Love them show them!

Saying I love you, means so much more than most people out there can imagine! It takes more than just saying I love you. It takes action!! John 15:12-13
So many times we use words to express our feeling, but this word love is probably the most abused even in the Christians life.

Love cannot be used just to appease people, or situations. It is a word that means action, It means show me something! I know there are a couple of different terms used for this word, Agape, Philia, and Eros. Though different types of love expressed in different ways, they all take action. They all mean doing more than just saying a word to get your way, or to appease a situation.

The next time you say I love you to anyone, what steps are you willing to take to show that love? Are you willing to walk an extra mile in someones shoes? Are you willing to stop and take from our busy schedules and make that phone call we had been meaning to make for months? The next time you say I love you, stop and truly think about what you are saying, and what you truly mean when you say it!

When God said, "I love you," He gave us something that meant more than anything to Him, His Son!

 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down ones life for his friends." John 15:13

Monday new or Monday blues?

Why start a new day with an old you? Try something different, a new you maybe? Lamentations 3:22-23
"Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassion's fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

I always start thinking about Monday, when I see people post things on Face Book about how bad it is. I thought to myself, it is not Mondays fault at all, how and what, we did with the weekend. I thought if we want to change how we view Mondays, maybe it is us that needs too change? Monday is coming whether we like it or not!

God's compassion for us never changes, His love never wavers. As it says above, they are new every morning, and how faithful is His giving us something new daily. The days we get are gifts from God because He cares. It is how we view ourselves in that picture. If we abuse, and ourselves, over the weekend and are feeling bad, how can we view any day as a gift?

Monday is always coming, and it is always a new day it will not change! So maybe we need to consider something different, something new, ourselves! Asking God for a change, asking Him to show us all how we need to make better use of the weekend. How we can use it to actually rest from our labors, and begin to view Monday as a fresh start to a new day that is a gift from God.

God's compassion's are new every morning, we miss them, because God is not in the forefront of our days! Oh we let Him in on Sunday, but forget Him by Monday morning. And thus the negative journey begins, passing everyday His gifts, living for Friday and already dreading Monday! Can you see the trap we have allowed ourselves to get caught up in? 

If the world is going to see a different you, than we have to put on each day what God has given us new. Not follow in the world's footsteps but God's. Stop and see His compassion's daily, and realize we have not been consumed, but have been given something fresh, something new to begin each day with.
Remember your view of the day will not change, until you have changed your view! 

A time to speak and a time to listen!

Praying is knowing God hears your requests. Being still and silent is knowing you will hear His response!
I John 5:14, Psalm 46:10
Sometimes, we spend a lot of time talking to God, and not much time just being quiet and listening to God. We need to have as much still time as we do talking time, because when we are talking we are not listening!

When we pray, we also need to truly believe He hears us. I John 5:14-"Now this is the confidence we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." If we are in doubt, if we do not believe, it seems to me, we have something else to work on, RELATIONSHIP! It's just like marriage, for it to work you have to have a relationship, an intimacy, a communication with one another.

One of not just speaking but also the gift of listening. When we come to this place with God, when we have a relationship, that not only involves talking but also listening, we will get exactly what we need when we need it. It will be more, as we are willing to wait for it, because we know God has our best concerns at heart. Psalm 46:10a-"Be still and know that I am God."

Praying is much more than just talking, it is also waiting to hear God, to be in His will and not our own. To just sit at His feet having the confidence He already knows your need, and just wants to spend time with you. He also wants you to hear what He has to say to you, so you will know the direction to go without a doubt. Romans 10:17-"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

Faith comes in time spent in His presence. Hearing that still small voice, lets us know when to move and when to be still, where we are to go, and where we should not. God wants us to bring our petitions to Him, but He also wants us to listen and hear what He has to say about them!

What does our price tag tell us?

