good news with these children at Christmastime!

January and February

We had some "false starts" to our club this year after the holidays, but we're back in the saddle now!

In January, it is traditional to eat a "king's cake" for Epiphany, and our club happened to fall very close to that day, so of course we had to celebrate!  A tiny porcelaine figurine is baked into the cake.  The cake is cut in its entirety and all of the pieces are distributed, usually by the youngest child present (who picks the person receiving each piece randomly.)  The one who finds the figure is crowned the "king" of the day, and gets to pick his queen.  Two cakes = two kings and queens, and some happy kids.  (The cakes are delicious, too!)

Fast forward to February...For the first time in many weeks, "all" of our kids were there.  Here's a picture of the group, on our very crowded living room couch:

We are continuing our travels with Christian in Pilgrim's Progress.  After reviewing Christian's progress in January, we climbed the Hill of Difficulty to reach the Beautiful Palace and receive our armour.  We learned that God is very near in times of troubles (He even told us ahead of time that there would be troubles in this life!) and He gives His armour to protect us and help us.

The heart verse at the top of the blog for today reminds me of why I am here in France!  These children are our "treasures," and yours as well!  Thank you for investing in the ministry here with us in France!  This is treasure abounding to your account in heaven!  Thanks for "paying it forward!"

See you in a few weeks for our next club!

Heart Searching

"Search me, o God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24

Good morning, dear friends,

I love my children, but they can't find anything.

I'm sure I'm not alone.  Please tell me, I'm not alone.

Where's your backpack?  Your shoes?  Your homework?  My sanity?

(Sorry, that last one went a long time ago.)

To their credit, my children are getting better.  Mainly because I don't give in anymore.  If you can't find it, I did not eat it.  Sorry, keep looking.

I think I could hide an elephant in their bedrooms, and ask them to find it, only to be greeted by blank stares when I help them look.  "Oh, that elephant..."

Sigh.

When God goes looking, however....

...He finds.

I can't hide the elephant from Him.  I can't hide anything from Him.

"Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?" Psalm 139:7

Am I ready to pray this prayer?

"Search me, o God..." Examine thoroughly, inspect, with the intent of finding out...

"and know my heart..." Become acquainted with, very personally...

"try me..." Test, scrutinize...

"and know my thoughts..." Everything that I am, even the thoughts that I think that I don't even know about or understand, are as an open book to the Lord.

The Lord already knows all of this, but by praying this prayer, I want  Him to know.  I want  Him to examine, to test, to become acquainted with my thoughts and my heart's attitude.  Nothing to hide, nothing to keep back, but everything surrendered fully to Him.

Wow.

Now that's a prayer for today.  May the Lord help me to clean out the sin that clutters up my heart, and allow myself to be scruntinized by God today.

I wonder, what He will find...

February Blessings and Burdens

CAREY & SUSAN ABBETT

Serving CHRIST in FRANCE

Field Address: 1 rue du Traité de Boves * 80440 Boves* France* csabbett@msn.com

Home Address: Baptist International Missions, Inc.*PO Box 9* Harrison, TN 37341 *(423)344-5050

www.susanabbett4france.blogspot.fr

 February, 2016

Dear Co-laborers and friends,

You may not realize this, but writing a prayer letter is not as easy as it may seem.  There are times when I can’t wait to share a particular news with you (such as the salvation of the little boy in our December letter).  Other times deciding what to share in a positive way is a challenge.  Then again, on other occasions my heart is heavy and do not feel like writing – not because I do not want to share with you what is going on, but because I feel the need to share a news that is not pleasant – which is the case this time.

We have been asking you to pray for us and with us for many years now for this elderly lady we have been visiting and witnessing to almost on a weekly basis. Her name is René Lemarchand.  For those of you who follow Susan’s Blog (her blog’s address is in the letter head) you will already be aware that René has passed away in January. 

I would love to say that we know she accepted Christ before meeting Him face to face.  We do not have that assurance.  We don’t know whether she responded to the Gospel she received these past years, even perhaps in her final hours before passing away.  Only in Heaven will we know. 

