Tag: christ

From the Ashes

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From the Ashes

 Even through the most gut wrenching tragedies we can find comfort in the ashes that are left behind. If a house burns to the ground, as long as the foundation is solid you can rebuild. I’m by no means saying this is an easy or short process, but nothing in this life worth having is easy to get.

In loosing your house the things inside may not all be replaceable, but the true meaning is that which you hold in your heart. Its just stuff, and that stuff can be replaced. The important thing is you have your life. The same goes when a relationship figuratively burns to the ground. We must realize that from those ashes new beginnings, a new stronger, better relationship awaits us. As we all want comfort in this world, we all want to feel loved, the comfort of another person cannot come first. Our first relationship must be, and always be Jesus.

Jesus is the one relationship we must have. Jesus must come first and the rest will fallow. Fallow faithfully and God will not let you down. The people on Earth may, things may not always go the way you want it, but if you lift your heart, and let heaven rule over you, that foundation will not be cracked or broken in anyway.

God’s alive in our hearts, and shows us his power every day. As David wrote Psalm 23 “23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

 No matter the trials we face, or the hurt we survive, we must always rise out of the ashes from our lives stronger, more beautiful and better then before. Sometimes the best survival stories are those that the heart is all we have left. With our heart centered on God we can overcome anything. Just as Job’s life was destroyed, everything he held most dear, everything he loved was taken from him. Job 42:6 “Wherefore I abhor [myself], and repent in dust and ashes.” Within scripture there is one story after another but things working out, happening right when it’s supposed to. People are right where they need to be when they need to be there. Look in Esther, she was in the right place at the right time to save her people to help her Uncle unveil a treacherous plot.

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” In this it’s Gods time and grace that saves us. When hope is gone, when flesh has failed, when love is lost, when death is all around you, when fear fills your lungs and every breath.

As I stated earlier Psalm 23:3-4 “3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Do not be afraid of the fire. Do not be afraid of the ashes. Embrace the fire, and rise above. Climb up through the filth and survive and thrive. Make new what was once lost. Rebuild better, rebuild the way you want your life. If you are living with God by your side, being the person God wants, the future holds endless possibilities.

Pushing Buttons

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Pushing Buttons

Do you ever push someone’s buttons just to see where it goes? Do you ever try to get under their skin because you can? Do you ever get them aroused because you can? What about someone you aren’t close to anymore. Do you try to hurt someone out of spite? When you love someone how does that love turn to contempt? What happens to someone to create so much anger or hatred or contempt?

Ephesians 4:22 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;”

Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”

Anger breeds from sin. Anger can also come from your own dislike or hatred for yourself. Being miserable in your own life can cause you to lash out at others. James 1:20 “Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.”

 Proverbs 16:7 “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” No matter the buttons that are pressed or the anger that it may bring, conduct yourself with honor and a manner pleasing to God. Remember to love thy enemies, and take no vengeance for yourself. Romans 12:10 “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” Loving your enemies is possibly the hardest things you will ever do. Luke 6:27 “But I say to you people who are listening to me, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you.” Matthew 5:44 “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

 No matter the pain inflicted, as much as we can love one another, forgive like Jesus asked to have us forgiven. As we did not deserve the forgiveness of our Father we received it just the same. Never give up on love, and never give up on those who hurt us. A lifetime is a long occasion, and through God all things are possible. People can change through Christ. Have faith, and pray. All our life will be accounted for and we must answer to the Lord for everything we do, every word spoken. Be right with God for we never know when the day of judgement will arrive.

Don’t Let Life Pass You By

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Don’t Let Life Pass You By

So many times in life we miss opportunities or chances to do things we want. When opportunities in life slip through our fingers the regrets that are left behind can be powerful. It’s hard to ‘live life’ without regrets. Sometimes we regret doing things, or regret not doing things. It’s tough though struggling with your decision one way or another. We can’t let ourselves be directed by fear, or controlled by indecision.

