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Woke this morning to a lot of pain...I never knew what was coming.. the joy my soul would gain. Laid in my bed, cringing in pain.. for soon the joy my heart would proclaim. The mercy of the Lord touched me today.. showing me that being a part of this world I could no longer play. He gave me a vision so sadly true.. In one hand holding the world and the other hand his shoe, tightly gripping both.. I was so confused. Then I felt the world slipping, I was so scared.. did I have enough energy or was I completely prepared? At last I cried and flew so high...Jesus was still there right by my side. The lessons we learn if we only let go and allow Jesus to do the work.. ohhh how the blessings do flow. The more I cried and said I was sorry, the more I felt the power of Gods awesome glory. I had been crying for days, the pain in back and legs would not go away. All the sudden I heard in a voice so calm and mild .."Just a little longer my child". A warm peace filled my body, for the pain was no longer hollering! For in that hour God and I intersected...His loving care I detected. Thru Gods mercy, does love flow, even in your darkest times.. he will never let go. Still I must go thru this pain only for a season... and Jesus assured me there is a reason. I will not ask why.. for with my savior I will fly. Thank dear God for your son.. because he showed me .. my life had just begun ! What if it was you that the Pharisees threw a woman at your feet and wanted you to stone her? ...what if it was your mother.. father... brother or sister??? would there have been any less love? Now put a twist on it.. what if it was bin laden that was thrown there.. and he had truly repented of his sins?? ...would there have been any less love? What if it was a gay man caught in the act with on of his partners??? ...would there have been any less love?? What if it was a member of the KKK??? ...what if it was your drug ridden alcoholic son or daughter??? ...would there be any less love? Love is the key... we must love all without excuse... it doesn't matter who did what... or why they did it... we are to love all.. if you are having a hard time with someone.... ask yourself... what is my excuse? Is it anger, pain, something they did.. something they said, some way they acted, maybe because they didn't agree with your idea of how things are to be... but does it allow us to love any less? Jesus said neither do I condemn thee.. before he said go and sin no more. We have to remember that we are not judge nor jury over anyone. The bible says .. judge not by mere appearance.. but make a righteous judgment. That means to get to know the person.. learn what makes them tick... understand them...and then and only then will you be able to make a righteous judgment. Not everyone thinks the same.. not everyone feels the same.. not everyone will agree with this writing. It took me many years to understand that its all about the love of Jesus Christ and that he loved us enough to die for us and our sins... God loves us enough to send his only son to die for us... God knew that we as humans can not go thru life without sinning.... Adam was the first head manager of all... and when he was deceived.. the first thing he did was blame Eve and then blame God all in one sentence... the woman you gave me Lord... instead of facing the fact that he had gone against the Lord.. he tried to pass the buck. We must remember to love all without excuse... no matter the reason we think is good for not loving them...love 'em with all you got... love them even when it hurts... love 'em even if they don't love you back...love them... because that kind of love.. Jesus' kind of love.. is what will make them remember... that is what will plant the seed... that is what they will remember.... love covers a multitude of sin. Self control.... when you think of self control... you seem to think that it pertains to only getting angry... but it does contain more than that...in every situation... there is some degree of self control.....when you think that you cant seem to get a grip on things... check your self control...we all know that God is in control of everything... but we must keep ourselves in check at all times... we must lead a life that is righteous to god the father and to Jesus Christ his Son... we must look at everything we do... and ask ourselves... is this right in the eyes of God? ...is this how Jesus would have taken action in this situation? If your answer is no... then you need to check your own self control... don't check others self control for them.. we are to be patient with the weak... and uplift them... teach them... but we have to remember that when we are helping people... we have to remain in controlled... because we know that Jesus would have never lifted a hand to anyone.... He even told Peter that it wasn't his way ..and then He put the ear of the soldier back on for him.... we have to keep ourselves in check at all times... and this also means... never to check anyone's salvation for them...there is only one judge and jury...and we are not the ones...we will be judged the very same way we judge others... and this is something that I desperately need to work on... and I know that many others need too also.... we must keep our tongues in check... many times... our tongue goes wild and we end up hurting others