Love Is

Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

I am sure all of us have heard this scripture many of times; in weddings, in sermons, even out of our own mouths when we are trying to explain to someone what God's love looks like.  Every time I would need to break up an argument between my young boys, I would find myself using this scripture - "remember boys, love is kind."  These words have touched the ears of believers and non-believers alike.  I know that God's love is patient, but mine is far from it.  Now and again I have to remind myself that being patient is a virtue and if I want to be in God's will, I must be patient - patient with my stubborn children, patient with my needy co-workers and even patient with my hurried husband when everything else seems to be placed above "us".  How much do I have to give already?  Well, according to this scripture, we should give sacrificially of ourselves so that we can show Christ's love to others.  Lack of this Christ centered love is to invite problems of jealousy, contempt and anger just to name a few characteristics into our relationships and life.  The kindness we show one another is much more pleasing to watch than the division that permeates our culture.  Not to mention that it gives much more peace to our hearts and souls....so why not show unmerited kindness?  Don't worry about what you may, or may not receive in return; just give kindness.  The harsh tongue lashed out on others to destroy them is much harder to take back than the silent lip, or kind word.  The ability to take captive all the  reminders of what someone has done to you and leave them at Jesus' feet without rehashing to your offender will rock that person's world.  Your ability to forgive the offense, let go and let God and never bring it up again aides more to the healing then land blasting them every time with your hurts....so why not choose to let it go?  God knows we are human and are going to mess up trying to live out His love, but we are expected to try our best so others will see the difference from the world's ways.  I have a long, long ways to go, but God's way to love is much better than my own instincts....so I will continue to strive to show God's love.  Patience and kindness can go a long way.  ~ Amen

His Will

Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." ~  James 4:14 

If all of your perfectly planned plans for your life, or even for tomorrow, were completely turned upside down, what would you do?  Do you freak out, or are you the type of person that can roll with the punches?  I love to have a routine, a schedule, some sort of outline for my busy day and when things don't go as I planned, I can have a bit of a freak out moment.  But what if what you thought needed to happen wasn't in God's plan?  What if what God had designed for your day was something completely different?  How about for your life?!  For your kids' life?!  I think sometimes God sends us what I like to call "divine interruptions" because one of a couple of things may be happening:

1.  Maybe a friend needs a little extra help.  This could be in the form of actual physical help, or someone to talk to, or maybe just a friendly ear.

2.  God disrupts our plans because they were actually going to cause us grief either now, or later on.  He's saving us from ourselves.

OR

3.  Even though we didn't see the trials, or trouble, God allowed it to cause us, and/or maybe those around us, to lean into Him; to cause us to turn back to Him.  

Decisions and plans that will have lasting impacts on us, or our loved ones should always be brought to God in prayer first.  I am still learning this.  Needing to plan is part of my life and God would have it be a part of yours also as it's foolish not to be wise and plan, but we need to ask if we are in God's will and timing, or our own and I am not talking about only the mundane tasks of your day; although those can  be interrupted as well, I am talking abut plans that can have an impact on your life, or others.  I am learning to plan, pray and seek wisdom on timing and to make sure I am not hurrying for an answer.  While "GO" is an answer, we must remember that "wait" and "no" are also answers and sometimes what we need to hear.  Life is full of "GO"; "apply for that new job"; "buy that house"; "move your family"; "take that opportunity".  

But life is also full of "wait"; "no, not now"; "this is not the right house, or neighborhood"; "this is not the time for you to bail on your job"; "you are right were I need you".  

Make sure you are listening to His will.  Ask Him to show you.  And if you don't hear anything, continue to pray and wait. ~ Amen 

Childbirth Pains

My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you. ~ Galatians 4:19

God and Jesus want a relationship with you; they want to know you intimately, but they do not force this relationship - they wait for your decision.  Paul is trying to get the Christians in Galatia to understand that the teachings that require many laws and traditions to be followed are no longer a requirement - the old law is gone.  He is in anguish for these new believers as a soon to be new mother is in anguish during childbirth.  He can't wait for them to understand that our relationship with Christ is based on what HE has done for us and not on what WE do for Him.  The false teachers want to glorify themselves, but to truly be "born again" is to let Christ grab hold and transform you into a believer who longs for relationship with Him and pulls you out of legalistic duties.  Paul is genuinely concerned for these people as when he was with them they believed, but he has gotten word that while he has been away they have started to revert back to their old ways and so he is hurting for them.  He can only describe his hurt for them as a mother in childbirth - wanting so much to see these new believers grab onto what the Lords has already done for them and grow up in that relationship.  He wants to see Christ in them, to see a new birth in their hearts and souls.  We need to let Christ shine so bright in our lives that our worldly desires are second to wanting what Christ wants.  We need to be "born again" so that we can be refreshing and revitalizing light to a lost world; so our hope is evident and clear to others.  Only faith in Christ can bring about the joy and hope that remains through tough times and the darkest of days.  Christ will transform the old ways of laws and legalism that many hold onto into the new way of hope, restoration and forgiveness. ~ AMEN