There are a vast number of things we regret not doing, we don’t kiss the girl, we don’t sky dive, we don’t ask out that boy we like, we don’t try out for the position or ask for the raise we want. What prevents us from reaching out is fear, fear of rejection, ridicule, or failure. There are a lot of sad truths out there but we rarely swing for the fence afraid of striking out. When we are too scared to try, we will never succeed.

James 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

 Do not be foolish with the gifts God has given to you, but don’t be afraid to take risks either. To be a leader takes courage and risks. As Captain Kirk said to Captain Harriman “Risk is part of the game, you want to sit in that chair.” We only know how far we can go if we take the risks to get there. We don’t know where the frontier is and the great things we can accomplish if we don’t step out of our comfort zone. One of my favorite songs ‘What if I gave everything; by Casting Crowns’ “So afraid of what it might cost to follow you. I’d walk by faith if I could get these feet to move.”

 2 Corinthians 5:7 7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” If we gave it our all, our best every day, if we learn to take risks, and learned to swim beyond what we felt was far enough, fear wouldn’t control us.

In this life we only get one shot sometimes to be great, to get the girl, to get the job, to have the experience of a lifetime. We must learn to fly. Romans 8:31 “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” If God is on our side the worst that can happen is failure, rejection. It’s in those times we learn the most. We cannot live in fear, we cannot live in doubt, so take a chance, and see how far you can get. Greatness starts with that first step outside your door, but you have to take that chance. No time like the present. Everything in this life takes work to get. Follow by faith.

The Rain

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The Rain

The rain brings forth life, it makes the grass grow, the plants flowers, it fills the wells with the water we drink. When we think of relationships, life, we are left with images of sunny days, and to represent the bad, stormy ones. The rain comes all the time. It is feared by some that the rain will take everything, and sometimes it does. Are we afraid of the changes that come from a long rain? The flood, the raging waters that can destroy everything we hold most dear. Matthew 7:25-27 “25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” We must learn to build our lives on a solid foundation. Do not fear the rain for if you know your stance, know the platform in which you live your life, nothing can destroy you.

 There’s a saying in the military ‘Embrace the suck’. It means own the struggles. Embrace the hardships, the heartbreaks, the tragedies, and learn how to turn the horrible things into advantages. Akido and Jujutsu are very common martial art forms that use an enemies energy and movements against them. In such fashion I believe we can use the attacks of the Devil to our advantage. If we loose our job because of someone, or the whiles of the Devil are playing games with you, find a better one. Change your direction. If a relationship falls apart then find one that suits you better.

If we embrace the rain and use it, let the terrible things give us strength. Own the anger and don’t let it rule you. Habakkuk 1:2-4 “O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! 3 Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention. 4 Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.” The question is why does God allow this to happen. God answers in verse 5 “Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you.” Being prepared for more, the battle the awaits us, is it possible that the rain is perhaps a blessing and we just can’t see it? I’m sure if we look hard enough we can actually see our blessings even in the deepest of tragedies.

After the hardest rains we are left with beautiful sunshine, beautiful rainbows, and a sense thanks to have survived it. When it rains go out into it and dance. Have faith you will not be harmed, have faith that in this life there are simple truths. Those truths are this life is but temporary in nature. When this life ends the rain is no more and sunshine is all we will know. If we do not embrace our challenges how do we know our true potential? You may not have ever liked the rain, but now I urge you to look at your challenges, your personal rain clouds differently. What is it doing for you, find the lesson to be learned, the changes you can make. Instead of sitting inside and being sad about the rain go out into it and dance and sing. Not saying every challenge is easy to overcome, but at the very least try.

