When do you feel your weakest? What is a part of you or your make-up that you think will never be able to help you and only hold you back? Did you ever think that your weakest link may be your greatest asset?
Jesus said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9b. At this point in time, Paul has been talking about a thorn in his flesh, that keeps holding him up, and frustrating what he is trying to do, but all of a sudden he realizes that this weakness can actually be used to glorify God because Christ is working through the weakness.
The power of Christ will work through your weakness too, and it will show even greater strength than the best asset you were born with. His glory and grace will shine out for the world to see through these weaknesses because when the power comes from us the world will think it is of us, but when the power comes from our weakness the world will see it is of Christ working through us.
As a student my worst subject was English and writing, I was definitely a right-brained individual. Give me any math problem or science question and I could complete it with very little effort, but give me a writing assignment and I would cry until it was complete and turned in. I had a very hard time putting my thoughts to paper and then trying to make my thoughts line up to even sound coherent. So, as you can see, when I began to write I never once thought it would be good for anything, and I honestly never thought anyone would get anything from it. To this day, I still battle with this weakness. Daily I still battle with not being good enough to write and if I'm confessing, I actually write everyday even if I don't post it because I don't believe what I write is worth anything to anyone. However, this weakness of mine is a place that Christ can show his great power and the Holy Spirit encourages me with this Truth.
In this I want to also encourage you to allow Christ to work through your weakness, so that His glory may be seen the world round. You never know what He will do in the midst of your weakness. "So now I am glad to boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me." 2 Corinthians 12:9c.
Let Christ make your weakest link your greatest asset. "For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:10b.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
I Try!
Do you love Jesus? No, Really! Do you love Jesus? He said, "If you love me, obey my commandments." John 14:15. Now I will say it again, do you love Jesus?
This is hard isn't it? I love Jesus, but I will be the first to admit I don't fully obey all of his commandments all the time. But I do try. I try to obey his commandments. I try to love my neighbors as myself. I try to forgive every sin done against me. I try to keep the words coming from my mouth always holy. I TRY! But I need to do more than just try.
I need to always love as Christ first loved me. "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other." John 13:34. For all of his commandments and all of his ways fall under this one command. When we are loving as He has loved then and only then are we proving our love for Him.
Its like a continuous cycle. God loved the world so much that He gave us His only Son. (John 3:16) Jesus died on the cross for our sins out of His love for us and His obedience to His Father. We must now die to ourselves and show that same unselfish love to the world to show our love for Jesus. Then in that love God will love us and Jesus will love us, and He will once again show himself to us. And then the cycle continues.
So, do you love Jesus? Then obey His commands! "Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them." John 15:21.
This is hard isn't it? I love Jesus, but I will be the first to admit I don't fully obey all of his commandments all the time. But I do try. I try to obey his commandments. I try to love my neighbors as myself. I try to forgive every sin done against me. I try to keep the words coming from my mouth always holy. I TRY! But I need to do more than just try.
I need to always love as Christ first loved me. "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other." John 13:34. For all of his commandments and all of his ways fall under this one command. When we are loving as He has loved then and only then are we proving our love for Him.
Its like a continuous cycle. God loved the world so much that He gave us His only Son. (John 3:16) Jesus died on the cross for our sins out of His love for us and His obedience to His Father. We must now die to ourselves and show that same unselfish love to the world to show our love for Jesus. Then in that love God will love us and Jesus will love us, and He will once again show himself to us. And then the cycle continues.
So, do you love Jesus? Then obey His commands! "Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them." John 15:21.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Go to the Work!
"All those who want to be my disciples must come and follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And if they follow me, the Father will honor them." John 12:26.
Right now, right this very second, God is doing Something. He is actually working on something that He wants you to come alongside Him and do with Him. He isn't wanting us to come up with something new, God wants us to follow Him and join His Work. God has promised He will always be with us, but if we want God to Honor what we are doing, we must start doing what He wants. We must join Him and not expect Him to join us. When we stop trying to fit Him into the work we are doing, getting off of our egotistical horse, and actually follow after Him, we will see God at work. "The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God's help live in joy." Psalm 69:32. And when we follow God we will see Him at work and be filled with His joy, a true gladness, that will inspire us and grow us into the disciples He has called us to be. So look around, where is God already working? Join Him and reap the blessings of His Joy and closeness as His disciple.
