All I Need Is You - Hillsong United

Somedays it feels like things don't measure up or we might loose someone in our life as they move on. It is my prayer that when I think I need something or someone, I would quickly remember that I can be satisfied in Christ alone.

As we grow in our faith, my God help us be mindful of this truth more and more.

Our Choices- God’s Decision- Homosexual marriage

With the U.S. Supreme Court “choice” yesterday voting 5-4 to allow homosexual marriage in all 50
states, it leads one to think how can we be “One nation under God?” Of course there are lots of other things going on in our nation, but few have been promoted and supported with such effort. It saddens me. 

Some people don’t believe in God so these people are not expected to follow God’s ways. Not every
Christian is reading God’s Word, so they won’t understand that this is not about equal rights at all. We don’t have equal rights with God. The fallen angel Satan chose to have equality with God but only our Lord is seated on the throne. Satan will eventually go to a place where he will be separated from God for eternity. Jesus did not demand his rights as Lord but humbled himself and did the will of the Father (John 6:38).

" Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11

We are to love people but follow God’s ways and He is the one who says these things are unacceptable. God would love for us all to turn away from our own ways, ask forgiveness and receive His love.

But God so loved us...as it says is John 3:16, that He gave. What did God give and why? He gave His Son because He loved us while we were still sinners. He knew that for us to be in His presence, we 
would need to be washed white as snow. So God made a way for us to have peace with Himself,
through Jesus death on the cross. 

God loves LGBT people. He loves them enough to die for them, just as He did for everyone.
He wants them to have an abundant life and live with Him in eternity. But it is His right as our creator to set the rules. He does this for our good. He is all knowing, patient, loving and just. We all must stand before Him someday at the final judgment. Then God “decides” who will spend eternity with Him. As a nation, are we saying we don’t want to follow God’s ways? Are we willing to ignore what He says? If so, I pray for mercy. 

My prayer is that we would be one people under God as it says on our currency and as this country was founded. Also, that we would all choose His goodness, love, mercy, patience, ultimate justice and live for Him. Why? Because of all that He has done for us. God let's us have the free will to choose. There is no middle ground. Matthew 12:30a says: "Whoever is not with me is against me." If we are Christians/Christ followers, our life ought to stand for and support the ways of God, not try to please man. If we try to please man, we are told that we are not a servant of Christ (Gal 1:10). The battle is the Lord's and we can rest assured that we will have victory in Him as we stand with Him.

"Don 't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." Romans 12:2

"But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge." Psalm 94:22

Growing in Faith

This week our oldest son is away at camp and having a blast! So much so that he is having a hard

time even texting or calling us in the evenings. 

 

It has been difficult for me since he is still in high school and I am use to hearing about what 

happens each day. But that isn't the real issue, the real problem stems from a new area I need to 

learn to give over to God.

 

In one year, our first born son will be going away to college and this week is giving me a glimpse

into what it will be like. He is a guy who is full of life and in the moment. He doesn't spend a lot of

time on social media or on the phone. He has so many good qualities and is such a joy be around (97% of the time). I will miss him terribly.

 

The other night I went to God in prayer to ask for help dealing with this realization of what is to come. 

I know the next year will go by so fast. As I lay in bed praying, asking for wisdom on how to handle all

of this, God was reminding me of the truth.

 

Here are the thoughts that came to my mind:

 

God is good.

God loves us.

He wants our best.

We can trust God.

His ways are best.

All things are working together for good.

I am to live for His will.

I am to surrender my will.

I am to be joyful in all things always.

I am to let go and let God........

I am to walk in His Word.

I am to live in gratitude.

I love God.

I am to delight in Him.

 
I decided to write all of this down in my journal to remind me of truth and keep my eyes focused
on Jesus rather than the vague doubts that Satan wants me to worry about. God wants to lovingly remind me of the truth and show me how He wants me to grow.

 
We have 7 baby birds in a nest under our front porch right now that are growing very fast. In just a short time, they will no longer need their momma to feed them and they will be able to fly. If the baby birds never left the nest, it just wouldn't be the way it was meant to be and they would not learn to take care of themselves.

 

The same is true with our kids; there comes a time that they must fly and learn to feed themselves. 
Its just the way it was meant to be. God has great plans for them just like He does for us.