Just when you think your price has gone down, there is One who says you are worth every penny! Romans 5:8
It still amazes me daily how little people think of themselves, how little they value their lives. It comes down to this, they value life through their eyes only. When we do that, we see only what life throws at us, or what people say about us, or how we were raised and treated.

Though that may set a precedence, that is not who we really are, or what we were created to be. People struggle with this word, but sin, gives us a dim view of who we ought to be, and in whose image we were created. Even so, God has made a way. The we can see ourselves again as His child, a new creation, a person of high value!

Though separated from Him because we sin, we see only a darkness that sin produces and blinds us from seeing the truth. But God wants to love us back into His marvelous light and put a different price tag on us, priceless! Yes, in His sight we have value, in His sight we belong. He made a way in spite of ourselves and how we value our lives!

We are so valuable to Him that He sent His only Son to die for us. Think about that for a moment. When was the last time, anyone ever loved you like that? Or, ever offered that kind of hope in a hopeless world of depression, despair, anxiety, that medication only offers a temporary fix? He wants to change you from the old and make you new (II Cor. 5:17).

He sent the love of His life to make a way for us to show us. A love that goes beyond comprehension.

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ dies for us." (Romans 5:8)

 Yes while in our view we may seem to have dropped in price, God says we were worth His Sons' life. Think about that the next time we feel no one out there cares.

Got trust?

Too be trusted is an honor, too gain trust a privilege, too lose trust is a choice, to gain it again and obligation! Proverbs 16:3

Trust should never be taken lightly, yet we do. We run into trouble with trust, unfortunately, when we do take it for granted. Trust is not a toy, trust is not something you play with. Once you have broken trust, in many cases, it is almost impossible to repair!

Trust, we have to understand begins with our thought life. Believe it or not, if our thoughts are not pure, and right, and our heart condition self centered, our honesty suffers. Trust, like love is just another word. As children, we begin the journey of trust, and the results, from breaking that trust when we disobey our parents.  

There were always consequences, and we again had to re-earn their trust. The same is no different as we become adults. The difference being the consequences. Now our actions do not only effect you and your parents, but the many relationships you have developed over the years. Broken marriages and families, broken friendships, even loss of jobs can result in loss of trust.

Once that happens, it takes more then loss of privileges, being put in time out, or even being grounded for a time. It takes a rebuilding of ourselves from the inside out, a reevaluation of ourselves, our hearts and our minds have to change. It is an obligation we have to rebuild trust, first within ourselves. Why? Because trust begins within. We have to learn to trust us again, before the healing of relationships can begin!

Proverbs 16:3-"Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established." It begins with our trust relationship with God. We have to return to Him, trust Him with our lives, our thoughts and our works. When we have reconnected with God, or even just begun a relationship with Him, will we, and can we ever get back to restoring trust. In our selves and with those we have hurt by breaking that trust.

Knowledge, a tool or weapon?

It is never good to know it all, because when you make a mistake, those around you will never let you forget you knew it all!! Proverbs 12:15
Knowledge can be a helpful tool, or it can be a weapon used against us if we think we are all knowing. I have learned this lesson from a past church I Pastor-ed in the inner city. I allowed myself to get caught in the trap of having to know and how to handle everything.

Not a good place to allow yourself to be, no matter what position you hold. No one has the answer to everything, no one knows it all. This is a hard and humbling lesson to learn, and a good way to forge weapons against yourself. Weapons? Yes weapons, knowledge abused, can make us look just as foolish as it can wise.

Believe me when I say this, people,when they see this trait in you, are just waiting in the wings for you to fall. In fact they are hoping so! That is the weapon that we create for ourselves believe it or not. When we will not listen, when we have an answer for everything, it becomes a weapon. One that injures very deeply. Knowledge abused separates you from people. Knowledge as a tool helps draw them closer.

When you do not always have an answer, when you want to listen more, and speak less. It is a tool, a tool that repairs situations not always having the fix. People are drawn to knowledge when they know it is not being used against them, but is truly wanting to help them. Knowledge listens, waits, analyzes, and then makes the decision to answer or not. This makes it a good tool.

