11.25.13

1 Peter 3:13-14 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it.

My Thoughts

I use to be a people pleaser!  I still love it when I get to make the choice to please people... I have sometimes made the wrong choice because I want to please people so bad. I have even made bad choices in my past to just please people. As I have learned to choose to do what is good in God's eyes...I so often get to please others, but sometimes I can't and I am finding that that is okay too. I am learning to give it to God and say to Him, "God please soften their hearts towards me." And He does.  

One of the best things that has happened to me as I have learned to do what God ask is that it has made making choices much easier.  I find that my options are fewer and that is a good thing... it simplifies my life. If I take my list of options and take away anything that would not make God happy,  my list gets smaller. Then when I go that next step and ask what God would want me to choose  my list gets even smaller. I no longer have to spend days thinking what to do, or days wondering if I did the right thing.  And if somebody does get upset with me... I can know that I did what God wanted and that is what really matters. 

I still mess up sometimes and fall back into those old patterns.. patterns that I learned as a child... and that is where God's forgiveness comes in... I tell Him that I am sorry and ask Him to send down His grace to help me...and I get a little bit better each day.  I know without a doubt that God is rewarding me because the better I get at choosing to do what pleases God the better my life gets...and the better my life gets because of God's blessings the more I want to please God.  I am amazed at how God blesses us... how He pours down His blessings on our lives. When I take the time to stop and think of God's blessings on my life my heart can feel like it is going to burst with joy. And in that same moment I can feel such peace. Peace that feels like I am sitting on a gym sized cloud... right in the middle of it on a almost cold day... wrapped in a blanket that covers the whole cloud, floating in warmth and peace.  Choosing God, choosing what God wants for my life only brings good things. Yet it brings me enough strength that when I do face troubles I will be able to stand strong...I find that amazing!

11.24.13

1 Peter 3:4-5 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful.  They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands.

My Thoughts

I know someone that does this.  If you knew the lady I am thinking of you would never guess her age. She is amazingly beautiful and if you knew her age you would know even more so how beautiful she is.  She is so soft spoken yet when she speaks the whole room listens because they know that wisdom will flow from her mouth.  Her husband has never fixed his own plate when she was home to do it for her, he respects her so much that he has taken her shoes off of her feet and slipped her house shoes on as she washed the dinner dishes. This lady loves God with her whole soul and she acts in that love of God by the way that she treats others.  She meets them where they are at and she helps grow them by her example.  The kindness she shows extends into others lives so much so that it reaches out and touches through the example of her actions, so many other people that she may never even meet.  Any time I walk into a room where she is at I feel comfort and love, because she allows the comfort and love of God flow through her.  She makes everybody around her want to be a better person.  I have been around people that I didn't want to see me mess up, but this lady makes you want to be better even when she is not looking.. not for her... but for God. The amazing thing about her is that even if you mess up, you know that you can tell her and she will love you still, pray for you to be stronger in the future, do all that she can to help you grow... and never see you differently than before.  I have learned so much from this lady, this amazingly beautiful lady.  Because she loves God so much, my life will never be the same. I feel beyond honored to call her my friend.  I feel special because she calls me friend. When we honor God with our lives people know. Do not pass up the chance to be all that you can be by loving God and honoring Him by living His word. 

11.22.13

1 Peter 2b May God give you more and more grace and peace. 

My Thoughts
I just felt joy when I read these words! Great joy!  I smiled so big that my face hurt.  To think that God gives us more and more grace and peace.  That means that we get stronger and stronger in Him.  That means that bigger and bigger things can come along and we will be able to deal with them with God's grace! It means that I wont be blown over by little things any more...that God is making me stronger and stronger .... and as much stronger as I am now than I was 4 years ago... in 4 years I will be even stronger... and when I face life's situations... I will have peace... lots of it!!  It means that the wonderful peace I feel now.. will just get better and better... no matter what I might face!!  There is no end...the more I study God's word.. the more I know God... the better life is going to get even in the mist of problems. Life is going to be better on the best days...and life is going to be better on the worse days because God sends down more and more grace and peace!!  The thought makes me want to dance!!    

