Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17
It's an amazing gift. Someone makes an unbearable sacrifice and we all benefit from it. I once heard our pastor say, "God bankrupted heaven for you and I"; what a thought, but oh so true. All you have to do is accept Jesus Christ for who he is as the son of God and that he died for you and accept that gift from the cross and you are a new creation. Something supernatural happens. My mind puts it into terms of a caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly; it's a transformation that is so complete that there is no remnants of the caterpillar attributes any longer; you only see the beauty in the new creation. Some of us need to shout, "THANK GOD!" to the fact that the old has gone; it's not a person we may even want to, or need to recognize. The dirty is washed and made completely clean; it's Clorox bleach on turbo strength and it's glorious. We now belong to a new world filled with hope, peace and joy that can replace the doubt, turmoil and fear that we once lived in. As a new creation we are born into a spirit world that goes to battle for us throughout this temporary life here on planet earth. We are now part of a bigger plan, a bigger purpose and we are called a child of the Almighty God our Father. Who doesn't want that? Hallelujah! ~
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Promise You
Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. ~ Malachi 2:15
Have you ever heard, "Well, we were young and stupid and really didn't know what we were doing...so we split. We are better off for it." ? There is no doubt that in some situations you may have made a hasty choice in getting married, but the bible is clear that you should not leave the wife of your youth. Not to mention that the fact remains that you must have loved each other enough at one point in your life to get married...so what changed? You just failed to work on it, or one of you failed to work on it and chose the easy way out; after all, nobody ever promised that marriage would be easy, it's a daily choice. I am a very proud daughter of two individuals who got married young (mom was 16 and dad was 18) and even though it was terribly hard at times and they may have had second thoughts, they persevered and took their covenant with each other and God seriously. Now let me say that if there is abuse in your relationship I believe you must, I repeat MUST get out, but for all of you who are toying with the idea of divorce because you don't think you are in love with that person anymore, I say, "WORK ON IT!" God has made married couples one, one flesh, one body, that's one of the reasons sex is prohibited outside of marriage ~ it is a total experience for not just your body, but your mind, spirit and soul become connected forever. It's a very spiritual act that Americans distorted to new levels and in ways that is only pleasing to the devil. He totally wants you to give yourself up to everyone at all times so that he can destroy you piece by piece as you literally give yourself away. Let's revive America by sticking it out with our spouses and giving all we can to our marriages. We deserve it and so do our children! So to my friend....stick it out and I promise you'll be glad you did. I love you. ~
Have you ever heard, "Well, we were young and stupid and really didn't know what we were doing...so we split. We are better off for it." ? There is no doubt that in some situations you may have made a hasty choice in getting married, but the bible is clear that you should not leave the wife of your youth. Not to mention that the fact remains that you must have loved each other enough at one point in your life to get married...so what changed? You just failed to work on it, or one of you failed to work on it and chose the easy way out; after all, nobody ever promised that marriage would be easy, it's a daily choice. I am a very proud daughter of two individuals who got married young (mom was 16 and dad was 18) and even though it was terribly hard at times and they may have had second thoughts, they persevered and took their covenant with each other and God seriously. Now let me say that if there is abuse in your relationship I believe you must, I repeat MUST get out, but for all of you who are toying with the idea of divorce because you don't think you are in love with that person anymore, I say, "WORK ON IT!" God has made married couples one, one flesh, one body, that's one of the reasons sex is prohibited outside of marriage ~ it is a total experience for not just your body, but your mind, spirit and soul become connected forever. It's a very spiritual act that Americans distorted to new levels and in ways that is only pleasing to the devil. He totally wants you to give yourself up to everyone at all times so that he can destroy you piece by piece as you literally give yourself away. Let's revive America by sticking it out with our spouses and giving all we can to our marriages. We deserve it and so do our children! So to my friend....stick it out and I promise you'll be glad you did. I love you. ~
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Journey Out
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." ~ John 16:33
