How do you live your life? Only focusing on the present and on yourself? Not worried about making stupid mistakes? If that's the case, perhaps you should try living for a greater purpose.... for GOD!
Do everything you do for GOD. Act like He was watching you (because He is...) and how He would want you to act. In everything you do bring GLORY to Him.
This doesn't mean read your Bible occasionally and maybe pray before one meal. No. It means to DEDICATE your life to God and living how He wants us to. Every single aspect. This includes romance, family, work, school, hobbies... EVERYTHING. A great example is being cautious in who you date. If you want to date a guy who is bad news and not a Christian and you do, that's not exactly living for God. You may be asking, "Why?" Well...
He gave us EVERYTHING- Life, a home, friends, love, mercy, SALVATION and ETERNITY. The least we could do is give Him our lives and our hearts. So, no matter what your doing bring GLORY to God. You are Him representative and His child. Stop and think, "If God saw me doing this, what would He think?" Choose to be strong. Choose to serve God and GLORIFY Him. Point to Him in all that you do.
That is my challenge to you: Focus on God this week. Live your life for HIM. Reach out to people in need. Love those around you. WITNESS to people. GLORIFY GOD.
This Christmas season, most of us are getting many presents. It's extremely easy to get overwhelmed, caught up in the action, and focus on material possessions and shopping. We need to remember the true reason for the season.
During the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it's easy to forget why we celebrate in the first place--JESUS! Christmas is the season, but Jesus is the REASON. It is CHRISTmas for a reason!
What is Christmas you ask? One big birthday party! It amazes me how the birth of one peasant boy born 2000+ years ago would have this big of an impact on us all. His birth was the most wonderful birth in all of history! It's the day God became man-- and THAT is why we celebrate!
The angels said it was GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY-- which is great to hear when the news is filled with shootings and murder.... Jesus being born is cause for CELEBRATION, not just because of the birth of a baby, but the birth of a SAVIOUR.
Isn't that reason to CELEBRATE? On Christmas, the GREATEST gift ever was given: a SAVIOUR. God's gift to us was His Son. It's a gift that lasts forever. It's a gift that all can have. And it's a gift that God gave us freely. That is why we celebrate. So, this year, try to focus less on your presents and material gifts to others, but focus on the greatest gift of all.... JESUS.
This Christmas season focus on the one who SAVES. The gift that keeps on giving, for all of eternity. Pass on your passion for Him, and give His gift to everyone you know by spreading His message. Pass it on-- JESUS SAVES.
I dearly hope that you took the time to read that story. It really hit me hard. I honestly never thought about it like that. To really understand this passage it's important to know that God made you and me.
Not only did He CREATE us, but He wants the best for us! What is that? Salvation through Jesus Christ. We need Jesus, we cannot make it to "the barn" (aka heaven, salvation, etc) on our own!
We sin and we sin a lot. It's literally in our nature. God, being so loving and merciful, only wants what's best for us--salvation. Our sin blinds us, and we don't listen to God. God and His power is actually scary... so we continue to sin. God just wasn't getting through to us, so He sent Jesus to be one of us, so we would TRUST Him and BELIEVE Him. Jesus becoming man was God's way of "translating", showing us the path without scaring us. Jesus came to lead us to "the barn"!
As people, we can CHOOSE whether or not to follow Jesus. Whether we want to give up earthly desires and accept God's GIFT of salvation or not. God sent Jesus to get to us, to HELP us, to SAVE us.
That is what Christmas is all about. That is why we celebrate. God GAVE us His only Son, so we could be saved. Once you're saved it completely changes you! It not only saves you, but it gives you HOPE and FAMILY in Christ. I hope this makes you rethink Christmas and remember what it truly is!
I heard this story today and it really got me thinking. It may be long but it is well worth reading.
