People say the older you get, the wiser you become. Sometimes I think the older I get the better chance it has for me to mess things up even more. I've never done drugs, I've never been an alcoholic, or gotten into trouble with the wrong people; sometimes, though, it's the smaller mistakes that haunt you more.
I have flash backs of bad memories quite frequently, always have. But I believe God has been showing me that healing begins when you allow it to. Trying to force a situation better or think it away will never solve the problem. Now, I've never been too much of a thinker, but when it comes to hurts and scars, I tend to over think everything and try to fix them on my own. This normally makes it all much worse. Human tendencies are to know everything (most of us think we do!) and to solve all of the problems on our own. See, we are a very prideful race. We believe we know enough to live life on our own without any outside help. This is where we are always wrong. Sometimes the best way to heal is simply to let go of control.
God doesn't ask that we suffer through pain. He doesn't want us to bear all of the burdens of sins, wrong doings and broken hearts. See, this is why He came. He gave His life so ours could be lived more abundantly!
I am not just a pile of broken pieces. YOU are not made up of broken pieces!
Think about it. You and I sin everyday of our lives; we make mistakes every single day. Jesus knew this before He ever came to the earth; He knew it before any of us were even created! Yet, He still chose to sacrifice Himself in our place. If you've never known true love before, this is it.
"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)
There will never be anyone who loves you more than Jesus Christ. Never be anyone who is willing to give up as much as He did. Never one who wants the best for you more than Him.
So many things steal my heart away from God. Life gets busy and I make all kinds of excuses for not making Him my top priority. The miracle here is that He never leaves. Even when I place worldly goods over Him, He sits back and waits for me to realize how much I need Him.
Brokenness is part of life. We will all go through it and will all have scars from the sin that roams the earth; we do not have to face each day alone. We do not have to label ourselves with the brokenness we feel inside.
Today is the day you forgive yourself; if you believe in what God has said, then Jesus has already forgiven everything you've done. The day He died on the cross was the day He took our place of death for every sin we have ever committed and every mistake we will ever make. There is no sin too great that cannot be forgiven. There is no place too low that Christ cannot reach you.
To know Him is to know love, joy, peace, healing, and forgiveness. He doesn't just help you move on, He helps you move past.
It is a gift, not a demand. Take it or leave it. But as for me, I would rather spend the rest of my life with aching scars WITH Jesus, than a "perfect" life without Him, because there will be a day when life will no longer be filled with pain, but be replaced with "joy unspeakable and full of glory." (1 Peter 1:8)
"and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” " -Revelation 21:4-5
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Choosing Over Feeling
When you love someone, you want to do things that you know will please them or make them happy; it's a simple fact of life.
This random thought then morphed into me thinking about my relationship with God. (Yes, I said relationship, not "religion.") A relationship (in reference here) requires love. Husband/wife, parent/child, etc. These relationships are built on the principal of love. The root of what they are held together by is LOVE. Love is not just a feeling, but an action carried out.
Why, then, do I so frequently stray from pleasing God? Why do I make decisions knowing they will hurt Him? Well, just like a husband/wife, love and the desire to please doesn't come naturally after awhile. Sure initially it is all we think about, but after time goes by we begin to let the "feeling" run why we do things. Feelings are a very dangerous thing to give power to to lead your actions. Your heart can make poor decisions based on "feelings." This is why love needs to be an action and not just a fuzzy feeling.
I can love God with all my heart, but have no desire to please Him. Why? Because I am not CHOOSING to follow Him and His guidance.
The heart is very misleading and can get you into a lot of trouble. This is why we must allow the Holy Spirit to guide each and every step we take. The more time we spend listening for His guidance and watching for His direction the more time our minds will be on HIM. This means He is on the forefront of our mind more often. "There where your heart is, there will your treasure be also." The more time you spend on something, the more it will mean to you.
I must say, I don't spend near as much time with God as I should. I can always tell when I start slacking in my walk with Christ when I become very judgemental, have little patience or don't treat people with kindness. All of these things wouldn't be a problem if I were SEEKING to please God. It's a chain reaction situation. Follow God, you will live a life more abundantly and with so much more meaning!
This is the one thing I (as a follower of Christ) am required to do. Seek God with all my heart, mind and soul. If I do that, almost all of the other problems in my life will be resolved. I won't have a perfect life, but my attitude towards others and my outlook on life will be different. Not only will I be able to tell a difference, but everyone around me will, as well! When one spends time seeking God instead of earthly love and possessions they will find a life that is a filled with more peace and less stress.
"If you love Me, you will keep my commandments." IF we love Him.
