Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

The Big Six-O Noooooo!

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This is a milestone year for me. I will turn sixty on July 21!

SIXTY.

The Big Six Ohhhhh Nooooo!

Really? When did that happen? It’s hard for me to imagine, since in my heart I still feel like a little girl. A little girl with grandkids. A little girl with a granddaughter who is taller than she is. Why, wasn’t it just yesterday that I was twenty-four?

For the most part, turning sixty hasn’t bothered me. Maybe it’s because I don’t think about it much. When I do, one of the things  that comes to mind is that my parents lived into their mid-eighties. If the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, then I estimate I have about 25 good years left. When I was twenty-four, that would have felt like eternity.

Now, it’s a mist, a vapor.

 

I have to remind myself of God’s truth for these last years of my life: God created me. He has a plan and a purpose for my life. And it isn’t sitting and rocking on the front porch, waiting to go to heaven. He still has work for me here on earth.

Are you getting up in years also? Do you think you won’t have the stamina or the energy to do His work? Here are some scriptures to remind us that even if we don’t feel capable, our great God is able!

I will be the same until your old age, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; Isaiah 46:4 (HCSB)

Praise You, Lord God! You will carry me! 

Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. Psalm 92:14 (NLT)

There is work to be done! If we are willing, God is able, and we will continue to bear fruit for Him!

Even when I am old and gray, O God, do not abandon me, until I tell the next generation about Your strength, and those coming after me about Your power. Psalm 71:18 (NET)

Here is what we have been commissioned to do: Tell the next generation about our God, His strength and power, and all He has done for us!

And if those truths aren’t enough to encourage you, consider this: Moses was 80, and Aaron was 83, when they spoke to Pharaoh on behalf of the Hebrews (Exodus 7:6-7)!

“You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream.” C.S. Lewis

So, go on now. Get those dry, old bones up and moving. There’s work to be done; callings to be fulfilled; and purposes to pursue.

Grace be with you,

Taking What God Has Given

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“Oh, I couldn’t possibly take that, but thank you for thinking of me!”

“Why not? It’s my gift to you. I want to give it to you. Take it!”

“No, I just couldn’t…”

Have you ever had this conversation with someone? Their generosity toward you is overwhelming. You don’t feel entitled to the gift they are giving.

Imagine if Joshua and the people of Israel responded to God that way, before they crossed the Jordan.

“Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.” Joshua 1:2-3 NASB

“Oh, Lord God, no, really…we can’t take ALL that land! It’s too much!”

“But, I’ve told you over and over (Genesis 15:18, Numbers 33:53, Deuteronomy 11:24, Joshua 1:2-3)…I’m GIVING you the land. Take it!”

There are so many reasons we don’t take the land God has given us. We’re afraid, so we tell Him “No”; there’s a trust issue, and we don’t think we heard Him correctly. But if we’ve discerned through prayer, His word and Godly counsel, that He has indeed given the land, then we need to take it!

It took years before I freely admitted that I was a writer. God wants ME to write? Why? I love it but how could He possibly use my simple words? I know many fellow writers who have had the same thoughts.

Is there land you haven’t taken? Perhaps you’re an author who hasn’t penned the book the Lord laid on your heart; did God open a door for you that you didn’t walk through; did you turn down the ministry or committee position that you felt God had just for you? Why didn’t you take the land?

Let’s think about what happens when we don’t take the land.

We will have missed a God-given opportunity to use our gifts for God’s glory. There are people in our sphere of influence who need what we have to give. God has given us this particular land for a reason. He has a purpose and a plan for us. We may not see the full picture this side of heaven, but trust that He has a plan for us.

If we don’t take the land God has given, those opportunities will float right by us. We may begin drifting through our days with no real sense of purpose. Add to that, the regret we will have and the “what if” questions we will ask and wonder about.

Now, what happens when we do take the land God has given us?
• God promises not to abandon us (Joshua 1:5)
• God promises to be with us wherever we go (Joshua 1:9)

There may be battles, but God has promised He has given the land. He will fight for us. God is on our side. He won’t leave or forsake us. He just asks for our obedience. (Deuteronomy 28:1-2)

Now go – take the land!

Grace be with you,