Washed Clean

That is what some of you were.  But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. ~ 1 Corinthians 6:11

First of all, let me make one thing crystal clear--we are all sinners.  In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Paul gives a lengthy list of grievous sins, but they are no worse than my anger, pride, lust, lies and what the world calls "petty offenses" in God's eyes.  While it's hard to accept, God doesn't "rank" our sins as we humans do.  Sin is sin to Him.  But there is hope.  When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and declare to follow Him, your sins are white washed away and an amazing gift of grace and justification makes you clean.  Justification means there is no more guilty monkey riding on your back and undeserved favor (grace) now covers you.  We all live with a past, and a lot of our pasts are filled with things we wish we could wipe away.  For some of us we get stuck in our pasts and can't forgive ourselves and don't see how we could at all be worthy of such a great gift.  Paul tells us that we can be free from our baggage and we can be declared holy and righteous in God's eyes as though we have never sinned.  Through our conversion as a follower and believer in Christ, we have a fresh start--a Clorox cleaned and bleached new slate!  For Christ's death on the cross was His gift to all of us; if we only believe.  You don't have to carry around your old baggage, sin and guilt.  We have a tendency to mull over past mistakes and hurts, but God says, "No more child.  You are mine and you are forgiven, redeemed and clean!"  We can stand before Jesus Christ knowing full well that He has forgiven us and looks no more on the past we left behind, so why should we dwell there?  When we become a follower of Jesus Christ, He is the only Defender, Jury and Judge that should matter and He has found us 'not guilty' anymore.  Accept His gift of grace and forgiveness and walk holy, humbly and upright in your new found freedom. ~ AMEN

Everyone Give

Give everyone what you owe him:  if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect then respect; if honor, then honor. ~ Romans 13:7

You've heard the saying, "Only two things are for certain:  death and taxes".  Maybe.  Sorry.  Bad joke, I know, but I couldn't help myself.  Anyway....Paul started Romans 13 with the topic of submitting to authorities; especially authorities of government and law as God has ultimately allowed them to be placed in those powerful positions for reasons we probably won't ever understand (especially if we disagree with them).  We'd love to be able to do whatever we want, whenever we want, but there has to be laws that everyone is expected to live by so that this broken world can somewhat function how God intended.  Besides, if you proclaim to be a follower of Jesus than you are called to be more Christ-like; which means being good, kind, compassionate and helpful (just to name a few of His attributes) and breaking the law that He has allowed to be put in place is to be in direct disobedience to our calling.  In today's world where everyone is offended and fights back, or lashes out at almost all forms of authority, we should hold our misguided tongues and actions honorably as this is also being obedient to what Christ would have us do and in doing so, we honor Him.  Yes, it's okay to disagree, but do we have to be so nasty about it?  Why can't we learn to agree to disagree without being so disrespectful?  That is not pleasing to God.  So we should honor and respect the authorities so that we may also respect, revere and humbly honor our God.  In the heat of whatever injustice you may feel, we must remember that we are to obey our God rather than our selfish worldly desires and to obey God is to be respectful and honoring in all circumstances so that the Lord Almighty can justly fight for you in your faith - even if you don't understand.  God's ways are completely contradictory to the worlds; we are supposed to have a different opinion, but we are still to be honorable.  God's way is to obey the law of the land even if you don't agree and by being obedient, respectful and honorable God can move within that space to continue to hold you up in your faith.  Who knows, you may be a refreshing light to an authority figure who hasn't been revered in a long time.  Lord, even when I don't understand, or agree, please help me to be respectful to all forms of authority so that I may be honorable in your eyes. ~ Amen  

Commit Yourself

But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand.  The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. ~ Psalm 10:14

Jesus sees and hears everything.  Imagine what it must be like to see how His creation treat each other sometimes.  I can't begin to fathom how much we must grieve Him.  Being a mother of two is overwhelming at times and more than enough, but I bet their bickering when they were little is nothing like what God hears.  Jesus hears it all.  Jesus himself was the victim of great trouble and grief down here on earth.  Jesus felt every human emotion and so knows what it's like to be in agony.  That Jesus experienced the frustrating, angry, hurt and grief stricken feelings while down here as I do some days give me hope.  I don't know if "hope" is the right word, but I think to myself, "If Jesus, the Son of God, had to go through this than who am I to think that I should be spared trouble?  If the devil tried to tempt Him, who am I to think I won't be spared temptation?"  If Christ had to go through grief and trouble, than of course we do, but never forget to invite Him in to help you.  He sees what is going on and wants to be invited into the battle with you; He is your ultimate helper.  This is a call for all of us to cast our burdens, cares and anxieties on God so that He can step in and take care of us; to trust Him to do His will.  That you have to go through hardships alone is a lie from the enemy; you have a GIANT warrior on your side if you would only commit to asking for His help and move out of the way!  This scripture also implies that God is aware and knows every detail of what wicked and evil people do and He understands the pain they cause.  That He does not care, or have an interest in how people treat us is a lie from the devil.  We are God's children!  Of course He cares!  God sees the inflicted and helpless and He will fight for you.  He will sustain you.  Commit yourselves to Him.  Lord, please be with my brothers and sisters who are suffering and please comfort them and fight for them. ~ AMEN   