This sadness does not discourage us, but it motivates us to keep witnessing and reaching to those we still can.  Our heart may be heavy and burdened, but that is a good thing.  We rely upon you to help us use the burden as a motivation to go out and share the Gospel.

We know you all have your own trials and burdens, which is why we are happy to take time to pray for you as well.  As I have said for many years now: we need strong churches in order to have strong missionaries.  We need faithful churches in order to help missionaries to remain faithful.  In the end, God is the only one who should receive any glory for what is done.

We continue to work with our coworkers and friends, the Dodeler family.  We thank the Lord for the good and strong connection we have between our two families.  Jeremie and I have been looking for a building that would be suitable for a meeting place.  Unfortunately, we have not found anything yet that would either meet the security requirements or meet our budget. I am assured the Lord knows our need and will give us what is best for His work. 

We thank you for your sacrifice and faithfulness!  You are very dear to us and we never cease to thank God for each one of you.

Servants of Christ,

Carey & Susan Abbett

Desires of my Heart

"Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Psalm 37:4

Good morning, dear friends,

Another "heart verse" for my countdown to Valentine's Day!  Hope you are enjoying them as much as I am!

If someone were to ask you what your "heart's desire" is, what would it be?

For some, it might be for a family member or friend to come to know the Lord.  For others, it might be a more stable job or financial situation.  For some, it might be a healed relationship with a loved one, or healing from a sickness or disease.

For some of us Moms, it might be five minutes alone in the bathroom without someone knocking on the door.

All of us have something that we long for, even if it never leaves our lips.  I know I have several for my family and friends and the work here in France.

But I think that too many times I am focused so much on the second part of this heart verse, that I overlook the first part.

The first seven verses of Psalm 37 contain a long list of commands, and cradled in the middle is the verse at the top of the blog.  What are some of the others?

"Fret not thyself because of evildoers..."

"Trust in the Lord, and do good..."

"Delight thyself also in the Lord..." 

"Commit thy way unto the Lord..."

"Trust also in Him..."

"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him..."

There is a common thread in these verses, but I don't think the focus is on me.  The focus is all on God. These verses speak to my heart, about my attitude toward the Lord.

Am I worked up, because I see wicked people prospering?  "Fret not..."

Do I trust in my own ways, or in the Lord's?  "Trust..."

Do I seek the Lord for my daily guidance?  "Commit thy way..."

Do I trust the Lord to be faithful in His promises? "Trust also in him..."

Am I impatient for the Lord to work?  "Rest in the Lord..."

Finally, there is the heart verse at the top of this blog: "Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart."

What is the command?  "Delight..."

Take exquisite pleasure in...

Love in a delicate way...

Enjoy closeness and priveleged company...

Perhaps that should be my focus, instead of "getting something from the Lord."

Maybe my heart needs to be fine tuned to the Lord in meaningful worship of Him.  In praise of His Person.  In loving trust and confidence in His Word and His Promises. In delighting in His company and making my requests known to Him.  In thanking Him for what He has already done and will continue to do in my life.

What if I made my number one desire, to know the Lord better?  To walk more closely with Him?  To know Him more personally?  To be more obedient to His ways?

May I place this desire above any other in my heart today.  May the circumstances of this day, "good" or "bad" not shake my resolve, to delight in my Lord.

Feasting on my Heart's Joy

"All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast." Proverbs 15:15

Good morning, dear friends,

I hate grocery shopping.

I know I shouldn't complain about this, since all I have to do is go to the store with my buggy, throw things in, and wheel my chosen items up to the register.  It's not like my grandparents' time, where people had to grow, can, kill and barter for what they needed.  

Grocery shopping in France takes on a life of its own.  Think Walmart, two days before Christmas, before going into the store on a Saturday.  I feel some days like I need a crash helmet and a driver's license on those days.  You can be standing in front of a selection of canned goods, reaching out for what you want, to have three other people reach right in front of you for the same thing.  (Am I not standing here?)  Nope.  I've learned to dodge and weave and squeeze past and keep going, without feeling like I need to apologize to the person I just breezed past.  

