"She Arose and Ministered Unto Them..."

Luke 4:39

And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them. 

I have seen this same phrase a number of times throughout the gospels, and every time I run across it, the same truth resonates in my mind and speaks to my heart. I wholeheartedly believe that every Christian is called to minister to others. Jesus is our greatest example of that truth, for His life was all about serving others (Matthew 20:28). Although we are all called to serve, I can't help but notice one word that, as far as I know, is in every account of scripture that this phrase is used. It says, "SHE arose and ministered unto them." I believe that there is a special place in the heart of a woman that truly desires to serve. I think that God has placed a special kindness and compassion  in our hearts that allows us to serve others in a unique way. There are many, many ways that we can minister to others. It could by showing hospitality to a new family that just joined the church, or by preparing a meal for a family that just lost a loved one. Or it could be a simple act of service: noticing someone that is having a rough day and taking the time to share an encouraging word with them or a kind smile. Whatever it may be, I desire to be a woman with a serving, ministering heart: A woman that puts the needs of others before my own. 

In this account of scripture (Luke 4:39), Peter's mother-in-law had been "taken with great fever", and Jesus had just healed her. What stood out to me is that it says she immediately arose and ministered unto them. Now, i'm sure she was probably feeling wonderful considering the fact that Jesus had just healed her! But when I read that, I thought about how I might have acted if I had just been sick. After I had been healed, I probably would have complained and went on about how sick I was and how now I just needed to rest and recover and so on... [come on...you know you probably would have done the same ;)] But she immediately got up and focused on the needs of the people around her, despite what she had just gone through.  No matter what is going on in our lives, whether it be a sickness or a burden or a busy schedule, in the midst of it all, we should try to look for ways to serve others.  

It is so easy to get so wrapped up in self. And sometimes, we get so wrapped up in ourselves and our schedules, that we become blinded to the needs of the people around us. I am so guilty of this at times. There is a great joy that comes from ministering to others, and I don't want to miss out on that joy. I have begun to ask God to give me opportunities to minister and the eyes to see the opportunities He puts in my path. I also have begun to ask Him, "Lord, who can I minister to today?, and "How can I minister to that person?" God has been faithful to answer these prayers. For the wife, you might ask,"Lord, how can I minister to my husband today?" And for the Mom, "Lord, how can I minister to my children today?" For the college student, you might ask, "Lord, who can I encourage today?" During your trip to the grocery store, you can ask, "Lord, how can I be a help to someone in here today?"

 God might give you an extra errand to run for your husband that is out of your way, or He might require you to spend an extra hour cleaning the kitchen because your kid's wanted to make cookies. He might ask the college student to put down her studies and call a friend who is in need of some encouragement. Maybe He will ask you to pay the grocery bill for the lady in front of you that forgot her wallet at home? I don't know how He will ask you or me to minister today, but I do know we have a choice in how we look at each situation that comes up. We can either see them as inconveniences and gripe and complain, or we can see these situations as a way to bless others. Will I always do it perfectly and without complaint? No, probably not. Will I always have a willing, joyful heart and attitude that desires to immediately meets the needs of others? No, probably not. But Jesus is continually working on me and He knows that I want His words, attitude and heart of love to flow out of me and be poured onto others every day. Through ministering to others, I will also minister to the heart of God. I'd venture to say that you want that too :).  And when I am gone and out of this world, I pray it is said of me that I was a woman who "immediately arose and ministered unto them..." 

Amie

Stuck!

When I looked out the door earlier today, I saw that the sleet was coming down hard, icicles had formed on the tree branches and the roads were covered in snow. Obviously, today wasn't the day to get out and about considering Georgia is having its “2014 Ice Storm.” There’s no school and no work because it’s too dangerous to go anywhere, so basically I’m just kind of…stuck.

 Have you ever felt that way? Not just when there is an ice storm outside, but how about in life? As I thought about that earlier, I remembered a few situations in my life where I have felt really, really stuck.

The first one that came to my mind was when I was little. I always felt stuck. I didn’t like small spaces, I didn’t like being tickled, I didn’t like being hugged very much and I didn’t like being squeezed really tight because I HATED feeling stuck! In fact, I would yell, “Let me go! I’m stuck, I’m stuck!” and eventually end up in tears. Basically I had a serious case of claustrophobia…Lol.

