Can it REALLY be this easy?

                   When It Is More Blessed To Receive

22 Apr

Luke 10:42 …Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

If Jesus comes to your home, what would you do? Would you ask Him to sit down and then start serving Him? Or would you sit down and start drawing from Him? Would you let Him serve you and fill you up?

Jesus walked into the home of two sisters, Martha and Mary. (Luke 10:38) Martha saw His weariness. She knew that Jesus had been walking for miles, going about doing good, healing the sick and meeting the people’s needs. Obviously, He must be tired, she thought, so she saw Him as someone she had to care for.

Mary, however, saw beyond Jesus’ external weariness into His divinity. She saw that He was someone she needed to draw from. And by doing that, she made Him feel like God—the Savior who had come to serve her and not to be served by her. (Matthew 20:28) Jesus even commended her for choosing the better portion!

Our human minds just find that hard to believe. Some people tell me, “But Pastor Prince, the Bible says that it is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) When it comes to man, that is true. But when it comes to God, He wants to give. In fact, unless you learn how to receive from God, you will have nothing to give to man.

Which sister gave Jesus the sweeter feast and filled Him up? Martha who was busy preparing food for Him? Or Mary who sat still and drew deeply from Him? It was Mary. She made Jesus feel a sense of His divine glory. She allowed Jesus to be the giver, to be God.

Like Martha, we always reverse the roles. We somehow think that God needs our service, but He actually wants to fill us first. Mary’s ears and heart were more precious to Jesus than Martha’s hands and feet.

We use our ears and hearts to draw from Jesus. We use our hands and feet to serve Him, and there is a place for that. But our sense and appreciation of God’s divine fullness is more precious to Him than all the service we can render Him. And when you draw from Him, you cannot help but become a great giver and server.

When newborn calves die!

 

 

Newest update: I just came in from chores to find the calf breathing it's last.  Jacob and I just hauled him out to the loader bucket and he is taking the body out to the dead hole. The end!

 

Update:  said baby calf froze 3 of his 4 feet so we brought him in the house and put a hot water bottle on his belly and rubbed him down and have a heater running nearby to help him warm up.  I put paste in his mouth.  I put 2 crushed aspirin, plus 12 drops of cayenne pepper, in the colostrum which Jacob and I just tube fed the little fella.  I put eucalyptus oil in his nose and on his feet.  I hugged him and blew him kisses and rubbed him dry on his head and prayed (not necessarily in that order) and am going to do some BodyTalk for him as I "Relax" in the tub.  PLEASE PRAY FOR RANCHERS AT THIS TIME OF YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!  Please pray for this little fellow to heal and to be able to walk and keep up with the herd all Summer!!! 

Happy Sabbath everyone!

We had been doing so well keeping up with all of the stresses of calving in blizzards when it happened.  In one day, meaning a 24 hour period, we lost 3 calves this week.  THREE cute, precious, darling baby calves in one day each which probably would have brought from $600 to $1100 next year.  That's HARD to swallow!!! 

I watched as people got down on themselves because maybe we should have gone out in the blizzards every half hour instead of every 2 hours DAY AND NIGHT!  Maybe we should have driven out in the big pasture in blinding blizzards to retrieve the baby from the snow bank of the idiot cow who just could not stay in the protection of the barn to deliver her precious bundle into the world. Maybe, MAYbe, MAYBE..................................................................................................

It's hard, when there is so much at risk, not to think constantly of checking the cows and getting them in the barn but this wears us down.  Last night I watched all 3 of our guys work nearly an hour to get ONE mama and baby in the barn and they put in 4.

Now it's just Jacob and I completely in charge for the next 2 days.  He has a cow who just had a calf out in the pasture which was laying flat out which usually means that they will die if not carried to a warmer location.  However, the mother was right by it and licking it and it was responding so we felt that it was best to leave them alone together. Of course we'll check in about an hour to see if it is up and nursing. Was that the right thing to do????????????? 

All of this wondering, especially when all of the pens in the barn are already filled with mamas and babies who needed to get out of the cold (and who almost killed some of us getting them there), is VERY stressful.  Now, if you know me at all, you know that the last thing I need for my health issues is stress!  This time of year, though, is the MOST stressful time of all as we struggle against the weather to keep those fragile little ones alive long enough to get up and start nursing.  Then they usually can take a bit more cold weather!

All this being said, I will share that Pastor Joseph Prince (www.josephprince.org) is SUCH a blessing to me.  Every morning I read his daily meditation on God's goodness to us and it picks up my spirits.  This morning is no exception so I share it with you with prayers that you, too, will use these concepts to help you overcome ALL challenges in your lives.

