In a Society that plays on increasing our wants and desires for trivial worldly things, its sometimes difficult to find contentment in what we do have.
I have found myself in a situation where I have had it figured out in my head as too what I would like it to look like. I have my plan, and what I think is best, and with the situation still unfolding, It has been hard to be content while not knowing if the plan I would like will come to fruition. However it was only today I realized that we will never be content in relying on our own plans, but true contentment is only found in relying and trusting in Gods plans. If we place our lives and trust in him, no matter what the outcome is we know it was apart of his plan for our lives. If we don't get what we want today, look at all we have to be thankful for ! We have no room to complain! God's plan for us today is wonderful, even if it doesn't look exactly like what we pictured. Sometimes we're lucky enough to have both, what we want is what God wants. But when its not, think about who has our lives in his hand. I think he is more than trustworthy, and is more than dependable. He wants nothing but the best for us, and truly does have everything in control. Delight in his plans today, and when you kneel by your bed at night, thank him for what you do have, and what blessings unfolded today.
When we put our own plans aside and trust in Gods, we will be content and have a joy in our hearts that remains no matter what.
- put aside what you think is best
- trust god , and you still may get what you think is best. but if not, his plan is even better.
- in continual daily trust comes stress free contentment and joy knowing that we have the ultimate 'planner' in control of our lives. Someone who sees the full picture when we can't.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Sit and sulk, or pray and conquer?
When first reading the following, you first think that it is a flatout depressing statement.
" We're all in the same sinking boat"
However we can take from this three important lessons.
1. No one is perfect, we all fail over and over again.
There are days when we feel worthless and uncapable of doing any good, or anything right. We were created with the inability of attaining perfection, its simply impossible. That is why there is such thing as grace and mercy. It is in our weaknesses that God can be strong. If we were perfect, we wouldn't need God. So its in our desperate situations, where we fail, that God can step in and do his thing.
2. We're not alone
Note how it says we're ALL in the SAME sinking boat. Although our struggles and weaknesses may differ, they leave us all with some sort of sin and failure. Whether its a problem lying, or a problem with jealousy, and the list goes on; sin is sin in Gods eyes, and we're all guilty of it. All of us have our imperfections, thus no one is better than another.
3. We can do something about it..
We have a choice in the 'sinking boat'
a) sit there and sulk.
b) sit there and pray for rescue
c) get up and start trying to get some of the water out of the boat.
Personally, I don't reccomend A.
However a lot of times we find ourselves letting A control our lives and situations. Something goes wrong, we don't understand why something happened, or our obstacle seems to big to attempt and defeat. So we accept it and do nothing. We come to a conclusion that we can't do much about it so why try and explore for a solution. This is the wrong attitude because God is greater than all our problems and confusion.He always holds a solution.
Lets look at B..
Prayer is very important. Prayer and seeking Gods guidance, will and purpose in each situation life throws at us, or each struggle we face. However, if we're in a sinking boat, we are going to want to incorporate prayer with action.
C.
We need to get up and do something. In the sinking boat, we would try and keep it afloat by getting water off board. But in our own strength, we would fail. We probably wouldn't last with a hole in the boat during calm seas, let alone a storm.The hole representing any struggles in our lives and our reactions to these struggles that causes the boat to sink. So our actions must be empowered by God and his holy spirit, we must seek his strength for we will not last on our own.We need to acknowledge that we need him to be strong in our weakness and use us to accomplish his work. For without him we are nothing. We need support from fellow Christians as well to work together and keep things afloat. Accountability is key.
So .
lets try to incorperate B and C into our lives, not so much the sitting down part, but the prayer and action.
Sit and Sulk ? or Pray and conquer?
you choose.
" We're all in the same sinking boat"
However we can take from this three important lessons.
1. No one is perfect, we all fail over and over again.
There are days when we feel worthless and uncapable of doing any good, or anything right. We were created with the inability of attaining perfection, its simply impossible. That is why there is such thing as grace and mercy. It is in our weaknesses that God can be strong. If we were perfect, we wouldn't need God. So its in our desperate situations, where we fail, that God can step in and do his thing.
2. We're not alone
Note how it says we're ALL in the SAME sinking boat. Although our struggles and weaknesses may differ, they leave us all with some sort of sin and failure. Whether its a problem lying, or a problem with jealousy, and the list goes on; sin is sin in Gods eyes, and we're all guilty of it. All of us have our imperfections, thus no one is better than another.