11.26.12

1 Peter 5:10 In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus.  So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

 

My Thoughts

First God does not send suffering down on us... we live in this world and  Satin has reign over this world. But God has reign over us when we are His children.  God has reign over Satin.  God's word just believed and spoken has reign over Satin himself.   God just gives us the choice whether we want to love Him or not.  So here we are living in this world where some people make the choice not to love God. And things happen...sometimes we are caught in the crossfire of those happenings.  

 

The wonderful thing is that God loves to show off His love for us...and when we stand strong in Him through hard times, when we love God and depend on God in the mist of our suffering.. God get to show off to all the people that saw us stand strong in Him by restoring us... supporting us... strengthening us and placing us on a firm foundation.

 

James, Jesus' earthly brother... a man who knew Jesus from the day he was born tells in in Chapter 1:2-4 when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. Here James tells us that each time we suffer and trust God through the suffering we grow stronger and stronger and strong.  Each time we suffer and endure it is like building up the cement under our feet.  We just keep getting a little closer to heaven. 

 

It is much like that donkey that fell in the well.. the farmer had no way to get him out so he decided to bury him.  The farmer kept pouring buckets of dirt down on the donkey... the donkey would shake off that dirt and stomp around... over and over the farmer would pour the dirt on the donkey....and the donkey would shake off the dirt and stomp it down... eventually the dirt that was suppose to bury the donkey rose him to the top of the well and the donkey was free. 

 

When we believe in God, in Jesus.. we are like that farmer and that donkey... Satin may throw suffering and hard times on us to bury us so deep we can't call out...but when we use God's word, when we call out to God and depend on Him.. God puts Satin under our feet growing that cement stronger and higher and taller... and one day Satin will look and see that we have reached the glory of heaven.  While all along the way God keeps restoring us, and supporting us and making us stronger. 

 

In the mist of our suffering and struggles, even when it seems so hard... we can smile and say, "Devil, you are not getting me this time!!  My God is greater, my God is stronger and my God is higher!  In the end I will be restored.. with only a little suffering I will be stronger! God's victory is going to shine!"   What a wonderful promise!! 

 

 

1 Peter 3: 13-15 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it.  So don't worry or be afraid of their threats, Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.  But do this in a gentle and respectful way.  Keep your conscience clear.  Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, if is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, then to suffer for doing wrong.

 

My Thoughts

 

I am proof of how dangerous it is to to be preachy to people instead of gentley explaining to them the wonderful love of God.  There was a time in my life when I was trying to be a Christian... I was going to chruch..but was not really happy at that church. It was a time when I was being pulled by the world to just do what everybody was doing ... or I could choose to do what was right.  It was a time when I wanted to do what was right but didn't understand how God would help me do right, it was not all up to me.  A time when I wanted to love God because I was suppose to, but didn't understand God enough to really love Him. I didn't understand how much He really loves me.  Then a few things happened to me by well meaning people...those people pushed me over on the wrong side of the fence... those Christians made me feel like such a sinner that it didn't matter anyway.  Instead of drawing me in so that God could love me into doing better, they  push me completely away. 

 

In a short period of time I had several things happen, when I needed love the most. This was all right before I found out that I was sick and I was really tired and in a bad place.  We had missed Sunday School several weeks in a row and actually had a Sunday School teacher stand up and talk bad about people that didn't come to church every time the doors were open...the next time we missed I was embarrassed to go back.  I was told by a customer at work one day when I was in tears that if I loved God I would not feel like I did that day.  At the time I loved God the best I knew how.. instead of telling me how to better discover God's love for me...she attacked me because I was having a bad day. I know how to love God now and I understand how much God loves me.. but I still have bad days sometimes where I cry.. God helps me get over them!!  And one time I was somewhere where every sentence out of my mouth was attacked with scripture with how I was wrong... I was never allowed to finish my thoughts ... they had no idea where my thoughts were going...they were just eager too tell me where I was wrong.  All these people were well meaning, I look now and see that they were...but they pushed me away!  At that time I also worked under a person that would be so mean to people one minute...customers and employees alike and then talk about God and offer to pray with you the next. Her words spoke of God's love, her actions were not loving at all.  I didn't go to church for a very long time.  I didn't become an awful person...but I did sin more than I would have if somebody would have loved me and showed me how to know that God loved me.  Somewhere they missed this scripture.  "But do it gently and in a respectful way." These people put me in a place where I thought, "Why try? I can't do it right anyway."