In the meantime, any prayers said for Jacob and I today and tomorrow would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Here's to nice, WARM weather

Dawn

PS  Jacob just came in to say that we need to get the calf in the kitchen to warm up.

                        Point To Jesus, Your Qualification

5 Apr

1 Corinthians 1:30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—

When the devil accuses us of having done wrong and tells us that we don’t deserve God’s blessings, what should we do? Well, the Lord showed me one day what we are to do. We are to point everything back to Jesus, who qualifies us for all of God’s blessings.

So when the devil says, “You are not righteous enough,” just look to Jesus and declare, “He is my righteousness!”

When the devil says, “You are not holy enough,” just look to Jesus and declare, “He is my sanctification!”

When the devil says, “You don’t deserve to be healed,” just look to Jesus and declare, “By His stripes I am healed!”

When the devil says, “You don’t qualify for the blessing,” just look to Jesus and declare, “He is my qualification!”

Each time you point everything back to Jesus, the devil has nothing to say because Jesus qualifies you for all of God’s blessings. In and of yourself, you do not qualify. Without Christ, there is nothing good in you which can qualify you.

But with Christ, your disqualification becomes your qualification for the undeserved, unearned and unmerited blessings of God. And because God puts your life in Christ (Colossians 3:3), who is the all-deserving one, you become all-deserving. Because you are in Christ, you are qualified.

Jesus qualifies you because He died for you and gave you a blood-bought right to every blessing of God. You have a blood-bought right to a life full of meaning, purpose and abundance. You have a blood-bought right to walk in divine health. You have a blood-bought right to God’s provision even when the economy is bad. You have a blood-bought right to preferential treatment because God favors you. You have a blood-bought right to the good life!

My friend, you have a right to all these blessings not because you are good, but because Jesus shed His blood and qualified you to have them. So don’t let the devil or anyone tell you that you can’t expect to walk in the blessings of God!

Calving time poetry

It was great to be a part of the Natural Health Expo in Rolla on Sunday AND super great to work with Elizabeth in her office yesterday morning BUT it's BEST of all to be home again SAFELY!!!

Andrew mentioned, as he went out to milk Sally because she had her calf yesterday morning, Andrew just mentioned that I should check out something that he put on Facebook during the night.  When I did, I found this precious poem from our 2:00 cow/calf checker.

The 2:00 AM bed check found all as it should,
The mama cows sleeping as well as they could,
As the coyotes howled gently at the stars overhead,
I wrote down this poem, then went right back to bed!

 

Well, right below that, I found this little ditty by Andrew's sister who is our 4:00 cow/calf checker.

 

Cora Bornemann 4:30 cow-check and all is well, But is it Springtime? It's hard to tell! I went out in the 4-wheel drive truck----- So I could climb snow-mountains without gettting stuck! :)

 

Not to be outdone by my students, I quickly created this compliment to them both. 

 

Dawn Bornemann A proud mama hen read her chick's fine creations. As ripples and waves of all her elations; Swept through her and brought a quick tear to her eyes; She quickly sent gratitude up to the skies!

 

PLEASE pray for all ranchers who are calving right now.  If you TRULY enjoy your beef, I trust that you TRULY appreciate those who raise it AND all of their efforts at all hours of the day and night to keep the newly born stock alive!  So far, we're one ahead--PRAISE THE LORD!!

 

I'd best get back to work!

 

Dawn

Just receive?

Today is an exciting day for our family.  We'll be selling our 2013 calf crop in Napoleon around 4:00 PM.  Want to join us there or online? 

 

Also, we'll be packing for the home school convention and cleaning the house and preparing food for Robert who will feed the chickens for us.  Sally is dry; our 3 goats and all of the turkeys died this PAST Winter; so all that's left is feeding the chickens. 

 

I am really truly loved by God!!!!  That fact is slowly sinking in for me and I pray for you also as we ponder together Pastor Prince's grace messages on a daily basis!

 

Happy SPRING everyone!!!

 

Dawn

 

20 Mar

1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

"You have to love God more! You must have more passion for God!” You have probably heard this type of preaching and may have even tried your best to love God, only to fail miserably.

But what is the true definition of love? Let the Bible define it for us: “…this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us…” Yes, it is not about our love for Him, but His love for us!

“Pastor Prince, the Bible says that you must love God with all your heart, soul and strength!”

Yes, that is true according to the law (Deuteronomy 6:5), and even Jesus taught that as the great commandment when He walked on earth. (Matthew 22:37) But that was before He died on the cross. At the cross, He became the very fulfillment of this law for us when He loved us with all His heart, soul and strength, by laying down His body and life on the cross for us.

