Altar Sunday

Could I encourage you this morning to grab the hand of a friend, your spouse, your children, your parents, or whomever and go to the Altar and pray. Pray with them, for them, and over them.

And whatever you do, don't let Satan distract you, discourage you, or put fear, embarrassment, or anything else in your mind, that you miss out on the most amazing opportunity to bless someone you love.

Let's fill the Lord's altar today and flood the throne room.

If I Choose This...

Y'all I love God's Word! I love it. I love it. I love it!

I normally don't do this, okay I very rarely ever do this, but I want to share some questions with you from the Commentary in my Bible that I really like.

You know I am a big "It's your choice" person. God gives us "The Choice" to choose, act, do, think, say, etc. and these questions go so well with helping us make choices.

I think these are GREAT questions for us to ask ourselves on serious, sensitive, and everyday issues.

If I choose one course of action:

1. Does it help my witness for Christ (1 Corinthians 9:19-22)

2. Am I motivated by a desire to help others know Christ? (1 Corinthians 9:23; 10:33)

3. Does it help me do my best? (1 Corinthians 9:25)

4. Is it against a specific command in Scripture and would thus cause me to sin? (1 Corinthians 10:12)

5. Is it the best and most beneficial course of action? (1 Corinthians 10:23, 33)

6. Am I thinking only of myself, or do I truly care about the other person? (1 Corinthians 10:24)

          

7. Am I acting lovingly or selfishly? (1 Corinthians 10:28-31)

8. Does it glorify God? (1 Corinthians 10:31)

9. Will it cause someone else to sin? (1 Corinthians 10:32)

-Aren't those amazing questions for us to ask ourselves?

I wonder how many of us would change our course of action, our speech, our thoughts, our decisions, the places we go, etc. if we asked ourselves these questions first.

Oh, wouldn't it be great to see how much change would be made for His glory?

Let's try it, want to?

Jesus implant these questions and passages within me so that I can base every choice off of Your Word. Amen

Dear Anonymous Writer

I appreciate your honesty. I am so sorry to hear of your horrible experience at First Baptist Carthage. I am completely putting everything out there writing you this letter, but I know of no other way to reach you since I can't reply.

Though I no longer attend First Baptist Carthage and have not for the last several years due to moving, I want you to know that there are some very sweet loving women who do attend church there that would love and welcome you just as they did me and my family when we first visited.

I will not ask who the women were that treated you that way because that does not matter, what matters is that you know that you are loved by the Lord and by me, even though I don't know you.

I know you will disagree, but please know that First Baptist Carthage really is a wonderful Church with a wonderful Church family. The entire Church staff is actually some of our very best friends and I know that any one of them would love to meet and visit with you regarding this matter.

I again am so sorry to hear of your experience and ask that you do not assume that everyone at First Baptist is the way you described those women. I promise there are some of the sweetest most Christ-like people at First Baptist Carthage, and I would love to put you into contact with them if you would like.

Please know that I appreciate your comment and am glad you felt comfortable enough to share.

As for the title of my blog, it is to encourage people who love Jesus to spread His Word from person to person. And as you know how rampant gossip is, why not make the gossip be all about Jesus.

You are loved!

What's the Use?

Dear brothers and sisters, what's the use of saying you have faith if you don't prove it by your actions?" James 2:14

What's the use of saying you have faith if your actions don't prove it? How powerful is this passage?

True faith transforms us into new and different people. Our actions are a reflection of our faith.

Oh geez brethren this one hit me between the eyes.

Are my actions reflecting true faith or a doubting faith?

Are my actions towards others reflecting a true and transformed woman who has complete faith that Jesus indeed died for her, loves her and forgave her?

What's the use of saying I have faith if my actions prove differently?

Jesus test me and know me. Search me and reveal to me the depth of my faith. Transform me so that my actions and speech will reflect a true genuine faith in You. Amen

Am I Able

Am I Able...

To be happy
To be kind
To be loving

Am I able

To be loved
To understand and be understanding
To obey
To be faithful

Am I Able...

To be full of joy
To be fruitful
To give
To serve

Am I Able...

To be patient
To be forgiving
To listen
To be Christ-like

I am NOT able to do any of those without Christ in me.

Do you know what I am able to do on my own?

I am able to be...

Negative
Hurtful
Joyless
Fruitless
Condemning
Judgemental
Self-righteous
Selfish
Greedy
Unforgiving
Short tempered
Bitter
Angry
Worldly
Disobedient

Those we are able to do and probably do more than any of us care to admit.

But Jesus tells us in Ephesians 3:20, "By His mighty power at work within us, HE is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope."