Right now, right this very second, God is doing Something. He is actually working on something that He wants you to come alongside Him and do with Him. He isn't wanting us to come up with something new, God wants us to follow Him and join His Work. God has promised He will always be with us, but if we want God to Honor what we are doing, we must start doing what He wants. We must join Him and not expect Him to join us. When we stop trying to fit Him into the work we are doing, getting off of our egotistical horse, and actually follow after Him, we will see God at work. "The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God's help live in joy." Psalm 69:32. And when we follow God we will see Him at work and be filled with His joy, a true gladness, that will inspire us and grow us into the disciples He has called us to be. So look around, where is God already working? Join Him and reap the blessings of His Joy and closeness as His disciple.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Looking like a Fool!
What would you think if I said I don't mind looking like a fool? - We are told not to be fools right? Well what about if I said I don't mind looking like a fool when I am praising God?
Okay, okay, yes, we are told not to be foolish. "A wise child brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother." Proverbs 10:1. But I didn't say BE foolish, I said LOOK foolish, and really the only one you will be looking foolish to is the one who is judgmental, not confident enough in their own faith, or the one who doesn't trust in the Lord at all.
God wants us to praise Him with all of our might, with all of our soul, and with all of our heart, and if that means looking like a fool to others, then DO IT! "Praise God, all you people of Israel; praise the LORD, the source of Israel's life." Psalms 68:26. We are to praise Him because He gave us life, not just breath, but eternal life. Isn't life alone enough to praise Him to the point of awkwardness or foolishness?
Now, I've been to my fair share of college and NFL football games where I witnessed people acting like fools for their team and a lot of the time I took part in it. There was screaming, yelling, going half naked, painted from head to toe in team colors, wearing cheese on your head...come on, isn't that foolish? I've also been to way too many crazy concerts and watched as women decide it would be okay to throw their panties and bras up on the stage or men and some women make mosh pits where they beat their bodies up against one another just to celebrate their favorite group or team. So, if we are willing to look foolish for this, shouldn't we be willing to look foolish for God?
This is not a new question. This has been debated over time. Even in the old Testament, David, newly annointed King of Israel, was rocking and rolling, conquering kingdoms, marrying wives, bringing back the taken Ark of the Covenant. He didn't do all these things quietly, with his hands by his side, his head hanging low...NO....David began dancing and singing, acting crazy, praising the LORD. When as soon as He walked into the Palace his wife Milcah sees him and gets furiously embarrassed over his actions. But, "David retorted to Milcah, 'I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the LORD. So I am willing to act like a fool in order to show my joy in the LORD." 2 Samuel 6:21. David said he had all the reason to act like a fool, he was appointed by God above others and he needed to praise Him, and the good news is, so were we. "He made us his kingdom and his priests who serve before God his Father. Give to him everlasting glory! He rules forever and ever! Amen!" Revelations 1:6.
Okay, okay, yes, we are told not to be foolish. "A wise child brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother." Proverbs 10:1. But I didn't say BE foolish, I said LOOK foolish, and really the only one you will be looking foolish to is the one who is judgmental, not confident enough in their own faith, or the one who doesn't trust in the Lord at all.
God wants us to praise Him with all of our might, with all of our soul, and with all of our heart, and if that means looking like a fool to others, then DO IT! "Praise God, all you people of Israel; praise the LORD, the source of Israel's life." Psalms 68:26. We are to praise Him because He gave us life, not just breath, but eternal life. Isn't life alone enough to praise Him to the point of awkwardness or foolishness?
