"The tongue reveals the condition of my heart. The words that I speak are a mirror into my heart.
If I can’t talk about the Lord in the course of conversation, it means that my heart is not as focused and set on the Lord as it needs to be.
If you want your words to change, it’s not enough to focus on changing your speech. What we really... need is a heart change" www.reviveourhearts.com
to me the idea that we can't change is a myth. we can't change a person, but GOD can. we can't change an individuals heart, but GOD can. i am an example of someone that has been changed by GOD. what HE is doing in my heart only continues. what HE is doing in my mind only continues.
spouses tend to be the biggest culprits in trying to change each other. for some reason it becomes a woman's challenge to try and change whom her husband is after they get married. i'm guilty of this and i know most women are. when my husband and i first got married he had to learn that i really needed time by myself. it is just not in my nature to be with others all the time. i like being by myself a lot. a problem that i have and one that i still struggle with is his love of cars and electronics. he loves these things and i can't change that just like he can't change me wanting to be alone sometimes. we are still learning to compromise on these things after 9 years of marriage.
one of the biggest issues that my husband and i have faced is my words. i grew up in a family where we were verbal about our screw-ups - big time. we know when we've screwed up; my parents never hid that from us. my mother didn't yell about what we had done, but my dad did. i don't know which way was worse, i just knew when i had pushed the limit. each one of my brothers and my sister are strong-willed about what we believe and very passionate about it. it's not fun to hear how we've screwed up and what we should be doing.
i yell with my anger and my husband represses his anger. i tell him when i'm angry through yelling and he usually tells me months later when he was angry. he asked me to learn how to control my temper and i have asked him to tell me then when he is angry. when my boys fight i have to tell them to calm down and tell me what happened. they have to learn that they can't yell at each out of anger, but they do have to resolve it then. we are trying to teach them the correct way to do it, and not to learn from their parents actions on this one.
now with that said just because someone tells you what you should be doing doesn't mean they are going to do it. only GOD can do that. sometimes though just mentioning it makes someone decide to look into their hearts and think "maybe i should be doing that." think about paul from the bible. he went into churches and communities and held them accountable to scripture and to GOD's laws. do you think people wanted to hear what he had to say and the truth of scripture? no, that would be too much reality.
i attended a bible study yesterday regarding church history from 1700 to 1914. during this time it was decided that the church and government would separate in france. which ended up causing the french revolution. it wasn't the war that surprised me during this time it was the battle of words; the battle of GOD's words and man's. man believed that they knew what was right and not GOD (sound familiar?). so they decided to manipulate the words. we all do this today. we try to bend GOD's word to satisfy our own ego and selfishness.
when GOD is brought into the conversation sometimes it will feel offensive to you, but maybe that should be a red flag that you are probably doing it. hard lessons to learn for each one of us.
"he said to them, you are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but GOD knows your hearts. what is highly valued among men is detestable in GOD'S sight." luke 16:15
"but, let him who boasts boast in the LORD. for it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the LORD commends." 2 corinthians 10:17-18
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
GOD is so good
quite a few burdens have been lifted from my shoulders in the last week and it is because of our GLORIOUS GOD. i am so grateful for what HE has given me that it makes me want to search HIS WORDS and HIM all the more. in the last few days i have been overwhelmed with tears of joy and relief. HE is so good.
since preparing my heart to give to HIM fully so many obstacles, or fears have been going away. i feel a great peace coming over me that i have never felt. i have no idea if it's maturity, but there is great wisdom and joy that HE is continually giving me that is magnificent. learning to be comfortable in your own skin is a woman's dream.
one of the last books i read was about spiritual warfare. it gave the names of the demons that attack us; that attach themselves to us. i have never thought of the devil in this way before, but now it seems to be the only way i think about what he does to us. for example each demon was named; anger, doubt, gossip, fear, pride, worry, bitterness, resentment, guilt and regret. when one of these emotions pop up now i have begun praying to GOD to be rid of it; to cast it out.
there are so many great mysteries in the bible. some we will understand and know, others only HE will give us in heaven. the answers to why we are here, what we are to live for, and how to do it are right there at are fingertips in the bible. giving up control of our lives to HIM is what HE so desperately wants. as i watch the events of the world i hear in my mind what CHRIST yelled out at the time of HIS death; "forgive them FATHER, for they know not what they do." when will the blindness end?
i pray for for the world and each other that we will accept HIS words into our heart and begin to live the lives that HE wants us to have. that we will understand the great freedom of living without the sin that offends HIM when we accept HIM into our hearts. we have been given a great gift, let's try not waste it any longer.
