True Treasure

Every year the shopping scene gets more graphic and violent!

We hear all over the news of people being trampled when stores open their 

doors on Black Friday...

Some are there hoping to save money on something they could not normally 

afford. Some are there to get the newest greatest thing on a massive discount.

Some are there because they want to support a life style that is slowly selling 

them into deeper debt. And unfortunately, some are there just to put tons under 

the tree because they have forgotten what Christmas is all about...

Here's the reason why we celebrate!

The Birth of Jesus Christ

..........................Luke Chapter 2 vrs 1-7............................................................................

 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus 

that all the world should be registered. 

This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 

And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, 

to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, 

because he was of the house and lineage of David, 

to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths 

and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (ESV)

........................................................................................................................................

While Christ was here on earth... He taught us to love one another as our selves.

I wonder if the people rushing and trampling other people were loving the person 

that was literally, under their feet.

We seem to have forgotten in these times the basics of kindness, love, generosity,

patience, forgiveness, and common courtesy.

How have we gotten to where we are now?

Why have we strayed so far from the true meaning of Christmas?

Is there any hope in our future that some what resembles Love?

Don't forget the real reason for the season!

Don't forget why Christ came!

If you want to have real Joy, Hope, Security, Forgiveness....

Then keep Christ as the center of your entire life.

Live your life for Him. Learn more about Him. 

Have a Personal Relationship with Him.

He is waiting for you!

Christ is Real Treasure.

Where your heart is, there will your heart be found.

I want to take a moment to thank BitStrips for the comical outlook on Black Friday.

Its easier to laugh when its a comic. But it does paint a very accurate

portrait on the problems of today's society. 

Unconditional!

Love..!! Love..!! Has anyone seen Love..??!!

Have you ever tried to define Love? Or even live Love?

The definition is easy... Living it is a different story..

Love is clearly defined in 1st Corinthians 13:4-8a

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.

It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;it does not rejoice 

at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, 

believes all things, hopes all things,endures all things. Love never ends.

I'd like to focus on just a few of the words to help clarify what it looks like to "live love".

Love "Bears"... to cover with silence (endure patiently): forbear, suffer.

Love "Endures"... to undergo, bear trials, have fortitude, persevere, abide, patient, suffer, tarry behind.

Love "Never Ends"... not at any time, fail or fall down.

There is one resounding theme in Love.. Love gives, it Never takes. 

And there are no strings attached!

I have to ask this question even of myself.... 

Are you living Love?

Do you Love your wife? 

Do you love your husband?

Do you love your children?

DO YOU LOVE THE LORD?

Our pitfall is self. We want. 

Selfishness is rooted in all of us. I believe that is why we are given the 

perfect model of love in Jesus Christ.

He bore our sins... the penalty of those sins... 

He was separated from the Father....

So that those who trust in Him will never be separated. 

Accept Christ today, and "live Love", not self.

Hello... Anyone there?

Psalm 38:21  Do not forsake me, O Lord! O my God, be not far from me!

Have you ever felt alone? Rejected? Overwhelmed?

Most have felt one or all of these hurts... 
And if you are like most, you have asked yourself:  

Who can you talk to.?. Who can you turn to.?.

I think sometimes, like this Ladybug, we feel so small in something so large 
that we easily become overwhelmed. We loose sight of the larger picture.
Who grew the plant he now sits upon?
Who made the soil the plant grows in?
Who made the water and the rain that the plant is dependent on?
God, of course!
It's easy in our lives to get caught up in where we are in life, and forget
that God holds all things in the palm of His mighty hand!
When you feel the most alone.... That's when you need to remember our
Savior Creator has us in the palm of His hand. 
And there is no more comforting place to be, 
than in His care.
When life hurts, or when the things of this world get you down..... 
Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. 
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim.
 In the light of His glory and grace!
(One of my personal favorite hymns)
The Lord never turns His eye away. We are the one's that turn.
Refocus your sight on the Lord. True fulfillment in life comes from a strong
focus on God. And not on our own lives.
Seek a personal relationship with the Lord. 
Then, and only then, will you see
that He walks with you daily. 
And you will never feel alone again!

Proven Foundation

1st John 1:5-7

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, 

that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, 

we lie and do not practice the truth. 

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, 

we have fellowship with one another, 

and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (ESV)

When you look in the mirror.. Do you like what you see? 

Do you see someone who has failed over and over only to have no hope left in life?

Or

Do you see someone wholly relying on God, striving to please Him, 

and growing closer to Him every day and in every way?

Life will throw many things at us. 

The Devil will try to trip you up and kick you when you fall, 

never letting you forget failures in the past.

If this is you then STOP! There is hope!

Let what you see in the mirror push you to a loving, merciful, and patient God. 

The only one who can grant forgiveness for the sins we commit.

You don't have to go through life regretting the things you have done wrong.

"Walk in the Light" and set your foundation on the Lord.