 

Only by giving our cares to God and trusting Him, will we be in His will. My heart is to seek Him
above all else. So I work at daily surrender to His plans and thank Him for every good thing. 

 

How is God growing your faith today?

Jeremiah 17:7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence."

How Can It Be - Lauren Daigle

God, thank you for your grace! Even though we are not worthy, and can never live the perfect life, you did it for us.

Thank you that you died for us before we came to you and asked for forgiveness.

Thank you that we are washed white as snow because you took our punishment on the cross and handed us the gift of salvation.

You have broken the chains of all strong holds so we are free to turn towards you without shame or condemnation.

We love you Lord!

Loving God - "From the Inside Out"

Immorality and Compassion

There is so much immorality going on in our world today that it's hard to overlook. It leaves us wondering how to respond as followers of Christ. It can be very confusing as we try to follow our convictions and show love at the same time. Yet it can be done. 

Here are some questions we can ask ourselves:
 
1. Am I helping others feel significant and secure/accepted as I speak with them?
2. Am I being demanding, domineering, demeaning or dogmatic?
   (uncompromising and in-compassionate)
3. Do I evaluate or affirm (emotionally support) others?

Thankfully God has given us some guidelines to follow.

Matthew 12:7b " ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ God is more interested in the heart of the
matter, which is a matter of the heart. Not so much what we do outwardly at church but how we are 
forgiving others and loving people.
 
In Micah 6:8 God expresses that he is pleased with justice, kindness, humility and an attitude of love, 
not rituals. So as we go about our dealings with others, it pleases God to have a humble and loving
approach.

In 1 Samuel 15:22, God tell us to be obedient not stubborn or rebellious. What is God asking us to do
that may feel uncomfortable but would be stretching out a hand to someone who needs it?

We are to do the will of the Father (Psalm 40: 6-8). God has planted us where we are for a purpose. We don't have to go on a trip far away to love our neighbor or live our life for Christ.
 
What did Jesus do? He ate and drank with sinners. Why? Jesus thought about the results of what loving
others would do, before he made his decisions. Matthew 11:19b "But wisdom is shown to be right by
its results.” Jesus had the motive of love for his hosts and accepted them where they were at. This 
helped them to see the love of the Father thru his time with them. 

God wants us to do His will as we surrender to His plans. Jeremiah 7: 23 "This is what I told them:
‘Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be
well!’"


Jesus taught that it is more valuable to love people and be compassionate than to be dogmatic. 
Matthew 12:12 "And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, the law permits a person
to do good on the Sabbath.”

It can be confusing at times when we think of the verse that says: "Do not conform to the pattern
of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and
approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Yes, our religion can actually stop us from connecting with others and being ambassadors for Christ.
We must live by our convictions but not expect others to follow something they don't yet understand
will benefit them. The only way to do all of this is by the power of the Holy Spirit within us. As we
lean into Him for His strength and wisdom.

James 1:27 " Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and
widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” This means not letting sin direct
us (our judgment, our wayward desires) but the Holy Spirit instead.

Yes, it is possible to love, show compassion and still live according to the Word. We all are in
need of grace and it comes from our hearts. Amen

Broken, Yet Deeply Loved

       

Sometimes life can be hard and disappointing. Maybe a relationship with a spouse is difficult right now. Maybe there is a sibling rivalry or a parent has disappointed us. No matter which relationship it is, we are called to love and forgive.

Songs and movies say, "You complete me." The funny thing is that no person or thing can complete us because we were made to be completed by God. We live in a broken world with broken, imperfect people, churches, and possessions. No matter how hard we try, we can never be that perfect person that will make everyone we know happy.

That's why Ruth Graham says, "A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers." I would go on to add that "Happy relationships and churches are made up of merciful forgivers." If we expect someone or something to be all that we want and need, we will be disappointed and dissatisfied.... so why not forgive and leave room for others' short comings and love them anyway.

This is what God did for us! He forgave us while we were still sinners. He didn't wait for us to say sorry when he sent Christ to die on our behalf. We weren't even born yet.

James 1:18 "In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his choice possession."

What a great revelation! We are God's choice possession! Some days it may feel like we are no ones prized possession. But God proved to us how much He loved us as His treasure, through word and deed on the cross. We can choose to do the same thing, to love and forgive each other.

2 Corinthians 4:7 "We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves."