We all make excuses from time to time and I have made MANY! I absolutely love learning, teaching and sharing Gods word, but sometimes we tend to go through this time where things seem to go kind of dim. I don't know what it is or why it happens but what I do know is that in this time I have learned a lot. I have learned to be more patient, loving and bold. My faith has grown and has plenty more growing to do. I have learned how to let go and let God in SOME area's and I am trying hard to do it in EVERY area of my life. None of us are perfect but hopefully we are trying to get there.
Right now my heart is very heavy due to the fact that there are two young men that I have had the pleasure of knowing that have recently lost their lives. Both to car accidents. One a hit and run and the other a traffic collision. I don't even want to try to imagine what or how their mothers are going to get through this but I pray that they are learning to lean on God for their strength. I ask that whoever reads this is also burdened in their heart to pray with me. Its sad that I too, like my mother have to sit and watch my children go through this but I know that it is for their growth just as it was for me.
I was told a while back before attending a funeral of a very close person in my life that I had to be strong, not just for me but for the family. I learned that sometimes we have to take "self" out of the equation in order to be there for others. As my husband was preparing to oversee a funeral this quiet voice said "how can you help these people if you're crying?" I thought to myself, "is it wrong for me to express my grief?" The answer came to me that, NO its not wrong for me to express my grief, however there is a TIME and God will grant that to me. When a person is in ministry, it is very important that they are in tuned first with the word because this is where our strength comes from.Without it we are subject to weakness and failure. I've recently prayed for more strength and boldness and I have been given a little of both with the incidents of these two young men. Although it hurts to see the parents, children and families go through such a thing we should learn as much as we can through it.
I prayed for patience, and God gave me things to be patient for. I prayed for strength and boldness and God allowed me to experience things that have developed that in me. I have prayed for God to give me faith and now I must watch my children walk out of my house daily and have faith that God will protect them. God is awesome and we will probably never understand why He allows certain things to happen in order to build others things within us but I just want to encourage you as I encourage myself to keep trusting HIM.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. :)
Saturday, December 31, 2011
The one thing we all need...
LOVE...Love is the key to life because God is love. Without Him it's truly hard to live it. When I think about love it reminds me of the story of the woman who committed adultery. The Bible talks about how the men wanted to stone her for her sin. But God sent His son Jesus into the world to be an example of how to handle situations like this...how to love. Jesus saw what these men were doing and He lead by example by showing the woman forgiveness and allowing her to walk away with a clean slate and a kind word to "go and sin no more" (John 8:11). Who says we don't serve a God of second chances? This is the kind of love we must learn to express to others.
Holding grudges is clearly NOT the way to go. Jesus also showed love to the men in this story. He simply helped them by allowing them to "check" themselves. "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her"(John 8:7). It was like saying "think about it guys, do you wanna get stoned too?...I thought not". What as awesome God we serve.
We must learn to check ourselves before we start pointing the finger at others, cause remember, there are three pointing back at you.
Remember: 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Here is the true definition of love:
1 Corinthians 13
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
LET'S BELIEVE IT, RECEIVE IT AND LIVE IT...:)
Holding grudges is clearly NOT the way to go. Jesus also showed love to the men in this story. He simply helped them by allowing them to "check" themselves. "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her"(John 8:7). It was like saying "think about it guys, do you wanna get stoned too?...I thought not". What as awesome God we serve.
We must learn to check ourselves before we start pointing the finger at others, cause remember, there are three pointing back at you.
Remember: 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Here is the true definition of love:
1 Corinthians 13
The Greatest Gift
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
LET'S BELIEVE IT, RECEIVE IT AND LIVE IT...:)
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