"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:33-34
It seems as though more and more people are worried about the world these days. There's a whole lot going on everywhere. The world is pretty chaotic but, we need to remember that what is on the news does not surprise God. We may be shocked with the news but God knows all things. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Turn to His Word before you turn to the news. It's what helps us to stay focused on God and the fact that God is our good news, day in and day out!
The following is the whole passage on worry:
"25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)
Monday, October 20, 2014
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
“I Disagree!”
How frustrating it is to have disagreements! A disagreement can lead to even more disagreements if they are not dealt with. If things are never cleared up what happens next? A lot of the times what happens is that the relationship will break. How many friendships have broken up because of disagreements? How many marriages have ended in divorce because of disagreements? How many families have suffered because of disagreements?
Sometimes all it takes to clear up a disagreement is to talk about it with the other person. Listening to the other person and having them listen to you can do wonders! The key is to talk not argue. Something else is needed to clear a disagreement…forgiveness. The ability to forgive is not always easy but doable. The only way really to forgive another is to ask the Lord to help us forgive and to help us let the hurt go which is the “forget” part that we hear people say all of the time…”forgive and forget.” Another key part in clearing up a disagreement is time. We need to be willing to give each other time to sit and talk things through…time to forgive and heal (“forget”) and time to let time do its thing. “Time heals all wounds,” to a certain point I agree but healing, true healing can only happen if the truth was stated which is what is needed to clear up a disagreement.
There’s an example of Paul and Barnabas in the Bible having a disagreement. When they were planning out their second missionary trip Barnabas told Paul that he wanted to take John (also known as Mark) and Paul disagreed. Their disagreement was so bad they went their separate ways!
Acts 15:36-41, “Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”
It’s amazing to me that these two men of God had such a “sharp disagreement.” They had gone through a lot together and accomplished a lot. Even though they had such a great history together they could not see eye to eye on the issue of John. Paul didn’t want to risk being abandoned by John again whereas Barnabas wanted to give him another chance. Barnabas ended up going on a separate mission trip with John. Can you imagine how John must have felt? It was because of his decision to leave Pamphylia when the circumstances grew difficult that changed Paul’s mind of him. He no longer believed that John had what it took to be a dependable missionary.
Thankfully the story doesn’t end there. Years later while Paul was under house arrest in Rome he wrote a letter to Timothy and in it he mentions John Mark. 2 Timothy 4:11, “Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” In Philemon 1:23-24 Paul mentions Mark’s name too, “Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.”
Disagreements will occur. Reconciliations can follow if we allow them. As we see in Paul’s case he gave Mark another chance. My dear friend I know firsthand how much a disagreement can cause discord, hurt, and or frustration. I’ve had situations where reconciliation never occurred, relationships were broken and hurts took longer to heal from. I also know that when there is reconciliation the problem is resolved and the relationship can grow and blossom into what the Lord would want it to. So, like Paul, we too should give another chance and resolve the problems through prayer. If the Lord’s will is for the two parties to split then that’s what needs to happen.
Sometimes all it takes to clear up a disagreement is to talk about it with the other person. Listening to the other person and having them listen to you can do wonders! The key is to talk not argue. Something else is needed to clear a disagreement…forgiveness. The ability to forgive is not always easy but doable. The only way really to forgive another is to ask the Lord to help us forgive and to help us let the hurt go which is the “forget” part that we hear people say all of the time…”forgive and forget.” Another key part in clearing up a disagreement is time. We need to be willing to give each other time to sit and talk things through…time to forgive and heal (“forget”) and time to let time do its thing. “Time heals all wounds,” to a certain point I agree but healing, true healing can only happen if the truth was stated which is what is needed to clear up a disagreement.
There’s an example of Paul and Barnabas in the Bible having a disagreement. When they were planning out their second missionary trip Barnabas told Paul that he wanted to take John (also known as Mark) and Paul disagreed. Their disagreement was so bad they went their separate ways!