3. We can do something about it..
We have a choice in the 'sinking boat'
a) sit there and sulk.
b) sit there and pray for rescue
c) get up and start trying to get some of the water out of the boat.
Personally, I don't reccomend A.
However a lot of times we find ourselves letting A control our lives and situations. Something goes wrong, we don't understand why something happened, or our obstacle seems to big to attempt and defeat. So we accept it and do nothing. We come to a conclusion that we can't do much about it so why try and explore for a solution. This is the wrong attitude because God is greater than all our problems and confusion.He always holds a solution.
Lets look at B..
Prayer is very important. Prayer and seeking Gods guidance, will and purpose in each situation life throws at us, or each struggle we face. However, if we're in a sinking boat, we are going to want to incorporate prayer with action.
C.
We need to get up and do something. In the sinking boat, we would try and keep it afloat by getting water off board. But in our own strength, we would fail. We probably wouldn't last with a hole in the boat during calm seas, let alone a storm.The hole representing any struggles in our lives and our reactions to these struggles that causes the boat to sink. So our actions must be empowered by God and his holy spirit, we must seek his strength for we will not last on our own.We need to acknowledge that we need him to be strong in our weakness and use us to accomplish his work. For without him we are nothing. We need support from fellow Christians as well to work together and keep things afloat. Accountability is key.
So .
lets try to incorperate B and C into our lives, not so much the sitting down part, but the prayer and action.
Sit and Sulk ? or Pray and conquer?
you choose.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
make a difference.
31-33"When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.
34-36"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'
37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'
41-43"Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—
I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'
44"Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?'
45"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.'
46"Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."
We need to start living out our faith in this manner. Living selfless lives as Christ did constantly serving others, those who are in need. Faith without works is dead, so we can preach and read and write about these issues of poverty and the less fortunate all we want, but if we continue to drive and walk by them everyday without doing anything about it, its worth nothing. We must practice what we preach and do something about it. Start pouring our time, and efforts, and financial blessings into the lives of others who need it most. Below are plenty of verses in the new testament outlining the importance of living out 'selfless servant hood' We need to focus our attention in this direction a little more often..
"Jesus answered, If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" Matthew 19:21
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in." Matthew 25:35
"They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely." Mark 12:40
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed." Luke 4:18
"So he replied to the messengers, Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.'" Luke 7:22
"Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys." Luke 12:33
"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind." Luke 14:13
"When Jesus heard this, he said to him, You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" Luke 18:22
"Beware of the teachers of the law . . . They devour your widows' houses . . . Such men will be punished severely." Luke 20:46-47
"Cornelius stared at him in fear. What is it, Lord?' he asked. The angel answered, Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.'" Acts 10:4
"On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.'" Romans 12:20
"All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do." Galatians 2:10
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
"Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand there' or 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and becomes judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?" James 2:2-6
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18
34-36"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'
37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'
41-43"Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—
I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'
44"Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?'
45"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.'
46"Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."
We need to start living out our faith in this manner. Living selfless lives as Christ did constantly serving others, those who are in need. Faith without works is dead, so we can preach and read and write about these issues of poverty and the less fortunate all we want, but if we continue to drive and walk by them everyday without doing anything about it, its worth nothing. We must practice what we preach and do something about it. Start pouring our time, and efforts, and financial blessings into the lives of others who need it most. Below are plenty of verses in the new testament outlining the importance of living out 'selfless servant hood' We need to focus our attention in this direction a little more often..
"Jesus answered, If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" Matthew 19:21
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in." Matthew 25:35
"They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely." Mark 12:40
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed." Luke 4:18
"So he replied to the messengers, Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.'" Luke 7:22
"Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys." Luke 12:33
"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind." Luke 14:13
"When Jesus heard this, he said to him, You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" Luke 18:22
"Beware of the teachers of the law . . . They devour your widows' houses . . . Such men will be punished severely." Luke 20:46-47
"Cornelius stared at him in fear. What is it, Lord?' he asked. The angel answered, Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.'" Acts 10:4
"On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.'" Romans 12:20
"All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do." Galatians 2:10
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
"Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand there' or 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and becomes judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?" James 2:2-6
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18
Saturday, January 9, 2010
trust and obey
ever hear the old hymn,
" Trust and Obey, for theres no other way, to be happy in Jesus; then to trust and obey"
True words. As Christains, if we are continually trying to persue life on our own terms, and just seeking what seems to be best for our own selfish wants and needs at the moment, we will never be happy. We can only find happiness when we are trusting God daily, even when things don't really add up or make sense, he's got the full picture. Then comes the obedience. Faith without works is dead, just like you cannot listen and trust someone without following their request. Maybe if we begin to trust and obey, even if we dont have a full understanding of what will happen next, we'll find a little joy in our lives.
