Forgiveness

Verse of the Week: 

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” Romans 8:1

Forgiveness

I spent a long time in guilt over something I had done.  It wasn't anything major according to the world's standards, but every time I thought of it, guilt would consume my emotions.  I desperately wanted to ask that person for forgiveness, but the opportunity never came.  The chances of seeing that person again was slim.  For over a year, sometimes something someone said or something I saw would trigger what I had done, and once again, I would swim in a sea of guilt over what I had done.  I would CONSTANTLY be asking God to forgive me for what I did. Sound familiar?  Can anyone relate?

About a year later, I started studying something  amazing, God's forgiveness and grace. I love grace.  Simply believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and that through Him we now can go to heaven to be with God.  That part is simple and true and is amazing, but over the years people have made grace more complicated;  people would say that in order to receive God's blessings and approval, that you need to make sure that no sin is hindering your relationship with Him.  You need to keep asking Him for forgiveness to make sure you are right with Him. People would say that God loves you so much, but when you do wrong, he is displeased with you.  Now, when we sin, we will have to face the earthly consequences,  but does it change the way God views us?  When we sin, God may seem far off, because our focus is not on Him but on the things of the flesh, but has God turned his back on us? Has sin created a wall between believers and God?  Is God really ready to pounce on us and condemn us when we mess up?  Is he displeased with us when we sin? 

Lets see what the Bible says:  Isaiah 59:2 says, "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear."  When you read this verse, it sounds like God does turn his back on us when we sin. Here is the problem; this verse is part of the Old Testament and the OLD COVENANT.  For those of you that are not familiar with the old covenant, here is a brief background on it.  Through Moses, God made a covenant with the Israelites.   If you follow my laws, I will bless you; however, if you don't follow my laws, then I will punish you and turn my back on you.  That was the old covenant, and, as we know, God is faithful in all that he says and does. Psalm 33:4 says, "For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does."  Therefore, whatever God says He is going to do, He will do.  So in the old covenant, even though God desires to bless the Israelites, He also is going to be true to his word and punish them if they do not follow his laws. God will not be unfaithful in His part of the agreement with the Israelites.   Unfortunately, the Israelites failed over and over to follow God's laws; as a result, we see a God in the Old Testament who seems unloving and full of condemnation.  

We tend to think then that in the New Covenant of Grace, that God is still going to be upset with us if we mess up; after all, He was that way in the old covenant.  We think we are still under the written code of the law and are punished or blessed when we follow or fail to follow the law, but we find the opposite. Colossians 2:14 (NLV) says,  ^"We had broken the Law many ways. Those sins were held against us by the Law. That Law had writings which said we were sinners. But now He has destroyed that writing by nailing it to the cross." 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."  Once we confess our sins, God has forgiven us once and for all.  We are no longer condemned by the law; the cross is finished, and Jesus is alive!  The debt has been paid in full.  When you are forgiven, you are forgiven!  "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1) God is not going to condemn you if you mess up!  

So when we mess up, there is no wall between a believer and God; the Law of the old covenant is what put a wall between us and God.  But in the new covanent, the law is out, and is replaced with God's grace and forgiveness through Christ Jesus. God is not displeased and ready to condemn us; He loves us!  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) We are forgiven!

Back to my story above.  A year later, I once again was asking God to forgive me for what I had done so long ago.  Then it hit me.  I am already forgiven, I didn't need to keep asking Him for forgiveness over and over. Jesus paid for all my sins in full, so why am I asking God to do something he already did for me?  Jesus forgave me on the cross.  According to the law, I should be punished, but according to Jesus, I am forgiven. The devil loves to make us feel guilty and filled with condemnation when we mess up, but God isn't full of condemnation; he is full of forgiveness. I began to thank God for his grace and forgiveness. When I thanked him for the fact that I am already forgiven, the guilt began to disappear.  Even though I have to face the consequences for my sins, I have realized that I do not have to keep begging Him for forgiveness, that is what you do when you are under the law of the old covenant. Instead, I am going to THANK Him that I am already forgiven.  A long time ago I confessed my sins to Jesus, and I became a Child of God; I only have to do that once, not over and over.  I am His, and no future mess ups will ever separate me from Him.  Thank you Lord for forgiveness!  I am in AWE of it all!

