Hail Mary



Since becoming a parent, I developed a deep respect and admiration for Mary - Jesus' mother.  I have read about her in scriptures and books.  Every year when Christmas comes around, I look for postage stamps which bear her image.  The more I learn of her, the more I aspire to have the great qualities she possessed.  She is the epitome of motherhood and a woman who lives a life pleasing to God.

 

I think of how mature and faithful Mary must have been to be chosen by God to be the mother of our Savior.  At such a young age, she exemplified every characteristic a godly woman should possess.  When she received the message that she would have a child, even though she was an unmarried virgin, she did not fear earthly consequences or challenge God's messenger.  She trusted in God completely and was willing to accept whatever He had in store for her life. 

 



http://fashionstars.xyz/merry-christmas-nativity-wallpaper/

In recent weeks, I noticed something about Mary's story I had never picked up on before.  It is actually a very significant detail which, in my opinion, illustrates what an amazing woman she was.  Joseph took Mary to Bethlehem to participate in a census.  The journey from their home in Nazareth was approximately 80 miles and took nearly a week to arrive at the destination on foot.  Upon their arrival, the town of Bethlehem was overwhelmed with visitors who were also participating in the census.  Joseph searched high and low for shelter for his wife and unborn son with no luck.  Well, I take that back.  He was able to find shelter in a barn.  Mary gave birth to Jesus in that barn and wrapped him up in rags. 

 

 

I am in my last trimester of pregnancy and I immediately became bombarded with images and thoughts of how horrible that trip was for Mary.  She rode on a donkey for several days over rough terrain.  Upon arrival to Bethlehem, she was not able to rest in a nice hotel.  She had to sleep in a barn surrounded by stinky, loud animals!  She didn't have a nice nursery set up for her son or even a somewhat sanitary environment to give birth.  Through all that, I could only imagine what my reaction would have been.  I know for sure I would have been very unhappy with Joseph for bringing me all that way and have no lodging set up, knowing good and well I was expecting our first child.  I would have been fussing and complaining and crying and probably even cursing.  After all that misery, I would have been on the first thing smoking right back to Nazareth and have that marriage annulled.  And for this reason alone, I know why God didn't choose me to be Jesus' mom.  The scriptures never illustrate her as nagging or expressing any type of disappointment.  Mary didn't complain to Joseph and she didn't question God.  She remained strong in her faith that God would take care of them and He always did.

 

http://www.womeninthebible.net/2.1.Mary_of_Nazareth.htm

In the scripture passages about Mary, she is always described as someone who thinks things through before reacting.  Mary doesn't speak a lot but when she does, she speaks with wisdom.  Mary was chosen to be the mother of our Savior because she was 100% focused on living a life pleasing to God.  I can't recall ever reading about her doing or saying something foolish in a moment of weakness.  Even as she stood by and watched her Son being tortured and murdered, she cried because He had to suffer but she let God's perfect plan come to pass and did not interfere.  In the past, I would only think of the prestige and honor that came with being Jesus' mother but the more I think about it, the more I know her life must have been extremely tough to bear so much pain and adversity.  I am thankful that God, in His infinite and perfect wisdom, knew to choose Mary to be Jesus' mother.  If not for her, Jesus wouldn't have stood a chance in this world.  Mary, with the assistance of Joseph, were great examples of godliness for Jesus to emulate.  Mary and Joseph can be examples for us as well, for how we should be as parents and as believers.

 

In this last blog entry for 2015, I want to leave you with this question to ponder: "What am I doing to prepare myself for God's big plan for my life?"  God uses all of us- good, bad and indifferent - to fulfill His plans.  Is your destiny one that will be in history books someday for achieving something great?  Or will your legacy be one remembered in horror?  Or will people forget about you altogether the moment you pass away from this life?  I know I want God to use me to achieve great things.  As I grow closer to Him, I listen to His voice and follow His instructions.  I pray that God will use me to do great things that will bring people closer to Him.  I pray that God will let my light shine as bright as the sun.  As this year draws to a close, I know 2016 will have more exciting adventures for me as I walk along this path God has chosen for me.  I look forward to sharing all those adventures with you as you continue to walk along your path too!

                                 

 

Gills and Tails

Whenever I read news articles or browse through social media, I am bombarded with so much negativity that I feel disgusted.  Like literally, sick to my stomach.  There is so much that goes on in this world we live in that is considered normal and acceptable but makes absolutely no logical sense to me.  The evil acts people commit against each other is very disturbing to me.  The manner in which governments and businesses are allowed to run is completely shameful.  The amount of foolishness and ignorance that people display makes me want to leave this planet either by rapture or be shot into outer space.  I honestly feel like I don’t belong here…

 

http://yumiam3.deviantart.com/art/Drowning-in-my-deamons-388776856



As I laid in my bed and pondered these things, two men from the Old Testament came to mind: Lot and Daniel.  What can the stories of these two men teach me to help encourage me in this messy world I live in?  Well, first of all, they both relocated to places where they did not belong.  Lot willingly relocated to Sodom and Gomorrah while Daniel and other citizens of Judah were taken into captivity by Babylonians.  Both men observed the ways of the people in the new land in which they lived and found their lifestyles were quite contrary to that of the natives.  Both men refused to participate in the behaviors and customs of the new land in which they lived.  In exchange, God had mercy on them and spared their lives from life/death situations. 