"may our LORD JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF and GOD OUR FATHER, who loved us and by HIS grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 2 thessalonians 2:16-17"
"the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. psalm 146:8"
since preparing my heart to give to HIM fully so many obstacles, or fears have been going away. i feel a great peace coming over me that i have never felt. i have no idea if it's maturity, but there is great wisdom and joy that HE is continually giving me that is magnificent. learning to be comfortable in your own skin is a woman's dream.
one of the last books i read was about spiritual warfare. it gave the names of the demons that attack us; that attach themselves to us. i have never thought of the devil in this way before, but now it seems to be the only way i think about what he does to us. for example each demon was named; anger, doubt, gossip, fear, pride, worry, bitterness, resentment, guilt and regret. when one of these emotions pop up now i have begun praying to GOD to be rid of it; to cast it out.
there are so many great mysteries in the bible. some we will understand and know, others only HE will give us in heaven. the answers to why we are here, what we are to live for, and how to do it are right there at are fingertips in the bible. giving up control of our lives to HIM is what HE so desperately wants. as i watch the events of the world i hear in my mind what CHRIST yelled out at the time of HIS death; "forgive them FATHER, for they know not what they do." when will the blindness end?
i pray for for the world and each other that we will accept HIS words into our heart and begin to live the lives that HE wants us to have. that we will understand the great freedom of living without the sin that offends HIM when we accept HIM into our hearts. we have been given a great gift, let's try not waste it any longer.
"may our LORD JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF and GOD OUR FATHER, who loved us and by HIS grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 2 thessalonians 2:16-17"
"the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. psalm 146:8"
Sunday, February 6, 2011
gossip
everyone has done this. families and friends do it all the time. i don't know one individual that hasn't, or that still doesn't do it. we talk about people all the time. look at what our world does to celebrities. we justify it by saying "well their the ones that wanted to live in the limelight." does that make it right? nope.
as i got older i thought maybe that i would just grow out of this, but now it just takes a different form; judgement. i still gossip. i know i shouldn't ever. we all have our baggage. we all make mistakes. where is the sense of compassion? where is the understanding? when do we stop being hypocrites?
one of pastors last week talked about the gossip and rumors that were spread about him and his ex-wife. they were going through a very difficult time in their lives and people played the guessing game as to why they got a divorce. they are the only individuals that know reason why they divorced. what is shameful about it is, that it was the congregation that was spreading the rumors. i heard all sorts of stuff as to why it happened. my response should have been "let's not talk about it."
for most of us the action that a person commits tells us whom we think that individual is. if they make a bad choice, or they are pushed to limits and make a bad decision under stress then that defines who they are. that isn't always true and we know that. there's usually a bigger issue in the background going on than what we know about.
in my opinion there are 3 groups of individuals that are terrible about this; women, christians and families. all 3 love to gossip and make judgements about others. i have no idea why women do it, but they can become cruel when they do it. christians do it because they become too prideful in their journey and they can't see their own sin anymore. families do it because they are usually close, so they think that they can. all of us have fallen into this trap. if you can name one individual that doesn't do it - commend them.
as i get older the command to live a quiet life becomes more appealing. the taming of the tongue becomes more appealing (i need to work on this one; always have). usually when we do it we are trying to make ourselves feel better about ourselves, because in the grand scheme of things we probably have done the exact same thing that we are gossiping about. we should stop being hypocrites and just keep our mouths shut, because we will be held accountable for it by GOD.
"do not go about spreading slander among your people. do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD." leviticus 19:16
"your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor, you who practice deceit." psalm 52:2
"a gossip betrays a confidence, so avoid a man who talks too much." proverbs 20:19
"the words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts." proverbs 18:8
"how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." luke 6:42
"He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." matthew 24:51
as i got older i thought maybe that i would just grow out of this, but now it just takes a different form; judgement. i still gossip. i know i shouldn't ever. we all have our baggage. we all make mistakes. where is the sense of compassion? where is the understanding? when do we stop being hypocrites?
