Excuses - Exodus 4

Why don't we witness to others as we should? Are we scared of what others might think? Are we scared we might not be able to answer their questions? Are we scared of persecution or of being laughed at? Are we too prideful? Are we ashamed of Christ? 

In Exodus chapter 4 God calls Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt and Moses gives two specific excuses of why he can't lead the children of Israel. 

Excuse #1: Exodus 4:1 "...But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice..." 

Moses is saying that the people won't listen to him, they won't believe him... so why would they follow him? 

Excuse #2: Exodus 4:10 "...O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue." In this second excuse Moses is telling God that he can't speak...to others or with fancy words. So...how could he tell Pharoah to let the Israelites go if he couldn't speak? 

Do these excuses sound familiar? No? Maybe put them in the context of witnessing. Have you ever been promoted by the Holy Spirit to go talk to someone or give them a tract and you say...

"I can't do that! They won't listen to me! Even if they did listen to me, they won't believe me!" 

"I can't go talk to them...I don't know them! I can't just strike up a conversation with a complete stranger!" 

I'm preachin to the choir here...I have used the same excuses Moses gave so many times. How many lost souls have I turned a blind eye to when instead of witnessing to them when the Holy Spirit prompted I gave excuses and didn't talk to them? 

In being a bright light in this dark world we...*I* must be witnessing to those around me. NO EXCUSES! 

Romans 10:14-15

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

This can also be applied to the context of following God's will for our lives. How many times has God showed us the next step and we've argued...

"I can't do that! I'm not equipped or prepared to do that!" 

Yet God is so patient with us as He was patient with Moses. He doesn't force us to follow Him but He prompts, He convicts and He pricks until we decide whether or not we will follow Him. 

Praise the Lord for His patience, His mercy, His kindness and His love to us stubborn humans. We can think up of every excuse under the sun but at the end of the day God well use us and equip us for what He has called us to do, we must simply 

     Trust. 

      Obey.

      Follow.
 

Let Your Light Shine

 

I do not mean to come across as harsh or as just ranting. This is something the Lord smacked me in the face with the otheand excuse the pun but has "lit a fire" in me about. I hope it is as much a challenge to you as it was to me.

As Christians we are called to be a bright light in this dark world.

Matthew 5:14-16 says: 

 "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

 Jesus is obviously the best and brightest example of being a bright light in this dark world but in John 5 He gives us another example. Jesus Himself says in John 5:35 "He was a burning and a shining light:" John the Baptist was not just a bright light, a candlestick sharing the gospel, the good news of Jesus in an unsaved, Hell-bound world...he completely burned himself out til there was nothing more to give for the cause of Christ! John the Baptist eventually ended up in jail and beheaded for his witnessing of Jesus...but he was a bright light witnessing to the unsaved and encouraging the saved until he could no longer physically be a bright light. 

 Why aren't we following this example!?!? Why is it that we, as Christians, give up so easily!? We may go out witnessing door to door, we may give out gospel tracts at the grocery store or the gas station...we rejoice when someone listens and comes to know the Lord as their Savior...as we should! But what do we do when someone slams the door in our face, when someone won't take the tract we are trying to give them? So often we whine and complain and like a little dog tuck our tails between our legs and stop witnessing for Christ. We let our light only flicker or we let it go out completely. HOW DARE US! How childish is it for us to look at this as "persecution" and we give up. If we give up on the cause of Christ because our feelings are hurt then who is going to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to this world!? You may argue and say that other Christians will still witness 

L❤️VE: A Lesson From the Good Samaritan - Luke 10:25-37

In the parable of the Good Samaritan a sassy lawyer approaches Jesus and asks how to get to heaven. Jesus asks him what the law says. The law says that one must love the Lord with every fiber of his being and love his neighbor just as much as he loves himself. Jesus tells him that he is right and if he does so he will live. 

Matthew Henry comments: "No one will ever love God and his neighbor with any measure of pure, spiritual love, who is not made a partaker of converting grace. But the proud heart of man strives hard against these convictions." 

It is only through saving grace that we can love God and love others as we should.

The sassy lawyer, in an attempt to justify himself and how he treats others, then asks:

 "Who is my neighbor?" 

