Tag: Christian

Here Re Go Again….

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Here re go again (nope – that’s not a typo).

As we welcome another year, most of us have already started our list of re’s. Our list of resolutions that we’ve made with good intentions of keeping but often poor or very limited execution — only to repeat the cycle each year. While I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions (and obviously not committed to them), each year I resolve to lose weight, read more books, kick a bad habit, start a new project (while reflecting on the project from last year I never finished —- ooo maybe I’ll redo it this year), to not allow the same challenge(s) that I had the previous year trip me up in the new year. Each year I resolve to do a list of things while receiving the cliche promises of another year of revival, renewal, restoration and recalibration. Sadly I must admit, that at the end of the year I resolve that resolutions are pointless and days later come up with a few less than last year.

It dawned on me in the process of making my list of 2019 re’s, I seem to momentarily lose sight of the biggest re of all time…redemption. The redemptive work of the cross. The redeeming blood of Jesus Christ that washed me clean. The resurrection power of Jesus that enables me to do all things. His Spirit guiding me, revealing His plans for me and reminding me of His Word. Because of His redeeming love I don’t have to feel defeated at the end of another year because I failed to follow through on my list of resolutions.

As I refocus on Him…

As I renew my mind…

As I recall all that He has done for me and allowed me to do…

As I remember that He has a purpose and a plan for me…

As I reflect on His love for me – as I am…

As I renew my vows to Him (to love Him with all of my heart, to love others, to honor Him with my worship, to seek Him intentionally, to obey Him)…

My list and plans become obsolete. I know that He wants the best for me as He reveals those things in my heart that keep me from being more like Him. He refines me as He works on increasing my faith so that I know without a doubt all things are possible through Him. He helps me to release my grip on those things that I held on to way too long in preparation for what He has in store for me. He has reminded me that He is first. That He is God and wants to reign in my life it I would only let Him.

On this first day of this new year, I resolve to seek Him first – trusting that He will guide me in the plans that He has for me.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew‬ ‭6:33‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Is there room?

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“…because there was no room…”

These five words in the account of Christ’s birth (Luke 2:1-7 NKJV) give me pause each time that I read them. Though God had a very specific plan for the arrival of our Lord and Savior, I wonder if the inn manager made any attempt to make room for the young mother ready to give birth to the Messiah. I am sure if he had only known the Prince of Peace, future King of Kings was about to enter the world, he would have made room. Or maybe not…

2,000 plus years later we still fail to make room for Jesus in our lives.

No room for Christ in our country…

No room for Christ in our government…

No room for Christ in our schools…

No room for Christ in our workplaces…

No room for Christ in our homes…

No room for Christ in our families…

There’s barely room for Christ in Christmas these days. Sadder still is that many neglect to make room for Him in their hearts as Lord and Savior.

In the parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15-24), Jesus tells the story of a man who prepared a banquet for many people…not just an ordinary banquet – but a great one. When eveything was ready, the man sent his servant to gather the guests. But like most of us, many of them made excuses as to why they couldn’t come. Instead of shutting the door, the man extended a second invitation – a call to those not on the original guest list, those who others probably didn’t make room for – the sick, the poor, the disabled, the undesireables.

” ‘Sir’, the servant said, ‘What you ordered has been done but there is still room’.” – Luke 14:22 NIV

There is still room.

Jesus is waiting. No longer outside in a manger. No longer in a stone covered tomb, but a resurrected King seated at the right hand of God offering a new life – salvation to all who make room for Him in their hearts. He is waiting to intercede for us if only we would let Him.

When we come to Jesus, He will never turn us away. He has plenty of room and He’s still waiting.

Won’t you make room for Him?

You’re Invited…

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Most of us have looked forward to some kind of invitation at one point or another in our lives.

As a child, an invitation to the cool kid’s party…

As a teen, an invitation to the dance with the guy or girl we’ve been crushing on…

As an adult, an invitation to our best friend’s wedding…

An invitation…

to join an important committee,

to a VIP event,

to meet a person of prominence or our favorite celebrity.

The invitation makes us feel honored, special, fortunate to be thought of…chosen.

The best invitation that I have received is…

An invitation to a new life…

An invitation to freedom…

An invitation to rest…

An invitation to be a daughter of a King…

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.” – Isaiah‬ ‭55:1-3‬ NIV

Have you accepted the invitation?