for no good reason... other than we thought it was the right thing to do at the time... then we find ourselves having to apologize for things we have said and done in the past that doesn't sit right with god... another words... listen for his whisper and don't wait for the brick to hit you in the head !!!!!!! Sinner in a sin... like a poet without a pen.... words sung by Bo Bice on his new CD The Real Thing.... thank you Bo.. you really inspired me on this writing .A sinner in a sin... we as sinners.. are brought closer and closer to God by the mistakes in life that we make. We tend to smack ourselves down or better yet.. some other Christian or other person does it for you. However.. instead of smacking yourself down... think about the healing that God is bringing upon you at that time in your life. He teaches you as you go and mature in your walk with Christ.... life seems to me nothing but a bunch of trials and tests that we either fail or pass.... when we pass we jump for joy and give praises to our Father... but when we fail... don't beat yourself down... look for the lesson God himself just gave you. He teaches you as you go with him.. its not an instant change when you accept Christ.. but you become a new creation in Christ... and only Christ himself can design you for what he has in store for you. This doesn't take over night...heck the Good Lord took 6 days to make the earth.. we as his children as far more valuable to him than this earth.. cause he done promised he was going to give us a new place to live.. with him in paradise....we are going to sin everyday and everyday we ask for forgiveness and repent for what we have done.. and the Father will love you no matter what ..He already knows how this is gonna turn out...He's teaching you...are you listening? We tend to forget that just because we have gotten all caught up in the game of life... doesn't mean that He isn't challenging you... testing your soul to see if you are going to do what he asks of you that day.. whether it be a helping hand to a friend.. or a kind word to someone in line at the grocery store.... or just a smile to a child and say Jesus loves you....whatever the Father has for you to do that day.... we need to remember that everyday we are being tested to see if we are true servants of God. My Nephew and his wife... made a great change in their life and what a difference I see in them... but to be totally honest it scared me at first.. it scared me because i cant live to that standard.... or I guess I really haven't tried.... don't get me wrong ..I love the Lord with all my heart soul and mind and strength...I love God ... because He first loved me knowing I was going to rebel.....and He loved me anyways..... He loved me anyways. The whole reason for this writing is that no matter what happens...knowing I love the Good Lord and knowing He is with me thru all the trials and tests is something that I thank him for and can never repay Him for...I'm not worthy enough to be his servant... yet Christ tells me I am! As Christ guides me to my next level in my walk in His love...I may not get it right the first time or the second time ..however.. I will get it right... and then its off to the next level with My Savior. Wow what a wonderful journey this has been so far.. and I cant wait till I can till we get to paradise with him... cause I gots lots of questions for Jesus...hee hee. I guess the reason for this writing is to say that no matter how many times we fail... He gets us right back up and puts us on track ..sometimes we run like Jonah.... and sometimes we have patience like Job....because we know that the Good Lord is still going to be there no matter what. When ya fail a test or something just didn't go your way or whatever it may be... look for the lesson in it... and rejoice in that He is still right there with you and he says ...its okay... lets try again :) I know my Savior.. do you? Rejoice in him and he will make straight your path! Gods love and peace to all that may read this.... Love Peace and Mercy are three things that
we should never leave home without....God is with us all the time.. He promises
that in His Word....but we as Christians... to really be Christians... we are to
be servants FOR God.... God blessed us so much with HIS SLAIN SON...and
now we all fall into the traps of this one is doing this.. and this one is doing
that... and we cant forget.. he/she just wont understand..... people wake up and
smell the coffee God is brewing for you.... everyday of our lives as humans we
get persecuted and nagged at and hammered into the head( sometimes several times
a day if you go into a chat room ..lol ) that some people think
highly of themselves... some too highly... but the fact of the matter is that we
as Christians should always have Love in our hearts for all people.. not just
the ones you pick and choose.... we are to be servants for the Good Lord...Peace
in our hearts and in Jesus... if you have a problem.. Take it to Him in
prayer.....and have friends and family pray for you too... where two or more
gather in his name....he is in the midst.... but you have to look for the lesson
he is giving at the time......Mercy.... for Our Father has been so merciful to
us through his son... and His love that He doesn't want any of us to perish...He
has Patience with us.. as we fumble around trying to control the situation..