Today, we are no longer under the law but under grace. And grace tells us that God loves us, not that we love God. Yet, we will love Him when we see how much He loves us. The Bible says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! (Romans 5:8) That’s how much He loves us!

Beloved, God has seen you trying your best to love Him. And because He loves you, He wants you to sit down and be still, and let Him love you instead. He wants to love you with all that He is and all that He has. He loves you unconditionally regardless of who you are or what you have done because His love is not dependent on you but on Himself. He will never stop loving you.

So let God love you today. Don’t worry about loving Him. The more of His love you receive, the more you will fall in love with Him!

Need my restoration NOW

I am so in need of restoration to good health that I have been crying out to God for weeks to show me what I am missing.  This is IT!!!

Already complete!

17 Mar

Good morning everyone!  Here is Pastor Prince's new devotional.  It means a lot to me as I continue to do battle with my old foe. Have a great week! You Are Complete InChrist Colossians 2:10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

When you look at yourself, what do you see? Do you see someone who is imperfect and lacking in many areas, or someone who is whole and complete in Christ?

There are believers who see themselves as incomplete. This is because they are conscious of their lack and imperfections. They say, “There are so many things imperfect about me! How can I be complete if there are so many things I am lacking in?” They see their weaknesses, condemn themselves and feel inferior to others.

The good news is that God does not see the way man sees. Man sees the flesh. God sees the spirit. He sees us already complete in Christ. In spite of our imperfections, He sees us as new creations, partakers of His divine nature and more than conquerors over our faults. And He wants us to see ourselves the way He sees us.

What we think we need or are lacking in, whether it is godly character traits or physical health, we already have in Christ.

I used to think that I had to ask God to make me more patient, until I realized one day that Jesus is my patience. Since then, I no longer ask God to make me wiser either, because Jesus is my wisdom. (1 Corinthians 1:30) I am not waiting to receive more healing because Jesus is my complete healing at this moment. And I am not yearning for peace and rest one day because Jesus is my peace and rest today. Right now, I have everything because I stand complete in Christ!

My friend, you are not going to be complete in Christ some day—you are already complete in Christ! And what remains for you to do is to walk daily in that completeness by believing that it is true and confessing that what you need right now, Jesus is to you. He is your complete forgiveness, complete righteousness, complete favor and complete protection.

So don’t focus on the lack you see in your life. Focus instead on how in Christ, you are complete in everything at this moment. And instead of weaknesses, lack and defects, you will see His strength, wholeness, soundness, and completeness manifesting in you!

I HAVE IT ALREADY

 

 

 

I just LOVE today's devotional!!  I hope and pray that you will ponder this concept seriously!  I urge you to start thinking the blessings of God in your life and watch as MORE of them will be given to you!

 

Following the devotional I share another song from my very favorite group THE BOOTH BROTHERS!  It's called I SEE GRACE and it fits perfectly with these thoughts this morning.  We see what we look for and that is how we live.

 

God has seen me through untold sorrows so I see that I am one of the people that they sing about and I rejoice!!!  Won't you PLEASE take the time to let this sink in to your heart today so that you can receive ALL the wonderful blessings that God has for you today?

 

God's best to all!

Dawn

 

 

                                       You Have It, So Say It!

13 Mar

Matthew 25:29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

Have you come across people who have little, yet even that little is taken away from them? On the other hand, there are those who already have much, yet they receive even more.

Jesus said, “To everyone who has, more will be given. From him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.” Notice that Jesus doesn’t go on to say what it is we have. He simply says, “But to everyone who has.”

Jesus is talking about a firm belief in God’s Word that gives one the courage to say, “I have it!” If you say that you have it, you have it, and more will be given to you. But if you say that you don’t have it, when you actually do because God has freely given us all things (Romans 8:32), then even what you have will be taken away—not by God but by the devil! The devil does not want you to walk in God’s blessings. So when you say that you don’t have it, he can rob you of your blessings because he has your agreement!

When you need something, God says that you are to ask of Him. And when you ask, believe that you receive it. (Mark 11:24) Say you already have it even if you don’t see it in the physical realm yet, and one day, you will see it!

God is not saying, “Oh come on, pretend that you see it. And if you pretend long enough, you will have it.” This is not a game! God is telling us to call forth those things which don’t exist as though they do. (Romans 4:17)

Today, we are talking about the haves and have-nots in the church. If you believe that it is yours, you will have it. You will see yourself possessing it and enjoying it, and more will be given to you. But if you say, “Well, I don’t feel it and I’m not sure if it will come,” in essence, you are saying that you don’t have it when you actually do. Then, even what you have will be taken away. So say you have it today

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