A Place to Praise!

Today I created a place on my counter for the 2015 year. So excited! There is a bowl of small stones and pebbles, a larger glass jar, a notepad and pen, and framed directions on how to use the jar. I'm praying that as my family, friends, and visitors receive blessings from God each day this year, they will journal in the notebook, move a stone and give thanks. It's my prayer that we will fill this jar and move on to an even bigger one! Here are the words from the frame...

"He is the one you praise; 

he is your God, who performed for 

you these great and awesome wonders 

you saw with your own eyes."

Deuteronomy 10:21

God is working everyday. 

    His great and mighty works displayed.

He longs to bless us as we walk,

    To hear our prayers and with us talk.

His blessings come to us each day

    And for receptive hearts we pray.

Lord, give us eyes to see your gifts as

    Prayers of thanks to you we lift!

Now, write your blessings big or small

    And move a stone to the big jar.

Let's fill it full, time and again

    To praise Our Savior, God, and Friend!

Lukewarm?

I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold.  I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 

Revelation 3:15-16

These are words spoken by Jesus in a letter that John was instructed to write to the church in Laodicea.  Jesus was tired of the people's choice to remain lukewarm in their faith.  His warning to the church was to that if they remain unenthusiastic, or indifferent about God's commands and their faith, they would be spit out, or disowned by God.  Jesus knew everything about the people of Laodicea just like he knows everything about us.  He knows our hearts just like he knew the Laodiceans'.  Is it possible He is speaking this to our own lives right now?

This letter goes on to address the church's heavy reliance on material wealth.  Jesus convicts them of living for gods of money, status and material objects instead of living a life of faith with the One God, the only God who gives everlasting life.  But His conviction is with compassion and concern and in the end He says this, "I correct and discipline everyone I love.  So be diligent and turn from your indifference." (Revelation 3:19)

Let's see how closely we may resemble the church of Laodicea.  Indifference is a lack of interest, concern or sympathy; in regards to God, it is putting other things before Him as if He is unimportant.  Over time indifference will lead to idleness.  With regard to faith, idleness means one is inactive or not in use.  That faith might as well be thrown away because it is without purpose.  And this person without faith is, therefore, wandering aimlessly through life.  How many times have you felt this way, or are you currently living this way?  I have most certainly been in the Laodiceans' shoes.  In fact, I have been in their shoes longer than I have not.  My life, before I really came to a personal relationship with God, was indifferent.  I had faith, but it wasn't strong enough to keep me from making sinful decisions.  I wasn't growing in my faith, but sitting idle, being tossed by the waves around, me making compromises and choices that conflicted with who I said I was.  At times I put my faith in other people, including myself, and in material things.  My life was without purpose!  I was a lukewarm christian.  And Jesus spit me out!  How alarming to see that had I been cold he would have continued His pursuit of me because I wouldn't have known any better, and had I been hot he would have continued blessing me and leading me, but as a lukewarm, I had no excuse.  I couldn't blame it on the fact that I didn't know who God was, I was raised in church.  Everyday I was choosing to live my life and when I thought I was going somewhere I was really sitting idle.  When I thought the things I was pursuing and the places I was going were all things that would give me success in life, I was poorly mistaken!  I wasn't heading for anything productive.  I was wandering aimlessly through life always looking for a way to get further ahead but never knowing it was God I really needed to make me rich.  I had lost all concern for right and wrong, and even convinced myself the wrong was right.  I was inactive.  

Look!  I stand at the door and knock.  If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.

Revelation 3:20

Maybe you were like this at one time in your life.  Maybe you are currently experiencing this idleness.   Regardless, it is never too late to make a change.  God will never turn you down if you reach for Him.  He will never give up on you.  His love and patience surpasses any and He knocks at the door of your heart every day.  It is never too late to open the door and let Jesus enter.  Have that meal together as friends and start up a real relationship with him.  Read His Word everyday and get to know him on a personal level.  Give your life purpose and stop wandering aimlessly.  Get active and start living as a Hot Christian!  If you have any questions as to how to start up a relationship with God please email us.  We would love to guide you along and encourage your walk.                  

People Pleaser or God Pleaser

In God, whose word I praise-

     in God I trust and am not afraid.

What can mere mortals do to me?

  Psalm 56:4

Do you seek the approval of others? This can be a very conflicting and exhausting lifestyle. One minute those around you love you and sing your praises, but the next, the crowd is angered by your choices. So, you change your mind to please the crowd. You may have an opinion, but you never really share it because it may cause others to withdraw their acceptance of you. After awhile, you may no longer even have opinions because you ping pong from idea to idea based on those around you. 

I used to live this way. I did things to keep the peace around me. I chose to go with the flow even when it didn't make me happy and sometimes even caused harm or discomfort to myself or others. Acceptance by others was tiresome. It caused me to lose myself and I found that if I had to make a decision for myself I couldn't do it.

At some point, this lifestyle exhausted me. I chose to get in the Bible about various issues because I'd lost all perspective. In reading God's Word, I found that He's the only one I need to please. If I'm living to please my Lord, others may be offended, but my peace no longer waivers. Others may want me to spend my time or money on certain things, but as long as I'm following God's lead, their unhappiness with me doesn't sway me to change my decisions. 

Friends, when our trust is in God, when our focus is on pleasing our Lord, our life is peaceful. Oh, yes, someone may be upset with us, but their displeasure is because we didn't make them or their activity our god. Choosing to please God over man brings peace, but it also brings out your God-created self. You are free to be who he made you to be. It brings a new energy and a new perspective. He made you unique. You are different by design. Embrace who you are because of whose you are! Ask yourself this today, "Am I a people pleaser or a God pleaser?" Seek to please God alone and he will take care of the rest!

