Matthew 21:12-17, Jesus, right after His triumphal entry, entered the temple and began clearing it. Knocking over the tables, He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”
When I read about the temple, my mind is always brought back to the fact that we are the temple now. As Christians we are the temple of God. We are supposed to keep ourselves holy and set apart for His service, but we tend to forget this. We are supposed to always be open for the hurting to come to us. Our homes are to be a sanctuary, a safe place, not only for us, but for others as well.
I had some college girls living with us a few months ago. Through their eyes, I started living my life as a Christ follower. Every time we have opened our home for someone else to stay with us, we have realized something very profound. It is in our home that our true faith is revealed. If you have to change the way you talk to your children, because someone else is listening, maybe your heart is not right toward your children. If others want to avoid your interaction with your spouse, maybe your heart is hard to the one you said you were committed to. If you live differently when others are around you, something is wrong. We are the temple of God. Every day is to be set aside for Him through our lives. It is not about earning your salvation, that is what the cross is about. It is about changing your actions, allowing Him to change your heart. It is about commitment. Who are you committed to?
This week is Holy week. The week set aside before Easter, so that we can thank Christ for dying for us on the Cross. We often think about what He does for us, but do we turn our thoughts inward at our commitment to Him? Do we need to clear the temple and look at how we are really living our lives, when no one else can see us? Can our children not only see our devotion to Christ in our home, but also feel His devotion to them through us? Does our spouse know that we are committed to them, sacrificially, for them. It is not about entering a building to show that we worship God. It is about being the temple of God on a daily basis. If Christ entered your temple after His triumphal entry, would He be knocking over some tables?
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Crowds Chanting
Matthew 21:1-11, "A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed shouted,'Hosanna to the Son of David!' 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' 'Hosanna in the highest!' When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, 'Who is this?'"
I worked on a ranch when I was younger. I loved getting up early, feeding and catching the horses. Then being on horse back just as the sun was coming up over the horizon. It just so happened that the ranch that I worked on worked cows and sheep. The cows were my favorite. They were work, but they were fun too. The sheep on the other hand, they were just annoying. One thing that I noticed about them was that when you are herding them, they will not walk up a hill. So you have to take them the long way around the hill before you can get up it. For the straight path is much too hard at first, so around the same hill you must go, gradually gaining altitude. Something else that I noticed was that when you caught them, they just laid there. Once they were caught, the fight was over. No wonder coyotes thought they were an easy meal. They didn't go straight up a hill, even to get away from danger. And once you caught them, they just laid there never fighting again. But something both cows and sheep had in common, they both followed each other without knowing where they were going or why. As far as they knew we were going to feed them. I will put it nicely, feeding them is not what we were doing...
Many times throughout the bible we are referred to as sheep. So often we are following wherever the next breeze blows us. Instead of learning our lesson the first time, we insist that we must take the long way around the same mountain, over and over again. We will follow any crowd, never knowing what is going to happen in the end, or caring why. This is what happened when Jesus entered the city. The crowds were rejoicing, but they didn't know why. They were worshiping Christ, just because their friends were. It was like going to a game without knowing what teams were playing. Who do you rout for? Depends on what side of the stadium you enter and who your friends are routing for. You will yell and cheer, but never really having any true heart for the outcome. This is why we must carefully choose our friends, because we are sheep and we will follow them, anywhere.
Oswald Chambers, "This sense of expectation will give our life the attitude of childlike wonder He wants it to have. If we are going to be ready for Jesus Christ, we have to stop being religious. In other words, we must stop using religion as if it were some kind of a lofty lifestyle-we must be spiritually real." Are you a Christian? Do you know why? Are you just flowing along, following the crowd not really knowing who your shepherd is? Or, do you see Him? Sheep that follow their Shepherd because they know and see Him are much different than sheep who blindly follow the crowd. Who are you and what are you doing here?
http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/03/29/devotion.aspx?year=2010
I worked on a ranch when I was younger. I loved getting up early, feeding and catching the horses. Then being on horse back just as the sun was coming up over the horizon. It just so happened that the ranch that I worked on worked cows and sheep. The cows were my favorite. They were work, but they were fun too. The sheep on the other hand, they were just annoying. One thing that I noticed about them was that when you are herding them, they will not walk up a hill. So you have to take them the long way around the hill before you can get up it. For the straight path is much too hard at first, so around the same hill you must go, gradually gaining altitude. Something else that I noticed was that when you caught them, they just laid there. Once they were caught, the fight was over. No wonder coyotes thought they were an easy meal. They didn't go straight up a hill, even to get away from danger. And once you caught them, they just laid there never fighting again. But something both cows and sheep had in common, they both followed each other without knowing where they were going or why. As far as they knew we were going to feed them. I will put it nicely, feeding them is not what we were doing...
Many times throughout the bible we are referred to as sheep. So often we are following wherever the next breeze blows us. Instead of learning our lesson the first time, we insist that we must take the long way around the same mountain, over and over again. We will follow any crowd, never knowing what is going to happen in the end, or caring why. This is what happened when Jesus entered the city. The crowds were rejoicing, but they didn't know why. They were worshiping Christ, just because their friends were. It was like going to a game without knowing what teams were playing. Who do you rout for? Depends on what side of the stadium you enter and who your friends are routing for. You will yell and cheer, but never really having any true heart for the outcome. This is why we must carefully choose our friends, because we are sheep and we will follow them, anywhere.
