There are some musicians, artists and composers who are just truly gifted by God. They put together a song so beautifully and the words seem as if they are from God Himself. This is one such musician and one such song. Be blessed!!
In Jesus' Love,
~M~
Thursday, March 31, 2011
~First Love~
What is your first love? Is it your husband, wife, children...it is your hobby, your job, your pets, or your friends and family? God has blessed us with so many "loves" on this Earth. He is such a GOOD God! We have so many people, places and things to love. Thank you Lord for that. At the same time, while we should surely enjoy these loves in our life, God sends a gentle nudge to remind us to not make them , none of them, our first love. How do I know this? I only blog about what I read in His word and feel or hear from Him in prayer (in the form of thoughts or nudges or burdens on the heart-maybe another blog topic soon, hearing from God!). In His holy word, God tells us that we are not to have any other "gods" above Him. No idols. Sure , when that was written that meant for many of the people then to actually not worship fake statue "gods" and all of that. But, while we do not worship golden calves now, we do worship plenty of things. Please know, God sets these "rules" or boundaries for us to protect us. To keep us safe and to keep us focused on Him because when we lose our focus, that is when life gets unbearable and He knows what is best for us. He set up these "guidelines" for us for our own good. And to honor Himself. He is God, why not? :-) So, I encourage you today to take some time to reflect. I do this almost daily....when I remember too! But, I just ask God to search my heart. To show me any little "g" gods in my life. Sometimes, it's my husband. Many many times, it's my children. He is so faithful and true and He WILL show you. He may place it on your heart as a burden , something you cannot stop thinking about and you just "know" this is what He is showing you. Just ask Him and He will show you and then help you to let that go. Ask yourself...what do I spend most of my time thinking about? What do I spend majority of my time doing. We all work, or have children or just have busy lives and commitments and that is ok...but...do you love that or those people MORE then you love God? Do you carry God with you as you go about your day....do you ask Him before you do something...do you take that issue or that thing to Him as it comes your way. Do you just...talk to Him and enjoy Him like a dear friend? I am still learning how to do this. This is something that first, God will help you with , just ask Him for help. And second, is something that takes time and practice. I read once that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. So, give yourself at least 21 days to get this down! :) Don't be hard on yourself or beat yourself up if you get to the end of your day and you didn't think about God much. Because He knows your heart. He knows your intentions and your love for Him. I "try" to remember every day to lay down my day to Him and my life and make Him my first love. Even if I just say "God, you are my first love! Help me Lord to love you the most today".
No one is perfect on this journey, and God knows that. But again, He will see and does see our hearts and our intentions. Don't get frustrated and give up if you go a few days and forgot to put Him first...it takes time, practice, and God's help.
Here's too putting God first and making Him our very FIRST LOVE!
In Christ's Amazing Love,
~M ~
No one is perfect on this journey, and God knows that. But again, He will see and does see our hearts and our intentions. Don't get frustrated and give up if you go a few days and forgot to put Him first...it takes time, practice, and God's help.
Here's too putting God first and making Him our very FIRST LOVE!
In Christ's Amazing Love,
~M ~
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
~All For Jesus~
As I think about the uncertainties I am facing regarding my health and my future....I am reminded by the soft voice that none of it really matters. My future, doesn't matter. My health...doesn't matter. For what does matter , is Jesus Christ. What does matter is living my life for Him every single day no matter how I feel or what I am facing, or what I am unsure of that lies ahead. He knows. And that alone is enough. That alone is my comfort. That Christ Jesus know's what my future holds. And I can trust Him. We can trust Him with that. And find peace that He has our best in mind, whatever that is. What matters is continuing to lay down my life to Him every day. And if tomorrow were my last day, I would praise Him today and tomorrow and do what He asks of me till the very end. I encourage you in this way today. To remember that what really matters is Christ in us. What really matters is proclaiming His love to other's in whatever way He chooses to use you. This life, it's good times and hard times, are all about Jesus and for God's glory. I pray this for those that read today.
In Christ's Beautiful Love,
~M~
In Christ's Beautiful Love,
~M~
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
~Daniel's Gloves~
Hello dear friends!
I wanted to share this touching story that was sent to me via another dear friend recently. It is a tad bit long, but if you have the time please do read. It will be well worth the time.
In Christ's Unending Love,
~M~
An Anonymous Story called "Daniel's Gloves"
(Author Unknown or is it? Please. Read on..)
I sat, with two friends, in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town-square. The food and the company were both especially good that day.
As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There, walking into town, was a man who appeared to be carrying all his worldly goods on his back. He was carrying, a well-worn sign that read, 'I will work for food.' My heart sank.
I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief.
We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished our meal and went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat halfheartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car.
Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: 'Don't go back to the office until you've at least driven once more around the square.'
Then with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square's third corner, I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the store front church, going through his sack.
I stopped and looked; feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on. The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town's newest visitor.
'Looking for the pastor?' I asked.
'Not really,' he replied, 'just resting.'
'Have you eaten today?'
'Oh, I ate something early this morning.'
'Woul d you like to have lunch with me?'
'Do you have some work I could do for you?'
'No work,' I replied 'I commute here to work from the city, but I would like to take you to lunch.'
'Sure,' he replied with a smile.
As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface questions. Where you headed?'
' St. Louis '
'Where you from?'
'Oh, all over; mostly Florida .'
'How long you been walking?'
'Fourteen years,' came the reply.
I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same restaurant I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, 'Jesus is The Never Ending Story.'
Then Daniel's story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life. He'd made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences.. Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought.
He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave his life over to God
'Nothing's been the same since,' he said, 'I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now.'
'Ever think of stopping?' I asked.
'Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me but God has given me this calling. I give out Bibles. That's what's in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads.'
I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside for a moment and then I asked: 'What's it like?'
'What?'
'To walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your sign?'
'Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture that certainly didn't make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people's concepts of other folks like me.'
My concept was changing, too. We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused. He turned to me and said, 'Come Ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I've prepared for you. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in.'
I felt as if we were on holy ground. 'Could you use another Bible?' I asked.
He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled well and was not too heavy. It was also his personal favorite. 'I've read through it 14 times,' he said.
'I'm not sure we've got one of those, but let's stop by our church and see.' I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful.
'Where are you headed from here?' I asked.
'Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon.'
'Are you hoping to hire on there for awhile?'
'No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that's where I'm going next.'
He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission. I drove him back to the town-square where we'd met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things.
'Would you sign my autograph book?' he asked. 'I like to keep messages from folks I meet.'
I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of scripture from Jeremiah, 'I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you; Plans to give you a future and a hope.'
'Thanks, man,' he said.. 'I know we just met and we're really just strangers, but I love you.'
'I know,' I said, 'I love you, too.' 'The Lord is good!'
'Yes, He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?' I asked.
A long time,' he replied
And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed. He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, 'See you in the New Jerusalem.'
'I'll be there!' was my reply.
He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bedroll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, 'When you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?'
'You bet,' I shouted back, 'God bless.'
'God bless.' And that was the last I saw of him.
Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car. As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them.... a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle... I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them.
Then I remembered his words: 'If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?'
Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me to see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry. 'See you in the New Jerusalem,' he said. Yes, Daniel, I know I will...
'I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again.'
. Let's continue to pray for one another. God bless and have a nice day!
'Father, I ask you to bless my friends, relatives and e-mail buddies reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask you to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them your peace and mercy... Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through your grace, In Jesus' precious Name Amen'
I wanted to share this touching story that was sent to me via another dear friend recently. It is a tad bit long, but if you have the time please do read. It will be well worth the time.
In Christ's Unending Love,
~M~
An Anonymous Story called "Daniel's Gloves"
(Author Unknown or is it? Please. Read on..)
I sat, with two friends, in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town-square. The food and the company were both especially good that day.
As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There, walking into town, was a man who appeared to be carrying all his worldly goods on his back. He was carrying, a well-worn sign that read, 'I will work for food.' My heart sank.
I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief.
We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished our meal and went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat halfheartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car.
Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: 'Don't go back to the office until you've at least driven once more around the square.'
Then with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square's third corner, I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the store front church, going through his sack.
I stopped and looked; feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on. The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town's newest visitor.
'Looking for the pastor?' I asked.
'Not really,' he replied, 'just resting.'
'Have you eaten today?'
'Oh, I ate something early this morning.'
'Woul d you like to have lunch with me?'
'Do you have some work I could do for you?'
'No work,' I replied 'I commute here to work from the city, but I would like to take you to lunch.'
'Sure,' he replied with a smile.
As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface questions. Where you headed?'
' St. Louis '
'Where you from?'
'Oh, all over; mostly Florida .'
'How long you been walking?'
'Fourteen years,' came the reply.
I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same restaurant I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, 'Jesus is The Never Ending Story.'
Then Daniel's story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life. He'd made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences.. Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought.
He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave his life over to God
'Nothing's been the same since,' he said, 'I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now.'
'Ever think of stopping?' I asked.
'Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me but God has given me this calling. I give out Bibles. That's what's in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads.'
I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside for a moment and then I asked: 'What's it like?'
'What?'
'To walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your sign?'
'Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture that certainly didn't make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people's concepts of other folks like me.'
My concept was changing, too. We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused. He turned to me and said, 'Come Ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I've prepared for you. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in.'
I felt as if we were on holy ground. 'Could you use another Bible?' I asked.
He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled well and was not too heavy. It was also his personal favorite. 'I've read through it 14 times,' he said.
'I'm not sure we've got one of those, but let's stop by our church and see.' I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful.
'Where are you headed from here?' I asked.
'Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon.'
'Are you hoping to hire on there for awhile?'
'No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that's where I'm going next.'
He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission. I drove him back to the town-square where we'd met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things.
'Would you sign my autograph book?' he asked. 'I like to keep messages from folks I meet.'
I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of scripture from Jeremiah, 'I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you; Plans to give you a future and a hope.'
'Thanks, man,' he said.. 'I know we just met and we're really just strangers, but I love you.'
'I know,' I said, 'I love you, too.' 'The Lord is good!'
'Yes, He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?' I asked.
A long time,' he replied
And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed. He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, 'See you in the New Jerusalem.'
'I'll be there!' was my reply.
He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bedroll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, 'When you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?'
'You bet,' I shouted back, 'God bless.'
'God bless.' And that was the last I saw of him.
Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car. As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them.... a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle... I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them.
Then I remembered his words: 'If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?'
Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me to see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry. 'See you in the New Jerusalem,' he said. Yes, Daniel, I know I will...
'I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again.'
. Let's continue to pray for one another. God bless and have a nice day!
'Father, I ask you to bless my friends, relatives and e-mail buddies reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask you to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them your peace and mercy... Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through your grace, In Jesus' precious Name Amen'
Monday, March 28, 2011
~ Worried Hearts~
There are times in life, many times for some of us, that our hearts are filled with worry. I am facing a time like that right now. My heart is burdened with the wonders of what is going on with me physically. I am having some health issues that when they strike, can cause great fear and panic. Being a young mother (29)of two young boys and a wife, I dread when these things come up. Like many of you I am sure, I have been through the ringer with medical stuff. Major surgeries and unsolved medical mysteries. I would be lying to say I am not absolutely weary and just totally exhausted from dealing with medical drama. My family and I long for a period of peace. I suppose we did have about a year where no major medical issues came up. So really, I should be thankful , and I am. But, the truth is that my heart is not only a little worried, but fed up with the ups and downs of constant medical issues. I will spare you the boring details of what is going on with me and just ask those of you that are prayer warriors to please say a little prayer for me. Not really for healing this time. I certainly do believe in healing and God's power to do just that, but , through spending some time with God recently and probably through the prayers of other's -I have a sense that healing isn't what my focus should be this time around. Rather, I really just want answers. I want to know what is going on with me so that, well so that I know. And so that my heart will stop being so heavy with wonder and worry. We not only long for answers, but I really just need God's strength and energy. There are days when I feel terrible. And that is when the enemy can get to me with his lies and tricks. He can try and drag me down through how I "feel" . So I need God's strength and I need his joy in these trials. I also pray for Him to bless me with increasing faith and hope and trust. To remember that HE is in control of my life. He really is. He know's what is going on with me. And He know's my future. Of course, giving Him my worries is part of that. For Christ tells us not to worry, to give Him our worries and just to focus on today and not about tomorrow. Today has enough trouble as does tomorrow. By why worry he says? Does it do us any good? Nope. Not one bit. Does it add a day to my life to worry about this? Does it do any good to me to wonder and worry? No, it makes me sick and tired. So, I am doing my utmost best to give God my worries. It's not easy that's for sure. What I find is helping me is to focus on this one thing alone and it is what I have begun to pray , "God, may Your Will be done in my life". Honestly, that's all we can do. Is to ask God that His will for our life be done. I mean, worrying won't help. And I don't know anything yet so...all's I can do is remember his love, his promises and trust Him. Focusing on His will being done in my life, focusing on Him and honoring and glorifying Him with my life (no matter HOW BAD I feel) is what helps so much. The truth is, even if I was told after my brain scan this week that I have some kind of tumor or even cancer (I sure hope not!) , then I will still pray for God's will to be done in my life. I will STILL honor and glorify Him with everything I have in me. Most days, I feel awful and have no energy or drive in me. I do need God's help. But , I refuse to let worry and uncertainty (and the enemy) win. He will not steal my joy.
I want to encourage those of you going through tough times right now , whatever it may be , to try and focus your worries on God. To give them to Jesus. And to ask God for His mighty will to be done in your life. For Him to complete the great work He started in you, no matter what you are going through. The fact is, God can still use you no matter where you are at or what you are going through right now.. Just like He can and will use me. Do you feel like me most days? Then know you are not alone and the answer is asking God to get you through that day and to help you with His strength and joy. He does not promise this life will be easy and comfortable, but He does promise that He will be with us and will help us if we trust in and follow Him.
Hopefully soon, my hearts burdens will lift and I will know what is going on with me, good or bad. I pray for each of you as well. No matter what you are facing, that God will bless you with a joyful heart, His strength and hope. Trust in Him and give all your worries to Him that He may bless your heart.
Love you all!