I am dumbfounded at the fact that Christ has given me EVERYTHING I have in my possession, He gave me the life I live and the very breath I breathe....and I can be so ungrateful towards Him when I don't get one thing I want. "The heart is deceitful and wicked" My heart has one thing on it's mind: me. It wants ME to be happy, it wants ME to get what I want; but this is not a heart of God. Every day I have to ask Him to give me a heart like His so I can live that day in a way that is pleasing to HIM.
You know what will start to happen? Well, when you do something for your spouse/parent/child and they are so grateful and filled with joy, how does it make you feel? It should make you feel pretty good! Seeing someone you love so happy automatically makes you joyful! This is also what will happen when you do what is pleasing to God. You will have joy, because He is happy.
I want to be one who gets to hear "well done, my good and faithful servant" when I enter into heaven someday. I don't want to hear "depart from Me, for I never knew you." (Matthew 7:23)
It's about time I start making the choice to make my life, every aspect, in a way that is pleasing to God. "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)
"I will serve Him, because I love Him, He has given life to me."
This random thought then morphed into me thinking about my relationship with God. (Yes, I said relationship, not "religion.") A relationship (in reference here) requires love. Husband/wife, parent/child, etc. These relationships are built on the principal of love. The root of what they are held together by is LOVE. Love is not just a feeling, but an action carried out.
Why, then, do I so frequently stray from pleasing God? Why do I make decisions knowing they will hurt Him? Well, just like a husband/wife, love and the desire to please doesn't come naturally after awhile. Sure initially it is all we think about, but after time goes by we begin to let the "feeling" run why we do things. Feelings are a very dangerous thing to give power to to lead your actions. Your heart can make poor decisions based on "feelings." This is why love needs to be an action and not just a fuzzy feeling.
I can love God with all my heart, but have no desire to please Him. Why? Because I am not CHOOSING to follow Him and His guidance.
The heart is very misleading and can get you into a lot of trouble. This is why we must allow the Holy Spirit to guide each and every step we take. The more time we spend listening for His guidance and watching for His direction the more time our minds will be on HIM. This means He is on the forefront of our mind more often. "There where your heart is, there will your treasure be also." The more time you spend on something, the more it will mean to you.
I must say, I don't spend near as much time with God as I should. I can always tell when I start slacking in my walk with Christ when I become very judgemental, have little patience or don't treat people with kindness. All of these things wouldn't be a problem if I were SEEKING to please God. It's a chain reaction situation. Follow God, you will live a life more abundantly and with so much more meaning!
This is the one thing I (as a follower of Christ) am required to do. Seek God with all my heart, mind and soul. If I do that, almost all of the other problems in my life will be resolved. I won't have a perfect life, but my attitude towards others and my outlook on life will be different. Not only will I be able to tell a difference, but everyone around me will, as well! When one spends time seeking God instead of earthly love and possessions they will find a life that is a filled with more peace and less stress.
"If you love Me, you will keep my commandments." IF we love Him.
I am dumbfounded at the fact that Christ has given me EVERYTHING I have in my possession, He gave me the life I live and the very breath I breathe....and I can be so ungrateful towards Him when I don't get one thing I want. "The heart is deceitful and wicked" My heart has one thing on it's mind: me. It wants ME to be happy, it wants ME to get what I want; but this is not a heart of God. Every day I have to ask Him to give me a heart like His so I can live that day in a way that is pleasing to HIM.
You know what will start to happen? Well, when you do something for your spouse/parent/child and they are so grateful and filled with joy, how does it make you feel? It should make you feel pretty good! Seeing someone you love so happy automatically makes you joyful! This is also what will happen when you do what is pleasing to God. You will have joy, because He is happy.
I want to be one who gets to hear "well done, my good and faithful servant" when I enter into heaven someday. I don't want to hear "depart from Me, for I never knew you." (Matthew 7:23)
It's about time I start making the choice to make my life, every aspect, in a way that is pleasing to God. "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)
"I will serve Him, because I love Him, He has given life to me."
Sunday, July 1, 2012
The Jesus Lifestyle
Amazing Grace
This precious gift from God Himself of eternal life through faith in Him
How Sweet The Sound
It is like music to my ears to know such grace exists
That Saved A Wretch Like Me
I was nothing. I sinned against a holy and righteous God and was headed on a road to hell
I Once Was Lost
Going through each day not having any direction; no place I had in my site as the end
But Now Am Found
Since Jesus came into my heart, I have been found and bought by the Most High; the King of kings and Lord of lords. He found me and took me in as His own
Was Blind
I saw nothing but my own self and what I wanted
But Now I See
Jesus has given me new eyes, eyes that can see joy, peace and love.
This song is probably one of the greatest songs ever written. You see, it wasn't written by someone who had a perfect life. It was written by a man who had done wrong by many slaves, and felt a huge change in his life when he met Jesus. He wanted everyone to know how to find THE WAY. He knew how it felt to be so lost you don't know which way was up and which was down. He was headed on a path that was going nowhere.