And then I can remember another time in my life that I felt stuck. I had just graduated high school, my college plans had fallen apart, my heart was broken, and I was struggling with and trying to deal with severe anxiety and fear. It was a year full of up’s and down’s and it was a very confusing time in my life. I had never had to go through anything like that, and it was difficult, but the most frustrating thing was that I felt sooooo stuck. Stuck in my situations, stuck in my heart break, stuck in my fear, just stuck plain stuck!

My God is faithful, and He delivered me out of all of that. He healed my heart and gave me peace of mind and opened up the door for me to move and eventually opened up the door for college, and I didn’t feel stuck anymore. Looking back now, I see the growth that took place in me during those hard times. He didn’t allow those things to happen to me to make me feel stuck and frustrated, but He had a deep purpose in it all and is continuing to teach me about waiting on Him.

 I don’t know what you are going through in life that might be making you feel stuck. Maybe you feel stuck in a difficult job that you don’t enjoy. Maybe you feel stuck in an ongoing conflict in a relationship. Maybe your ring finger still has no diamond, and you feel stuck in singleness. Maybe you feel stuck in a series of health issues that seem never ending, or financial burdens that make you feel like you can barely keep your head above water…I don’t know where your “stuck” is today, but I do know that “stuck” isn’t the way God wants you to feel.

So…what do you do when you feel stuck?

  1) Stay in His Placing

God has you at this place in your life for a reason and purpose.

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven,

Ecclesiastes 3:1

It's not exactly my dream to have to spend most of my free time studying, or get up really early to work a job that makes me smell like chicken lol. I’d love to be a wife and someday a mommy and in full time ministry etc., but I know that God is doing some of His greatest work in me, right where I am at. He is preparing me for my purpose and my passion. If I always have an “I’m stuck” attitude and complain about things I might not like, then I’m missing the whole point and I have the wrong perspective. He gives me opportunities each day to minister to and serve others. . I don’t want to miss out on them. There is a purpose in His placing; stay until He moves.

2)  Sit Still in His Presence

When I sit still in His presence, and mediate on Him, my thoughts are clear, my spirit is uplifted, my soul is refreshed and my joy is restored.  Jesus wants us to have a heart that is resting in Him, not restless. He wants us to sit still, and let Him move and work in our situations. Sometimes I get myself so worked up about things, all because I want to fix and solve everything right here and right now. I want to work things out in my timing when He just wants me to sit still. He's working on me ;)

Thou wilt show me the path of life, in thy presence is fullness of joy, at thy right hand there is pleasure forevermore…Psalm 16:11

2)       Study His Promises

There is such peace in His promises and such power in His truth. Doubt and fear can get the best of us in these “stuck” places, and when we don’t quite understand why we are facing certain situations. It’s important to drown out those negative thoughts and emotions with His truth and with His precious promises! Read them until they sink in and get deep into your mind and heart. Recall them when you start feeling stuck. His Word will not return void!  

The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

Psalm 119:130

3)  Sing His Praises

I love to sing, but there are definitely times when I don’t feel like doing it. The Bible says to worship God in spirit and in truth, though…in spirit when we feel it and in truth when we don’t! We have everything to praise Him for, and our worship to Him will glorify Him and bring us out of our stuck.

Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing…

Psalm 100:1

 4) Speak of His Power

A lot of customers that come eat at Chick-Fil-A are believers, and I have gotten in many conversations with them about the Lord. We will either talk about how He saved us or what He brought us out of or just how good He is! Those conversations are the most encouraging ones that I have all day! Speaking of His power will get your focus ON His power and off your “stuck” perspective of life. 

I will speak of thy glorious majesty, and of thy wondrous works

Psalm 145:5

  

6)       Push in Prayer

Staying in His placing and sitting in His presence does not mean simply doing nothing until He decides to work and move. There is a big difference. We are to PUSH in prayer:

 Pray

Until

Something

 Happens

 Ultimately, that stuck feeling that we sometimes get in life should bring us to our knees and cause us to cry out to Him. He wants to work and move in our lives and answer our prayers and take us straight into our passion and purpose. He wants us to dream big for Him and give us the desires of our hearts, but it takes preparation. During that preparation, we need to be praying and petitioning more than ever. I have seen the power of prayer in my life and in the lives of those around me, but sometimes, I don’t see God’s hand at work and I get frustrated and want to just give up. That’s when we gotta PUSH!!!