Oswald Chambers, "This sense of expectation will give our life the attitude of childlike wonder He wants it to have. If we are going to be ready for Jesus Christ, we have to stop being religious. In other words, we must stop using religion as if it were some kind of a lofty lifestyle-we must be spiritually real." Are you a Christian? Do you know why? Are you just flowing along, following the crowd not really knowing who your shepherd is? Or, do you see Him? Sheep that follow their Shepherd because they know and see Him are much different than sheep who blindly follow the crowd. Who are you and what are you doing here?
http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/03/29/devotion.aspx?year=2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Arrows Flying
Oswald Chambers, "Purity is not innocence— it is much more than that. Purity is the result of continued spiritual harmony with God. We have to grow in purity. Our life with God may be right and our inner purity unblemished, yet occasionally our outer life may become spotted and stained. God intentionally does not protect us from this possibility, because this is the way we recognize the necessity of maintaining our spiritual vision through personal purity. If the outer level of our spiritual life with God is impaired to the slightest degree, we must put everything else aside until we make it right. Remember that spiritual vision depends on our character— it is 'the pure in heart' who 'see God.'"
Yesterday I felt a sting. Someone told me that the high school boys had made a statement about a substitute teacher that had been a stripper. It stung. Maybe it hurt because my emotions had already been running high from the funeral. Satan does tend to strike when we are the weakest. If I allowed myself to walk into any situation alone, I would be overcome with fear of my past. I couldn't do this alone. But at the same time, I cannot not do what I know God is wanting me to do, and that is to share my shame so others know they do not have to wallow in theirs.
Even though Satan tries to come in and attack, I have covered myself with His armor so that I can stand and fight. Ephesians 6:10-18, "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests."
With this I feel pure. Even though I have not lived a pure life and I have opened the door for many shots from the devil, I can walk into any room, any situation and hold my head high. Sometimes people think it is easier to keep your past to yourself and never let anyone know what you have done, but I say that is a lie from Satan. “You are only as sick as your secrets,” (Ruth Graham). You don't want to walk around like Jerry Springer is, announcing every time you enter a situation; but you do need to learn to walk in the grace of God. "God makes us pure by an act of His sovereign grace, but we still have something that we must carefully watch. It is through our bodily life coming in contact with other people and other points of view that we tend to become tarnished. Not only must our "inner sanctuary" be kept right with God, but also the "outer courts" must be brought into perfect harmony with the purity God gives us through His grace. Our spiritual vision and understanding is immediately blurred when our "outer court" is stained. If we want to maintain personal intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ, it will mean refusing to do or even think certain things. And some things that are acceptable for others will become unacceptable for us, (OC)"
I have diligently sought God for many years. I still make many mistakes and often say the wrong thing, but by the grace of God, I live and feel pure. I know that if I can do it, anyone can. Christ is our salvation, our rock, our shield, our protector. He can help us when we are attacked. He can, if we will only accept His help and diligently seek Him. So when Satan throws his arrows, sometimes it stings. How I thank God that He can bring me back by His grace and help me to remember with Him I am pure no matter what I have done.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/03/26/devotion.aspx?year=2010
Yesterday I felt a sting. Someone told me that the high school boys had made a statement about a substitute teacher that had been a stripper. It stung. Maybe it hurt because my emotions had already been running high from the funeral. Satan does tend to strike when we are the weakest. If I allowed myself to walk into any situation alone, I would be overcome with fear of my past. I couldn't do this alone. But at the same time, I cannot not do what I know God is wanting me to do, and that is to share my shame so others know they do not have to wallow in theirs.
Even though Satan tries to come in and attack, I have covered myself with His armor so that I can stand and fight. Ephesians 6:10-18, "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests."
With this I feel pure. Even though I have not lived a pure life and I have opened the door for many shots from the devil, I can walk into any room, any situation and hold my head high. Sometimes people think it is easier to keep your past to yourself and never let anyone know what you have done, but I say that is a lie from Satan. “You are only as sick as your secrets,” (Ruth Graham). You don't want to walk around like Jerry Springer is, announcing every time you enter a situation; but you do need to learn to walk in the grace of God. "God makes us pure by an act of His sovereign grace, but we still have something that we must carefully watch. It is through our bodily life coming in contact with other people and other points of view that we tend to become tarnished. Not only must our "inner sanctuary" be kept right with God, but also the "outer courts" must be brought into perfect harmony with the purity God gives us through His grace. Our spiritual vision and understanding is immediately blurred when our "outer court" is stained. If we want to maintain personal intimacy with the Lord Jesus Christ, it will mean refusing to do or even think certain things. And some things that are acceptable for others will become unacceptable for us, (OC)"
I have diligently sought God for many years. I still make many mistakes and often say the wrong thing, but by the grace of God, I live and feel pure. I know that if I can do it, anyone can. Christ is our salvation, our rock, our shield, our protector. He can help us when we are attacked. He can, if we will only accept His help and diligently seek Him. So when Satan throws his arrows, sometimes it stings. How I thank God that He can bring me back by His grace and help me to remember with Him I am pure no matter what I have done.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/03/26/devotion.aspx?year=2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Choose Life
Yesterday, was my 35th birthday. Tomorrow, I am attending a funeral for a sweet 15 yr old girl who committed suicide. My heart pains for her and her family. She couldn't see. She didn't know that one day it could all be different. It could have one day been better, but she didn't wait. Oh, the times I have wanted all the pain and suffering to end. The times when I have held a knife to my wrists, crying out for the pain to stop. How thankful I am that I gave life a chance. How thankful I am that God had another plan that I could not see, but because I ultimately chose life, He had a chance to change my life.