Do you ever feel like you are constantly bombarded with tremendous trials and troubles? Especially in this financial crisis that America is wading thickly through there seems to be mountains of trouble. The basic meaning of trouble in Greek is pressure; which we all know comes in many different forms and many dysfunctional shapes. There is the pressure to perform well on the job, on a test, in school, the pressure to be a good mom, a better mom, a good dad, a better dad, the pressure to live up to expectations of other and those of our own and even the pressure to live the lifestyle our neighbor has even if we can't really afford it. PRESSURE! All of these pressures if internalized and dwelt on long enough, can become monstrous trouble if we are not focused on the creator of this wonderful world. The pressure builds up and the trouble starts and sometimes our lives start to slide down a slippery path that thwarts our very existence. May I also suggest that just living in this world and being a part of it can be troublesome enough for those of us living for Christ; our troubles, or at least for me, sometimes feel magnified ten times over just because of the spiritual warfare that I know goes on around me. However, Jesus has triumphed over this world! AMEN! We need to take courage; we need to stand up strong as we share in that triumphant victory over this world and it's sometimes sickening ways. Jesus has won and as a follower of the Almighty, I have too! Thank you Jesus that we know who wins in the end and that this is a journey not to take to seriously. This is not my home and I will be triumphant! Take that peace with you and journey out my friend, journey out! ~
Do you ever feel like you are constantly bombarded with tremendous trials and troubles? Especially in this financial crisis that America is wading thickly through there seems to be mountains of trouble. The basic meaning of trouble in Greek is pressure; which we all know comes in many different forms and many dysfunctional shapes. There is the pressure to perform well on the job, on a test, in school, the pressure to be a good mom, a better mom, a good dad, a better dad, the pressure to live up to expectations of other and those of our own and even the pressure to live the lifestyle our neighbor has even if we can't really afford it. PRESSURE! All of these pressures if internalized and dwelt on long enough, can become monstrous trouble if we are not focused on the creator of this wonderful world. The pressure builds up and the trouble starts and sometimes our lives start to slide down a slippery path that thwarts our very existence. May I also suggest that just living in this world and being a part of it can be troublesome enough for those of us living for Christ; our troubles, or at least for me, sometimes feel magnified ten times over just because of the spiritual warfare that I know goes on around me. However, Jesus has triumphed over this world! AMEN! We need to take courage; we need to stand up strong as we share in that triumphant victory over this world and it's sometimes sickening ways. Jesus has won and as a follower of the Almighty, I have too! Thank you Jesus that we know who wins in the end and that this is a journey not to take to seriously. This is not my home and I will be triumphant! Take that peace with you and journey out my friend, journey out! ~
Monday, May 25, 2009
Always Steadfast
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
~ Psalm 51:10
One of my prayers for my children is that they would have a pure heart, pure motives and minds and hearts transformed and conformed by God. To be honest, this type of prayer never entered my mind for my children until they became school aged and were no longer under my constant care. I became terrified when I realized that Samuel was no longer going to be with me and my direction every minute of the day. I became insanely anxious when I realized others where going to be able to speak into him and at him all day without me being there to filter things, or guide him through all the white noise like talking that would swirl around him on a daily basis....so I started praying. Lord, please let my son know when it's you and when it's not; help him to keep a clean heart, spirit and mind in a world that is often composed of hidden agendas and unclear motives. One day while I was praying for my children in regards to the specific request of purity, it came to my mind that I should also keep praying for that for my husband and I. I was taken by surprise, but than I thought about it. In a world of selfish ambition, we adults also need to make sure we have pure hearts and motives. I feel like I do a good job at this already and I don't see anything glaring at me in the horizon that is impure, but it never hurts to be on guard, especially if I want to teach my children about purity. Impurity doesn't just come in sexual form, or uncleanliness either for that matter, but it can come in the form of lust, greed and even popularity. I need to make sure that I am making the right moral choices for me and my family even if it's unpopular; which is just another way of keeping our home pure. Lord, I pray that you would cleanse whatever you desire and make my home a pure one for you. Always and steadfast. ~
~ Psalm 51:10
One of my prayers for my children is that they would have a pure heart, pure motives and minds and hearts transformed and conformed by God. To be honest, this type of prayer never entered my mind for my children until they became school aged and were no longer under my constant care. I became terrified when I realized that Samuel was no longer going to be with me and my direction every minute of the day. I became insanely anxious when I realized others where going to be able to speak into him and at him all day without me being there to filter things, or guide him through all the white noise like talking that would swirl around him on a daily basis....so I started praying. Lord, please let my son know when it's you and when it's not; help him to keep a clean heart, spirit and mind in a world that is often composed of hidden agendas and unclear motives. One day while I was praying for my children in regards to the specific request of purity, it came to my mind that I should also keep praying for that for my husband and I. I was taken by surprise, but than I thought about it. In a world of selfish ambition, we adults also need to make sure we have pure hearts and motives. I feel like I do a good job at this already and I don't see anything glaring at me in the horizon that is impure, but it never hurts to be on guard, especially if I want to teach my children about purity. Impurity doesn't just come in sexual form, or uncleanliness either for that matter, but it can come in the form of lust, greed and even popularity. I need to make sure that I am making the right moral choices for me and my family even if it's unpopular; which is just another way of keeping our home pure. Lord, I pray that you would cleanse whatever you desire and make my home a pure one for you. Always and steadfast. ~