Proverbs 12:15-"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise."

When you know who you are, you never have to prove who you are! Think about it, roll it around in your head use knowledge correctly. A tool for good and not a weapon for hurt, especially for yourself. Knowledge is always good when used to benefit everyone.

You always show how much you know, most times, by how little you say. So be smart. Listen more, speak less and learn. You may not be as knowledgeable as you think. But you will become more knowledgeable than you can ever imagine!  So how is knowledge going for you? Tool or weapon? Helpful or hurtful? Fool or wise?

Attitude, who is in control?

The one who should control your attitude is you, if you get an attitude someone else is in control! Proverbs 25:28
"Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without a wall." Reading this, opened my eyes a bit when I started thinking and praying what to write. We do tend to lose control when we allow anyone to get in the driver seat of our lives.

When we lose the rule over our lives, the day, or even week becomes unsettled. That is not where God wants us to be at all. Even with all the sadness and trouble in the world, we have victory. We just have to strengthen our faith in God to believe this. We have to be reminded daily, Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33)

So before getting upset with someone, anyone, stop and think about who should be in control. If you have no rule over yourself, you have broken down the walls of protection around you. You have opened yourself to ongoing attacks and defeat. Take back control, rule your spirit as God has intended, and find some victory and power in your life.

As it says also in Ephesians 6- We need to put on the whole armor of God. When we do this it helps us keep things in perspective, and under control. God's control, so we can see clearly, where the attacks are coming from and stay firmly planted in our faith. If we get a bad attitude about anything, what should this tell us?

 1. It should be a warning sign, someone, or something else is in control.
 2. It should be a warning sign, we need to refocus our lives.
 3. It should be a warning sign, that we are out of step with God.
 4 It should be a warning sign, that our prayer life needs to be improved.

When our attitude gets out of whack, something is wrong with us, not the world around us, despite popular belief!

You got it?

Once you got it, you have it, once you have it, you need to give it away, once you give it away you got it! Romans 10:15
There are some out there who feel you can lose it, and some feel you never can. I feel if you could lose it, you may not have had it, and if you feel you can never lose it does not give the license to abuse it. Salvation is nothing we play with, it is a gift from God we do not deserve, Oh grace!!

I feel if we spent more time sharing it, we would have less time worrying about all the other. Now I know there are scriptures that allude to both. More for once saved always saved. I am not here to argue. The point I am trying to make is share it! Share what great things God has done for you when you got saved. Share what He continues to do through you since you have gotten saved.

When you hunger and desire to share the gospel, you have it, and when you have it, no man can pluck you from His hand! If that hunger is not there, you may not have gotten it in the first place? You may need to think about that. If you only want Jesus on Sunday, and He does nothing for you the rest of the week. You either have a relationship problem, or no relationship at all?

But when He has gotten a hold of you, transformed you as only He can, and you know you have been forgiven, Wow! You know you got it, and Jesus has you and all you want to do is tell the world, I AM SAVED!! There are many people sitting in churches today still wondering if they have it, that is sad. Too much social preaching and not enough Jesus teaching.

It is not only the things that appeal to us, we need to hear, we need to be challenged. We need to here the tough things at times, like using the word sin more often. Being reminded why we have church in the first place. It's because Jesus is the church. His death on the cross, His burial, and His rising again on the third day for us, is why the church exists today.  

So do you have it? If not in your heart you know it. But guess what? It is not too late. As long as there is breath in you body, you can get it. Is He calling you now, can you hear His voice? Jesus wants you to have it, He wants you to come to Him. He has been preparing a place for us. Are you ready when He comes? You can have it today, right now! But it takes more than just words, more than a prayer.

It is the transformed life you will have when you truly believe, with all your heart, soul, and mind! You will be changed, you will know for certain when you get it. And when you have it you are going to want to share it! With that comes a blessing in itself. "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things."