Stretched Thin

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will.  Then you will received all that He has promised.

Hebrews 10:36

God asks us to do many things during the course of our life.  Many of those things we take for granted and do without thinking twice.  We may not even realize that God is behind our actions and leading us.  Some of us may cruz through life without wanting more and without seeking His will for us and stay content right were we are forever.  We might ignore the call to go deeper and find "good" excuses to stay put.  Maybe choosing a certain direction will cause hurt or change that we aren't ready for.  If we are God's children then He is always pursuing us.  He doesn't give up on His plans for us and we shouldn't either.  God wants us to grow closer to him through faith and the the only way we can do that is to grow our faith.  Growing our faith takes time and a little stretching.  But that stretching can't take place if we aren't willing to move.  If we aren't willing to let God stretch us then we will stay right where we are and most likely grow further away from God.  

What has God given you?  How has he blessed you and what has he entrusted in your care?  When we do well with little God will give us more.  If we are faithful with little things we will be faithful with large ones but if we are dishonest with little things we won't be honest with greater responsibilities (Luke 16:10).  This is how God pursues our faith and nudges us to grow daily.  If we are responsible we are given a little, as it stretches us we grow, and then we are given a little more.  That little more might be more responsibility, a promotion, a new baby, a bigger house, a raise in pay, but that little more can also bring on hardship, the death of a loved one, an illness, a change in a relationship, a crisis.  Whatever God gives us, where ever He leads us, however He stretches us, He enables us to handle it.  It isn't easy!  God will give us things and put us in places where we would fail if we didn't seek Him and trust in Him.  These greater responsibilities aren't always beautiful prizes that the world is lined up to receive, but the reward that comes from being stretched by God is closeness to Him.  God wants us close to Him and He will be so faithful to enable our success in any situation we face.  He will give us strength and wisdom, mercy and grace to make it out of any circumstance!  Amen!!

So remember, next time you feel like you are being stretched too thin, aside from your crazy busy schedule.  Evaluate what it is God is trying to teach you.  Be confident that if you trust God, He will give you what you need to succeed.  Allow yourself to depend on God and grow your faith in Him.  Let yourself grow closer to God and find fulfillment in life! 

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.

1 Timothy 1:12  

Sunday Scripture

The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, 

but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Proverbs 1:7

My words for 2015

I too have chosen words for 2015. 2014 was a difficult year. A year in which giving up at any moment was a very real possibility. However in continuing on in my faith, I have learned to a greater degree that the walk of a Christian is marred by pain, loss, change and frustration due to sin (our own or that inflicted by others).  It is also a road that, if continued, leads to peace, joy, and a first-hand account of God's faithfulness.
Months ago, the word 'diligent' began popping up in my devotional time. I heard it's meaning loud and clear. Diligent means characterized by steady, earnest, energetic effort. The Christian walk of faith requires diligent efforts to remain in the Word, strengthen our prayer life, care for our families and those in need around us, and to keep on keeping on!
I have also chosen the word 'intentional' as my 2015 word. Intentional means done in a way that is planned.  In order to remain diligent, I'm seeing that I have to have a plan and a constant focus. In order to diligently study the word, I have to have an intentional time carved out in my schedule. I will need to keep a daily and weekly list of tasks so that I can make the most of my time. In my planning, I will also leave room for the things God wants me to do on the spur of the moment. By remaining diligent in my study of the Word, I can intentionally live out the life God has called me to live!

The plans of the diligent lead to profit

    as surely as haste leads to poverty. 

Proverbs 21:5

Resilience

Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties successfully without becoming too negatively affected by the experience.

My word for the year!  I have dealt a lot with new experiences over the last couple years.  I have undergone a lot of change and been exposed to a new lifestyle and to many new things I had never known before.  Some of these changes have caused difficulty for me and some of them have given me great joy.  As strange as it sounds, some of the things that have caused me great joy have also caused me great trouble and sadness.  I am learning that resilience is a very important characteristic that I need in order to live my life that revolves around so much change.

Resilience isn't ignoring our pain and or troublesome situation, but handling it in a way that we refuse to let it destroy us.  We can't pretend we aren't hurt.  We can't push aside our feelings.  There is a time for processing all the pain but in the end allowing that same pain to grow us and make us a better person.  To let the difficulty we just experienced impact us in a positive way so that we can keep moving forward into Christ-like character.  Reflect back on your year and the things you have experienced.  Do you see yourself recovering quickly from those things that brought you difficulty, or  is God asking you to be resilient in your current situation?  Joseph is a perfect example of resilience.  He was sold into slavery by his own brothers, and later spent time in jail for a crime he didn't commit.     Many years passed as he was experiencing difficulty but his positive outlook saw the good that could come from such despair.  As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. (Genesis 50:20)

It is possible for you and me to have this same attitude toward our pain and difficulties.  If we can trust God completely, we too can recover from difficult situations successfully, just like Joseph did.  Paul knew of this same kind of resilience.  He was tortured, thrown in prison, underwent condemnation and a whole host of difficulties, but every time he looked past the pain toward God and the reward that was waiting for Him.  He never allowed his negative situations to affect him in a negative way.  This year I want this resilience!  I want to have this positive outlook and I want the strength to grow successfully from my pain.

That is why I am suffering here in prison, but I am not ashamed of it, for I know the One in whom I trust and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of His return.

2 Timothy 1:12 

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