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Very Alone
Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always; to the very end of the age. ~ Matthew 28:19-20
These are the last two verses of the book of Matthew given to us straight from Jesus' mouth and even though the whole of the two equals a part of the Great Commission, what really speaks to me is the very last sentence....'and surely I am with you always; to the very end of the age.' Therefore, you and I have nothing to fear not only as we walk this earth trying to make disciples of all the nations but also when we are doing our daily, sometimes mundane chores; or getting persecuted for following what we feel like we've been called to do; we are never alone even through horrific circumstances and situations. I have come to realize this in my own journey. I have come to know that I don't and won't understand everything, but we humans are able to endure the unimaginable when we are accompanied by friends, family and especially when we realize Jesus is with us even though we don't understand. Why? Because we were never meant to be, designed to be, or intended to be....alone. In fact, we never are. You may feel it, but you never are. NEVER. We have what some would say their conscious (I call it the Holy Spirit) and we have a father who loves us unconditionally if we would only let him....he's just waiting for you and I to turn to him. He waits patiently. He will not force a relationship with anyone; that's part of his love, you have to initiate that, but he will always be waiting for you to take that step. My personal spiritual journey has been rather intense in a good way these last two years and I am so thankful that I am never alone. There are circumstances and situations that I felt COMPLETELY alone without direction and in total confusion. We all have them. It's how you chose to REACT to them that can really affect your life. I have learned that without those sometimes dark and deafening silent times I would not have the relationship I have with Jesus now. May I suggest that sometimes he leaves us alone and backs off a little just so he can show himself again to us when we are at the end of our rope and finally turn to him again. He uses us in our weakness to show himself strong and when I don't think I can go on anymore he always shows me that I'm never alone......to the very end of the age. ~
These are the last two verses of the book of Matthew given to us straight from Jesus' mouth and even though the whole of the two equals a part of the Great Commission, what really speaks to me is the very last sentence....'and surely I am with you always; to the very end of the age.' Therefore, you and I have nothing to fear not only as we walk this earth trying to make disciples of all the nations but also when we are doing our daily, sometimes mundane chores; or getting persecuted for following what we feel like we've been called to do; we are never alone even through horrific circumstances and situations. I have come to realize this in my own journey. I have come to know that I don't and won't understand everything, but we humans are able to endure the unimaginable when we are accompanied by friends, family and especially when we realize Jesus is with us even though we don't understand. Why? Because we were never meant to be, designed to be, or intended to be....alone. In fact, we never are. You may feel it, but you never are. NEVER. We have what some would say their conscious (I call it the Holy Spirit) and we have a father who loves us unconditionally if we would only let him....he's just waiting for you and I to turn to him. He waits patiently. He will not force a relationship with anyone; that's part of his love, you have to initiate that, but he will always be waiting for you to take that step. My personal spiritual journey has been rather intense in a good way these last two years and I am so thankful that I am never alone. There are circumstances and situations that I felt COMPLETELY alone without direction and in total confusion. We all have them. It's how you chose to REACT to them that can really affect your life. I have learned that without those sometimes dark and deafening silent times I would not have the relationship I have with Jesus now. May I suggest that sometimes he leaves us alone and backs off a little just so he can show himself again to us when we are at the end of our rope and finally turn to him again. He uses us in our weakness to show himself strong and when I don't think I can go on anymore he always shows me that I'm never alone......to the very end of the age. ~
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Some Improving
Rejoice with those who rejoice....Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty....never be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all. ~ Romans 12:15-18