one of pastors last week talked about the gossip and rumors that were spread about him and his ex-wife. they were going through a very difficult time in their lives and people played the guessing game as to why they got a divorce. they are the only individuals that know reason why they divorced. what is shameful about it is, that it was the congregation that was spreading the rumors. i heard all sorts of stuff as to why it happened. my response should have been "let's not talk about it."
for most of us the action that a person commits tells us whom we think that individual is. if they make a bad choice, or they are pushed to limits and make a bad decision under stress then that defines who they are. that isn't always true and we know that. there's usually a bigger issue in the background going on than what we know about.
in my opinion there are 3 groups of individuals that are terrible about this; women, christians and families. all 3 love to gossip and make judgements about others. i have no idea why women do it, but they can become cruel when they do it. christians do it because they become too prideful in their journey and they can't see their own sin anymore. families do it because they are usually close, so they think that they can. all of us have fallen into this trap. if you can name one individual that doesn't do it - commend them.
as i get older the command to live a quiet life becomes more appealing. the taming of the tongue becomes more appealing (i need to work on this one; always have). usually when we do it we are trying to make ourselves feel better about ourselves, because in the grand scheme of things we probably have done the exact same thing that we are gossiping about. we should stop being hypocrites and just keep our mouths shut, because we will be held accountable for it by GOD.
"do not go about spreading slander among your people. do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD." leviticus 19:16
"your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor, you who practice deceit." psalm 52:2
"a gossip betrays a confidence, so avoid a man who talks too much." proverbs 20:19
"the words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts." proverbs 18:8
"how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." luke 6:42
"He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." matthew 24:51
Saturday, February 5, 2011
balance
i am becoming a hermit. i enjoy the silence of my home; really taking a breather from life. i love to have friends and family over, but after the events at the end of 2010 i haven't done that much. i have begun to study and educate myself more with what is happening in the world; plus just filling my soul with HIS words.
being giving of yourself is a natural process of your relationship with CHRIST. the desire to help and be there for others only becomes stronger in your journey with GOD over time. when it becomes a problem is when you haven't given the time to HIM and your immediate family. letting go of those idols is ok (not that my friends and family are idols). i think we tend to run away from our trials and feed them with non-important things so we don't have to face them.
giving up control to HIM completely is a challenge and that has been my focus for the new year. i've begun to listen to HIM more and what HE is asking of me. there is always something that you can continue to learn from HIM; always. as i watch the world events unfold around us i am saddened by what we have lost and what we are ignoring. each one of us has a purpose for our lives that HE has given us; a gift.
our desire to learn more about HIM comes in stages i think. i have noticed that there are weeks where i can't learn enough from scripture and then there are others that i just have to ponder it. i've noticed that my life was that way; there wasn't balance. i'm having to learn to balance it all, but to make sure HE is apart of my life everyday.
i have had to admit that i really don't feel well everyday and i can only do what i can. it's not that i feel that i am losing my drive, i just have found that i'm not going to do it all anymore unless i can. i have made a conviction to myself that if it interferes with my husband and my children it will stop. i can't carry guilt for not being able to do it all. i can't let societies rules come before GOD's rules for living.
living a christian life sometimes means living a quiet life. there are those around us that change the world by teaching scripture and how that has affected their life; that is their gift. my desire is that my husband knows he comes first in my life next to GOD. my desire is to write. that's how i spread the word of CHRIST. my desire is to open my home to others if they need me. my desire is to be a true friend. my desire is that i've given my boys a loving home that they can feel secure in. all of these desires were given to me by HIM. i can't praise HIM enough for that!
this is the year of GOD, my husband, and my boys; that's it. it feels pretty good to let life take its course for us. it is quite peaceful actually. i have begun to find balance.
"make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. 1 thessalonians 4:11-12"
"for the word of GOD is living and active. sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. hebrews 4:12"
"21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. james 1:21-25"
being giving of yourself is a natural process of your relationship with CHRIST. the desire to help and be there for others only becomes stronger in your journey with GOD over time. when it becomes a problem is when you haven't given the time to HIM and your immediate family. letting go of those idols is ok (not that my friends and family are idols). i think we tend to run away from our trials and feed them with non-important things so we don't have to face them.
giving up control to HIM completely is a challenge and that has been my focus for the new year. i've begun to listen to HIM more and what HE is asking of me. there is always something that you can continue to learn from HIM; always. as i watch the world events unfold around us i am saddened by what we have lost and what we are ignoring. each one of us has a purpose for our lives that HE has given us; a gift.