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

– ‭‭John‬ ‭14:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Strange Fire

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“And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not.” – Leviticus 10:1 KJV

Anytime that I find myself feeling a disconnect between me and God – consumed with irritability, impatience, frustration – just feeling out of sorts, I think about my own strange fire. The unchecked envy and bitterness, seeds of comparison taking root, unforgiveness shoved to the furthest corner of my heart, the hurried prayers, quiet time interrupted with the urge to check personal email/social media or respond to that text that I forgot about, or the incomplete assignments He has tasked me with. None of theses being laid down at the altar, instead they contaminate my worship – sending a strange fire.

When Nadab and Abihu were under the watch of their father, they followed the sacrificial instructions exactly as they were given by God which He welcomed as a pleasing aroma. But when left to their own devices and thoughts, Nadab and Abihu broke protocol choosing instead to worship their own way…emitting a strange fire. They had done it before and saw God’s glory – so why do it their way? Were they too lazy to start the fire the right way? Was the wood supply too low? Or out of the way? Did they offer the sacrifice as a way of keeping up with ritual? As I thought about the possibilities, I think of the things that have been evident in my own worship at one time or another – my will, routine, worry, bitterness, pride, unforgiveness, lust, self-righteousness, the list could go on – all strange fire.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” – Romans 12:1 NIV

We must offer God our whole selves- laying at the altar our thinking, wills, emotions, attitudes, unbelief, unforgiveness, and self-righteousness to offer a sweet, pleasing and acceptable aroma to our Lord.

“Through the Spirit, Christ offered himself as an unblemished sacrifice, freeing us from all those dead-end efforts to make ourselves respectable, so that we can live all out for God.” – Hebrews 9:14 MSG

HELLO?!?!?! I am in pain…

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As you’re going through difficult situations, has it ever seemed like no one sees your pain? Perhaps you believe that they don’t even care. You want to say “HELLO?!?!?! I am in pain over here!” but in reality your pain, though it does hurt, is not as bad as you think. It’s almost like you are under an anesthetic – you know that what you’re going through should hurt more than what you’re experiencing. You occasionally feel some tugging, a bit of discomfort, maybe some tears….or a whole of tears, but the pain doesn’t match up to how you want or expect to feel according to your situation. Your pain definitely doesn’t look like the world’s or maybe even like someone else that is experiencing the same thing. But the fact remains, you have been hurt.

Instead of letting God help us with our pain, we want others to make us feel better. We want them to know more about our hurt than seeing God’s grace. We settle for a quick balm to help cover the wounds as we wait for God to work all things together for our good. The embrace of a hug seems more comforting than kneeling and crying out to the Lord. The empathetic and kind words of well meaning family and friends momentarily sound better than hearing God tell you that this pain will make you stronger. Temporal comfort – a welcome distraction from the moments of silence intentionally designed that we might call out to God seeking shelter in Him.

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” – Psalms‬ ‭91:1, 4‬ ‭NLT‬

God’s feathers of grace cover the wounds of our pain. They are a shield of protection from ill advised counsel and well intended but misguided words of comfort, protecting us from further hurt as He strengthens us and mends the brokenness through His amazing grace. His covering, not only for our comfort and protection, but that He may be glorified through us.

The next time it seems like no one notices your pain, consider that they are seeing the fruit of your pain or better yet the One who is covering the pain. They know that you are in very capable hands…

GO!

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How easy would life be if we could stay in our little (or big) Christian circles (or cliques – oh if we could be honest for a second)? Spending all of our time with people who believe in the same God as us, that revere our Jesus as Lord. Those that are most like us and are most comfortable with. Void of places and people that don’t get us or believe in our God. To them, our norm is peculiar. To us, their norm is peculiar – though sometimes we forget where we were before Christ…that their norm was once ours.

“and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” – Luke 9:2 NIV

Let us not forget that we were brought into this glorious life, saved and tasked to go out to be the light in dark places – in our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, grocery stores – wherever He sends us. Sent to be the salt in bland and bitter conversations, to bear fruit in dry and barren places. Called to be fisherman of people. Though Jesus calls His disciples fishermen, our lives are more like the bait that attracts the fish to the Master Fisherman. He occasionally puts us in waters that are unfamiliar, long forgotten, or beneath our Christian standards. Why? Because He knows where He wants to go.

“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.

Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” – Luke‬ ‭10:1, 3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As Jesus’ followers walked with Him, they received instruction, witnessed healings and miracles, watched His handling of opposition and naysayers, and were fully equipped and empowered to do great things for His Kingdom. Then He said GO!