If you don't desire to do this, you need to back up to Romans 10:9-13 and think about your hearts condition, and ask Jesus to do for you what only He can. Change you from the inside out! 

Be the difference!

Want to make a difference, be the difference! If people cannot see the difference, they may never want to be different! II Corinthians 5:17
People today, are looking as hard as ever at Christian's. They seem to be able to find more faults and compromising! More excuses why they can do what they do, and that is sad!

It is not that Christians have to live under the legalisms of does and don'ts, yet we are under microscope from the world. A microscope that shows, not much difference between them and the world. That is, and was never God's intention! We need to be different, we need to be a people who attracts and not repels!

Our responsibility to the world, is not, give them more excuses not to trust Christ. But to give them too many reason why they should! We are to be different. We are to stand out. We are not perfect, but our imperfection should not shine brighter than their sin! We need to love them as Christ loves us, and changed us for His glory.

We are not perfect, but we could do better in being examples. If we are in Christ and He in us, old things are passed away new things take hold. The world needs to see we are trying, we are making every effort to serve God with our whole heart. When they see half hearted Christianity, they are no more attracted than they would be to jump off a bridge!

We need to shine forth, we need to be different, not better. We need to have the Jesus in us, that people would jump off a bridge for! How about you? Would people jump off a bridge with you for Jesus, or would they much rather take a detour around you because they have seen anything in you worth jumping for?

Let's not give them excuses not to jump, but all the reasons why they should. Make a difference, by being different. The most important thing they need to see in you is Jesus. If they see too much you, you are not much different than they are? 

Giving up should not be an option?

It's when you feel like giving up, when there is no where else to turn, Jesus says, I will carry you the rest of the way!! Acts 16:25-34
The prison guard in the above verses was hopeless, he felt the only option he had was to kill himself. Many people today, especially young folks, are turning to that kind of thinking. They have no hope, no way out of the situation they have gotten themselves into.

Well, as the prison Guard found out, there was hope. He heard the voice of Paul crying out to him, "do yourself no harm." Why did he hear Paul's voice over the voice of disparity? Because he had heard Paul and Silas singing praises to God, right after they had been beaten and locked up. They had been thrown in prison, for no other reason, except they were preaching Jesus.

The guard knowing this, heard them singing instead of complaining. Heard them giving God thanks, instead of bemoaning their situation! Also in his time of great need, he heard Paul's voice yell out to him! What that prison guard heard that evening, was Jesus. In his greatest hour of need, he heard the voice of God. When he came to Paul, the first thing he said was, what must I do to be saved?

How about us? What kind of testimony do we have in a hopeless world? If a person where to cry out, would they hear us say, do yourself no harm? Would they then come to us and ask what must I do to be saved? Do we live that kind of example before the world? Or do they not see much difference in us, do they hear us complaining about life as much as they?

In this world they need to hear more Paul's and more Silas's. They need to know there is someone they can turn too in time of crisis and need! Someone who truly cares and loves them, who will show them the way to a life of hope and value. That someone is Jesus Christ. Oh, how we need to think of others needs more than are own. Oh, how they need to see Jesus living in and through us!

They need to hear the voice of Jesus coming from us, especially in times of crisis. In days where hope is becoming a by-word. Where faith is something acted out and not lived out! They need to see and hear Jesus in us, if not us then who? Jesus said, "If we do not give praises to God, even the rocks would cry out." (Luke 19:40) 

Do we as Christians want to be out praised by rocks, or do we stand on the Rock and out praise hopelessness? A person giving up, should never be the only option. Pray they can hear your voice in time of need, and share the hope that is in you, Jesus!  

What condition is your condition?

The sad thing... when people know what condition they are in, and stay in the condition they are in!!

Proverbs 28:13-"He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy."

It is a sad day when someone, anyone, thinks they have to be stuck where they are in life. Crying out constantly for help, yet not be willing to seek change, or follow counsel. Too many times this happens, and people either come to the place where they accept it, or they hunger and desire to change it. The problem is, they still try and do it on their own.