" Trust and Obey, for theres no other way, to be happy in Jesus; then to trust and obey"
True words. As Christains, if we are continually trying to persue life on our own terms, and just seeking what seems to be best for our own selfish wants and needs at the moment, we will never be happy. We can only find happiness when we are trusting God daily, even when things don't really add up or make sense, he's got the full picture. Then comes the obedience. Faith without works is dead, just like you cannot listen and trust someone without following their request. Maybe if we begin to trust and obey, even if we dont have a full understanding of what will happen next, we'll find a little joy in our lives.
Routines
So its a new year again. We usually start out with a new plan or goal in mind, something to work into the regular schedual. Most often we find ourselves mid- January back in the old routine of things. Then life just starts to get boring ! I think in addition to our long term goals we should focus on daily goals, and daily challenges, just to keep ourselves focused and on our toes. If we challenge ourselves daily to accomplish something new, not necessarily a big task, but something new and productive, for the better good; life will always be interesting. If you find yourself slipping into a boring routine of life, try a daily challenge.
Monday, December 28, 2009
love
First off sorry it took so long for me to write another blog. Final exam time got a little crazy.
Love. Its what gives us the opertunity to live, through Gods love and grace for us.God's love is unconditional, no matter how many times we fool up, screw up, or mess up, it doesn't matter. He loves us so much that he can forgive and forget, forever loving us.Imagine if we could learn to love eachother in this way. The world would be such a different place...
As a young girl, well I guess young, almost 19, I have found myself afraid to let myself fall for a guy and therefore miss out on LOVE because I was to take a step into the unknown. My life would change, things would be different, and sometimes we think this is going to be for the worse, but that is so wrong. Taking a chance on the feeling in your heart, love, you'll never be the same.. For the better. We make mistakes, and sometimes miss the greatest opertunity to share something with a certain person, and we regret it and regret it over and over again because of the stupid fear we had. I'm there. I know what its like. And you never know if you'll get a third fourth chance.. So we must love, love fearlessly. Times in life we may mess it up with a guy, loose it, but sometimes we might be lucky enough to find it again. But one love I can assure you will always be there, no matter what, through thick and thin, no matter what we do or say, is the love of God. So when you find yourself heartbroken, or empty .. Focus on the love thats always constant in your life, the love of God. Don't find yourself afraid to take a step in Gods direction, his love never fails.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC1ec-lYps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziJQJI2uElI
Check out those two links.
Love. Its what gives us the opertunity to live, through Gods love and grace for us.God's love is unconditional, no matter how many times we fool up, screw up, or mess up, it doesn't matter. He loves us so much that he can forgive and forget, forever loving us.Imagine if we could learn to love eachother in this way. The world would be such a different place...
As a young girl, well I guess young, almost 19, I have found myself afraid to let myself fall for a guy and therefore miss out on LOVE because I was to take a step into the unknown. My life would change, things would be different, and sometimes we think this is going to be for the worse, but that is so wrong. Taking a chance on the feeling in your heart, love, you'll never be the same.. For the better. We make mistakes, and sometimes miss the greatest opertunity to share something with a certain person, and we regret it and regret it over and over again because of the stupid fear we had. I'm there. I know what its like. And you never know if you'll get a third fourth chance.. So we must love, love fearlessly. Times in life we may mess it up with a guy, loose it, but sometimes we might be lucky enough to find it again. But one love I can assure you will always be there, no matter what, through thick and thin, no matter what we do or say, is the love of God. So when you find yourself heartbroken, or empty .. Focus on the love thats always constant in your life, the love of God. Don't find yourself afraid to take a step in Gods direction, his love never fails.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC1ec-lYps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziJQJI2uElI
Check out those two links.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
I wonder...
We often wonder a lot about the future. Where we'll be next year, and in five years. We wonder waht our first "real" job will be, who and when we will marry and start a family. We wonder about these things. Theres no way of telling what tomorrow will bring, or the next day, or the next day. No matter how many times we write it all out in our planners, plans change, things change, people change. The only constant we can count on is God. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow he is the same and will never change. The great thing to reassure ourselves in is that if we obey God in the small things, and keep our steps in his path, GODS big picture for our lives will unfold before us. As Christains, we don't need to worry ! We need to stop trying to plan out every minute of our lives and relax, trust and obey. We will enjoy life a lot more....
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