Lamentations 3:22-23 “22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

When People Give

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When People Give

 What does it mean to give? Are some people more generous then others? We all know the answer to the last question, yes some are more gracious in giving then others. The internet, because everything on there is accurate says giving is “freely transfer the possession of (something) to (someone); hand over to.” There are many different ways we can give, each is just as important as the next. The act of giving is something that’s very important in our Christian walk. Not everyone can give financially, but those who can in my opinion are very gracious. Money is very hard to come by these days, and to give it away, to give it up freely in a manner that is selfless, and completely generous is a hard concept for me to understand. Let me explain that part. A little back-story about me might go a long way. When I was 19 and in basic training, a very close friend to me was in desperate need of help financially. I had been in basic for a little while and saved up a good amount of money. I was headed for Korea and didn’t feel I was going to need a lot of money over there. My friend didn’t have a car, was not able to get to and from work, was falling behind on some student loans, and looked to be sinking into depression. I wrote her a sizable check the day I found out about her hardships. The check was somewhere in the ballpark of $5000, enough to buy a car, and pay some bills. 15 years later I get a message from her stating how grateful she was for the car, that it had saved her life, and been a great used vehicle. 5 grand lasted 15 years, how wonderful did it make me feel that I was able to change her life so drastically and never wanted or expected any kind of return. A couple months later after I loaned her the money, another friend was telling me about some student loan issues. Hers wasn’t so bad, if memory serves it was in the ballpark of $2000, and again, didn’t think much of it, wrote the check and sent it off. At the same time all this was going on, a family member was in the hospital. Her kids were in need of some support, and I didn’t have much left to give but I gave what I could, $500. In a manner of two months I gave away $7500.

Lets fast forward to today. Recently I have found myself in some financial distress. If I were a country my flag would be upside down. The real blessing is the amount of people who’ve found their way to help me financially. One person even sent a large enough amount to help with a major bill. I can’t ever thank those who’ve helped me out enough. The struggles I’ve faced recently have left me under the thumb of stress and anxiety. I know better then most the scripture to go to for relief, but some days it’s hard. Deuteronomy 16:17 “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.” Proverbs 21:26 “The righteous gives and does not hold back.” Proverbs 22:9 “He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor.” There are far more verses about giving but I think you get the point.

It’s almost a proven fact that when you give freely and faithfully, the Lord will bless that and multiply what you’ve given and you shall get in return. Remember that the Lord gives all gifts. The Lord can take all gifts away if we do not respect what we’ve been given. Just because it’s new and shiny doesn’t mean it’s right for us. Finally the words of Matthew 6:3-4 “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” Meaning it’s not truly giving from the heart if you are seeking adulation from it. If you are truly intent on giving because you feel compelled to do so then God will bless you. Often we hear about celebrities giving a ton of money to charity. Be cautious with those tales, not everything may be as it appears. Do they give to get the huge tax breaks? Giving with the anticipation of getting in return is not the deal. Have faith in God. He will provide. Every time I’ve needed help, or been on the brink of bad things, some how, some way, God has provided right when it’s been needed. Some day I myself pray to be in a situation where I can help others again. In my heart I miss it. God is good always.

Hosanna

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Hosanna

God you’ve healed my soul. You let me walk through that open door, and you’ve given me the gift of Heaven. Let me live this life till you choose to call me home. Let me save lives, let me give the word to those who need it, let me show others the path. Give me the grace of the angels with me and let me have the patience to follow through. Let me hear the music of the heavens. I fall to my knees and pray your sweet name. I pray to heal this broken heart of mine, and to know tomorrow’s new day brings a new canvas. Hallelujah my Lord, praise you Hosanna in the highest. Let me tighten my Armor so that I may defend against the lies and deceit that flood my mind and heart. Let me be quicker, let me outsmart the enemy, let me out draw the enemy. Let my arrow fly straight, let my compass guide me by the light at night. Keep my boots dry and my lips moist with the blood of Christ. God you sent me to this world full of so much trouble let me stay true to the course. You sent me, you saved me, God you did something, you created me. Let my sun rise remind me that your Son did Rise, the beauty of a new day always.