 

Guess what... God found me anyway. Through my son, God put my One Year Bible in my hand...and I begin to read and understand. Then He put me in the presence of Godly women that understood that God meets us where we are.  They understood that God grows us from where we are...and if we are in Church some,  if we are loved enough we will come more!  They understood that God's love should show all the time. They didn't attack me with scripture...they lovingly got to know me and showed me scripture that would help me.  They hug me up and check on me when I have bad days. They remind me of the scriptures about how much God loves me... they tell me the scriptures that will make me stronger and encourage me to repeat them over and over...they pray with me and for me.  They taught me how to pray.

 

Today I hardly miss church... God met me where I was and has brought me so much further... I am learning every day and growing. I know how much God loves me... I love God back because I feel His love not because I am suppose to!!  I was not dragged across the fence kicking and screaming.. or being pushed off of it to the wrong side... people took my hand and gentle walked me into the wonderful light of God. 

 

As a Christian I want to love people ... I never, every want to push them away. I want to gently tell them my story of how much God changed my life. I want to hold their hand and hug them up and say it will be ok, because God loves you so much. I want to always remember that those people in the worst way were victims of so many of the sins of the world and they desperately need to be loved. They don't need to be told how wrong their lives are, they know that!  They need to be told that God cares so much and that He loves them.. and that His love is so amazing that it can change all things. That God's loves does make life better.  I never want to forget this scripture that says live right and when people ask tell them about Me in a gently and respectful way. 

 

These verses say, "If someone ask you about your Christian hope".. We need to live in a way that people see God's love as HOPE... our words need to show that this is HOPE.  We need never to make a person walk away feeling like living for God is a hopeless things.

 

Our lives are the best teacher of God's love. Our lives are the best example of God's love. Our actions can be the first example of God love that somebody sees.  Our God is such a loving, loving God that that should show in our words and our deeds.  Our lives and our words should always make a person feel hopeful that their lives can be better!!

11.23.12

1 Peter 2:1 So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deciet, hypocricy, jealousy and all unkind speech.

 

My Thoughts

Get rid of all evil behavior..we know that that is sin. We recognize those sins so perfectly spelled out like adultery, murder, greed. I find it interesting that after we are told here to get rid of all evil behavior...that deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy and all unkind speech was also listed... listed separately by name.  I believe it is because we often do these things without realizing we are doing them.  They seem to "just happen." Then we notice we have been guilty. 

 

I looked up the definition of deceit and it says,  the act or practice of deceiving... deceiving is defined as cause to believe something is not true, typically to gain an advantage.  We deceive people when we do not correct their belief of us, when we know they are seeing us in a different light.  Half truths are deceiving.  Often we deceive ourselves about ourselves. Often we tell a half truth about our self by leaving parts out.  We must be very careful of this!!

 

Hypocrisy is defined as ... The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness. Oh my... how often do we do this?  I thought of how much I love God... how much I love His word...yet when I do something contrary to God word that is hypocrisy.  When we claim to love God and His word and we gossip we are committing hypocrisy.  We must be very careful of this. 

 

Jealousy is defined as ... the state of being jealous. Jealous is defined as ....Feeling or showing envy of someone or their achievements and advantages. I think we all have these moments!!  We often think we are not jealous.... but then we want to be as thin as someone... or we wish we had somebody else's sense of style... or we wish for somebodies creative ability... or their education and the advantages that it brings.  I think jealousy is dangerous on so many levels.  The thing is God gave us each our own unique abilities... abilities He intended for us.. we can be jealous of others or we can educate ourselves on what we are good at and get better...and we can be thankful to God for what He has given us. When we are jealous of others we are saying to God that He made a mistake in what He did for us. When we are jealous it is, probably the biggest form of ungratefulness we could express.

