Where are you found?

“I am the one who corrects and disciplines everyone I love. Be diligent and turn from your indifference.” Revelation 3:19

This is the last letter written to the angel of the church of Laodicea. “This is the message from the one who is the Amen-the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.” Revelation 3:14

Address this letter to yourself today!

Dear ___________,

“I know all the things you do and I know that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth!” Revelation 3:15-16.  You say you are rich and that you have everything you want and you do not need a thing! But what you don’t realize is that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. “I advise you to buy gold from me-gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich.” Revelation 3:18. And while you are at it buy some garments to cover up your nakedness and buy some ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. Remember this I am the one who corrects and disciplines everyone I love. Be diligent and turn from your indifference.

Look! I am standing at the door knocking, if you hear me calling and open the door I will come in and share a meal with you as friends. I will invite you and everyone who is victorious to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat on with my Father on His throne.

Sincerely,

The one who is the Amen and the ruler of God’s creation-Jesus!

P.S. “Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” Revelation 3:22

This letter is full of discipline and warning. As I read this letter over and over to myself so many things popped out at me. If I am claiming to be hot than I am claiming to put nothing before the Lord, I do not compromise my faithfulness to please my own selfish desires.  I do not tolerate sin in my life or sin in the life of my family, friends or church. I obediently follow the commands of the Lord and I do not pick and choose which ones I want to obey. They come as a whole and are to be obeyed as a whole.

If I am claiming to be cold than I am just that, a cold individual who has no life in Christ, and am one who chooses to live by the standards of the world which is of Satan. I live to please only me and have no conviction of wrong.

Then there is the in between, the lukewarm, it is probably the most common one in our society today, and a place where I have been more times than I like to admit. It is the place that is the most distasteful and disgusting to the Lord. It is a mixture between someone who is trying to be hot but has cold still within them. They say one thing but do the opposite.  

They compromise their faith to join in with the world and those who partake in the world. They use Jesus for personal gain. They speak of Him when necessary but fail to live out His Word. They say they love, yet fail to apply that love. They want and need Jesus when trouble arises but when life is good, Jesus is gone. They want the best of both worlds, they want Jesus, yet they want to indulge in the world. They pick and choose bits and pieces of His Word to obey and disregard the rest.

The reality of all this is our daily lives show what we truly claim. Brethren, there is no hiding it. Our speech, our lifestyles, our bank accounts, our actions, our thoughts, our decisions, they all reflect our true hearts, hot, lukewarm, or cold.

Don’t you think it is time to get really honest with ourselves, the Lord and others?

Jesus I can’t help but to be frustrated with the fact that we honestly try to claim to be hot yet live a life that does not even come close to being hot for You. How much longer will we deceive ourselves and others. When will reality set in that those who truly belong to You are made new and no longer live the way they did in the world. How can we who claim to be Yours yet be so consumed with the things of this world. Oh, merciful Lord forgive us for being so ignorant. Amen

If you want answers-Open your Bible!

“An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Get up and flee to Egypt with the child and his mother. The angel said. Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to try to kill the child.” Matthew 2:13

If we are crying out to the Lord for answers, there is only one place to go and find those answers. The Bible! The Bible gives us two forms of receiving answers, one, through specific guidance and two, in our obedience. The Word is full of both and full of stories and people who were specifically guided and obedient to the Lord.

Over the last month or two my family and I have had some major decisions to make. As I sought the Lord for guidance and wisdom He led me to our passage above.

Matthew 2:13 “An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Get up and flee to Egypt with the child and his mother. The angel said. Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to try to kill the child.”  There are so many specifics in this passage that have opened my eyes to truly being guided by the Lord.

Specific Number 1- He will speak through the Holy Spirit as loud, clear and as specific as He sees necessary to get His point across. For Joseph it came from an angel in his dream! Have you ever cried out to the Lord asking Him to just give you a sign, hit you on the head, whatever, but please just show you? Yet the whole time you have been asking He has been saying, “I am showing you, I am telling you, you are just not listening because it is not what you want to hear.” Yeah, that stinks and that has been me for so long. One because I feel very unqualified to do what He is calling me to do, and two, how in the world will this help provide for my family.

Specific Number 2- His guidance will come with such detail, reassurance and the exact reason He is guiding you in the direction He is.

1.     Because it is His will
2.     It is for His pleasure.
3.     It is for His purpose.
4.    And it is the job He has assigned you to do here on this earth!

He shows us that with Joseph. He told Joseph exactly what to do, get up, flee to Egypt, take the child and mother with you, and stay there until I tell you when you can leave. The reason for doing this is because Herod is trying to kill the child!

Specific Number 3- Falls upon us! We have two choices just as Joseph did. We can ignore it or we can follow in obedience. We all know the right choice to make and so did Joseph. The sad thing is, we know the right decision but we choose the other because it suits us better. When in the long run it benefits us less, we are just so stubborn and set in our ways.

Joseph did not waste any time “That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet; I called my Son out of Egypt.” Matthew 2:14-15

Obedience- is to be done as a whole; we cannot pick and choose which parts of God’s word we want to obey. When we do that it brings blurred vision in what God is trying to show us and allows sin to creep in. Obedience even comes down to the littlest things like, not speeding, monitoring what we watch on T.V., our level of patience, our conversations, even our devotion to Him, and the time we spend in His word. 

How can we be obedient if we never open the word of God?  How can we know where He is guiding us if we never spend time in prayer, in His word, and with Him?

If you are seeking guidance from the Lord in what your next step should be, make sure you are willing to listen and follow whatever decision He makes for you in obedience. You will be rewarded for it, and most of all it will please Him. Like Romans 14:8 says, “While we live we live to please the Lord.”

Prayer: Lord forgive me for asking for Your guidance but then not listening and following You in obedience when You tell me. Amen

It cuts coming and going!

“Repent, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” Revelation 2:16

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one who has a sharp two-edged sword.” Revelation 2: 12

The beginning of each letter speaks of something specific towards the action that will and should be taken. 

The ending of each letter is the reward for those who are obedient to the commands of the Lord and who gain insight and understanding of each letter.