Now, I've been to my fair share of college and NFL football games where I witnessed people acting like fools for their team and a lot of the time I took part in it. There was screaming, yelling, going half naked, painted from head to toe in team colors, wearing cheese on your head...come on, isn't that foolish? I've also been to way too many crazy concerts and watched as women decide it would be okay to throw their panties and bras up on the stage or men and some women make mosh pits where they beat their bodies up against one another just to celebrate their favorite group or team. So, if we are willing to look foolish for this, shouldn't we be willing to look foolish for God?
This is not a new question. This has been debated over time. Even in the old Testament, David, newly annointed King of Israel, was rocking and rolling, conquering kingdoms, marrying wives, bringing back the taken Ark of the Covenant. He didn't do all these things quietly, with his hands by his side, his head hanging low...NO....David began dancing and singing, acting crazy, praising the LORD. When as soon as He walked into the Palace his wife Milcah sees him and gets furiously embarrassed over his actions. But, "David retorted to Milcah, 'I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the LORD. So I am willing to act like a fool in order to show my joy in the LORD." 2 Samuel 6:21. David said he had all the reason to act like a fool, he was appointed by God above others and he needed to praise Him, and the good news is, so were we. "He made us his kingdom and his priests who serve before God his Father. Give to him everlasting glory! He rules forever and ever! Amen!" Revelations 1:6.
David did it; God appointed us; Feel free to look like a Fool for the Glory and Praise of the God of the All Creation!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Power in the Weakness
"Teacher,' his disciples asked him, 'why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his sins or his parents?" John 9:2.
Did you realize that people still question someone's misfortune being a cause from their sin? And I'm not talking the consequences of a sin, I'm talking a miscarriage, cancer, being born blind, being born deaf, being born without a limb. These are all flaws, but not of our sins. Usually it is legalists that try and tell us we have this flaw because of some past sin either on our own right or our families sin, but sometimes we do this even to ourselves. Have you ever wondered why you are the way you are, why you of all people have a flaw that hinders you from doing something you enjoy, or what have you done that has caused you or someone dear to you to suffer an illness or a misfortune? Well Jesus tells us things of this sort have nothing to do with sin. "It was not because of his sin or his parents' sins,' Jesus answered. 'He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him." John 9:3.
When I had my miscarriage my first few weeks of thought kept going back to everything I could have done differently. I even thought, maybe God is punishing me for all of my past sins, not allowing me to have another child, but in the mist of all this I realized God wasn't blaming me or punishing me, he was carrying me. "Praise the Lord; praise God our Savior! For each day He carries us in his arms." Psalm 68:19. And He was carrying me so that He could prepare me to stand on my feet stronger than before, ready for the task He had set ahead of me. "All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me, because there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end." John 9:4.
We can't allow these hindrances to become excuses for the work God has planned out for us from before we were born. We must use our hindrances to glorify Him, and He will bless us in a way that will make our deficiency seem like a new blessing. God gives us things that we may see as blemishes, problems, and hindrances to be used to show His power and majesty. He created each of us special, with a preplanned agenda, and if we allow our flaws to hold us back we can't glorify Him in the way He wanted to use us.
My miscarriage ended up becoming a way for me to grow closer to Him, so that He could speak to my heart, heal my inner feelings, and create a testimony to Glorify Him.
Your flaws and my flaws are not a sin of the past, but a blessing for the future. Look to Him to see how He wants to use you and work with the end in sight! Because in the end He made the Blind Man See, He gave me Twin Girls, and He will make all of us perfect in our weaknesses.
"9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9.
Did you realize that people still question someone's misfortune being a cause from their sin? And I'm not talking the consequences of a sin, I'm talking a miscarriage, cancer, being born blind, being born deaf, being born without a limb. These are all flaws, but not of our sins. Usually it is legalists that try and tell us we have this flaw because of some past sin either on our own right or our families sin, but sometimes we do this even to ourselves. Have you ever wondered why you are the way you are, why you of all people have a flaw that hinders you from doing something you enjoy, or what have you done that has caused you or someone dear to you to suffer an illness or a misfortune? Well Jesus tells us things of this sort have nothing to do with sin. "It was not because of his sin or his parents' sins,' Jesus answered. 'He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him." John 9:3.