As we saw in 1st John 1:5-7, God is light. Nothing can be hidden from Him.

If you want to be a good parent, wife, husband, leader, employee, etc. 

then spend time in the Word of God DAILY! 

Those who seek with their whole heart, find.

Those who knock, the door will be opened to them.

Those who ask, will receive.

In God is our foundation built. The building block for our entire life. 

No matter where you go or what you do in life, keep your foundation rooted in Him.

If we as Christians do and practice what we say, our footing will be firm.

We wont be tossed about in a world of sin.

And we will always come back to a mirror that reflects someone with hope.

One who is truly forgiven of sin. Someone who is loved, and accepted.

A true reflection of what the Lord see's..... 

A redeemed Child of God.

Hidden Deception

Have you seen "Seasons" in your life? A time when all seems misaligned, or not working?
Or perhaps you are going through some personal things in your life and you are beginning to question where God is in it all..?
In times like this, we must be ever on guard. Satan and his demons lurk in the hidden shadows, waiting for a time to render us ineffective through the struggles in life. He accomplishes this by subtly convincing us that God has left us alone or that He doesn't care and wont help us.
Now when you look at that statement you might be saying "God doesn't leave us, and He most certainly does care for us." Which is true. But that is the nature of subtle deception. It starts small. Maybe he convinces you in some way that your are able to handle a small situation with out bringing it to God in prayer. And from there, through more similar situations, more small things are not brought to God. It is then that we are not as effective, and have now begun to do more on our own, and we are not completely relying on God to get us through. Then larger issues arise, and more serious things happen, and our hearts begin to question. What was once small, is now to big.
And because we stopped coming to God, we are left in over our heads.
I am so thankful that God is a God of Mercy and Love...
No matter where we are.....
There HE is.
We just need to surrender.
In my life when things tend to go wrong, I begin to question what's wrong. I truly believe we as followers of Christ must "gut check" where we are in our relationship with the Lord. Where have we gone astray? How did we pull away from the loving guidance of our Lord? With all certainty I can say, God is not the problem... WE ARE. Deception is all around us. We as Christians are under attack every day. Sometimes in the most subtle ways. And we don't even realize it. That is why we are warned to ever be on guard.
1st Peter 5:8 gives a clear picture of the devils intent.
"Be sober- minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (ESV)
If we are not constantly on guard, we are vulnerable.
He will strike when we are not looking, and at the most unexpected time.
And that is when the most damage can be done.
If there is one thing in my life that I have learned over and over again, it is simply,
Stay Close To The Lord Everyday.
Be in His Word, learning and growing.
Be in prayer, Daily!
The days that I don't study, and the days I don't pray, are among some of my worst days.
Apart from the Lord, we are nothing.
If we are not under His protection, we are lost.
Without His love and mercy, we have no hope.
Do Not Be Deceived.
Read, study, pray, watch.
Bring everything and place it before the Lord. He will make straight your path.

Still Waters

STILL WATERS

Have you ever really wonder why Christ gave his followers the Lord's Prayer?

Was it for re-sighting by memory word for word?

or

Was it for instruction. To teach us an outline on how to pray and what to say?

Christ did say in Matthew 6:9 "Pray then like this:" ESV

As I began to really study the example given by Christ, I saw an outline. A starting point for my prayers. Basic instruction that gives a complete look at a prayer centered on God.

So what I have done is started with the example given by Christ, and then included thoughts that came to mind that were centered on each piece of the prayer. I pray that the examples will touch your heart and help your prayers every day like it does mine. Its a daily reminder for me to pray and give praise and thanks to God.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

     - Great is your name and worthy to be praised!

     - Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty. Who was and is and is to come.

     - Worthy are you, our Lord and God to receive glory and honor and praise. For you created all things,         

        and by your will they exist and are held together.

     - I stand in awe of you!

Your kingdom come,

     - I wait with anticipation for the day of your coming, the day where every knee will bow and confess that

       you are Lord!

Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,

     - Change my heart that I will be obedient and hear your call, and then answer and do!

Give us this day our daily bread,

     - Thank you for your abundant, overflowing, provision which you so graciously give everyday!

and forgive us our debts,

     - Forgive me of my sins....

     - Search me and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts. See if there be any wicked way in me.

       Lead me in the right way, which leads to you.

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

     - Help me to forgive and be done with all anger, wrath, malice, and bitterness.

     - Guard my heart that I may not be unforgiving in anyway to anyone.

And lead us not into temptation,

     - Help me to be alert and watch that I may not enter into temptation. But run to you for strength to resist.

But deliver us from evil.

     - Thank you for the saving knowledge I have in Jesus. Teach me to hold fast to my hope that I may not    

       stray from you. 

     - Help me hold tight to the truth that you have made a way of escape from my temptation.

Text quoted from the ESV Bible

What does your "add-ins" look like?

Make it personal. Make it real! PRAY!

Complete Utter Destruction!

