Christ is Come

Isaiah 9:6-7 "For a Child is born to us, a Son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of His ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven's Armies will make this happen!"

Jesus left paradise and became flesh in one of the most vulnerable forms, a baby. He knew what He was doing when he didn't set up His kingdom here on earth, allowing him self to be the sacrifice for our sin. His motive was to love us and to please His Father in heaven. He has done so many things for us and continues to. What an awesome Lord and Savior we have in Jesus. This is why we celebrate Christmas and why we can continue to be joyful despite persecution for walking with Jesus. He is so worthy of our praise!! :)

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

It's Christmas time! A time for joyful songs and gift giving.

Unfortunately, some people are not in the singing mood. Maybe they have lost someone special in their life. Maybe they want to buy gifts for their kids, but can't unless they go in debt. Some married couples want to buy gifts for each other, but can't. So many people are without jobs or haven't had a raise in a long time. Then there are those that have medical costs they can't pay. And there are those that live on the streets.

There are also people that are struggling to get along with family, arguing with loved ones or going through a divorce. Where is the joy in that?

My heart goes out to all people that are suffering in anyway at Christmas. I don't believe our Savior enjoys watching us go through sorrow. He wants us to have peace in Him. (John 16:33)

No one can tell us how to feel. But I think we all would enjoy the holidays more if we can take our eyes off of circumstances and put them on the Savior. One thing I have done in the past, is to set a place setting for Jesus at our kitchen table as a visual reminder of His presence during Christmas. It reminds me that He is the guest of honor, He is with us, and that all of the other stuff does not compare.

The world has made us feel like if we don't give gifts and get gifts, there is a problem at Christmas. I am not saying we shouldn't give gifts, but I think its easy to let our happiness depend on them.

Jesus said "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask Me, and I would give you living water." (John 4:10) Jesus gives us an abundant life (John 10:10), and it's not wrapped in a box nor does it have a bow. He gives Himself (John 10:11).... full of grace and love. Praise God!!!

So, when our head gets turned by the distractions or disappointments of this world, we just need to turn our head back around and focus on how much we are loved by Christ. Then all of the rest of these things will fade away. To know we are forgiven, loved and special to our heavenly Father ... is indeed the best gift of all.

May we all receive the gift of Love from Christ and give it as a gift this Christmas. :)



  

Defeating Doubt

As our daughter was playing "Shine, Jesus Shine" on the piano today, I started to read out loud the attributes describing God from my notes on Psalm 145. When you get time, read this Psalm, its great! :)

Try doing this if you ever have doubts. Sometimes what we see looks like chaos, but God has great plans. I have found that praising God for who He is, defeats doubts. Worshiping God and reminding ourselves of His goodness is powerful against what Satan wants to do in his efforts to bring us down with worry. Remind yourself of the truth.

2 Corinthians 5:7 "For we live by believing and not by seeing."

Go ahead and play this you-tube video while you read my notes below. It is full of reasons to trust God.

Here are my notes: God is: Kind, merciful, slow to anger, full of unfailing love, good to everyone, compassionate to all and powerful. He has mighty deeds, & is full of glorious reign, ruler over an everlasting kingdom, faithful and gracious. He helps the fallen and lifts up those beneath a load. He helps, gives and satisfies. He is righteous, close to all who call on him, fulfills desires and rescues. He protects all who love him and destroys the wicked.

Psalm 139:17-18 "How precious are Your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, You are still with me!" :)

Only Love Remains

Today while reading in Proverbs, I ran across a verse that made me think.

Proverbs 14:4 "Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest."

In the commentary it talked about how sometimes as people, we retreat from the mess of relationships and being a light in the world. We would rather not deal with it. Although we need a chance to refresh and to be filled with the Spirit through his Word, if we are only about ourselves then we don't have much chance at being used for the Lord.

So if we refuse to go into the world & take part in relationships, how much are we being a part of the Lord's plans? We have less head ache, heart ache and chaos but our part in the harvest will be small. With God, we have the power of the Holy Spirit that will help us through.

Sometimes it may feel like all that we do for good, is in vain. That no one listens to truth, but rejects it. That serving others is of no use and unappreciated. That is when we need to remember who we are working for and that He is about "love". We are still to be obedient and leave the results up to Him.

Colossians 3:23 "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people."

When we are put down in relationships, how many times do we retaliate or have a come back when insulted? It just seems like the thing to do, right?

1Peter 3:9 "Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and He will bless you for it."

If you are like me and frustrated with certain people, God is asking us to bless others and not retaliate. That is where prayer comes in and seeking the strength of the Lord. So I am praying now, for my mouth to be slow to speak when I am put down.

1Peter 2:23 (Jesus) "He did not retaliate when He was insulted, nor threaten revenge when He suffered. He left His case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly."