It amazes me sometimes how often I can speak of God's love as if I am an expert; especially how we shouldn't treat those who are different than us with less respect. I still find myself making comments every now and then that proves how sinful my heart can still be.
I want to live like Jesus, and to do so I must put myself, my own desires and fears, aside so I can love endlessly.
"Jesus loves the outcast. He also loves the ones the world just loves to hate." (Relient K)
Isn't it about time we start treating people how we want to be treated? If I've said it once I've probably said it a thousand times. "Well that's not fair." Oh, the dreaded word. My mom always told me "Well Jessie, life isn't fair. You need to learn that while you're young." Boy did I ever. I don't get treated like kings and queens. As a matter of a fact, there have been times when I've been treated pretty awful, and whereas I could go and moan and groan about it, I then remember I have treated people just as poorly.
Life isn't fair, but it sure doesn't have to be as cutthroat as we make it sometimes. If we would all just be a little more kind to strangers. Live a little slower. Show more compassion to those who are hurting. We really wouldn't have to deal with so much of a mess everyday.
I have set so many goals for myself over the years it's ridiculous. But, do you know what I've learned? Telling myself I am going to show more "kindness" won't make me any more kind than I am right now. Saying "well, people have said I'm not very nice, so I guess I need to work on that." Kindness isn't something you make yourself do; kindness is something you live out because it's all you know how to do. Jesus living inside of us should make us more kind, loving and compassionate than we used to be! And people should be able to see the change every single day.
It won't be easy; making these things part of our lifestyle will take more than what we have, so we will have to lean on God for help. But the verse over in Nehemiah says "the joy of the Lord is my strength."
Have you ever noticed how much more pain or stress you can handle when you have someone in your life that makes you happy constantly? Bad things don't seem as bad, sad times don't seem as sad... The joy God gives through His love is what gives us the strength we need to continue on our Christian journey. It is not an easy one, but it can be a beautiful one!
This precious gift from God Himself of eternal life through faith in Him
How Sweet The Sound
It is like music to my ears to know such grace exists
That Saved A Wretch Like Me
I was nothing. I sinned against a holy and righteous God and was headed on a road to hell
I Once Was Lost
Going through each day not having any direction; no place I had in my site as the end
But Now Am Found
Since Jesus came into my heart, I have been found and bought by the Most High; the King of kings and Lord of lords. He found me and took me in as His own
Was Blind
I saw nothing but my own self and what I wanted
But Now I See
Jesus has given me new eyes, eyes that can see joy, peace and love.
This song is probably one of the greatest songs ever written. You see, it wasn't written by someone who had a perfect life. It was written by a man who had done wrong by many slaves, and felt a huge change in his life when he met Jesus. He wanted everyone to know how to find THE WAY. He knew how it felt to be so lost you don't know which way was up and which was down. He was headed on a path that was going nowhere.
It amazes me sometimes how often I can speak of God's love as if I am an expert; especially how we shouldn't treat those who are different than us with less respect. I still find myself making comments every now and then that proves how sinful my heart can still be.
I want to live like Jesus, and to do so I must put myself, my own desires and fears, aside so I can love endlessly.
"Jesus loves the outcast. He also loves the ones the world just loves to hate." (Relient K)
Isn't it about time we start treating people how we want to be treated? If I've said it once I've probably said it a thousand times. "Well that's not fair." Oh, the dreaded word. My mom always told me "Well Jessie, life isn't fair. You need to learn that while you're young." Boy did I ever. I don't get treated like kings and queens. As a matter of a fact, there have been times when I've been treated pretty awful, and whereas I could go and moan and groan about it, I then remember I have treated people just as poorly.
Life isn't fair, but it sure doesn't have to be as cutthroat as we make it sometimes. If we would all just be a little more kind to strangers. Live a little slower. Show more compassion to those who are hurting. We really wouldn't have to deal with so much of a mess everyday.
I have set so many goals for myself over the years it's ridiculous. But, do you know what I've learned? Telling myself I am going to show more "kindness" won't make me any more kind than I am right now. Saying "well, people have said I'm not very nice, so I guess I need to work on that." Kindness isn't something you make yourself do; kindness is something you live out because it's all you know how to do. Jesus living inside of us should make us more kind, loving and compassionate than we used to be! And people should be able to see the change every single day.
It won't be easy; making these things part of our lifestyle will take more than what we have, so we will have to lean on God for help. But the verse over in Nehemiah says "the joy of the Lord is my strength."
Have you ever noticed how much more pain or stress you can handle when you have someone in your life that makes you happy constantly? Bad things don't seem as bad, sad times don't seem as sad... The joy God gives through His love is what gives us the strength we need to continue on our Christian journey. It is not an easy one, but it can be a beautiful one!
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