which is probably the test WHEN DOES RIGHTEOUS ANGER TURN TO SIN? Gods anger verses Gods patience. Think about it this way... when God sent the angels to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah... he let the angels free Lots family to run from the city. Because of taking pity on his faithful servant Abraham...though it cost the life of Lots wife.. because she did not obey what the angel said.. she looked back and turned to a pillar of salt. The one righteous man in that city and family was spared... sounds like to me that God has more patience with us than anger.. doesn't it to you?( Genesis chapter 19) Now lets look at our own anger.. and how we should control it and how we should use it constructively so that it is righteous anger and not sin. There are several things we must keep in mind. 1- It blinds us to our own wrong doings.... Genesis chapter 27 is a good example of this... Isaac was close to death when Rebecca heard his telling Esau to do a few things for him and he would give him his blessing.. and when Rebecca heard this.... she ran to Jacob and told him of it and told him to do some very deceitful things to do... she made him get into Esau's clothing and pretend to be Esau... so Isaac ends up blessing the wrong son...Jacob being so blinded by his anger with his brother that he let someone talk him into doing this. Rebecca loved Jacob because of his gentle habits and Esau's Hittite wives were a grief to Rebecca and Isaac. 2- A wounded ego or pride if that's what we want to call it....is a real problem in our world...lets go back to Numbers chapter 29...Balaam was so angry with his donkey for turning from its path 3 times that he beat him for it... not knowing there was a reason for the donkey not staying on its path... now if it was me.. first of all if a donkey talked to me... there would have been one of two things I would have done.... 1.. run as fast as I could.. or 2 ..stop and say what's up God? It took me a long time to control my anger and I still open mouth and insert foot quiet often.... but if it hadn't been for that donkey( his faithful friend)...Balaam would have been killed by the angel. Now I try to look for the lesson God is teaching me., because God sure was trying to teach Balaam a lesson. Now we need to look at several points that will help us with our anger. 1 - Using our anger constructively.. 1st Sam 11: 6 thru 8.... shows us how God used Saul to make the people come together .... it was Gods anger but came thru Saul....now I'm not saying go out and bash anyone with a bible and tell 'em to get to church... however.. we as Gods servants must teach and rebuke.. but we must do it in a constructive manner...Jesus as I recall only got mad one time.. when the merchants were using His Fathers house as a yard sale... now in my opinion.. I don't think Christ would have done this if the people were on the street doing it... it was to me.. the fact that they did it in His Fathers house!!! 2 - Use it only when appropriate. Make sure that when you get angry... that its not in some place where it will destroy your integrity.. Bible says to be angry and sin not.... that means that if you are standing in front of someone that just came to Christ.. and you start getting angry and saying all sorts of things... it becomes sin.. and a stumbling block for anyone else that sees it. So we as servants of God should make sure our tongues are in check at all times... now that is a very hard thing to do... I personally can say that I myself can rant and rave just as easy as the next person.. in fact I could probably make a sailor blush several times over.. and that is something that I am ashamed of.. because when a person hears me.. it destroys my integrity as a servant of God. I went as far as to having my friends call me on it... one friend calls me a potty mouth.. but she backs me up and lets me know that as a servant of God I can not continue to do that... its not of God. 3 - Determine why are you are angry, or angry with another's sin's. Romans 2: says a lot...when we talk about others being so bad.. yet we are just as bad as they are.. and we have no excuse... you cant condemn them for the very same things that you do... sin is sin... no matter what it is... whether it talking bad about someone... or making another stumble... or lying.. sin is sin. 4 - Vent anger under the discipline of God... which to me means to me... to control what you have to say with the fruits of the spirit.. love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. If you are trying to tell someone something.. do it with the fruits of the spirit... I know in today's world it is very hard to be a Christian... there are so many things coming against us in this world ..satan is having a hay day with the world... but we already knew that was coming... but to get thru to people of this day and generation.. to get the love of Christ thru to them... it takes very special ways at times.. and God will use anything or anyone to bring a child to Him. Who am I to second guess God.... He knows what He's doing... we are all pieces of the puzzle... and when one piece doesn't fit... that doesn't mean to give up on it.. it means that there is going to be a little more work involved than you thought... but sooner or later.. someone will touch that piece again.. and it might just slip right in place. 5 - Do you get angry when confronted? Galatians 4 : 16 says...have I know become your enemy for telling you the truth? Well.. lets see.. before we were baptized... you gave yourself to Jesus.. and he took your sins from you... so when you backslide and are confronted about it.. why become angry... it was your choice... we as Christians are to help one another yes.. but we are to be teachers of the Gospel too... we must adhere to the example that Christ left us... we all will sooner or later backslide or slip if that is what you want to call it...there is still hope.. you may have pushed the good lord into a corner.. but that doesn't mean you cant ask him to come back and be the center of your world again....its your choice.... He will not just push himself on you.. its your choice. 