Something To Ponder

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart….” Luke 2:19

When I read my Bible or when I sit in church service and hear God speaking personally to my heart…. I’ve noticed something. I’ve noticed how easy it is to leave that moment in time and continue on with my day – my life. It’s like, “Wow, that was good – now it’s time to get on with my agenda!”

But when I take the time to truly let something God is saying to me, soak into my heart and soul – those are the times where I truly grow. 

The key is in taking the time to ponder over what has been revealed to us. Whether it’s a Bible verse that is relevant, a Bible Study lesson that strikes a chord, or a sermon that is conveniently aimed at what we are feeling or experiencing; we need to take the time to ponder those lessons and think about why it is that God wants to share them with us.

If I listen, but don’t absorb – I don’t gain much. 

If I ponder, absorb, and let God’s messages to me permeate my life – I gain a lot.

It doesn’t matter how many Bible Studies we go to or how often we attend church. It doesn’t matter how many verses we know if they don’t go from our head to our heart and we have the spirit to apply them.  Going through actions isn’t enough. We need to ponder and invest our hearts and minds into truly hearing what God wants to tell us.

I have been guilty of going through the motions so many times. Putting in the time, getting the job done and then moving on to what I really want to do without truly absorbing. The times I have pondered on something, are the times that I’ve really seen God work in my heart and life. He’s moved me. 

I want God to work in my life. I want Him to use me. Move me. Thrill me. Speak to me. In order for that to happen, I need to take a little extra time for Him. To ponder what He’s telling me so that I won’t miss something really big. His Words really are treasures. Just waiting to shine.

What Does Your Heart Crave?

Empty spots. Holes that somehow don’t get filled, with most of the things that are sought after in life – things like wealth, success, beauty, or popularity.

Those things don’t satisfy. They don’t last. Sure, they feel good for a while, but then that good feeling fades, and that empty spot returns once again.

So, what does your heart crave? Have you spent time really thinking about that? Have you given yourself enough quiet moments of reflection to ponder, contemplate, and focus on where you are in life – compared to where you want to be?

WHO you want to be?

I think we all crave the same things at some level. We crave kindness. Goodness. We crave to be understood and heard. Listened to. We crave attention because we want to feel valued and valuable. We crave love. Joy. Peace. An unsettled heart and soul desperately craves peace!

We crave God. To know and be known so fully and completely and yet still accepted. Still WANTED.

People can deny it. But there is this inner need for there to be something “more” than just this life. This existence.

We crave hope.

It’s no wonder we so often feel lost. So many of these values, character traits, and morals, have been cast aside. It’s hard to find them.

And so we are left feeling somewhat empty. 

It doesn’t have to be that way. It doesn’t have to stay that way.

You ARE wanted. You ARE valued. There IS peace to be found and joy that can be yours. Even if life is tough and challenging. Even if others don’t understand.

Seek it out. Pursue it.

Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

For He Loved Me

“It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.”
Psalms 44:3

…”For you loved them.”

That last line just brought such warmth to my heart and a sweet smile to my lips. It was a good reminder to me of all the spiritual battles I have fought in life. Or thought “I” fought in life.

So many times we think it’s us doing the battle. We think we are wielding this sword and fighting on a daily basis whatever it is that has been placed in front of us. But it’s not our swords or our arms that bring us victory. No – it’s God. It’s HIS arm, HIS hand, and the light of HIS face that brings about victory…not anything we did. Not that we prayed mightily enough, were good enough, were strong enough, or that we were blessed enough. No, it is simply because God loves us.

Sometimes truths so simple are the hardest to take in. We think there must be more. But there’s not. God does things for us simply because He loves us and He desires to bless us.

Yes, I believe He wants us to get on our knees and pray. I believe He wants us to use what tools He’s given us in our faith, but those are more for our own growth and walk than they are for results, really.

Anytime I think I’ve done something enough; if I would just fast more often or pray harder – then the focus is on “me” and what I can do – not one what my God can do.

It’s good just to remember that it is not by might but by God’s that wins battles.

For He loved me.