In response to his question Jesus tells this sassy lawyer a parable - an earthly story with a heavenly meaning - to explain to him who his neighbor is.

In this well known parable a Jewish man is traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when thieves jump him. They beat him, strip him of his clothing and leave him half dead. While this man is lying there a Priest comes by. The Priest sees the man lying there and passes by on the other side of the road. Then comes a Levite. The Levite not only sees the man but the Bible says that he "came and looked on him" before passing by on the other side. Both the Priest and the Levite should have helped the man. They were servants of the Lord who should have set an example and helped out the poor man. However, they did not. 

Right when it seems like no one will help the man a Samaritan comes along. Jews looked down on Samaritans because they were "unclean", they were "half-breeds" because they were half-Jew and half-Gentile. The Jews would not talk to Samaritans, they would not travel through their country, they did not want anything to do with Samaritans. But it was the Samaritan man who had compassion on this half-dead Jew. He cleaned and bandaged his wounds, set him on his beast, took him to an inn, continued to take care of him and then paid the innkeeper to continue taking care of him. 

Jesus ends this parable with the question: "Which now of these three...was neighbor unto him?" Obviously the neighbor was the Samaritan man - the one who had compassion on him, who bandaged his wounds and took care of him. 

So, who is my neighbor? 

Anyone I come in contact with! 

My neighbor is my coworker, my friends, my family, my students but also the mailman, the cashier at the store, the community workers - police, EMS, firefighters, military - the person driving their car past my house, the person pumping gas at the next pump at the gas station, the homeless man or woman sleeping in a tent in the parking lot somewhere, the telemarketer calling about my car's extended warranty for the billionth time...get the picture?! My neighbor is every single human being I come in contact with no matter their age, race, size or social status. 

Since everyone is my neighbor then I am to love everyone as I love myself. That means I need to be kind, I need to be patient, I need not to be selfish or rude, I must treat them as I would want to be treated. 

How many times have I been out and about grocery shopping and I did not once think about those around me? It is so easy to go into Walmart with my list of groceries, quickly get everything, get annoyed when I cannot find my specific brand of peanut butter, go through self checkout and leave without giving one thought to those around me. How selfish! How difficult is it and how much effort does it take to show a little compassion and smile at someone I am passing by in the aisle? To ask the greeter how their day is going? To give a tract to the cashier or the worker who is watching the self checkouts?

Start showing a little bit of love to those around you. Be a good neighbor, be a good Samaritan to those around you! 

~ 💓 Ruby James Mikula 

Why am I here? What is my purpose?

These are two questions that plague many single girls' minds..........

Why am I here? 

What is my purpose? 

Today Brother Clark preached in chapel out of the book of Haggai. Chapter one verses five and seven both say "...Consider your ways." 

The whole sermon was amazing but it was one of his concluding statements that has stuck with me: "My purpose is world-wide evangelism!" 

This got me to thinking about my fellow single ladies. In our culture today so many girls - both just out of highschool and those just out of college - just sit at home and do nothing while waiting for their "prince." Yes, they may be working a job, investing in friends and family and living out on their own but they aren't out working for the Lord! This reality ought not so to be! As single girls' we (I'm "preaching to the choir" here) ought to be using our years old single years to serve the Lord in capacities that we either won't be able to or that will be harder to do once there's a man in the picture. 

Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 7:34 "There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband." 

Yes, we know Paul was single and he knew that his ministry was better because of it but God does not intend for everyone to remain single. Nor does He intend for everyone to marry. However, no matter which category you fall into He does expect you to love and serve Him. 

The conclusion of all this? We must be using our years of singleness to give total devotion to God. So, instead of just sitting at home....

- God where God wants you to go 

- Do what God wants you to do 

- Love those God brings into your life

- Serve God with your whole heart 

- Immerse yourself in God's Word and God's will for your life

Total and complete surrender, focus, devotion and commitment to my Savior, my Abba Father - this is why I'm here, this is my purpose - to serve, honor and love my Savior in such a way that will evangelize the world. 

~ Ruby James 

(While this is written from a girl's perspective, I imagine in some aspects it can also be applied to guys also.)

A Full Boat

     Is your boat full? Are you struggling to keep on top of things in life? Do you feel like you're drowning instead of floating?