Known Everywhere

The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia - your faith in God has become known everywhere. ~ 1 Thessalonians 1:8 

What does your faith say about you?  What role do you serve in your church to spread the gospel of Jesus?  So many of us serve in our local church, but what does it look like to serve outside those walls?  The church is a great place to share our faith and cultivate our beliefs, but we need to look for opportunities to share Christ's love out in the world so that we are known by our faith and God's love can be shared to those that may never have stepped a single foot into a church.  Now days it is so easy to get comfortable and stuck in a rut of just sharing our faith with fellow believers.  How different would our world look if we were known by our faith and for serving and sharing to even the least of them in our broken communities who are outside of our church?  In this world full of people believing the many cruel lies of the enemy and feeling hopeless we need to be missionaries for God Almighty and let his love, mercy, and grace guide us to those who so desperately need Him.  They are hurting and need to know that they don't have to stay stuck in this broken world without hope.  Likely, we may be the only Jesus some in our neighborhoods ever see.  What are you showing them?  As much as I want people to think kindly of me, I really long for people to know without a doubt that my faith in Jesus Christ is my sole strength and I want my lifestyle to be evangelical so that I may always be aware of the right opportunity to share the gospel.  As I live my time out here on earth, I pray that God would use me to reach others and that I would be known by my faith in Him by showing His great love and kindness.  Lord, help me to be a tool, a vessel used by you to reach many and let my reputation be one of great faith and your love. ~ Amen

Pure Religion

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans & widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. ~ James 1:27

James chapter one is chalked full of advice for followers of Jesus Christ.  We are told what to do if we lack wisdom, how to deal with trials, being tempted and even gives a warning about keeping a tight rein over our sometimes zealous tongue.  What else we are given here is the command to not only act religious, but to treat people with real needs with respect and love and look after them.  We are to be the guardians and protectors of people who have no one else to fight for them; no one else to help them in their daily lives.  Spend time with those who have nobody to help them do life together.  We are to love and adopt the fatherless and widows as Christ adopted us.  Today there are people out there who need Christians to step up and don't just talk the talk of loving others, but who actually walk the talk also.  We should be finding ways to help them with their distress and by doing so we show Christ's love.  A religious life is void of a holy life until and unless we show the love of Christ to those around us.  We can do all the right things, say the right things, go through the motions, but if we don't show love and keep ourselves out of the sins of the world, we have nothing new for the world.  It says in 1 Corinthians 13:1:  "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."  I don't know about you, but I don't want to be nothing, and I for sure don't want to be a 'resounding gong'; I want to be love.  We are "religious" in God's eyes when we keep ourselves from the world's sin and care for those in need with love.  With the Holy Spirit's help, we can stay away from our own selfish ambitions and ask God to open our eyes to those He would have us help; even the lowly of the lowly.  Lord, help me to be a servant to the needy and open my eyes to my own worldly sin so that I could be pure before you. ~ Amen

War Against

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. ~ 1 Peter 2:11

This world we live in is so contradictory to how we are supposed to live according to God's word that sometimes I do feel like an exiled alien just waiting to return home.  There are so many ways to sin in this broken world and a lot of the temptations are so neatly packaged and disguised in the name of "fun".  These little "fun packages" are meant to distract us from our final destination and meant to destroy our souls spiritually, our bodies physically and our minds mentally.  But through the Holy Spirit we need to stand our ground and show God's love and turn from the wicked ways of this world.  First, we need to remember that this is not our home, nor our final destination.  We are children of the Most High and we need to be ready for the spiritual battles that lay ahead of us.  We are not home; we are only visiting for a short time and have work to do.  Transformation has hopefully changed our goals and opened our eyes to the fact that we are holy royal priesthood.  We need to be able to identify what is from God and what is from the flesh and worldly desires.  We need to stand strong and turn from our flesh and show compassion to those who the world still have a grip on.  And we need to be careful not to fit in, but we should stand out with such love and kindness that our testimony and lifestyle may help others and stir them to want to turn their lives over to the Lord Almighty.  We have a difficult task in front of us, but one that has great eternal rewards; we are called to live a contradictory life from the wayward worlds.  Hold tight and steadfast!  Lord, help me to live according to your ways and help me to be a beacon of light to others.  Help me to remember this is not my home and help me live and love in such a way that it brings you great glory.  ~ Amen 