 

And then there is that last part...all unkind speech. It does not say unkind speech that is not true.. it says ALL unkind speech. So even when people do things we don't like .. or that we feel is wrong and we talk about it to others and it is unkind. If it is putting them in an unkind likeness or is unkind in any way...any way, we are not suppose to do it.  Even if it is a problem for us and it paints somebody in an unkind light it is unkind speech and it is wrong.  My mom and I talked about this one time. We were trying to figure out how to talk about our problems with people without talking about a person.  We decided that if I had a problem at work with someone... if I told her about it but didn't give her a name then when she came into where I worked she would not have a bad feeling about any of the people before she herself formed her own opinion.  In James it talks about our tongue and the power it has and how hard it is to control.  But we are still expected to control it.. we are expected at the very least to make a good and honest effort to do so!!  The Bible tells us we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us... so we can do this too...oh but it will take  us much effort and much prayer. 

 

I think these 4 things are listed by name separately from all other evil because they so often seem to "just happen." And since they do we have to be very aware of each of them by name so we can recognize when we are letting these evils take over ...once we are aware we can, at least stop ourselves in the middle of them happening.  Once we learn to stop ourselves half way through... then maybe we will stop a forth of the way through...then one day we will stop ourselves even before we get started.  If we ever find ourselves saying, "I know I shouldn't be saying this but..." our next words should be "I shouldn't be saying it so I won't."

11.22.12

1 Peter 1:6-7 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even thought you have to endure many trials for a little while.  These trials will show that your faith is genuine.  It is being tested as fire test and purifies gold--though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

 

My Thoughts

I use to think, "Why would God test you? That seems mean!" Then one day God dropped that answer right in my heart in a way that I could understand it!!  First we live in this world...there will be trials all the time. The devil is always after us..if he can't tempt us to sin, he will send things on us that are hard. The devil will do anything to weaken our faith.  Anything... He will not stop he wants to draw us away from God.  What he wants to do is take one of God's prized possessions (us) away from God. 

 

When God test us it is to prepare us for things we might face in the future... it is to show us where our faith is weak so that we can grow it by depending on Him. So that we can see that He is there for us in every situation.  Here is how God showed me ... my mom was a teacher so I could understand this. A teacher knows before he/she passes out a test which students are going to make A's and which students will fail. The poor students feel like they are being "tested." The good students take a test and learn from it. All those students that make A's if they miss questions they are the ones who get out their text book, or ask the teacher what the right answer is.  They use the test to learn what they don't know and they learn from it. 

 

God knows all... He knows our actions before we take them!!  He knows, even more than the teacher knows, how we are going to react to His test.  He gives us these test where WE will know where our faith is weak. When we know that we can look back and say to ourselves, "Why didn't I depend on God from the start of this situation?" or "God what can I do next time so that I will not fall in that trap?' or "God I really messed up, what do I need to know and understand so that I won't make this wrong choice again."  God does all this because He loves us so much and He wants us to be prepared to depend on Him, to make Biblical choices when the devil attacks.  God does this out of so much love for us...so that we will be ready!!  He is not testing us so to play games with us.. He is showing us where we need to grow. 

 

We are all going to face hard times... we live in this world.  We may be the generations that are going to face the end of time and if we are we need to be really prepared! God wants to make sure that we are prepared to depend on Him when hard times come. 

 

Recently in another country two young missionaries were put to death for believing in God.  They were strong enough to love God out loud until the very end.  And when their lives were over they didn't face the fiery pits of hell...God was waiting at the gate for them to shower them with wonderful things... to show them how much He loved them and how proud He was of them for being able to stand strong.  They lived in this world, so they faced things of this world. Just like we will.  God prepared them for all they would face to be strong enough to keep believing in Him so they could live forever in Heaven.  I wonder what test they learned from along the way? 