 

 

http://www.biblebios.com/lot/lot.htm                  http://gardenofpraise.com/bibl20s.htm

 

As I read their stories, it reminded me that in this life, we are called to stand out.  To be a light.  To avoid conforming to the ways of this world.  We are called to inspire, to lead, to uplift, to minister, to witness, to testify, to be strong in faith, to be of good character, to be patient and loving towards our neighbors and to bring the lost into the light we found in Jesus Christ on the day of our salvation.  So maybe I feel like an alien in this world but there is a reason I feel that way.  I am suppose to ignite change in this world to help make it a better place!  Most of all, I need not fear consequences of this world because my God will protect me as I fulfill my destiny, walking in His good and perfect will for my life.

Are you utterly disgusted by what is taking place in your world?  Do not stand in complacency and watch it be destroyed!  Do not be overwhelmed by the pressures and temptations that come your way!  You can be an instrument of change in your world!  When you see someone making bad choices, counsel them in love to make wise decisions.  When you see injustice and inequality, work towards social change.  Be the change that makes this world a place were we can all feel we belong.          

http://www.flroberts.net/CG/CG5/slides/mermaid%20tropical%20view.html

A Comforter Is More Than Just A Warm Blanket...

I am a lover of words.  I love to have a memorable word for every occasion.  Maybe one day, when I am dead and gone, people will quote some of the memorable words I have spoken or written.  The thought of that makes me feel like a celebrity (^_^)

I am not always good with words though.  I have difficulty using words to comfort people who are grieving.  That has been a pretty big obstacle for me when I am attempting to comfort someone who is grieving the loss of a loved one or suffering some other seriously traumatic life event.  I have tried to mimic some of my mentors who are proficient at using words to comfort but it feels so awkward and unauthentic.  I often wished this talent was more natural for me.  So... I looked to The Word to help me figure it out.

Many people know the story of Job.  You know, the guy in the Old Testament who was the target of a bet of sorts between God and Satan.  Job suffered the loss of his immediate family, loss of his wealth, deteriorated health, every unfortunate circumstance you could imagine. When I used to think of Job, I thought of his story as an example of having strong faith.  The more I studied his story, the more I was able to see his story was abut more than that.   Much of the book of Job covers conversations between Job and his "friends".  His friends heard of his troubles and came to check in on him.  For a few days, they sat and mourned with him.  For the bulk of the time they were with Job, they were not very helpful in encouraging him through the hard time Job was facing.  They did a lot of finger wagging, nagging, making accusations about his character.  They assumed he must have done something to offend God to be in such a horrible situation.  Fortunately, Job's faith in God helped him stay encouraged during his time of trouble because his friends were not helping at all.

I can recall back when I was in college, I found myself in a pretty tough spot and desperately needed someone to comfort me.  Many of the people I was close to were in no position to help me during my time of need.  I was fearful of going to my mother for help because I thought she would be like Job's friends and make me feel even worse.  Eventually, I got up the courage to call her and ask for help.  When I called her, I was still too ashamed to come clean about my situation so I didn't mention my problem right away.  Somehow, The Lord put it on her heart exactly what I was going through without me having to say a word!  Even more surprising, she did not fuss at me or make me feel bad.  She offered to help me during my time of need and encouraged me to get my life back on the right path.  If it wasn't for her positive encouragement, I can't imagine how my life would have turned out.  I am thankful that she acted in a godly manner with helping me through my situation.

One of my favorite parables is the story of the prodigal son.  We all know how the young, foolish, rebellious son demanded his share of inheritance, ran off and squandered all his wealth and came crawling back to the mercy of his father.  The most awesome part of the story is not just the fact that the son was welcomed back home but the manner in which his father welcomed him.  His father wasn't busy at work or watching sports center when the prodigal son returned.  The father was actually watching and waiting for his son!  The scripture states the father saw his son from far off and came running to greet him with open arms.  This story tells me not only about God's grace and mercy.  It also tells me how I should deal with people who come to me for help.  A godly person is eager to encourage and uplift those who are in a bad spot.  A godly person does not say "I told you so" or give harsh criticism. 

So basically, what I am trying to say here is that I have learned that I don't always need to know the right thing to say.  Sometimes just being present and silent is the best way to comfort a person who is grieving.  If someone in my life is experiencing a tough time, I don't need to put them down and make them feel worse.  I need to approach them with love and offer to help them in any way that I can.  Too often we judge others and say, "Oh, you deserve to suffer for the bad choices you made."  Instead we should genuinely say, "I'm sorry to hear you are suffering.  I am here if you need me to help." 

I hope you Sunday morning Christians understand my words!  Make the choice to be a warm blanket, not a wet one!

Under (Re)Construction

A few years ago, I went through a phase when I attempted to do a complete overhaul of myself.  I reflected on every aspect of my being (my behavior, my personality, my speech, everything...) and attempted to replace the things about me that I believed were not pleasing to God with things that were.  I had a pretty strong circle of mentors who were well seasoned in the faith and had all the character traits that I desired to have.  I looked up to those mentors, married Christian women, to be my guide as to what was acceptable and what was not in God's eyes. 