Romans 5:8 "But God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." Jesus was our example of doing good, serving and loving sinful people. As a follower of Christ, I pray that I would be able to do the same. Listen to the words of this song and look inward. As I listen, I see many things I need to work on. I hope it inspires you, as it has me. :)

Here is the verse that is used in this song;

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 "If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. " (The Message Version)

Correction & Humility

This week in our family pride and foolishness occurred. Since we are all flawed in our humanness, it is bound to happen.

Our advice as parents was not accepted. Granted, I see awesomeness in our kids. We are so proud of their efforts, hard work, love for God and dedication to do good. But we all have areas we can improve on and the suggestion given, was not well received. It was rejected and made me feel disrespected and unappreciated. Not to mention the fact that I saw pride and foolishness in my child's response. So I went to the Lord in prayer.... asking what I should do.  Here are some of the scriptures I read.

Genesis 4:5 "but he did not accept Cain and his offering. This made Cain very angry and dejected." Here Cain is giving an offering to God that was not acceptable to God. And instead of being repentant, Cain went further into rebellion following his own will. Maybe this offering was not pleasing to God because of Cain's attitude or it was not up to God's standard. Either way, "Isaiah 55:9 says "For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts."

Proverbs 15:5 "Only a fool despises a parents discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise."

Ephesians 6:2-3  "Honor your father and mother." This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, "things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth."

1 Peter 5:6 "So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor."

While I was thinking about all of this, God started working on me too. He revealed to me something I wasn't even aware I was doing. I had become resentful of the time I was giving up for the sake of the kids. God gives us all we have. That includes our money, family, friends and TIME. I am to serve God and others with a joyful heart. I had lost focus of the privilege of serving God as a parent.

2 Corinthians 9:7-8 "You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others."

God also showed me a little bit of how He feels when we don't listen to his suggestions to us as adults. Does God feel disrespected, frustrated and unappreciated too, especially since He is all-knowing and all-powerful? This lead me to repentance and sorrow for going my own way. I am glad God is filled with grace for me. I can trust Him and surrender to His will because his motives are pure and good. Just as my motives are good for my child when I am giving suggestions.

God's after our hearts and our obedience. Thankfully, our family resolved the current issues, and humbled ourselves under God.

1 John 4:4 "But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory..... because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world."

                                                                                                                                     

Christian Soldiers

This morning, I got Noah off to his first "Fellowship of Christian Athletes" meeting before his day at high school. Then Rylee and I did our devotions. We studied 2 Timothy 2. What a great chapter from Paul as He wrote with a heart full of love for Timothy. It was his last writing to him too, so it meant a lot.

Paul told Timothy to teach great truths to trustworthy people who would pass it on. What great advice!

I love verse 4 that says "And as Christ's soldier, do not let yourself become tied up in the affairs of this life, for then you cannot satisfy the one who has enlisted you in his army." I can so relate to this because Jesus has told us to be in the world, but not of the world as His followers. It makes me think of things like school, work, and church.  We are all selfish by nature. We start out with good intentions, and at times we end up being in the middle of quarrels, selfish ambition or things like gossip.  Staying in God's word will help us keep on track. We are tempted by materials things and building our own kingdom here on earth. But Jesus didn't come to build His kingdom on earth. If we are to be like Jesus, we are not to focus on that either. He told us to store up our treasures in heaven. (Matthew 6:19-20)

In Phillipians 2:13-16 Paul also is inspired by God to teach this:

"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ's return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless."


In 2 Timothy 2 verses 11-13, Paul goes on to give us hope in following Jesus.

"This is a true saying:

If we die with him,  (physically or to our own will)
We will also live with him.

If we endure hardship, (standing for Christ despite the costs)
we will reign with him,
If we deny him,
he will deny us.

If we are unfaithful, (because we all fall short- Romans 3:23)
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself." (God is trustworthy at all times)

So no matter where God plants us, we are to keep pressing on towards His will. God has enlisted us and will equip us. Our part is to be willing and obedient to His calling. Loving people and not forgetting our armor. (Eph 6:11-18)

God, we pray for hearts without fear, filled with the power and love of your Spirit and for self-discipline. In Jesus name, Amen.

Tenth Avenue North- Losing

Love & Obedience = Joy

Recently, I looked up scriptures on "love" to hear what God had to say about it. At times, I find it a BIG struggle to love those that do not show love. But God does not want us to base our attitudes and reactions on what the world does, we can only control our own actions in situations. Here is what I found;


God loves us Deeply.
We are commanded to love others, including our enemies.
We are to love God most.
We are not to worry about peoples approval but be obedient to God.
Jesus loves us, like God loves Him.