Once upon a time, there was a man who looked upon Christmas as a lot of humbug. He wasn’t a Scrooge. He was a very kind and decent person, generous to his family, upright in all his dealings with other men. But he didn’t believe all that stuff about an incarnation which churches proclaim at Christmas. And he was too honest to pretend that he did. “I am truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, who was a faithful churchgoer, “but I simply cannot understand this claim that God became man. It doesn’t make any sense to me.” On Christmas Eve, his wife and children went to church for the midnight service. He declined to accompany them. “I’d feel like a hypocrite,” he explained. “I’d much rather stay at home. But I’ll wait up for you.” Shortly after his family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window and watched the flurries getting heavier and heavier. “If we must have a Christmas,” he reflected, “it’s nice to have a white one.” He went back to his chair by the fireside and began to read his newspaper. A few minutes later, he was startled by a thudding sound. It was quickly followed by another, then another. He thought that someone must be throwing snow balls at his living room window. When he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They had been caught in the storm, and in a desperate search for shelter had tried to fly through his window. I can’t let those poor creatures lie there and freeze, he thought. But how can I help them? Then he remembered the barn where the children’s pony was stabled. It would provide a warm shelter. He quickly put on his coat and galoshes and tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on the light. But the birds didn’t come in. Food will bring them in, he thought. So he hurried back to the house for bread crumbs, which he sprinkled on the snow to make a trail into the barn. To his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs and continued to flop around helplessly in the snow. He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around and waving his arms. They scattered in every direction – except into the warm, lighted barn. “They find me a strange and terrifying creature,” he said to himself, “and I can’t seem to think of any way to let them know they can trust me. If only I could be a bird myself for a few minutes, perhaps I could lead them to safety.” Just at that moment, the church bells began to ring. He stood silently for a while, listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. Then he sank to his knees in the snow. “Now I understand,” he whispered. “Now I see why you had to do it.”
Just take some time and let it absorb... I'll add some commentary at a later date. Enjoy the Christmas spirit and remember to thank God for His glorious gift!
Life is full of relationships. As Christmas approaches, it's essential to remember the most important relationship of all: our relationship with CHRIST!
Seriously, your RELATIONSHIP with God is important! Men will fail...
Why put your trust and your heart in men when you can put your faith in the CREATOR?
Why should we worry so much about what the creation thinks, when we can focus on the CREATOR. God never fails us, while men do. People, especially when in a romantic relationship, will hurt each other. God only LOVES us and FORGIVES us.
People will tell you all kinds of things that aren't true. We will lie and make other feel bad. If we try to put men in God's place we will only end up hurt and broken! We need the LOVE, CARE and SUPPORT of our Holy Father.
As people, we YEARN to be accepted and loved; in all of the media they tell us that other PEOPLE will fulfill that, but the truth is that only GOD can. He LOVES you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus to Earth--what do you think Christmas is all about?-- to DIE for us. God loves us enough to DIE for us. That's just crazy. Everyone is searching for their "knight in shining armor", someone to SAVE them. The truth: God already did save you, a LONG time ago, and He will protect you and LOVE you forevermore!
You can be religious about ANYTHING--I know some people who are religious about brushing their teeth....-- but to be SAVED is something completely different. Jesus SAVES, and having a RELATIONSHIP with Him is the most important thing you can do. So stop waiting for your knight, and start to strengthen your RELATIONSHIP with CHRIST--He already saved you.
If you are anything like me (which I'm assuming you are.... I'm not THAT abnormal) then you've probably faced hard times, loneliness and persecution in your life. The best news you could ever hear is that you are NOT ALONE!
God promises to ALWAYS be with you! Why? Because that's just how much He loves us. We didn't do a thing to deserve his grace and mercy... yet He sent us Jesus and the Holy Spirit to ALWAYS be with us! God's LOVE is so great... He blesses us and loves us much more than we deserve.
Even if you have NOTHING, but God's love, that should be enough. He promises to SAVE us when we call on Him. He will protect and He will ALWAYS be with us! He promises to be our constant companion, guide and Father. Why? Because He LOVES us! (Are you seeing a pattern here or is that just me...?)
God LOVES you and me... and EVERY SINGLE person on the planet!! We did nothing but scorn Him and sin, and still He loves us; He loves us enough to SAVE us. If you read Acts 2, it's a great example. After Jesus' death, the disciples are left alone, and then God sent His HOLY SPIRIT to guide them. Peter, who DENIED Jesus just a few months before, started preaching; he was no longer afraid because He had God on His side. God FORGAVE Peter and didn't leave Him even when Peter denied Him... The great thing about God is that He never leaves. NEVER. So if you simply accept Christ into your heart and allow Him to be the Lord of your life, you will NEVER be alone! Ever. This is God's promise to EVERYONE. He loves us enough to NEVER leave us. (See that pattern?)
God loves us SO MUCH, that He sent us His HOLY SPIRIT so we will NEVER have to be alone. Because of God's gift, Christ lives in and through every believer!
With Thanksgiving approaching, what are you most thankful for? Personally, I am most thankful for God's love! Christ loves each and every one of us, even when we sin... He is MERCIFUL, FORGIVING, and He blesses us each and everyday. His love in INFECTIOUS.