     This is how I have felt all semester. They say junior year is the hardest. If you survive junior year, senior year will be a breeze. I was drowning in school, work and life in general until a few weeks ago when the Lord taught me a simple truth.

"Jesus Christ can float a full boat."

     Brother Russell Jones preached out of the latter part of Mark 4 at my church a few weeks ago. This was not the main point of his message but this is what God pointed out to me and has kept bringing back to mind. 

     

     Mark 4 is the account of Jesus in the boat with His disciples. While they were on the boat a great storm rose up. Verse 37 says: 

"And there arose a great storm of wind, 

and the waves beat into the ship, 

so that it was now full."

     The storm was so great that the waves were beating on the ship and the water was filling it. Can you imagine what the disciples must have been thinking? I know if I were one of them I would have been terrified and would have been thinking that I was gonna die! (Honestly, that's how I felt the first month and a half of this semester.) But...

"Jesus Christ can float a full boat." 

     To the disciples, their circumstance was probably overwhelming and terrifying but Jesus Christ floated their boat. 

     The next time you feel overwhelmed with life and you feel like you're drowning, cry out to God because He can float that full boat. 

     When your schoolwork is overwhelming and it seems like too much to do - Jesus Christ can float that full boat. 

     How about when your roommate calls and your apartment has ankle deep water in it? Yep, Jesus Christ can float that full boat too. (And that wet apartment.) 

     When you need groceries but there's no money in the bank? Yes, Jesus can float that boat also. 

     No matter what you're going through in life Jesus Christ can float your boat! No, we can't go through life and keep ourselves afloat but isn't it wonderful that we know the One who created, orders and now fills that boat? 

     

Scars

~ My scars are a constant and daily reminder that I cannot live this life on my own. ~ 

As we go through life, we each receive and endure scars whether they be physical, emotional or spiritual. Each of those scars represent an event or an injury along with a lesson learned along the way. God has a reason for each scar we have even though we may not know that reason. God still uses them for His glory, though.

If one were to look at my hands, arms and feet, they would see many scars. With these scars, you may even be able to make out a letter or a shape but it's still just scar tissue. To you it may be just scar tissue but to me, each of these scars represent a surgery and a lesson or two that God taught me through that time of surgery and recovery.

Here are some of the lessons I have learned from my scars:
     The scars on my hands - Those scars remind me that it is only by God's grace that I can play piano, hold a pen to write, crochet, knit or really do anything with my hands.
     The scars on my feet - These scars remind me to thank God everyday for allowing me to walk, drive and live independently. Throughout all the surgeries I have had on my feet, God has taught me that I just rely on Him for my every need.
     All the other scars on my body - These remind me that I must live everyday to the glory and honor of my Lord Jesus Christ. After all, it's only by His grace, love and care that I am able to walk, talk and function in normal society.

This list of lessons is no where near complete. God is still teaching me and reminding me of things from my scars and other medical things in my life.

As I have been meditating on this thought over the last few days, John 15:5 comes to mind: "...for without me ye can do nothing." I am very thankful for the daily reminder God has given me to live for Him. What daily reminders has He given you?

Summer 2018

Hello everyone! I just realized that I have not blogged in a vvvvveeeeerrrrrryyyyyy long time so I hope y'all are prepared for blog overload in the next couple of weeks. I had a wonderful summer jam packed full of adventure. From the end of May to the beginning of July, I worked in the office at Camp Chetek. Here are some pictures from camp. Enjoy!

 Fanny & I 

 I had the privilege of working with Courtney and Alyssa in the office. :)

Inviting kids to camp and giving out balloon swords with Katie and Court!  

 Darby & I

Redneck bowling!  

Us girls 

Mamma D & I  

 Erin stole Stephen's hat 

 Frozen custard after bowling!

 #PoolSquad

This is just a sneak peek into camp life from this summer. In the days ahead I plan on sharing more pictures from my fancy date night with Daddy, my last Shriners visit, the 4th of July and many pictures and stories from traveling out west so....stay tuned! 

~ Ruby James

God Provided for Ruth...He Will Provide for Me

I just love it when God smacks me upside the head with something that I have been studying! Don't you?