 

Stuck is a bad feeling to feel and place to be, and Jesus doesn't want us there. He is helping me in this area and I hope and pray He uses this to help you! Jesus wants me to go from sometimes feeling stuck, to always feeling and being satisfied fully satisfied in  Him. And that's exactly where He wants you, too. <3

I Am & I Will

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

Isaiah 41: 10, 13

I think the first time that I ever read those two verses was the day of my very first job interview. I was 15 years old, didn't know what to expect, and I was terrified. I can remember reading them in my Bible that morning and feeling so excited because I realized that the Lord saw my need for His help and strength. He directly spoke to me through His Word and promised me that that was exactly what He would give me for my interview. I hid that verse in my heart that day, and just very recently, God pulled it out of the place that it had been tucked away in for so long, and made the promise of that scripture very real and personal to me once again. 

A few weeks ago, I had "one of those days." Emotions were running high, feelings of insecurity and anxiousness were rising up in my heart, and I just felt physically and emotionally spent. Sounds like I was pretty pleasant to be around, right? ;) I had just come back from visiting my family in Kansas and was trying to adjust back to my school and work schedule again. I was just...tired. And I felt overwhelmed. And the tears flowed freely right in my office at my desk. That night, I was still feeling stuck in the same emotional slump so I tried to read and pray for awhile. The Lord led me to read in Isaiah, and the same verses He used to help me as a 15 year old girl, scared for her first job interview, were the same verses that He used to help me as a 20 year old woman, trying to juggle a busy schedule and understand why I was feeling the way I was feeling. But this time, something different stuck out to me about these verses. 

Seven different times in those two verses, God uses the words, "I Am" & "I will." There are no if's, maybe's, or might's about it. It's a solid promise that I can depend heavily upon. 

In those moments, He gently whispered these truths to my aching heart:

Amie, 
I AM with you when you miss the people that you love most and feel a little lonely. I WILL strengthen you when you get weary while you try to complete the tasks that are before you. I WILL help you with your school classes when they intimidate you, or on those mornings when you feel like you are too tired to get up and go to work. I WILL uphold you when you have those days that you feel like you might fall apart. And I WILL hold your hand and walk with you on these paths I've placed before you. 

Those are promises that I can fully and completely depend upon. He will come through for me, every single time, right on time. His Word IS TRUTH. I repeated that verse to myself over and over again the next day, and I felt His presence with me so strong and real. Meditating on His truths drove away Satan's lies, and I faced the next day with peace in my heart. I can have that peace every day and so can you. 

Just remember, in the middle of your "I'm not" and "I can't" days, Jesus says, "I Am and I will." 

And that's a promise you can depend on. 

I Will Remember... A Reflection on Psalm 77

The Lord gave me alot of help through this Psalm as I read it last night and I thought I would use the blog that I never use to share my reflections about it ;) 

First thing that I noticed is what the Psalmist (Asaph) stated in verse 2a:

2a... In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord...

In the day of his happiness he sought the Lord? No. In the day of his trouble. Truth is,  it is much easier for me to cry unto God (vs.1) in my time of trouble than in my time of happiness. And I know i'm not the only one. When life seems to be going my way and the sky is blue in my own little world, I often forget how much I need the Lord. It's in those daily troubles and irritating situations that the Lord uses to get my attention and bring me back to the reality that I desperately need Him every second of the day! 

3b ...I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed...

The result of complaining is an overwhelmed spirit. As I read that last night, I recalled a few specific times that day at work or school that I complained about something. And complaining really does bring about an overwhelmed spirit! I asked the Lord to guard my tongue and turn my complaining into praise!  

Verse 4-6

4 Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

5 I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.

6 I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. 

He is so troubled that he can't sleep or speak? (vs.4) It seems like he is in a heavy discouragement and pit of despair. I think we have all been there at one time or another! What really struck me was the questions the Psalmist asked in the next 3 verses...