They, for some reason, will not turn to the One where change is possible. They just do not listen to that still small voice that says, "Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

They still feel like they have to change something in their life before they can come to Jesus and ask for help. This happens whether you know Him as Savior or not. People feel like they have to do something. They do not. All they need to do is humble themselves before Him, with a broken and contrite heart. Humbly ask Him to make the changes necessary to survive in this world.

If it is Salvation you need, ask, trust, and believe with all your heart, He is calling you already. The conviction and hopelessness we feel, is the place we need to be to hear Him calling! He will change you, He will transform you, and make you new. Right then you know, that it was Jesus, because you, on your own have not been able to succeed. You have not had any value in your life, any purpose, now you do. That's Jesus!

If you are saved and struggling, the same applies to you. You need to humble yourself before God, repent and ask for His forgiveness. He is faithful and just and will forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. So do not get stuck and believe that the condition you are in is where you need to stay, or accept the complacency in our life and believe it is alright.

"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care on Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; for your adversary the devil walk about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. I Peter 1:5-8

Does the majority make it so?

Following the crowd, is just that, following the crowd. Follow Jesus, the crowd might just be wrong! Acts 17:11
The way most people think, if the majority is for it, it must be the right thing to do. That is not necessarily so. There are times when the majority is not right, and you may very well be! In Acts 17, we see this played out, when Paul was preaching about Jesus, how He had to suffer and die, and rise again from the dead. It went well for some folks, but there was a crowd, that did not accept this teaching and became very upset.

To the point they were able to stir up the whole city in verse 5. Not only stir them up, but convince them to go after the ones they so disliked. Their only complaint was these men who have come here, have turned the world upside down, verse 6. Wow! Turned the world upside down with what? Jesus. Paul was in no way forcing the people to believe anything, he was just preaching Jesus!

The problem was, they did not want to hear, kinda like today? When we share the gospel of Jesus Christ, that He died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and on the third day rose from the tomb, are we not getting some flack from the crowds? Even to the point they took prayer out of the schools, and public prayer has been coming under attack. The complaint? Christians are trying to force people to believe what they do not want too!

Is that truth? Not really, we are just sharing our faith and what Jesus has done for us. But like the Jews at Thessalonica, they do not want to hear, so they stir up the people and begin to cry out, foul! When they do this, people just tend to follow. Why? Because of fear. Fear of rejection, even retaliation, for not agreeing! The problem, they have a lack of knowledge. It is not that they disagree, they just do not know, and it's easier to follow the crowd than make a solid decision to just listen to the facts!

The real problem is sin! They do not want to hear about sin. So what do they do? Anything they can to distract people, including themselves, from listening and hearing the gospel. So groups form and protest, just as they did back in Paul's day. The squeaky wheel get the grease, so to speak. The more the people gather in numbers the more attention they get, and the more people follow, because majority rules. 

What should we do as Christians in this case? Exactly what Paul and Silas did, move on! Don't argue or debate, if they are not saved they will not understand anyway! Move on, remembering, it is not you they are rejecting, it is Jesus! Don't be intimidated by their numbers, for greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world I John 4:4. Move on, there are people who want to hear and want to listen.

We need to listen also, let the Holy Spirit speak. But you also have to be quiet and listen to His direction. He will guide you to the next step, to the ones who will listen. That, in most cases will be one person at a time, not a crowd who will be able to distract. But that one person, who sees the One in you shining forth and has already been looking.

Acts 17:10-12-"Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent  women as well as men."

MOVE ON! 

Can it get worse?

Just when you think it cannot get any worse, It can, and may, but that is just the beginning, for the best, that's coming! II Corinthians 12:7-10
Most people never want to hear, it may get worse, before it gets better. When it does, what we learn and how we handle it, is important!