Washed Feet - Part 2

"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord', and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. ~ John 13:13-14

Before one can become a truly great leader, they must have conquered the act of servanthood and humility.  Jesus knew that a good teacher not only tells his students how to act, but lovingly shows the example in humble and actively gracious ways to his students.  I can't imagine what the disciples thought, "Jesus!  No!  Why are you washing my disgusting feet?!  Get up!  This is not something you should be doing.  You are God!  We should be washing your feet!  My feet are to filthy for you to touch!"  But Jesus knew He had to show what a great teacher looks like; what it looks like to serve and love regardless of status.  We have to be willing to put others first if we are to be true followers of Jesus; to love everyone He died for no matter their social, economic, or racial status because what Jesus taught is that we are all equal in His eyes.  The mere act of Jesus washing their feet shows what godly character and leadership should look like.  In this same way, we are to be humble and servant like to everyone we meet.  We don't have the right to pick and choose.  Outside views would suggest servanthood to be dictated by a master, or owner, but Jesus flipped this upside down.  It raises the question that if my master and Lord does the serving of others, how much more than should I do for others without common complaint?  If He does it, I surely must.  The example Christ lays out before us is that we are not asked, but that it is mandatory to put aside our selfish ways and serve others if we want to be blessed followers of Him.  There is no such "that's not my job" line; Christ says every need is ours to help meet, help serve and every job you may consider slightly beneath your elevated ego has been divinely set before you.  Lord, as much as it is up to me, help me to meet people where they are and to serve them for your glory. ~ Amen 

Washed Feet

"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord' and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet." ~ John 13:13-14

Want to become a student of Jesus?  Be kind.  Be a servant.  Get into the nitty gritty of each other's life and love on each other.  Don't judge.  Don't condemn.  Don't expect.  Give the unexpected.  Love on the "undeserving".  Feed the homeless.  Carry your sister and brothers in Christ.  Make time out of your day to just listen.  If Jesus can wash nasty, dirt filled toes with toe jam in between on feet that probably haven't been bathed in weeks and have walked in open toed flip flop things through dirt, mud, and probably some kind of manure, well then, we are called to get down into the thick of it and serve each other.  If the Lord Almighty washed someone's feet; who do you think you are to turn down helping your neighbor next door for a ride to the doctor's office?  Who are you to decide if someone is worthy of help, or not?  If Jesus washed someone's feet, then there is NOTHING I should say no to when asked to help if it is in my means.  Who do I think I am? Who do you think you are?  We are NOT Jesus; let me make that clear.  If anything, we should be more like the woman who washed his feet and we should do it over and over and over and over and over again!  We are called to take care of each other; to "wash each other's feet".  Jesus humbled himself to the very ground to take on this task of a servant; the very ground!  I can't imagine Jesus EVER being at my feet!  Yet that is exactly where He was.  Then we best give our all to be the servant that Christ himself showed us to become; we have no excuse.  Are you really going to set yourself up higher than the Alpha and the Omega?  Ask that hurting person how they are really doing today.  Take someone out to lunch.  Ask the tired mom if you can help her out.  Give a couple hours out of your Sunday to visit the local nursing home.  Stop and help the car on the side of the road with the blinking hazard lights.  Give your leftover restaurant meal to the man on the next street corner; you know, the one with the sign.  Offer the drunk a cup of coffee.  Don't just walk past your hurting sister in the church pew; stop, listen, pray.  Ask the lonely, divorced coworker if she'd like to go to a movie.  Respect that teenager; meet him where he is at.  Make your overworked husband his favorite meal unexpectedly.  Do the dishes and the kitchen for your wife unexpectedly.  Mow the single mom's lawn.  Better yet, snowblow the single mom's driveway!  Be selfless.  Be humble.  Be genuine.  Be kind.  Be a servant.  We have no excuse.  ~ Amen 

My Disgrace

May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the Lord Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me, O God of Israel. ~ Psalm 69:6

What a humble prayer for David to pray; bleating that he isn't a stumbling block for others who reach out to the Father.  In the difficult circumstances that David was going through at this time, he prays that others aren't disregarded by God because of his selfish sins and that they would not be forgotten because of his rebellion.  Let's not forget that many are watching us and sometimes our rebellion and actions may be what others see; let us pray that our hypocrisy doesn't get in the way of the building of God's kingdom.  This is a plea to God to please not let my mindless sins and hypocrisy stifle the growth of God's righteous plan.  David is afraid that his actions and attitudes can and would be held against other believers and cause stumbling blocks for others before God.  We should feel the same way; we should pray that our stupidity and selfish sins would not cause others around us to fall.  We should be mindful and pray that our dishonor to God does not nullify, or hinder others approach to the one and only God Almighty.  Like David, we need to be concerned how our influence may, or may not, lead others to God.  Our sins, our lack of concern for other people, our words and actions can all have severe consequences for those seeking God and fellow followers.  Let us not be the reason some never find God, or some turn away from Him.  They see, hear, and sometimes feel our judgement (a hard one for me) and wonder why they would want to serve that "loving God".  Dear Lord, help me to draw people to you instead of push them from you. ~ Amen