Acts 15:36-41, “Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”
It’s amazing to me that these two men of God had such a “sharp disagreement.” They had gone through a lot together and accomplished a lot. Even though they had such a great history together they could not see eye to eye on the issue of John. Paul didn’t want to risk being abandoned by John again whereas Barnabas wanted to give him another chance. Barnabas ended up going on a separate mission trip with John. Can you imagine how John must have felt? It was because of his decision to leave Pamphylia when the circumstances grew difficult that changed Paul’s mind of him. He no longer believed that John had what it took to be a dependable missionary.
Thankfully the story doesn’t end there. Years later while Paul was under house arrest in Rome he wrote a letter to Timothy and in it he mentions John Mark. 2 Timothy 4:11, “Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” In Philemon 1:23-24 Paul mentions Mark’s name too, “Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.”
Disagreements will occur. Reconciliations can follow if we allow them. As we see in Paul’s case he gave Mark another chance. My dear friend I know firsthand how much a disagreement can cause discord, hurt, and or frustration. I’ve had situations where reconciliation never occurred, relationships were broken and hurts took longer to heal from. I also know that when there is reconciliation the problem is resolved and the relationship can grow and blossom into what the Lord would want it to. So, like Paul, we too should give another chance and resolve the problems through prayer. If the Lord’s will is for the two parties to split then that’s what needs to happen.
Busy!
It's hard to believe how the busyness of life can truly keep you from doing what you really want and know you need to do! You know how it is. You set goals, you decide wholeheartedly that you're going to do it and then WHAM! Life happens. Thing is this is what happens a lot, to a lot of us, a lot of the time! What to do? Pray! That's what I do. I ask the Lord to please help me not get overwhelmed with this gift called life that He has given to me. Yes, it's tough. Yes, I get tired too but, I don't complain about how busy I am anymore. I've learned (and am still learning) how to see my life through the lenses that Christ offers to me everyday.
The Holy Spirit guides me into seeing my life more clearly. Instead of focusing on the negative I focus on the positive. Instead of getting frustrated I stop and praise the Lord for the bountiful blessings He has given to me. Perspective is key. It's all about how you look at life.
So, now as I write this to you I have a "million" things to do and I know that the end of day is coming soon so, that means that most of these "million" things are not going to get done. But, instead of allowing stress to settle in I take a deep breath, close my eyes and focus on God. I say words of praise to God. I'll sing or I'll smile and thank God for my life. "This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us be full of joy and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 (NLV)
The Holy Spirit guides me into seeing my life more clearly. Instead of focusing on the negative I focus on the positive. Instead of getting frustrated I stop and praise the Lord for the bountiful blessings He has given to me. Perspective is key. It's all about how you look at life.
So, now as I write this to you I have a "million" things to do and I know that the end of day is coming soon so, that means that most of these "million" things are not going to get done. But, instead of allowing stress to settle in I take a deep breath, close my eyes and focus on God. I say words of praise to God. I'll sing or I'll smile and thank God for my life. "This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us be full of joy and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 (NLV)
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Want
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 (ESV)
As I was working this morning I thought of something. You know how you can play with words? You know, use the same words but in different order? For example, you can say "Good Morning again," but now if you use the same words in a different order it changes the meaning a little. "Again, good morning," it has like a sarcastic flair to it. Same is true with these words, "I want God," and "God I want." See? Two different meanings even though they're the same words.
With the "I want God," one it means that you want God. The word "want" (according to Dictionary.com) used as a verb and with an object means "to feel a need or desire for; wish for...need, crave, demand, or desire." So, these three words used in this format, "I want God" can mean that God is needed, desired and or craved. The meaning of these three words changes in the second example. With "God I want," the use of the word "want" is now different. The word "want" (again, according to Dictionary.com) used as a verb and without object means "...wish; like (often followed by to)...to feel or have a need (sometimes followed by for)."
Which way do you use these three words most? Do you usually say, "I want God" or do you usually say "God I want?" Can we be honest here? Don't we tend to use "God I want" more. We have various needs, wants, desires, for others as well as for ourselves, that we go to God with in our prayer time. It is important to stop and remember to also want God, more of God. To desire a deeper more meaningful relationship with God daily. Not just the needs and or desires met but more importantly our spiritual lives fed and nurtured by the ONE and ONLY too. How about you my dear friends? Do you feel the same?