During this process of re-creation, which I thought would be fairly simple, I began to have doubts that I could achieve the goal of being a "Proverbs 31" woman.  Each time I failed a test, I was very hard on myself.  Each time I lost my temper, uttered a curse word or entertained ungodly thoughts, I would get depressed.  Eventually I said "Screw it!  I can't be like any other woman.  I can only be me."  But what does it mean to "be me"?  What came natural to me were behaviors I had learned from over three decades of  flip-flopping between Christianity and immorality.  When I found it difficult or inconvenient to be a Christian, I would just resort to my 'old ways'.  You know, that Michelle who lived life with no care of consequences.  Who was I kidding?  Certainly not God!  I couldn't keep lying to myself; it was time for me to choose - which master would I serve? 

To "be me" would mean that I would continue to live an ungodly lifestyle from time to time, whenever it was convenient.  To be a Christian means that I am literally a new creation in Christ.  The old me and all my old ways would be dead.  I must learn how to "be me" by imitating Jesus Christ.  I have to be mindful to pray and study scripture constantly.  Not just once in a while, when I have spare time.  I have to make this new life a priority and the only way to be successful is to completely emerge myself in God's word and communicate with Him through prayer so that I can hear His instructions.  When I don't dedicate time throughout the day to communicate with God, I am lost.  But when I do communicate with Him, I make better choices and feel peace knowing I am on the right track.  I also must go to church regularly and associate myself with other believers to stay encouraged and encourage others. 

Now, as difficult as it may sound, it is not impossible.  I have to make a conscious effort each day to be obedient to The Spirit which lives in me and guides my path.  There are times when I fall off the path, sometimes head first into ditch!  But I see myself as a constant work in progress and I am not going to give up.  If Jesus Christ saw me on my worst day as someone worth dying for, then I can make the effort to live for Him!

laugh at my pain

I have been a comedian for as long as I can remember.  I have often used comedy to make light of bad situations, to cheer up people who are feeling low or to just bring attention to myself.  In my professional career and my personal life, I believe most people would describe me as a person who is constantly joking around.  I like to use the term, "You gotta laugh to keep from crying."  I use that term because when I can dig deep and find a joke to uplift myself or someone else during a time of crisis, I believe it feels so much better to laugh than to wallow in despair.

There are times when I dig deep and I can't find a joke.  There are times I dig so deep that I get lost in the darkness and stay there.  During those times I wish I could laugh but I cry instead, overwhelmed with all the negative emotions that I allowed to flood my mind and steal my joy...

Many successful, professional comedians reminisce on their painful past and make jokes about those moments when laughter was far from their lips.  One such example is Kevin Hart.  Kevin Hart was raised by a single mother and his father was a drug addict.  Kevin Hart was very self conscious of his small stature.  Kevin Hart divorced his wife and mother of his two children.  Kevin Hart was not successful as a comedian when he first began his career as a performer.  It wasn't until he began telling jokes of his shortcomings, his insecurities, his painful past, that he found success in comedy.  One of his most memorable performances was a show titled, "Laugh at my pain" in which he discusses his past in detail and even revisited the city where he grew up.  I'm sure he wasn't laughing much when he went through the storms of his early years but he managed to learn to have joy in spite of the pain from his past.   

Recently, I reviewed Isaiah 26:3 with my son and asked him to tell me what he thinks the verse means.  The NIV verse reads, "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You."  My son told me the verse means God will give you peace if our mind is always thinking godly thoughts.  You see, The Word is so simple, even children understand its basic concepts.  This verse is very true because if my mind was constantly on God, I would have no room in my brain to worry or fear or doubt.  The devil is always prowling around, looking for an opportunity to pounce on his prey.  As children of God, we cannot give the devil power to control us by stealing our godly thoughts and replacing them with evil, perversions or anything that is against God.  It is only when we surrender ourselves to those ungodly thoughts that evil prevails and our peace of mind diminishes.  It can happen in the blink of an eye therefore it is imperative that we stay vigilant and do not give the devil a foothold to enter our mind. 

So how can I keep my mind on God constantly?  I asked myself that question and I am sure you are asking as well.  Sometimes the pain of life hurts too much to laugh but I will choose to laugh anyway.  Pain is temporary, just like the pain of childbirth.  During labor with each of my children, I can recall it being the worst physical pain I had ever experienced.  I can also recall the overwhelming joy I felt immediately upon seeing the fruit of my labor, my baby, delivered into my arms.  With each contraction, I knew I was closer to meeting the child I longed for during the entire nine month long pregnancy.  And with the pain of each of our life experiences, we can be encouraged by the fact that at the end of our "labor", we will have joy! 

God promises to never leave us nor forsake us.  That is the gift of His Holy Spirit.  It dwells within us and whispers words of encouragement to bring laughter to our lips when we are in the midst of a nightmare.  His Spirit envelops us in love when we are lonely and instills a sense of peace to our troubled minds.  We learn patience through the storms of life.  We learn to be good and kind to others after experiencing evil and unkindness from others.  We learn self control when we overcome temptations.  Most of all, we learn to remain faithful because God shows us faithfulness every day of our lives.  He never gives up on us so we must never give up on Him.  We must learn to laugh at our pain and let God's Spirit heal our wounds.