To the angel of the church in Pergamum,

I know where you live; it is the city where the throne of Satan is located and yet you have remained loyal to me. You have refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness was martyred among you by Satan’s followers. But I do have some complaints; you have tolerated some among you who are like Balaam who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to worship idols eat the food offered to the idols and commit sexual sin. You also have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching and commit the same sins. I tell you, “Repent, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”Revelation 2:16

There are two things in this letter that stand out to me, Tolerance and Compromise. There are many areas and places we tolerate sin, work, school, home, and even with our friends. At work we might tolerate a co-worker that cusses, gossips, or tells inappropriate jokes or stories, and is negative about the boss. At school we might tolerate cheating, bullying, slander, disrespect to teachers and others in authority. At home we might or we do tolerate disrespect from our children, even in our marriage, we tolerate the inappropriate television shows, things on the internet and even the music we listen to. All these tolerances lead to compromise in our faith!

The Lord demands and requires us to live a life completely committed to Him and His word. No matter where we live, who we are surrounded by at work, school, etc.  We are not to compromise our faith by accepting the lifestyle of those who oppose the Lord or who choose to live according to their own ways. When we participate or fall into pressure of accepting sin we compromise our faith and commitment to the Lord.

Our actions and choices reflect either the Lord or the things of the world. Which do you reflect? The Lord is specifically speaking to us today to not tolerate any sin but to run from it repent and to live a life that reflects Him in all ways and does not compromise our faithfulness to Him. Just as He tells the church in Pergamum I am the one who has a sharp two-edged sword and it cuts both ways, coming and going!

“Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Everyone who is victorious will eat of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.” Revelation 2:17

Two amazing gifts awaiting those of us who are willing to hear and listen to the Spirit; manna that has been hidden away in heaven and a white stone with a new name engraved on it that only the Lord and us individually who receive it will know. Isn’t that exciting, let the Spirit within you give you wisdom, insight and understanding to each letter to the churches. And as you receive each of those apply them and live them out!

Want the easy way out? Jesus probably did too, but He didn't!

“To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away.” Matthew 25:29.  

I spent what felt like an eternity raking up leaves, mowing leaves, picking up sticks to bagging all those leaves and sticks yesterday, all while tending to my non-stop two year old. What started out as complete enjoyment began to turn into complete annoyance! So much that I was ready to have every tree cut down and removed from our yard, pay anyone who would come do it for me, and was even ready to have a leash on my two year old just so I could contain him where I wanted him to be!

Why did I start it? One because I was tired of looking at it, two I did not want to waste the beautiful day the Lord had given me, and three, I love to make my husband proud, less burdened (of which I do the complete opposite daily), and the feeling of knowing that the effort I put into it made him feel appreciated and thought about. For any of you who know my husband, you know he is a hard worker that takes so much pride in everything he does. Not because he is a prideful man, but because he finds nothing greater than seeing the fruits of his own labor. I use to think he set out to find work just to work, but that is not it at all, he loves the joy of helping and working hard, and he is a man who is to work by the sweat of his brow.

 For a long time his desire to always be working did not sit well with me. Okay it still does not sit well. However I admire this quality about him, because I understand God’s word and the role of a man. I have even been blessed to have seen the fruits of his labor, in his athletes, his own children, and his co-workers. I admire and respect that God given ability about Garrett that I desire to obtain that work ethic in my own life.  Garrett never tries to take the easy way out, he presses in and gets the job done and done very well, whether he likes the task or not, whether appreciated or not, and he never complains about any of it. This is the opposite for me, I complain, Lord knows I complain and I hate that, and am learning.

All of that leads me to this, in our everyday lives we try to find the easy way out, we even try to find a way to get something done without lifting a finger. Especially in our relationship with the Lord; we don’t want to have to set aside time to spend with the Lord so we wait until Sunday. Then Sunday comes and we try to slip in and out of the pews without ever getting involved. We would rather have someone else teach our children the word of God, we would rather have someone else read us the Bible, and we would even rather leave the spreading of God’s word up to others. We think we can just get by on prayer alone or mention God to someone and we are good to go.

Bologna! Jesus deserves a sold out, calloused feet Jesus spreader, who is a serve-a-holic, that moves and does for the Lord because of the fire and passion of God that burns within them.

 Christ worked, He was a carpenter that took pride in His job and worked hard. He preached from one end of the earth to the other, because He loved seeing the fruit of His labor, us, and He wanted to show us through example that it not only benefits us, but it pleases Him when we work hard for His glory.

Not only did Jesus work hard, but He didn't take the easy way out of anything. Including His death! 

We should want to make Him proud, appreciated and thought about. We should want to see and find joy in the fruit of pursing Christ and spreading His word in any and every job we do, big or small. Remember the three servants who were loaned money and were to invest it? The first two took what they were given worked hard and doubled it. The third servant lived in fear and laziness and did absolutely nothing with the money he was given. He buried it! He tried to take the easy way out. Well this is what Jesus says about all of that. “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away.” Matthew 25:29.  In other words if you are not investing your time and talent in serving God and producing fruit, you too will have everything taken away, but if you invest your time and talent in serving Him, how great your reward will be. Let making Christ feel honored put pep in your step!

The easy way out is not always the best way out. Just think what it would be like if Jesus took the easy way out of His death.

Jesus thank You for not taking the easy way out during Your time here on earth, especially Your death. Help us and instill in us the mind set of working hard for You, Your glory, Your purpose, and because You deserve it Jesus. Amen

Really, trust me, I am your friend!

"Really?” he asked the woman. “Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?” Of course we may eat it.” The woman said. “It’s only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it or we will die. You won’t die!” the serpent hissed. “God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1-5)

Tempt, tempt, tempt, twist, twist, twist, sneaky, conniving, deceitful, and sly-He has been doing it from the very beginning. Satan! He is on a vengeful mission to gather as many people for himself as he can.  He is persistent, he is smart, crafty, and can make anything sound good.

He is so sly he convinced Eve to eat the fruit she was commanded not to.  He made it sound so good! So good that she actually thought it would give her something better than what God had already given her. However, it brought death and sin into the world.

 I have been right where Eve was, intrigued, curious and later convinced in what he was saying was right. 