our desire to learn more about HIM comes in stages i think. i have noticed that there are weeks where i can't learn enough from scripture and then there are others that i just have to ponder it. i've noticed that my life was that way; there wasn't balance. i'm having to learn to balance it all, but to make sure HE is apart of my life everyday.
i have had to admit that i really don't feel well everyday and i can only do what i can. it's not that i feel that i am losing my drive, i just have found that i'm not going to do it all anymore unless i can. i have made a conviction to myself that if it interferes with my husband and my children it will stop. i can't carry guilt for not being able to do it all. i can't let societies rules come before GOD's rules for living.
living a christian life sometimes means living a quiet life. there are those around us that change the world by teaching scripture and how that has affected their life; that is their gift. my desire is that my husband knows he comes first in my life next to GOD. my desire is to write. that's how i spread the word of CHRIST. my desire is to open my home to others if they need me. my desire is to be a true friend. my desire is that i've given my boys a loving home that they can feel secure in. all of these desires were given to me by HIM. i can't praise HIM enough for that!
this is the year of GOD, my husband, and my boys; that's it. it feels pretty good to let life take its course for us. it is quite peaceful actually. i have begun to find balance.
"make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. 1 thessalonians 4:11-12"
"for the word of GOD is living and active. sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. hebrews 4:12"
"21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. james 1:21-25"
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
the guessing game; islam and christianity
i think as a christian at some point you try to guess when christ is coming and whom the antichrist is. scholars for years have tried to decipher revelations to figure out the exact date when HE will return. i bet every american president that has come and gone in the last 40 plus years has been the antichrist to some. i don't think we can possibly determine either one.
we know from scripture that we will not know the day when CHRIST will return so we must live each day as if HE was returning that day. satan is a little more obvious in my opinion. all we have to do is look at the world and we can see those that are playing his game whether they know it or not. as you journey further into the word of GOD you become more aware of what is sin and what isn't. first of all no one is perfect; only CHRIST is. accepting HIM means freedom from our sin, because HE took that upon HIMSELF in HIS death and resurrection.
a lot has changed in me over the last 10 years in my journey. one of those changes is that i was naive that the united states could never be hurt and that we couldn't lose our freedoms. another change is that i have noticed that a lot of christians are very naive as to what is happening in our world and we are just a little too comfy.
on 9/11 i really did not understand the motives behind the attacks fully until more recently. i didn't understand the complete reason why we have stayed in the middle east all these years since the attacks and i don't know if i will completely. granted i don't like having american citizens being in war, but what if GOD has a bigger reason for us to be there? what if HE really wants you to see what is going on around you? what if HE wants you to understand islam?
being a muslim has different levels. the top level is jihad. the men that sacrificed themselves on 9/11 were at the top in islam according to the quran and allah. they died, so they could bring islam to the world as the global religion. i don't hate them because they were taught to hate everything that wasn't the same as them. that's it. true muslims passionately, vehemently hate all other religions. there's the difference right there. we are told by CHRIST to love our enemies; they are told to hate. the reason why i say that is that i have been reading a book about a young man that was raised by a devout muslim and he is the son of one of the leaders of hamas.
for some of you reading this you are going to say, "but that is just hamas." this young man describes his father as a loving, caring, giving man that turns an eye while others kill innocent individuals in the name of allah, because they are not muslim. even though his rank is high in the muslim world he hasn't killed himself yet in the name allah, so he's only considered a moderate muslim.
as i've read more of this book i started to wonder if i could hold this individual as credible. what is ironic about it is i started reading it before the riots began in egypt. the number one force behind the riots is the muslim brotherhood. this organization began so that it could enforce the true meaning of the quran to the middle eastern people. this group believes that many have fallen from their religion just like christians have. they are rioting to remove one dictatorship to replace it with another. why would anyone support that; because of religious freedom? they do not have that luxury like we do.
here's a question we should maybe ask ourselves about whether or not we should have a presence in the middle east. in the revolution we fought britain because of tyranny. in the civil war abraham lincoln fought to end slavery. in world war II we knew what hitler was doing to the jews, and we knew he wanted control of the world. to say that we didn't is a lie. the only reason we entered the war was because of pearl harbor. shame on us for turning a blind eye on so many innocent lives that perished because of one man's dream of power. should we turn a blind eye now? if we do then we are no better than a terrorist in the group hamas. we as children of GOD cannot allow the freedom that we were so graciously given by GOD to be taken away.
i don't know all the answers; i'm not even going to pretend to. i just know that if we continue to be passive about the world then we will lose our freedoms; this includes our own country. can you imagine not being able to live a life of freedom to worship a loving, just GOD? we will not have peace until CHRIST comes again. no man can do that only GOD can.