Give Thanks in All Circumstances

Verse of the Week:  

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Give Thanks in ALL Circumstances

It had been one of those days in school that all teachers face at one point or another.  I had lost my cool and screamed at one of my students.  I kept telling him to get on task over, over, and over, to not interrupt when I was talking over, over, and over, and to stop clowning around over, over, and over.  I sounded like a broken record saying the same thing to him OVER, OVER, and OVER!!!!  I had reached the end of my rope, and I turned into his worst nightmare.  The poor kid's ears must have gone deaf as I yelled as loud as I could,  my eyes were shooting fiery darts, and I must have looked like I was ready to go to war.  I was tired, fat (I was pregnant at the time), and stressed out that day, and had lost it.  

To make things worst, I went home with that kid in my mind, and continued to fume over what he had done.  Why was I teaching again?  Why didn't I get an easier profession that didn't involve 12 year olds? I should have been a military commander, because I spent the rest of the evening strategically planning out my next battle I was sure I would face with him the next day.  I went over every possible scenario of what he might do  and thought of every possible action I could take for each scenario.  Sound familiar fellow teachers? Well, after I got a good nights rest, I rolled out of bed that morning, and got myself ready for another day of school all while dreading to see that particular student and class.  As I was driving to school, I started to pray like I always do, and I was thanking the good Lord for my husband and our child in my womb.  But then I did a very difficult thing,  I THANKED God for that kid, and for the privilege of teaching him and my other students.  My heart began to soften and I was able to pray for that boy. I didn't solve all my problems with him, and he continued to give me fits on some days, but because I was praying and thanking God for him, my own perspective began to change. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says,  "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." Did Paul really say give thanks in ALL circumstances?  Maybe Paul made a typo when he wrote ALL?  Really?  ALL circumstances? 

I have learned over the years that you truly can be thankful in all situations.  Sometimes it isn't easy to find a blessing when you are drowning in a pit of despair, but when we do, we find out that we begin to view the situation differently.  We begin to look at our circumstances through Christ's eyes.  

"There is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still." Corrie Ten Boom, one of my heroes said that.  She and her sister Betsie were placed in a concentration camp during World War II and despite the horrible, brutal devastating situation, they found a way to give thanks in ALL circumstances. In her book, The Hidding Place, she and her sister Betsie talk about this while they are being assigned to their barracks. Here is what Bestie starts off saying...

"That's it Corrie!  That's His answer. 'Give thanks in all circumstances!' That's what we can do right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!"

I stared at her, than around me in the dark foul-aired room.

"Such as?" I said.

"Such as being assigned here together."

I bit my lip. "Oh yes, Lord Jesus!"

"Such as what you're holding in your hands."

I looked down at the Bible. "Yes! Thank you dear Lord that there was no inspection when we entered here! Thank you for all the women here in this room, who will meet You in these pages."

"Yes," said Bessie.  "Thank you for the very crowding here.  Since we're packed so close, that many more will hear!" She looked at me expectantly, "Corrie!" she prodded.

"Oh, all right.  Thank you for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed, suffocating crowds."

"Thank you," Betsie went on serenely, "for the fleas and for-"

The fleas!  That was way to much.  "Betsie, there's no way even God can make me grateful for a flea."

"Give thanks in all circumstances,'" she quoted.  "It doesn't say, 'in pleasant circumstances.' Fleas are part of this place where God has put us."

And so we stood between piers of bunks and gave thanks for the fleas.  But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong.

As I read on later in the book, it turns out they found a reason to be thankful for the fleas.  NO guard or officer in the concentration camp would enter the barracks because of all of the fleas inside.  The fleas helped to provide a safe haven for all of those women.

Give thanks in all circumstances..... 

Love

Verse of the Week:

For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Galatians 5:14

Love

I remember one time seeing a pastor carry a backpack full of weights during his sermon.  While on stage he was talking about how without Christ, life can be a burden.  Cool concept; however, sometimes I think some Christians feel that LIVING FOR CHRIST can actually be a BURDEN!  I know I have felt that way before, but after understanding the message of grace and love, I begin to realize how Christ  truly does give us abundant life.