Psalm 139, "O Lord, You have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place Your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!... You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are Your thoughts about me, O God."
How truly awesome is my God. Even though He knew everything I would do, He did not see me as a mistake. In His mighty power He gave me the freedom to choose and those choices often were the biggest mistakes of my life, but He let me choose. He lets us choose life or death. It is our choice, but I chose life. Then in His patience He waited for me to choose Him, so that He could give me true life. Yesterday, I turned 35 and I am loving the life that God chose for me after I finally allowed Him to rule my life. My path to Christ was a hard one, but I would not change anything about my past. If anything about my pain were ever changed, my love for my Lord would be changed as well. Sometimes the pain is so intense that you truly believe that in the morning you will not wake, or you beg not too. In His greatness, in His patience another day dawned and another chance at life was given. It takes time. His time is not ours and it is often our pain that opens our eyes so that we can finally live. If we give life a chance, if we will turn to Him, He can give us a new life.
Isaiah 12, "See, God has come to save me. I will trust in Him and not be afraid. The Lord God is my strength and my song; He has given me victory.' With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation! In that wonderful day you will sing: 'Thank the Lord! Praise His name! Tell the nations what He has done. Let them know how mighty He is! Sing to the Lord, for He has done wonderful things. Make known His praise around the world." How I love my life! How thankful I am that I did not die in my pain. How thankful I am that I gave life a chance, so that He could save my life. He knew everything I would ever do, and He chose me anyway. He knew everything I would say, and He loved me through it. He was with me through my pain. He never left me. He allowed everything in my life so that one day I could finally let Him love me. How I love my Lord. How He loves me...
Oswald Chambers, "If you become a necessity to someone else’s life, you are out of God’s will. As a servant, your primary responsibility is to be a 'friend of the bridegroom' (John 3:29 ). When you see a person who is close to grasping the claims of Jesus Christ, you know that your influence has been used in the right direction. And when you begin to see that person in the middle of a difficult and painful struggle, don’t try to prevent it, but pray that his difficulty will grow even ten times stronger, until no power on earth or in hell could hold him away from Jesus Christ. Over and over again, we try to be amateur providences in someone’s life. We are indeed amateurs, coming in and actually preventing God’s will and saying, 'This person should not have to experience this difficulty.' Instead of being friends of the Bridegroom, our sympathy gets in the way. One day that person will say to us, 'You are a thief; you stole my desire to follow Jesus, and because of you I lost sight of Him.'" Sometimes the pain is intense, but if we hold on to life we are giving Him a chance to change our life. I wouldn't change anything in my life, including my pain, for now I am in love. I am the bride of Christ, and I'm loving the life He has given me. I chose life and how thankful I am for my life...
http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/03/24/devotion.aspx?year=2010
Psalm 139, "O Lord, You have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place Your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!... You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are Your thoughts about me, O God."
How truly awesome is my God. Even though He knew everything I would do, He did not see me as a mistake. In His mighty power He gave me the freedom to choose and those choices often were the biggest mistakes of my life, but He let me choose. He lets us choose life or death. It is our choice, but I chose life. Then in His patience He waited for me to choose Him, so that He could give me true life. Yesterday, I turned 35 and I am loving the life that God chose for me after I finally allowed Him to rule my life. My path to Christ was a hard one, but I would not change anything about my past. If anything about my pain were ever changed, my love for my Lord would be changed as well. Sometimes the pain is so intense that you truly believe that in the morning you will not wake, or you beg not too. In His greatness, in His patience another day dawned and another chance at life was given. It takes time. His time is not ours and it is often our pain that opens our eyes so that we can finally live. If we give life a chance, if we will turn to Him, He can give us a new life.
Isaiah 12, "See, God has come to save me. I will trust in Him and not be afraid. The Lord God is my strength and my song; He has given me victory.' With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation! In that wonderful day you will sing: 'Thank the Lord! Praise His name! Tell the nations what He has done. Let them know how mighty He is! Sing to the Lord, for He has done wonderful things. Make known His praise around the world." How I love my life! How thankful I am that I did not die in my pain. How thankful I am that I gave life a chance, so that He could save my life. He knew everything I would ever do, and He chose me anyway. He knew everything I would say, and He loved me through it. He was with me through my pain. He never left me. He allowed everything in my life so that one day I could finally let Him love me. How I love my Lord. How He loves me...