 

Several months back I watched a You Tube video where the man that wrote 23 Minutes in Hell spoke.  He spoke with graphic detail about what hell was like. He believe that God sent Him there in a vision because we needed to know that there is a hell.  It was an real eye opener for me.  It made me realize that anything that God allowed to happen to me that made me call out to Him is out of pure love for me.. for my life.

 

God is love, love at it's purest form. All love comes straight from God. He would never harm us! Everything that He does for us he does out of the purest of love.  James said in Chapter 1 of the Book of James ² Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.   Wow... when we are fully developed will will be perfect and complete needing nothing... God loves us to much that He wants to grow us to the point where we need nothing... where we depend on Him to supply all our needs... and when we do.. He will supply all our needs and our joy will be complete!!

 

Can you imagine complete Joy??!!!  Wow!!  Think of those moments in your live where your Joy was overflowing... complete joy will be so much bigger than that!!  That is what God wants for us!!

 

 

8.17.12

1 Peter 5:8 "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.  He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

My Thoughts

Do you ever feel out of control of your thoughts?? Has anybody ever told you what a good person you were and it made you feel guilty as you thought "If the only knew the thoughts in my head?" The place the devil likes to get us is in our head.  I loved learning that the devil was always putting thoughts in our head!! For the longest time I felt like I was fooling people with my sweetness, I would think "If they only knew what goes on in my head!"  But Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our hearts above all else because our hearts determine our actions. So if my actions were sweet, I was a good person. Whew!!  What a relief!!  When we are alert, on lookout for the devil we are able to do what it tells us to do in 2 Corinthians 10:5, take our thoughts captive.  Now  I am aware that those bad thoughts about myself and about others, come straight for the devil himself. Now I can take those thoughts captive and tell the devil just what God says!!  For instance when the devil makes me think, "You are just stupid and useless." I can tell the devil, "No, I have a purpose. God made me for a purpose and He tells me I am fearfully and wonderfully made." If the devil tells me "You can't!" I can tell him, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"  I can take my thoughts captive so that what the devil tells me won't drop down into my heart and make my actions bad.  I can check  my actions against my thoughts and see if I am acting and reacting like God would have me act.  I can stay alert guarding my thoughts so they don't become my actions. I can remember that God word is so powerful that He spoke all things into existence... God simply said "Let there be light." and it happened. Just because He spoke it, it happened! God's word is powerful and I can use it to fight my enemy if I stay alert!  The devil likes to camouflage himself, like the animals in the jungle, but when we stay alert we can recognize him,  even in his camouflaged state.  And we can win the battle aginst him because we can do ALL THINGS through Christ who strengthens us!! 

6.30.12

1 Peter 3:11 (Amplified Bible)  Let him turn away from wickedness and shun it, and let him do right. Let him search for peace (harmony; undisturbedness from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts) and seek it eagerly. [Do not merely desire peaceful relations with God, with your fellowmen, and with yourself, but pursue, go after them!]

My Thoughts

To be at peace with God and others we must love them... we must forgive them their mistakes... we must look for the good in the and overlook their mistakes.  Look at the last line here... it also includes us being peaceful with ourselves... and to be peaceful with ourselves we must love our-self, forgive ourselves our mistakes... look for and find the good in what we do!!  We must pursue harmony and peaceful relationships... we must pursue to love ourselves. Until we totally love ourselves... take time to see ourselves through God's eyes and know that we are worth loving we will have a hard time loving others. 

Love yourself today!!!... Look in that mirror and know that God loves you so much that He gave Jesus to die for you sins... that is how much God loves you... God forgives you.. He throws your mistakes, your sins as far as the east is from the west!!  Take time to notice the good things in yourself..that is what God sees!!!  He loves the good things in us... God nourishes the good!!.. When the devil tries to remind you of what you did wrong... just tell him "God forgave me and I forgive me... and here is a list of what I do right __________, _____________, ___________ and _____________! So just be on your Way!"

God is love.. pure loves comes straight from God!! God makes sure that we know in his word...right here that we are to pursue a peaceful relationship with ourselves!!  Try it!! It is live changing!!

6.27.12

1 Peter 3:1-5 In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives. Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands.