As I was working this morning I thought of something. You know how you can play with words? You know, use the same words but in different order? For example, you can say "Good Morning again," but now if you use the same words in a different order it changes the meaning a little. "Again, good morning," it has like a sarcastic flair to it. Same is true with these words, "I want God," and "God I want." See? Two different meanings even though they're the same words.
With the "I want God," one it means that you want God. The word "want" (according to Dictionary.com) used as a verb and with an object means "to feel a need or desire for; wish for...need, crave, demand, or desire." So, these three words used in this format, "I want God" can mean that God is needed, desired and or craved. The meaning of these three words changes in the second example. With "God I want," the use of the word "want" is now different. The word "want" (again, according to Dictionary.com) used as a verb and without object means "...wish; like (often followed by to)...to feel or have a need (sometimes followed by for)."
Which way do you use these three words most? Do you usually say, "I want God" or do you usually say "God I want?" Can we be honest here? Don't we tend to use "God I want" more. We have various needs, wants, desires, for others as well as for ourselves, that we go to God with in our prayer time. It is important to stop and remember to also want God, more of God. To desire a deeper more meaningful relationship with God daily. Not just the needs and or desires met but more importantly our spiritual lives fed and nurtured by the ONE and ONLY too. How about you my dear friends? Do you feel the same?
Thursday, September 25, 2014
When it rains it pours…
It never ceases to amaze me how a bad day can quickly turn into a horrible day in just seconds! Have you been there? I'm pretty sure we've all been there before. The way I see it, I can either have a pity party, you know, whine about my day, complain, feel sorry for myself or I can do something else. I can refuse to get down and stay focused on God. When I stay focused onGod then my day is smooth. Instead of focusing on how wonderful or awful my day seems I'll focus on His joy. Joy. Yes. Let me focus on God's joy.
Joy is different from happiness. Happiness is a feeling. Joy is from the Holy Spirit. It's more awesome than happiness! Joy is sustained no matter what's going on around you. It doesn't mean you'll walk around with a constant smile and an upbeat mood because you have joy. Joy means that you can withstand whatever life throws at you with a positive attitude. "But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely." Galatians 5:22-23 (MSG)
I’ll choose joy. How about you?
Thanks for reading this post! Praying for you! God bless you.
Joy is different from happiness. Happiness is a feeling. Joy is from the Holy Spirit. It's more awesome than happiness! Joy is sustained no matter what's going on around you. It doesn't mean you'll walk around with a constant smile and an upbeat mood because you have joy. Joy means that you can withstand whatever life throws at you with a positive attitude. "But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely." Galatians 5:22-23 (MSG)
I’ll choose joy. How about you?
Thanks for reading this post! Praying for you! God bless you.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
I can't see!
The type of garage door that we have has a remote. When you open the door with the remote a light in the garage automatically turns on. After some time I have become accustomed to this light. You see, the garage is very dark at night and without a light you can barely even see your hand even if you place it right in front of your face. Well, this light that I have grown so accustomed to automatically being there for me has gone out. It needs to be replaced. It's not anything difficult to do but, it just hasn't been done yet.
I have stumbled several times or have banged into something during my short walk from the car to the door that leads into the house. I know this is not a serious problem, its just a nuisance. I miss the light because I can't see well without it. I miss the light because I like to see what's around me. I want to know what's ahead of me before I step into that direction. This way I know I'm not going to trip or hurt myself or knock something out of place and break something. It's the same with everything else in life.
I like to know ahead of time what's in front of me so that I can plan accordingly. I like to know what I'm about to face before I face it so that I can be ready. I like to be prepared. Except, life isn't always so neat. Life is full of twists and turns that we can't always be ready for. We all have a journey that we're on in our lives. As believers in Christ this journey will ultimately end up in the same place, eternally dwelling with the Lord. Until we get there though what do we do when we know we are on the "right road" in life but yet we can't exactly see what's beyond the bend. Be it an illness, loss of work, problems with relationships, a death of a loved one.
Until one of us actually remembers to go to the hardware store to buy the little light bulb to replace the light that has gone out I have come up with ways to find other sources of light. Sometimes I leave the headlights of the car on while I walk over to the main light switch. Other times I leave the garage door open and use the dim light that filters in from the outside to guide me to the door. Other times I remember to tell the family to leave the light on for me.