6 - Do not discipline out of anger. Now that's a really big one... for me.. I open mouth and insert foot immediately... but then the good lord whacks me in the head and i end up apologizing for popping off at the mouth... when I should have thought about what I was going to say.. before opening my mouth. There's that taming of the tongue we hear so much about : ) 7 - Do Not let anger take your focus off of God!!! Just because you are angry doesn't mean that God isn't with you... its because you are allowing that sneaky lil' devil in and letting him talk for you...if you are gossiping.. then your focus is off God.. cause that's a no no in his book.... you can vent the anger and sin not....its your choice.... if someone is talking bad about you.. vent your anger and sin not...we must let the fruit of the spirit come thru our words and actions...if your words to someone is not out of love.. your focus is not on God.... you see how the lil' sneaky devil gets in there in the smallest voids... that's why we are told to fill that void with righteousness.. that means read your bible... its all in there... you wanna know how to lead a Christian life.. read proverbs... everything we need to know about is in your bible.. but its your choice to pull it off the shelf and dust it off and start all over again... but that's okay.. he's still in that corner waiting for you to ask him back in... your choice. Gods love and peace to all that may read this....Beefy PS As I wrote this... God was peeling me of a lot of anger in my heart....I didn't realize just how much anger I had in me... until I wrote this....i had many inspirations for this writing...to all of them...I love you with all my heart.. and thank you for being there for someone you didn't know from Adam....Tim and Our new church is something we look forward to... for them taking us as we are... and for their heart felt welcome to their family. Faith.... faith is an attitude toward and a relationship with God mediated thru Christ..... a total surrender to Gods gift of righteousness in Christ.. rather than attempting to achieve righteousness alone.Faith is a Fruit of the Spirit .. something God creates in us. Faith is also by which we believe in God and try to live according.. and by faith God accepts you!! ...that is something I had a hard time swallowing.. how could God love me... when I have gone against him so much and ran from him as fast as I could... for so long I ran... for so long I fell deeper into the bottomless pit of self and wanted nothing to do with what God had to say or to teach me.... however... when God sets you down and tells you to listen.. best to listen to him... cause I'm sure you all have had that feeling of conviction come over you and you know you have done wrong... that is your Spirit telling you that you are going about it all wrong and let God do the guiding... we so many times are told to stop what we are doing and back off the situation... and once God tells you to back off... best that you do it.... cause I have done the dumb thing and picked up the very same thing God told me to back off of... and it isn't pretty when God shuts all doors in your face and tells you NO!!! You see.. I know that to be true.. cause I had asked God to pluck a dear friend from my heart because he was a stumbling block to me... but as soon as I let go... two weeks later I picked him back up and tried to help him and God said NO!! ..and shut all doors. Now that I have found out why God didn't want me to go any further with him... at first I was mad.. then I got sad... and then sorrow came over me... knowing what this particular person had done and said to God himself.. and as a Christian...I was offended by what he did... and I have not had peace since....I have peace with God... but I don't have peace with this person anymore.. I can no longer help him.... and I must be obedient to My Father...however... I do have faith.. that one day this man will make it right with God... and I will continue to pray for him....but that is as far as I can go... cause now he must go to the Father and make it right.... and I'm not so sure he can make it right with him.... not casting judgment... but the bible says to judge not by mere appearance.. but make a righteous judgment... and that means to get to know them and find out what makes them tick... and what I found out... was definitely not what I saw at first... and not only do I have to back totally away from him... but I had to make apologies to a few people.( yup open mouth and insert foot that's me...hee hee ) Faith basically is what we believe, its Christianity in itself... but above all....its our relationship we have with God thru the Ultimate Sacrifice of Jesus and what he accomplished in his death and resurrection. As you read your bible and research more and more... your faith will grow.. just as your walk with Jesus matures.. so will your faith. Listen to your spirit.. and if for some reason you cant hear the Spirit talking to you.... get in your bible and let God show you....He will never let you down.. nor will He forsake you.... man has faults ..God doesn't! Our faith in God and Jesus will open new doors for us to go thru... it might take us out of our comfort zone... but... that's how we mature and take our next step with the Good Lord. Sometimes Good Lord must remove a hindrance from us.. to be able to move us to the next level with him... and we must take total faith in him as we go.... a complete surrender to him and his work he has planned for us... it may hurt for a while... but Good Lord will show us what he is doing if we allow him to do so.... allow him to work thru you.... not around you... get out of his way... and meditate on what he has already taught you.. and apply it to your life.... and you will soon see where he is taking you next... you might not want to go.... but trust me.. he knows what he is doing. God's love and peace to all that may read this....Beefy information gotten thru the