In Christ's Love,
~M~
I want to encourage those of you going through tough times right now , whatever it may be , to try and focus your worries on God. To give them to Jesus. And to ask God for His mighty will to be done in your life. For Him to complete the great work He started in you, no matter what you are going through. The fact is, God can still use you no matter where you are at or what you are going through right now.. Just like He can and will use me. Do you feel like me most days? Then know you are not alone and the answer is asking God to get you through that day and to help you with His strength and joy. He does not promise this life will be easy and comfortable, but He does promise that He will be with us and will help us if we trust in and follow Him.
Hopefully soon, my hearts burdens will lift and I will know what is going on with me, good or bad. I pray for each of you as well. No matter what you are facing, that God will bless you with a joyful heart, His strength and hope. Trust in Him and give all your worries to Him that He may bless your heart.
Love you all!
In Christ's Love,
~M~
Thursday, March 24, 2011
~Made possible by water~
There is a video at the end of this...that I can truthfully say has opened my eyes and broken my heart in a new way. Please watch if you have a moment. Thank you.
Made possible by water: "It’s been a tough two weeks for the World Vision family. Our 40,000 staff work in nearly 100 countries, so when there is a devastating event in Japan, with its 75 World Vision staff members, it affects our entire family.The stress level around here has been so high that today I decided...."
Made possible by water: "It’s been a tough two weeks for the World Vision family. Our 40,000 staff work in nearly 100 countries, so when there is a devastating event in Japan, with its 75 World Vision staff members, it affects our entire family.The stress level around here has been so high that today I decided...."
~ God See's Your Heart ~
"But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."-1 Samuel 16:7
Luke 16:15 "He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight"
Acts 1:24 " Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen"
There is nothing to hide from God. There is nothing we can hide from Him. He knows us inside and out. He knows our every thought, our every desire, our joys and our pains...He alone knows our hearts. He see's the good, bad , ugly and beautiful in us. He shares in the joyful times with us. He grieves in the sad and tragic times with us. He knows when we allow sin and evil into our hearts and He is right there helping us out of that situation. He knows every inch of you and me. And He loves us so deeply. So strongly. We will never really understand how deep the Lord's love is for us. And that nothing can separate us from His love. God reminds me often, that if I am sad, lonely, afraid or just confused ....to take those things to Him. He knows about it anyway. He knows exactly what I am thinking and feeling every moment so it's not like it surprises Him. He wants me, and you, to take all things to Him. Even our joys and happy times. We should celebrate and praise Him for them. But, in those times when our hearts are breaking , when tradgedy strikes either those we know and love or those we don't know....and we are full of fear and saddness...let's go to Abba. He wants us to come to Him and rest on Him alone. He knows what is going on and wants to heal our hurting broken hearts. And when He puts our hearts back together, in time, we will be able to offer the same love to others who have broken hearts. Remember, He KNOWS OUR HEARTS. Lets just live transparent lives before Him and when the darkness tries to sneak in and turn our loving hearts cold (with anger, bitterness, unforgivness, death and loss, hurting and confusion)lets shine God' glory light on the darkness by turning to Him and resting in His arms. For where there is God's light, darkness flees and cannot live in the light. Lets heal the broken hearts by loving. Lets fight evil with love. And mostly, lets remind each other to be transparent before God because He knows everything that is in our Hearts and He wants to form His heart in us.
In Christ's Love,
~M&M~
Luke 16:15 "He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight"
Acts 1:24 " Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen"
There is nothing to hide from God. There is nothing we can hide from Him. He knows us inside and out. He knows our every thought, our every desire, our joys and our pains...He alone knows our hearts. He see's the good, bad , ugly and beautiful in us. He shares in the joyful times with us. He grieves in the sad and tragic times with us. He knows when we allow sin and evil into our hearts and He is right there helping us out of that situation. He knows every inch of you and me. And He loves us so deeply. So strongly. We will never really understand how deep the Lord's love is for us. And that nothing can separate us from His love. God reminds me often, that if I am sad, lonely, afraid or just confused ....to take those things to Him. He knows about it anyway. He knows exactly what I am thinking and feeling every moment so it's not like it surprises Him. He wants me, and you, to take all things to Him. Even our joys and happy times. We should celebrate and praise Him for them. But, in those times when our hearts are breaking , when tradgedy strikes either those we know and love or those we don't know....and we are full of fear and saddness...let's go to Abba. He wants us to come to Him and rest on Him alone. He knows what is going on and wants to heal our hurting broken hearts. And when He puts our hearts back together, in time, we will be able to offer the same love to others who have broken hearts. Remember, He KNOWS OUR HEARTS. Lets just live transparent lives before Him and when the darkness tries to sneak in and turn our loving hearts cold (with anger, bitterness, unforgivness, death and loss, hurting and confusion)lets shine God' glory light on the darkness by turning to Him and resting in His arms. For where there is God's light, darkness flees and cannot live in the light. Lets heal the broken hearts by loving. Lets fight evil with love. And mostly, lets remind each other to be transparent before God because He knows everything that is in our Hearts and He wants to form His heart in us.
In Christ's Love,
~M&M~
Friday, March 11, 2011
~ Praise~
Father, thank you for your many blessings and your ending love! For this we praise you!
In Yeshua's Name,
Amen!
Have A Blessed Weekend In Jesus Name!
~M & M ~
In Yeshua's Name,
Amen!
Have A Blessed Weekend In Jesus Name!
~M & M ~
~ God's Heart ~
Did you ever wonder or ask yourself, or maybe ask God, what breaks His heart (or, what does he care about)? I saw a quote a few years ago that has stayed with me , and it goes something like this.
"May my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God"- anonymous
You don't have to go far to see what God's heart cares about. He tell us in His word that He sent Jesus not for the well but for the sick. Those that are lost and need Him. Another area that breaks God's heart that we see in His Word is the poor, needy, orphaned and widowed.
"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you."- James 1:27 (NLT)
Another version says :
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."- James 1: 27 (NIV)
Job goes on to say this...
"If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless--"-Job 31: 16-17
Psalm 146:9 says "The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked."
Perhaps Jesus put it best when He said in Matthew 25: 36 :
"I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
And here Paul, in talking to the Galatians , says that the apostles agreed he should go and preach the gospel to the Gentiles but he adds :
"All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do."- Galatians 2 :10
I love what Paul says right there. The Apostles of Jesus supported him in taking the gospel to the Gentiles while they went to the Jews. But , their hearts were not only for that. Their hearts priority was also to "remember the poor" and this was the very thing Paul was "eager" to do. Wow. EAGER to remember the poor.
I think it's pretty clear what God calls for us to do. To take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world (neighbors, friends, family, workplace, and further) so that all His children that are lost may be found. And also, to care for the poor , children without fathers, widows who are alone and in need. This is the Heart of God!
In this world today, we are SO very blessed with so many ways to now be able to do this. Many times I hear things like "Well, you never know if you can trust that or this organization" or " I am not giving my money to them they probably don't give it to the poor anyway" . There is much skepticism and rightly so. Many do things in the name of Jesus but it is really for them or to be deceptive. However, there are many great and trusted organizations helping the poor and needy in Jesus' name! :-) Two that we know are very trust worthy are Compassion International and World Vision.