When we encounter the unknown bends in the path on our journey of life there are different things the Lord does to help us see more clearly how to handle the circumstances we are in. He knows what's going on in our lives and His ways of getting through the "bend" is the best way. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) "Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes." Ephesians 3:20 (TLB) Oh, precious God, thank you for being a light that will never go out!
I have stumbled several times or have banged into something during my short walk from the car to the door that leads into the house. I know this is not a serious problem, its just a nuisance. I miss the light because I can't see well without it. I miss the light because I like to see what's around me. I want to know what's ahead of me before I step into that direction. This way I know I'm not going to trip or hurt myself or knock something out of place and break something. It's the same with everything else in life.
I like to know ahead of time what's in front of me so that I can plan accordingly. I like to know what I'm about to face before I face it so that I can be ready. I like to be prepared. Except, life isn't always so neat. Life is full of twists and turns that we can't always be ready for. We all have a journey that we're on in our lives. As believers in Christ this journey will ultimately end up in the same place, eternally dwelling with the Lord. Until we get there though what do we do when we know we are on the "right road" in life but yet we can't exactly see what's beyond the bend. Be it an illness, loss of work, problems with relationships, a death of a loved one.
Until one of us actually remembers to go to the hardware store to buy the little light bulb to replace the light that has gone out I have come up with ways to find other sources of light. Sometimes I leave the headlights of the car on while I walk over to the main light switch. Other times I leave the garage door open and use the dim light that filters in from the outside to guide me to the door. Other times I remember to tell the family to leave the light on for me.
When we encounter the unknown bends in the path on our journey of life there are different things the Lord does to help us see more clearly how to handle the circumstances we are in. He knows what's going on in our lives and His ways of getting through the "bend" is the best way. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) "Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes." Ephesians 3:20 (TLB) Oh, precious God, thank you for being a light that will never go out!
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
"Okay, where did I put...?"
Sometimes I wonder if I could literary forget where I put my head if it could actually be detached. The days I seem to be most forgetful are the days that I am super-stressed! Do you know what I mean? On those days that it seems as though there are a million things to do, and the list just keeps getting longer and longer, are when my mind becomes most absent. I'm not the only one that gets stressed, right?
It's when I'm looking for my keys or my purse or my eyeglasses for the umpteenth time that I feel exasperated. Now there's a great word, exasperated. According to the on-line Miriam Webster dictionary the definition for exasperated is, "to make (someone) very angry or annoyed." Sometimes we can exasperate ourselves. It sounds a bit funny but its true.
What to do when we're feeling exasperated? Take it out on our loved ones? Take it out on our co-workers? Take it out on the guy that keeps honking the horn at you even though you can't move because you're on the school pick up car line and he doesn't seem to get that...! Okay, yes, that last one just happened to me the other day. The best thing to do is to literary stop and pray.
Prayer is the best way to handle any kind of stress. It helps to refocus. When we refocus we remember that it's not about us. Life for that day is going to be okay because God is with us. No matter how sad, angry, grieved or excited we are our, day is going to end when the twenty-fourth hour hits and a new day will start at hour one. The "bad day" will end and another day will begin. "God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done." 2 Corinthians 9:8
It's when I'm looking for my keys or my purse or my eyeglasses for the umpteenth time that I feel exasperated. Now there's a great word, exasperated. According to the on-line Miriam Webster dictionary the definition for exasperated is, "to make (someone) very angry or annoyed." Sometimes we can exasperate ourselves. It sounds a bit funny but its true.
What to do when we're feeling exasperated? Take it out on our loved ones? Take it out on our co-workers? Take it out on the guy that keeps honking the horn at you even though you can't move because you're on the school pick up car line and he doesn't seem to get that...! Okay, yes, that last one just happened to me the other day. The best thing to do is to literary stop and pray.
Prayer is the best way to handle any kind of stress. It helps to refocus. When we refocus we remember that it's not about us. Life for that day is going to be okay because God is with us. No matter how sad, angry, grieved or excited we are our, day is going to end when the twenty-fourth hour hits and a new day will start at hour one. The "bad day" will end and another day will begin. "God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done." 2 Corinthians 9:8
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