The Apostle Paul, whom we all use as an example, suffered with discouragement. He wanted God to take away his suffering. Yet, for Paul to learn and appreciate God's plan, he had to suffer a torment, a thorn in the flesh. He had to learn and appreciate God's wonderful gift of grace. Some would say that is not a very good gift to have. I would say then, you have not experienced the wonderful Grace of God!

Suffering is part of life. We don't like it, we do not want to experience it, yet it is there! If not us personally, it around us and around the world. From earthquakes, to Tornado's to Hurricanes, pestilence, starvation, many things. Whatever it is, it still affects our lives in some way, and makes us uncomfortable, and we do not like discomfort!

So why then does God do this, or allow these things to exist? That is always the million dollar question, in which there is no clear cut answer. Is it sin caused yes? Is it God allowed? Yes. Why? I believe it is to know God in a more intimate way. To draw us, either to Him, or use it as an excuse to run from Him. Too blame Him instead of turning to Him in our time of need to learn and appreciate grace!

The Apostle Paul's explanation, I feel drives it home.

 "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He (God) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." 
Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

Wow! What a statement to make, when I am weak then I am strong! It is through our weakness and suffering at times that God shines forth.

It is not always a punishment. It is many times a character building tool. A tool that drives us to God, to know Him more personally, more intimately, a relationship with Him, we may not have had accept through some suffering. Any Addict, any cancer survivor, anyone who may have suffered abuse, whatever form, will all tell you, when they came to know Jesus, and their lives still took downward spirals, they would never want life any other way!

A tough life with Jesus, is far better than what they had before Him. They, we all, who have been there, will tell you, a life without Christ, is in far worse shape than anything we could go through with Him. His grace is sufficient, His love overwhelming, and the humility, to understand that life still goes on regardless. A faith rooted in Christ, will never be toppled!

Think about it?

Sometimes, we tend to over think, what we have already thought about. Proverbs 3:13
Have you ever thought about something, made the decision to proceed, then all of a sudden started to rethink your decision? That is what over thinking is. It is questioning, what you have already questioned, and even prayed about.

God has given you the answer you wanted, and all of a sudden you have to think about it again. Why is that? Sometimes it is fear. At times lack of faith, and most times just us getting in the way! When we have a thought, or have made a decision based especially on prayer, when the answer comes we tend to bulk or just plain over think it!

Stress sets in, and what mostly happens, we end up no further than when we began, We have just talked ourselves out of a blessing most times! 

Proverbs 3:13 says, "Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding."
A wise man never over thinks, he moves. A man who gains understanding, never over thinks,he makes decisions and moves.

When you have a thought, commit it to prayer, and God confirms that thought, there is no reason to rethink it away. Give your brain a rest, trust God that He knows what's best, and just go with what He has already confirmed for you to do. When we stop to rethink this, what are we saying about our relationship with God? That He is not able! 

So do not complicate the thought process to much by getting in the way with our thoughts! Sometimes it is just better to act on it than to think anymore about it! If God confirms it, that should settle it! Finding wisdom and understanding is what gives us stability in our thought life! Those abilities come directly from God. Stop fighting it, stop over analyzing it, think about it!

Think a little more, speak a little less!

You can open your mouth too fast, and engage your brain too slow, think first, speak last! James 3:5
We have to think before we speak, we really do. When we do, not things go south very quickly. The hardest thing to do is to take back words already spoken. You ever notice when we do that, how much thinking goes into wanting now, to say what's right?

If we think first and speak last, it takes so much less work. It saves us from creating fires we cannot put out after the fire is roaring. James 3:5 says-"Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things, see how great a forest a little fire kindles!" We have to be so careful when we speak, and how we speak. Words are like knives, they cut deep!

So, the next time try a little better to, stop, look and listen, before you are about to comment, or joke, or even respond back to someone! Is it something you would like said to you? Are the words you are going to use uplifting or heartbreaking? It takes some thinking, though a fire starts out small, before long it engulfs entire forests. The same with the tongue, though small can cause great hurt and damage that sometimes cannot be repaired!

There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health. Proverbs 12:18