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Friday, February 14, 2014

Happy Valentine's Day

 
Today is Valentine's Day. Not sure what Valentine's Day makes you think of, but for me it makes me think of love, but not just any love. Lately I have been thinking of the love Christ has for us. Christ loved me SO much, that He was willing to give up His life to save a sinner like me. It takes a special kind of love to be willing to give up your life for someone else! More specifically, I did nothing to deserve Christ's love. I have done many things that are sinful and wrong but despite that, Christ was willing to give up HIS life and whoever believed on Him, that instead of having to die because of my sin, I would have everlasting life!
 
 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. - John 3:16
 
I guess we all, at some time, come to that point in our walk with the Lord that we realize that there is nothing we can do to earn God's love. Its because He loves us with an unconditional love. This kind of love means that there is nothing we can do to make God love us more or less than He already does. God has been teaching me, that by my living my life for God and allowing Him to work thru me, He is showing me how to truly love those around me with Christ-like love. Its not always easy or always pretty. There are still days that I mess up and don't love those around me the way I should. It is a daily process and the more I learn about God, the more I learn about love and how much it entwines into every aspect of our lives. I have been challenged to love those that aren't always easy to love. But those are the people God calls us to love the most. When Christ was here on earth, He ministered to those that no one wanted to be with. So my challenge to you, is to love those that aren't easy to love. As you continue to look to God and grow in your walk with Him, you will find that loving others is a part of that growing process :)
 
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. -John 13:34

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Therefore Give Us Love


With Valentine's Day being tomorrow, this is the song that has been running thru my mind today.

Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost,
Taught by Thee we covet most
Of Thy gifts at Pentecost,
Holy, heavenly love.
Love is kind, and suffers long,
Love is meek, and thinks no wrong,
Love than death itself more strong;
Therefore, give us love.
Prophecy will fade away,
Melting in the light of day;
Love will ever with us stay;
Therefore, give us love.
Faith will vanish into sight;
Hope be emptied in delight;
Love in heaven will shine more bright;
Therefore, give us love.

Faith and hope and love we see,
Joining hand in hand, agree,
But the greatest of the three,
And the best, is love.
From the overshadowing
Of Thy gold and silver wing,
Shed on us, who to Thee sing,
Holy, heavenly love.

Love is just such an amazing thing!! The thing about love though, is that it is a verb, not a noun. And with it being a verb means that it requires action. So how are you loving those around you? Christ loved us so much He died for our sins, and He loves us with an unconditional love!  Are you loving them with condition love (loving them according to how they act) or unconditional love (loving them despite their actions)?

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
-1 Corinthians 13:13

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Peace That Passeth All Understanding


And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:7

This week I have been so blessed to be able to experience peace in the midst of uncertainty. I had decisions to make and things I needed to decide and although I wasn't sure what the outcome would be (for that matter, still am not sure), it was so amazing being able to give it to God and allow Him to work in the way He saw best. Oh I am not saying it is easy. This week was one of the hardest I have had for a while, but despite that fact, it was also one of the best. Now that sounds strange maybe, but think about it. Though I was facing hard things, by my putting them in God's hands, and allowing Him to show me which way He wanted me to go, I was allowing Him to have His way with me. And through my doing that, He gave me the peace that passeth all understanding. It was so amazing and I feel like I have definitely grown closer to God through this all. I know that if I continue to do what I have been doing this past week (surrendering everything into His hands), He will continue to lead me and guide me!

Peace is such a hard thing to describe. The easiest way to describe it, is to say that by giving it to God, I was able to smile and face whatever would come because I wasn't handling it on my own! So my challenge to you is, whatever you are facing right now, give it to God. It will be worth it in the end, I promise. Not saying He won't ask you to do hard things, He usually does. It is what YOU do with the hard things He asks you to do, either handle them on your own or give them to Him, that will determine whether or not you will have a closer walk with God. :)

Monday, February 3, 2014

I Need The Prayers of Those I Love



I need the prayers of those I love,
While trav’ling o’er life’s rugged way,
That I may true and faithful be,
And live for Jesus every day.


Refrain
I want my friends to pray for me,
To bear my tempted soul above,
And intercede with God for me;
I need the prayers of those I love.


I need the prayers of those I love,
To help me in each trying hour,
To bear my tempted soul to Him,

That He may keep me by His pow’r.

Refrain

I want my friends to pray for me,
To hold me up on wings of faith,
That I may walk the narrow way,
Kept by our Father’s glorious grace.


Refrain

Thinking of this song today. :) Its amazing how when you share with someone the things you are struggling with, if you have a will to live your life for God, and you make up your mind and do everything you can to do so, you WILL be able to overcome it! I recently overcame something I had been struggling with in my life for the last few months. In the process, God showed me that my body, my mind, my thoughts, my everything, are all His, and when Satan comes along and tries to tempt me I can say to Satan, this is God's thing (mind, body, whatever) and you have no place here! Oh, I still have things God has shown me I need to work on but I am just glad that He is molding me into the woman He wants me to be.

I am so blessed with friends, ladies in the church, a wonderful body of Christ (the church), and my family who are there for me, who I can share things with, and are there to encourage me. Life can be so tough at times and we don't always know why God places these things in our lives but the thing to remember is that there is a reason for it and God won't expect you to face it on your own! He is always there for you and He always puts people in your life to help you along the way! The challenge I wish to leave with you, is, to remember is that God places those things in our lives and if we allow Him to, He will use it for His honor and glory, and to continue to mold us into the people He wants us to be! It can be hard to remember that but God ultimately does what is best for us even if we don't see it that way right then. God bless you as you continue into this week!

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
-James 5:16