Whew! This scripture is loaded with what seems like impossible rules. I mean who can follow these all the time? No one. We are imperfect human beings, but we can try to live up to these measures everyday with brand new mercies from above. We are to be joyful and rejoice with those who have reason to rejoice; no matter how we feel. We are to rejoice with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ when they have something to rejoice about. We are to live in harmony with one another and sometimes that means learning how to control our tongues, at least for me, and learning when to keep my big mouth shut. We are not to be haughty; we are not to be full of ourselves; which goes against the grain of this narcissistic/selfish society we live in today. God did not design us to be by ourselves, but we are to fellowship with each other and love each other without judgement in part by leaving our selfishness at the door. It's not all about me. God forgive me those times when I have inflated myself with conceit and a self induced ego; only in my humbleness can I show the true character of God with servant hood and not expectation. And who in the world knows how to live with everyone peaceably all the time? May I suggest that no one has been able to do that; even Jesus stirred controversy, but we are to try our hardest to live in peace. When someone rubs us wrong, or wrongs us, we need to be quick to take the high road and give them the benefit of the doubt instead of playing the victim role all the time, or seeking revenge. After all, once again, it's not all about me and if I continuously play the victim card I am also playing the "about me" card constantly. So everyday I need to pray that God would make me more Christlike and less worldly so that I may live according to his word. Without him and his mercies I will never come close to becoming what he wants me to become. Thank him that we can go to him and ask him to help us to become more like him; after all, he knows you - ask him to help you and watch your world grow. I know I could use some improving. ~
Whew! This scripture is loaded with what seems like impossible rules. I mean who can follow these all the time? No one. We are imperfect human beings, but we can try to live up to these measures everyday with brand new mercies from above. We are to be joyful and rejoice with those who have reason to rejoice; no matter how we feel. We are to rejoice with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ when they have something to rejoice about. We are to live in harmony with one another and sometimes that means learning how to control our tongues, at least for me, and learning when to keep my big mouth shut. We are not to be haughty; we are not to be full of ourselves; which goes against the grain of this narcissistic/selfish society we live in today. God did not design us to be by ourselves, but we are to fellowship with each other and love each other without judgement in part by leaving our selfishness at the door. It's not all about me. God forgive me those times when I have inflated myself with conceit and a self induced ego; only in my humbleness can I show the true character of God with servant hood and not expectation. And who in the world knows how to live with everyone peaceably all the time? May I suggest that no one has been able to do that; even Jesus stirred controversy, but we are to try our hardest to live in peace. When someone rubs us wrong, or wrongs us, we need to be quick to take the high road and give them the benefit of the doubt instead of playing the victim role all the time, or seeking revenge. After all, once again, it's not all about me and if I continuously play the victim card I am also playing the "about me" card constantly. So everyday I need to pray that God would make me more Christlike and less worldly so that I may live according to his word. Without him and his mercies I will never come close to becoming what he wants me to become. Thank him that we can go to him and ask him to help us to become more like him; after all, he knows you - ask him to help you and watch your world grow. I know I could use some improving. ~
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Mind Blowing
"The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." ~ Zephaniah 3:17
I love the thought that someone exults over me with loud singing all the time; do you realize that the Lord rejoices over you? Whew! Sometimes I feel so unworthy of that, actually, most of the time I feel unworthy of that; after all, I am just me, but not to God; I am special to him. The one who created this universe, this world, and every little detail of it actually exults over...me! Spring time is a special time of the year for many reasons ~ it's a fresh start, the days get longer, new growth is seen outside, but when I really think about it and let my mind wonder about how everything comes back to life and lives fresh again, I am in awe of how that all works. This is not science and it didn't happen in a BIG bang, it happened by divine creation and when I think about the inter workings of how plants, animals and the world works, I get overwhelmed to think that the one who made all of this is more concerned with me and with the human race than with any other thing. Talk about having a full plate...he's got one! And yet, he still makes time for me...he rejoices over me with gladness when he has a ton of other things I'm sure he could be doing. I am the lover of the one and true God who not only holds all things in his hands, but still fights for me, loves me, rejoices over me and sings over me. Boy, than I must be pretty special...and so are you! Rejoice in that this spring. Rejoice in that this Mother's Day. God has given us this beautiful world to enjoy and you are his crowning creation. Mind blowing! ~