If we really truly UNDERSTAND God’s grace and love, serving God will not be a burden, but a JOY and a privilege to do.  You see, a lot of people believe that when Christians receive grace,  that many Christians, not truly understanding what God did for them, will continue to sin. After all, they are forgiven for all their sins, so why not keep sinning?  So in order to make sure that Christians actually do what God has in store for them, teachers go right back around and hammer the law and commands back into their lives as a measure of control to make sure they really do follow God.  They insist that sacrifices have to be made to follow God in the Christian life and is necessary to receive God's blessings and approval. As a result, Christians feel disappointed when they mess up and guilt is heaped upon them when they do not do everything perfectly. I myself felt the heavy burden of trying to do the right thing and never succeeding. Here is a secret... laws and commands do not keep us from sinning;  in fact the law increases sin;  “[…] the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies […]” (Romans 7:5)  We must understand that we are free from the written code of the law.  Colossians 2:13-14 explains it perfectly:

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.  He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code with its regulations that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.”

You see, the written code of the law is gone, Jesus is in.  God doesn’t want us to be drowning in a heap of guilt because we cannot be obedient to all of the commands of the old covenant.  Here is even better news,  we do not have to do anything to receive God's blessings, He has already blessed us!  

If people truly are saved, then Christ is alive in them.  What we need to relearn in society is that in Christ we are a new creation, Christ lives in us and will continue His good work through us.   I once asked my Dad a long time ago about his salvation experience.  What was the difference between before he was saved, and after he was saved.  He said, “Katrina, after I became a Christian, I didn’t want to sin anymore.”  You see, when we have Christ in us, we do not desire to sin, so why do we keep trying to force the law back on Christians in fear that they will go and start sinning because they can?  I am not saying that Christians won't mess up, but we need to spare ourselves of the guilt trip, and move on. We are saved by grace!

So let’s shift gears for a moment, and refer back to how if we truly understand God’s love then it is a JOY to serve Him and not a burden.  God’s love is AMAZING to me!  My heart bursts with joy when I think about the love God has shown me, and my deepest desire is to share it with others.  In the Bible it talks about how there is no greater love than to die for ones friends (John 15:13).  Jesus died not only for friends but for every single person who is held in bondage by sin and is destined to go to hell.  WOW!!!  That is true Agape love!  Agape love is the kind of love that is only focused on another person’s best interest.  Jesus only had our best interests in mind when he went through torture on the cross to save us. Here is what is even more awesome!  All we have to do is receive that free gift of love.  No strings attached!  Jesus paid it all!  

God’s love is unconditional.  In Romans 8:1 it says, “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,”  Once we have accepted Christ into our hearts, God is not there to condemn us for every single sin we have committed.  His love is unconditional; it does not matter what sin, you have committed,  from murder to adultery to stealing. Jesus washed it away and no longer condemns us for any sins we committed or will commit.   Sadly enough, people in our society both Christians and non-Christians display conditional love at times and turn their back on people if they mess up.  God, however, doesn’t turn his back on us,  He loves us more and His grace increases all the more!  “But where sin increases, Grace increases all the more.”  Thanks you Jesus for GRACE!

We can never be separated from God’s love.  Nothing in this life or the life to come can ever take us away from God’s love. “ ⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)  Nothing folks and I mean NOTHING can keep us from God’s love.  Wow!!!

There is so much more to God’s love, but it would take thousands of pages to write about it all.  Keeping God’s love in mind, why would the things we do in Christ be a burden?  What a joy it is to serve a God who loves so deeply! How do we serve the one we love so much because of His outpouring love for us?  For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Galatians 5:14)   I know what you are thinking,  "Wait a minute, Katrina, didn't you just say that we are free from the law and commands?"  You just gave us another law to follow, to love others."  Once again, you have to read the content before and after the verse.  

Before the verse,  Paul is talking about how the law has no value.  He says, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision [circumcision was another law the Jews had to follow] has any value. The only thing that counts if faith expressing itself through love."  Therefore the law has no value, but FAITH that shows LOVE does.

Let's also read Galatians 5:13-16, 18:
 ^"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you keep on bitting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."

