Wednesday, April 28, 2010

How Can I Please Him?

“Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” 1 John 5:21


My heart is full of so much love for the Lord that today all my thoughts have been on is how I can please Him. I of course always start each day out with this goal but if I told you that I was successful everyday I would be lying. There are many days I hate to admit that my thoughts are consumed with just junk and concerns that are not even concerns but that I have made be concerns and by the end of the day I have made it all about me and not about Him. Do you know what I am saying?

Anyway, in my search to find the verse that I could just cling to and offer up to the Lord as a sweet aroma of pleasure became not so findable. Only because I was looking for it to say certain things and have certain words that I thought it should. It was because in my heart I wanted it to be so perfect that it would leave a continual smile on His face.

So there I am sitting in the word of God searching and searching and for some reason a couple of comments that were made by some people kept popping in my head. One was “You know Kristi there are other things besides church and the Bible.” And the other comment was “Kristi, not everyone wants to talk or hear about God all the time.” And of course to both responses I was completely shocked and flabbergasted that I think my response to both was, “Really, what other things are more important than God and why would you not want to talk and think about God all the time?”

And that is when God led me to 1 John 5:21 “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” Then God whispered, “Kristi if you want to please me, keep me and make Me the center of your life. Keep your thoughts on Me at all times, store my word deep within you and don’t ever let anyone keep you from mentioning My name. Let love be your main goal and continue to obey my word.”

When I stopped to ponder on the Lord’s comment it hit me, the days I allow there to be other things besides His word or when I allow the things of this world to crowd my thoughts are the days that are horrible. I am grumpy, stressed-out, annoyed with anyone and anything, and am more concerned about me. Even my speech and my conversations with my family and friends are not in anyway pleasing to Him.

So for me pleasing the Lord and putting that smile upon His face is done not by my words but by what He sees in my heart and I want and desire nothing more than for Him to look at my heart every day and see that it is all about Him.

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Kristi Morgan

Commit

“Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.” Psalm 37:5

It is so amazing to know that we have a live in helper. He is no ordinary helper either, He can do things we find to be impossible. He gives us understanding and clarity when things seem so out of whack, He helps us manage our time wisely, He helps us to know what we should do in difficult situations, and He even gives us the strength we never knew we had. But when we try to do things on our own with out the help of this magnificence helper we soon realize just how incompetent we are.

I have realized my incompetence over this last month and today as I cried out to the Lord for help He led me to our verse. He reminded me that if I truly want His help then I have to commit everything to him; my family, my time, my jobs, myself, my deadlines, and everything I possess. I have to give over the control, trust and believe that He will help me accomplish all He wants me to and that He will take care of me better than I ever could myself.

Prayer: Lord You always know exactly what I need each day and I praise You for that. Thank You for being my live in helper and doing all the things I cannot. Lord today I commit all things to You and give You complete control. Amen


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Kristi Morgan

Looking for a Workout Program, Try this One!

“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11

I love to watch The Biggest Loser; it is so amazing to see the transformation of men and women who are dedicated to becoming healthier, not only on the outside but on the inside. I love to see these contestants overcome their insecurities, take control of their fears, break down barriers they have built up, and most of all I love how encouraging they are to one another and to others. It even motivates me to stay healthy.

On this show they have two world renowned trainers Bob and Jillian. These two trainers put these contestants through grueling workouts all while encouraging them every step of the way and helping them see and become the person they have always wanted to be. If you watch you will notice they never put a contestant down, they never demean them, belittle them, or embarrass them. They do use tough love but in a way that helps the contestants become better, more motivated, and again encouraged to keep fighting. They show patience and they listen.

What if as Christians we set out to become the Biggest Encourager or the best trainer for Christ. What if everyday we made it our goal to get up and do our own workout program that would encourage those around us and our family members at home? Because I want to become a better encourager I found this amazing workout program in 1 Thessalonians 5:11-23.
Our warm-up: 5 to 10 minutes of prayer for all those we will come into contact with.

After our warm-up we will begin our cardio training. This will focus on getting our heartbeat up. We will spend at least 20 minutes working out our hearts and fueling our minds.

After our cardio we will do some strength training. This strength training will not consist of free weights but will be a circuit type of training it will focus on our overall body, our mind, mouth (words) and our actions.


Circuit One:

Our Mind:
Here we will begin by focusing on the good qualities each person has, and aligning our thoughts with the Lord’s thoughts about each person. Because we know the Lord’s thoughts about each of us are so precious. (Psalm 139:17)

Circuit Two:

Our Mouths (Words): We will begin by only allowing positive, kind, and loving words to come out.
-This one will be a little harder so I have added a modification just in case you need additional help, it is found in Psalm 141:3 “Take control of what I say, O Lord, and keep my lips sealed.”

Circuit Three:

Our Actions: This workout will focus on our body language and putting the other two circuits to actual use. We will focus on our listening and self-control. We will use patience, gentleness, and understanding. We will be joyful even if we are in pain, we will show respect, we will keep peace, and we will go and help those who are weaker. This last circuit will require lots of movement, endurance and perseverance.

If you have questions our trainer will always be available-His name is Jesus.

If you are looking for a more advanced workout seek Jesus He will lead you in that direction.

Also Jesus is looking for anyone who is interested in becoming His assistant trainer, there are lots of openings, to find out more seek Him and His word.


I hope you all enjoy this new workout regimen and I can’t wait to see the transformation that takes place in your life and the life of others.

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Kristi Morgan