I have seen The One who sees me

I'm a big fan of inspirational quotes.  One of my favorite quotes comes from Joyce Meyer.  She wrote in one of her books, "You can be pitiful or you can be powerful but you can't be both."  I came across this quote during a time when I felt very pitiful.  I had no idea how to transform my pity into power.  I looked to the word of God and found wisdom to help me stay encouraged when the challenges in life seem overwhelming.  I was able to discover for myself how to overcome feelings of depression, low self esteem, lack of confidence and self destruction.  I pray these words help to uplift you and keep you aware that God is with you when you are high as well as when you are low...

One of my favorite biblical heroines is Hagar.  Talk about pitiful!  Hagar was a slave in a foreign land and treated like a piece of property.  Hagar was forced to perform whatever services her master requested of her.  This included performing sexual acts with Abram and being used to conceive a child on Sarai's behalf.  Hagar's situation was unbearable for her and eventually she ran away.

Have you ever been faced with an extremely difficult situation and decided to run away from it?  Hagar was a poor, unmarried, pregnant, servant girl.  Back in the Old Testament days, I don't think any woman could find herself in a worse predicament.  We all feel alone, unloved and desperate at times.  The way Hagar's situation turns around helped give me hope and turn my pity into power.

So Hagar ran away but soon discovered she was not alone.  An angel found Hagar and gave her wisdom on how to face her situation.  After her encounter with the angel, Hagar felt empowered, hopeful and most of all, she felt loved.  No longer was she just a piece of property.  Hagar felt a sense of self worth due to the fact that God took note of her predicament and helped her fulfill her purpose.  Surely Hagar must be very important regardless of her social class since God spoke to her and helped her through a tough time in her life.  So Hagar turned around and went back to face her situation but she didn't go back empty handed.  God blessed her with a baby boy who would someday be a father of an entire nation of descendants too numerous to count!

This story is such an inspiration to me.  During times when I feel alone, worthless, pitiful, I can be renewed with feelings of love, joy and peace because God speaks directly to my spirit.  God tells me I am His child.  He tells me He loves me! He tells me He will always protect me! He tells me no matter how bad things get, I will always be important to Him!  There is no human relationship that can compare to my relationship with God.  Humans don't love unconditionally but God does.  God sees each and every one of us.  Open your eyes and see Him at work in your life!

Sexual Revelation: Volume One

One of the worst temptations plaguing our society today is sexual immorality.  Everywhere I turn, I am bombarded by sex.  Sexually suggestive songs on the radio, sexual references in commercials, movies and television shows, fashionable clothing which leave nothing to the imagination.  I often find myself feeling prudish or old fashioned when the topic comes up because I am highly opposed to sex being displayed to the world as something casual.  Sex is very sacred and should be treated as such.  The Bible gives us a multitude of examples and lessons to teach us the importance of sexual purity and the consequences for sexual immorality.  Those examples and lessons continue to apply to our lives today.

This topic is very broad therefore I will break it up into segments.  This particular segment (Volume One) will pertain to the first marriage documented in the history of humanity.  The union of the infamous couple, Adam and Eve, can be found in Genesis 2.

The first marriage was between Adam and Eve.  In the beginning, God created Adam out of the dust from the ground.  Adam was designated by God to rule over the land and to manage all of God's creation.  Adam was the only human being in the Garden of Eden and was unable to find "a suitable helper" among God's vast creation.  God took note of Adam's dilemma and created Eve from Adam's rib.  Adam found Eve to be his perfect match and they were united as husband and wife and lived happily ever after!  Well, not exactly...  (read Genesis 3 for further details)

 

We can read into the origin of Adam and Eve and learn significant lessons about what God intended marriage to be.  First of all, God created Adam first and made him to be His "right hand man".  God gave Adam a huge responsibility: to care for God's creation.  Adam was given authority, power and leadership by God Himself!  This was a pretty big deal and seemingly very overwhelming since Adam was in search of a helper.  

 

Next we see that God, even though He had the entire world to oversee, took note of Adam's desire for a helper and fulfilled his need.  God did not gather up another pile of dust and sculpt Eve in the same manner He created Adam.  We read in the scriptures that Eve was created from a piece of Adam's body.  God divided Adam into two separate pieces with the purpose of creating two separate individuals.  It is noteworthy that God didn't select just any random body part, like a toe nail or a strand of hair.  Eve was created from Adam's rib!  Ribs protect all the body's vital organs and is considered an extremely important part of the body.  Eve was designed to be Adam's helper.  Eve was Adam's right hand woman as Adam was God's right hand man.       

 

Finally, we learn from the scriptures that marriage reunites the man with his rib.  Marriage makes two people into one person (1+1=1).  Now that is a prime example of impossible things being possible for God!  After Adam and Eve were married, The Bible states they were both naked and felt no shame.  I imagine that could have a deeper meaning besides just running around with no clothing like a couple nudists.  They were open and honest about everything with each other.  They had an intimate relationship.  They were truly a perfect match and "suitable helpers" for each other.

 

Now with all that in mind, we learn that God went through great lengths to first of all create us, but to also establish roles and responsibilities for us.  We can also learn that the intimate relationship Adam and Eve shared was reserved for just the two of them to experience together.  Being sexually intimate with someone who is truly committed to you, who loves you unconditionally, who God designed specifically and exclusively for you is the 

 

Most. 

 

Phenomenally. 

 

Amazing. 

 

Feeling. 

 

Ever.  