Do So Even More

1 Thessalonians 4:1 “Finally then, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us how you must walk and please God – as you are doing – do so even more.”

As I was reading this verse for a Bible Study recently, the last few words of it really jumped out at me.

DO SO EVEN MORE.

We are all at different stages and phases in our walk with the Lord. Some of us are mature believers while others are babies in the faith.  Some of us were blessed to be raised in Christian homes, while others came from very volatile and dysfunctional backgrounds.

Yet we are all on the same page when it comes to what God asks of us. 

Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, however we are obeying and growing in Him – we are to do MORE.

I like that. For it reminds me that I’m not on better ground than someone else. God still knows that I have room to improve. He knows what areas I’m weak in, what areas I’ve been neglecting, and He knows what needs work.  We never get to a point in our faith where we can say, “I’ve arrived. I’ve done the work that needs to be done, now I’ll work on someone else.” No! We always have work that can be improved upon in our own souls and lives.

It is between us and God what areas we need to focus some attention on in our lives. Is it the way in which we speak? Is it how we dress? Is it how little we get into His Word and spend time alone with Him? Do we need to confess hidden sins in our life? Adjust our attitudes? Do we struggle with selfishness? How about our finances? Are we wise or wasteful with our money? Are we respectful to those in our families and in our neighborhoods or workplace? Are we controlling? Unforgiving?

You see – there are SO many areas in a life that needs work. For each one of us, our weaknesses and struggles are different. We all have room to DO MORE. Even for those of us who are walking and pleasing the Lord – we are to DO SO EVEN MORE.

Let those words sit on your heart today as I let them sit on mine. Let them sink in.

What is one area in your life where you can DO SO EVEN MORE?

Then do so. More. Turn what was once a weakness into a strength. Then attack another area and do so even more with that area too.

He is the potter and we are the clay. We are being molded and shaped each day into something more beautiful and perfect. We are cheating ourselves to only do ‘just enough.’

Do MORE.

May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor

“May the odds be ever in your favor.”   That is a quote from the movie, “The Hunger Games.”  It’s a quote that says so much and can be applied to our life as a Christian. Once you have Jesus in your heart, the odds ARE in your favor.

It doesn’t always feel that way though. It doesn’t feel like the odds are in our favor when we are hit with challenge after challenge in a short time frame. It doesn’t feel like the odds are in our favor, when we always seem to be struggling with our finances, our friendships (or lack thereof), or our health.

But they are.

It occurred to me, that every time I sit in church, I’m stacking the odds in my favor.  Every time I open my Bible, participate in a Bible Study, listen to Christian music, or PRAY…. The odds are in my favor. For, Satan doesn’t like it when I do those things. Especially when he’s been on the attack in my life. And believe me, he IS on the attack in our lives!

So I can claim victory. Each time I kneel on my knees in prayer, or seek God out – even if it’s in a Christian self-help book – I can claim victory over Satan. For he doesn’t want me to do those things. And if he wins any mileage in my life, it will be to get me to stop doing those things.

The odds ARE in our favor. But we have to acknowledge them. We have to let the power that God has given us through other Godly people, church, prayer, His Word, and music; we have to allow room for access to those things in our lives.

They are our fuel. They are our joy. They are our peace, healing, direction, and strength.

Let us seek them out. Let us depend on them, enjoy them, use them, and be thankful for them. They are our weapons against the evil one who DOES seek to destroy everything that has any meaning to us in our lives. Especially our purpose, faith, and calling.

The odds are already stacked in our favor if we believe in the Lord and call Him our Savior. But let’s start thriving instead of merely getting by with those odds. Let’s wield the weapons that have been given us and be strengthened daily by them.

Go to church. Read God’s Word. Listen to that Christian radio station. Join that Bible Study. And pray. PRAY all the time. And not only know that the odds are in your favor – but truly feel it.

Finding Our Identity In God

As a parent raising two daughters, it is important to me that my girls have a strong sense of who they are. The world can put so much pressure on young ladies to look and act a certain way, that I want them to find their identity in God and things that last.

Beauty is so fleeting. Materialism so empty. Yet these are the things our world values.