Pay Back

Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!'  Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you. ~ Proverbs 20:22

Have you ever wanted to get revenge on someone?  Revenge is the devil's way of destroying your peace and puts you on the dark side of self-destruction and bitterness that can take over your heavy heart.  Once revenge becomes your motive, you block God's healing and give in to tremendous anger and unhealthy attitudes.  This is not God's plan for you and you need to step sideways out of this poison before bitterness and oppression become apparent in your everyday thoughts and actions.  On earth there will never be a perfect way to settle the many injustices we feel fell upon us.  But God promises to bring justice and deliverance as in Exodus 14:14 says, "The Lord will fight for you; you only need to be silent".  When we are silent and leave justice to God, He will make all things right in His time.  Rather than take our hurt and painful feelings on ourselves, we need to take them to God and let Him do the healing and vengeance as He sees fit.   He will take our hurts and in His time He will make the injustices endured by His children made right and there will be a path made to heal your open wounds so that you can start to find His perfect peace again.  Advice to take the matters into your own hands will be given to you from all sides of this broken world, but this is not the Lord's way.  Rather than take your anger out on your oppressor, God asks you to hand it over to Him.  To give our hurts to God and wait on Him is extremely hard and takes a great amount of patience and faith, I know, but that is what we are called to do.  This is one of the hardest disciplines I have ever had to do in my Christian walk, but after I relinquish my anger and hurt, I have felt tremendous peace.  Thank you Lord for being my defender. ~ Amen  

Cursed Enmity

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." ~ Genesis 3:15

This verse refers to the curse God placed on the serpent after Adam and Eve ate from the tree God told them not too; this is the curse between the serpent and mankind from this moment on.  Satan is representative of the serpent and God promised that the serpent would be crushed, but that Satan would also strike at Eve's offsprings' heel.  Even through this verse we can see a foreshadowing of God's promise to take the sneaky devil down.  In this scripture we read that even though Satan; as represented by the serpent, tries to tempt and take Jesus down (Matthew 4:1-11), Jesus' victory over death and the grave have given followers of Christ ultimate victory and will be able to live with Him for eternity.  Satan will be destroyed and crushed and we will have the final victory with our God and King.  Jesus appears to have lost the battle by surrendering on the cross, but everything changes three days later.  The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ "crushed" Satan's plan for mankind and put saving salvation into motion.  This was the first implication that God had a great plan and promise for the human race.  It offers hope of triumph over Satan and his followers/offspring and clues us into the very real threat of spiritual warfare that we will have throughout our walk.  God's curse on the serpent (Satan) is a warning to all of us that Satan is, and will continue to be, our enemy.  Satan roams this earth to hunt us down and destroy us, but he won't be able to do it forever.  Praise God! ~ Amen 

God's Foolishness

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. ~ 1 Corinthians 1:25

God chose to save the world by sending His only son down to earth only to allow Him to be beaten, mocked and horrifically crucified as if he was a ruthless criminal.  A criminal's death.  In no way does this make any sense to the outside world, or mankind in general and surely not to his beloved twelve.  But what kind of foolishness is it to think one man, one deity at that, can, and would save mankind with a brutal death?  The death of Jesus Christ on a cross seems stupid and out right ridiculous, but God knew what He was doing.  And how heartbreaking must it have been for Him.  When one looks at the cross, whether you are a believer, or not, you have to come to grips with who Jesus Christ is to you in some short order of fashion; do you believe?  Do you think it's just a symbol?  Is it a crazy story to you?  The cross is world-wide; and everyone knows it's origin.  The godless looks at the cross as foolishness, but I look at it as life.  In reality, Christ showed his immense strength even though He was in a weakened state purely for the fact that He stayed on the cruel cross and endures such pain when he could have chose to save himself.  In the end, what mankind views as stupidity, or foolishness ends up being God's wisdom in order to redeem us to Him.  His supposed foolishness is our strength and his supposed weakness is our saving grace! ~ Amen

Your Gods

Where then are the gods you made for yourselves?  Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble!  For you have as many gods as you have town, O Judah. ~ Jeremiah 2:28

