Search Me O God

By Sharon Tomlison

Search me O God and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalms 139:23-24) 

What would others think of me if all my thoughts were flashed upon a screen for all to see?  I would be so ashamed of some of  the thoughts I have had, yet God knows them all.  He is the one I should be concerned about pleasing. But then again, others can, and do, know some of what is in my heart by the way I live my life each day.

Verily, verily; I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (John 12:24)

 Due to recent wrong actions of some fellow Christians, I am carrying a burden today. This lesson is for me, to remind myself that I have to die to sin in order to live spiritually. 

 I am struggling with feelings that I should put others first, show love toward them and at the same time tell them that they have not been the example to others they should be. I don’t want to be guilty of the same sin or try to remove a splinter from another’s eye when I have a beam in mine.

 I, the Lord, search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (Jeremiah  l7:10).

 My prayer today, Lord, search my heart, show me my sin that I may repent and be pleasing in your sight. Deliver me from temptation. Help me to love others as you have loved me.  In Jesus blessed name. Amen

 ............Article 194............

ISBS Ladies Daily Devotional
03/21/05

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Writer of the Week:

Sharon Tomlison

 
My name is  Sharon Barnes Tomlinson, born in Jackson, TN in 1953 to 
W.D. "Jack" and Mae Barnes.  I'm the youngest of six children.  My parents and all my siblings were/are Christians.  My parents are both deceased. You may have read the December tribute I did in honor of my mother.  My husband, Michael "Mike", and I have been married for 23 years and have three children.  Brandon is 21 and a junior at Georgia Tech, in Atlanta, majoring in aerospace engineering.  Brian is 19 and a freshman at Clemson University, Clemson, SC.  His plans are to become a mechanical engineer.   Our daughter, Amanda, is 15 and a sophomore in high school. 
 
My husband has been employed with the same company for over 28 years.  When his factory was closed in Lexington, TN in 1998, he transferred to Monroe, NC where we lived for three years.  He then transferred to South Carolina. 
 
My children and I were upset when we learned we would be moving from North Carolina and I couldn't imagine why we would be uprooted from the place we had come to love, from the good schools our children attended and especially from our christian family.  I prayed that Mike could find work there but also prayed that God's will be done and that he would grant me the willingness to accept His will for us. We worshipped here with the local congregation a few times but there were practices that I could not , with good conscience, accept or uphold.  I went online to find other congregations in the state and contacted several of them.  Through this we met a faithful preacher and his wife near Columbia who came to worship with us and began meeting in our livingroom.  My middle child became a christian  and my husband, who is not a christian and would not attend services with us, has been meeting with us regularly. We have since rented a building for worship and have had three faithful gospel preachers work with us. Could it be that God's plan was to use an insignificant person such as myself for the seed to be planted and the church flourish in this place?  Please pray for the effort here.
Hobbies...although I haven't done much in a while, I'm interested in decorative painting.  Also, enjoy flower gardening and learning what will grow here in this sandy region.  I enjoy home and garden, craft and decorating magazines. I really enjoy my time on the computer.  I was bitten by the genealogy bug a few years ago and became especially interested when I learned my mother's family came from the area we were living in North Carolina.  We met over fifty cousins via the internet and had a family reunion there.  Although, I have met some interesting and special people through family research, I keep in mind that it isn't where we came from that matters but rather where we are going.
 
Sharon Tomlinson
Orangeburg, SC