I love this passage from 2 Corinthians. It reminds that in Christ we are more than conquerors.
"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place." - 2 Cor. 2:14
So next time you feel like your back's against the wall and you're going down for the last time, remember Who is on your side and Who is holding you up.
"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors though Him who loved us." - Rom. 8:37
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Nighttime Reruns
Have you ever laid down to sleep at night and all of a sudden, all sorts of anxious and racing thoughts about the cares and concerns of the future come shooting through your mind? Well, they sure have mine! One thing that I've found that helps is when you pillow your head at night to instead of thinking about all the worries of life, to review the entire day in your mind looking for the many different ways that the Lord has helped you throughout the day. You will be so surprised as to how much God helped you and how He carried and supported you throughout the day.
This habit of reviewing the great things that God has done in that day will help you in so many ways. It has made me more aware of how the Lord helps me throughout the day even though I don't realize it that much. You will see God as your personal Helper and Strength.
All of us need to start having our eyes opened not only at night but all the time to the great things God does for us every day because He does do so much. I'm not perfect in this by any means. This is something that I, by the grace of God have to work on too. However when we do put this into practice we will find ourselves having more joy because we see that we have such a friend in Jesus.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Give Thanks?
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."- I Thessalonians 5:16-18
Just a few days ago, I was felling pretty down about some circumstances in my life. My family has a practice where each of us have a journal where at night we write in that journal about some way that God has showed Himself faithful to us that day. Well, the night I was feeling pretty down I wrote in that journal about the ways the Lord had helped me that day. As I wrote, the Lord just seemed to put it right in front of my face how that I had many things to be thankful for and I needed to focus on those things not my circumstances.
Many times in life we get so discouraged about so many different things. However, we all seem to forget that God commands us to give thanks in everything not just when we feel like it (1 Thess. 5:16-18). You may think,"But I can't find anything to thank the Lord for." Well, are you saved? That's one major thing to thank the Lord for. He saved your soul from eternal hell separated from Him because of your sin. But God in His great mercy, when you repented( acknowledged was sorry for your sin ) and trusted in Jesus Christ, saved you from hell. If you look around and ask the Lord to open your eyes, you will see the many blessings God has given you. So don't get too down, just thank our good God in heaven for what He has done. Thankfulness is a choice not a feeling. We may not feel like being thankful but we are commanded to do it by God because it is one of the keys to having peace (Phil. 4:6-7). I'm telling this to myself as much as anyone else. Almost evrything I write about is something that God has spoke to me about and that I need to work on too. We all are human and have our weaknesses, but the Lord Jesus is with us holding us up and giving us strength to live this Christian life (Ps. 37:23-24, Heb. 13:20-21).
Just a few days ago, I was felling pretty down about some circumstances in my life. My family has a practice where each of us have a journal where at night we write in that journal about some way that God has showed Himself faithful to us that day. Well, the night I was feeling pretty down I wrote in that journal about the ways the Lord had helped me that day. As I wrote, the Lord just seemed to put it right in front of my face how that I had many things to be thankful for and I needed to focus on those things not my circumstances.
Many times in life we get so discouraged about so many different things. However, we all seem to forget that God commands us to give thanks in everything not just when we feel like it (1 Thess. 5:16-18). You may think,"But I can't find anything to thank the Lord for." Well, are you saved? That's one major thing to thank the Lord for. He saved your soul from eternal hell separated from Him because of your sin. But God in His great mercy, when you repented( acknowledged was sorry for your sin ) and trusted in Jesus Christ, saved you from hell. If you look around and ask the Lord to open your eyes, you will see the many blessings God has given you. So don't get too down, just thank our good God in heaven for what He has done. Thankfulness is a choice not a feeling. We may not feel like being thankful but we are commanded to do it by God because it is one of the keys to having peace (Phil. 4:6-7). I'm telling this to myself as much as anyone else. Almost evrything I write about is something that God has spoke to me about and that I need to work on too. We all are human and have our weaknesses, but the Lord Jesus is with us holding us up and giving us strength to live this Christian life (Ps. 37:23-24, Heb. 13:20-21).
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sunday Scriptures
Here's a great passage form the Bible that shows how God is a loving Father Who, after He corrects, will comfort and restore.
"For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." - Lamentations 3:31-33
Thursday, August 26, 2010
No Other Gods
There once was a father who had three children whom he loved very much. The children loved their father very much also and whenever he came home from work, the kids would run to him and yell," Hi Dad!" as their father lifted them into his strong arms and gave them a kiss. One day, in expression of his deep love for his children, the father bought them a big screen TV. The children thanked him and were extremely excited.
However pretty soon, when the father came home and in expectation yelled,"Hey, kids, I'm home!" This time there was no sound of little feet running to him or the sound of little voices greeting him. The father walked further into the house and saw his children sitting in front of the new big-screen TV. With their eyes still riveted on the television, they nonchalantly waved and mumbled a "Hi Dad."
The father walked in front of the TV and said to the children,"Kids, I bought this TV for you. It was an expression of my love for you and I do not appreciate you giving your love to this television instead of me."
Do those kids remind you of anyone? We can be like them so much can't we? In his great love for us, God gives us things that are good in and of themselves like talents, friends, ect. But we turn around and give those things preeminence to the great One who in His love gave us those things in the first place. We sacrifice the wonderful, strong love of our heavenly Father for the temporary things of this earth that will never satisfy us. The Lord is the one who will give us the grace and peace to make it through all of life's trials. Nothing compares to Him and His fellowship. If we give our whole hearts to seeking after things on this earth and put them before the Lord we have commited a terrible sin (the first of the Ten Commandments to be exact: Exodus 20:3.) Dueteronomy 6:4-5 says,"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." The first step to doing this is to put the Lord first in everything in your life. We will never know the fullness of His fellowship if we do this.
We will not be sorry when we put the Lord first. He and His everlasting love and grace will always satisfy us. He will endure forever not the things of this world. Let's put Him first.
However pretty soon, when the father came home and in expectation yelled,"Hey, kids, I'm home!" This time there was no sound of little feet running to him or the sound of little voices greeting him. The father walked further into the house and saw his children sitting in front of the new big-screen TV. With their eyes still riveted on the television, they nonchalantly waved and mumbled a "Hi Dad."
The father walked in front of the TV and said to the children,"Kids, I bought this TV for you. It was an expression of my love for you and I do not appreciate you giving your love to this television instead of me."
Do those kids remind you of anyone? We can be like them so much can't we? In his great love for us, God gives us things that are good in and of themselves like talents, friends, ect. But we turn around and give those things preeminence to the great One who in His love gave us those things in the first place. We sacrifice the wonderful, strong love of our heavenly Father for the temporary things of this earth that will never satisfy us. The Lord is the one who will give us the grace and peace to make it through all of life's trials. Nothing compares to Him and His fellowship. If we give our whole hearts to seeking after things on this earth and put them before the Lord we have commited a terrible sin (the first of the Ten Commandments to be exact: Exodus 20:3.) Dueteronomy 6:4-5 says,"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." The first step to doing this is to put the Lord first in everything in your life. We will never know the fullness of His fellowship if we do this.
We will not be sorry when we put the Lord first. He and His everlasting love and grace will always satisfy us. He will endure forever not the things of this world. Let's put Him first.
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