Through Compassion International, you can support or as I like to say "adopt" as many children from many poor countries in the world as you would like. You send them a certain amount of money, or more if you feel led too, and it goes directly to them. We have a child from Burkina Faso and he has been our spiritual son for many years now. I would like to support more children and hopefully in time we will. It is such a joy to receive his letters, hear about his studies, his faith, his family, and how our little contribution makes a HUGE difference to him! It is not to boast in what we do...it is to praise God for this kind of ministry that can connect us to Bilgo all the way across the world and enable us to support him in Jesus' name.
http://www.compassion.com/
Another great ministry is World Vision. This is a broader ministry as far as where you would like to put your tithe and help out. What they do is , the match or double your support. I forget exactly how it goes to be honest but I know that if you send in a certain amount it doubles or triples in amount so that it is being used in a mighty way in Jesus name to help those in need! You can choose where you want to help. This kind of ministry is great for those of us who maybe cannot do world missions right now...but we can still be using the money God has given us for good. You can also sponsor a child through World Vision.
http://www.worldvision.org/
I am sure there are many many other great ministries out there in our country and in our communities. I praise God that He has touched the hearts of these leaders and that they have acted in faith in starting these ministries for Him and His people in need around the world. This is His heart in action! We have to be His hands and feet in this world. For some, that may mean actually physically going on missions around the world or in our country and being his physical hands and feet. For others, it means being able to support those ministries in a financial way. Yet for all of us, we can be his hands and feet right in our own neighborhoods, workplaces, families, circle of friends...etc. We can be used by God right where we are. Even if you stay at home with your children...that is His calling for you right now and that is where He can and will use you. In your kids lives to raise them up in the Lord. Either way, however He calls you or wants to use you...it is all for the things that "break His heart". The things God cares about most.
May we always seek Gods Heart and allow Him to use us to bless and care for those He loves...
In The Love Of Christ Jesus,
M & M
"May my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God"- anonymous
You don't have to go far to see what God's heart cares about. He tell us in His word that He sent Jesus not for the well but for the sick. Those that are lost and need Him. Another area that breaks God's heart that we see in His Word is the poor, needy, orphaned and widowed.
"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you."- James 1:27 (NLT)
Another version says :
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."- James 1: 27 (NIV)
Job goes on to say this...
"If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless--"-Job 31: 16-17
Psalm 146:9 says "The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked."
Perhaps Jesus put it best when He said in Matthew 25: 36 :
"I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
And here Paul, in talking to the Galatians , says that the apostles agreed he should go and preach the gospel to the Gentiles but he adds :
"All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do."- Galatians 2 :10
I love what Paul says right there. The Apostles of Jesus supported him in taking the gospel to the Gentiles while they went to the Jews. But , their hearts were not only for that. Their hearts priority was also to "remember the poor" and this was the very thing Paul was "eager" to do. Wow. EAGER to remember the poor.
I think it's pretty clear what God calls for us to do. To take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world (neighbors, friends, family, workplace, and further) so that all His children that are lost may be found. And also, to care for the poor , children without fathers, widows who are alone and in need. This is the Heart of God!
In this world today, we are SO very blessed with so many ways to now be able to do this. Many times I hear things like "Well, you never know if you can trust that or this organization" or " I am not giving my money to them they probably don't give it to the poor anyway" . There is much skepticism and rightly so. Many do things in the name of Jesus but it is really for them or to be deceptive. However, there are many great and trusted organizations helping the poor and needy in Jesus' name! :-) Two that we know are very trust worthy are Compassion International and World Vision.
Through Compassion International, you can support or as I like to say "adopt" as many children from many poor countries in the world as you would like. You send them a certain amount of money, or more if you feel led too, and it goes directly to them. We have a child from Burkina Faso and he has been our spiritual son for many years now. I would like to support more children and hopefully in time we will. It is such a joy to receive his letters, hear about his studies, his faith, his family, and how our little contribution makes a HUGE difference to him! It is not to boast in what we do...it is to praise God for this kind of ministry that can connect us to Bilgo all the way across the world and enable us to support him in Jesus' name.
http://www.compassion.com/
Another great ministry is World Vision. This is a broader ministry as far as where you would like to put your tithe and help out. What they do is , the match or double your support. I forget exactly how it goes to be honest but I know that if you send in a certain amount it doubles or triples in amount so that it is being used in a mighty way in Jesus name to help those in need! You can choose where you want to help. This kind of ministry is great for those of us who maybe cannot do world missions right now...but we can still be using the money God has given us for good. You can also sponsor a child through World Vision.
http://www.worldvision.org/
I am sure there are many many other great ministries out there in our country and in our communities. I praise God that He has touched the hearts of these leaders and that they have acted in faith in starting these ministries for Him and His people in need around the world. This is His heart in action! We have to be His hands and feet in this world. For some, that may mean actually physically going on missions around the world or in our country and being his physical hands and feet. For others, it means being able to support those ministries in a financial way. Yet for all of us, we can be his hands and feet right in our own neighborhoods, workplaces, families, circle of friends...etc. We can be used by God right where we are. Even if you stay at home with your children...that is His calling for you right now and that is where He can and will use you. In your kids lives to raise them up in the Lord. Either way, however He calls you or wants to use you...it is all for the things that "break His heart". The things God cares about most.
May we always seek Gods Heart and allow Him to use us to bless and care for those He loves...
In The Love Of Christ Jesus,
M & M
Thursday, March 10, 2011
~ Love For God & Others ~
When asked what were the two most important commands from God, Jesus simply, yet profoundly, replied :
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”-Luke 10:27
Some versions I have read say something to the effect of " and the second command is just as important (or equally important) as the first, love your neighbor as you love yourself"
This tells me, that it isn't good enough to just Love God, we must also in the same way Love Our Neighbors as we love ourselves!
Jesus takes it even further when He says:
"But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you"-Matthew 5:44
Jesus gives us a new challenge or command, to not only just love our neighbors (or those that are nice to us, love us, treat us well, or fellow Christians) but also to love our enemies as well. To pray for those (or bless those) that do harm to us, persecute us. We are to do good to them. Just as we do to our neighbors.
I don't know about you-but this is a real challenge for me!!