Last night I was thinking about finances for this school year and worrying about where the money is going to come from. As I was thinking about it, God smacked me upside the head because in my devotions I have been studying the book of Ruth. Just the other day I was reading and studying Ruth 2:8-9 which says:

"Then said Boaz unto Ruth, 

Hearest thou not, my daughter? 

Go not to glean in another field, 

neither go from hence, 

but abide here fast by my maidens: 

let thin eyes be on the field that they do reap, 

and go thou after them: 

have I not charged the young men 

that they shall not touch thee? 

and when thou art athirst; 

go unto the vessels, 

and drink of that which the young men have drawn."

God smacked me upside the head with the realization that the same God who provided for Ruth and Naomi's needs will provide for mine. He has brought me this far, He won't drop me like a hot potato now. 

Philippians 4:19

"But my God shall supply all your need

according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

I am thankful for...

     On Monday morning, Dr. Beal encouraged us students to pray about what God would have us praise Him for in our praise chapel service today at school. When I prayed and asked God what I should share, He told me "You've never thanked Me for your disability." For you guys, it may seem strange for me to be thankful for my Arthrogryposis but, I am. I am thankful for my Arthrogryposis. Yes, I have always accepted the fact that I am disabled...it is my norm...I do not know anything else (and I am just gonna be honest, if I woke up some morning and all my joints and muscles worked and nothing hurt, I would think something was wrong), but I have never before thanked God for giving me Arthrogryposis.

     Now I am gonna confess something that I do not think I have ever told anybody. When I was younger, I used to pray and ask God to miraculously heal me from my Arthrogryposis. I had dreams of one day walking and all the sudden being able to bend my knees but alas, I am still disabled. I have always been ok with being disabled but there has always been that little voice in the back of my mind that reminded me from time to time how cool it would be for God to perform a miracle in my life. And yes, while that would be cool, it is not God's will to heal me from my Arthrogryposis.

     It was not until my teenage years that I fully understood why I was born disabled. Daddy was preaching one Sunday from John chapter nine - the story where Jesus heals the blind man. In verse two, the Disciples asked Jesus:

"...Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?"

Jesus replied in verse three by saying: 

"...Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: 

but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." 

When Daddy read that verse, it was like the light bulb came on! God created me, Arthrogryposis and all, so that He could be glorified and others could see Him through me. 

     Something that I have noticed in my twenty years of being disabled is that many people who are disabled just sit around and have pity parties all day because they feel sorry for themselves. This is how the world thinks disabled people should be. The world sees no value in the life of a disabled person. But, how am I going to show Christ in how I live if all I do is sit around and have pity parties for myself? I will not be able to show Him in my life if that is all I do! 

     Thinking through this makes me feel honored to be disabled. Because of my disability, I have come into contact with many people that I probably would have never met if it were not for the Arthrogryposis. I cannot count how many times I have been able to encourage others by sharing my testimony as a result of being disabled. 

     Another reason why I believe God created me disabled is to keep me humble and solely dependent on Him. In 2 Corinthians twelve verse seven, Paul says: 

"And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, 

there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, 

the messenger of Satan to buffet me, 

lest I should be exalted above measure." 

Paul saw his thorn in the flesh as God's way of keeping him humble in the midst of the fact that God gave Paul the privilege of recording portions of the inspired Word of God. Then in verse ten, Paul states: 

"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, 

in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,

 in distresses for Christ's sake: 

for when I am weak, 

then am I strong." 

     Paul made a choice to let God use his life despite his thorn in the flesh. Never in Scripture do we see where Paul had a pity party because he was "disabled". (I am using the term "disabled" as a shortened form of the phrase "thorn in the flesh". We are not really sure what Paul's thorn in the flesh was but it very well could have been a physical disability of some sort.) Paul spent his life serving God and letting God use this "disability" for His will and glory.  

     So, while it has taken me twenty years to go beyond just accepting my disability to being thankful for it, I really truly am thankful for my disability. It has been so cool to see God use it and give me opportunities to encourage others because of the Arthrogryposis. I cannot wait to see how God is going to use it in the next twenty years and Lord willing, many years beyond that. 

    What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? 

~ Ruby James Mikula

Why does God use balls of dirt?

Have you ever wondered why an infinite God would use a finite human being? Really, a ball of dirt that He breathed life into? If you sit back and try to wrap your brain around why God would chose to use you, 1) you will be humbled and 2) this is something our finite minds will not be able to fully comprehend until we get to Heaven.