A Vision Of Future Events As I See Them Coming. 

Have you ever seen a tree split in two, or a house burned to the ground, all from a bolt of lightning?

How small are we as "humans" in comparison to what God has made?

How can we stand on our own against the storms of this world?

Hard questions that can only be answered from a heart of humility and humbleness to God.

The answer is basic and very simple.

We cannot stand on our own. We were never meant to stand on our own. We  were created with an inherent need to search for and find the Lord.

To think we can stand apart from God is folly!

I read an interesting verse today in 1st Chronicles 21:15-17

" And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. 

 And David said to God, "Was it not I who gave command to number the people? It is I who have sinned and done great evil. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O LORD my God, be against me and against my father's house. But do not let the plague be on your people."

This American nation is standing on a slippery slope. Soon the hill will give way and we will tumble down to destruction. "We the People" are making decisions that completely undermine God's authority in our lives. Just pick a subject, there are many. Remove your political view point on it, and ask the very basic question... What does God have to say?

We don't ask that question enough in the United States. We as Americans feel we can stand as a nation on our own.... Without God.... Yes even Christians do this. I catch myself doing it. 

"We the People" need to fall to our knees as King David did, take responsibility for our own sin, and pray for God's forgiving mercy! Without it.... we shall surely fall into destruction! 

I see this American nation like a "modern Babylon". A nation falling into all sin. Not remembering the Lord. Not doing as the Lord commands. A nation that does not care how to live a life dedicated to the Lord.

God's correction of nations is clear all through the Bible, but Revelation speaks directly to what I believe we are heading for... God's wrath and judgment. 

Rev 16:18-19 

And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 

 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. 

Gloom and doom, I know! But who are we to stand apart from God?

God made all things. Apart from Him, there is nothing!

Look deep in your heart, humble yourself before God in all things!

Make your political views, God's view.

And then watch the Lord rebuild our nation!

Pro 3:5-8 

 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 

 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 

 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. 

 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. 

Tree of Fruit

Tree of Fruit

What is life, that we should regard it?

The value of life, that we should live it?

What is death, that we should fear it?

For in Christ there is life!

A Tree bearing much fruit.

A life full of purpose,

Guidance never lacking.

A life witnessed, Not in words, 

But Proven in Love.

Redeemed in Grace,

With Peace overflowing,

Joy never ending!

A life where Kindness and Goodness flow,

As like a river that cannot be stopped.

For with these things, we are proven Faithful.

A servant to the end.

A Tree, 

Bearing much fruit.

Galatians 5:22

My Path, My Life

 As I walk the path set before,

 My eyes grow weary.

My soul runs for the open door,

But this body fails as before

The desire of my heart is to serve,

Yet sin renders me ill.

The light on my path is made clear.

You never fail, if only I would hear.

When will the time of this body end,

And it's failures made mend?

The time of your coming, when will it be?

I long to be free, learning directly from thee.

You lift up my head and wipe my tear.

My heart is mended, I feel you near!

Never shall I turn away,

My soul longs for more!

For I was created to praise,

And bring glory to the Lord!

I see in the distance, 

You have opened the door.

That I might come in.

As was Your plan

To be gently guided 

By the palm of Your hand.

I see the light of your glory!

I am in awe as I stand before you.

You open your book, and read my story.

In shame I covered my head, 

For only you are holy!

I feel your hand, how can this be?

Jesus was standing there with me!

"Accepted are you", I hear you say to me.

"You know my Son, He has spoken of you.

He has written your name, See! Here on this page!

This is His book of life,

Read now with me, the story He wrote.

And look with my eyes, its beautiful to see!

The wonderful things you have done!"

"Well done good servant, 

You shall never want more!

The trials you have had,

The molding I have done, 

Look at you now! You shine like the sun!

Your a reflection of me! Do you now see?"

"Come with me now, enjoy this reward!

Time has now ended, eternity begun, 

Now you will see, what is waiting for you,

For you have the key, you have trusted in Me!"

The Path Set Before Us!

As you walk through life, have you ever asked your self, what's around the corner? What's going to happen next? Sometimes in discouragement we tend to forget that our path is set before us. God knows where our path leads and He knows that the path He has chosen for us will be perfect. As we "walk through life" things happen that shape us and mold us. Sometimes those things are hard and we are left scratching our heads in wonder. But look back once and a while. When you do, think about the hard lessons of life. Did you learn and grow from the trial? I know for a fact that around every corner is the Lord. The entire path of our life leads to Him. When we get there and look back, I believe we will see through clearer eyes. And that path that seemed full of trial will look completely different. We are God's creation. He is constantly shaping and molding us to be a mirrored reflection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Remember... when you step, trust in the Lord in all things. Let Him mold and shape you. Have faith that the path set before you is perfect for you and your eternal well being. It's a journey to remember. And Christ is waiting for you!
2 Samuel 22:33  "God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect" KJV