What a terrible thing it could have been had they never gone out? Hadn’t shared all that they learned and witnessed. Their lives – examples of Jesus’ transformation power. What if they passed on the opportunity to share the Good News?

Our salvation, as personal as it is, was never intended for us alone. But as our lives are being transformed, to go out to be the light, the salt, the bait…He’ll take care of the rest.

He never promised the places we would go would be comfortable, familiar, or serene –

He just said GO!

What’s In Your Cup?

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How much time do we spend dressing up our outward appearance while ignoring the inside? Trying to polish up and disguise the contents…a little make-up here, some dye there, a few new outfits, shiny shoes, maybe an accessory or two. Meanwhile the inside is filled with a little bit of envy, a hint of bitterness, a dab of unforgiveness, a taste of lust, a dust of selfishness, a few dashes of wicked thoughts, and drowning in secrets.

“…First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” –Jesus (Matthew 23:26)

I’ve had times that the outside of my cup may have looked nicely put together, but if someone were to get close enough they might not only see the cracks – but get a whiff of the foul aroma coming from the inside. While we might be able to fool ourselves, God knows exactly what’s in each of our cups. It’s only a matter of time before what’s inside will show up on the outside.

When you look in the mirror today ask yourself, “What’s in my cup?”. Maybe it’s guilt, pain, abuse, lies, deceit, bitterness, envy, lust, unforgiveness, doubt, greed….or maybe your cup is empty. Whatever it is…are you willing to let your cup be cleansed with grace?

Empty your cup! Go to the Father for a wash and refill. He’s waiting for you…

LIVE NOW…

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This past week I celebrated another milestone birthday – TGBTG. It was bittersweet though – as many milestones have been over this year for my family and I. When you experience loss, things are different the first year. You have a different perspective on life, you view things differently, you have a different appreciation for things (or maybe not)…then there‘s the guilt, regrets, pain and void that can never be filled.

I had major plans for bringing in my 40th birthday, but my plans changed significantly because…..well things were different – a whole lot different this year. Almost a year ago, my brother’s life was tragically taken just 4 months before he would have celebrated his 16th birthday. The things at one point I thought I needed to celebrate another year of life became less important. I was grateful while at the same time guilty that I got to see 40 when my brother didn’t even have the opportunity to see 16.

I think about my own life at his age, the things I was into, the places I had been, some of the people that I associated with, the hell that I put my parents through and I know that it is nothing but the blood of Jesus and God’s grace that has kept me here (Some will say, “well where was this God at when your brother’s life was cut down”….believe it or not…He was there). I have often wrestled with and felt guilty that I am still here and he is not…that I had the opportunity to see more milestones that he did.

Though it was intentionally low key, I choose to be grateful for this milestone. Grateful for where God has brought me, where He has rescued me from, grateful for my family and friends, for all of the life experiences – good and bad – because they are me and were for me, for the open doors and even the dead bolted doors, for life, for joy, for peace, for life, and most importantly…for salvation.

A friend sent me a text on my birthday “remember some people say living starts when you turn 40”. That may be true for some people, but living for me truly began when I made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. If I’ve learned anything from my brother’s death, it’s been to live now. Don’t wait for the right time, a milestone, the right people, or the right place – LIVE NOW. Life begins when you make the choice to start living and how you choose to live makes a difference.

“…..I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – Jesus

John 10:10 NIV

God used my little brother to teach me a lot about life. Unfortunately, it came at the cost of losing him but God’s plan – though I may never understand it…is greater than all of ours.

I love you little brother…forever and always. Thank you for reminding me to live.

If you want to start living now, say this prayer:

I am a sinner in need of rescuing. Jesus, I need you to rescue me. I believe that You came, died, and rose that I might be rescued to live forever with You as My Savior. I ask You to come into my heart, dwell in me and change me that I might live life to the fullest and bring glory to Your Name.

Thank you Jesus for dying that I might live.

Amen

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6 NIV

Daddy, I need You….

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My daddy (yes, I am a grown woman that still calls my father daddy) is a generous guy – he would give you the clothes off his back, going out of his way to help others get what they need, making sure their needs are met – often at the cost of sacrificing his own needs. My daddy is also extremely resourceful and talented – he can fix or build just about anything. There’s nothing that my daddy wouldn’t do for me. The problem is I don’t always ask for his help. As the oldest of 5, I often feel that I’m okay and that the others might need a little bit more from him than me. I also don’t like to be an inconvenience or burden to anyone. I am most comfortable being the helper as opposed to the one being helped. Even when my father offers his help, I have a hard time accepting it.