Obedience to God = Joy
Jesus is our best buddy.
He chose us and will equip us for His missions.
The world will hate us.
Us loving others, fulfills the law of God.
I am of no value, if my motive is not love.

LOVE

Is: patient and kind
Isn't: jealous, proud, demanding, irritable
It doesn't: keep records of wrong, like injustice, give up, or loose faith.
Always: Hopes, Endures, is forever, is #1 & eternal.

We are to be filled with love from a pure heart.
Love with a true love.
Deep love covers sin.
Love doesn't fear.
His deep love for us, lets us love others.
We defeat evil by trusting Christ to give us victory.

In a word, what do we want to be remembered for? ...

I pray to you God, that you would win over my sinful attitude and actions, and help me love others like you do.

Proverbs 10:12, Mal 1:2a, Matt 5:44-45a, 10:37-39, John 5:41-44, 15:9 & 19, Romans 13:8, 1 Cor 13:3 & 13 4-13, 1 Tim 1:5b, Heb 13:1, 1 Peter 4:7-8, 1 John 4:18a,19, 5:4, 14

Consult God

Joshua 9:14b “… they did not consult the LORD.”

Today, the kids and I were reading Joshua 9.  In this passage it reminded us of what happens when we don’t consult the Lord.

The people of Gibeon heard about how God was helping the Israelites win battles and wanted to strike a dishonest deal with Joshua. Joshua did not look into things or speak with God about it before he agreed to a peace treaty. This treaty seemed innocent enough but led to anger and an awkward alliance. 

We too, can be led astray and rush ahead with our own plans, without consulting God. I have found out the hard way that this leads to people and circumstances that I would not have had to endure if I had asked and listened to God first, and waited on what He wanted. How much better would our lives be if we just went to God first, listened, trusted Him and followed His lead?

My prayer is that I remember that Jesus is my Savior and I am living for Him. That I am not to act on what I think, but pause and ask God what He thinks. Also, that I am to trust Him with what I don’t understand and to rely on Him to guide our family. God is the one who saves, protects, and loves like no other. As we make choices about life, we will be held accountable. When we pray for others to listen to the Lord too, we must let go and leave them in the Lords hands because we all have a free will.

Satan likes to make our hearts worry about the things we can not change but God wants us to trust His plans and communicate with Him daily as we rely on Him.

From Christ With Love

Forest Hill Church | Ephesians: Church Beyond the Building

Please click on the link above to hear a sermon about "Who the Church is meant to be for Christ & How we are to walk out the wealth of what Christ has done."

If you don't have 40 minutes to watch the whole thing, please go to the section at time marker 17:41 to 21:08 and hear what Jonathan Scott says about the Bible being essential to our lives.

Notes:

The Bible is the intention and heart of Christ Himself. The source of scripture is God Himself.

"You can not call yourself a Christian, if you believe the Bible to be optional for your life. You can not call yourself a follower of Jesus Christ if this book (Bible) is left up to you to pick and choose what you want. As if somehow this book is nice and good but not really practical, not really applicable, not really representative of what's going on in your life."

Jonathan Scott

Misunderstood

Do you ever feel like there is so much more to you then what others know? Do you feel misunderstood?

Jesus was misunderstood too. People thought he was given power from Satan, that he was a liar, that he was suppose to be a King that ruled the world but instead was defeated. Here is another scenario;

John 11:43-53 "Then Jesus shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, "Unwrap him and let him go!" Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen. But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. "What are we going to do?" they asked each other. "This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. If we allow Him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in Him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation." Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time, said, "You don't know what you're talking about! You don't realize that it's better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed." He did not say this on his own; as high priest at that time he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire nation. And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world. So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus' death."

Here was Jesus, doing the will of his Father and bringing the dead back to life. The Pharisees were threatened by this and didn't want people following Christ. So Caiaphas started a plan to kill Jesus. However, God was still in control executing His plans for Jesus to save all of Gods children. Though people may have thought they were going to defeat Jesus, they were only playing a role in His victory over death and sin.

So if we happen to come across people who persecute us, slander us, or have no mercy on us, we can be confident that God is at work all the time. We just have to be obedient to His calling on our life and leave the rest up to our Heavenly Father. He sees all things, knows all things and controls all things. He is our friend and our King. Not of this world, but of the heavenly realm. People misunderstood Jesus and we will be misunderstood too. We don't need to be concerned about that. We just need to remember the truth.

John 15:18-20 "If the world hates you, remember that it hated Me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? 'A slave is not greater than the master.' Since they persecuted Me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to Me, they would listen to you."

Here are some verses to encourage you, when you feel misunderstood. Jesus said:

John 15:9-12 "I have loved you even as the Father has loved Me. Remain in My love. When you obey My commandments, you remain in My love, just as I obey My Father's commandments and remain in His love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with My joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is My commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you."