 

As a teenager, I often wondered what was the big deal about sex.  Why were my peers so consumed with the desire to engage in such an act?  Sex the world's way has no pro's and several con's.  You will become infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD).  Some STD's are deadly or incurable.  You will have an unplanned pregnancy and be forced to decide whether you should have an abortion, put the baby up for adoption or raise the child as a single parent.  You will experience tremendous heartbreak and emotional distress (aka: unnecessary drama).  So why do we bother submitting to the pressure of the world when we clearly see we have too much to lose?  Who knows... 

 

Sex God's way has no con's and several pro's!  You can enjoy sex without worrying about contracting diseases.  You can plan your family in a loving two parent household.  You can feel secure in knowing you are sharing intimate moments with someone who values you, who is faithful to you and is committed to you.  God knows what He is doing and as Christians, we need to trust His way and stop conforming to the world's way!        

 

Another noteworthy tidbit is that when one suffers a broken rib, they suffer extreme pain.  This pain does eventually heal on its own but it is a very slow process.  It is important to receive adequate pain control while the broken rib heals to avoid further complications.  We can compare this to divorce.  Divorce is a painful event and the recovery process takes a great deal of time.  And money.  And energy.  There are times when divorce is inevitable.  When we make our spousal selection based upon our own wants and desires, which are usually subject to error, we can end up making a bad choice.  We must wait for God to designate a spouse for us so that we can be sure we are uniting with our "suitable helper".  Adam didn't go out and find a wife on his own, even though he was very lonely and maybe even desperate at times.  He waited patiently for the Lord, the Lord heard his cry and granted his heart's desire the right way.     

 

It is time for us (the body of Christ) to proclaim this sexual revelation to the world.  As the light shines in the darkness, we are called to bring light to this dark world.  We are not to go with the flow and ignore the instructions God provided concerning sex and marriage.  We need not be ashamed or embarrassed by our beliefs out of fear of how the world will perceive us.  We need to show unbelievers the right way to live through our lifestyle.  We need to display godly behavior to our children so they will know what God expects of them.  You can be the change this world needs.  Let's get this revelation known now! 

 

You Better Work!

Do you hate your job?  Do you dread going to work each day?  Do you sometimes fantasize about striking your boss in the face with a blunt object?  Then this is the place for you!

Many people feel unsatisfied in the work place.  I have had several jobs in several different industries and I have felt unsatisfied in each and every one of those positions.  One morning many moons ago, I went through my morning ritual, drove to work at the crack of dawn, parked my car and looked up at that building where I was expected to work.  I stared at it for a while then I started my car, drove back home and called in sick.  I just didn't have the motivation or the desire to perform my duties that day. 

We all want to work someplace that makes us feel fulfilled, accomplished and appreciated.  We all want to work someplace that will give us the means to support ourselves and our families financially.  Unfortunately, life is not perfect and sometimes we are forced to do work that we don't like to do.  And work with people we don't get along with.  And receive a paycheck that doesn't cover all our bills.  And go home feeling stressed and the opposite of blessed...

Though I love my current profession, there have been times when I wanted to just walk out and go fill out an application at Walmart.  I actually applied to several different minimum wage jobs at one point and considered working them.  Eventually, I did what I should have done a long time ago.  I turned to God's word and looked for some wisdom on how to find satisfaction in the workplace.  The results were definitely not what I expected...

During my "Read the Bible in a Year" challenge, I read Exodus 25-40.  To be quite honest, I found it to be tedious work, reading how God gave such detailed instructions on how to build The Tabernacle and the steps the Israelites took to build The Tabernacle.  I had to read it several times to really focus on the words because it isn't the most action-packed segment of the Bible.  In the end, I got some pretty good insight into the type of employee I need to be.  
    
The Israelites were being idiots, as usual, so God, through Moses, gave them a bunch of rules and regulations to live by to help them get on God's good side.  One of the things God wanted them to do was build The Tabernacle.  The Tabernacle was intended to be God's earthly dwelling place.  God gave Moses specific instructions for the measurements, the materials to be used, the people He wanted to be involved in its construction, the whole nine yards.  By the time God was finished with the instructions, there was no question how He wanted it to look.  He laid it all out for the Israelites from top to bottom and expected His instructions to be followed exactly from start to finish. 

After The Tabernacle had been built, Moses inspected the work and saw it had been completed just as God instructed.  The Tabernacle was set up and God dwelled among the Israelites for the duration of their travels.  It made me wonder, if the Israelites had not followed God's exact instructions, how would that impact their relationship with God?  What if they had they gone about their work in a lackadaisical manner, complaining or taking long lunch breaks, would God have found The Tabernacle a suitable dwelling place?  Or would God want to deal with them at all?

Then I began to think about Genesis 6-9, a less tedious portion of scripture to read.  When God gave Noah the task of building the ark, He was not as long winded however He did give detailed instructions.  What if Noah failed to follow God's instructions?  What if Noah simply refused to complete the work because he found it too difficult, too time consuming or above his "pay grade"?  I would assume that all of creation would have been dead and there would be only one book with six chapters in The Bible!   

After God created Adam, He put Adam in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.  Adam's job was to care for God's creation.  From the very beginning, we see God at work then we see He put His creation to work.  We were made to work!  Not exclusively of course, we were made for other things as well but we definitely weren't made to spend our lives on vacation...