We Can Only Imagine

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We Can Only Imagine

We can only imagine how life will be tomorrow. We can never fully prepare for the war that awaits us, or the absolute joy around the corner. We can never imagine how our lives will change day to day, but what we find is ourselves loving Jesus for the promise at the end of the race. We have been promised the best gift of all and during the path to get there we will cry, we will laugh, but when we finally get home we will be in the aww of God, we will fall to our knees and sing praises to the one true King. We can only imagine what the greatness will be like, we can only imagine how eternity will be. We can only guess what tomorrow will bring, we can only imagine those who will hurt us. We can only imagine those who will fall before us, those will rise to the call and we only have our eternal hope in the Lord. What will you do with the one life we have? Will you use it to lift up those around you, or will you use it for your own personal selfish gains? Some people live only for themselves, they don’t care who they hurt. Some people live to hurt others, while some live to praise the Lord, give him all the Glory. Be one of those, be a lion amongst the lambs. Be a soldier by living in the light. Show others the grace and love. Don’t hurt others in the pursuits of your own happiness. Be that someone that God uses to bring joy and light to the world. Be that warrior be that example. Be the reflection to the best of your ability of Christ. Love like we were taught, forgive as we were commanded.

Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s broke

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Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s broke

Isaiah 54:17 “17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.”

The arrow is one of the oldest ways to hunt yet we still use it today. A projectile (bullet) has hardly changed at all in nearly 200 years. The guns themselves, though they look different, the ergonomics have made things more comfortable, haven’t changed in functionality. The Brownings .50 cal machine gun, didn’t go through any changes till just recently. For so long the gun didn’t have any alterations despite being as old as it was.

Luke 5:36-39 “36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.” Jesus isn’t saying that new things aren’t good, what he’s saying is just because it’s old doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value.

Where do we find our valued items? Do we discard the things we have that we stop using; do we discard things even if they can be fixed? Do we place value in things of old?

Many in our society today feel that Christianity, or religion in general is an antiquated idea, that has survived far longer then it should have or needed to. Many feel that religion though once held a valid purpose no longer holds the same function of the days when forward thinking was considered witchcraft.

It’s amazing; recently Nintendo released the NES classic. This is a system that’s based on 25-year-old tech, but we still love it today. No matter how old our faith goes, it has survived the passage of time. Faith springs eternal. Faith James 1:5-8 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man [is] unstable in all his ways.”

 In Star Trek TNG ‘Relics’ Scotty is found alive and well by the crew of the Enterprise 1701 D. As he struggles to find his place on a ship nearly 75 years into the future he and La Forge quickly realize that just because something’s old, doesn’t mean it can’t be useful.

Scotty: Maybe so. But when they can build ships like your Enterprise, who’d want to pilot an old bucket like this?

Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: I don’t know. If this ship were operational, I bet she’d run circles around the Enterprise at impulse speeds. Just because something’s old doesn’t mean you throw it away.

 Before you pass judgment on something old, remember, look beneath the surface, dig round a little, you never know what kind of treasures might still exist. As for Christianity, well the biggest treasure of all, eternal salvation.

Forrest

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War comes to those who least expect it sometimes. War is hard, war is evil, war is devastating, war comes in many ways. The blind do not see the trees in the Forrest. Do not doubt we are at war. We didn’t start it, we didn’t wish it, and some deny it. The failure to see the evil as it grows, festers, and begins to creep out of the shadows and into the light of day is the way we fall. The truth is incontrovertible and I pray we see the writing on the wall. This is just the beginning. Be ready, vigilant, and for Gods sake don’t worry about being politically correct, safety is more important. God bless.

Turn Around

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Gods not dead, praise Gods in my heart, God is with me and my family, God is blessing and caring for my loved ones. Thank you God for opportunities, grace, mercy, and love. You’re never too far gone to turn around and walk back to God, one step away, faith and Gods love can wipe away all your mistakes, your not alone, Gods love and grace can turn you around, can put you back in the light. God is always there with us. Be a new bloom, be a blossom for Christ.

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be Strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.