You see, when by faith we accept Christ and receive forgiveness of our sins, Christ's spirit comes to live inside of us.  If we are led by Christ's spirit, we are not under the law.  Christ's spirit is full of love, therefore, we want to love; it is not an obligation or command.  However, in Galatians Paul is describing how amazing love is.  Love is such an amazing and complex action that it actually fulfills the law if we were actually under the law.

 “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” (1 John 4:16)  God’s love is in us ready to be on display for the world to see. I no longer feel burdened to give to others (a law given to us); no, I give freely out of the love in my heart.  I no longer sacrifice in helping those in need (another law); no, I joyfully help those in need because I love them.  I no longer force myself to forgive others (another command), I desire to forgive, because of the one who loved and forgave me. We do these things because of Christ’s love in us not because it is a burden or a command.  Love because he first loved us!

Happy Easter!  May Christ show his AMAZING love to you and your family this season!

Going Crazy With the Law

Verse for the Week:

“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith APART from the deeds of the law.” Romans 3:28

Going Crazy With the Law....

For years, I have gone to church every Sunday and learned so many different things, like: do not gossip, do not steal, do tithe 10 percent of your income to the church, do not get angry, do forgive others, do have patience,  do take care of the poor, do not have sex before marriage, do not commit adultery, do not lust, do not cuss, do not use God’s name in vain, do make peace with everyone, do love everyone, do not hate,  do serve others, do not lie, do not be jealous, do not divorce, do not be prideful, do not make idols, do not have other gods, do not murder, do not be bitter, do not, do this, do not, do this, do not……..the list goes on and on. 

 I look at the law and realize how NO ONE can follow all of the commandments God has given us. God gave the Jewish people over 600 commandments to follow in the Old Testament.  He knew it would be impossible for the Jews to follow them all, but that was the point of the law, to show us exactly how impossible it is to follow all of God's commands.  It is impossible!  Just look at the 10 Commandments alone in Exodus 20 and you will soon realize that if you have broken one, you have broken them all.  For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.( James 1:20)   No wonder people stop going to Church or trying to live for Jesus; they get so caught up trying to follow what is impossible to follow, and after continuous failure, they give up!  It says in Romans 3:23,  “ for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  No wonder people get so frustrated because they know failure is unavoidable.  I found out from our Pastor at church that 70% of teenagers leave the church when they go to college.  We have so many rules and regulations heaped upon us that we begin to drown in a pool of commands that we can never keep.  Trapped is the best way to describe how people feel towards the law…

God knew we could never keep the law. Jesus himself demonstrated that to us in Matthew 19:16-26 when he talks to a rich man about how to get to heaven.  Here is the story:

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

¹⁷ “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

¹⁸ “Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother,’and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

²⁰ “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

²² When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

I would have looked at Jesus and asked the same thing.  Who can be saved?  It is impossible! If we don’t follow every command God give us, we are subject to eternal death! But in verse 26 Jesus says something very important.

²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Of course all things are possible with God.  He would never leave us to drown in our sins and be condemned to hell.  God made it possible to have abundant life without the law.  He did it through Jesus.  “But God demonstrated his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)  God knew we could never keep the law, so he put Jesus who knew no sin to die for our sins.   We are justified by faith in Christ Jesus, not by the law.  In Romans 3:28 it says, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith APART from the deeds of the law.”

So here is the question I have to ask.  If we are justified by faith and not the law, why do we keep trying to follow the law? Why do churches keep hammering the law into our brains, and we experience failure over and over when we attempt to follow every command?  I know in my own life, I keep trying over and over to do the “do not’s and do’s” and keep failing.  What people forget is that the law was the first covenant between God and the Jews; the second covenant involves FAITH in Jesus!  The law is out, Jesus is in!  When we go back and try to keep the law of the Old Testament we commit spiritual adultery.  Now, before you claim I am being blasphemous and going against what God says, hear me out. Let’s read, Romans 7:1-6 carefully (don’t skim it!) and I will explain what I mean:

Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? ² For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. ³ So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.

⁴ So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. ⁵ For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. ⁶ But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

For years, pastors and teachers have used Romans 7 to teach others about not committing adultery (another “do not”), but if you look at the verses before and after the scripture on adultery, you will see that Paul is using it as an example to make his point about the law and grace.  You see, when a woman’s husband dies, she is free from the law and is allowed to marry again.  When we accept Jesus, we died to the law and now have freedom through Christ. Just like when a woman’s husband dies, she now has freedom to marry; we die to the law and have freedom in Christ.  So why do we keep going back to the law?