Oswald Chambers, "If you become a necessity to someone else’s life, you are out of God’s will. As a servant, your primary responsibility is to be a 'friend of the bridegroom' (John 3:29 ). When you see a person who is close to grasping the claims of Jesus Christ, you know that your influence has been used in the right direction. And when you begin to see that person in the middle of a difficult and painful struggle, don’t try to prevent it, but pray that his difficulty will grow even ten times stronger, until no power on earth or in hell could hold him away from Jesus Christ. Over and over again, we try to be amateur providences in someone’s life. We are indeed amateurs, coming in and actually preventing God’s will and saying, 'This person should not have to experience this difficulty.' Instead of being friends of the Bridegroom, our sympathy gets in the way. One day that person will say to us, 'You are a thief; you stole my desire to follow Jesus, and because of you I lost sight of Him.'" Sometimes the pain is intense, but if we hold on to life we are giving Him a chance to change our life. I wouldn't change anything in my life, including my pain, for now I am in love. I am the bride of Christ, and I'm loving the life He has given me. I chose life and how thankful I am for my life...
http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/03/24/devotion.aspx?year=2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Adam & Eve
Everyone is searching for that relationship that will fill their deepest longing. When you are single, the tendency is to be searching for that potential date. You then think that everything will be fine and your problems will be solved when you find that perfect person made just for you. Tell me then, why are there so many married people still longing for that relationship? Adam and Eve, they were the perfect couple. The first three chapters of the bible are filled with so much awe and wonder. First, there is the "Big Bang". Then, we move from having a perfect relationship with God, a perfect relationship with our mate, to the fall. The curse is cast upon mankind and relationships are broken. We are always consumed, for the rest of our lives, in finding that perfect person to help make us complete. It all started with wanting to know more. The trouble with knowing more is that your innocence is lost, and because you chose to loose that innocence, you blame others. It is a vicious cycle that most of us remain in for the rest of our lives. That is the cycle we bring into our marriages and that has been the destruction of the family. That triune cell built by father, mother, and child. That is the image of God on earth and that is what Satan is out to destroy.
Adam was the perfect man. He walked with God. He was made in the perfect image of God. He was strong and kind, but he failed his wife. He did not seek God first, this time. "In that moment of small rebellion something large, beautiful and free was shattered. God's perfect creation. Adam was separated from God by his desire to act on his own. The effect on a plate glass window is the same whether a pebble or a boulder is hurled at it- the thousands of fragments can never be regathered." He failed by not seeking God in his desire. He should have been the leader and led Eve away from the tree. His first loyalty was to God. He chose to turn his back on what he knew was right. Then, he blamed God for his sin. He blamed Him for giving him the woman. He turned on God and directed his fear and rebellion at God, instead of turning to God for help. The curse was cast, "...the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it...." (Genesis 3:17-19). The curse was set. From now on instead of turning to God when Adam had trouble with his wife, he would turn to work and demand work and the world to fix his problems.
Eve, the perfect woman made for man, made to be his helper. She shared equally with Adam every blessing he had been given. Even the blessing of working beside him as his equal. "Together they were greater than either could have been alone... Satan helped Eve shift her focus from all that God had done and given to the one thing He had withheld. And Eve was willing to accept Satan's viewpoint without checking with God." Her focus was changed from loving and appreciating all that she had, to desiring to know more. She wanted to be wise. Satan tempted her with what he was tempted by, and that was to be like God. When she was caught, she blamed Satan. The curse was cast, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you," (Genesis 3:16). The curse was set. From now on her desire would be for her husband instead of her God and her husband would rule over her instead of working along side her.
It has been this way since the beginning. We are searching for the perfect mate, the perfect relationship. The problems arise because of the curse. The woman is constantly in need and her neediness toward her husband pushes him away. The man cannot fix everything so he separates himself and turns to work and the world, so he can now hide from the stresses at home. What they don't realize is that this is all part of the curse. The separation from wanting to turn to God first. We fall into the constant trap of the curse, and that is our desire to turn to something else, someone else, anything else, instead of God. Woman, man cannot fix that need inside you. Man, the world and work can never give you that intimacy you desire. That stuff cannot make you strong. God is the only thing that can fill that place inside you. That place the curse of wanting more has given you. God's place has been replaced.
Adam was the perfect man. He walked with God. He was made in the perfect image of God. He was strong and kind, but he failed his wife. He did not seek God first, this time. "In that moment of small rebellion something large, beautiful and free was shattered. God's perfect creation. Adam was separated from God by his desire to act on his own. The effect on a plate glass window is the same whether a pebble or a boulder is hurled at it- the thousands of fragments can never be regathered." He failed by not seeking God in his desire. He should have been the leader and led Eve away from the tree. His first loyalty was to God. He chose to turn his back on what he knew was right. Then, he blamed God for his sin. He blamed Him for giving him the woman. He turned on God and directed his fear and rebellion at God, instead of turning to God for help. The curse was cast, "...the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it...." (Genesis 3:17-19). The curse was set. From now on instead of turning to God when Adam had trouble with his wife, he would turn to work and demand work and the world to fix his problems.
Eve, the perfect woman made for man, made to be his helper. She shared equally with Adam every blessing he had been given. Even the blessing of working beside him as his equal. "Together they were greater than either could have been alone... Satan helped Eve shift her focus from all that God had done and given to the one thing He had withheld. And Eve was willing to accept Satan's viewpoint without checking with God." Her focus was changed from loving and appreciating all that she had, to desiring to know more. She wanted to be wise. Satan tempted her with what he was tempted by, and that was to be like God. When she was caught, she blamed Satan. The curse was cast, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you," (Genesis 3:16). The curse was set. From now on her desire would be for her husband instead of her God and her husband would rule over her instead of working along side her.