Spending time in prayer and reading God's Word has helped me develop a better work ethic.  Reading scriptures has helped me see what God wants me to be in all areas of my life, even an employee.  God has called us to work for our earthly bosses with the same enthusiasm as the Israelites worked for God's Tabernacle.  God wants us to perform our duties in the workplace without grumbling and complaining.  How can we be a beacon of light to a dark world if we act like those who are in the dark?  We must take inventory on how we behave in every aspect of our lives to ensure we are behaving in a godly manner.  God calls us to be model citizens, model employees, model examples of godly living.  If you don't like your job, find one that you do like.  If you can't find another job, ask God to help you improve your mindset so your dislike of the job doesn't reflect negatively in your work.  Whatever you do, work like God is your boss because in all actuality, He is! 



 
    

I want to know what love is...

Happy Valentines Day! 

Today is a day of great expectation.  We expect to receive demonstrations of love from our loved ones.  We expect lavish gifts, expensive meals and elaborate proclamations of amore.  From childhood, we are pressured into giving cards, candy or other special gifts to those we love.  Those who don't receive "offerings of love" are often left to feel lonely, unloved and depressed.

During this time of great expectation, let us look into our own hearts and seek ways to show genuine love instead of receive superficial love.  Let us cast away our social conditioning to be selfish in our desires and frivolous in our displays of love.  Let us set expectations of ourselves to be living examples of love everyday to everyone. 

Below you will find an excerpt from I Corinthians 13.  It explains perfectly on its own what love is.  I have added a few links (okay, maybe more than a few...) in the text as usual so please click to see other examples of how we can use God's word to be a living exhibition of love today!   

"Suppose I speak in the languages of human beings or of angels. If I don’t have love, I am only a loud gong or a noisy cymbal.  Suppose I have the gift of prophecy. Suppose I can understand all the secret things of God and know everything about him. And suppose I have enough faith to move mountains. If I don’t have love, I am nothing at all.  Suppose I give everything I have to poor people. And suppose I give myself over to a difficult life so I can brag. If I don’t have love, I get nothing at all.

Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not want what belongs to others. It does not brag. It is not proud.   It does not dishonor other people. It does not look out for its own interests. It does not easily become angry. It does not keep track of other people’s wrongs.  Love is not happy with evil. But it is full of joy when the truth is spoken.   It always protects. It always trusts. It always hopes. It never gives up.   Love never fails.

The three most important things to have are faith, hope and love. But the greatest of them is love."

Dear God, Help me to love the way you love.  Remind me of your goodness and merciful ways as I go about my day.  Help me to be a living example of Your word in my thoughts, speech and actions so that people will see me and feel Your love.  Protect my heart from being corrupted by evil.  Help me to put to death my evil ways and live a renewed life of love as Jesus displayed to us all. In Jesus' name, Amen. 

Two for One Special

Sheep and Goats/Jesus in Disguise

 

 

I came across a particular scripture during my devotional Bible study that fascinated me.  Well, many things I read in the Bible are fascinating but this scripture in particular led to a week-long dissection of the meaning behind the words.  The scripture lesson comes from Matthew 25:31-46 which tells of Jesus as He gave His followers a glimpse of what Judgment Day will look like.  To just read this scripture lesson without really studying it is a mistake people commonly make.  It gives the average person an idea that if they do good deeds, they will be acceptable to God.  That, my friend is completely false.  Today is going to be a two-for-one special so set aside a few extra minutes, pay close attention and let it all sink on in those brain cells…

SHEEP AND GOATS:

Imagine this.  The King comes into his throne room.  All his knights and fellow royalty are coming in with him.  The King sits on the throne and all the people in his kingdom are brought in.  The first thing he does is separate the sheep from the goats…

Hmmmm…  Okay… Sheep and goats, huh?  I am not into animals so I don’t really get the whole “sheep and goats” analogy.  So I researched sheep and goats in an effort to understand why they needed to be separated.  I discovered that sheep and goats are similar in appearance.  There are only a few minor physical differences.  Depending on what region of the world you observe these animals in nature, it is possible to confuse one for the other based merely off appearance.  Sheep and goats are best differentiated by their behavior.    

First, sheep have a selective diet of particular varieties of grasses and herbs.  Sheep are very picky eaters.  Goats, on the other hand, will eat anything.  They will even eat inedible objects.  Next, sheep tend to stay in a large group and follow where ever the master leads.  Sheep don’t like to be separated from their group and are easy to keep in a fenced-in area.  Goats are not likely to stay with a herd.  Goats prefer to test boundaries and roam freely.  Lastly, mother sheep are very maternal.  They usually only birth one or two sheep at a time, they nurse their lambs frequently and keep them under constant contact and supervision.  Mother goats are neglectful of their young.  Goats usually give birth to two-five babies at a time. They will often leave the babies to fend for themselves and may nurse once or twice each day.  It should also be noted that mother goats do not protect their babies from predators and will flee at the first sign of danger.  Mother sheep will protect her lambs from predators, even if it costs her life.  There is one more thing of importance to take note of.  In a mixed herd, sheep will sometimes follow the goats and roam away to hazardous landscapes or eat things that can be hazardous to their health. 

