Pain
19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:19-21
Everyone suffers pain, and we don't get a choice of when and how we suffer. I know with tragedy around us daily, there is much quicker availability of information these days, and much more detail. There has always been pain in our history, but in this day and age we are less shielded from it and really over-exposed to it in my mind. How do you deal with the pain with yourself is one thing, but how do you deal with the pain of the world is another, or is it? God allows us to have pain, because the real pain Christ already suffered for us. When we think of pain that we have, I think our endurance of the pain is what God is looking for and we should remember that someone has already suffered and died for us. I know this sounds so simplistic and you are probably saying you don't understand my pain, and I probably don't, but I do understand God's love for me and it is always there. In those times of suffering, live on the strength you have from the Lord.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, June 17, 2016
Friday, June 10, 2016
Fantastic Friday #527 - Protection
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent. Psalm 91:9-13
This week my youngest son got hit in the helmet with a 60 mph fastball. While he is ok and suffering no ill effects this day, the helmet he was wearing I can't say the same. The helmet cracked and broke and now we are stuck with a piece of unsafe protective equipment. If you think about God as being our protection like the helmet, you can really see how he uses all things in his power to cover us. As the scripture says, He commands His angels for protection of us. It is amazing to think that the Lord would cover us with this kind of protection and all we have to do is have faith that He will protect us. Remember to give thanks to God for His protection daily, and intently know that His angels are there to cover you when you are tempted to depart from the Lord's presence.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Fantastic Friday #526 - Determine
Determine
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
After sitting all day listening to everything around you, what kind of determination do you make on what you have heard. Do you determine that most of what you hear is just noise, and not worth listening to, or are you drawn in to everything and find yourself questioning all your decisions. Determining who you are shouldn't be that difficult, but really it can be if you focus on the wrong things.If you listen to multiple voices that tell you that you aren't built the right way, instead of listening to the singular Spirit that tells you something completely different, you could find yourself struggling. God has already determined who we are and if we listen to the Spirit instead of all the voices, then maybe we might be able resolve that God is right and all those voices are wrong. Take a stand and determine who you are in Christ and not what the world tells you.
Have a great weekend.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
After sitting all day listening to everything around you, what kind of determination do you make on what you have heard. Do you determine that most of what you hear is just noise, and not worth listening to, or are you drawn in to everything and find yourself questioning all your decisions. Determining who you are shouldn't be that difficult, but really it can be if you focus on the wrong things.If you listen to multiple voices that tell you that you aren't built the right way, instead of listening to the singular Spirit that tells you something completely different, you could find yourself struggling. God has already determined who we are and if we listen to the Spirit instead of all the voices, then maybe we might be able resolve that God is right and all those voices are wrong. Take a stand and determine who you are in Christ and not what the world tells you.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, May 27, 2016
Fantastic Friday #525 - Atone
Atone
25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Romans 3:25-26
Do you ever think about Christ's atonement? Not really the physical act, but what the atonement represents. That sacrifice is an amazing gift and even more wonderful when you think of it being not just for those who need to repent for sins, but for also those who need to forgive others. What a perfect picture of forgiveness and model that we should all follow. If we didn't have that forgiveness, we wouldn't have that faith in Christ to do great things for us. I think we all need to remember that repentance and forgiveness can go both ways.
Have a great weekend.
25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Romans 3:25-26
Do you ever think about Christ's atonement? Not really the physical act, but what the atonement represents. That sacrifice is an amazing gift and even more wonderful when you think of it being not just for those who need to repent for sins, but for also those who need to forgive others. What a perfect picture of forgiveness and model that we should all follow. If we didn't have that forgiveness, we wouldn't have that faith in Christ to do great things for us. I think we all need to remember that repentance and forgiveness can go both ways.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, May 20, 2016
Fantastic Friday #524 - Flourish
Flourish
7 “Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!”
8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
9 For what you have done I will always praise you
in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
for your name is good. Psalm 52:7-9
Do you ever think of being in the prime of your life? What does that really mean? Maybe you are thriving in your life for whatever reason. Maybe it is your job, your family, or it could be your walk with Christ. However, do you think about not being in that prime? Maybe the enemy is causing you to question your faith or question your role in this world. Remember your identity in Christ and it is important not to forget this. Just like verse 8 describes an olive tree flourishing in the house of God, so also we are like that olive tree if we allow our faith to strengthen our hope in God and allow us to flourish.
Have a great weekend.
7 “Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!”
8 But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
9 For what you have done I will always praise you
in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name,
for your name is good. Psalm 52:7-9
Do you ever think of being in the prime of your life? What does that really mean? Maybe you are thriving in your life for whatever reason. Maybe it is your job, your family, or it could be your walk with Christ. However, do you think about not being in that prime? Maybe the enemy is causing you to question your faith or question your role in this world. Remember your identity in Christ and it is important not to forget this. Just like verse 8 describes an olive tree flourishing in the house of God, so also we are like that olive tree if we allow our faith to strengthen our hope in God and allow us to flourish.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, May 13, 2016
Fantastic Friday #523 - Wait
Wait
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14
If you are like me you always want to hurry things, or expect an answer right away. With the way the world works with immediate gratification, there isn't much patience for things any longer. I assume that there are things in everyone's life that they want an answer to right away, but we need to take the advice of this scripture and wait for the Lord. It is He who is in control and only He will give us our answers and direction when He is ready and when He feels we are ready. Be patient and wait for God's blessings, because they are bountiful.
Have a great weekend.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14
If you are like me you always want to hurry things, or expect an answer right away. With the way the world works with immediate gratification, there isn't much patience for things any longer. I assume that there are things in everyone's life that they want an answer to right away, but we need to take the advice of this scripture and wait for the Lord. It is He who is in control and only He will give us our answers and direction when He is ready and when He feels we are ready. Be patient and wait for God's blessings, because they are bountiful.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, May 6, 2016
Fantastic Friday #522 - Whole
Whole
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word,love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. 1 John 2: 1-6
Do you ever think about things that are whole or in pieces? Things that are whole are complete and put together and typically strong. Those things that are in pieces are typically separated, not together, very weak and isolated. When I think of God and where He has put me, He has made me partially complete, because He wants me to rely on Him and accept Him. God just isn't support for the bits and pieces of a few people but for the whole world. He is what makes us complete and did this through the sacrifice of His son. We need to remember that in order to be whole and not in pieces that we need to commit to Him daily and His teachings. We should not fall into the traps of this world and expect to be complete, we must obey the word of the Lord who makes us complete and whole. Take a moment to become stronger and be made whole through our Lord and Savior.
Have a great weekend.
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word,love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. 1 John 2: 1-6
Do you ever think about things that are whole or in pieces? Things that are whole are complete and put together and typically strong. Those things that are in pieces are typically separated, not together, very weak and isolated. When I think of God and where He has put me, He has made me partially complete, because He wants me to rely on Him and accept Him. God just isn't support for the bits and pieces of a few people but for the whole world. He is what makes us complete and did this through the sacrifice of His son. We need to remember that in order to be whole and not in pieces that we need to commit to Him daily and His teachings. We should not fall into the traps of this world and expect to be complete, we must obey the word of the Lord who makes us complete and whole. Take a moment to become stronger and be made whole through our Lord and Savior.
Have a great weekend.
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