"we have not received the spirit of the world but the spirit who is from GOD, that we may understand what GOD has freely given us." 1 corinthians 2:12
"this is love: not that we loved GOD, but that he loved us and sent HIS SON as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 john 4:10
"1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." james 4:1-4
"But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do." james 1:25
we know from scripture that we will not know the day when CHRIST will return so we must live each day as if HE was returning that day. satan is a little more obvious in my opinion. all we have to do is look at the world and we can see those that are playing his game whether they know it or not. as you journey further into the word of GOD you become more aware of what is sin and what isn't. first of all no one is perfect; only CHRIST is. accepting HIM means freedom from our sin, because HE took that upon HIMSELF in HIS death and resurrection.
a lot has changed in me over the last 10 years in my journey. one of those changes is that i was naive that the united states could never be hurt and that we couldn't lose our freedoms. another change is that i have noticed that a lot of christians are very naive as to what is happening in our world and we are just a little too comfy.
on 9/11 i really did not understand the motives behind the attacks fully until more recently. i didn't understand the complete reason why we have stayed in the middle east all these years since the attacks and i don't know if i will completely. granted i don't like having american citizens being in war, but what if GOD has a bigger reason for us to be there? what if HE really wants you to see what is going on around you? what if HE wants you to understand islam?
being a muslim has different levels. the top level is jihad. the men that sacrificed themselves on 9/11 were at the top in islam according to the quran and allah. they died, so they could bring islam to the world as the global religion. i don't hate them because they were taught to hate everything that wasn't the same as them. that's it. true muslims passionately, vehemently hate all other religions. there's the difference right there. we are told by CHRIST to love our enemies; they are told to hate. the reason why i say that is that i have been reading a book about a young man that was raised by a devout muslim and he is the son of one of the leaders of hamas.
for some of you reading this you are going to say, "but that is just hamas." this young man describes his father as a loving, caring, giving man that turns an eye while others kill innocent individuals in the name of allah, because they are not muslim. even though his rank is high in the muslim world he hasn't killed himself yet in the name allah, so he's only considered a moderate muslim.
as i've read more of this book i started to wonder if i could hold this individual as credible. what is ironic about it is i started reading it before the riots began in egypt. the number one force behind the riots is the muslim brotherhood. this organization began so that it could enforce the true meaning of the quran to the middle eastern people. this group believes that many have fallen from their religion just like christians have. they are rioting to remove one dictatorship to replace it with another. why would anyone support that; because of religious freedom? they do not have that luxury like we do.
here's a question we should maybe ask ourselves about whether or not we should have a presence in the middle east. in the revolution we fought britain because of tyranny. in the civil war abraham lincoln fought to end slavery. in world war II we knew what hitler was doing to the jews, and we knew he wanted control of the world. to say that we didn't is a lie. the only reason we entered the war was because of pearl harbor. shame on us for turning a blind eye on so many innocent lives that perished because of one man's dream of power. should we turn a blind eye now? if we do then we are no better than a terrorist in the group hamas. we as children of GOD cannot allow the freedom that we were so graciously given by GOD to be taken away.
i don't know all the answers; i'm not even going to pretend to. i just know that if we continue to be passive about the world then we will lose our freedoms; this includes our own country. can you imagine not being able to live a life of freedom to worship a loving, just GOD? we will not have peace until CHRIST comes again. no man can do that only GOD can.