7 Will the Lord cast off forever? And will he be favorable no more?

8 Is his mercy clean gone forever? Doth his promise fail forevermore? 

9 Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies?

Whatever situation that he was facing greatly troubled him, which caused him to complain, which caused his spirit to be overwhelmed. His overwhelmed spirit caused him to not be able to sleep or speak, which caused him to think deeply about what was troubling him. All of those negative thoughts and emotions consumed him and brought him to the place that he is at in verse 7-9. Every question that he was asking went completely against the truth of God's Word and God's character. Look at the dangerous place where our negative thoughts and emotions can lead us to? This is where it gets good. I really like the next part. The Psalmist says:

10 And I said, This is my infirmity: BUT I will remember...

(He made a CHOICE)

... the years of the right hand of the Most High.

11 I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.

12 I will meditate also of thy work, and talk of thy doings. 

He chose to remember what the Lord had done for him and how good He had been to him! Not only did he choose to those things remember but he meditated on them. Not only did he meditate, but he talked about what God had done for him. He made a choice to shift his whole thought process regardless of  how he felt. He thought about the goodness of the Lord instead of what troubled him, and that brought him out of his pit of despair! 

13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?

14 Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou has declared thy strength among the people....

Look at the difference in his attitude and words? All because he made the choice to think right and meditate on what the Lord had done for Him in the past. His complaining was turned into praise. The Lord really touched me with this because it's so easy for me to get caught up in my own thoughts and emotions and I sometimes get myself discouraged.  It's easy to get discouraged from things that happen in our personal lives and from the things that are happening around us because we don't live in a trouble free world. We are all living in some very tough times. This Psalm encouraged my heart to keep my thoughts on Jesus and my eyes fixed on Him. Whenever I am tempted to get a little discouraged, I will remember...

And I hope you will, too :) 

South Carolina!

I'm baaack! I honestly forgot that I even had a blog :/ I really thought i'd use this a lot more! Haha. I thought that since it has been so long, I would try and catch everyone up (all 12 of my followers lol) on what has been going on in my life in the past 6 or so months. 

I currently live in North Augusta, South Carolina. I am attending Victory Baptist College and am truly having the time of my life learning about ministry and growing in the Lord! I've had my ups and downs here just like I would have anywhere else, but God has been so good to me. I am about 20 hours from my home and family and Kansas, and it's definitely a weird feeling not being able to just drive home for a weekend like so many other students can do. I've faced some discouragement while trying to find a job. I've had a handful of interviews and most of the employers were not able or willing to work with my schedule. But God is faithful and has provided all that I need! I see a job on the horizon and am looking forward to seeing the Lord work it out :) I go to Victory Baptist Church and it is probably the most exciting church i've ever been in! There really is no way to describe it, you'll just have to visit ;) 

It wasn't in my plans to be here for college, but i'm sure glad I listened to the Lord and walked through the open door that He revealed to me. He often times takes us in directions that we don't expect, but I have realized that that is what makes life exciting! Scary? Yes. But i'm learning to hold His hand and trust His heart when I can't see what's ahead. When He leads the way, it will all turn out how it is supposed to turn out! All we have to do is just follow Him in faith. 

I'll try my best to keep everyone posted on what happens around here. You are sure to get some good laughs when you hear what goes on in my crazy life! Have a great day! :) 