God's love for you is ENDLESS! We all feel LONELY sometimes... we all look for someone to LOVE us. Many times, we focus on people for this love, but we need to remember that God ALWAYS loves us! He loves us more than we can ever imagine... and He died on the cross to prove it to us.
Jesus gave His life to save YOU and ME, even though we did nothing to deserve that love. Isn't that the true example of love? Once you've seen that great love, and you've felt the peace that comes with it, how can you go back to life as before? God's love changes you. It teaches you to love and urges you to LOVE others, as Jesus loved you. This song, What it Means to Love, by Meredith Andrews is a perfect example...
Not only is God's love the most WONDERFUL gift ever, but it lasts FOREVER! God isn't going anywhere and He will continue to love you for eternity, no matter what you do.
Love for forever? Yes please! Inspiration from Jesus? You bet. Time to love others? Definitely. ETERNAL LOVE. Isn't that a BIG something to be thankful for?
Show others the LOVE that Jesus showed you-- pure unselfish, sacrifice-- and thank Him for His love each and everyday!
You're struggling with something, I'm sure you are. Each and every day we face things that will TEST us. We have 3 options:
Let the struggle DEFINE you
Let the struggle BEAT you
Let the struggle TEACH you
I believe that each and every one of us needs to choose option 3.
God is always there to support you, even at times of struggle. God puts us through trial and tribulation to GUIDE us to Him! He shows us how much we really need Christ! Luckily for us, God doesn't say "Alright, I'm going to be with you on Mondays, Thursdays, Sundays, and holidays when I feel like it"... instead He says that He'll be with us ALWAYS, and that we can ALWAYS call out to Him.
How often do you CALL OUT to God? Prayer is powerful. We all need God sometimes....
As people, we will fail... but God never will! We must learn to lean on Him and not on our strength alone! God is so good to us, even when we fail, time after time, He still comes to our RESCUE.
Where would we be without God? I don't know about you, but I'd be lost. God does so much for us, and He blesses us immensely. We need Him in our lives, because this life is hard and we can't do it alone! With Thanksgiving approaching take some time and thank God for what He's blessed you with. CALL out to Christ. Ask Him to HELP you through whatever your facing--He will answer.
Is there anything that you wish would CHANGE? Maybe you don't think you get enough respect, or you wish that world hunger would end, or your best friend would come to Christ. Anything at all can happen through Christ.
With God all things are possible! We CAN change the world. We CAN make a DIFFERENCE. This song by Carrie Underwood is so inspirational....
No matter what anyone says, you CAN make a difference in this world. God called you and me here for a reason. He wants us to bring LIGHT to the people around us. To do GOOD works for Him!
In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus tells us that we are called to be the SALT and LIGHT of the Earth. You may be thinking that it's stupid or crazy to say that... but is it really? Salt makes things taste good, it adds seasoning, it helps preserve things. By witnessing to people and sharing Christ, aren't we doing the same thing? God wants us to CHANGE THE WORLD by showing people Jesus' light and by helping people do and feel good through Christ!
God didn't put us here to be changed by the world, or to chase earthly desires. He put us here to CHANGE the world, to make a DIFFERENCE, to be the SALT and the LIGHT of the Earth! Are you doing that for God? I challenge you to believe. Believe that you CAN make a difference in this world, because that is what God called you to do. I challenge you to ACT. Try to make a difference in someones life this week. Help people. Love people. Share Jesus with people. Make a DIFFERENCE. With God's help, you can change the world.
With the election comes debates and a lot of unhappy people. Whether or not you yourself are pleased with the election results, it's important to remember who is really in charge.... JESUS.
No matter who gets into power, republican, democrat or whoever, we need to remember that GOD is the one who's really in charge! Everything that happens happens in accordance with His plan, so even if you don't like the current president or you love him, it's important to pray for him. God wants us to trust in Him and His plan for us.
In times like this, when everything is changing, it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, we should walk by FAITH in God, and not by what we see. We should let God be our GUIDE even in the toughest of times.
No matter what happens in our lives, God will show us the way. He will provide for us because He loves us! In times of craziness and change, let God GUIDE you and your life and you will never lose your way.
God is the original and BEST GPS, so trust in Him in this time of turmoil and let Him be you GUIDE.
Do you ever feel misunderstood? Maybe you feel worthless, like nothing you do matters. Who you are doesn't matter. People put you down and crush your dreams. It's easy to feel hated in this society. But...