"we have not received the spirit of the world but the spirit who is from GOD, that we may understand what GOD has freely given us." 1 corinthians 2:12
"this is love: not that we loved GOD, but that he loved us and sent HIS SON as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 john 4:10
"1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." james 4:1-4
"But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do." james 1:25
Monday, January 31, 2011
the ultimate goal
heaven is the ultimate goal. what we do on earth is going to determine our outcome for eternal life. normally i would be freaked out completely by this, and would be stressing over this now. this is the year though that i have challenged myself to completely let go and let GOD'S rules take over.
our pastor said something yesterday that was a burden lifted that i didn't even realize i had. i have been begging for years to have some of my emotional pain be removed and it's never gone away. what if GOD has intended for me to have it, so i will continue to rely on HIM? our pastor stood before the congregation and with great humility confessed the terrible pain that he had been going through in his marriage which ultimately ended in divorce.
what i took away from that sermon was that there are some things in life that will never go away; the pain of it. i still have pain over my parents divorce. i've been praying for it to be taken away, and most of it has actually been taken away. i have forgiven those that i know caused this pain; i love them dearly. this emotional heartache is actually a huge driving force in my life that encourages me to strive. this actual pain is what makes me continue to make my marriage stronger.
my husband and i have a joke that when we got married we were "blinded" by the love. for those of you that are married you remember the euphoric, romantic love that blinded all sense of reality to what marriage was really going to be like that is what "blinded by the love means." the month before we were married was hell, actually the whole time planning the wedding was not much fun. the end result was beautiful; i loved my wedding.
if there is any advice that i could give someone getting married is that you must be willing to continually sacrifice for one another, or you're not going to make it. there are some things that i know you can't sacrifice and that will always be a challenge. when you're young and getting married remember this. the marriages that have lasted over 20, 30, 40 years i'm sure know this already. the other is to remember that you will change over time, sometimes for the better and sometimes not.
our marriage is preparing us over the course our lifetime to be graced by HIM. what we choose to do in our marriage is a reflection on HIM. your relationship with CHRIST is the same. GOD tells you what is right and what is wrong. GOD tells you what is acceptable and what isn't. GOD tells you what is offensive and what isn't. GOD is continually teaching us to learn from HIS word; not just ourselves, but from each other.
i remember an argument that i had with my father years ago. i was a teenager and in my selfish and prideful ego i asked my father to choose me over my step-mother; to put me first. he said no. i remember that i was so angry and hurt by this, but i get it now. i can imagine how destroying that would have been to their marriage. in that one moment my father showed me one of the greatest lessons about love and marriage.
a friend yesterday that i've known for years said "10 years ago if you had told me that you would become religious i wouldn't have believed it." my response was that i got sick, but i have reconsidered that answer. i got sick and got married. two of the greatest blessings that i have ever been given by GOD.
"15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." colossians 1:15-20
our pastor said something yesterday that was a burden lifted that i didn't even realize i had. i have been begging for years to have some of my emotional pain be removed and it's never gone away. what if GOD has intended for me to have it, so i will continue to rely on HIM? our pastor stood before the congregation and with great humility confessed the terrible pain that he had been going through in his marriage which ultimately ended in divorce.
what i took away from that sermon was that there are some things in life that will never go away; the pain of it. i still have pain over my parents divorce. i've been praying for it to be taken away, and most of it has actually been taken away. i have forgiven those that i know caused this pain; i love them dearly. this emotional heartache is actually a huge driving force in my life that encourages me to strive. this actual pain is what makes me continue to make my marriage stronger.
my husband and i have a joke that when we got married we were "blinded" by the love. for those of you that are married you remember the euphoric, romantic love that blinded all sense of reality to what marriage was really going to be like that is what "blinded by the love means." the month before we were married was hell, actually the whole time planning the wedding was not much fun. the end result was beautiful; i loved my wedding.
if there is any advice that i could give someone getting married is that you must be willing to continually sacrifice for one another, or you're not going to make it. there are some things that i know you can't sacrifice and that will always be a challenge. when you're young and getting married remember this. the marriages that have lasted over 20, 30, 40 years i'm sure know this already. the other is to remember that you will change over time, sometimes for the better and sometimes not.
our marriage is preparing us over the course our lifetime to be graced by HIM. what we choose to do in our marriage is a reflection on HIM. your relationship with CHRIST is the same. GOD tells you what is right and what is wrong. GOD tells you what is acceptable and what isn't. GOD tells you what is offensive and what isn't. GOD is continually teaching us to learn from HIS word; not just ourselves, but from each other.
i remember an argument that i had with my father years ago. i was a teenager and in my selfish and prideful ego i asked my father to choose me over my step-mother; to put me first. he said no. i remember that i was so angry and hurt by this, but i get it now. i can imagine how destroying that would have been to their marriage. in that one moment my father showed me one of the greatest lessons about love and marriage.
a friend yesterday that i've known for years said "10 years ago if you had told me that you would become religious i wouldn't have believed it." my response was that i got sick, but i have reconsidered that answer. i got sick and got married. two of the greatest blessings that i have ever been given by GOD.