bible and Holman's Concise Bible Dictionary... thank you for great words and a great talent by a lot of people :) Helping Others When They Need Help Pain.. whether its physical.. mental.. emotional.. or whatever kind some of us maybe experiencing... these are all problems that without help will fester and not only become worse.. but will sooner or later explode into something that cant be fixed. Christians need to remember that physical pain can been seen with the naked eye.. however, mental and emotional pain normally can not be seen with the naked eye. Have you ever felt that the good Lord sent you to a place where for some reason you intertwined with someone out of the blue and became real good friends and you just knew they were a good person... but something wasn't quite right.. and you cant put a finger on it.. something was just not right about the person. That is our spirit telling us that there is someone who needs help... and maybe this is your chance to help someone to find Christ. Often we just blow it off as being too nosey or none of our business.... but it is... we are to uphold our brothers and sisters in Christ... we are to help carry their burdens.. but we have to get to know the person and find out what makes them tick... find out why they are the way they are... and once you have gotten the friendship... and they trust you... you can help take that brick wall down they have put up around their hearts for so long. and before you know it... they are a totally different person... but we have to let God do the work.. we as humans, are impatient and want results right now... when God knows its gonna take several times and several people in this persons life to get this wall down... sometimes it will take the person and God only to get the wall down.. God leads man to repentance.. and too many times we put it on ourselves to save someone so we don't feel like we have let our Father down. We can't save anyone.. all we can do is plant a seed.. someone waters that seed... and it takes the good Lord to make that seed bloom. We must look for people to help in life.. but its not always going to be the kind of thing that we will understand... sometimes God will pull you out of your comfort zone and show you a new area he might be calling you to. Life is always changing and as fast paced as it can be... we need to take the time to listen to God and to take the time for a quiet time with God... to reflect ... to ask.. to be still and know He is God!! Love all without excuse... love 'em.. don't let 'em go... you might get frustrated with them... you might think they are failing their test God is putting them thru... but ask yourself if you just failed the test God gave you during this time: ) We all learn as we mature in Christ... its not an overnight thing.. it takes time.. it takes a lot of praying... it takes al lot of questions.. it takes a lot of choices that you will wonder if you did the right thing or not... but in the end.. you will find out that the wild ride you just went thru... it was wild.. but well worth the results in the end: ) and just think... he never left you thru all of the ride... did you leave Him or push Him in a corner? We all do it.. we just have to take the responsibility of our actions... He does forgive ya know : ) you just gotta ask and dust yourself off and jump back on. Gods love and peace to all that might read this... and I hope you got something out of it. Beefy
Have we forgotten just who God is? Seems to me that the
world today has forgotten who God is. He is the same God that brought over 400
years of slavery to an end thru one man.... He is the same God that brought
this world into existence and all the amazing beauty that it contains. He is
the same God that brought down a giant named Goliath.. thru a simple man that
had faith in Him....He is the same God that brought Meshack.. Shaddreck and
Abendigo.. thru a fiery furnace that did not scorch on hair on their head ..He
is the same God that flooded this world because of the ugliness that it
contained... yet left a way for us to regain his love and trust... and He is
the same God that had to send his only son... think about that... HIS ONLY
SON!.. to shed his life so that we might have a direct way to Him... thru His
Risen Son.... because still today.. we do not understand the True Love God has
for us.. and doesn't want any of us to perish.. the patience it has took Him
just to get the word out that thru Jesus we can have eternal life with
Him...and that all we have to do is rely totally on Him... not on man.. not on
woman... totally on him... all our cares.. all our sorrows.. all our pain..
all our tears... all our worries... all our needs... fully rely on him...
because His Son gave all his tears.. all his worries.. all his fears.. all his
sweat.. and all His Blood FOR US! Wow... what a Glorious God we serve... what
a Marvelous Master we have and what a Beautiful Son of God we have.. all
because HE CARES! We as Servants of the Most High Almighty God should care
enough to lay everything at the foot of the cross.. and try to live according
to what He wants.. His Will.. His Way...His Time... that's the least we can do
for everything he has so graciously given to us. We try and sometimes we
fail.. but sometimes we pass with flying colors.. thru it all.. you never know
who you might touch and let know just Who Your God Is! Little do we know what
special wonders he has set before us... momma always said.. if ya don't
succeed. try try again... We owe Him that much.. sooner or later.. you are
gonna get it right... and the Awesome Blessings we get in return.. are
undeniably God Given....Take a day out of your life and ponder on this for a
day...amazing what He will show you. He has shown me just how far He will go
for us... he also reminded me that He can squash me like a bug... scary
thought to me! How far will you go for Him? Gods love and peace to all...Beefy
Forgiveness is one of the hardest things to do.. especially
when you are the one that has been hurt by words or action from someone else.