We have all at one point believed Satan's lies;

 -You won’t die if you drink and drive.

 -Don’t worry you won’t get caught; you can lie your way out!

 -Aah a little won’t hurt, just try it.

 -Just give up it will never work.

 -You won’t get addicted; it will make you feel good. 

 -You love each other-why do you have to be married.

 -Just trust me, God can't use you.

-You can't be saved; you have messed up to bad

-This is more important than God.

-Money, money, money! 

-It's okay you can spend time with God tomorrow (while he laughs in your face!)

-It doesn't matter if your married, he/she makes you feel good.

-Keep spending money and shopping, you need material things.

-It's okay to gossip they will never know.

Satan will keep on lying, he will keep on twisting your thoughts and God's Word around in your mind, and he knows exactly when to attack, and where to attack. His favorite time is when we are weak, vulnerable, not in Church, not in the Word. When we believe his lies we become more naive and an easier target, especially if we only surround ourselves with those who have given into the lies of Satan and are living in them and not in the Word. 

We can't let him win! We have to always be in the Word, studying, learning, and growing, so that when we are tempted, which we will be until we go to heaven, we will be prepared to resist Satan and the temptation.  

It is not a sin being tempted; it is giving into the temptation that is a sin.  Have you been giving in? Does Satan have you convinced and confused, has he twisted situations around in your head that have left you wondering what is right or wrong anymore? Have you become numb to the conviction of the Holy Spirit? 

Let Jesus come in, take a step back and listen to the Holy Spirit speak to your heart.  Maybe you don’t know or have Jesus in your heart. He is only a prayer away and is waiting for You to come to Him. JESUS WILL NOT TURN YOU AWAY! Confess your sin to Him today; let Him set you free from the chains of Satan.

Prayer: Jesus forgive me for giving into the lies of Satan. Strengthen me from Your word. Jesus I praise You that the battle has already been won, when You died on the cross and rose again.  Help me to stand firm in You and Your Word. Amen

Paper or China? Pick-up or deep clean?

“Take note: I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their robes ready so they will not need to walk naked and ashamed.” Revelation 16:15

If Jesus came over for dinner would you serve His food on a paper plate or your finest china? I am so guilty of serving my family and our friend’s food on a paper plate. It’s easy, less clean up, and because I am just plain lazy and do not want to do dishes. I mean it takes so long putting a plate in the dishwasher and turning it on. Oh, good grief as I type that it sounds so pathetic I am embarrassed. When in reality Jesus, my family, and friends deserve to be served with all the best that I have. No matter how long the clean up takes. Jesus sure doesn’t complain of the cleanup He has to do inside of my heart every day.

You see I believe when we get to heaven and sit down to enjoy the feast that was prepared, the table will not have plastic or paper of any sort. It will be the finest china the prettiest silverware we have ever seen and the food will be impeccable. We do not have to have tons of money to serve Jesus or our friends and family, it is how we serve and what we serve that matters to the Lord.

Each day we should prepare our homes for the arrival of our King, we always need to be ready because we have no idea when He will show up. It is like cleaning for me, I don’t always do my deepest cleaning until I know we are having company. Then I wait until the last minute and start frantically cleaning. I should expect company every day, because soon there will be one who I want to be prepared for when the time comes for His arrival.

Jesus may I always be prepared, ready, and waiting for Your arrival! Amen

Jealous or Joy?

"I am here to prepare the way for him-that is all…and I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater and I must become less and less.” John 3:27, 29-30

Toy Story is one of my two year olds favorite movies and it has been playing in our car for a solid month now. It is the story about Woody a toy cowboy who has been the favorite toy in the heart of his owner Andy. Every year on Andy’s birthday all the toys get together to listen through a baby monitor to see what new toy will join their family (so to speak).  As they sit and listen to the army men call out each present they are each portrayed to be excited but also a little worried that they might be replaced. On this particular birthday it turns out to be Woody’s worst nightmare. The newest coolest toy with lots of gadgets arrives and does the very thing Woody hoped would never happen and that is take his place. This newest toy is known as Buzz light year a space ranger. He can fly, makes lots of sounds by the push of a button, he has a laser, and comes with his own spaceship.

Throughout this movie you see Buzz becoming the most popular with the other toys and their owner. He even gets Andy’s name written on His foot, just like Woody did. (Except Woody’s is wearing off) So much jealousy even anger sets in the heart of Woody, he talks bad to him and about him, and at one point when Andy has to decide which one to take to the restaurant, Woody goes out of his way to try and get rid of him, to the extent of pushing him out the window. Woody wanted to be greater and he wanted Buzz to be less and less. As a result of Woody’s actions the toys become angry and turned their backs on him calling him a murderer. So it leaves Woody with only one option, to swallow his pride, admit his wrong doing and jealousy and go save Buzz, and that is what he did.

It reminds me of a story in John 3 about John the Baptist’s disciples. They were in the middle of baptizing Christians when they got wind that Jesus and His disciples were also baptizing over in Judea. Distraught by this news they approached John and said this man you say is the Messiah is baptizing people and everyone is going over there instead of coming here. Even the people are leaving here to go over there to be baptized. Jealousy set in the hearts of these men because the attention and focus was taken off of them and put on Christ.

And this is how John responded, “God in heaven appoints each person’s work. You yourselves know how plainly I told you that I am not the Messiah. I am here to prepare the way for him-that is all…and I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater and I must become less and less.” John 3:27, 29-30

Wow, two words to describe John the Baptist-humble and selfless. Do I display that same type of attitude for Christ? Do you? John knew his purpose and his job and he knew his position, a servant for Christ. Jealousy is a result of being too focused on ourselves! Do you find yourself being jealous of the success or life of others? Stop and take into account that each person has been appointed their work by the Lord and whether they are doing it for Him or themselves is not of our concern. Jesus is our concern and we should focus on becoming less and less so He can become greater and greater. We also need to be filled with joy for our brothers and sisters success.