I am not in any way saying that because we are free from the law that we should start sinning whenever we want.  Even Paul says, in Romans  6:15,  “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?  By no means!” 

You see, when we accept Jesus into our hearts, we are a new creation.  Christ LIVES in us!  So when we re-read Romans 7:6, it begins to make sense:   ⁶ But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.”  We are no longer bound to the written code of the law, we are to serve in a new way…by the Spirit…by Christ reigning inside of us.  Each day, we should be asking Christ how do you want to work through me today?  We need to be looking at Christ, who He is, what he does, how he loves, and allow who He is to be seen through us. 

I no longer criticize myself and call myself a failure whenever I mess up and do the wrong thing.  I am not bound by the law, God LOVES me too much to keep me bound to it.  “But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” (Romans 5:20)  Instead, I keep moving on and let Christ live in me.  I keep my eyes on Him.  I serve Him with all my heart because of the outpouring love he has given me.  I now want to shower others with His love.  Living your life for Jesus is freedom.  It is Grace!

Follow Jesus, not the Law! 

The Secret to Being Content...

Verse of the Week: 

¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him [Christ] who gives me strength. 

Philippians 4:12-13

The Secret to Being Content...

It was the first day of Junior High, I was so excited.  Earlier that week, Mom had gotten down the big box of clothes that my older sister used to wear for me to try on.  A lot of them fit, and I was so excited to finally wear some of the things my sister had worn.  I didn't mind hand-me-downs. Whenever I got to go through the box, I felt like I was getting new clothes.  Plus, a lot of the outfits were cute!  I remember finding a bright and colorful vest,  and pink shirt that my sister had worn four to five years earlier, and some nice gray slacks.  I had chosen the outfit I was going to wear for the first day of school.  To top it off, my mom had taken me shopping for some shoes, and I had found some cool shiny black shoes to go with my outfit.  I remember visualizing myself wearing my outfit while sitting on one of the tall stools in the lab of my science class.  Oh!  I could hardly wait!

When I arrived to school that day happily dressed in my clothes, I soon had a wake up call!  Most of the girls in my classes had dressed themselves in the newest styles: tight jeans that were below the belly button, tight fitting tops, high heels, and, the newest thing for Jr High girls, makeup.  Here I was in my weird vest, baggy gray pants that were hitched up above the belly button, and naked face (no makeup for me yet!).  To make it even more devastating, as I entered the classroom, I noticed that my teacher had the SAME shoes I was wearing!  I was so embarrassed, and felt like the classic nerd… minus the glasses.  I could have been the next Steve Urkel, or just name me after his cousin, Myrtle Urkel!  I soon disliked the clothes that I had at first loved.

So what happened?  What changed?  Why did I not like the clothes I originally loved?  Simple, it all boils down to one word, comparison.  You see, when we compare ourselves to others, it wipes out every ounce of contentment that we originally had before we looked at Jane Doe and decided that she had a better house, more stylish clothes, bigger car, prettier family, amazing cooking abilities, outstanding athletic abilities, and well..you name it!

God has some things to say about comparison.  Let’s look at 2 Corinthians 10:12:

 “ Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!”   

Let’s face it, humans are IGNORANT (God’s words, not mine!) when it comes to comparing ourselves.  We do it all the time!  We want to be the best and then boast about ourselves in front of others about how awesome we are.  If you look further into 2 Corinthians 10, you find out God addresses who we should be bragging about. 

¹⁷ As the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.” ¹⁸ When people commend themselves, it doesn't count for much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them.

We shouldn't be boasting about ourselves, but boasting about God!

But let’s talk about contentment for a moment.  When we start wishing we could be like this person or dress like that person or act like this person or have what another person has, our contentment fades faster than the speed of light!  Think about Joseph’s brothers in Genesis 37.  Joseph was apparently loved by his father the most out of the 12 brothers, and to top it off, he had an amazing colorful coat (that apparently topped my colorful vest!) that was to die for! See what Josephs’ brother’s attitude was towards Joseph when they started comparing themselves to him:

 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. ⁴ When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. (Genesis 37:3-4)

WOW!  Hate is a strong word, but instead of being content with their lot, they began to compare and allowed jealousy to come into their hearts which grew to the point that they HATED their brother!  Eventually some of Joseph’s brothers tried to kill him!