After I read this information, I had that “AHA” moment and was amazed at how sheep and goats are so much like humans!  In the scripture, the sheep and goats are used to illustrate how the believers in Christ will be separated from the non-believers on judgment day.  Just like sheep have a selective diet, believers are selective in their diet also.  Believers are careful to only partake of things that will enhance their relationship with God.  Non-believers are not concerned with their relationship with God therefore they partake in anything available.  Believers are obedient to their master (God) and follow His commands.  Non-believers do whatever they want to do.  Period.  Believers minister to new believers and nurture them to help them grow in relationship with God.  Believers are protectors and will lay down their lives for anyone.  Non-believers are evil and do not have any sense of loyalty or responsibility to their fellow citizens.  They will not stand up to defend or protect even their own flesh and blood.  Unfortunately, when believers mix and mingle with non-believers, they are susceptible to picking up the non-believers’ bad habits.  Oftentimes we will see examples in our own lives of Christians who have sex outside of marriage, do not make God a priority, practice dishonesty and unforgiveness and many more bad behaviors.  Now that we clarified the ‘sheep and goats’ analogy, let’s start from the top…

 Imagine this.  The King comes into his throne room.  All his knights and fellow royalty are coming in with him.  The King sits on the throne and all the people in his kingdom are brought in.  The first thing he does is separate his loyal, faithful, good citizens and places them on the right side of the room.  He places his disloyal, rebellious, evil citizens on the left side.  After he separates them, he invites the group on the right to enter his new and improved kingdom!  It is a land that he built in conjunction with the current kingdom however this new one is way cooler and has all sorts of luxuries and amenities beyond their wildest fantasies.  Then he looks over to the group on his left and banishes them from his kingdom and into a faraway prison where they will be tortured to death, revived, tortured to death, revived, and so on…  Which now leads me to →↓

JESUS IN DISGUISE:

When the King invited the good citizens into the new kingdom, he said, “I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was homeless and you gave me a room. I was shivering and you gave me a coat. I was sick and you stopped by to visit. I was in prison and you came to me.”  The good citizens were confused by the King’s statement.  I mean, he is THE KING!  They could not recall ever observing the King in need of anything let alone providing any of those services to him!  The good citizens asked, “Your Majesty, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to visit you?’  The King replied, “Whenever you did any one of these things to one of my citizens, you were doing it to me.”

When the King addressed the evil citizens, he said, “I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat.  I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink.  I was homeless and you gave me no shelter.  I was shivering and you didn’t give me any warm clothes.  When I was sick and in prison, and you never visited.”  The evil citizens looked puzzled.  They asked, “Your Royal Highness, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?”  Then the King replied, “Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.”

Today, we see countless commercials on the television of people who are starving all over the world.  Here in our country, we encounter people on a regular basis who live in poverty, immigrants from foreign lands and people who are homeless.  There are people who suffer from debilitating and fatal illnesses.  Prisons are overpopulated with all sorts of criminals.  What do all these groups of people have in common?  These people are often looked at as the dregs of society.  They are the ones who are considered a burden, a nuisance, a plague, a disgrace.  They are often put in their own contained environment, separate from the more fortunate members of society.  They are largely ignored or treated in a demeaning manner.

Jesus Christ reached out to every one of these groups of “undesirables”.  He ministered to them and gave them hope.  He was never too busy to help someone who was in need.  As a matter of fact, He spent most of His time reaching out to those in need!  He trained His disciples to do the same and instructed them to spread His teachings all over the world, to encourage people to be more charitable and selfless.  The believers of Jesus Christ are all given salvation by faith through grace, not by good works alone.  Good works are an effect of salvation.  Believers are led by the Holy Spirit to show mercy, hope and compassion to those who obviously need it most.  Believers are God’s way of shining light in a dark world.     

Are you a Sheep or a Goat today?  If you take time to reflect and discover you are a goat, I would encourage you to consider changing your species immediately.  Becoming a Christian, and not just going with the motions of rituals and ceremonies but actually striving to be intimate with God and living by His instructions, has been the most amazing decision in my life.  Life may not be perfect but it is so much better.  I am no longer weighed down by negative consequences for bad choices.  Now I am more conscious of my behaviors and make better choices.  Because of my good choices, I am blessed every day and all the desires of my heart are filled.  If you are a sheep, stay encouraged and never give up when life knocks you down.  There is a reward far greater than anything you can imagine when you keep walking on that straight and narrow road.  Make the choice to believe and never pass up an opportunity to serve Jesus when He is in disguise!

Time to call my dad...

I can’t begin to count how many times I have been disrespected by a college student while on duty in my current profession.  These young punks, tap dancing on the wrong side of the law, when facing consequences of their bad decisions will often make comments such as, “I am a law student. I know the law!” or “After I graduate, I am going to earn way more money than you will ever earn!”  Nothing beats the tried and true “You have no authority over me!  Do you know who my father is?”  (In case you were not aware, this statement is one of the several triggers that transforms Officer Friendly into The Incredible Hulk!)  That statement may cause fear in the average Joe but not this woman.  My response is usually something along the lines of, “I don’t care if your daddy is Barak Obama!  You are going to jail today!”