My Thoughts

Verse 7 does go on to say... Husband treat your wives good... take care of them... it even says to be sure and be great husbands so your prayers will get through to heaven!!

I love how this verse tells us that we win people over by our actions... by being pure and reverent... it says you do what is right...you do what is good and your actions, your kindness, your love, your love of God will work... you don't need words to change people...there doesn't have to be screaming... or making your point... you just have to go about being loving!!  Think about it...when somebody loves you with all their heart...when they make you feel special just because you walk into a room...when you know that they love you and care about you...there is nothing that you wouldn't do for them!!  If we make our husbands feel like kings...if we love them with all our hearts...if we light up when they walk into a room... if we agree with them..everyone likes somebody to see their side!!  Then they will not be able to help themselves when we have a need or a want...they will want to make sure we are taken care of ...they will want to give us our hearts desire!!  If our face...our actions say to our spouse "Oh there you are!!..I am so excited you came into this room!! I am so glad that you are in my life!" It won't matter if you just woke up...or if you have spent 2 hours getting beautiful...that love in your eyes for him... that total love that comes from the deepest part of you will make you glow! Love makes everything glow!!  If I think about it...if somebody ask me to do something with that love in their eyes...I can't say no!...but if they ask me with selfishness or with that "you better do this for me" attitude I don't want to do it.  Love, pure love glows...it is sweet and understanding... it is unselfish...it wins the hearts of the toughest people...it has the power to move mountains.  Love honors God and is honored by God in our lives.

1.19.12

1 Peter 5:8 Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [[a]in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. (Amplified Bible)

My Thoughts

Joyce Meyer words it like this, in "The Secret Power of Speaking God's Word," "I will live a balanced life because God's word states that if we are not well balanced we open the door for Satin to come in and devour us."

God has really been dealing with me about balance...then I came across this scripture in Joyce's book... and it really spoke to my heart.  I have spent a couple of weeks thinking about it, on and off. Then today this came up in my reading again... and finally I could see it so clearly!  When there are things we need to do and don't do them...the devil loves to use that to tell us how unworthy we are, how lazy we are... how incapable we are...and soon we believe him...and instead of tackling what we have been putting off we begin to think "I can't"... as soon as that I can't comes in to play the devil has his hold.  As soon as we start believing the "I can't-'s" and the "I am useless-'s" the less productive we become... what the devil has first taken from us is our energy... negative thoughts zap of us our energy faster than a hard days work ever could. When we plan our days with balance...we can nurture our soul, get things done, be creative and spend time with loved ones and friends... all while feeling good about ourselves. When we feel good about ourselves, when we believe what God tells us we are, and not what the devil says about us..the cracks in our armor begin to heal and the devil doesn't have a something to use against us. We then have room for the joy of the Lord...and joy..well that produces energy.

Balance was eluding me... even though I knew I needed balance I just didn't know how to go about getting any.... I am an all in person...or an all out person... so this balance thing is not something I really have ever mastered.  Over the last few weeks... after repeating "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13)"...and then learning that "You have not, because you ask not (James 4:2).... I begin to understand that God wants me to have balance... so if I ask God for balance, something He wants for me, then God will give me answers, and strength to have that balance.

So just this morning several things came to mind just how to plan my day with more balance... not somebody else's plan... a plan for me. That is a God thing!  I am today putting that plan in order... it is basically very simple... it is 30 minutes of each activity... a little work, a little play, some folding of the hands... then a little work a little play, a little folding of the hands. God is so good to give us answers! God made us, he knows us...he knows what we need...  God knows what will work for each of us, based on our personality and our abilities. God has the answers...we just have to ask the questions. The thing is God wants us to have balance, God will always give us what He wants us to have, we just have to let God know that it is a desire of our heart.

11.26.11

1 Peter 4:8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.

My Thoughts

I love this!!... Love covers a multitude of sins!!  We need to love each other.... do things for each other in love! I read this and got this picture of God on judgment day... saying "My dear son, I saw you cheat,  I saw you lie, I saw steal." The sinner with his head held down trembling and afraid. Then I pictured God taking that sinners shamed face in his hands.... pulling it up so that God could look in his eyes and God saying "But, my son you loved your fellow man... you fed your neighbor, you were kind to strangers in the street, you encouraged people.. YOU loved people! Welcome to my home."