I love the thought that someone exults over me with loud singing all the time; do you realize that the Lord rejoices over you? Whew! Sometimes I feel so unworthy of that, actually, most of the time I feel unworthy of that; after all, I am just me, but not to God; I am special to him. The one who created this universe, this world, and every little detail of it actually exults over...me! Spring time is a special time of the year for many reasons ~ it's a fresh start, the days get longer, new growth is seen outside, but when I really think about it and let my mind wonder about how everything comes back to life and lives fresh again, I am in awe of how that all works. This is not science and it didn't happen in a BIG bang, it happened by divine creation and when I think about the inter workings of how plants, animals and the world works, I get overwhelmed to think that the one who made all of this is more concerned with me and with the human race than with any other thing. Talk about having a full plate...he's got one! And yet, he still makes time for me...he rejoices over me with gladness when he has a ton of other things I'm sure he could be doing. I am the lover of the one and true God who not only holds all things in his hands, but still fights for me, loves me, rejoices over me and sings over me. Boy, than I must be pretty special...and so are you! Rejoice in that this spring. Rejoice in that this Mother's Day. God has given us this beautiful world to enjoy and you are his crowning creation. Mind blowing! ~
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Will Continue
SHORTY'S IS OPEN! FRIDAY - TUESDAY 4:00 - 9:00 P.M.! WHAT A RIDE! My husband got his restaurant open and people are flocking in; what a wonderful thing it is to witness your spouses dream come true! There are, of course, kinks that need to be worked out, but I believe that is with any new venture and especially any new venture that has to do with customer service. There are no words to exactly tell him how proud I am of him, but I have tried; part of the amazement comes from the fact that I would be lying if I said I thought this was all going to come together. I had my doubts and I had to eat crow in the end, but, in this case, crow that I am more than happy to dine on. Our life has been a whirl wind of events in the last six months; one day we are thinking about moving back home and then two weeks later, BANG, God gives us the wisdom to know it's time....so we move, we start a restaurant, I get a full time job in the school district that I left eight years prior, and we start getting together with the other churches in this area to help out the youth here; WHEW! When we first moved home I missed Denver and my home there terribly; felt like I went into a bit of a funk, but in the last two months, I can now look at pictures of our life down there with happiness and thankfulness for that chapter in our lives instead of regretting the move. After all, Denver was home. It was our boys' home. It was the place Cody and I started our family new. Denver was good to us. However, God has been great here also and I believe he will continue to be. ~
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Acceptance Action
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. ~ Romans 15:7
Have you ever felt like an outsider? Has it been hard for you to accept others for who they are? One of my many weaknesses is that sometimes it's hard for me to accept how other people think, or how they view things; which let's face it, is a form of superiority on my part; SHAME ON ME! This is a characteristic of mine that I am learning to trust into God's hands and change because the truth of the matter is that I have felt VERY inferior when I hang out with certain people and I absolutely loathe that feeling...I don't want to make anyone else feel that way and it saddens me that I may. We are to accept each other, always. Is that a hard pill for you to swallow? The way you can gauge how you are with acceptance is to take evaluation of your friendships...have you had a few, a couple, or maybe even a handful go by the wayside? Even though I am tremendously blessed with many good friends, I can look back and see a few friendships that have slipped away that I thought would last forever? Why? If I'm honest, it wasn't all them, I probably was not as accepting as I could have been....whew, that was hard and sad to admit. Over the weekend we got to hang out with some dear friends of ours from Broomfield and over dinner on Saturday night we got into the conversation of relationships. My dear friend said, "We don't have the right to write people off. We just don't. That's not ours. We need to learn to get over our pettiness sometimes. Only God would have that right and he never has done that to any of us. Who do we think we are?" WOW! She's right. Only God would have that right and he never has. It struck a cord with me. Acceptance is dearly needed in our families, among siblings, among children, among parents, among friends, among coworkers, among spouses, in every relationship. Then I ran across this scripture this morning and I once again thought of my dear friends; she has every right in my mind to write certain people off in her life and she never did either. Incredible. Let me just tell all my friends and family, I'm not perfect and never will be, and neither will you, but I will love you always and continue my quest of complete acceptance. Remind me if you need to! Nothing should separate good friends. Nothing....because here's the revelation I had, if we are unwilling to accept someone, or if we are willing to write someone off for their wrongs, then how good are we at forgiveness? In effect, you are unforgiving if you write someone off because the reason you most likely wrote them off was because they hurt you. Maybe they didn't think like you and you couldn't accept that. How petty! Not at all like the Jesus we supposedly than honor and follow and call our Lord. Oh! Ouch! That revelation hurts me. I am so sorry. I don't want to be that way. Let's start with acceptance and love each other the way Christ loves us. Christ could have written me off time and time again, but he never has....who am I to say that I can then? Acceptance! What a statement of faith we could be to this world with that one word and action. ~