You see, contentment comes when you stop focusing and comparing yourself to others and start focusing on Jesus.  Here is what Paul says about the secret to being content:

¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do all this through him [Christ] who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:12-13)

When people read the last part of the verse, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength,” they think it means that I can accomplish anything or do anything with His help, but when you read the verses before it, it has a much deeper meaning.   The secret to being content is to draw your strength from Christ!  No matter what situation you face from wearing clothes that look like rags to the point of wondering where your next meal comes from, depending on Christ and looking at your circumstances through His eyes gives you renewed strength and insight beyond what the world sees. 

Brian and I are currently living in a one bedroom apartment.  We could be comparing ourselves to others and wishing for our dream 3 bedroom/2 bathroom home.  We could even go out and impulsively buy a home just so we can be like all of our friends, but we haven't.  Why? Because like Paul, we are looking at our circumstances through the eyes of Jesus.  After a lot of prayer, searching, and discussion, we both know that at the present moment, it isn't wise for us to buy a house yet.  Instead of not being content,  we are focusing on what is important like family, love, spending time together, and our relationship with Christ.  As a result, we are so happy in this cozy one bedroom apartment, and I wouldn't trade our time here for anything!

Stop comparing, look to Christ , and like Paul, we will have learned the secret to being content!

Who's Getting the Glory?

Verse for the Week:

 “I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another.”  Is. 42:8

Who's Getting the Glory?

My husband and I love nature!  We are your typical nature freaks! We take so much joy in hiking deep into the evergreen forest where a bubbling creek is flowing, or walking along the edge of the beach and hearing the crashing of the waves, or  traveling through a desert where cactus flowers are in full bloom, or moving into a lush temperate rain forest where the birds are chirping a beautiful song. Brian told me one time, “Katrina, “I feel so close to God when I am in nature.”

My husband and I love to travel.  In the 3 ½ years we have been married, we have seen so many beautiful sights and sounds that have taken our breath away.  From beautiful sunsets, to the sounds of bubbling brooks, to the rustling of the wind going through the trees, to the sight of mountains peaks going out as far as an eye can see.  Every time I go out into nature, I fall in love with our Creator all over again.   His glory is revealed in everything He has created.  You see, since the beginning of time, God’s glory has been revealed through his creation.  Romans 1:20 says, “ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” How can we look at nature and not see God?

When I think about how God’s glory is revealed, it isn’t just through his creation, but through people’s actions.  In 1 John 4:12 it says, “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”  You see, God reveals his love through people.  We get the opportunity to glorify Him by loving others. 

There was one question that had me confused for many years.  What exactly does glorify mean?  I read in a book once that glorify means to make famous.  So here is the thought for the day: Are you making yourself famous or God famous?  Society today is focused on making ourselves look good.  We have to have the newest car, stylish clothes, a nice big house, lots of money, top notch job, and many other things to make ourselves look good to others.  Let’s face it, America is addicted to materialism. So ask yourself, when you use the money to buy a new car; is it because you need one to transport your kids around and to drive to work, or is it to make yourself look good?  When you get on facebook and show lots of pictures of your family, is it so you can get lots of comments and likes from others, or to give God the fame? What is your motive when you volunteer for a church activity? Is it to make yourself look holy, or God holy?  Are your actions, choices, or motives glorifying God or yourself?   In Isaiah 42:8, it says, “I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another.”   It is all about HIM, folks, not ourselves.

Take a moment to reflect on His glory in the video below.  It has pictures that Brian and I have taken from our travels. Brian and I are not professional photographers, and the pictures are taken from a simple camera, but you can still see God’s awesomeness in His creation.  Take time to fall in love with the Artist who designed the beautiful creation you see in the pictures.

To HIM be all the GLORY!!!

**Do not enlarge the video screen, it makes the pictures blurry, keep it small for better picture quality.

Busy Busy!!!

Verse of the Week:

Psalms 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.”