It has been this way since the beginning. We are searching for the perfect mate, the perfect relationship. The problems arise because of the curse. The woman is constantly in need and her neediness toward her husband pushes him away. The man cannot fix everything so he separates himself and turns to work and the world, so he can now hide from the stresses at home. What they don't realize is that this is all part of the curse. The separation from wanting to turn to God first. We fall into the constant trap of the curse, and that is our desire to turn to something else, someone else, anything else, instead of God. Woman, man cannot fix that need inside you. Man, the world and work can never give you that intimacy you desire. That stuff cannot make you strong. God is the only thing that can fill that place inside you. That place the curse of wanting more has given you. God's place has been replaced.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Idle Words
Matthew 12:35-37, "A good person produces good words from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil words from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”
The power of words, but it is not just the words that we are meaning to say. You know, the words that we say when we are angry and trying to hurt someone. This passage does not stop with those words. It goes further to the idle words. Idle words are those words we say when we have put our spirit to sleep and we are running on habit. Idle words are those words that just come out of our mouth with no thought, or effort in thinking, on our part.
God never told me to rest where He is concerned. He calls us to live to a higher standard. He wants us to be in control of everything we do and our mouth is a very big part of that. (James 1-3), "Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls... So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free... But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself."
Words have been resonating in my heart lately. It seems like everywhere I go, God is telling me to check my words. Every idle word that I speak counts. Its not just the ones that seem "big" to us, but everything that lazily comes out of my mouth. Why wouldn't He consider words to be a very big deal for He calls Himself the Word. John 1:1, "In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone." I say that I am a Christ follower. If my words do not reflect the Word, then what is really in my heart! Each time I say anything, my heart is speaking. And if my heart is speaking, I better check to see whose reflection is in the mirror. "In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God." Are my words, His word? Every idle word...
Ephesians 4:17-32, "Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, He has identified you as His own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption." After everything that Christ has done for me, after everything, I feel great remorse to think that I am bringing Him more grief, just by being lazy with my words. He is my lover, my friend, my redeemer, and my desire is to bring Him joy. Not sorrow.
Oswald Chambers, "'We make it our aim...to be well pleasing to Him' —2 Corinthians 5:9. 'We make it our aim...' It requires a conscious decision and effort to keep our primary goal constantly in front of us. It means holding ourselves to the highest priority year in and year out; not making our first priority to win souls, or to establish churches, or to have revivals, but seeking only 'to be well pleasing to Him.' It is not a lack of spiritual experience that leads to failure, but a lack of working to keep our eyes focused and on the right goal. At least once a week examine yourself before God to see if your life is measuring up to the standard He has for you. Paul was like a musician who gives no thought to audience approval, if he can only catch a look of approval from his Conductor."
The power of words, but it is not just the words that we are meaning to say. You know, the words that we say when we are angry and trying to hurt someone. This passage does not stop with those words. It goes further to the idle words. Idle words are those words we say when we have put our spirit to sleep and we are running on habit. Idle words are those words that just come out of our mouth with no thought, or effort in thinking, on our part.
God never told me to rest where He is concerned. He calls us to live to a higher standard. He wants us to be in control of everything we do and our mouth is a very big part of that. (James 1-3), "Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls... So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free... But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself."
Words have been resonating in my heart lately. It seems like everywhere I go, God is telling me to check my words. Every idle word that I speak counts. Its not just the ones that seem "big" to us, but everything that lazily comes out of my mouth. Why wouldn't He consider words to be a very big deal for He calls Himself the Word. John 1:1, "In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone." I say that I am a Christ follower. If my words do not reflect the Word, then what is really in my heart! Each time I say anything, my heart is speaking. And if my heart is speaking, I better check to see whose reflection is in the mirror. "In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God." Are my words, His word? Every idle word...
Ephesians 4:17-32, "Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, He has identified you as His own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption." After everything that Christ has done for me, after everything, I feel great remorse to think that I am bringing Him more grief, just by being lazy with my words. He is my lover, my friend, my redeemer, and my desire is to bring Him joy. Not sorrow.
Oswald Chambers, "'We make it our aim...to be well pleasing to Him' —2 Corinthians 5:9. 'We make it our aim...' It requires a conscious decision and effort to keep our primary goal constantly in front of us. It means holding ourselves to the highest priority year in and year out; not making our first priority to win souls, or to establish churches, or to have revivals, but seeking only 'to be well pleasing to Him.' It is not a lack of spiritual experience that leads to failure, but a lack of working to keep our eyes focused and on the right goal. At least once a week examine yourself before God to see if your life is measuring up to the standard He has for you. Paul was like a musician who gives no thought to audience approval, if he can only catch a look of approval from his Conductor."
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Dirt in the Snow
There is nothing like taking a walk in the cold mountain air. This morning I felt like I had to get out. It has been several months since I have gone out in the morning and this morning was a must. I felt like I needed a new breath. I needed the quiet of the morning, the new birds singing, and the crisp air to awaken my senses from the long winter of being inside too much. I didn't know where I was going, or what I was going to hear, but off I went. I knew there was something that I was going to see for the first time, again. I did.