"15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." colossians 1:15-20
Thursday, January 27, 2011
clothe ourselves in humility
"All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble" 1 peter 5:5
last night was the last sermon in the sermon series "thirsting for GOD" by gary thomas. for those of you that don't know me i am a gary thomas junkie. i love his teachings. one of the things i know i admire about him is his humility. to be quite honest i can't name many individuals that have humility. what a shocker! as c.s. lewis said "pride is a cancer."
in our society it is viewed as a weakness; to GOD it is one of the ultimate acts of serving HIM. all of us have pride. for those of us that say we have humility; that's another act of pride. selfishness equals pride. the world has told us that we need to be glorified at all times for our choices and our acts of serving another. does GOD do this? in my opinion, no. our egos are too big to admit the gifts we've been given, or the failures that plague us.
mr. thomas said last night one of the main reasons why most marriages fail is because of pride. this didn't really surprise me. the reason why i say that is because every act that happens to force a marriage into divorce is pride. we begin to resent our spouse for not realizing what we need in a marriage, so pride and sin take over. we can't see past our own selfishness to see what the other individual needs and why. GOD designed marriage to be graced with humility; to serve one another with no other reward other than to GLORIFY GOD. husbands and wives are to serve one another.
i take pride in my failures more than i do my gifts. totally big issue right there! i have no idea how to create balance. i don't know how to accept someones encouragement, or compliments because i can't believe that about myself. this is a struggle i realize, and i need to work on this.
mr. thomas also brought up parenting and having humility in the home. i thought long and hard about this. if a couple cannot admit their failures too each other, seek forgiveness, and show humility how will our children learn that? one of the greatest gifts we can give children is humility; the complete act of serving GOD and another before themselves.
i have no idea how to find balance with the act of humility. i am also finding that i can only count maybe 3 individuals in my life that have found this balance. i know a lot of people.
i do know that two of the most disgusting displays of pride is our government and oprah winfrey. see i don't care what they have done for individuals; i just want them to do it without seeking glorification from everyone else. the only reason why they are doing it is for their own selfish means; they want the world to see them as wonderful beings - they are playing GOD.
"6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." 1 peter 5:6-8
last night was the last sermon in the sermon series "thirsting for GOD" by gary thomas. for those of you that don't know me i am a gary thomas junkie. i love his teachings. one of the things i know i admire about him is his humility. to be quite honest i can't name many individuals that have humility. what a shocker! as c.s. lewis said "pride is a cancer."
in our society it is viewed as a weakness; to GOD it is one of the ultimate acts of serving HIM. all of us have pride. for those of us that say we have humility; that's another act of pride. selfishness equals pride. the world has told us that we need to be glorified at all times for our choices and our acts of serving another. does GOD do this? in my opinion, no. our egos are too big to admit the gifts we've been given, or the failures that plague us.
mr. thomas said last night one of the main reasons why most marriages fail is because of pride. this didn't really surprise me. the reason why i say that is because every act that happens to force a marriage into divorce is pride. we begin to resent our spouse for not realizing what we need in a marriage, so pride and sin take over. we can't see past our own selfishness to see what the other individual needs and why. GOD designed marriage to be graced with humility; to serve one another with no other reward other than to GLORIFY GOD. husbands and wives are to serve one another.
i take pride in my failures more than i do my gifts. totally big issue right there! i have no idea how to create balance. i don't know how to accept someones encouragement, or compliments because i can't believe that about myself. this is a struggle i realize, and i need to work on this.
mr. thomas also brought up parenting and having humility in the home. i thought long and hard about this. if a couple cannot admit their failures too each other, seek forgiveness, and show humility how will our children learn that? one of the greatest gifts we can give children is humility; the complete act of serving GOD and another before themselves.
i have no idea how to find balance with the act of humility. i am also finding that i can only count maybe 3 individuals in my life that have found this balance. i know a lot of people.
i do know that two of the most disgusting displays of pride is our government and oprah winfrey. see i don't care what they have done for individuals; i just want them to do it without seeking glorification from everyone else. the only reason why they are doing it is for their own selfish means; they want the world to see them as wonderful beings - they are playing GOD.
"6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen." 1 peter 5:6-8
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