It seems to me that forgiveness and mercy go hand in hand.
The Bible says Psa
86:5 For You, Lord, are
good and ready to forgive, and rich in mercy to all those who call on You.
If we are to become like Christ... we must take this
scripture to heart... we need to have forgiveness and mercy towards
everyone. Bible also says...Mat
6:14 For if you forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you;
Mat 6:15
but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father
forgive your trespasses
Now that's straight out of Jesus' mouth.. so we know for sure
that is something we need to do. When we don't allow ourselves to forgive..
there is no mercy in us.. and the Bible says mercy triumphs over judgment!!!
So instead of holding onto whatever it is that is hardening your heart...
let mercy and love take over.. and the forgiveness will immediately follow.
No one has the right to interfere with your inner peace... the best way to
make sure of that... is to let love and mercy be firmly enriched in your
heart.. and then what comes out of your mouth will be oozing with love and
mercy! remember... Jesus also said...Mat
15:11 Not that which goes into the mouth
defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. Also
done forget what Jesus said that sums all of this up....Luke
6:36 Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is
merciful.
Luke 6:37
Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be
condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.
Gods love and peace to all that may read this...Beth
When
we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior... We took on His Ways....His
example... that means we should always in everything we say and do, it should
always be done Christ Like. When
we find tests and trials in our lives.. its not always going to be an easy
one. We will find ourselves being
put in situations that we will have to choose between being Christ like.. and
being angry... or being disappointed in someone... or even they way we say
things trying to get a point across to someone.
Wow... I did not realize how trying to be more Christ like, we have to
look at everything in a new way. We
cant beat people in the head with the bible... however... we can show the
right way to act or react to a test and trial.
I have nieces and nephews that like to come and spend the night with
me... so I took my niece for one week.. and took my nephew for one week after
that. Well my niece was great..
she could pretty much take care of herself... and she had fun.. got to ride
with my husband on the lawn mower.. catch fire flies, and chase frogs.. she
was just great over here for her first time spending a week.
Now when I took my nephew... because he is autistic....I didn't realize
what a difference and a chance I would have to take on with him.
Autistic children are fascinating... however... I found I had to really
put on my Christ likeness because he didn't understand things the way other
children do. It was a challenge
but I learned so many things from him. He
couldn't keep himself entertained... so I had to really spend more time with
him on thing he liked to do..( this is the part that amazed me! ) As I talked
with him... he told me he liked to read... so I told him to find something to
read and he could read it to me. To
my surprise... he went and got my colander... and began to read the scriptures
on the calendar. Picking and
choosing the months he wanted... and he read them so heart felt.. thru each
month he chose. I asked him when
he was done.. why he chose the calendar.. and he told me " I love reading
God " . WOW!!!!
I was truly astounded when those words flew from his lips.
The true love.. the unconditional love that my nephew displayed was
exactly what and how God intends us to be.
I long to be that innocent child with a pure heart of gold... I strive
to be that child.. that child of God that truly loves and cares... amazing
what God can accomplish thru on little thing in my day to show me how much
loves us... and how he longs for us to be that child!!!
Mat
19:14
But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come
unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Listen
to what God has to show you... He will guide your way... he wont let you take
on more than you can handle...however.. he will teach you as you go.. its all
in the way you look at it....you can take it as a hardship.. or you can take
it as The Good Lord taking you onto your next level... your next step with
Him. Gods love and peace to
all....Beefy
This
has been one of the roughest trials that I have gone thru.
When we think about God and Jesus... it never crossed my mind that I
need to focus also on my spirit. I
was going thru one of my many freebies newsletter emails and I always look
down far enough on one of them... she always puts a scripture of the day in
her newsletter... and I read " quench not the spirit"
... it mind boggled me for a moment and then it hit me... I have been
so concerned about what was happening in my life.. in my families lives... and
friends of mine that are sick or have loved ones that are sick... everything
around me sucked the energy and life out of me.... I was more worried about
others and my family that I forgot to feed my spirit... we must remember, even
thru those times when life is giving you a hard time... even those times when
we think we are all alone... the times when it looks like all hope is gone...
feed your spirit!!! Feed it
daily... just at least pick up the bible and read one chapter.. doesn't matter
which one... just feed your spirit!! When
your spirit is content... your soul will be content as well.