Have you ever seen a pile of snow that has been scraped off of the road? After the snow starts to melt the dirt is left on the surface. What once looked like fresh white snow, now looks like a mound of dirt. The city has a field where they leave the snow, from all winters snow removal, right by my house. For some reason I was drawn to this field. I traveled down a pathway that the trucks had been taking and piling up snow on each side. I felt like I was I was walking between two mountains. By the time I reached the end of the piles I was getting very cold with the sun behind me and a light breeze blowing in my face. Once I turned around I started to warm up with the sun shining in my face. It was such a contrast to finally be getting warm, that is when I really started noticing the snow.
The snow that was facing the sun was now just a pile of dirt, but the side that was not yet affected by the sun still looked clean, fresh and white. While I was much more comfortable walking toward the sun, the piles facing the sun were getting exposed and you could see them for what they really were. That is when it hit me, this is what we feel like when we finally let Christ expose us for what we really are. Now that is unattractive! This is what so many people are afraid of when they are faced with Christ. When we finally look at our true selves, there is nothing pretty about us. Now why would anyone want to face the Son and risk being exposed in this way! Because this is when you can feel the warmth of His love. This is when you can finally let go of all of the junk you carry around with you on the inside. You know, the stuff you try to cover up so people can only see the surface that has not yet been touched by the Son. But here is the truth of it, even if you cover it well, dirt is still the part you are really made of. Maybe you think that no one else can see it, and maybe they can't, but you do. The hard part is facing yourself for what you really are.
Our natural tendency is to run from what hurts. It seems easier to try and cover over our own guilt, than to face it. We dress it up, make it look pretty, then we walk around trying to make sure that no one sees us for what we really are. Once we finally surrender and turn our face towards Christ, it hurts. But then after the season of the thaw is over, and He can finally reach us, He washes us truly clean. He is the only one with the power to take all of the dirt, expose it for what it really is, then replace it with something that is really clean and pure. Nothing feels better than to walk toward the Son when you are feeling cold and the breeze of this world is trying to keep you for its own.
Have you ever seen a pile of snow that has been scraped off of the road? After the snow starts to melt the dirt is left on the surface. What once looked like fresh white snow, now looks like a mound of dirt. The city has a field where they leave the snow, from all winters snow removal, right by my house. For some reason I was drawn to this field. I traveled down a pathway that the trucks had been taking and piling up snow on each side. I felt like I was I was walking between two mountains. By the time I reached the end of the piles I was getting very cold with the sun behind me and a light breeze blowing in my face. Once I turned around I started to warm up with the sun shining in my face. It was such a contrast to finally be getting warm, that is when I really started noticing the snow.
The snow that was facing the sun was now just a pile of dirt, but the side that was not yet affected by the sun still looked clean, fresh and white. While I was much more comfortable walking toward the sun, the piles facing the sun were getting exposed and you could see them for what they really were. That is when it hit me, this is what we feel like when we finally let Christ expose us for what we really are. Now that is unattractive! This is what so many people are afraid of when they are faced with Christ. When we finally look at our true selves, there is nothing pretty about us. Now why would anyone want to face the Son and risk being exposed in this way! Because this is when you can feel the warmth of His love. This is when you can finally let go of all of the junk you carry around with you on the inside. You know, the stuff you try to cover up so people can only see the surface that has not yet been touched by the Son. But here is the truth of it, even if you cover it well, dirt is still the part you are really made of. Maybe you think that no one else can see it, and maybe they can't, but you do. The hard part is facing yourself for what you really are.
Our natural tendency is to run from what hurts. It seems easier to try and cover over our own guilt, than to face it. We dress it up, make it look pretty, then we walk around trying to make sure that no one sees us for what we really are. Once we finally surrender and turn our face towards Christ, it hurts. But then after the season of the thaw is over, and He can finally reach us, He washes us truly clean. He is the only one with the power to take all of the dirt, expose it for what it really is, then replace it with something that is really clean and pure. Nothing feels better than to walk toward the Son when you are feeling cold and the breeze of this world is trying to keep you for its own.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Eye of the Tornado
Luke 15:11-31, "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living...When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."
I can think of no other time in my life when I tore my mothers heart more, than when I chose to leave the family. I was determined that I was going to do things my way and no one could stop me. It started when I ran off to Vegas and got married. Then the roller coaster ride of self destructions was started and no one could stop it. I would love to blame anyone else for my choices, but see they were my choices. I thought I was choosing what was best for me. I thought I was living life. It was wild, fun, exciting. What I could not see was that I was walking right into the lions den and pain was soon to follow.
My attitude toward my mother was, "You just do not understand me at all. I am doing what I have to, and I am going to be fine." I saw her panic over my life as just another way that she was trying to control me. She freaked out over the little things that she could see, what would she do if she ever found out the whole scope of my choices. If she thought that smoking a cigarette was bad, that was nothing. If she thought the clothes that I wore around her were inappropriate, at least I had them on. I thought there was no way she could handle the truth. All I ever wanted was to be accepted for who I was. Yet, even though my mothers intentions were good, I took it as rejection. For if she was having trouble with what she knew, she could never handle the truth. If she didn't accept my husband when he was on his best behavior, how could she accept him if... It was like, the more she tried to protect me from my choices, the harder I tried to show her I was fine in my life.