First , is the command to Love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is something that I personally am still learning about. Surely I do Love Abba so very much! But, I have had to be honest with myself...and ask...do I love Him with ALL of my heart, soul, mind and strength. I think that it was head knowledge and even partially in my heart that I loved God, but did God really have my whole heart? It is hard to really ask yourself this. It is tough to ask God to show you this truth. Do I love you Abba first? Are you , God, my first love in this life? I recently began to really be transparent before God. To come before Him totally and completely abandoned of myself. To lay down my life at His feet every single day and ask Him to fill me. To help me truly "die to my self" (my selfish nature, desires, wants , needs...) so that I can be filled more and more with Yeshua and have a heart and mind like Him. I have asked God to show me any areas of my heart that are not totally sold out to Him. Show me, God, areas of my heart and my life, that are not for you alone..that do not please you. "Search me , God, and know me. Test me. Show me unclean ways in my heart and life so that I may become more and more like you , Yeshua. " This is my daily prayer now. And in praying this, well, I have seen that God WILL be faithful and answer and I have seen those ways! It's not easy to see the ways that don't please God...but I truly want Him to be my first love in this life. I don't want anything to be above Him. He wants the same of course, He requires no idols above Him and that He is the one and only God. He wants to be our first love! Maybe He is your first love...and that is wonderful! I just have had to really ask myself if He is my first love...and upon searching and asking God to show me I have realized there are other things in my life that take place of Him at times. That is becoming less and less as I give Him my life every day. He shows me these things and then I turn from them to Him and ask Him to help me not make them my idols but help me to make Him my first love. By laying down my life , I am giving Him my heart, mind, soul, strength. I am putting Him first. I am submitting my entire life to Him! This is hard because then you realize just how much you hold on to your life! How much "control" you really do have, or at least try to have. But, He is such a loving and merciful and patient and forgiving God. And He will see that you long to make Him your first love. He will help you work through these things and let go. And slowly, in time, you will let go and become more and more like Christ and less and less of "you". He will really be your first love.
I am still going through this process and honestly , some days it's tough. Some days I don't understand it all but what keeps me laying down my life every day is that I truly want to love God with all my heart , soul , mind and strength. I want Him to be my first love in this life.So, some days that's all I say. Some days I am so tired, worn out, frustrated, or even sick and all I can do is just say "Here I am God, I am yours.I give you my life."
I also think that this is something that is a daily thing. Not a ritual or anything like that. But, we are human and our flesh nature battles with us! Even Christians at times. Laying down your life every day is a good thing! It's giving God your human and flesh nature so that he can use you. Fill you with His glorious agape love. For me, it means that in everything I do now, I ask God. I try not to do anything without making sure I go to Daddy first. "is this ok Father?" or "please help me through this" or " Please use me in this situation"..etc. I don't always remember to do it, no , I am not perfect. I forget. We all do and God doesn't want us to be filled with dread and guilt. He just wants to teach us. He see's our hearts. He knows we long for Him! That brings God joy :-) He knows where our hearts are and that we want to bless Him and love Him with everything in us. He also knows the struggle of flesh and spirit. How strong that is. But as we give Him our lives He strengthens us more and more! Thank you , Father!
I must tell you. I will say this a hundred times. I am so far from being a perfect Mom, Wife, Christian or having it all together. Very far! Some days, I feel like I not only did not love or honor God very well but that I also did not love anyone else very well. Some days are really hard. But in those days, I don't give up. I may not "feel" close to God that day or even "feel" like praying much. In those days...I just put on some praise music and listen...and soon I find I am singing and praising God and smiling. I'm serious. This may sound kind of -silly to some. But it's true. One example was the other day -well we have all been pretty sick here lately. I was feeling horrible. Exhausted doesn't even describe it. My throat hurt and I was achy and miserable. I decided to put on some praise music. Soon, I was singing to God and didn't notice my soar throat anymore! It put me in the best mood for a time. Just to connect with God. I never thought to do that before. Then a Godly woman I love and respect talked about how she did that very thing when she was at a low point in her life not too long ago. She felt she had no more of her strength left in her. It was a dark time. She fell to her knee's in her kitchen and did just that...she prayed in song and praised God. She said the darkness began to lift and there was such joy. I tried it and it's true. Once you overcome those earthly feelings by connecting your spirit to God's spirit....His glory light shines through to you and lifts you up! This may sound crazy but after that day I did that, and I prayed for His healing that night...the next day i started to feel better and now a few days later I am healed. My husband has had this same illness for over a week so I was sure I was in for a wild ride! Could it be in praising God even in suffering that it brought about healing?I don't know for sure. I think so...but I will never know. I just now know that in simply choosing to focus on God and love Him when I felt so low, He will lift me (and you ) up!
In Loving God with our everything.....we then can love our neighbors as ourselves. And our enemies too! This part I have realized that I need a lot of growth in. I used to say I "loved" people but what was in my heart? Jealousy? Bitterness? Unforgiveness? That is not loving them. And yes I did love some people but usually those that were in my circle of friends and family. I woke up to this realization that I did not love everyone as myself. I prayed about this. And felt that I had to first love God with my everything. Make Him my first love. More then my children and more then my husband. I had to sacrifice my husband and kids to Him. Must I love them?YES! Of course! God wants me to do that . But not more then I love Him! Slowly but surely as I grow in my love for Yeshua....I see that in turn, His love is flowing through me more and more and I can honestly say that I think I am starting to really "love" others as God does. Not in my own understanding of what love is. But loving them with Agape Love. Love of God. Love from God. I am still growing here. I am still learning every day just to even love my own family let alone others! I think this will be a longer thing for me to understand because I have to allow God to clean out my heart and all the dark spots in it. You can be the sweetest nicest person, but everyone has areas of their lives that are strong holds. Those one or two places that are hidden deep within that surface when just the right situation pops up. We have to be transparent before God. We have to be totally open to Him and allow Him to work on those spots in our hearts and lives. We have to allow Him to clean us out and purify our Hearts if we are to really love others as we love ourselves.
And to not only love our neighbors..but our enemies too! Whew...I have just begun to scratch the surface on that one. I want to obey God so I will do my best to just open my heart to Him to clean and purify me. No doubt I am His child and saved...but are there areas of darkness at times in me? Yes! I will admit that straight out! I see this area in me arise in the form of jealousy. I struggled very very much for many years with this. I felt so hopeless and almost gave up on my marriage and family because I could not deal with this pain. It was a bitter and ugly root taking hold in my life and strangling me. As a "newer" Christian-and I did not know how to fight this. It was slowly killing me. Not being dramatic here, my husband can testify to this. I almost left many times.Not because of him-because of me! I couldn't take the pain and issues I was causing in our family anymore. But really, it was the enemy. I sort of saw that but ..didn't really know what to do. It was always there. This is already longer then I wanted it to be so I won't go into much detail , maybe this can be another topic some day. But I will say that back then, just a few short years ago...I did not really love others the way God wanted me too. I heard lies about myself (insecurities, not being good or pretty enough) and lies about others and instead of submitting my thoughts to God, taking them captive before the Lord, I believed them. Instead of praying and meditating on the Lord , I meditated on those dark and life stealing thoughts. I did not love. I hardly loved myself. It was a tough time. But, God is faithful!!! He brought me through and I can say that He is teaching me and growing me every day! Do I still have these thoughts at times, yes. But they are now faint whispers in the background as oppose to a loud megaphone in my ear! They are barely there. And when they come, I take hold of it and submit it to God. They are lies anyway. But this growth had to come with a price. Laying down my life. Dying to my "self" and giving my life and heart to Yeshua. I could not grow and change on my own. I tried. Many times. To overcome this on my own. It was so bad that it drove us away from our old church! If that isn't the enemy then I don't know what is! I did not love other women, I was fearful and jealous. Now, when this starts to occur I know what it is. I know it's a lie. I don't give in anymore..and I choose LOVE. I can choose to love because I am choosing to LOVE the king first. And He in turn is helping me to love others..truly this time. When this starts to happen, I take hold of that thought..and then I love that person. Even if I just say "I lover her!" A simple thought like that...well years ago if you told me I would now be able to do that..I would laugh at you! It is God's love working in me and all glory and praise goes to Him alone.