“It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for … part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.” Ephesians 1:11

Our children need to feel valued and valuable. They need to know they are loved and worthy – not because of what they do or accomplish in life and certainly not for how they look. But because of who they are. They will only discover the hidden treasures and jewels of their heart if they look to the Lord. He is the only One who can give them the value, worth, and success they seek. He is the only One who can make them feel beautiful even if the rest of the world would say otherwise – for beauty truly does come from the inside and from the heart.

If I can get these points across to my girls and they can discover and find the things they seek by simply looking to the Lord and believing what He says about them in His Word; I know they will not be as prone to falling for the lies that the world tries to sell them about their beauty and value.

Even as a mom and wife – I, too, can look to this verse to remind myself of where I find my value. Sometimes you can feel so lost in the role of parenting that it’s important to remember that you are also an individual and that you have a purpose – just as you seek to guide your children to their purpose in life.

It is only in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. He is still working in and on us – so look to Him for all that your heart longs for. And teach that principle to your precious children as well.

It's Not a Fair Fight

We know there is good and evil in this world. It is so evident. We can see it clearly all around us.

We know there is BAD. And there is GOOD.

Yet sometimes I think we get a little lost and confused in our spiritual battles. I think we think it’s a fair fight. An equal fight.

But it’s not.

God is ruler over ALL. He rules over Satan. He rules over the demons. He rules over earth.

Satan is not equal to God. Not in power. Not in glory. Not in might.

Yes, he has a lot of influence. He’s cunning. He watches us and knows just where to hit us and when. But anything he does – is under God’s authority. God allows it.

Why?

I wish that bad things didn’t happen to me. I wish they didn’t happen to those I love. But they happen not because God caused them to happen. He didn’t. He might have allowed them to happen for reasons unknown to us, but He didn’t cause them.

Sometimes it’s my own prideful and sinful choices that end up causing bad circumstances. So it’s a natural effect of choices I, myself, made.

Other times, maybe God is allowing me to be sifted and molded. He sees what satan is doing in my life and chooses not to intervene, because I need some heart work done.

And other times, maybe my pain is for the greater good. To bring more to follow Him.

I just don’t always know.

But I do know that I often give satan more power than he deserves. And he loves that – for it allows him more freedom in my life.

So I am reminding myself today… and I am reminding you. It is not a fair fight. Satan is not equal to God.

Not even close.

Love Is The Greatest Of Them All

“Love keeps no record of wrongs.”  God drew my attention to that verse the other day in 1 Corinthians 13.  This part of the “LOVE” chapter had never quite struck me as it did this time.

A very familiar verse to most of us.

“Love keeps no record of wrongs.”

I think it’s one of those things that we are so familiar with, that we gloss over it in our minds. But the words are very important. They are very true.

I think of all of the things that my children have done wrong and how easily I have forgiven them. It comes naturally to me, because of my great love for them. I know they will mess up. I know they will get it wrong. They are growing up and learning. It’s easy for me to forget about those moments. It’s tougher, however, to forget about being wronged by someone else. To forget – and to – forgive. Even if that person is a friend or relative. It’s tougher because we probably have to work harder at making the choice to love.

I think about all of the grievances that I’ve kept a mental note of in my head. How it’s easy to put mental “debits”  in my head next to a person’s name because of mistakes or things they’ve done that have hurt or annoyed me. And yet love keeps no record of wrongs.

So who are we to love? Well…God says we are to even love our enemy.

I’ve been convicted about all the mental “recordings” I’ve kept of the wrongs done to me. Wrongs that maybe weren’t even intentional by another person. They were simply being human. And being human means you will let someone else down. You will anger them at times. You will disappoint them, hurt them, say something you regret. We all do it. We are human.

I would want someone to erase the mental checks they have next to my name. I would want someone else to make the choice to love me and to forget about the wrongs I’ve done them. Oh, how I’d want that! So I need to find it in my heart to do the same for them. I need to erase the record I have of the wrongs they’ve done to me, too.

It’s a tall order. It’s a tough job. No one said it would be easy or fun.

I guess that’s why love is the greatest of them all.