Busy Busy!!!

Overwhelmed, frustrated, tired, and, let’s face it, in a horrible mood. I had just gotten home from a disaster instead of what usually is a smooth grocery shopping trip. As we were in the checkout line, Brayden decides to turn from a perfect angel into a mommy’s worst nightmare (Do the terrible twos start at 5 ½ months?).  I was mortified because I felt like one of the moms at the checkout line who couldn’t get her child under control.  Need milk? Nope. Need pacifier? I guess if he is spitting it out every 5 seconds, then nope.  Need a toy?  Nope.  I went through the checklist of everything I knew, but Brayden continued to cry every 5 seconds after I tried to soothe him; if you didn’t know him like I do, you would have thought his world was ending.  My frustration grew, and I probably changed the minds of two bachelors in front of me about having a cute cooing baby with their future spouses after seeing a distraught mother and a baby that I felt was making noises as loud as the sirens on a fire truck.  We get into the car, and guess what?  Mr. Terrible Twos decides to become Mr. Perfect Angel again.  Crying stops!  Yes!  That means we can make our trip to Albertsons to pick up a few other items, and I can get my shopping trip done all in one outing. We were just about to make the turn into Albertson’s parking lot, when the sirens let loose again!  I skipped the turn and went straight home.  And that was where I was, overwhelmed…

I had just arrived home from a half finished grocery shopping trip to a home that looked like tornado had struck. Dishes were piled in the kitchen; toys, papers, clothes, and shoes were scattered everywhere; the toilet was growing some kind of fungus in it; the bed was unmade; the trashes were full; the laundry was piling; and, to top it off, there was still that unfinished grocery shopping trip.  I felt like pulling out my hair after seeing all that needed to be done or maybe growing 10 more gray hairs to add to the ones already on my head.

 BUSY BUSY BUSY!!  OVERWHELMED, OVERWHELMED, OVERWHELMED!!  I had to get away from the situation.  I walked over by the couch and pulled out my Bible and study materials and spent time in the Word.  Slowly, my frustrations and overwhelming attitude started to fade and was replaced with Jesus. My heart drank up His Word, and my exhaustion was replaced with renewed strength.  Those 20 minutes of peace and quiet, just God and me, was what I needed after a hectic crazy morning. Brayden woke up from his nap, and we went back out to finish our shopping trip.  I may not have gotten everything done on my list that day, but my spirit was rejuvenated, and I was ready to face the rest of the day. 

You see, in today’s society, we have extremely busy lifestyles to where we feel like we have to be busy every microsecond of the day.  In some ways, I don’t believe it was too different during the days of Jesus.  Here’s the story of a sweet women whose life style seems to reflect our own:

³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”  ⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42)

You see, Martha was so focused on the busy tasks she had to complete, that she neglected something important, hearing the words of Christ.   There are so many times that we let the busyness of our days take over our lives that we neglect the most important thing we have, our relationship with Christ.   Some people are even so busy trying to serve Christ by volunteering in church activities, making meals for the sick, or helping out at the soup kitchen, that they neglect their relationship with Christ.  Don’t get me wrong, all of the things people do to serve Christ are wonderful things, but serving Christ and having a relationship with Him are two different things.  If you don’t have 20 minutes in your day to sit and listen and drink in the Words of Christ, let’s face it, you might be too busy.  God says in Psalms 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.”  By taking time in the Lord, you renew your spirit and allow yourself a chance to focus on His greatness and the things He does for you. As a result, it brings you joy, strength, and peace.

Let’s look at it from a different perspective.  Sometimes our busy life styles can actually cause us to neglect other important things in our life, like our family.  Some people are so busy trying to go out and save the world that they end up losing their family.  In the Bible, Jesus talks about loving others (Matthew 22:39).  The love Christ talks about here is the Greek word Agape love.  Agape love is a selfless love that involves another person’s best interest.  Are you putting your family’s best interest first?  Or are you too busy in your job and volunteering in activities to attend your son’s soccer game or to spend time eating supper with your family in the evenings?  Are you putting the needs of your family first?  Are you there to help your child with his/her science homework, or to help your wife out around the house?   

Busyness, Christ, or Family.  Which one is your top priority?

Be still and know that I am God….