When I had my miscarriage my first few weeks of thought kept going back to everything I could have done differently. I even thought, maybe God is punishing me for all of my past sins, not allowing me to have another child, but in the mist of all this I realized God wasn't blaming me or punishing me, he was carrying me. "Praise the Lord; praise God our Savior! For each day He carries us in his arms." Psalm 68:19. And He was carrying me so that He could prepare me to stand on my feet stronger than before, ready for the task He had set ahead of me. "All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me, because there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end." John 9:4.
We can't allow these hindrances to become excuses for the work God has planned out for us from before we were born. We must use our hindrances to glorify Him, and He will bless us in a way that will make our deficiency seem like a new blessing. God gives us things that we may see as blemishes, problems, and hindrances to be used to show His power and majesty. He created each of us special, with a preplanned agenda, and if we allow our flaws to hold us back we can't glorify Him in the way He wanted to use us.
My miscarriage ended up becoming a way for me to grow closer to Him, so that He could speak to my heart, heal my inner feelings, and create a testimony to Glorify Him.
Your flaws and my flaws are not a sin of the past, but a blessing for the future. Look to Him to see how He wants to use you and work with the end in sight! Because in the end He made the Blind Man See, He gave me Twin Girls, and He will make all of us perfect in our weaknesses.
"9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Faithful Disciple
Have you ever thought, "Am I truly being a disciple of Jesus?" Or have you ever wondered what your life should look like if you were being a faithful disciple? Jesus firms up all these questions in your heart when he was talking about the true children of God.
"Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, "You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32.
We are truly, fully disciples of Jesus when we obey His Word. "Disciple" defined is a student or follower; an adherent to the teachings of a particular teacher or school of thought.-Women of Faith NIV Study Bible. Just like being a good student to any teacher we must listen, understand, and obey our teacher. In the Case of Jesus we must follow after Him, and once we do this, once we become a disciple of His, we will know the truth "Jesus" and the truth will set us free. Like the Jesus followers in his day, you may be thinking, but I'm not a slave. Well Jesus says, anyone who sins is a slave to sin, but when we are His disciples, fully following after Him, we are transformed into His likeness, and no longer sinning and no longer a slave. Now, if we are being disobedient to God, sinning, then we are a slave, and Jesus also says, "A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever." John 8:35.
So, when we are being Jesus disciple we will know the truth, the truth will end our enslavement to sin, the chains will be broken that hold us to this world, and we will be the Children of God. The life of a faithful disciple will be in the family of Christ, the House of God, and the Kingdom of Heaven.
Our sins or disobedience to God only forge a gap, sometimes a trench, other times a ravine, and every once in a while a canyon between us and God. But when we begin to follow after Jesus or turn back to His Word he will build a bridge strong enough and long enough to reach any distance filling us with His truth and adopting us into His family. The more of the truth we believe, the more we follow, the more we will look like Jesus, and the more we will resemble our brother, Christ.
"Then he said to the crowd, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me." Luke 9:23.
Don't lose your life to sin, but gain new life, eternal life, by following Christ and being His Disciple!
"Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, "You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32.
We are truly, fully disciples of Jesus when we obey His Word. "Disciple" defined is a student or follower; an adherent to the teachings of a particular teacher or school of thought.-Women of Faith NIV Study Bible. Just like being a good student to any teacher we must listen, understand, and obey our teacher. In the Case of Jesus we must follow after Him, and once we do this, once we become a disciple of His, we will know the truth "Jesus" and the truth will set us free. Like the Jesus followers in his day, you may be thinking, but I'm not a slave. Well Jesus says, anyone who sins is a slave to sin, but when we are His disciples, fully following after Him, we are transformed into His likeness, and no longer sinning and no longer a slave. Now, if we are being disobedient to God, sinning, then we are a slave, and Jesus also says, "A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever." John 8:35.