Wow! I haven't posted anything in SO long. I don't know why, either! But i'm doing it right now so that's all that matters. ;) I just wanted to share with everyone something that God brought to my mind as I was in the Word last night. I started reading through the gospels a few weeks ago and last night, I go to the end of Matthew. I read Matthew 27 and 28, which talk about Jesus' crucifixion. In chapter 26 and 27, I was reading about all that Jesus suffered through before He was even on the cross. The Bible talks about how the soldier's stripped Him and put a crown of thorns on His head. They mocked Him and spit on Him and the Bible says that they smoke Him which means they struck Him. As I was reading this, God took me back in my own mind to a few weeks ago when I was out witnessing downtown with my college class from Broadway.
One of my friends and I were sitting in the square, sharing the Gospel to a guy and his girlfriend. About 10 feet away from me, another one of my friends was witnessing to a man that was from Kenya, Africa. He barely spoke any English, and he was drunk and homeless. I was just sitting there, watching my friend share the Gospel with him, when all of the sudden, this random guy comes up to the man from Africa, accuses him of taking his hat, and then punches him right in the face and knocks him to the ground! There were a few other guys around that were laughing at what had just happened and making fun of the man that had just gotten punched. Automatically, my heart broke for him. I was also instantly angry at the man that punched him in the face! I wanted to like stand up and say, "Are you kidding me??!!" He had done nothing to them and they hurt him and laughed at him and made fun of him. Tears were forming in my eyes and my heart sank because there was nothing I could do.I would've probably gotten punched in the face too if I tried anything lol. I'll never forget how bad it made me feel to watch somebody get hurt like that. I can still feel the same emotions I felt that night when I replay that scenario in my head.
Like I said, as I was reading, God brought that memory of the man downtown into my mind. And then He drew my attention back to the story about His Son. He caused me to think about the fact that the same thing happened to Him. Cruel and angry men hit my Jesus in the face and punched Him and beat Him and hurt Him. And He had done nothing to them. That thought, that image in my head of Jesus going through all of that, broke my heart. But then I thought of something else. He went through all of that for ME. He was being beaten and mocked because of Amie Leigh Schroder. With every hit He willingly took, I was on His mind. It was my sin that caused Him to endure all of that. It was my sin that nailed Him to the cross. And after that thought, my heart shattered. He willingly bore my sin and my guilt and my shame on His shoulders, even though He knew that I would spit in His face and reject Him and mock Him. Not only did He take my sin upon Himself, but He took my sorrows and my grief. (Isaiah 53:4-5) Every hard thing that i've ever had to face in life and will ever have to face, He already faced it for me. He already endured if for me so that He could walk through it with me.
I wasn't doing an in depth study in the Word last night, I was just simply reading. But it's amazing how easily I forget who I really am, and what God has done for me. I am humbled and amazed that Jesus knows how filthy my life is and how wicked my heart is, yet still looks at me with mercy and compassion in His eyes. Just like the song says, He looked beyond my fault and saw my need. He knew I needed someone to rescue my lost soul, and that's why He sent His Son. I was and still am unworthy, but to Him, I was worth it. What a thought. He not only did that for me, but He did it for you, too. He suffered it all....because He loved me.
- Amie

Just a Thought :D

This year is flying by! In just a few weeks, i'll be 19 years old :) I never thought i'd see the day that I would be able to use the phrase, "Back when I was in high school..." in a conversation. I never thought i'd see the day that i'd be buying my own groceries and cleaning my own apartment. I never thought i'd see the day that my friends that are my age would be about to get married or engaged or having kids! It always felt like those times in life were so far away, but now they are here and I find myself wishing time would slow down a little bit. Since I was in like middle school, I wanted to be 18 so bad! I wanted to be on my own and independent. But now that i'm at this point in life, I find myself wishing I was just a kid again. I'm excited for the things that are ahead in life, but I also miss the things that are now behind me. Life is changing so quickly, and i'm having a hard time keeping up with it all! In July, my sister will turn 22 and will also be moving to Lima, Peru to be a missionary for 2 years. Talk about a HUGE life change for her, and for me! I've had a great time living with her this year. We haven't killed each other yet ;) And my little brother, Colton...he's not so little anymore. He is turning 15 in June! I can't believe it. The other day he stood up for a kid that was getting literally beat up at the YMCA. Colton threw the guys that were hurting the kid off of him and helped him up. My heart was so proud of him :) all the wrestling and fighting we have done all these years has paid off! He'll be a sophomore next year and he is one of the greatest guys I know. And then that leaves me. Who knows where i'll be next year! Maybe in college, maybe not. I don't know what the Lord has for me right now but I do know and trust that He will show me exactly where He wants me and open all the right doors at the right time. I'm just rambling today but I just want to encourage anyone reading this to enjoy TODAY. Don't wish for tomorrow, for it is not guaranteed. Love your friends and family with all of your heart and enjoy each minute, second and hour that God gives you, no matter what you are doing or where you are at in life :)