So anytime you begin to wonder if your able, remember Christ in you IS.

Jesus thank You for reminding me that You are able to do more than I could ever imagine. Help me to focus on this daily. Do in me all that is pleasing to You. Forgive me for doing the things that are not of You. Amen

Eye Exam

"Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word." Psalm 119:37

Worthless vision produces a worthless heart. Could that really be true? It is if our eyes see only that which is sinful.

Our eyes play two important roles. They can either fill our heart with sin, or they can fill our heart with life through the Word.

What is it that our eyes are seeing more, the worthless things that lie in the world, or the truth that is found in the Word?

Sometimes, we like the Author need to ask the Lord for an eye exam. How long has it been since we have had one?

I know I am due for one. 

Jesus turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through Your Word. Amen

The Light of Your Path

"Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found." Psalm 119:35

Where are my eyes leading my heart O Lord? 

Where have I wandered?

How far have I gone?

Bring me back to You O Lord

light my path with Your shining Light

Open my eyes to see Your Light 

and lead my heart back to You.

Give me no option

on which path to take

I want only Your path

where happiness lives.

Altar Sunday

Whatever your searching for, may it be found at the altar where Jesus is.

12, 14, 16, 20, 30, 40....

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. “Galatians 5:1

These are the ages of women who are stuck in sex trafficking. Not only do these women live in slavery, but they are put in situations that no woman should ever be in.

Whether they freely volunteered themselves or were forced in, these women are loved and adored by the Lord and they need to know that and hear that.

How can we protect women from entering or being forced into a lifestyle like this?

Would you pray for all these women? Would you pray that they would be delivered and set free from this type of slavery and bondage?

Jesus there are so many women in bondage today. They are hurting, confused, lost, broken, beaten, and feel trapped. They don't know where to turn, who to trust, nor do they know their worth. Jesus use us and show us how we can help end this slavery. We know You are the only one who can deliver these women, so we are asking You Jesus to save these precious girls and women. As only You can, show them who they are in You. Their worth and the love that You have for them. Amen

Someone Who Gets You

"You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." Psalm 139:1-6


Do you ever wonder if anyone gets you? Do you wonder if anyone notices the things that make you, you?

Sometimes it can be frustrating when you are completely misunderstood, or maybe not even misunderstood, but just not gotten. Does that even make sense?

We have always heard that our best friends, our family, our spouses, get those small things about us, but what if they don't? What if those small things that mean the world to you go completely unnoticed or ignored?

It could even go as far as to say that maybe they know them but choose to be absent minded of them. Do you know what that can do? It can cause hurt, frustration, brokenness and any and all other emotions that flood your heart.

What do you do in situations like that?

You turn to Jesus. He is the one who gets EVERYTHING about you. He knows what makes you, you. He knows what you like and dislike. He knows your favorite things and even the things you despise. He knows what you love, what your passionate about, and He knows every fear, every doubt, and every thought. He knows where you are every second of your life and He cares about the littlest things just as He cares about the big things.

Oh, mercy does Jesus get you. He gets you and He gets me and the best part is, He loves every single part of us.

There is no one on earth that knows you better or loves you more than Jesus.

Jesus help us to get so wrapped up in Your love that our relationship with You deepens and strengthens. Thank You for getting us, every part of us, quirks and all. Amen

The Highest Price Paid

"You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19

I was bought at a high price. Every part of me belongs to the Lord. He sees me, knows me and has carved apart of Himself in me. 

He bought me at a price higher than I am worth. But to Him it was worth His life.

It's a debt I can never return, but I can live in gratitude and faithfulness because of it. 

Jesus thank You for seeing so much value in me that You paid the highest price, Your life. Amen

Pray For a Cure

Man Leaves Touching Message for Wife before Dying of Cancer from sharethemessage on GodTube.

Faith rather than Performance

"Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on our own good deeds. It is based on our faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law." Romans 3:27-28

There are so many things in this world that are based on our performance. The most obvious are sports and business. Sometimes you can even find performance to be big in marriages, children, siblings, and even among Christians, and Churches.

This need to perform and be the best is a man-made thing. It can be crippling, devastating, and most often disappointing. What does it stem from? There are, I am sure, many answers to that question, but for me, right now those answers are too overwhelming. 

This need to be the best, biggest, richest, prettiest, smartest etc. is more of what the world requires than what Jesus requires.

Could there be more freedom found in the fact that Jesus loves us just the way we are? He loves the relationship and faith we have in and with Him. He does not love us or accept us based on the deeds we do or the way we perform, but on our faith in Him.

The purest form of love is to be loved for who you are, and not for how you perform or what you do.