Jesus today we take our eyes off of ourselves and others and we lift them up to You right where they belong! May we focus on the job You have appointed each of us, and celebrate with joy for our brothers and sisters success in serving You. Amen

One Way

“Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” John 4:39

She had a reputation of “getting around” she had already been married to 5 different men and was currently living with another man of whom she was not married to. Because of the lifestyle she chose to live it left her with very few friends. To avoid the other women she would go and draw water around noon instead of going in the morning and or at night. She was going down a one-way street in the opposite direction. Until one day she met a man who turned her around and faced her in the right direction.

His name was Jesus! He had stopped to take a break at Jacob’s well after a long morning of traveling. The conversation started when Jesus asked her for a drink. This meeting was of no coincidence and she was the exact woman God wanted to use in order to open the eyes of many Samaritan men and women. One part of the conversation that stands out, of which many do is when Jesus confronted her about her past and current lifestyle. He told her to go get her husband, and she said I don’t have a husband. Jesus responded, that’s right you don’t, you have been married to five different men and are living with a man that you are not married to now. (John 4:17-18)

Many of us try to avoid revealing our past as much as possible so we dodge the question. She did just that, she changed the subject and started talking about worship, of which Jesus responded to because He knew the impact His comment had just made on her heart. But it gets better, after they had finished their conversation she left her jar beside the well and went into the village where she lived and started telling everyone all that had happened.

Being that everyone in the village knew her lifestyle they were intrigued by the change that had taken place within her. So they went to the well to find out for themselves. When they saw and heard Jesus they begged Him to stay so He did for two days, and in those two days many Samaritans came to know Jesus as their personal Savior. To that they looked at the woman and said, “Now we believe because we have heard him ourselves, not just because of what you told us. He is indeed the Savior of the world.” John 4:42

We all have a past and we all have a certain lifestyle we choose to live, we are either going in the right direction down the one-way street to glory, or we are going down the one-way in the opposite direction. No matter what direction we are going in, Christ will, can, and wants to use us. No matter what our past is! That is what is so awesome, God can and will use us to bring Him glory. Isn’t it always so cool to see how the Lord changes us, even those of us who feel like we are horrible and have messed up so badly?

We can be like the Samaritan woman and make use of the change that has taken place inside us. We can go and share it with others so they can come to Jesus and find out for themselves that He indeed is the Savior of the world, or we can keep it all to ourselves and be a hindrance to the Lord. It is our choice! Are you avoiding the street of glory because you like the satisfaction of living in sin and or because you don’t want to be confronted with the sin in your life?  What direction are you going in? Either way the Lord can change and use you! He loves you and nothing is too big or impossible for Him.

Jesus may You never stop changing me, for in all this change I know I will be a better reflection of You. Amen

The Rewards for being obedient

“When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love.” John 15:10

Obedience- being submissive to authority, complying with orders and fulfilling one’s responsibility.  Our obedience begins not with humans but with the Lord. If you struggle with obedience in your everyday life stop and look at your obedience to the Lord. How is that going?

From the beginning obedience was required in following the Lord and will be until the end. We see that in the 7 letters to the seven churches. We are most obedient to the ones and things we are the most faithful to. Again who and what are we most faithful-loyal to, God or ourselves?

The Lord says in each letter to the churches and as a matter of fact in the whole Bible those who are loyal and obedient to me will be the ones who will inherit the Kingdom of God. Do you know the most incredible thing about being obedient to the Lord? The reward that awaits us not just in the end but every day!

Let’s look at the rewards promised to the 7 churches and all who are victorious.

1.      Ephesus- We will eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God.

2.      Smyrna- We will not be hurt by the second death and will receive the crown of life.

3.      Pergamum- We will eat from the manna that is hidden away in heaven and will each receive a white stone with a new name engraved on it that only we and the Lord will know.

4.      Thyatira- We will be given authority over all nations and will be given the morning star.

5.      Sardis- We will be clothed in white, our names will never be erased from the Book of Life and we will be announced to everyone that we are His!

6.      Philadelphia- We will be protected from the great time of testing that will come on the whole world. We will become pillars in the Temple of God and will never have to leave. And God’s name will be written upon us.

7.      Laodicea- If we open the door and let the Lord in He will come in and share a meal with us and we will sit with Him on His throne just as He sat upon the throne of His Father.

Romans 6:17 tells us that when we are obedient to the Lord we receive His approval.

John 14:21 says, “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.”

1 John 2:3-6 wraps it all up for us and tells us straightforward how we can be sure we are living for the Lord and not ourselves or the world. “And how can we be sure that we belong to him? By obeying his commandments. If someone says, I belong to God but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and does not live in the truth. But those who obey God’s word really do love him. That is the way to know whether or not we live in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did.”

My question to you is how can you be obedient to the Lord if you never open your bible and read all that He asks of you? How can we as a body claim to be obedient if we tolerate and allow sin to go on in our church and our own lives? Don’t wait until it is too late to start being obedient, start today and receive all the great rewards the Lord has for you.

Jesus help us fall more in love with You, for in love comes pure obedience. Amen

Scar Cream!

“I assure you, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and tells him everything he is doing, and the Son will do far greater things than healing this man. You will be astonished at what he does.” John 5:19-20

If there is one thing that we all have in common, it would be the scars on our hearts left by hurtful words and for some by a hand. Some are big deep scars and some are small, but scars are scars, and we ourselves have left scars on the hearts of others. I know I have my share of scars and I know I have done my share of leaving scars. Of which I am not proud of! Especially knowing how painful my own scars are.

We are all still around those we left scars on or that left scars on us and I know for me it always brings back the memory of that situation and all that happened. To be honest for a long time it would make me angry and sad. But the closer I walk with Jesus and the more He reminds me of the mercy and grace I am given the easier it becomes to give out that same mercy and grace and receive it.

Now don’t get me wrong I do indeed have my moments when I lack being merciful and show little grace. There have been many times I have put the anger in drive, drove through the Holy Spirit and acted out on it. And every time I do, the Holy Spirit is quick to correct me and point out that my behavior is displeasing to the Lord, of which I am so thankful for. Because then I am quick to confess my ugliness.

There is one person in particular who we all have placed scars on-Jesus and His are very visible for all to see. Do you know what Jesus does not do when He sees His scars? He does not get angry and let it fester; He does not put it in drive and run over us like He so easily could. Instead He pours His blood over each one of us, and then He comes back around with mercy, grace, and a gazillion truck loads of love. Let’s just say it is a special type of scar cream we all need to purchase.