*Published at DevotionalChristian.com - March 2011

We Are Called Into a Battle

Isaiah 1:17

Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

We are warriors. I think sometimes we forget that. We remember the “peacekeeping, kind” part about being a believer and Christian. We forget that we are to fight a battle. We forget that we are to stand up and speak out.

It’s much easier to remember the gentle and peaceable part.

God calls us into action. We were never meant to stay behind our locked doors at home and not get involved in this world that He has placed us in. On the contrary; we were meant to be engaged with others and to fight for what is right.

It starts with doing right ourselves, of course. Then it goes onto defending those around us who are being oppressed. Sometimes that oppressed person could be us. Would we want to stand alone – or would we want our brothers and sisters in the Lord to surround us and support us?  We need to be there for one another – for the weaker person; for we never know when that day comes around that that “weaker” person is us.

We are also to protect and take care of those who need it. The orphans, the widows. Those who have no one to stand in the gap for them. The homeless, the starving. There are so many out there who need help. Who need love. Who need to know somebody gives a darn whether they live and breathe or not.

Yes, we are called into a battle. We are called to use our voices and to use whatever else God has given us to fight and seek justice; remembering in the process that we can fight for it – but if it escapes us – God will be the sole judge and jury at times. That’s hard to accept when things seem so unfair – but His hands are much better at handling things than mine are. All I can do is fight to the best of my abilities and know that I have tried.

Tried.  Have you tried? Have you tried to be a warrior for the Lord or have you been content being the peacekeeper and staying behind your safe walls?

It’s time that we each stand up. Stand up for what is right. For if we don’t – we can’t expect anyone else to either – and then where will be?

We're Not Living It

I get so frustrated. I believe strongly in the Lord, Jesus Christ. I believe in salvation. I believe a lot of things.

I love hearing about how people accept Jesus into their hearts. I’ll hear numbers after church camps, mission trips, or special events. “So” many people accepted Christ into their hearts.

But then I get concerned about the follow-up. Are they being discipled? Mentored? Is someone walking with them as they adjust to a new faith and belief system? Or are they left to fend for themselves? Are they floundering?

Belief is one thing. A faith-walk is all together another.

It seems to me that God did quite a bit of talking in the Bible about how we should live. And I get soooo frustrated when I see us turn our heads away from that. We ignore what God has laid out for us to do.

Christians swear. God specifically spoke to us about how we should use our mouths.

Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Christians drink, smoke, and do things to their bodies. God specifically talked about “causing a brother to stumble” and about how our bodies are “temples of the holy spirit.”

1 John 2:10
Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.

Romans 14:20
Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.


Matthew 18:7
Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!

1 Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

Christians are sexually impure before marriage. God specifically spoke on purity for marriage. He actually, also spoke about purity with our eyes, hearts, and minds!

Hebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

Christians gossip. Again – the whole “how we use our mouth” thing.

Christians dress immodestly. God spoke on modesty; which is a form of purity in my opinion and also a part of using our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 12:1 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.

Christians are lukewarm. Not choosing one side over the other but walking the line. Going to church on Sundays but living life with the rest of the world Monday through Saturday. God specifically said that if we are lukewarm he would spit us out of his mouth.

Revelation 3:16
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Christians have idols. We do. We worship our career, our image, our “things”  - our dreams and wishes. God specifically told us to lay everything down and worship none other but Him.

Luke 4:8
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’ ”

Christians have a hard time forgiving. God told us to forgive.

Matthew 18:21-23

New International Version (NIV)

 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

I don’t know how it can get any clearer than that. And I get so frustrated when I see us as believers having this beautiful gift and we are not using it to its fullest potential.  It is no wonder that the world calls us hypocrites and God does not answer our prayers!

We have issues.

We are failing to make a choice. We say we believe. We say we love. But we aren’t choosing the One that we love. Not really. We give half to Him and half to the world. Never fully engaging one or the other.

What kind of a life is that? Always feeling kind of guilty but never wanting to fully depart from our faith because of our fear of God’s wrath and discipline. (Which are good things to fear!)

I say, “Choose you this day whom you will believe.” CHOOSE! Choose wisely.