Have you ever felt like an outsider? Has it been hard for you to accept others for who they are? One of my many weaknesses is that sometimes it's hard for me to accept how other people think, or how they view things; which let's face it, is a form of superiority on my part; SHAME ON ME! This is a characteristic of mine that I am learning to trust into God's hands and change because the truth of the matter is that I have felt VERY inferior when I hang out with certain people and I absolutely loathe that feeling...I don't want to make anyone else feel that way and it saddens me that I may. We are to accept each other, always. Is that a hard pill for you to swallow? The way you can gauge how you are with acceptance is to take evaluation of your friendships...have you had a few, a couple, or maybe even a handful go by the wayside? Even though I am tremendously blessed with many good friends, I can look back and see a few friendships that have slipped away that I thought would last forever? Why? If I'm honest, it wasn't all them, I probably was not as accepting as I could have been....whew, that was hard and sad to admit. Over the weekend we got to hang out with some dear friends of ours from Broomfield and over dinner on Saturday night we got into the conversation of relationships. My dear friend said, "We don't have the right to write people off. We just don't. That's not ours. We need to learn to get over our pettiness sometimes. Only God would have that right and he never has done that to any of us. Who do we think we are?" WOW! She's right. Only God would have that right and he never has. It struck a cord with me. Acceptance is dearly needed in our families, among siblings, among children, among parents, among friends, among coworkers, among spouses, in every relationship. Then I ran across this scripture this morning and I once again thought of my dear friends; she has every right in my mind to write certain people off in her life and she never did either. Incredible. Let me just tell all my friends and family, I'm not perfect and never will be, and neither will you, but I will love you always and continue my quest of complete acceptance. Remind me if you need to! Nothing should separate good friends. Nothing....because here's the revelation I had, if we are unwilling to accept someone, or if we are willing to write someone off for their wrongs, then how good are we at forgiveness? In effect, you are unforgiving if you write someone off because the reason you most likely wrote them off was because they hurt you. Maybe they didn't think like you and you couldn't accept that. How petty! Not at all like the Jesus we supposedly than honor and follow and call our Lord. Oh! Ouch! That revelation hurts me. I am so sorry. I don't want to be that way. Let's start with acceptance and love each other the way Christ loves us. Christ could have written me off time and time again, but he never has....who am I to say that I can then? Acceptance! What a statement of faith we could be to this world with that one word and action. ~
Friday, April 24, 2009
There Waiting
The father of the prodigal son said, "Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." So they began to celebrate. ~ Luke 15:23-24
Do you know that God celebrates you? You know that God celebrates when people come to him and find his salvation, but can you fathom that he does that no matter where you've been, or what you've done? It's true. I once heard a friend of mine say, "You can not do anything bad enough for God not to love you." Blew me away! I have always had the head knowledge that God loves me, but to hear it like that, "there's nothing I can do bad enough for God to quit loving me" hit my heart. He made us in his image, he will always love his crown creation. Think of the biggest violation against you, or your family....do you know that if the person who did that to you comes to know God, he is forgiven? Hard to imagine, uh? Do you know that God even loves them? That's not to say that we have a "get out of jail free" card, but it's to say, "Hey, we all make mistakes. Some bigger than others, but I will ALWAYS love you." Everyone has been a prodigal son or daughter in their own way; whether it be huge, or in a small turn of the back, we all have. No matter where we've been, or what we do, when we come back to God there is a huge celebration in heaven and the angels rejoice with him in the loudest concert you can even imagine. You see, there is complete hope when someone either comes back, or just starts out their journey; there is light at the end of the dark worldly tunnel at that very moment. It's a time to celebrate! Think of a promotion you've gotten at work, an accomplishment you received at school, think of a loved one coming home from serving overseas...now times that celebration by thousands! Can you see his face beaming? He loves you, he wants to celebrate your return. God wants to give everything to us and as long as we come back he will always be there waiting....for you. ~
Do you know that God celebrates you? You know that God celebrates when people come to him and find his salvation, but can you fathom that he does that no matter where you've been, or what you've done? It's true. I once heard a friend of mine say, "You can not do anything bad enough for God not to love you." Blew me away! I have always had the head knowledge that God loves me, but to hear it like that, "there's nothing I can do bad enough for God to quit loving me" hit my heart. He made us in his image, he will always love his crown creation. Think of the biggest violation against you, or your family....do you know that if the person who did that to you comes to know God, he is forgiven? Hard to imagine, uh? Do you know that God even loves them? That's not to say that we have a "get out of jail free" card, but it's to say, "Hey, we all make mistakes. Some bigger than others, but I will ALWAYS love you." Everyone has been a prodigal son or daughter in their own way; whether it be huge, or in a small turn of the back, we all have. No matter where we've been, or what we do, when we come back to God there is a huge celebration in heaven and the angels rejoice with him in the loudest concert you can even imagine. You see, there is complete hope when someone either comes back, or just starts out their journey; there is light at the end of the dark worldly tunnel at that very moment. It's a time to celebrate! Think of a promotion you've gotten at work, an accomplishment you received at school, think of a loved one coming home from serving overseas...now times that celebration by thousands! Can you see his face beaming? He loves you, he wants to celebrate your return. God wants to give everything to us and as long as we come back he will always be there waiting....for you. ~