In conclusion to this already horribly long post....I have realized that these two commands are very important. Not only the first, to love God with all of your being...but to love others in the same way. And your enemies. I cannot do this on my own. It is through learning to really love God, my King, creator and Father...with every part of me , that I will then learn to love others. And also, sometimes loving others has to be an intentional thing. At times, it's natural. You just love as you learn to love the king more and more you will want to love His people, Christian and non Christians alike. But other times you have to tell yourself to love them! Like for me with the lies I hear from the enemy about other women....I shut him up now by proclaiming love in Christ for them! It's intentional but once I do that....then I really do love them! I see them from God's eyes and not from my own eyes and what I see on the outside. It's important to remember that in loving someone..you don't have to agree with or like their actions or behaviors or choices in life. See,this is tough for me because I find that I may not truly love someone if I don't agree with the choices they make. I have to get to a point, with Gods help of course, where I can separate those things. Love them despite that and realize by loving them it doesn't mean I agree with their life choices! And really, it doesn't matter if I do or not. What is important is loving them with love from Yeshua! Just allowing God's love to flow through to them is what's important. And since God IS love....then we must love others. There is no way around it. And Jesus' even said they are the two most important commands.
I pray for myself and each one reading this...that this has been a blessing to you from God. That we can all continue to grow in our deep love for Abba Father, and for one another. And even our enemies!
Love In Christ,
M & M
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”-Luke 10:27
Some versions I have read say something to the effect of " and the second command is just as important (or equally important) as the first, love your neighbor as you love yourself"
This tells me, that it isn't good enough to just Love God, we must also in the same way Love Our Neighbors as we love ourselves!
Jesus takes it even further when He says:
"But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you"-Matthew 5:44
Jesus gives us a new challenge or command, to not only just love our neighbors (or those that are nice to us, love us, treat us well, or fellow Christians) but also to love our enemies as well. To pray for those (or bless those) that do harm to us, persecute us. We are to do good to them. Just as we do to our neighbors.
I don't know about you-but this is a real challenge for me!!
First , is the command to Love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is something that I personally am still learning about. Surely I do Love Abba so very much! But, I have had to be honest with myself...and ask...do I love Him with ALL of my heart, soul, mind and strength. I think that it was head knowledge and even partially in my heart that I loved God, but did God really have my whole heart? It is hard to really ask yourself this. It is tough to ask God to show you this truth. Do I love you Abba first? Are you , God, my first love in this life? I recently began to really be transparent before God. To come before Him totally and completely abandoned of myself. To lay down my life at His feet every single day and ask Him to fill me. To help me truly "die to my self" (my selfish nature, desires, wants , needs...) so that I can be filled more and more with Yeshua and have a heart and mind like Him. I have asked God to show me any areas of my heart that are not totally sold out to Him. Show me, God, areas of my heart and my life, that are not for you alone..that do not please you. "Search me , God, and know me. Test me. Show me unclean ways in my heart and life so that I may become more and more like you , Yeshua. " This is my daily prayer now. And in praying this, well, I have seen that God WILL be faithful and answer and I have seen those ways! It's not easy to see the ways that don't please God...but I truly want Him to be my first love in this life. I don't want anything to be above Him. He wants the same of course, He requires no idols above Him and that He is the one and only God. He wants to be our first love! Maybe He is your first love...and that is wonderful! I just have had to really ask myself if He is my first love...and upon searching and asking God to show me I have realized there are other things in my life that take place of Him at times. That is becoming less and less as I give Him my life every day. He shows me these things and then I turn from them to Him and ask Him to help me not make them my idols but help me to make Him my first love. By laying down my life , I am giving Him my heart, mind, soul, strength. I am putting Him first. I am submitting my entire life to Him! This is hard because then you realize just how much you hold on to your life! How much "control" you really do have, or at least try to have. But, He is such a loving and merciful and patient and forgiving God. And He will see that you long to make Him your first love. He will help you work through these things and let go. And slowly, in time, you will let go and become more and more like Christ and less and less of "you". He will really be your first love.
I am still going through this process and honestly , some days it's tough. Some days I don't understand it all but what keeps me laying down my life every day is that I truly want to love God with all my heart , soul , mind and strength. I want Him to be my first love in this life.So, some days that's all I say. Some days I am so tired, worn out, frustrated, or even sick and all I can do is just say "Here I am God, I am yours.I give you my life."
I also think that this is something that is a daily thing. Not a ritual or anything like that. But, we are human and our flesh nature battles with us! Even Christians at times. Laying down your life every day is a good thing! It's giving God your human and flesh nature so that he can use you. Fill you with His glorious agape love. For me, it means that in everything I do now, I ask God. I try not to do anything without making sure I go to Daddy first. "is this ok Father?" or "please help me through this" or " Please use me in this situation"..etc. I don't always remember to do it, no , I am not perfect. I forget. We all do and God doesn't want us to be filled with dread and guilt. He just wants to teach us. He see's our hearts. He knows we long for Him! That brings God joy :-) He knows where our hearts are and that we want to bless Him and love Him with everything in us. He also knows the struggle of flesh and spirit. How strong that is. But as we give Him our lives He strengthens us more and more! Thank you , Father!
I must tell you. I will say this a hundred times. I am so far from being a perfect Mom, Wife, Christian or having it all together. Very far! Some days, I feel like I not only did not love or honor God very well but that I also did not love anyone else very well. Some days are really hard. But in those days, I don't give up. I may not "feel" close to God that day or even "feel" like praying much. In those days...I just put on some praise music and listen...and soon I find I am singing and praising God and smiling. I'm serious. This may sound kind of -silly to some. But it's true. One example was the other day -well we have all been pretty sick here lately. I was feeling horrible. Exhausted doesn't even describe it. My throat hurt and I was achy and miserable. I decided to put on some praise music. Soon, I was singing to God and didn't notice my soar throat anymore! It put me in the best mood for a time. Just to connect with God. I never thought to do that before. Then a Godly woman I love and respect talked about how she did that very thing when she was at a low point in her life not too long ago. She felt she had no more of her strength left in her. It was a dark time. She fell to her knee's in her kitchen and did just that...she prayed in song and praised God. She said the darkness began to lift and there was such joy. I tried it and it's true. Once you overcome those earthly feelings by connecting your spirit to God's spirit....His glory light shines through to you and lifts you up! This may sound crazy but after that day I did that, and I prayed for His healing that night...the next day i started to feel better and now a few days later I am healed. My husband has had this same illness for over a week so I was sure I was in for a wild ride! Could it be in praising God even in suffering that it brought about healing?I don't know for sure. I think so...but I will never know. I just now know that in simply choosing to focus on God and love Him when I felt so low, He will lift me (and you ) up!