I have ordered a ton of scar cream but more than anything I desire for my scars to become a reflection of Christ. That is why I love our passage because we can do nothing ourselves especially love when we have been hurt, but when Christ lives within us and we do what He does and what we see Him do, then my friends we will be free from the bondage of our scars, and we will not hold records of when we have been wronged. We will be astonished at what Jesus will do in us and we will notice our scars will become lighter and less noticeable.

Jesus help me to be more sensitive to the Spirit and to do exactly what You do. Help me to be aware of my words and actions so I don’t leave scars on others and especially You. Amen

Jesus...is He enough?

“Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught…For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body, and you are complete through your union with Christ.” Colossians 2:7,9-10

Just recently the Lord came and spoke through a very dear friend of mine, of whom I absolutely adore. As I sat and listened to her, I could feel the Lord’s hands upon my heart and I could hear Him speaking directly to an area that needed some major attention. It was an area that if you would have asked me just days before our visit I would have said absolutely, but I would have been lying! The question, “If God was to take everything away from you, would He be enough, would His love be enough?” opened my eyes up to a devastating reality.

There have been so many times I have said yes, yes He is absolutely enough, but when it comes down to it, my actions, my heart, have not shown Him or my family that. I have shown lately that He has only been partially enough. The other part has been my husband; I have been trying to make him be enough, my human, made of flesh husband. And because of that I have put more strain, stress, hurt, and negativity in our marriage and our home and have not allowed the fullness of God in me to shine through. I am reminded of a song written by Chris Tomlin “Enough”

All of You is more than enough for all of me
For every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough

Those words have a whole new meaning. I know, goodness I know that God is more than enough and so knowing that and having the Lord reveal to me the root of where so much of my anger, hurt, and my lack of needs being met have come from, I am ready to start living and showing Jesus, my husband and the world that Christ is enough! And as I sing that song now, I sing it with a changed heart, with a true genuine heart. Jesus has removed this huge root that has been planted in my heart and that has sprouted lots of ugliness and sin. And it hurt, it hurt very badly, but He didn’t just leave the hole, He put Himself inside of that hole.

I will probably mess up again, but over these last few days I am walking away with a deeper understanding and clarity that when Jesus is enough, you are satisfied, joyful, more loving, more positive, and kind, because Christ now takes up residency where the root of sin was.

Jesus when we finally get to the very roots that are crowding You out and we allow You to remove them it is amazing how much different our actions and thoughts become when You fill the hole that was left. Thank You! Amen

All-around!

“Give thanks to him who alone does mighty miracles. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to him who made the heavens so skillfully. His faithful love endures forever. Give thanks to him who placed the earth on the water. His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 136:4-6

God showers us with His love everyday in all different kinds of ways. We just need to open our eyes so He can show us. For me one of the greatest displays of love is in His creation, from the snow, to the changing of the leaves, or the sun reflecting off of the lake as it sets. God’s love is everywhere and it always leaves you in awe and warms your heart.

God also shows His love through the laughter of friends and family, a hug, even just a smile. It is His sweet nothings that He whispers in our ears that are just between you and Him. His love is shown in big and small ways, from the death of His Son to the rainbow after the rain. Even through the luxury of a hot shower and cold water to drink.

God’s love is wrapped in His Son’s blood and given as a gift to all who call on His name. One of my absolute favorite gifts of God’s love is His word. It is inspirational, God breathed, exciting, full of love, adventure, and romance. But most of all it is the story of His life and His love given just for you and me.

Oh, and then there is my favorite of all, His presence and His voice. Whether through a tiny whisper (1 Kings 19:12) or a loud shout (Exodus 19:17-20) to get my attention, He always speaks with love, kindness, gentleness, and authority.

His presence is everywhere and at times are more known than others, for me it is when I am truly broken before Him, or completely absorbed in His word, it is as though He is sitting right in front of me looking at me face to face. I can sense His presence so strongly and I can hear Him speak to me in ways I could never explain. But it is real and wrapped in an abundance of love.

I have to stop and say that I can’t even get close to how big His love, His presence, and His voice are. And I know that it does not even touch the surface or do Him justice. But I do know that He brings it to a level for each of us to see and hear, and for that I am so thankful.

O Lord my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and with majesty; you are dressed in a robe of light. You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved. You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor. You cause grass to grow for the cattle. You cause plants to grow for people to use. (Psalm 104) Thank You for giving us a glimpse of how loving and marvelous You are. Amen

Living today

“Always be full of joy in the Lord, I say it again-rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.” Philippians 4:4-5

Your alarm goes off you hit snooze in hopes of getting just a couple more minutes of some shut eye, and it never fails the minute you finally doze off your alarm goes off again. You finally get out of bed and begin your morning routine. For you it is just another day of the same thing, work! You finally get in your car and head to work, and the next thing you know or don’t know is your life has just ended.

Some of you might be thinking how horrible and crazy that I would even be saying any of this, but my friends this is reality for a lot of people. This is something that happens daily, whether it is instant or gradual, death is inevitable. Death comes in many different ways, cancer, a blood clot, heart attack, car wreck, etc. And one day we will all get our turn.

Do you realize that every day for the last however many years you have been alive is because the Lord has allowed your heart to keep beating? It is one more day He is giving you to make right what you did wrong yesterday. He is giving you one more day to come to know Him as your personal Lord and Savior. It is one more day to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of His word.

So as you get up every morning before you even begin your routine what if you hit the floor face first and praised your Heavenly Father for giving you the start of a day. And whether or not you make it through that day, you will have went to the Lord and praised Him for each minute you have to get right in His sight!

I have always been one to think about death and I always wonder if each day will be my day. Not in a morbid, or sick way but in a way that keeps me dependant on the Lord, in a way that makes me want to spend each second thanking God for the opportunity to spend with my three boys and family. It keeps me aware that life is too short to live it any other way than the Lord’s way. It also fills me with peace in knowing that when my day does come I know without a doubt that I will be standing face to face with the one I love and long to be with, Jesus.  

