I Love the Lord!

I have a good reason to love God more. God has been so good to me; to use a cliché, “better than I deserve”, but that’s so true. I’m reminded of a passage in the Bible, Luke, chapter 7, where Jesus and his disciples were having a conversation. Always one to teach, Jesus gave an example to them that certainly applies to me. He asked them if they had two debtors, one who owed say fifty dollars while the other owed $500. If both debts were forgiven which debtor would likely love the forgiver most? Of course the obvious answer would be the one most forgiven. Well Jesus died so God could forgive us. Whether you have a little to be forgiven for, or whether your sins are many. I have good reason to love God more as He has forgiven me so much.

Words Have Power!

The power of the tongue is amazing. The ability to shift the balance of any given situation lies within a few spoken words. Countries were built and wars were started upon mere words. The image of who we are is not just formed on how we look or act but also on the words we speak. How do you want people to see you? Would you prefer to be known as a person who always speaks negatively or would you prefer to be known as the person with the positive forward thinking attitude? The words you speak don't just impact you but also the people around you. The next time you may be tempted to say something negative think about the power you have to change the course of a person's day by simply speaking a few positive words.

WHO HAS YOUR BACK?

DOES GOD HAVE YOU COVERED? WE ALL HAVE THOUGHTS AND SOMETIMES WE LET FEAR CREEP INTO OUR MINDS AND SOULS. WE CAN READ THE SCRIPTURE OR HEAR SERMONS THAT TELL US THAT THE SPIRIT OF FEAR DOES NOT COME FROM GOD, BUT WE STILL WORRY ABOUT OUR DECISIONS, OUR CHILDREN AND THEIR DECISIONS AND RECENTLY, OUR JOBS, INVESTMENTS, YOU GET IT, RIGHT. YOU’VE BEEN THERE, RIGHT? BUT IN ALL OF THAT WE MUST COME TO THE REALIZATION THAT IT IS NOT IN OUR POWER TO CONTROL THE FUTURE, THAT’S GOD’S TASK. WE CAN SET OUR SIGHTS ON SOMETHING, WORK HARD TO GET IT AND STILL NOT, BECAUSE IT WAS NOT IN GOD’S WILL. WE CAN PRAY FOR INCREASED STRENGTH AND COURAGE, AND THEN JUMP AT A LOUD CLASP OF THUNDER. SO THE BEST THING WE CAN DO IS RELY ON THE FACT THAT NO MATTER WHAT, GOD HAS US COVERED. WE CAN LEAN ON HIM IN HIS EVERLASTING ARMS AND THAT, MY FRIENDS CAN GIVE US PEACE.

He's Um Good!

God is good all the time. We all know that but I’m here to proclaim that I love Him and that He is better to me than I deserve. God has blessed me so richly, so enormously. He has truly been better to me that I’ve been to myself. He’s given me strength when I made myself tired. He allowed me to rest when my troubles had me weary. God gives me peace in the midst of turmoil. He’s blessed my undertakings and my comings and goings. I know I could never repay God but there is something I can do. I can treat others better. If we follow Jesus, we too will immolate the Father and try to bless others as God blesses us. Just think what a wonderful world it would be if we made an effort to treat other people better than we do.

Your Time!

Do you ever think about how you spend your time? Do you ever come to the end of the day and say what happened to the time? We are probably all guilty of being involved in so many activities that we lose track of time and wonder why we have not accomplished all of the things we wanted. I have found that I do better when I take the time to reflect on the activities of the day and make a game plan. When you make that game plan, make time for work, make time for leisure activities with family and friends, make time for yourself and above all make time for God everyday. No matter how much time we spend in all areas of our lives, the time spent with God will yield the greatest rewards. Use your time wisely. It is one of the most valuable gifts from God that we have; once it’s gone, there is no way to recapture it. Cherish every moment and make the best use of your time.

Forgive?

To ere is human, to forgive divine. We have no doubt all heard that statement and I am here to tell you it is not that easy to forgive. Another statement we have all made from time to time forgive and forget. But when you forgive, you don’t have to forget. When you forgive someone you understand, when you forgive someone you remember but you move on. When you forgive someone, you continue to give them love even though they have done you wrong. The greatest example of love is found in John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son so that we could have forgiveness through Jesus”. God does not forget our sins, he forgives our sins and we should do the same for our brothers and our sisters.

Practice what you Preach!

Faith without works is but an empty shell, promising on the outside, but further examination detects little or no substance. It is essential that we put our faith to work. It is imperative that we step out on faith and on God's word if we are to have productive and substantive lives. A true believer demonstrates his faith through, among other things, obedience. Start with obeying God's commandment to love your fellow men, even when you disagree with them on some issues. Obeying God's commandment to put him first, even though the world and our own flesh want to do otherwise. It takes faith to live according to God's will. But to just say you have faith and not live it out accomplishes nothing at all. Put your faith to work, practice what you preach.