No more compromise.

It's the LIVING for Christ That is The Tough Part

It’s easy to get saved. It’s easy to go to church, sing praise and worship songs and raise our hands to the Lord. It’s easy to pray. It’s even easy to learn what the Bible says.

Living it out is another story.

Living for Christ means obeying your parents. And a lot of teens are hiding things from their parents. It’s tough to be obedient and honest when you’d much rather be doing what everybody else is doing. And yet, that is truly LIVING FOR CHRIST.

Living for Christ means honoring Him with your body. And yet so many women (and men too, now) aren’t dressing to honor Him. Cleavage is showing even during church services, pictures are taken and shown to flaunt a six pack ab, and short shorts are worn. None is sinful in and of itself – but is it honoring to God? Do we stand out from the rest of the world as He asked us to, or are we simply blending in? Yes, honoring God with our bodies is truly LIVING for Him.

It’s easy to pick up that ten dollar bill you saw the man in front of you drop. Or to fudge on your taxes a little bit. Charge things on your credit card all of the time when you can’t really afford them. Money and material items are indeed a weakness. We see what others have and we want it too.  Importance seems to be tied to “things” and brands these days. But truly LIVING FOR CHRIST means being honest when we aren’t charged for an item on our receipt and it means trusting God to take care of us financially.

Lying. “Forgetting” to pay someone back or return something, taking advantage of a kindness, being rude or sassy, conceit, selfishness, sneakiness….these are all things we struggle with as humans. And yet to see one of them live in us and grow is to see it trample and invade the very space that God would instead like to live in and grow. For He can’t share room with dishonesty, deceit, or sin.

Yes, loving God can be easy. But living FOR Him can be another story altogether. True love and dedication for our Lord should be followed by our acts. We should want to demonstrate in how we speak, act, and look that we belong to Him. That we serve Him and not ourselves.

God isn’t a show. He’s not something or someone we can turn off and on when we feel like it. He is Holy …..and we should also strive to be Holy out of our love for Him.

Are you living it out? Can people tell you are different? Do they see something in you that is but a glimpse of HIM?

It takes effort. It takes being intentional. And it takes love. Do you have it?

Do you want it?

What are you waiting for?

Plans and Agendas

One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 16:9. It says, “ In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

I love it so much because that’s how life is. I have an agenda; an intended course for my life. It often includes my wishes, dreams, and wants for my life. Of course I want to be a blessing to others along the way, but still….it’s mostly about me.

I often don’t trust my own judgment. I don’t want to go down a certain path in life and say that “It must be God’s will” when it certainly wasn’t. So this verse speaks for my heart and truly it says what my heart intends all along…that I don’t want to step outside of God’s will.

I want the Lord to determine my steps in life regardless of my own plans. Of course I’m hoping they will intersect or coincide at some point, but if I’m way off track – I’d rather defer to God’s plans because I know if I pursue my own without His blessing that it will be all wrong.

The thing is… God WILL determine our steps. Whether we ask Him to or not. He loves us and wants what’s best for us. I’d much rather work with Him than against Him along the way! I’d much rather learn the easy way than the hard way about just what it is and where it is that He desires to take me. That being said, remember that God knows your heart. He often will use and direct you to things in which you are gifted at or where your natural personality leans. He just may “tweak” how you get there!

Life is about agendas. We all have them. We all pursue them.

God knows our hearts and He certainly knows our mind and what we are thinking. Give your plans over to Him and seek Him in your quest to fulfill your life’s dreams and longings. Ask Him to direct your steps.

I promise that you can trust Him with the task.



First published on DevotionalChristian.com

It Spreads Like a Virus

Compassion. Sympathy. Tenderness. Empathy. Sensitivity. Kindness.

These are not words that one often hears about in the news. They are not words that seem to be prioritized or emphasized in the media – whether that be on news stations, in movies or televisions shows, or over the radio. Sure, sometimes after a disastrous event they are touched on – but then they are left behind in the dust as politicians are raked over the coals and celebrities are publicly criticized.

