23
Feb '19
Our God Given Purpose
23
Feb '19
I have Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life” book, and it’s been sitting on an end table in my living room for over a year. Every time I start to read it, I’m reminded that it’s recommended you read a small bit each day. Well, things tend to happen where there’s a day I can’t get to it, and then it falls by the wayside. When I read a book, I typically like to read it cover to cover as quickly as possible. I don’t like to read for 10 minutes and then set it down for a day and do it again the next – it’s just not my recommended way to read.
Lately, however, I’ve been pondering my purpose in life; wishing I’d have gotten through that Rick Warren book at least once so far. So, I decided to resort to YouTube to see what other people were saying about a “Godly Purpose”. The theme that kept coming up that these people Read more…
Lately, however, I’ve been pondering my purpose in life; wishing I’d have gotten through that Rick Warren book at least once so far. So, I decided to resort to YouTube to see what other people were saying about a “Godly Purpose”. The theme that kept coming up that these people Read more…
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23
Feb '19
The Guiding Light
23
Feb '19
“The crowd responded, “We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?” Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.” After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.” John 12:34-36 NLT
Last week, I talked a bit about my own fear. There was a great deal of apprehension that went with it, and the days after writing it were a bit nerve racking to say the least. However, the thing I gained greatest comfort in was God would take me one of two places. One, He would Read more…
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16
Feb '19
Breakthroughs
16
Feb '19
I was listening to a podcast many months ago where the pastor was talking about breakthroughs. At the time, I felt like he was talking right to me, and now months later, I’m feeling the real peace that I believe comes before a breakthrough. I’m not sure when this breakthrough is going to happen, and I surely have ZERO idea what it looks like in my life, but whatever it looks like, I know it’s God’s plan. “Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been Read more…
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16
Feb '19
Setting Standards
16
Feb '19
When we don’t set standards in our lives, it can become easy to conform to the ways of this world. If we don’t seek our direction from God, Satan has a way of slithering in and telling us that it’s okay to “think like that,” it’s okay to “live like that,” it’s okay to “keep doing the things you’re doing,” only it’s not. Romans 12:12 -“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” We follow certain standards in our work Read more…
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16
Feb '19
Removing the Veil
16
Feb '19
Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.
But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 2 Corinthians 3:12-16
What is it you are afraid of? You might be worried about offending someone or hurting their feelings. You might lose a Read more…
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09
Feb '19
Dating with Purpose
09
Feb '19
Any of you who know me, know that I’m a single girl. Well, this middle-aged single girl has recently started dating again. I thought maybe it would be hard getting myself back out there – after a long term relationship failure, a bit of fear can creep in. Getting to know someone again, I thought would be daunting – but I’m finding that it’s actually really fun learning about and getting to know new people. I just need to stay focused so I have the right motives going into things, and as a Christian girl, I have some things that are necessary, right up front, when it comes to dating. Even though I’ve been a Christian since the age of 15, many times in my Read more…
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09
Feb '19
Blessed Assurance
09
Feb '19
“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”
The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Jeremiah 1:6-8
What does it mean to have confidence? As I mentioned previously, I can tend to worry about things and lose focus on what matters. The other day, I had a challenge where for one reason or another, I could not seem to get a project done. There were many distractions that prevented me from working on it, and before I knew it, I was hitting against a deadline. In this case, there was this feel of calm that came over me as I began to work on the task at hand. Read more…
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09
Feb '19
Daddy’s Hands
09
Feb '19
Well, January 27th marked eighteen years since my dad left this world and went home to heaven. My dad was the greatest man on earth “in my eyes”. Don’t get me wrong, He had problems and issues just like everyone else. He and my mom went through battles and hard times through the years, but one thing’s for sure, they always came out of it together and they always loved their family deeply. My dad was the one that I could always count on. He always did his best to make sure that my daughter and I were always taken care of. If I needed rescuing from my car breaking down in the middle of Ford road, or my pipes bursting in the middle of the night, he was always there. I remember him coming over when that happened to crawl under my house to turn off the water valve because I didn’t know what to do. I can remember him showing me over and over again how to put oil in my old Ford Pinto until I finally “got it.” He loved my little girl with all of his heart. When she was a lot younger, my work shifts meant that she spent a lot of time with my parents. She became a permanent part of their lives. There’s so many memories. I remember him and my mom working to fix things up out in the garage. I remember his working hands quite vividly. So many sweet memories.