In Loving God with our everything.....we then can love our neighbors as ourselves. And our enemies too! This part I have realized that I need a lot of growth in. I used to say I "loved" people but what was in my heart? Jealousy? Bitterness? Unforgiveness? That is not loving them. And yes I did love some people but usually those that were in my circle of friends and family. I woke up to this realization that I did not love everyone as myself. I prayed about this. And felt that I had to first love God with my everything. Make Him my first love. More then my children and more then my husband. I had to sacrifice my husband and kids to Him. Must I love them?YES! Of course! God wants me to do that . But not more then I love Him! Slowly but surely as I grow in my love for Yeshua....I see that in turn, His love is flowing through me more and more and I can honestly say that I think I am starting to really "love" others as God does. Not in my own understanding of what love is. But loving them with Agape Love. Love of God. Love from God. I am still growing here. I am still learning every day just to even love my own family let alone others! I think this will be a longer thing for me to understand because I have to allow God to clean out my heart and all the dark spots in it. You can be the sweetest nicest person, but everyone has areas of their lives that are strong holds. Those one or two places that are hidden deep within that surface when just the right situation pops up. We have to be transparent before God. We have to be totally open to Him and allow Him to work on those spots in our hearts and lives. We have to allow Him to clean us out and purify our Hearts if we are to really love others as we love ourselves.
And to not only love our neighbors..but our enemies too! Whew...I have just begun to scratch the surface on that one. I want to obey God so I will do my best to just open my heart to Him to clean and purify me. No doubt I am His child and saved...but are there areas of darkness at times in me? Yes! I will admit that straight out! I see this area in me arise in the form of jealousy. I struggled very very much for many years with this. I felt so hopeless and almost gave up on my marriage and family because I could not deal with this pain. It was a bitter and ugly root taking hold in my life and strangling me. As a "newer" Christian-and I did not know how to fight this. It was slowly killing me. Not being dramatic here, my husband can testify to this. I almost left many times.Not because of him-because of me! I couldn't take the pain and issues I was causing in our family anymore. But really, it was the enemy. I sort of saw that but ..didn't really know what to do. It was always there. This is already longer then I wanted it to be so I won't go into much detail , maybe this can be another topic some day. But I will say that back then, just a few short years ago...I did not really love others the way God wanted me too. I heard lies about myself (insecurities, not being good or pretty enough) and lies about others and instead of submitting my thoughts to God, taking them captive before the Lord, I believed them. Instead of praying and meditating on the Lord , I meditated on those dark and life stealing thoughts. I did not love. I hardly loved myself. It was a tough time. But, God is faithful!!! He brought me through and I can say that He is teaching me and growing me every day! Do I still have these thoughts at times, yes. But they are now faint whispers in the background as oppose to a loud megaphone in my ear! They are barely there. And when they come, I take hold of it and submit it to God. They are lies anyway. But this growth had to come with a price. Laying down my life. Dying to my "self" and giving my life and heart to Yeshua. I could not grow and change on my own. I tried. Many times. To overcome this on my own. It was so bad that it drove us away from our old church! If that isn't the enemy then I don't know what is! I did not love other women, I was fearful and jealous. Now, when this starts to occur I know what it is. I know it's a lie. I don't give in anymore..and I choose LOVE. I can choose to love because I am choosing to LOVE the king first. And He in turn is helping me to love others..truly this time. When this starts to happen, I take hold of that thought..and then I love that person. Even if I just say "I lover her!" A simple thought like that...well years ago if you told me I would now be able to do that..I would laugh at you! It is God's love working in me and all glory and praise goes to Him alone.
In conclusion to this already horribly long post....I have realized that these two commands are very important. Not only the first, to love God with all of your being...but to love others in the same way. And your enemies. I cannot do this on my own. It is through learning to really love God, my King, creator and Father...with every part of me , that I will then learn to love others. And also, sometimes loving others has to be an intentional thing. At times, it's natural. You just love as you learn to love the king more and more you will want to love His people, Christian and non Christians alike. But other times you have to tell yourself to love them! Like for me with the lies I hear from the enemy about other women....I shut him up now by proclaiming love in Christ for them! It's intentional but once I do that....then I really do love them! I see them from God's eyes and not from my own eyes and what I see on the outside. It's important to remember that in loving someone..you don't have to agree with or like their actions or behaviors or choices in life. See,this is tough for me because I find that I may not truly love someone if I don't agree with the choices they make. I have to get to a point, with Gods help of course, where I can separate those things. Love them despite that and realize by loving them it doesn't mean I agree with their life choices! And really, it doesn't matter if I do or not. What is important is loving them with love from Yeshua! Just allowing God's love to flow through to them is what's important. And since God IS love....then we must love others. There is no way around it. And Jesus' even said they are the two most important commands.
I pray for myself and each one reading this...that this has been a blessing to you from God. That we can all continue to grow in our deep love for Abba Father, and for one another. And even our enemies!
Love In Christ,
M & M
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
~ Agape Love ~
Agape Love: I love this definition or explanation of Agape love from
http://www.gotquestions.org/agape-love.html
Answer: The Greek word agape is often translated "love" in the New Testament. How is "agape love" different from other types of love? The essence of agape love is self-sacrifice. Unlike our English word “love,” agape is not used in the Bible to refer to romantic or sexual love. Nor does it refer to close friendship or brotherly love, for which the Greek word philia is used. Nor does agape mean charity, a term which the King James translators carried over from the Latin. Agape love is unique and is distinguished by its nature and character.
Agape is love which is of and from God, whose very nature is love itself. The Apostle John affirms this in 1 John 4:8: “God is love.” God does not merely love; He is love itself. Everything God does flows from His love. But it is important to remember that God’s love is not a sappy, sentimental love such as we often hear portrayed. God loves because that is His nature and the expression of His being. He loves the unlovable and the unlovely (us!), not because we deserve to be loved, but because it is His nature to do so, and He must be true to His nature and character. God’s love is displayed most clearly at the Cross, where Christ died for the unworthy creatures who were “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), not because we did anything to deserve it, “but God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Father God IS love. He is the true expression and definition of love. He loves because that is His nature. It is who He is and He cannot be anything else. He loves you and me totally and completely and unconditionally! This is His heart!!! His heart is for all of us, unbelievers and believers alike. He created us all and He unconditionally loves each of us. He may "hate" our sin, what we "do". But He never hates us. This is why it is so difficult for me (and many) to stomach the Phelps family that go around holding signs and telling basically everyone in America that is not like them, that God hates them and they all are going to hell. This is ludicrous on many levels. But if any argument can and should be thrown at them (which, what is the point they do not listen anyway) it should be this very thing right here. GOD IS LOVE. It says it in the Word more times then we can count. And how about this very verse that is another way of proving their stance wrong..
"For God SO LOVED THE WORLD, that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" -john 3:16
And wait..there is more to that!
John 3: 17 says
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
Now, this post is not to argue the claims of the Phelps Family , but it upsets me as a follower of Christ , that they would walk around spewing these things out of their mouths. See, the thing is, they only have half of it right. Yes, God hates sin. He hates sin and He can never love or agree with sin. Ok, we get that. But, not once does He say He hates the SINNER. He hates sin but He loves the sinner! He wants all that are lost to turn to Him and be saved! Yes, there is an end coming one day. But is this the way to get His message of salvation and eternal life through His son Jesus out there? If anything, what they are doing pushes people away and grows a hatred towards "Christians". This post is about God's Agape love. He has this love for us all. He hates our sins and wants us to turn to Him so that we can experience His agape love. So that we can have a deep and intimate love relationship with the King. I do not dare stand around and tell everyone they are doomed and going to hell. That is not my place or anyone else's place for we are not God and we do not have the final say in anyone's life after death! Our job here on Earth is to spread His message of this Agape love and salvation in Jesus. That is our job. Not to condemn and judge America! We can have our opinions sure. But to stand on street corners and blast these foul things out like it's God Himself...my question to them is ....have they thought maybe they will be the ones judged as harshly as they are judging? For God does warn us to be careful in how we judge others for we will be judged in the same measure that we judge others.