Boy, in a world full of material things, people, events, sports players, movie stars, money and false hope we need to be careful not to place others before God so that He takes second fiddle to our own selfishness.  Let us remember that where we spend most of our time, or hard earned money is probably where, or what we put first in our lives.  Based on the past week, how has your precious time, or money laid out your priorities?  Work?  Entertainment?  Sports? Gambling?  Your family?  Hobbies?  Screen time (YIKES, guilty here!)? How about God?  Do you see any false Gods you may be placing before the one Lord Almighty?  This is a hard one, I know.  We bring so much sorrow and unnecessary grief when we rebel and wander from God as our first love.  Many times we only invite God into our lives when we are in desperate need of Him.  We don't want to listen to Him when he wants to get into the nitty gritty daily tasks of our life, or how we should spend our money, or how we should treat our co-workers, or how about when we are called to forgive the hurt we have against a family member?  "Oh no!  I can't do that Lord.  No worries.  I got this. Thanks, but no thanks."  Then when that relationship falls apart, or the bak comes to foreclosure on your house, or you find yourself in a health crises, we all of the sudden want God's help.  "HELP!!  I need you!"  Sometimes we treat God like a genie; we only call on Him and put Him fist when all else fails.  We imagine that we can just call Him down, or open the Bible, and POOF!  The truth of the matter is if He had been first the whole time we may not have ever been in the situation we now find ourselves.  Oh if we would only listen the first time.  I wish I had this one nailed down myself, but I don't.  I spend way to much of my time, energy, and money chasing worldly things and relationships; wasting time in activities that won't matter in the end without thinking about God first.  What/who have you put first before God?  He wants a relationship with us always; just not when we think we need Him.  He doesn't want to be USED by you; He wants to be in relationship WITH you.  Maybe it's time to reprioritize. ~ Amen   

Immeasurably More

Now to Him who is able to immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever! ~ Ephesians 3:20-21

God is such a good father that He not only wants to answer our prayers, but He wants to do one better - He wants to throw open the flood gates and do more than we could even imagine; immeasurably more.  This scripture gives me great hope, but it comes with the condition that we allow the Holy Spirit to work within our lives according to His will.  We have much more power and help than we could even imagine if we rely on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide our meager lives.  That we have to relinquish all control to Him and trust that He has the best in mind for our lives while we bring Him magnified glory.  This is a daily choice we have to make; one that is not necessarily always easy to do.  First we have to be in active communication with him and understand that He is only trying to do good for us as He works in our lives to bring glory to His name.  We have to be open to the holy imagination that he has for us.  Seek Him, pray to Him, give Him your life to do whatever He sees fit and know that He is working while you give him tremendous thanks for everything He's done and for everything He's going to do.  Let Him open your mind to your selfish dreams and desires and let Him stir in you what He would have for you all to the Almighty's name.  Then you'll see the unimaginable and more happen in your life that you could have never imagined. ~ AMEN 

Full Armor

Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ~ Ephesians 6:13

Because we know the devil is out there ready to attack at any moment, we need to be fully armored and ready to go to battle spiritually at any given moment.  Are you ready?  Do you put your armor on daily?  Are you suited up?  Because of the many evil ways the devil derives to attack us, we need to make sure we put on the full armor of God everyday.  God has given us mighty tools to fight with:  truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, the Word of God and prayer.  We need to make sure we are grounded in God's word to fend off our nasty enemy whose only goal is to kill, steal and destroy us.  We need to put on this heavy armor just as a soldier puts on armor and has weapons for battle.  All of these weapons at our disposal work together to make our spiritual warfare a winning battle - a victory!  They work together so that we can stand our ground firmly in the midst of the fight and after everything, we can see that the tremendous fight is over and we have victory.  Armed with these tools and clothed in the appropriate armor, we are able to withstand the evil attacks and God will be given the glory.  With the full armor of God, not just some of the pieces, but ALL of the pieces, our spiritual battles will be ours.  We need to be prepared for battle at any time and be on cautious guard always.  Who's ready?  Get the armor on & win! ~ Amen 

Crowd Compassion

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  So he began teaching them many things. ~ Mark 6:34

Jesus often referred to us like sheep; an animal that needs watched over on a continual basis.  While I would rather be compared to a more loyal, smart, loving animal, I understand why Jesus referred to us as dumb, slow sheep.  We are just as slow to learn sometimes as they are.  Jesus was moved to compassion when he saw this large crowd and begin teaching them.  It intrigues me that the word "compassion" is used in this verse also.  Compassion is to pity someone, to feel bad, or have concern for the sufferings of others.  I am pretty sure if I was Jesus at this time, a time when I am trying to get away from all people and their constant needs, trying to get away for rest, I would have been mad when I saw the crowd waiting for me.  I'm pretty sure I would have yelled, "Please leave me alone for 24 hours you needy people!"  However, that's not at all how Jesus treated them.  In fact, He could tell that they yearned to lean more and their ears were ready to hear.  I often wonder what he taught them on the banks this time.  This scripture is a teaching moment for me in the fact that I need to be more kind and compassionate with people who God may put in my path no matter how dog tired, or annoyed I am at the end of a long, lingering day.  I need to have compassion on those who may need more from me than I think I can give and lean on Him to fill me up.  Lord, help me have compassion for others when I am tired and weary.  Fill me up to do what you have called me to do.  ~ Amen