Too many times we just go through the motions of everyday life, when we should be enjoying everyday life. We should be joyful, prayerful, thankful, hopeful, and value each breath we take. Goodness I have wasted so many days either being grumpy, in-patient, frustrated, stressed out, worried about everything under the sun, feeling sorry for myself and even wishing that the day I had been given would end and I could go to bed and sleep it off.  And the sad thing is I cannot get any of those days back. But I can start living the days I do have with joy, love, adventure, forgiveness, and value.

 How can I do that? By living by what I know and I know I am full of Jesus Christ who has made His home within me. I can live in peace because I live by the promises of God. I can live in love and love others because I am loved by the Father and His love lives within me. I can forgive because I am forgiven. I can be joyful because I know that nothing can separate me from the Lord, and I can embrace death because I know it means the beginning of a new life in Christ that will never end!

How do you live your days?

Jesus today is all we have yesterday is gone and tomorrow might not come, so help us and show us how to live today to the fullest, pleasing You from start to finish. Amen

Who’s the boss?

“You should continue on as you were when God called you.” 1 Corinthians 7:20

You started out doing something you thought you loved. The first few years of your new career were good and you actually found joy in getting up and going to work every day. You didn’t even consider it a job; it was more of a passion, a love. It is now several years later and that passion you thought was so great has now become not so great. It has actually become a job! You have even begun sensing God calling you to do something different, but you are paralyzed with fear of failure and making no money. (Satan knows all the tricks.)

Growing up my dad always encouraged me and my sisters to do what we loved. I believe his saying was, “If you do what you love you will never work a day in your life, but if you do something you don’t love it will become a job.”

Unfortunately for me I failed to follow the first part of that advice and began doing something I thought was what everybody wanted me to do.  I thought if I could just have a job when I graduated that made money I would make everyone proud.  So I set out and did just that, I did something I didn’t love and every day I woke up I went to a job. Oh, I tried for seven years to make the best of what I chose. I really did but as each year went by I became more and more miserable and felt trapped. I thought this was the only job I could do and make money. Like that was so important.

I failed to look at it from the Lord’s perspective. I looked at it through my own eyes instead of His. I tried to honor, serve, and speak out for Him but with only a part of my heart. This became more displeasing to Him than pleasing. Because I refused to accept the situation I was in at that time, I missed out on a lot of great opportunities and blessings right where I was. I failed to obey 1 Corinthians 7:17 “You must accept whatever situation the Lord has put you in, and continue on as you were when God first called you.”

God wants us to be happy, successful, and to enjoy doing what we do as long as we do it for Him! Oh my goodness I prayed my guts out day after day, year after year. I believed and knew that the Lord could, and would, do great and mighty things. I never stopped believing that He would provide and take care of my family when I stopped teaching,stepped out in faith and quit my job to pursue Him and become a stay at home mom.

It is now 5 years later and He has been doing exactly what He promised He would. He has been providing and taking care of us in ways that we never imagined possible. Over these last 5 years I have been growing spiritually, I have been being purified, cleansed, and have learned to endure many different trials, all so He can raise me up to be better for Him. The Lord has begun opening up doors for me to start doing what I am insanely, crazy in love doing and that is serving Him, meditating on His word and sharing His name with others. But it was all in His timing and it was so I could learn patience, understanding, and what it really means to let God be in control. I have been learning to do what I can and let God do all I cannot.

Understand I am not recommending that you up and quit your job if you are unhappy, but I do recommend that you cling tightly to 1 Corinthians 7:17 and 7:20 and wait upon the Lord. Use this time to seek His purpose and fulfill His will for you in this season of life. Spend as much time in His Word as you can, put every bit of your faith in Him, pray, and listen to Him. Do all you can and let Him do what you cannot.

It is so hard to see past what you are living right now, but when you look at it through the Father’s eyes, you will be filled with peace, confidence, and reassurance that He will do ALL that He says He will. Today let’s live out what we know by realizing who we work for-Jesus, not man!

Jesus You laid out my entire life before I was even created, in that I hope to live out my purpose for You the absolute best I can. Whether given a special task or not I am to serve, love and obey You and that is a role I humbly and happily take on. Amen

What’s your excuse?

“Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” James 4:17

If I didn’t know any better than I might not be so convicted by this verse, but since I do, it has hammered me all morning. Why, because just this morning in my prayer time I asked the Lord to search me, know me, test me, and to reveal anything in me that is not pleasing to Him (Psalm 139:23-24) and like always as I began to study His word…BAM, He reveals it and in detail at that, thus James 4:17

It is always tough to hear, but I am thankful I can hear it and that I have not become hardened. Lord may I always find joy in Your discipline and see it as progress and not condemnation.  

Knowing what I ought to do and then not doing it

1. I know I am not to argue or complain but I do it anyway.

2. I know I am to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger, but a lot of the time I am the opposite (sorry honey)

3. I know I am to encourage others.

4. I know I am to show love to the unlovable; not annoyance

5. I know I need to be sensitive to others feelings.

6. I know I need to be more understanding about the hours my husband works all year around 24-7; and use the time we do get to be together as a joyful fun time for all of us; instead of griping and complaining about all my problems. Seriously ya’ll I really don’t have any problems; I just create a lot of them because I focus on myself too much.

-It’s bad and I hate to admit it but as you can see this is the biggest one God has hammered me on. I know this one has been an area of sin that I have failed to lay down. It is like a sin upon a sin which is so bad, again thus God leading me to James 4:17

Maybe there are some things in your life that you know you need to be doing but are not. Maybe it’s getting back into church, maybe it is getting involved in church. Maybe you have been holding onto some bitterness towards someone that you need to confess, maybe you have not been spending time with God. Maybe you are trying to straddle both God and the world, and maybe you know you have been surrounding yourself with things or people that have not been encouraging you spiritually, whatever it is let God reveal it to you today.

Let’s not be the servant who refused to do his duty (Luke 12:47) let’s be the servants that do our duties plus some.