1 Corinthians 13:13 says that three things will last forever faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love. In Mark 12:30-31 Jesus tells us  And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” We are called to love... love does amazing things! Love changes everything.... when love is given to babies that have been neglected they begin to thrive. People that live alone that have pets to love and to love them live longer than people that live alone without a pet. Love is a powerful, powerful thing... love even covers a multitude of sins.

We we spend time loving only ourselves love stops... it does not even grow... 1 x 1 only equals one... but when we love others... and they love others.... love grows expediently.  What if love covers sins expediently? The wonderful thing about love is that love grows out in all directions... when we send love out it comes back. We are called to love... who will you show love to today?

11.24.11

1 Peter 2:22-23 He (Jesus) never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. 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.

My Thoughts

I think when we read these verses we like to think of big things...I know I do... we think of people who what to fight back with fist...or TV's versions of revenge when  somebody gets somebody back by ruining their business... or making sure they loose their job... those huge things that most "normal" people never do.  It says here that Jesus never retaliated, or even threaten revenge. Never, ever even in the small things. I think we all at least threaten revenge in some form or fashion... oh don't say "I don't" until you think about those little thoughts we all  have... I had to stop and think of the little thoughts... you know the ones... we try to speak to somebody in the store and feel ignored... and we think "Well I just won't speak to them next time." We try to be nice to the checkout person... they talk to each other and don't even notice us... our thought is "Well, see if I am nice again." We fix a plate for our spouse and take it to them and they don't even seems to notice so next time we just leave it out the counter.  We do something for a co-worker and when we need help they don't seem to notice, we think "See if I help him out ever again." God expects us to always show love, always be helpful, to turn the other cheek no matter what anybody does to us... no matter what anybody says to us, no matter how much we are not noticed... we are still called to do the "right" thing. Jesus didn't even threaten revenge must less act on it.

This verse goes on to say Jesus left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.  The truth is we often don't know why somebody doesn't speak to us.. or why a co-worker didn't help us... or why our spouse didn't notice that we went to trouble on their behalf... we are not there in their head... we have not been a part of their day... When we leave our "injustices" to God, God can judge fairly because he knows all... God knows if we have really been slighted or if the other person just has so much going on that they couldn't even muster the energy to speak. God knows... and if we we have truly treated unfairly  God will give us double for our trouble, if we are good and kind, if we choose to do the right thing.. if we will leave it up to God. 

I wonder how much we miss out on... how many times we could have received double for our trouble if we had left every insult, every injustice we have ever felt in the hands of God. Instead we take these things on ourselves... and we in return we are one of the people handing out insults and injustices ourselves.

We are called to be like Jesus... to do good even if nobody around us is being good... we are called to be kind... we are called to love...when we do what God ask... he always takes care of the rest, God even gives us double for our trouble if we leave it in his hands.

11.26.10

1 Peter 4:10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts.  Use them well to serve one another.

My Thoughts

I use to think of these gifts as huge gifts or gifts that were spiritual in nature...in what we think as spiritual in nature...like the gift to preach ... or sing like an angel... But all gifts come from God... all our abilities come from God...some people can preach and some can sing...some people can paint... some people their gift is as simple as being sweet and kind...that is really a huge gift the gift to make somebody feel appreciated... the gift to add a bright spot to somebody's day.... I can make cards...it is easy to me so it doesn't seem like a gift at all.... but not everybody can do this...so it is a gift....and recently I learned to knit on a loom... people tell me I am really good at it...but to me it is just so much fun...and to me it is so easy.... so I don't think of it as a gift...I tend to think that if I, little ol me can do this anybody can do this... but that is not true... it is a gift that God has given me... I need to use the gifts to make people happy... to brighten their days.... I know my gifts are really simple gifts... but they are gifts that God gave me so they must be important gifts that I need to use wisely... what are you good at...what comes easy to you??.... lets say you are thinking I am only good at shopping!!... imagine how you could use that to serve somebody else...I am terrible at shopping... I don't put clothes together good... I really just hate to shop... but would love it if somebody that loves to shop would go with me one day and help me pick out a couple of nice outfits that made me look pretty!!... what is your gift...what is it that you enjoy because you are good at it???...how can you use that gift to serve other people??... lets get the ball rolling... tell me what it is you can do!!...and how you are going to use it!!