No one should ever feel worthless and hated... we all the right to happiness, right? Well, luckily for all of us whenever we feel worthless there is someone who can come into our lives and SAVE us! He can HEAL us and make us feel loved. His name is Jesus.
A lot of people have the misconception that you have to be perfect to be a Christian. It's quite the opposite actually. The Bible says that,
This is Matthew 5:3-10 summed up. God doesn't set out to save perfect people... what would the point of that be? Instead, He says that people like us, the ones who make mistakes are the ones he's here to save. Christ will take our brokenness and turn us into something beautiful! God gives us WORTH. He transforms us. This song is the best example I've seen of this...
God can change us from unwanted, and disdained to beautiful. God, the true MASTER, shows our true WORTH. He turns us from something that seems worthless and shows our true colors. He created all of us, and He didn't make a mistake. He created you to be YOU. With certain talents and traits. So, if you ever feel like you're not good for anything, turn to God; He may just reveal the true WORTH that you have.
God made you. Know your WORTH and love yourself. Even in the low times. You are not worthless, no matter what you may think. You are a beautiful individual, and God, with His perfect touch, can make you SHINE.
What do you FOCUS on, on a daily basis? Do you constantly WORRY..."Is my outfit okay? Am I going to fail that test tomorrow? How in the world am I going to make it through this week?" All are valid things to think about... but not valid things to FOCUS on.
We don't need to worry about something that'll happen tomorrow or the next day or the next... if we do that we will LOSE THE PRESENT! We need to live for the moment, and worry about what is happening now.
Try not to FOCUS on the worries of tomorrow, but the WONDERS of today! It's kind of like YOLO, you only live once, so enjoy the life you've got. I'm not telling you to go out and party or do stupid things... just to see the beauty in EVERY day, and the gifts that you've been given. The best news of all is that with Jesus, we don't have to worry about tomorrow and we can enjoy every day, because He has a plan for us! Block out the worries of the world and focus on Christ.
We belong with Jesus. So FOCUS on Him and not on what you just HAVE to do tomorrow. Try to live like Jesus would want you to. Adjust your to do list.
Don't worry about trivial things in your life... instead PRAY to Christ. WORSHIP Him. LOVE others. WITNESS to people. SHOW people who you are and who Jesus is. Change your FOCUS today. It'll make a huge difference in your life and the lives of those around you.
Life is a tricky business, mainly because things never stay the same.
Change is EVERYWHERE in this life. We can't avoid it. As people grow older they change. As the society grows bigger it changes. We can CHOOSE to accept the change and grow, or we can deny it and hope for the best.
Life is about finding who you are... it's about CHANGE. If you don't grow as a person, then you learn nothing from this life.
Change can be scary. We, as humans, like things to stay the same, not differ at all. So, when change happens, we find ourselves filled to the brim with FEAR! It seems silly, but it's true.
No matter what CHANGE we are going through, what PAIN we've been through in the past or what mystery is to come, God will ALWAYS be there for us! That's the awesome thing about Him.
God is so good to us. He loves us so much that even when we mess up and even when we are scared He is always with us! When life CHANGES, God DOESN'T. Plus, He never leaves your side.
Happiness is a choice. You yourself can CHOOSE to be ecstatic or you can choose to be depressed. It's up to YOU. I know that's easier said than done... but there is an easy little trick to help you out.
Just SMILE. A smile can BRIGHTEN your day and it can do the same for someone else. The second you smile, you exude a certain BEAUTY, a LIGHT.
Think POSITIVELY and everyone will be able to tell! Seriously. If you are happy, truly happy, you can help someone else become happy. Happiness is CONTAGIOUS!
Being happy and KIND may seem like no big deal... but to others, your attitude will effect them! If you are nice to someone, even in the most minuscule way--holding the door, smiling at someone, talking to them when they seem lost-- it could really impact how they are feeling!
I'm sure you had someone do something tiny that just made your day! Maybe a stranger commented on your new jeans that you love. ANYTHING at all can add some LIGHT to someones darkness. One thing that's sure to put some light in someones day is CHRIST.
In God there is always LIGHT and happiness to be found. When you have God in you, you will show Jesus in everything you do. Actions speak louder than words and so people will actually be able to SEE Jesus in you! If you have God, you can be happy. By sharing God--even if it is just through you actions-- you can make others happy too!
Go into the world and SHINE YOUR LIGHT, the light that God has given you-- I think you'll be surprised by the results.