All that being said, I try to limit my forays to the grocery store.  I stock up once, maybe twice in the month for all the basics, and only go out for fresh items like salads and fruits.  (And send my hubby for those forgotten items in the store!)

How does that work?  We have a large chest freezer (courtesy of my mother-in-love when they moved to the US) and a small pantry in the basement.  All the canned goods, cereals, pastas and long-shelf life milk make it down to the basement.  My kids laugh at me as during the month, I can pretty much tell them what's left in there, at any given moment.  I have a wonderful storehouse, graciously provided by our sending churches that can feed us and our guests for the month.  

I was thinking about yesterday's heart verse as I was going about my day:

"A good man out of the good treasures of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Luke 6:45

As I mentioned, I can only get out of my heart, what I put into it.  Just like my basement pantry, if I store up correctly only "good things" in my heart, only good things will come out of it.  

And then I read today's heart verse:

"All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast." Proverbs 15:15

When I think of feasting, I think of International Dinners and Missions Banquets, of Homecoming Dinners and Fifth Sunday Fellowships.  You know the ones:  the fellowship hall or church basement with the tables spread out with every starchy goodness available, where every dish looks more tempting than the last.  Oh, my.  I think I gained weight just thinking about it.

That is how Solomon describes those that have a merry heart.  There is always a reason for rejoicing.  There is always a new blessing to be shared.  There is always something better than the last that the Lord has said or done.  There is always a new reason to be merry....

...if I take the time to store up the necessary ingredients in my heart.

A merry heart nourishes first and foremost...myself!  My burdens will be lighter, my heart strengthened, my step a little happier, if I will remember to rejoice in the Lord.  There are so many reasons to be happy in the Lord today, if I will take the time to remember them!  

It would be a shame to have a pantry full of food, and to eat leftovers for the month.  Or...Ramen noodles.

But having a merry heart does not only nourish me in my walk.  It affects everyone around me.

My family and friends and neighbors will eat well at my house this month, because of faithful supporters who give, and for my time spent in the grocery store.  My cabinets will bless my family with feasting, because of the good things stored up in my pantry.  I have been blessed, and now I can rejoice!

Rejoicing is contageous!  Just like good food, everyone wants to sample.  Everyone wants a taste, to see how good the feast is!

O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Psalm 34:8

May the Lord help me to remember...to rejoice!  May I remember to feast on the knowledge of all He has done for me, and let my praise be the fitting "thank you" for His blessings!

Let's all feast today on God's goodness to us!

An Abundant Heart

"A good man out of the good treasures of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Luke 6:45

Good morning, dear friends,

For my countdown to Valentine's Day, I have been thinking about my favorite heart verses.  I have not been trying to establish a pattern, but just thinking about the verses as they pop into my head.  I just love how all these "heart verses" come together.  The verse for today just so naturally flows together with yesterday's verse: 

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23

If my life flows from what is in my heart, it begs the question:  What is in my heart?

The Bible verse at the top of the blog reminds me:   whatever I have put in my heart, naturally will flow from it.  If it is "good," then that is what will come out.  If it is "bad," then that is what will come out.

Of course, I only want good to come out of my heart (and my mouth), so what is the "good" that I can put in?

God's Word:  "Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against God." (Psalm 119,11)

God's Joy: "Thou hast put gladness in my heart..." (Psalm 4:7)

God's Wisdom:  "Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding..." (Proverbs 14:33)

When all of these are at work in my life, won't my mouth speak about "good things?"  What about the last issue of the heart:

"Thou shat love the Lord thy God with all thine heart..." (Mark 12:30)

Wow!  Now there's a heart filled with good things!

The "treasure" that is mentioned in Luke 6:45 talks about a storehouse.  I store up God's Word, and joy, and wisdom and love and all the other good things that I can about God.  Then, when it comes time to withdraw something from the storehouse, it can only be good, because that is all I have "laid up."