So, when we are being Jesus disciple we will know the truth, the truth will end our enslavement to sin, the chains will be broken that hold us to this world, and we will be the Children of God. The life of a faithful disciple will be in the family of Christ, the House of God, and the Kingdom of Heaven.
Our sins or disobedience to God only forge a gap, sometimes a trench, other times a ravine, and every once in a while a canyon between us and God. But when we begin to follow after Jesus or turn back to His Word he will build a bridge strong enough and long enough to reach any distance filling us with His truth and adopting us into His family. The more of the truth we believe, the more we follow, the more we will look like Jesus, and the more we will resemble our brother, Christ.
"Then he said to the crowd, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me." Luke 9:23.
Don't lose your life to sin, but gain new life, eternal life, by following Christ and being His Disciple!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Wisdom in the Silence
Don't you just abhor being taunted? I know I do, and there are some people in my life who just feel it is their life duty to pick and pick and pick at me. These people are wanting to see how long it will take me to crack my calmness and plain out rouse me.
These people knew me before my walk with Christ and knew at one point in my life I could be a real hothead. They want to be able to prove I'm still the same person I once was. Ultimately, they are trying to prove that God didn't do a major work in me (Philippians 1:6) and transform me into a new person (Romans 12:2). But God did! He is molding me into Christ's likeness, and no matter how much I am taunted, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I may mess up every once in a while, I might have a slip of the tongue on the harsh side, but I know God is working this all out. "The godly think before speaking; the wicked sport evil words." Proverbs 15:28.
Jesus is our example, and we should follow Him. When the Pharisees were trying to capture Him and use His own words against Him, Jesus was staying calm. The Pharisees were taunting Jesus, yet Jesus was ignoring them. "They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger." John 8:6. When Jesus was ready to speak he would only speak from Wisdom and calmness, not rashness on the side of rage. He knew that Silence was Golden, He didn't have to go to the AMC. "They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, 'All right, stone her. But let those who have never sinned throw the first stones! Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust." John 8:7-8. Jesus wasn't about to let them change His attitude of holiness to anger. He wasn't going to let their taunts drag Him to the ground. He was acting out of silence to be able to give Wisdom, knowing that His calmness would eventually break their pestering instead of them breaking His joy. "When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman." John 8:9.
When we are following Jesus fully, we should be transformed into His likeness. And if we are transformed into His likeness we should be more like "Him". So, the next time someone is trying to break the peace and joy that God has built within you, follow Jesus' example and remain silent. For in the silence Wisdom is grown!
19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. James 1:19-20.
These people knew me before my walk with Christ and knew at one point in my life I could be a real hothead. They want to be able to prove I'm still the same person I once was. Ultimately, they are trying to prove that God didn't do a major work in me (Philippians 1:6) and transform me into a new person (Romans 12:2). But God did! He is molding me into Christ's likeness, and no matter how much I am taunted, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I may mess up every once in a while, I might have a slip of the tongue on the harsh side, but I know God is working this all out. "The godly think before speaking; the wicked sport evil words." Proverbs 15:28.
Jesus is our example, and we should follow Him. When the Pharisees were trying to capture Him and use His own words against Him, Jesus was staying calm. The Pharisees were taunting Jesus, yet Jesus was ignoring them. "They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger." John 8:6. When Jesus was ready to speak he would only speak from Wisdom and calmness, not rashness on the side of rage. He knew that Silence was Golden, He didn't have to go to the AMC. "They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, 'All right, stone her. But let those who have never sinned throw the first stones! Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust." John 8:7-8. Jesus wasn't about to let them change His attitude of holiness to anger. He wasn't going to let their taunts drag Him to the ground. He was acting out of silence to be able to give Wisdom, knowing that His calmness would eventually break their pestering instead of them breaking His joy. "When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman." John 8:9.
When we are following Jesus fully, we should be transformed into His likeness. And if we are transformed into His likeness we should be more like "Him". So, the next time someone is trying to break the peace and joy that God has built within you, follow Jesus' example and remain silent. For in the silence Wisdom is grown!
19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. James 1:19-20.
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