Recently I needed my father to help me with my car – something that he’s really good at by the way. I had the hardest time even wanting to ask him for help. After pacing the floor and going back and forth with it, I made the call and he was more than eager to help. All I had to do was ask.

It later dawned on me that my approach to my Heavenly Father is the same way. I have no problem seeking Him for other people, taking others problems to Him, or even asking for things that He freely gives – forgiveness, grace, love, mercy, and strength. But when it comes to the things I need, the situations that I need to hand over to Him, the broken pieces I need Him to put back together….I must admit I have trouble asking…that is until it gets to the point of desperation. There are more important things going on in the world and other peoples lives than my little problems – at least that’s what I think sometimes.

Our Father wants us to seek Him for EVERYTHING. There is nothing that He wouldn’t do for us that is within His will. He should be the first one that we go to. He longs to help us….all we have to do is ask.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” – Jesus (Matthew‬ ‭7:7-11‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Heavenly Father, we need you! You know those things that each of us are in need of. Let us seek You in all things, no matter how insignificant they may seem to us. Everything concerning us matters to You because You care for each of us and there’s nothing that You wouldn’t do for us that is in agreement with Your desires for our lives. Help us to humble ourselves knowing that we can do nothing independent of you….we need you Father.

In Jesus Name, Amen

#RELATIONSHIPGOALS

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In a day where information is available to us at a tap or click, we can easily be deceived into believing that we can get all of the information that we need to know about a person. Think about it. How often do you meet someone (or even before you meet them) do your ‘research’? Checking Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. – even going as far as a free background check…totally bypassing the opportunity to connect and really get to know someone. Society has turned us into people that crave information more than relationship.

Our information makes us feel smart, safe, secure, and a step ahead. It makes us experts yet ineffective in our relations. Often creating barriers that prevent us from embracing true relationships. Armed with our “information”, we enter in to relationship with preconceived notions, false expectations (and often false information), standards and rules that prevent us from cultivating a genuine relationship with a person.

Same can be said with our relationship with God. Our knowledge (or lack thereof) and expertise, can be a barrier to our relationship with Him. Our knowledge can give us this puffed up idea that we know all there is to know and that we are the subject matter experts on all things holy. Instead of basing our relationship with God on salvation, grace, intimacy and experience, we base it on information, rules, certifications, titles, commandments, and others views of Him. Don’t be mistaken, as believers and followers of Christ, we should diligently study the Word of God as our source of truth, our history and instructions for living. However, information without a relationship with the One it’s all about, is useless.

During His time on earth, Jesus fiercely warned a group of people who valued religion more that they did a relationship with God. The Pharisees felt that their knowledge, interpretation of scripture and rule based systems were the way to a righteous life.

“You’re hopeless, you religion scholars! You took the key of knowledge, but instead of unlocking doors, you locked them. You won’t go in yourself, and won’t let anyone else in either.” Luke 11:52 MSG

The Pharisees were keeping people – including themselves, from the Kingdom of God based on their information. Their knowledge kept them from a relationship with God that could only come through salvation in Christ alone – not information, criteria or rules. Similarly, our desire to consume information to prove what we know and how much we know, can keep us from growing in relationship with Christ. As we constantly pursue information, we often miss opportunities to connect with Him, experience Him, embrace Him and live for Him.

Here are a few relationship goals we should have:

1. Connect with God through salvation.

If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Personal Savior, consider asking Him into your heart. It’s the most important relationship you will ever have. You can do it right now….just say these words..

“I’m a sinner in need of rescuing. I need You, Jesus, as my Lord and Savior. I believe that you came to earth as God in the flesh, died on the cross for my sins, and rose again so that I can live eternally with You. I ask you to come into my heart and change me, that I might live for You. In Jesus Name, Amen”

2. Get to know God through His Word, daily devotions and prayer.

3. Express gratitude and value your relationship with praise and worship.

4. Hang out with God. Make personal quiet time, church and fellowship a priority.

5. Put your relationship on display and share the Good News. Let others see proof of your relationship by being the light and tell others about the One you’re in relationship with.

Now for a few closing words from a former Pharisee…

“The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ— God’s righteousness.

I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.” – Paul

(Philippians 3:7-11 MSG)