That love is only found in Jesus.

Just maybe this passage will give us a deeper desire to strengthen and grow in our faith rather than in the way we perform.

Jesus thank You for loving me for who I am and for my faith in You. As I allow these precious thoughts to seep in every pore of my body, I pray it will break down the insecurities and walls that have been built within me. Amen

Who Determines...

"If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives." Galatians 5:25

Right now who is determining your worth, values, and standards?

Is it you, the world, your spouse, or the Lord?

Jesus this is a tough question and one many of us don't want to answer, especially when we look at our lifestyles through Your eyes. Help us to address this and allow the Holy Spirit to determine who we are and our worth. Amen

Altar Sunday

Will your knees find the altar today?

If the Spirit calls, won't you go?

Go to the altar. It might be just what you need to keep your fire burning.

If for no other reason, do it for our Father. Today is His day.

Happy Father's day Jesus. May today and every day from here on out, be all about You. Amen

Forgetting the Past

“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. Isaiah 43:25

When the past is placed in front of you and the thoughts flood in, you have a choice.

You can either dig up what Christ has buried, or throw down the shovel and cling to Christ's forgiveness as you move forward to what lies ahead.

What is your choice?

"No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead." Philippians 3:13

Jesus' Choice

 "Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm? My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows[a] that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,    he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels.
He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels. Isaiah 53

To Love and Respect

"So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." Ephesians 6:33

Love and respect, the two things that make a marriage work. Jesus made the list so simple.

Could we go as far as to say that love and respect are the two most important things in a marriage?

I think so.

We have taken something so simple and turned it into a long list of this and that.

For women it's a list of 100 things and for men it's a list of, well, 3.

Why such a difference in the lists? Well men need only a few things, respect, live, and well we all known what the third one is.

Women "need" well actually they think they need a gazillion things but in reality, the thing we desire most is the one thing God listed. Love!

If a man loves His wife as Christ loves the church every other need listed will be met.

If a woman respects her husband every need of his will be met.

I know it's easier typed and said, than done right? Oh, how well I know the truth of that.

I also know Jesus made it simple and we make it so difficult.

If Jesus, whom is love is within us then we are able to do the very simplest command given in our marriages. Love and respect.

Could it be that more joy, life, compassion, commitment, and faithfulness could consume our marriages if we practiced love and respect the way Jesus tells us to?

We have "The Choice" to love and respect our spouses.

And though we have been given the choice, Jesus has also given us the command to love and respect. It was not a suggestion.

Jesus we have added to a list of two that You made simple. Help us see how love and respect fulfill every other need we have. Amen

The Choice

"You didn't choose me I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last." John 15:16

I am thinking of changing the name of my blog to "The Choice".

Why? Because the more I study God's Word the more I realize just how much choice Christ has given us, and that He made the first choice. I find "The choice" to be full of many emotions, responsibility, obedience, and faithfulness. I also know that with every choice comes a consequence that is either good or bad.

Take Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Paul, Mary, Moses, etc. They all had "The Choice" to follow Christ, to be obedient, to be faithful, and to live and serve Jesus.

He left the choice up to them and it began in Genesis.

Adam and Eve were told to never eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The choice: Eve listened to the serpent and chose to eat the fruit.

The consequence: their eyes were opeened and sin entered the world. Genesis 3


There are choices all around us, every second of the day. We are never free from the conflict. "The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your CHOICES are never free from this conflict." Galatians 5:17

There is also a reason why God gave us choices.

The most important reason, is because Jesus wants us to choose Him. Not because we are forced too, but because we love Him and want to obey Him. We choose Him because He chose us, died for us, and showers us with tons of mercy and grace.

Christ gives the command we make "The Choice"

Do It For Yourself, God's called You Too

"Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God."

People can't do for you what God has called you to do for yourself.

No one can love for you.

No one can be joyful for you.

No one can be content for you.

No one can fight your illness for you.

No one can overcome your addiction for you.

No one can place Jesus in your heart for you.

No one can be kind for you.

No one can be patient for you.

No one can read God's Word and learn it for you.

No one can exercise for you.

No one can heal for you.

No one can attend church and fellowship for you.

No one can tend to your heart for you.

No one can change for you.

And ...

NO ONE CAN CHOOSE LIFE, LOVE, JOY, or JESUS but YOU!

Don't wait or expect someone to do for you, what Christ has called you to do for yourself.

Jesus You created us to do fulfill a purpose, and no one else can fulfill another ones purpose. Help us to take charge and begin doing what You have called us to do. Our strength and ability comes from You, help us to draw from that and find joy in it. Amen