As I go about my activities today, may I be carefully selecting what I put into my heart.  May I be careful to confess sin in my life, so that the good does not get shoved aside by what is bad.  May I meditate God's Word, renew my heart with Bible verses, songs, and any other good things, so that my mouth will speak only goodness today.

So, what's in my heart today?

Are You a Heart Keeper?

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23

Good morning, dear friends!

My countdown to Valentine's Day continues, and after yesterday's post, I couldn't help myself!  If God has gone to such great lengths to give me a "new heart," then obviously I need to do everything I can to keep it new, right?  That's why today's verse is such an important one for me:

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23

Keep...gives the idea of guarding something preciously.  It is the same word from which comes the watchers on the city walls who looked out for dangers, and cried out to warn others.

...thy heart...the center of my being, where everything that is important about me--my emotions, my will, my intellect--are kept.  It is also a root for caring for by keeping everything centered and in its place.  It is also very personal--"thy heart." I am responsible first and foremost for my own heart, and making sure it is centered on Christ.

...with all diligence...Diligence requires effort.  It will not just happen.  I must everyday put the desire there to protect my heart from the influences of this world.  This word is another word for guarding or protecting as well, so I must guard my heart by every means at my disposal, and then some!  There is nothing more important to be guarded today!

...for out of it...  What comes out of my heart?  Whatever I put into it!  How I must be careful to let God's Word and God's thoughts penetrate my heart!  Only if I am feeding my heart correctly will I be able to let out thoughts and feelings that are right with God!

...are the issues of life.  The word, "issues" speaks of a source, like a spring of water, and "life" of course is life!  Everyday living is a result of what "springs up" from my heart!  Just like the physical heart is what keeps me alive physically, my spiritual heart is what keeps me alive spiritually.  Is it any wonder that I am to guard it so preciously?

How do I guard my heart?  By keeping close watch of it!  Do I "coast" through a day, not paying much attention to my words, my thoughts, my actions?  Or am I constantly checking what I am doing in light of what I know about God and His Word?

Ouch.  Lots of work to do today.

Let's all be keepers of our hearts today, not letting anything get past the Lord's defenses.
  

Heart transplant

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26

Good morning, dear friends,

It's that time of year again:  February!  Hope you like the new look to the blog.  I can't seem to help myself, just thinking about Valentine's month again!  Yes, I am a hopeless romantic, and yes, we do Valentine's Day here in our house.  

For those of you thinking that I hold my husband hostage to romantic expectations, nothing could be further from the truth.  He shows me so much love each and every day, I don't look for special treatment on February 14th! And that's the way it should be!  I just love the fact that every year, people make special efforts to show their love to each other in creative ways.  

First and foremost on my mind this year, is showing my love for my God.

Last year in the blog I shared some of my favorite "love" verses, counting down to Valentine's Day.  This year, I wanted to focus on the "heart" of the matter.  The Bible has so much to share about my heart, that I wanted to share my heart with you...

One of my favorite passages about the heart is at the top of the blog:

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26

The very first heart transplant, ever recorded in the world.  God promises to give me a new heart.

The chapter surrounding this verse in Ezekiel is such an encouraging one.  God is promising the people of Israel that He will restore the nation, not because of anything that amazing that they had done, but in spite of their actions against God!  The reason that He restores the people of Israel is for His name's sake:

"Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went." Ezekiel 36::22

Then God explains how He will perform the transplant.  Notice all the "I wills":

"For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.  Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.   A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." Ezekiel 36:24-27

I love the image of God taking out my "heart of stone" and replacing it with a "heart of flesh." I was recently watching a video that explains how hearts for organ donation can be harvested from dead patients, and then be resuscitated by a machine to restore the heart back to its original condition, before being transplanted.  That is amazing to me!

What is even more amazing, is the work that God does in my own heart!  God takes me unresponsive, lifeless heart, dead in sin and lifeless toward Him, and replaces it with an active, vivbrant, perfect heart toward Him.  What a tremendous blessing, to have a heart transplant from my loving Father!

May God help me to remember this new heart that He has given me, and "open" my heart to sharing this good news with others today!