Bonnie J Martin

Archives for April 2024

Instinctive or Intentional

by Leave a Comment

For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. Romans 2:14-16 (NASB)

The imprint of the Creator becoming evident on the heart of the created. Without having known the precepts, not having been taught the scriptures, not having been in the presence of reading and teaching and discipling. Just the Creator leaving a mark on a heart and that heart being intentional to the prompting of its Maker.

How beautiful to think on this! Creator God fashioned in the womb each individual. Breathed life into lungs. Gave rhythm to the heart. That rhythm knows the Drummer. He keeps time.

Find your pulse. Feel it. If you have a stethoscope, listen to the beating of your heart. Now, know that is God’s rhythm in you. Stay here for a minute or two or three. Consider His provision of that rhythm. Without that rhythm you have no life.

Without the Creator you have no life. He places life in each one. Each one owns instincts inherently given by God. The precepts of God written on your veins. Coursing through your body with each beat of His drum.

Breathe.

Fill your lungs and chest and back and stomach and intestines as full as you can get them. Use every extra space to take in a little more oxygen. Hold it. Let it out slowly. Then fill up again. Let it out loud and hard.

Feel your pulse again. And stay here. Listen for Him.

What has He written on your veins?

What will you do with the instinctive of your heart?

Are you intentional with that instinct for Him?

There Is Work To Do

by Leave a Comment

Me: Emergency Alert woke me up at 3:45 am. Flash flood warning. (A million thoughts immediately bombard my brain.) It is 5:00 am now. Yes, I am normally up by now anyway, but I just want a little more sleep. I will set the alarm for 6:00 am and get a little more rest.

Inside my brain after I lay down: Your laptop is fully charged. You have work to do.

Me: Just a little sleep. There will be time for that later.

My brain: You are not going to sleep. I won’t let you.

Me: But it has been storming for hours and I have not been sleeping well and I really want just a little more sleep! I need it.

My brain: You can try but it is a waste of time.

Me: (Sitting up, grabbing glasses, turning off alarm for 6:00 am, opening laptop, following through on the work given to me.) So what should I write today? The conversation you just had with yourself.

I can’t help but think about the garden. Jesus asked them to pray. They kept falling asleep. He found them sleeping. As He was preparing for their salvation, they slept. I wonder if any of them had problems sleeping after that night.

Social media is full of reasons people are not sleeping well. I have even researched why my sleep has not been as abundant as it once was. I blame age, health, stress, my husband. I have changed medication. I have tried magnesium. I turn the thermostat down. You name it and I have tried it. I need my sleep.

Years ago, I found myself waking around 4:00 am everyday. No alarm, even though I always have it set, it rarely goes off. That trend has continued. When I get up early, I know there is one primary reason. To do what I am doing right now. It is the work I do before I do other work.

But this work gives me perspective. I spend a little time focused on what God is showing me. And I type it out. Early on in doing this thing I do, I called it clicking keys. The clicking of these keys focuses my brain and keeps out the distractions that attempt to pull me away. Like sleep.

God hasn’t called me to be a missionary on the other side of the world. (Well, up to this point anyway!) He hasn’t given me a difficult task, although this can be daunting for me most days. He has given me a way to share about Him, for even one person that may need to hear it.

What is your work? Do you ever find yourself falling asleep in the middle of it? Yes, I know it could be a medical condition but I am not a medical professional so I will leave that to someone else. But I do know for me, sometimes my sleep is from laziness. Sometimes it is avoidance. Sometimes it is truly being tired and needing rest.

But this morning, before I picked up my laptop, it was an internal argument with God. No one reads this stuff. Why do I have to do this? It isn’t making any difference. But that isn’t my call to make. I am just called to do it.

Here’s your encouragement: Do the work He has called you to do. You may never see the full results of whatever you are doing but He is faithful. He will take any of my inefficiencies and lacking and turn them into something for His glory. He never ceases to amaze me! Let Him amaze you.

Good News

by Leave a Comment

I don’t want to shove this down your throat.  Well, I do, but I won’t.  It is the message of good news.  And this isn’t the kind of good news that the doctor gives about your most recent lab results.  It isn’t the kind of good news that reports crime is down.  It isn’t good news that your child received an award at school.  It isn’t a mysterious amount of money showing up at just the right time.

I can’t shove this down your throat.  Because if I do and you don’t want it, you will either throw it up in disgust or ignore it and never consider it again.  To your peril. 

I can offer it and explain it, but you must want it.  You must receive it for yourself.  As much as I try to give it to you, unless you reach out and grab it, my efforts are wasted.  That doesn’t mean I will stop trying.  It just means you may think I am shoving it down your throat.  I am not.  It is just really good news and I really want you to have it.

I have shared it before.  Some listen.  Some don’t.  Some roll their eyes and skip reading.  Some read in complete agreement.  My words aren’t reaching far but if you read them always feel free to share if you know someone that may need to hear.

Do you want the good news?  If you have come this far, I think you do.  Unless you are mindlessly wasting time scrolling through stuff that doesn’t make any difference to or in you.  This is here to get your attention.  To bring encouragement.  To urge you to share the good news if you have it.

I know.  I still haven’t given you the good news.  But if you have read anything from me before, you already know it. 

So, I will leave it there.  Not shoving it down your throat.  Click around and see if you can find any glimpse of good news.

And I try to give you a little something pleasant to view, as well.