His word, which is what I base my life and beliefs on and not mans words and claims, says that Jesus did not come into this world to condemn the world, but to save it. So that we can know this amazing Creator, Father, King, and Friend- God almighty and His son Jesus. It is a beautiful relationship and a beautiful love. A love like no other on Earth. Agape love is the most fulfilling love there is. And this all flows from Gods beautiful Heart to ours.
In Christ's Love,
M & M
http://www.gotquestions.org/agape-love.html
Answer: The Greek word agape is often translated "love" in the New Testament. How is "agape love" different from other types of love? The essence of agape love is self-sacrifice. Unlike our English word “love,” agape is not used in the Bible to refer to romantic or sexual love. Nor does it refer to close friendship or brotherly love, for which the Greek word philia is used. Nor does agape mean charity, a term which the King James translators carried over from the Latin. Agape love is unique and is distinguished by its nature and character.
Agape is love which is of and from God, whose very nature is love itself. The Apostle John affirms this in 1 John 4:8: “God is love.” God does not merely love; He is love itself. Everything God does flows from His love. But it is important to remember that God’s love is not a sappy, sentimental love such as we often hear portrayed. God loves because that is His nature and the expression of His being. He loves the unlovable and the unlovely (us!), not because we deserve to be loved, but because it is His nature to do so, and He must be true to His nature and character. God’s love is displayed most clearly at the Cross, where Christ died for the unworthy creatures who were “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), not because we did anything to deserve it, “but God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Father God IS love. He is the true expression and definition of love. He loves because that is His nature. It is who He is and He cannot be anything else. He loves you and me totally and completely and unconditionally! This is His heart!!! His heart is for all of us, unbelievers and believers alike. He created us all and He unconditionally loves each of us. He may "hate" our sin, what we "do". But He never hates us. This is why it is so difficult for me (and many) to stomach the Phelps family that go around holding signs and telling basically everyone in America that is not like them, that God hates them and they all are going to hell. This is ludicrous on many levels. But if any argument can and should be thrown at them (which, what is the point they do not listen anyway) it should be this very thing right here. GOD IS LOVE. It says it in the Word more times then we can count. And how about this very verse that is another way of proving their stance wrong..
"For God SO LOVED THE WORLD, that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" -john 3:16
And wait..there is more to that!
John 3: 17 says
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
Now, this post is not to argue the claims of the Phelps Family , but it upsets me as a follower of Christ , that they would walk around spewing these things out of their mouths. See, the thing is, they only have half of it right. Yes, God hates sin. He hates sin and He can never love or agree with sin. Ok, we get that. But, not once does He say He hates the SINNER. He hates sin but He loves the sinner! He wants all that are lost to turn to Him and be saved! Yes, there is an end coming one day. But is this the way to get His message of salvation and eternal life through His son Jesus out there? If anything, what they are doing pushes people away and grows a hatred towards "Christians". This post is about God's Agape love. He has this love for us all. He hates our sins and wants us to turn to Him so that we can experience His agape love. So that we can have a deep and intimate love relationship with the King. I do not dare stand around and tell everyone they are doomed and going to hell. That is not my place or anyone else's place for we are not God and we do not have the final say in anyone's life after death! Our job here on Earth is to spread His message of this Agape love and salvation in Jesus. That is our job. Not to condemn and judge America! We can have our opinions sure. But to stand on street corners and blast these foul things out like it's God Himself...my question to them is ....have they thought maybe they will be the ones judged as harshly as they are judging? For God does warn us to be careful in how we judge others for we will be judged in the same measure that we judge others.
His word, which is what I base my life and beliefs on and not mans words and claims, says that Jesus did not come into this world to condemn the world, but to save it. So that we can know this amazing Creator, Father, King, and Friend- God almighty and His son Jesus. It is a beautiful relationship and a beautiful love. A love like no other on Earth. Agape love is the most fulfilling love there is. And this all flows from Gods beautiful Heart to ours.
In Christ's Love,
M & M
~ Beautiful King ~
This song absolutely gives me chills and brings tears to my eyes each time I hear it and sing it to our King. It is the most honoring song and I am certain it brings His heart such joy!!! Enjoy!
Phil Wickham-"Beautiful"
In Christ's Love,
M & M
Phil Wickham-"Beautiful"
In Christ's Love,
M & M
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
~ Welcome and Thank You ~
Hello Dearest Friends and Brothers/Sisters In Lord Jesus!!
Welcome to our families newest blog, Heart 2 Heart. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being here and following us!
I won't make this first post very long, I just wanted to welcome and thank each of you that has viewed this blog and decided to follow along with us. Heart 2 Heart is our personal thoughts, ideas, struggles, joys, challenges and trials, revelations and amazing moments on our journey with Yeshua. This is going to mostly be written by M the wife and mom of the family and some by my husband, M. We both have names that start with M!! :) But we will just sign every post by M & M.
A little about us. We are a family of 4 from PA. We have two young boys that are the light of our life in this world and certainly show us what both great love and joy can be and also grow us as they test our patience every day, haha!! We certainly are NOT a perfect Christian family by any means! We don't claim to be at all. We simply want to share our ups and downs as a family longing to give God our hearts and our everything. There are surely trying days and days when we are overwhelmed and exhausted by the responsibilities and lack of sleep life brings :-)
We just want to share our life and our Hearts for God with you! Please share with us as well in the comments if you wish.
We hope and pray this is a blessing for you and that it always Honors Abba God first!
Love In Jesus' Name,
M & M
Welcome to our families newest blog, Heart 2 Heart. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being here and following us!
I won't make this first post very long, I just wanted to welcome and thank each of you that has viewed this blog and decided to follow along with us. Heart 2 Heart is our personal thoughts, ideas, struggles, joys, challenges and trials, revelations and amazing moments on our journey with Yeshua. This is going to mostly be written by M the wife and mom of the family and some by my husband, M. We both have names that start with M!! :) But we will just sign every post by M & M.
A little about us. We are a family of 4 from PA. We have two young boys that are the light of our life in this world and certainly show us what both great love and joy can be and also grow us as they test our patience every day, haha!! We certainly are NOT a perfect Christian family by any means! We don't claim to be at all. We simply want to share our ups and downs as a family longing to give God our hearts and our everything. There are surely trying days and days when we are overwhelmed and exhausted by the responsibilities and lack of sleep life brings :-)
We just want to share our life and our Hearts for God with you! Please share with us as well in the comments if you wish.
We hope and pray this is a blessing for you and that it always Honors Abba God first!
Love In Jesus' Name,
M & M
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