Prayer: Lord thank You for always keeping me on my toes. Thank You for wanting me to always be better and more Christ-like than what I am. Lord today I confess these areas of sin to You and ask that You will continue to keep me accountable as I seek to become more like You. Amen

The Newest Fashion

“Let love be your highest goal.” 1 Corinthians 14:1

How have we lost all perspective on what is the most important goal in life? Is it because we truly do not know how loved we are by the Father? Or is it because we have allowed the world to show and define love instead of God and His word? Is it because we have chosen to make SELF be our highest goal?

How has the focus been taken off of God and placed upon ourselves and the world. Why do we want to have things done our way and not God’s way? Why have we become more concerned with our appearances instead of our hearts, why do we only listen to what we want to hear and not what God has to say? Why do we always have to have all the attention on us? Why do we talk more about ourselves than about God? Why don’t we want to always talk about God? Instead we want to talk to anyone and everyone who will listen to us, thus Facebook, Twitter, and My Space being so popular. Now don’t get me wrong I use to be a facebook user but once I started making it be more about me and not what God intended it to be for He shut it down. I do believe there is a way to share God’s word, but if it becomes more about you and takes the place of where God should be, than I think it does become a sin. That goes along with T.V. and any other thing that takes the place of God or that pleases the flesh and not the Lord.

What if each day we all set out to make love become our highest goal, what if we woke up each morning got into the Word of God and clothed ourselves in 1 Corinthians 13? What if we took off self and let the Holy Spirit put upon us the fruits of the Spirit? (Galatians 5:22) If we are claiming to be Christians than we should be imitating the very one who showed that love was His highest goal?

What would happen if throughout the entire day we never used the words I or me? What would happen if we set out to show our spouse, our co-workers, the lost, and even our enemies’ love, no matter how unnatural it is?  Could you imagine how contagious love would become? Do you know how much more laughter, healing, forgiveness, kindness, and encouragement there would be? Do you know if love was our highest goal and we actually acted love out in our everyday lives how much more Christ would be seen, heard, and even introduced to the lost all over the world? Even our churches would be packed with people wanting to hear more about this amazing love.

Don’t you think that if we all made love our highest goal there would be less self, less hate, less insecurity, less fear, less divorce, less anger, less bitterness, less gossip, less hateful words, less slander, and less control Satan would have on our lives? The crazy thing is we all pray for there to be less of these things, but we are not willing to our part to make them become less.

When we willfully choose to make love become our highest goal we are choosing to make Christ become the center, the most glorified, the most honored, the most adored, the most loved, and the most praised. We are choosing to die to ourselves and follow Him. And we are choosing to walk in the light and love of the SON. If we want to make love our highest goal then we need start pursuing and seeking more of God. Start making love an action and not a thought. Start making it a goal to share and show love to as many people as we can each and every day and make 1 John 4:16 become reality in our life.

“God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.”

The leaves never stop falling!

“And what a difference between our sin and God’s generous gift of forgiveness. For this one man, Adam, brought death to many through his sin. But this other man, Jesus Christ, brought forgiveness to many through God’s bountiful gift. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but we have the free gift of being accepted by God, even though we are guilty of many sins.” Romans 5:15-16

In my quest to conquer our yard full of leaves and reveal all the new growth and beauty of the green grass. The Lord was on a quest of His own, teaching me how special we are as His children to receive the free gift of forgiveness.

When I first started, I grabbed the rake, put my head down and went to work. I raked, raked, and raked some more, and then I bagged, bagged, and bagged some more. At one point I stopped, looked up to see how much progress I had made, and realized I had not gotten very far and had tons left to do. Every time I would bag the leaves it seemed like a ton of leaves would blow out or fall out. So I did as many big piles as I could and went and got the lawnmower. I figured it would be easier to mow over what I could not rake and bag, and surely the lawnmower would get the rest. So I went and grabbed the lawnmower and for ten minutes (not kidding) I tried to start that thing, I finally got it started and down the yard I went. As I was mowing I noticed that the lawnmower was still leaving a lot of leaves behind, of course not near as many as there were when I started, but I was just sure that thing would pick all of them up, but it didn’t. And there in that moment I heard the Lord speak.

You my child have started out just like all those piles of leaves except your leaves were sin. And just as you became aware of all that sin that needed to be cleaned up you came to me and accepted me as Your Lord and Savior. So what I did is I raked all those big piles of sin up and removed them, not by bagging them and putting them somewhere else, and not by mowing them. I came in and burned them to be nothing. I removed them so much that they don’t even exist to me today or tomorrow or ever again.

Now listen to me, you do the same thing with my word, you bury your head in it study, study, and try to bag all that you can. And notice I said all that YOU CAN! But the problem is this; just like that lawnmower did not pick up all the leaves, either can you! Only I can do that, but you have to let me, you have to let the Holy Spirit within you do its job. I gave Him to you freely to be the ruler and controller of your life. I also gave Him to you so that as you do bury your head in my word and try to bag all that you can He will make it stick. He will keep it fresh on your mind and He will convict you and discipline you when you try to leave leaves you think are okay.

So let Him do the work I sent Him to do. Kristi everyday when you lay all of your sins before me I come in and rake them up. But understand my sweet girl that these leaves they never stop falling, because you are human, but you can control the amount that do fall, by continuing to stay aware of them, by staying buried in My word, in prayer, and by laying them out before me each by name everyday! And you must! As you do I will always be there to rake them up and remove them, so that your true beauty within will show, shine and will become stronger, brighter, and will be nourished to be as beautiful as I made it to be. Walk in the confidence of who you are in Me and let the Holy Spirit do its job. There is so much beauty that lies within! So start living inside out so My name can be honored and you can be a utensil for me to use. I love you and made you for my pleasure even with leaves left behind. Be thankful you are aware of your sin because there are so many who are not, and what awaits those who live in sin and not in me is death. Jesus

Jesus thank You for such undeserved mercy and for never growing weary or turning away from me. Amen

Defined

“So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promises with confidence.” Hebrews 6:18

She leaves her big house filled with the nicest stuff you could afford, she gets in her nice big car, and she heads to a job she has built from scratch. Any and everyone who sees her admires how well she is put together and that has always been her goal. To be seen as someone who is the most successful in her career, most liked, best dressed, and even thought of as a great Christian woman. She takes pride in her appearance, even her children look as though they have the best of everything. She thrives on praise and compliments, so much she even surrounds herself with those who will give it to her.  