As you progress daily with your walk with Him.... you will see that
reading daily and praying daily( some days more than others... hee hee)...
life wont look so bad... don't focus on what God hasn't done for you...focus
on WHAT God has blessed you with :) I
love my family and my friends.. but the one thing I know I need to do...
always put God first.. and love all without excuse.... and never quench my
spirit!!! Gods love and peace to
all....Beefy
I thought having grace was just Gods way of saying.. yes you messed up..
try try again. Boy was I wrong! As I have matured in Christ ..I am beginning
to see Grace in a whole new way. I'm not saying that God wont pick you up
when you fall... but lets look a little deeper into Grace. John
1:17 For the Law came through Moses, but
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Now we all know that grace comes thru Jesus.... but so does the truth... so
many denominations these days.. everywhere you look.. sometimes churches could
be right around the corner from each other.. so many different rules.. and
opinions.. a variety of bibles in each book store...However.. the FACT of the
matter is... all truth and grace comes from your walk with The Good Lord. Not
all will have the same problems in life nor will we all experience the exact
same things when we become saved. So many of us get caught up in the different
theologies.. and end up more confused than when you first began. Here it is
plain and simple.... God loved us enough that he sent us his son to die for
all of us.. because God knew as humans we can not go thru life without sinning
in some way. It may not be a " big " sin.. but we all know that we
all fall short of the glory of God! But that is where the love shines thru...
He gave us Jesus and thru Jesus can we find the truth we long for and the
grace we so desperately need! You know.. in Romans 5:20 it says.. where sin
abounded, Grace did much more abound, so then sin hath reigned to death, even
so grace might rein through righteousness to eternal life by Jesus Christ our
Lord. Now that speaks mountains! Grace abounds more.. the Grace of God has
been with us since time began... when Jesus came and fulfilled the law.....
grace and truth abounded. As we grow in Christ.. He will show you things you
would never be possible. When Paul talked about his thorn in his flesh... God
told him My grace is sufficient for you.. for My power is made perfect in
weaknesses. Paul then would rather glory in his weakness, so that the power of
Jesus overshadow him. Now that's what I'm talking about... knowing that even
if you fall and slip up...Christ is there ..His grace surrounds you...His
grace is there all the time...He craddles us like a true Father would. He's
there to pick us up.. to help us thru the bad times ..and showing us day by
day that His grace is more than sufficient.. its the way we all should love!
Gods Way! Take out some time one day and really think about what Gods grace
really is. How can you give the same grace to others?? how can you prepare yourself
for showing that kind of love to others, no matter what they have done or said
to you? Gods grace IS sufficient for me! I love the new levels that the Lord
takes me on... sometimes it isn't a smooth ride.. but well worth it in the
end!! Gods grace changes hearts! Has your heart been truly changed? I know
from personal experience that heart changing is a tuff job... however the
peace you will find in the Lord is beyond explanation. Gods love and peace to
all...Beefy GBU
We find ourselves
involved in many things these days... whether it be something for your
family.. or taking the kids to practice... or busy tying up those never ending
details that don't seem to stop... and even busy around the house with
guests.. ect. We tend to forget the thing that Jesus said
to Martha. Jesus gave us an answer in these scriptures
Luk
10:38 And
as they went, it happened that He entered into a certain village. And a
certain woman named Martha received Him into her house.
Luk 10:39
And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and
heard His word.
Luk 10:40
But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she came to Him and
said, Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?
Therefore tell her to help me.
Luk
10:41 And
Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled
about many things.
Luk 10:42
But one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part, which
shall not be taken away from her.
Martha was worrying
about her duties as a hostess in her home.. but Mary was there listening to
Jesus... Martha was a little peeved at Mary not helping her out... however..
Jesus told her that Mary was where she needed to be... right there listening
to the gospel. Now most of us have our own worries and
situations that keep us bound to what we have to do for that day.. week.. or
even month... but we need to remember that when we took on our salvation... we
took on the part of continuing to be a vessel for Jesus... we are his
servants... his witnesses.... and we need to keep ourselves going in the right
direction. Just because something doesn't go the way you
planned it.. doesn't mean to stop and give up...it means to try again... we
may fail.. but Jesus is right there to pick us up and keep us going.