 

The most recent incident in which this statement was uttered caused me to think about the depth of those words.  A child who is in serious trouble will call on the name of his powerful father in an attempt to be given grace and mercy for his transgressions.  A child who had committed a crime that would cost his freedom will call on the name of his powerful father for redemption.  A child who is down and out, at the lowest of low, with nowhere to turn will call on the name of his powerful father to be rescued.  How powerful that father must be that the mere mention of his name can relieve his child’s heaviest burden!

 

As children of The Most High God, how often do we call upon Him to save us from the consequences of our sins?  How often do we stare Satan square in the eyes and say with confidence, “You have no authority over me!  Do you know who my Father is?”  It’s time for us to observe with our own eyes just how powerful our Father is and use His name to get us out of trouble more often. 

 

It is written in Jeremiah 10:6 “There is no one like you, LORD.  You are great and your name is great and powerful.”  Romans 10:13 and Joel 2:32 both state, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  These scriptures illustrate two important facts regarding our relationship with God.  The first and most obvious is that God is great, God is powerful and He cannot be compared to any other being.  God is God, The Creator and Ruler over all that was, is and will be.  No one is more powerful than Him.  The second is that we have the option to call upon His name for salvation.  It does not say we have to be a particular type of person either.  The scripture clearly states that EVERYONE who calls on the name of the Lord WILL BE SAVED.  Regardless of how messed up you are or how hopeless you feel, God can deliver you from your situation and set you free from the burdens that weigh you down.  You would have to be a complete fool to turn down an offer like that!

 

Let’s resolve today, this very minute, to call on God when we are in a jam.  Do not rely on your own power or even the power of another human.  Rely on God’s supernatural power which can break any earthly chain.  He is the creator of all, the ruler of all, everything on this earth is subject to His will.  Let us surrender all to Him and be redeemed by His Mighty Power!

 

In The Beginning (A New Creation)

As I enter this new year, I am reminded of the infamous “New Year Resolutions” that are typically made and not always carried out.  We all start the year off wanting to improve ourselves and make better life choices.  Some of us have success while others have little or none. 

As I sat and thought of all my personal  issues I would like to resolve this new year, I envisioned myself standing in front of a huge chalkboard, wiped clean, with a piece of chalk in my hand.  That vision led me to imagine what God was up to “In The Beginning”. 

When we think of The Creation Story, it always begins like this: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…”  When we think of that statement on its own, it could be assumed that God was suddenly bored with His infinite existence in a dark, lonely world and decided to pass time by making something out of nothing.  Please know, I do not pretend to know the mind of God however I would like to believe God’s creation was more than just something to do to pass time.

Proverbs 8:22-31 helped shed some light on the subject for me.  The first thing God brought into existence was not the heavens and the earth as we had been led to believe.  It actually caused me to have a “Uh Huh!” moment upon reading this scripture.  Just like I had imagined myself as the master of my life and stood in front of that chalkboard to re-create my life, I began to envision The Creator also standing in front of a chalkboard, pondering what He would create and the effects of His actions.  The first thing God brought into existence was WISDOM.  Before He created a single thing, He crafted it all in His imagination then set out a plan prior to performing any other action.  If I put so much thought into my actions before I carried them out, I may not even have to consider any New Year Resolutions because I would have done it correctly the first time using the first and greatest of all creation!

Now after God came up with His master plan, He carried out that plan and IT WAS GOOD.  After each work day, He marveled at His creation and declared each one, from the largest to the tiniest detail “good”.  God and His wisdom ultimately created something out of nothing.  Not just something ordinary, insignificant or spontaneous.  He created something new, original and extraordinary!  Though humans attempt to imitate God by formulating scientific theories and experimentation, we can never create something that can top God’s craftsmanship.  God performed the impossible by creating SOMETHING out of NOTHING.

With all that in mind, when I step up to that chalkboard with my chalk in hand, I know I will carefully plan my resolutions with wisdom.  I will keep in mind the effects of my actions to ensure they will give me the desired results.  If after careful consideration, I decide my plan is flawed, I can erase and start over with a new plan rather than make a huge mess on top of a huge mess.  Wisdom is awesome when it is applied to daily life! 

When I was “in the world”, my life was in a complete shambles.  When I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior, I was born again!  In essence, my messy life was made clean and I was re-created into a brand new person.  It’s like when you were a kid and you received a toy for Christmas that gave you so much happiness and pleasure.  Then one day it became lost or broken or maybe you just lost interest in it.  Then next Christmas came around and you received a toy even bigger and better than the previous one!  It’s the most amazing feeling.  Every mistake from my past was forgiven and God gave me another chance to make better life choices by using His wisdom.  My worst day as a child of God is so much better than the best day in my life as a sinner.  Though I still make mistakes, I strive to be better each day and use the wisdom given to me in God’s word to live a life pleasing to Him.  Since I am so charitable, I take joy in passing on the blessing by spreading God’s love to those I come in contact with each day.  I make it my personal mission to illustrate God’s gift of forgiveness, grace, mercy and unconditional love to those I come in contact with who need it so desperately. 

It is my prayer that if you are not saved, that you become saved and experience the comfort of knowing you are God’s good creation.  And if along the way, you become dirty and broken, I pray you experience the overwhelming joy that comes with being re-created by God’s grace.  Let’s start this new year off right and exercise wisdom before carrying out our plans by doing things God’s way.  After all, He is The Ultimate Master Builder and Father Knows Best! J    

Now, back to The Epic...