I have been awed over and over again by this. Most recently, God's used Job 28:9-11 to awe me along this line.

Job 28:9-11 

"He putteth forth his hand upon the rock:

he overturneth the mountains by the roots. 

He cutteth out rivers among the rocks:

and his eye seeth every precious thing.

He bindeth the floods from overflowing:

and the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light."

God can overturn the mountains and rocks with His finger. 

God can cut a river into the side of the mountain. 

God sees everything. 

God's hands and His power is what keeps the rivers, seas and oceans from flooding the earth. 

He wrote the Bible and preserved it for generations to come! 

You know, God created this beautiful world. In Romans 1:20, the Bible says: 

"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, 

being understood by the things that are made, 

even his eternal power and Godhead: 

so that they are without excuse." 

God is revealed through creation so man is without excuse. When you realize God's power, He could have used the animals to do His Will. Or really, since He's the Creator of all and He's over all, He could use the plants to do His Will. But no, He decided to make man. Not only did He make man but, He made us in His image. God created Adam and Eve even though He knew they were gonna sin!

This brings us back to the question: why would God use balls of dirt? The only answer for that is out of His agape love. God created me knowing how many times I would fail Him but yet every time I fall, He picks my pieces up, puts them back together and then allows me to use Him as my Rock.

I pray that we would never cease to be in awe of this Truth. May we always be humbled by the fact that God uses balls of dirt. 

~ Ruby James Mikula  

Isaiah 55:8

Isaiah 55:8

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 

neither are your ways my ways, 

saith the Lord."

     Over the last few weeks I have been meditating on this verse and how God has worked in my life over the last 3 years. I have come to the conclusion that I am extremely thankful that God's ways are not my ways. If I would have known all the health struggles - the pain, the surgeries, the doctor visits, the hospital visits and stays, the medications and all the emotional and spiritual breaking - that I was going to go through my junior and senior years of high school, I would not have had that 17th surgery. But, if I would not have gone through those surgeries, I would not be the person I am today. 

     Before God broke me, I had my life all planned. Going into that first surgery, I had it all planned that I would be 6 weeks non-weight bearing, 6 weeks partial-weight bearing and then I would be full-weight bearing in time to work at camp. Well, after we found out my foot was infected, my plans crumbled. Eventually, I trusted God to get me back on my feet but once the end of summer rolled around, I had my life all planned out...again. I got a job and did the math. I had it all figured out how many hours per week I needed to work and what percentage of each paycheck needed to be put away in order to go to college. But, again, it was my plan and not God's plan. So again, God had to break me. I sincerely believe that if I would have trusted God to plan out my life, I would not have had to have surgeries #20 and #21. 

     It took 5 surgeries for me to finally break and see that God has a perfect plan for my life. Since God is the Creator of the earth and He created me, He has every right to do whatever He needs to do to get ahold of you. For me it took 5 surgeries. I pray that you do not have to go through trials to realize that you cannot plan your life out. Realize that God is God and you are not and let God plan out and direct your life. 

     This post has been long in the making but this summer I finally realized what God taught me. I cannot thank God enough for all He taught me during my junior and senior years of highschool. It was not until this summer that I actually stopped and thought about what God taught me. I think I can honestly say that I am thankful for those two years and how God broke me. 

Creation Museum: The Fall, The Curse and The First Murder

Eve giving Adam the fruit. 

 The first blood sacrifice. 

Work became laborious as a result of the fall.  

Cain and Abel

Creation Museum: The 6 Days of Creation

We got to walk back in time back to when God created the world.

 My favorite part of the walk...walking through the tunnel of stars!

6 days of creation video. 

 Garden of Eden 

Creation Museum: Authority of the Scriptures

 I'm in the middle of taking General Bible Introduction and walking through this display solidified everything that I've learned this semester. 

The Prophet Isaiah  

 Moses holding the Ten Commandments

David playing his harp. 

 Peter and John looking in the tomb where Jesus used to lay.

The Apostle Paul  

 Martin Luther nailing his thesis to the door.

 Codex Vaticanus

 Old Testament Scrolls

 Replica of the Gutenburg Press. 

 Sad but true for our world today.