It was not my mother shoving God down my throat; it was not her telling me that I was making bad decisions that finally brought me home. She sent me Christian CDs. She started writing me letters telling me how much joy she found in me. It was love that brought me home. It was someone else talking about God that I heard Him. It was love that saved my memory of home.
The cool part is, I came home. It was my life and I was determined to destroy it. I thought I was doing what was best for me. I was running into the lion's den and no one could stop me. Another cool part, that is where I was finally able to allow God to help me. My mother's job was to raise me, then show me love. The more she screamed for me to stop, the harder I ran. When she started writing me the love letters, love was discovered. Home is what brought me back. Love saved my memory. It was good for me to know that she did not agree with my life choices, but it was my life. It was when she finally started truly loving me that I started to see the truth of my life. It was in the eye of the tornado, the quiet in the middle of the storm, that I was finally able to hear God calling me home.
I can think of no other time in my life when I tore my mothers heart more, than when I chose to leave the family. I was determined that I was going to do things my way and no one could stop me. It started when I ran off to Vegas and got married. Then the roller coaster ride of self destructions was started and no one could stop it. I would love to blame anyone else for my choices, but see they were my choices. I thought I was choosing what was best for me. I thought I was living life. It was wild, fun, exciting. What I could not see was that I was walking right into the lions den and pain was soon to follow.
My attitude toward my mother was, "You just do not understand me at all. I am doing what I have to, and I am going to be fine." I saw her panic over my life as just another way that she was trying to control me. She freaked out over the little things that she could see, what would she do if she ever found out the whole scope of my choices. If she thought that smoking a cigarette was bad, that was nothing. If she thought the clothes that I wore around her were inappropriate, at least I had them on. I thought there was no way she could handle the truth. All I ever wanted was to be accepted for who I was. Yet, even though my mothers intentions were good, I took it as rejection. For if she was having trouble with what she knew, she could never handle the truth. If she didn't accept my husband when he was on his best behavior, how could she accept him if... It was like, the more she tried to protect me from my choices, the harder I tried to show her I was fine in my life.
It was not my mother shoving God down my throat; it was not her telling me that I was making bad decisions that finally brought me home. She sent me Christian CDs. She started writing me letters telling me how much joy she found in me. It was love that brought me home. It was someone else talking about God that I heard Him. It was love that saved my memory of home.
The cool part is, I came home. It was my life and I was determined to destroy it. I thought I was doing what was best for me. I was running into the lion's den and no one could stop me. Another cool part, that is where I was finally able to allow God to help me. My mother's job was to raise me, then show me love. The more she screamed for me to stop, the harder I ran. When she started writing me the love letters, love was discovered. Home is what brought me back. Love saved my memory. It was good for me to know that she did not agree with my life choices, but it was my life. It was when she finally started truly loving me that I started to see the truth of my life. It was in the eye of the tornado, the quiet in the middle of the storm, that I was finally able to hear God calling me home.
Monday, March 8, 2010
True Surrender
Oswald Chambers, "To become one with Jesus Christ, a person must be willing not only to give up sin, but also to surrender his whole way of looking at things. Being born again by the Spirit of God means that we must first be willing to let go before we can grasp something else. The first thing we must surrender is all of our pretense or deceit. What our Lord wants us to present to Him is not our goodness, honesty, or our efforts to do better, but real solid sin. Actually, that is all He can take from us. And what He gives us in exchange for our sin is real solid righteousness."
Oh, the steps to true forgiveness. I have been considering the different steps that we each take on our walk with God. I have several friends that have had "cleaning" experiences. Each of them are on very different stages with their walks with Christ, but each cleaning experience relevant on its own. I have one friend that has been walking strong with her Lord for some time now, but just recently cleaned her house of anything that had ever been "touched" by her sinful past. Another friend is just starting her journey with Christ and recently wrote down all of her painful sins and burned them in a fire. Several years ago I started writing, confessing every detail of my past that I could not say in person to Jason. The different steps that we take on our journey are all done at different stages, but the confession is the same.
(OC),"Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?" In each individual situation confession is the constant, but in each situation confession does nothing if we do not accept Christ and truly repent. Repentance is the turning away from what we were doing and following Christ.
John 4:1-26, Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water....But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” It does us no good to confess our sins if we do not have Christ to cover them and to help us change. We will continually be seeking more and our thirst will never be quenched if we do not have His blood washing it all away. Along our entire journey with Christ, He will continually bring new truths to us that we have not been willing or able to face. We are continually reminded that we cannot do it without Him, but with Him we can face all of our failures. With Him we can see how much we are loved. With Him we are given the strength and ingenuity we need to live each day to please Him. Without Him we are left wanting more. Without Him it is all so pointless. (OC), "If you are faced with the question of whether or not to surrender, make a determination to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and all that you are to Him. And God will then equip you to do all that He requires of you."
http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/03/08/devotion.aspx?year=2010
Oh, the steps to true forgiveness. I have been considering the different steps that we each take on our walk with God. I have several friends that have had "cleaning" experiences. Each of them are on very different stages with their walks with Christ, but each cleaning experience relevant on its own. I have one friend that has been walking strong with her Lord for some time now, but just recently cleaned her house of anything that had ever been "touched" by her sinful past. Another friend is just starting her journey with Christ and recently wrote down all of her painful sins and burned them in a fire. Several years ago I started writing, confessing every detail of my past that I could not say in person to Jason. The different steps that we take on our journey are all done at different stages, but the confession is the same.