Hugs

Jeannie

11.25.10

1 Peter 3: 8-9  Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters.  Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 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

My Thoughts

I have never been one to pay back evil for evil... to be mean to somebody because they are mean to me... I have avoided them... did my best not to speak to them... walked around feeling so insulted and hurt by them... but to turn around and just be mean back I have never done... but that was not enough not to be mean back I should have been really sweet back, prayed for them... spoke blessings over them... did things to bless their day...this could be a really hard thing to do in some situations.... but can you imagine the impact  we could have as a Christian if we reacted this way.... sure it may not change that person... but it could change a lot of the people looking on... watching how we react as Christians... it could change us!!... It would make God smile down on us... repay love for love, repay hurt for love, repay anger for love... God ask us to be loving in all situations... Jesus was loving in all situations even as he hung on the cross and people gambled for his clothes he re-payed them with love, asking forgiveness for them.... today how will you repay another person for their actions.... I hope that I choose love every time.

11.24.10

1 Peter 3:4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.

My Thoughts

I always taught my kids "Pretty is as pretty does." and this is such a true statement... how many people have you met that you thought were beautiful...only to get to know them and never see them as beautiful again... then on the other hand we have all met somebody that didn't really catch our eyes at first and later when we got to know them could only see beauty!... We have all seen pictures of Mother Teresa... she was not this outstanding beauty... but if you know about her gentle spirit... if you have read about her kindness and read the words she spoke you see a picture of her at her oldest and most wrinkled and it can make you smile... you see beauty in that woman... My grandmother looked old as far back as I can remember... she would not have been somebody that you would have called beautiful at all.... but that is one of the most beautiful women in the world to me... her smile could light up a room... he smile was so sweet... her eyes smiled... my grandmother looked at me with this all encompassing love... when my grandmother smiled at me she was hugging me with her heart... I want to be the kind of person who's smile hugs you with their heart...I want to be the kind of person that bring peace into a room....and love into a room... I want to be so strong in my quite gentle spirit that I can make a person feel love even when I am far away... I want to be the kind of person that when God looks down on earth and sees me he thinks oh there is one of my precious children... I take great comfort in knowing even when others don't appricate me for being sweet, God does... I pray that I will at all times act in a way that when God looks down on me I will be precious to him...that at no time in the day will God be dissapointed in my actions.... This is a verse that I will put to my memory for sure.

9.18.10

Isiah 28:26 The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding.

My Thoughts

Oh this verse was just so so exciting to me!!!... It made my heart happy.... We have all seen those people that could just do something...they just knew how from the beginning of when they tried... some people grow stuff (not me!!!)... some people can pick up a musical instrument and just know how to play it...and the more they seek to know they just understand what they learn.... some people can paint a painting... it is there in their head in vivid detail.... some people can cook with amazing insight to what this spice does and what that spice does... then there are the scientist... the mathematicians... some people can read with great understanding and speed once they got it, they got it!!... I can make a card... and it seems that I can knit with my Knifty Knitters.... and both of these things are just easy to me and I love doing them... this verse says to me that God gives us that knowledge of what comes easy to each of us... God gives us our gifts and our abilities...they are gifts to us from God... and we should use these gifts wisely!!!... and we should use these very gifts to give back to God ... 1 Peter 4:10 says "God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts.  Use them well to serve one another."... use them well to serve one another... if you have a gift think of how you can use it to bring joy to the people around you... we need to do as God ask us and use our gift to serve others.... and oh what joy God gives us back when we do just that!... When I make something and give it away...and it makes that person happy... I feel such wonderful joy!!... that joy is our gift back from God...that joy is priceless!