Show Good

Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. ~ Proverbs 3:27

Receiving good gifts that are unexpected is a joy in life.  We give good gifts in the form of respect, kindness, gentleness in troubled times and practical gifts that meets needs we have.  When we have that unexpected medical bill that we have no idea how we are going to pay and it's magically taken care of for us.  When we give respect to our parents, employers, or any authority - that is giving a good and deserved gift of character.  We should be in the business of putting others first and being faithful in helping those who need it in practical ways also.  To "withhold good" implies being stingy.  That we have the means, but maybe we are being a little selfish, or judgemental because we don't think that certain people deserves our help, or our best, but that is not how we are called to act.  Contrary to belief, you don't "earn" respect....respect should be given, not earned.  Everyone deserves respect just like everyone deserves breath.  Instead, "when it is in your power to act" means that when you have the means, do it!  You give. Period.  Help.  Give.  Be unselfish.  Love people by doing good.  Don't judge.  I have to admit that I am not very good at any of this.  OUCH!  Confession time.  If I am honest with myself it is much easier for me to give if it doesn't affect my little pocketbook.  I will give you all the time in the world, but don't ask for hard earned cash.  Shame on me!  Doing good for others blesses them, blesses me, and most importantly, doing good brings glory to God.  We are obligated to give our best, the "good" to everyone in practical, tangible and respectful ways.  Respect everyone and give them your best.  I have a lot to work on, but I'm ready.  Will you give your best?  Father, help me to give my best to everyone.  Help me to act and not withhold good. ~ Amen

Spread It

Pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:1

Have you ever worried about some of your unsaved family members and friends?  Every time I have a death close to me, I wonder, "did I do all I can to present the good news to them?"  I'll admit, it's an awful feeling and question to ask myself as I often fall short.  The thought of friends and family members passing without Jesus saddens me.  We can't make the choice for them, but we sure need to make sure we are presenting Jesus' love, offering them the good news, loving on them without judgement and pray that their spiritual eyes would be opened to cause the scales of the world to fall from their eyes.  Because prayer can go where we can't; it can soften hardened hearts and bring hope before it's too late.  Paul knew that he needed to pray for believers so that they could lift others up.  He encouraged people to pray for non-believers with him because he knew the strong power of prayer.  He had seen it!  Pray for our church leaders and other Christians as they bring the good news to their inner circles.  Pray that people may come to know Christ on a very real personal way so that the gospel may spread rapidly and bring great honor to God.  Never stop praying for the spread of Jesus' sacrifice and love.  It's the least we could do. ~ Amen  

Joyful Partnership

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. ~ Philippians 1:4-5

Praying with joy - what?  Have you ever thought about that?  Yes, we often bring God our worries, our terrifying troubles and big ticket prayers, but what about praying with joy and gratitude?  This scripture even talks about praying in the joy of the Lord for fellow believers that we are in fellowship with - the joy of deep relationships that we have on this journey.  Do you have any good spiritual friends like that?  Friends that go deeper with you than just through the mundane daily tasks of living?  There are a handful of friends in my life who share the good news together and find hope through Jesus in this sometimes sketchy thing called life, but I have one who tops them all.  Let me tell you, besides my husband, I know she is my ride, or die; the only other person who knows what I've been through and has pulled me through thick muddy waters with the Lord's help.  She will be a lifetime friend and partner on this journey because of the faith we share, the friendship that we have cultivated over decades and the sheer fact that we hold each other accountable even when it's hard.  That kind of friendship, partnership is hard to find, but it brings me great joy.  Her phone call is one I always have time for.  Everyone needs a spiritually grounded, gospel following friend you can pray and play with.  I know I will have this joyous friendship because of our faith for a lifetime.  If you don't have one - get one! ~ Amen

Unjust Suffering

For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. ~ 1 Peter 2:19

Unjust suffering.  Oh how much of our suffering is unjust and unfair?  It's all over the world everyday.  Somebody starts a cruel rumor about you; someone steals from you and gets away with it; someone takes credit for hard work you have done; someone hurts you for their own personal pleasure and gain.  You cry and are sickened by the very thought of these and many unfair acts.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all lived in a just, kind and fully compassionate world?  A lot of us have felt, or at least seen unjust suffering in this wicked, broken and sometimes warped world.  I am blessed and privileged to live in a country where I can freely praise God openly, but I know many men and women in this world who are still fiercely persecuted for their faith.  God will have the final say and judgements on those who inflict unjust suffering on His children.  We are to submit to every human authority that has been put in place and God will lift us up through the suffering and have the final judgement one day.  Christ never promised a trial free life; after all, Jesus himself suffered unjustly for all of us.  If God allowed his own son to suffer, who do we think we are to ask for a pain free life?  God will set it right.  Just hold on and run the race set before you.  We win in the end. ~ Amen  