We must keep ourselves in the Word so that our spirit will not be
quenched. In the world today.. I find it very hard to keep
on daily in the word... and I also find that when I do not continue in the
Word... my world doesn't go smoothly... it isn't like what all the fairy tales
say its going to be.. happily ever after. Life will throw
you as many curve balls as it can... However ... with the Good Lord on our
side... nothing can stop us unless we enable it to! Remember..
Mat
7:7 Ask
and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be
opened to you.
Mat 7:8
For each one who asks receives; and he who seeks finds; and to him who
knocks, it shall be opened.
Gods love and peace to all... and remember... do not let anyone
or anything interfere with your inner peace.... Beefy
I was watching a show on TV... and they asked several people off the street if
anyone had asked them if they knew Jesus... or if they had been witnessed to
about Jesus. To my amazement.... in the USA only 2 out of 12 people had been
approached. One of those two had said that the person who witnessed to her ,
she felt like she was wrong for not being a Christian. In a world where
evangelism is breaking out in massive form... the US really has been left
out.... we are reaching to the other countries... and we are having a great
impact... however.. when we look at the US and see that the devil is having
his way with most of the country. Now I live in the bible belt of Indiana...
and we are always looking for a new way to touch the people of our cities and
counties. What I did realize is that we are not having a good effect... small
churches are fighting each other... or the church itself is having
difficulties within its own self. I have seen so many things that shouldn't be
in the church... now remember that this is only my opinion... however... in
the last 3 churches I have attended have made me feel welcome no matter what
my issues were. The other two churches is not what I call churches.. I call
them social stops.... they go to church and they are the very same people that
use church as a gathering of gossip, and lies. Now I'm not saying that they
are bad... but that is not what kind of church I want to belong too.... A
church to me.. is a place that I go to worship my Father and His Son and the
Holy Spirit. A place where I am safe from all the bitterness and hatred in the
world. Boy was I surprised when I got hit with gossip and lies and deceit. Now
I pray for wisdom before picking a church... and I pray for understanding to
go along with the wisdom. The Bible says Jas
1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally
and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
That verse says it all.... but lets back up and look at the scriptures before
that one.
Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, Jas
1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. Jas 1:4 But let
patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking
nothing.
Our trials and temptations come from every angle... whether its a person, a
situation, or just something that came out of the blue. I have been tested
many times when it comes to attending a church... what I didn't realize is
that I was nit picking each church I went too. Now if I had paid attention to
the testing of my faith... and just let God deal with everything.. I don't
think it would have been as hard as it was. We are to be full of joy when we
are tested... knowing that if God draws you to it... He will get you thru it.
If I had only had the wisdom that was needed to understand the churches...
life would have been a lot easier and definitely more productive. It takes
love patience and wisdom to deal with this world today.... because as the
world grows more and more bitter.... we the body of Christ need to be the
image of him too. Yes the world was not near as bad as it is today when Jesus
was on this earth...however... he knew what was coming.... and he told us how
to be in the world not of it. As I go thru more and more tests and trials..
God sure shows me where I have been wrong in a lot of situations... and I pray
that I might have the gift of wisdom to understand people today... and be able
to help them and not hinder them. I hope and pray that I have not hindered
anyone.. but if I have... I pray for forgiveness... I pray for my heart to be
full of joy and love for all mankind.. I pray that I will continue to learn to
be more Christ like as I grow older... I pray that I might never be a
stumbling stone for anyone.... I pray for the humility that Christ has
shown... for the love He has shown... for the patience he has shown... to be a
vessel for him... here I am father pick me :) May the Good Lord shine his
glory over all of you and keep you safe.....Gods love and peace to
all.....Beefy
|
.....stop
getting in His way and let Him teach you.... sure its a wild ride... but its
well worth it when he shows you what he has done thru you and for Him....
Now think about this.... we all came from different sides of life.. and each
piece of the puzzle in your church or life will be flipped a few times to see if
it fits... some fit some don't... some may just be for someone else to flip it
and try again a little down the road.....don't get mad and say that all you did
was for nothing... you were a piece of the puzzle... and you had to be
used for Gods work... and no matter if figure out why he did it that way... soon
He will show you everything and it will all finally click in your head....then
you can hit yourself in the head and wonder why you didn't understand it then..
but you do now..... remember.. one plants the seed.. another waters it... and
God makes it bloom. You yourself did the job...God done the
guiding... and now you can use this particular thing to help someone else
somewhere down the road..... its all about the love lessons of The Good Lord....
Gods love and peace to all