But it is not until you open her up that you see the inside of her and see nothing but broken pieces. Each piece has a word on it, from abuse, to premarital sex, to drugs, insecurity, bitterness, being made fun of, belittled, disrespected, etc. The deeper you look the more you see the root of it all and it is two words that have been carved behind all those broken pieces. They are “Praise and Influence.” She sought out to be praised by others for all her worldly accomplishments that she allowed the world and Satan to influence her thoughts, actions, and words. She was so under the influence of Satan that he had her convinced that without the materialistic things she was nothing, thus the big house, big car, smooth talk, and the most money of her friends and family. Because she had lived under the control of these two words for so long she new nothing different and thought it was normal, even though she was still so unhappy. She was bound up in the chains of these words instead of being free, living in the love and under the influence of Jesus Christ. Even though she would claim that she allowed God to be ruler of her life. When confronted she would argue because those two words were written deep within her.

We all have different words written within us and all our broken pieces are a result of something different.  Maybe for some of us it is receiving praise, maybe it is attention, control, affection, acceptance, love, power, appearance, and/or money. Maybe it is that desperate desire to understand why things happened the way they did, or why we have so much hate towards those who hurt us. Maybe it is all of the above. But for many of us we have allowed these words to have control over our lives, we have allowed Satan to influence us in believing we cannot function without them, and that we are nobodies, and that we should hate those who hurt us badly. Some of us like her are so eaten up with them and have lived with them for so long that we don’t know how to live in freedom or know anything different. We even become defensive and hardened when confronted about them.

But there is some great news, we can live in freedom. We can become more open to accountability and help when we allow God’s word to be our influence, when we stop listening to Satan and start listening to God. When we stop caring about what others think and start caring about what God thinks.  We have to allow Jesus to come in and erase those words and put new words within us. We have to let go of our insecurities and start clinging to the securities of Jesus Christ. We have to strip off the false appearances and start letting others see the stitching and patching of Jesus where we were broken and torn. And for the love of the One who created us we have to start accepting His praises, His love, His attention, and affection. We have to let Him be in control, and have all the power. How do we do it? By saying out allowed and to Satan that we are going to live by what we know! And we know that Jesus will meet us where we are and He will always do His part. We know He will bring healing, freedom, and renewal. And we know, we know, we know that we are loved, clothed in His righteousness, beautiful, and covered in His blood! 

Jesus remove the words we have allowed to define us and replace them with Your words of love. Amen

On our knees we shall be.

“The Lord helps the fallen and lifts up those bent beneath their loads.” Psalm 145:14

 My body is weak and worn from the burdens I thought I could bear. One by one I picked them up and placed them on my back. My heart is heavy and broken from all the stress and things I’ve placed upon me.

My back is bent to where all I can see is my feet. My legs are so weak that each step brings me closer to my knees- and maybe that is where I need to be.

Just today I took that last step and have finally hit my knees. With my head held down just as it should be I finally cried out. “Lord help me, I am bent beneath my load and as You can see by all that is upon me I tried to bear it alone.”

There on my knees the Lord spoke to me, “You are finally where I want you to be, now lift your head and see; it is I that placed the cross upon me.”

Don't wait until you are on your knees to give your burdens, worries and fears to the Lord. The Lord never intended for us to carry them, He already did when He died on the cross. If you are like me and waited until they sent you to your knees, cry out to Him the one who bears it all and just as He says I will help the fallen and lift all those bent beneath their loads. It’s time to unload!

Prayer: Lord I lay my burdens at Your feet leaving them where they should be. Thank You Jesus for carrying it all for me. May I walk in the lightness of You allowing the Spirit to do what is has come to do. Amen 

Living Proof

“The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. Tie them to your hands as a reminder, and wear them on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

I want nothing more in my life than for my two boys to know and be passionately in love with Jesus Christ.

I pray every day that they will be filled with wisdom beyond their years and that they will have a true fear of the Lord that will grow into knowledge and understanding of His word. In knowing without a doubt that the Lord will do His part and that He is already growing in the life of them both, I also know Garrett and I must do our part.

We must give our boys to the Lord-I mean they are His to begin with anyway.

We must intercede in prayer every day for them and with them.

Garrett and I must grow in the word of God ourselves and together as a family.

We must teach them His word.

We must live out God’s word- I believe that our boys need to see Garrett and I not just talk the talk but they must see us walk the walk. They need to see God’s word come to life every day through our actions, words, attitudes, everything! As Brother Collins put it we are God’s advertisement, and every day we are alive we must advertise God’s word, and be living proof that God does do all that His word says.

Not only do I pray that they will be in love with the Lord, but I pray that one day they will desire to have a marriage like Garrett and I, that they will desire to be like their dad and have a wife that posses’ the same qualities of Jesus in me. I will never forget hearing what my dad told Garrett when he asked him for my hand in marriage. My dad said, “Garrett you can marry my daughter as long as you promise to love God more than you love her.” I want my boys to love God more than they love Garrett, me, and their wives.

 If I want that for them, than I have to be clothed in the word of God and advertise the qualities of Christ through my every day walk with Him. I want them to learn what it means to be respected and to respect their spouse through my words, actions and attitude towards Garrett. I want them to see kindness, unconditional love, consistency, and more consistency, patience, willingness to serve, and to yield to Garrett and others. I want them to see a mom whose tongue is controlled, encouraging, and always kind, and most of all they need to see a mom whose first love is Jesus Christ.

I want them to see a marriage that is built on the word of God and that keeps God in the middle not on the outside. I want them to see what love is and how love should be expressed towards one another. I want them to see a marriage that is so tightly knit that nothing can undo it. I want them to see a marriage that turns to God no matter the situation and that worships God as one at home, church, in public, on vacation, etc.

I use to always ask my mom and dad what their goal was in life and it never failed they always said, “That you and your sisters get to heaven.” I am so thankful that my salvation was the most important thing. Are we showing our children what the most important goal in life is?

Jesus You have given us the amazing blessing of being parents. Help us to groom and raise them as You have called us to. Amen