Clothe Yourself

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ~ Colossians 3:12

Wearing clothes is one thing, but learning to wear Godly characteristics and personalities that are pleasing to His service and putting them on daily during these chaotic times is hard!  We became one of His chosen when we decided to follow Him and our attitude must look quite a bit different than the world's self-serving and often times narcissistic attitudes.  No pride, prejudice, selfishness, rudeness, or mean-spirited people need apply.  Think of how you treat people on a daily basis; are you a compassionate, patient and gentle giant?  Boy do I need to work on all the above and more!  How you treat people may be the very reason some of your family, friends and co-workers have hardened hearts when it comes to Christianity.  Ouch!  In this verse, there are five ways we are to live our life as followers of Christ.  We are part of a large family who are dearly loved, and just as earthly parents love their children and give them guidelines to follow, so does our Heavenly Father.  Love God, love people, be kind, be gentle, be patient.  Sometimes it's a hard struggle and a tall order to follow, but we must try our very best.  Our Father expects it. ~ Amen

Guard Over

Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. ~ Psalm 141:3

Do you know your words can speak life, or death?  Your tongue can actually kill, steal, and destroy.  Yes, you read that right, just like our enemy we can do the same thing with our words.  We can destroy our friend's dreams, kill our child's spirit and steal the peace in our own homes that we all so desperately pray for.  Jesus warns us that what is in our hearts comes out and sometimes it isn't very tasteful.  The bible repeatedly warns us that we can hastily hurt someone and wound spirits with our words, or we can lift each other up.  The tongue is one of the strongest muscles in the human body and according to Proverbs 18:21, "the tongue has the power of life and death".  In this broken world of harsh disagreement and continued attack on each other, we need to keep our mouths sealed unless we are speaking life.  Our mouths and lips should be gated, locked and sealed if we don't have anything kind, encouraging, or inspiring to say.  People don't need to hear us talk just to hear us blab.  Let us remember that what we allow to be deposited into our hearts and minds usually comes out one day we will all have to give an account to God Almighty of what we did and what we said.  Let us be uplifting; there is already enough that tears us down. ~ Amen 

Not Far

But you, Lord, do not be far from me.  You are my strength; come quickly to help me. ~ Psalm 22:19

Have you ever screamed out loud to God to help you?  I often wonder who non-believers cry out to when they are in desperate need of peace, hope and answers.  I am thankful that I know I can call on my God and he will answer my moaning.  Sometimes there has not been a person I felt like I could cry and moan out to that could take my cries and understand my massive hurt like God can.  After all, He knows the deepest secrets of my heart and sometimes our pain in indescribable, but He sees all, knows all and can comfort like no one else can.  Sometimes only God will do.  I have personally experienced strength that only God can give; strength to pull me through the throws of so much pain I could barely breathe through my burning tears.  I have wrestled with God under the covers of my bed crammed to the bottom of my bed so my boys would not be woke up by their mom's wailing and leg thrashing sounds until God quieted my spirit into a deep peaceful sleep.  I have felt like God was a million miles away when the whole time it was later evident that He had me firmly in His gentle hand.  However, there are those times when God seems to be taking his sweet time and does not come quickly, but crawls to our aide.  To those times I say be patient and wait on the Lord.  His time is not the same as our time, but His time is always right on time. ~ Amen

Convinced That....

I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor future, nor powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~ Romans 8:38-39

Separation scares us.  Separation often means a loss of someone, or something.  Most of the time separation involves an unwanted circumstance we didn't create.  Jesus was separated from a perfect paradise in order to come save mankind from their own sinful, selfish and destructive selfs.  If you have confessed with your mighty mouth and believe in your heart that Christ is Lord, He promises YOU that you will never be separated from his unconditional love - no matter where you are, where you have been, what you have done, the choices you have made, the regrets you have - He will not take his unconditional love from you.  Period.  Jesus bridged the massive gap between us and our Creator so that we would not have to be separated from God; that was the whole point of his heartbreaking surrender.  If you are a follower of Jesus, then the demons this world may throw your way, the demons that have been allowed to mess with you and even the demons you have invited into your own life and have willingly listened to can NOT win and separate you from God's unfailing love.  There is nothing you can do that will make God STOP loving you.  NOTHING.  Period.  Think of the most sinful thing you can imagine.  God still LOVES you through that.  Praise God! ~ Amen