(OC),"Along each step of this process, we will have to give up our claims to our rights to ourselves. Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives? Are we ready to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?" In each individual situation confession is the constant, but in each situation confession does nothing if we do not accept Christ and truly repent. Repentance is the turning away from what we were doing and following Christ.
John 4:1-26, Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water....But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” It does us no good to confess our sins if we do not have Christ to cover them and to help us change. We will continually be seeking more and our thirst will never be quenched if we do not have His blood washing it all away. Along our entire journey with Christ, He will continually bring new truths to us that we have not been willing or able to face. We are continually reminded that we cannot do it without Him, but with Him we can face all of our failures. With Him we can see how much we are loved. With Him we are given the strength and ingenuity we need to live each day to please Him. Without Him we are left wanting more. Without Him it is all so pointless. (OC), "If you are faced with the question of whether or not to surrender, make a determination to go on through the crisis, surrendering all that you have and all that you are to Him. And God will then equip you to do all that He requires of you."
http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/03/08/devotion.aspx?year=2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Foolish Cross
1 Corinthians 1:18-23, "I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
As the Scriptures say, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.'
So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense."
I've been sitting here this morning thinking about how to relate values and self-worth to the girls that I come in contact with. I don't want to overly exaggerate God when I talk with them. I know most do not believe in God themselves and their parents are unbelievers as well. So I really want to get the message across to them about what they are worth, without turning them off from using God so much. I've tried. I've racked my brain on how I can talk to them so they can hear, without me using Christ, but I cannot. I just can't. I know how stupid the cross sounds to them. Heck, I used to think the same way and I was brought up in a believing home. How can I tell them they are created for worth, without using the very One who created worth to begin with.
Just yesterday I was sitting around a table listening to others talk. One of the women at the table was talking about how her brother wanted a bible for his birthday. As she was saying this, her eyes were rolling. I could see how foolish she thought her brother was and how truly annoyed she was that he wanted a bible. As I was watching the women, one of them, an older woman was loving the fact that she had just picked up a new bible that was in the stack of books next to the table. She was admiring the pretty cover and talking about how excited she was to read it. As the older woman was talking, the younger woman looked at her like she was pathetic. Her looks were looks of pity and it seemed her thoughts were thoughts of contempt. The bible, the Cross, the Creator all seem so stupid to those who have not yet been touched by God, but to the rest of us, He is the very reason we want to breath each day.
Nothing, no one else is more valuable than you. "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: 'For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ," (2:14). It is through Christ that I have value. It is through Christ that judgment and fear of others is of no value to me. For it is through Christ where I have found how truly valuable I am. "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple," (3:16). It is through Him that I can see how sacred my body is. It is through Him that I can see the gifts, that I possess, that He has given me. It is by Him that I can walk into any room, even with my past, and hold my head high. It is with His covering that I do not have to worry about what others think of me. It is the Cross that protects me wherever I go. It is in Him that I feel valuable. Grab hold of the free gift Christ is giving you. When you open that gift, then you will see your true worth. It is in Him that you will see how precious you really are.
As the Scriptures say, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.'
So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense."
I've been sitting here this morning thinking about how to relate values and self-worth to the girls that I come in contact with. I don't want to overly exaggerate God when I talk with them. I know most do not believe in God themselves and their parents are unbelievers as well. So I really want to get the message across to them about what they are worth, without turning them off from using God so much. I've tried. I've racked my brain on how I can talk to them so they can hear, without me using Christ, but I cannot. I just can't. I know how stupid the cross sounds to them. Heck, I used to think the same way and I was brought up in a believing home. How can I tell them they are created for worth, without using the very One who created worth to begin with.
Just yesterday I was sitting around a table listening to others talk. One of the women at the table was talking about how her brother wanted a bible for his birthday. As she was saying this, her eyes were rolling. I could see how foolish she thought her brother was and how truly annoyed she was that he wanted a bible. As I was watching the women, one of them, an older woman was loving the fact that she had just picked up a new bible that was in the stack of books next to the table. She was admiring the pretty cover and talking about how excited she was to read it. As the older woman was talking, the younger woman looked at her like she was pathetic. Her looks were looks of pity and it seemed her thoughts were thoughts of contempt. The bible, the Cross, the Creator all seem so stupid to those who have not yet been touched by God, but to the rest of us, He is the very reason we want to breath each day.
Nothing, no one else is more valuable than you. "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: 'For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ," (2:14). It is through Christ that I have value. It is through Christ that judgment and fear of others is of no value to me. For it is through Christ where I have found how truly valuable I am. "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple," (3:16). It is through Him that I can see how sacred my body is. It is through Him that I can see the gifts, that I possess, that He has given me. It is by Him that I can walk into any room, even with my past, and hold my head high. It is with His covering that I do not have to worry about what others think of me. It is the Cross that protects me wherever I go. It is in Him that I feel valuable. Grab hold of the free gift Christ is giving you. When you open that gift, then you will see your true worth. It is in Him that you will see how precious you really are.
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