God says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”  Ephesians 4:32

Be kind. Tenderhearted. Forgive. Such a common Bible verse and yet one that seems to be glossed over and “forgotten” so often.

Compassion is important to me. Tenderness often does the most amazing things in relationships. These qualities heal, nurture, and give life.

We live in a world that seems to be getting more cold and bitter by the day. Rudeness is common and people have grown to be experts at protecting their beliefs in a strong-willed, outspoken, abrupt kind of way.

Where is the tenderness? Where is the kindness?

God didn’t ask us to be tender when we felt like it. He did not ask us to be kind only to those who were sweet and loving in return. No, He told us to BE KIND. BE TENDERHEARTED. And FORGIVE. They were commands.

I think attitudes are like viruses. What one person does, seems to “catch” onto every person they run across, on that particular day. If you are mean to someone, suddenly their mood turns sour and they are gruff with another person, who in turn is harsh with another…and so on. So likewise, what would happen if we are tender to someone? Kind? Compassionate? They in turn, will give grace and mercy to another, and that person will cut a break to someone else and so on. Just. Like. A. Virus.

What kind of world do you want to live in? What kind of person do you want to be? Sure, we can’t impact everyone – but we sure can impact quite a few – simply by starting with our own choices, actions, and attitudes with one person. It will spread from there.

Don’t give up. Don’t stop believing.  Let God deal with your hurts and ask Him to help you show others what your heart so longs for as well. Tenderness, forgiveness, and kindness.

*First published on Devotional Christian (May 2011)

When You Disagree With God

Prov. 16:9 In his (her) heart, a man (woman) plans his course; but the Lord determines his steps.

I love this verse. My sister wrote it in a notebook of mine once, years ago and it fast became a favorite of mine. In fact, in the last 10 years, I’ve adopted it as one of my “life” verses.

I have plans for my life. I have dreams, wishes, and intentions of where I want my life to go. I’ve always been a dreamer and I think that’s a good thing because so many people grow cynical in life and forget what dreams are truly about.  The only problem comes when God has different intentions than the intentions I have!

I often ask God to show me where He wants me. I want to be open and willing enough to drop things when He tells me it’s time to move on. I want to be able to change my plans if He asks me to.  Sometimes that’s really hard to do. It’s tough to say “good-bye” to some of our dreams, isn’t it?”  But God reminds me of Eve and Jonah.  Eve did her own thing instead of what God asked her to do and she sinned.  God disciplined her for it. As He did with Jonah. Jonah refused to think (or trust) that God just might know what He was doing and he fled. Look what happened to him! He got thrown overboard and swallowed by a fish until he agreed to obey the Lord.

I believe with all of my heart that God wants to bless me. And I know that when my own pride gets in the way and I disobey the Lord that there will be consequences.  I think it’s okay that I disagree with God or question what His motives are – as long as I obey Him through that doubting. But if I obey, I will see the blessing that He longs to show me.

So I may have plans for my life. I may spend a lot of time on them. Dreaming. Wishing. Orchestrating details and getting them just “so.”  But no matter how much I “plan” for my life to go a certain way – God has the ultimate say. It is He, who will determine the path and steps I take.  I can fight it – but it will do no good. 

We might as well trust the One who created the universe with the minute details of our lives. Big or small – His hands are big enough to take care of them and He won’t lead us down the wrong road. He wants to bless us. All He asks is for us to obey… even if we feel we’re being led in the complete opposite direction of the one we intended to go on.  Trust Him. He won’t let you down.

Choosing Not To Argue

I’ve discovered that usually when I’m in an argument with someone, it’s because of my own pride.

A lot of times, I could choose to let an issue go – but I don’t. I instead, choose to engage someone whether it be defending a stance I feel strongly about, or getting indignant about something that I feel is either right or wrong.  Either way – most of the time it comes back to being a pride issue.

Pride is one of the toughest things for me to overcome. There is an instinctive nature we all have in fighting for our territory; our rights. And at times, it is necessary to do just that. But on a daily basis for most of us – it isn’t necessary. And in fact, we do ourselves, our relationships, and our Christian walk a disservice by choosing to pick a battle that stems from pride.