Our Father in heaven loves us unconditionally. His hands take hold of us and guide us through each day. Why would He do that when we are so undeserving? Because He loves us so much. God’s love isn’t based on what we do or don’t do, He loves us no matter who we are or what we’ve done. I seek God each day knowing that He will lead me. When I make those “stupid mistakes,” I know that He will walk me through them and forgive me. I turn to God because He knows me better than anyone, He designed me to be used to fulfill His perfect plan. It doesn’t matter what the day holds for me, I am going to make mistakes and I will stumble and fall. It’s part of my human nature. When I turn my focus to my heavenly Father, He will pick me up and dust me off and lead me on the right path once again. He never gets tired of loving me.
1 John 4:10 ESV
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Romans 5:8-9 ESV
But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God.
But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God.
2 Thessalonians 3:5 ESV
May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.
May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.
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Have a blessed day!!!
Rita
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02
Feb '19
Simple and Complex
02
Feb '19
When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away
childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will
see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know
everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 1 Corinthians 13:11-12
childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will
see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know
everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 1 Corinthians 13:11-12
A pastor challenged me the other day saying, “We all know that we sin because we are sinners.” There
is great truth to that, and I agree wholeheartedly with that statement. However, it felt like for lack of
better term ‘generic.’ The statement seemed hollow because it was too simplistic. We are sinners, and
thus, we sin. But our issue with sin is much more complex than that. I worried I was over-complicating
the situation, but that was not the case. When we first came to know God, it was a very simple generic
understanding of these simple truths: 1) There is a God, 2) we are not Him, and 3) He loves us
unconditionally. Today, I write 500 or so words on one facet of each of those truths He has taught me,
and He connects with me through many different interactions. The homeless man on the street, the
woman holding her baby, a couple praying together, and even a phone call from my mom remind me
that God is everywhere. So, which is it? Is our connection with God simple needing repetition, or is it
complex in meaning and value as many of our relationships are?
Our relationship with God is both simplistic and beautifully complex. The simplicity of it is as the pastor
pointed out to me is God must be our provider. We are like children; dependent on Him for everything
and trusting that He knows what is right and just. This concept is easy to grasp. However, God is also
beautifully complex. I emphasize the word ‘beautifully’ because as we learn more of Him and grow in
our faith, we build on our understanding of Him, and since God is good, what the relationship produces
is the same. It is what moves us to tears as we gain greater knowledge of His will, and it opens our eyes
toward finding His purpose for us. It is incredibly complex because while we are inextricably linked to
Him and each other, no two pathways are the same. That is His intention, and as one of my churches
preaches, a mosaic of people cannot be obtained by everyone looking and thinking the same. It is only
through challenging and sharing that we gain greater understanding of His kingdom. It is why we can
look at verses like today and see both the child and adult in us. The child harkens to Jesus’ teaching of
one must be like a child to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (see Matthew 18:3, 19:14). Yet we must be
foundationally solid to better recognize the inner-workings of our spiritual growth that makes us stronger
disciples for Christ (see Hebrews 5:12-14).
God is our everything. He is the foundation of our faith and light at the end of the tunnel. He can help
us get through the most difficult of times and keep us on the righteous path when we don’t. Paul’s
point in today’s verse is not to say we have all the answers. Instead, it is to challenge us to seek them. It
is to not settle for where we our in our relationship. It is to continue to push, struggle, and fight for it is
only then that true growth is achieved. Don’t over-complicate the journey. Trust that Christ is there to
guide you through it. How can God’s simple truths reassure you today? Where can you embrace the
beauty of your complex relationship with God? My prayer is that we grow spiritually by understanding
our simple and complex relationship with God. Amen.
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Kent
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02
Feb '19
Sharing God’s Word
02
Feb '19
I don’t get tired of sharing God’s Word. I love reading and researching things to help me better understand what God’s purposes for different things are. There are friends that I have at work that continue to ask me for “the word of the day.” I only started doing that because one of them would constantly ask me just for fun, what the word of the day was. So I started keeping a list of words handy with scripture to go with them. So when I get the question, I’m prepared. That has helped me so much. Sometimes there will be others that will try to discourage me. But I don’t quit being who I am. God uses all of us in different Read more…
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