John 16:32b-33 "Yet I am not alone because the Father is with Me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."

John 14:27 "I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid."

Lord, Help us to keep on loving and forgiving. Just as you love and forgive us. :)

Jealousy

If you ever struggle with jealousy like I do, here are notes from scripture and commentary I read today.

James 3:14-16 "But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your hearts, don't brag about being wise. That is the worst kind of lie. For jealousy and selflessness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every kind of evil."

Wisdom is determined by actions of peace and goodness. It is easy to be drawn into wrong desires by the pressures of society and sometimes even by well-meaning Christians. We can be drawn into desires of what we want and don't have and become competitive. Seeking the Lord's wisdom delivers us from the need to compare ourselves to others and to want what they have.

When our words are motivated by Satan, they are full of:
Bitter jealousy
Selfish ambition
Earthly concerns and desires
Unspiritual thoughts and ideas
Disorder
Evil

When our words are motivated by God and his wisdom, they are full of:
Purity
Peace
Consideration for others
Submission
Mercy
Sincerity, impartiality
Goodness

As our pastor says about life; "Rejection is God's protection."

Lord, I ask your forgiveness because I struggle with this. Wisdom comes from You. Please help me to be content and keep my eyes on Jesus. Help me to be a peacemaker and not desire my own way. You have been so good to me. Anything you say "no" to is for my own good. Anything you say "wait" to, is for a reason. Please help me to abide in You and stay humble within your divine plans.

We are "beloved" to God

Psalm 108:1-6 A song. A psalm of David. "My heart is confident in You, O God; no wonder I can sing Your praises with all my heart! Wake up, lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song. I will thank You, LORD, among all the people. I will sing Your praises among the nations. For Your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May Your glory shine over all the earth. Now rescue Your beloved people. Answer and save us by Your power."

Thank the Lord that He is willing and able to save us if we will confess our sins and invite Jesus into our hearts.

I love the way that David starts this Psalm out with confidence in God. Abiding in the Lord by being faithful to & submitting with certainty. He wakes up with a joy and thanks God. He sings praises and thinks on the unfailing love of His heavenly Father. God's love is what draws us to Himself. He is so much easier on us than we are on our self or others.

God is worthy of much glory and our life is to be about making His greatness known. The world tells us about how we are suppose to strive for our own glory but its really not about us. We are sinners saved by God's grace. He has beautiful and full lives planned for us. He wants us to be strong in Him thru trials. He will give us peace and rest if we turn to Him.

The word "beloved" sticks out to me. "Beloved" means dearly loved such as a husband or wife. I also think of a best friend or children as beloved. We serve such a wonderful, loving Father. I feel like God wants us to strive to love all people as His beloved.

God gives Comfort & Strength in Sorrow

In Honor of my sister's husband passing, I am posting this.



Psalm 56:8 "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book."

2 Corinthians 1:3 "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort."

Ephesians 3:16-19 "I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God."

I love you Sonja.

Fear Not

Some days we go thru life and it feels overwhelming. It may feel like each day is a bolder, too heavy to lift. We wake up not knowing how the day will end and what to do next. But we don’t need to be alone. Jesus is there in ways that no one else can be.

John 16:33 “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

He is more then our “conqueror” with all that we face.

Matthew 10:26 "But don't be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all.”

Just keep living for Jesus because He sees your efforts to do what is good.

Deuteronomy 1:29-30a "But I said to you, 'Don't be shocked or afraid of them! The LORD your God is going ahead of you. He will fight for you…..”

No need to worry about the battle, you got the Big Guy on your side.

Psalm 3:5 “I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the LORD was watching over me.” What a sweet picture!

Psalm 56:2-4 “I am constantly hounded by those who slander me, and many are boldly attacking me. But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. I praise God for what He has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?” If God is for us, we have nothing to fear.

Proverbs 3:25-26 “You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the LORD is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.” God helps steady His children. We may trip but He will be there to catch us.

Matthews 10:30 “And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.” He cares.

John 14:27 "I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid.”

Psalms 73:24-25 “You guide me with Your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but You? I desire You more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.”

We can praise God that all of these things are true, even when life is like a whirlwind circling us. Thank you Lord that You are Good. Thank you for your love that endures forever. You are so worthy of our praise.

Reconciliation with Family

I just watched this 4 part series by Andy Stanley called the "Fight Club." I have heard some of these things in the past & have lived it out, but never been able to understand family dynamics the way I do now. Some great revelations came to life in our hearts during part 3 and 4 of this series. I am going to watch them again and continue to pray for God's help to be more like Him. I encourage anyone having family issues that are seeking the Lord's will to get these DVD's. Or at least download part 4 at the link below.

Fight Club