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Give Best
Encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. ~
1 Thessalonians 5:11
How often do you feel encouraged? How often do you encourage others? I know I myself need help in the area of giving encouragement; especially to those closest to me; I'm not always the builder. Encourage, according to Webster, means to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope. Unfortunately, my mouth runs amok sometimes and spills out every kind of discouragement. One of my goals this year is to become a more supportive and encouraging wife in not only my actions, but also in my words. There are times I am far from inspiring and if I'm not inspiring then I must be expiring. Expire, according to Webster, means to emit the breath of. How sad is that?! Courage is a huge part of encouragement and according to Webster, the definition of courage is mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. If I'm not encouraging people to be strong with courage then I am discouraging and supplying no strength, or support system for those who may really need it. Lastly, to be encouraging means to give hope and according to Webster, hope is to expect with confidence. If I take that hope away, or never give that hope than I am giving hopelessness, which also according to Webster is having no expectation of good or success; another word for despair. So...if I'm not encouraging I am expiring, discouraging, and despairing to those around me and am a life sucking, unsupportive and complete doubter of all good. Is that you? I know I personally steer clear of those people because, and hang on to your seats, they are all to often selfish takers from me than givers. It's always about them. However, that's me somedays....OH how I want to be an encourager! I want to breath life into peoples situations! I want to help them persevere and strengthen them! I want to expect only good for them and I want them to expect only good for themselves! What a different world we would live in if we would all make a conscious effort to build up instead of tear down. Our marriages, our children, our other family relationships, our friendships, our work places, our very beings would be transformed! Oh how I want that for me and mine. I want to leave that to my children. In the movie Bambi, Thumper's mother had good advice, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." I say if you can't be encouraging, than don't say anything at all. Now if I could only live by my own words....I'm going to give it my best. ~
1 Thessalonians 5:11
How often do you feel encouraged? How often do you encourage others? I know I myself need help in the area of giving encouragement; especially to those closest to me; I'm not always the builder. Encourage, according to Webster, means to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope. Unfortunately, my mouth runs amok sometimes and spills out every kind of discouragement. One of my goals this year is to become a more supportive and encouraging wife in not only my actions, but also in my words. There are times I am far from inspiring and if I'm not inspiring then I must be expiring. Expire, according to Webster, means to emit the breath of. How sad is that?! Courage is a huge part of encouragement and according to Webster, the definition of courage is mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. If I'm not encouraging people to be strong with courage then I am discouraging and supplying no strength, or support system for those who may really need it. Lastly, to be encouraging means to give hope and according to Webster, hope is to expect with confidence. If I take that hope away, or never give that hope than I am giving hopelessness, which also according to Webster is having no expectation of good or success; another word for despair. So...if I'm not encouraging I am expiring, discouraging, and despairing to those around me and am a life sucking, unsupportive and complete doubter of all good. Is that you? I know I personally steer clear of those people because, and hang on to your seats, they are all to often selfish takers from me than givers. It's always about them. However, that's me somedays....OH how I want to be an encourager! I want to breath life into peoples situations! I want to help them persevere and strengthen them! I want to expect only good for them and I want them to expect only good for themselves! What a different world we would live in if we would all make a conscious effort to build up instead of tear down. Our marriages, our children, our other family relationships, our friendships, our work places, our very beings would be transformed! Oh how I want that for me and mine. I want to leave that to my children. In the movie Bambi, Thumper's mother had good advice, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." I say if you can't be encouraging, than don't say anything at all. Now if I could only live by my own words....I'm going to give it my best. ~
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