James 4:1 “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?”

I’m usually left feeling frustrated when I have an argument. I sometimes am frustrated with someone else, but I’m also frustrated with myself for letting my irritation or anger spark and get enraged at someone else. I know that for me, I often can’t hurry fast enough to make things right again – with the other person and then personally; an apology to my Lord.

We all have desires. We have wishes, dreams, and we have morals and values. But sometimes I think we need to be a little more discerning in what battles we allow ourselves to be engaged in and in what battles we earnestly take to the Lord on bended knee in prayer. 

I’m learning to speak to the Lord first before I act on issues that I’m passionate about. Oftentimes, that “wait” time is just what I need most to make room for Him to whisper to my heart and show me what action point and attitude He wants to see come out of me in regards to something. Plus, I have a lot less to regret when I give myself time to think about something and to seek God’s input on it.

Pride is a hard thing to let go of. But when you can pause, swallow and step back – God will make it easier to set our pride aside in the best interest of His name.

*Published on DevotionalChristian.com July 2011

If I Claim To Love The Lord....

What does it mean to live as Jesus did? What does it mean to love as He’d have us love?

If I claim to love the Lord, He is the sole example of the kind of person I am to be.

I can look back on the legacy He left for me and I can observe how He was. Who He was. Knowing, that is what I should also strive for.

And just what is that? Well, this is what I’ve observed from the life of Jesus while He walked on earth.

*He never spoke in anger.

*He loved all people. Of all types. Ugly. Beautiful. Rich. Poor. The outward appearance or social status didn’t matter at all to him. He was seen in the company of a corrupt tax collector, as well as a faithful follower.

*He had integrity. Honesty. God never lied.

*He was warm, compassionate, kind, GENTLE.

*He gave respect and earned respect.

*He didn’t stay at home. He went out into his neighborhood. His town. He travelled. All to tell people about the Lord.

*He never got drunk. He didn’t smoke. Or swear. In fact, He never partook in anything that was slightly controversial.

*He was loyal.

*He prayed. A Lot.

*He went to church. But He also studied God’s Word daily. He KNEW what God’s Word said so that when others tried to trip Him up or when Satan tried to use the Bible against Him, He knew when it was taken out of context.

*He didn’t pretend to be better than others. He was humble.

*He didn’t “water down” God’s Word. He spoke it like it was. And if others chose not to believe Him, He didn’t continue to try to please them. He just “was.” What He offered, He never forced anyone to accept or water it down for them. He let them make the choice.

*He took a day off. He rested. He knew when it was time to recharge His batteries.

*He was generous. Never selfish.

*He forgave easily. Quickly.

*He was never in a hurry. Never rushed anything.

*People never felt criticized by Him or condemned because of their sinful choices. No – merely loved.

*He was gracious and merciful.

There are so many more examples I could give of the kind of person Jesus was.

1 John 2:6 tells us, “Whoever claims to live in him, must live as Jesus did.”

That’s a tall order. But if we claim to live in Christ, it’s an order we need to try and fill.

Are you living as He did? Are you even trying?

I know you could argue that Jesus was perfect. And He was. But that perfection is still something that we can aspire to. We still aspire to have a perfectly beautiful, clean, and organized house and the fact that it will get messed up again doesn’t stop us. So why should striving to be perfect like Jesus, stop us? It’s not that hard to be generous. Not that hard to be honest. We can all study God’s Word daily. We can rest. Keep ourselves from being drunk.

It’s a choice.

I don’t know about you, but I claim to live in Christ. And I want to aspire to be like Him. I may need to work on some areas more than others – but I’m trying.

For I want to please Him. I want to please myself so that I have less to regret in life and more to be joyful about.

I want to – because He gave me the desire. And because I love Him so dearly. That’s what you do when you love someone. You aim to please them.

How about you?

Changed

Romans 12:2

Do not change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but be changed within by a way of thinking.  Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to Him and what is perfect.

Jesus can’t leave us unchanged.  He wants the best for us even if those changes are painful at times.  The more we allow God to change us, the more we will be able to see what His plans are because we are being conformed in His image… not ours.