Words of Encouragement

We were on our journey to take Joselyn to school.  As we looked at the mountains we were amazed at God's beauty.  What if God had not given us this beauty to inspire us and encourage us?  It is the same with our gifts.  God gives them to us so that he can inspire and encourage someone through us.

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men." -  Ephesians 4:7-8

So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church. -1 Corinthians 14:12

God's Way. God Gives Gifts to be used to Bless Others. I have a question.  What good is it to be able to sing with such passion and conviction, but no one knows it?  What good is it to be able to pray and heaven seems to open up, but you won't do it?  That would seem quite foolish to you.  You would say, if you have a gift use it so that it can bless someone else.

However, do you know many of us do that, sit on our gifts?  We let fear or what someone might think about us stand in the way of us using our gifts to the fulliest.  Did you know they are not really "your" gifts.  Whatever gifts that God has planted in you are "someone elses" gifts.  God would not give you a gift of discernment and allow you to see dangers up ahead for you to simply brag about what you knew after the danger has come and set it.  He would give you the gift so that you can warn the people of God of the dangers.

Now if someone does not accept the gift, that is between them and God, but it is still your responsiblity to share the gifts you have been give.  If you can pray, pray.  If the gifts of healing, heal.  Whatever the gift allow it to do what it was given for, the build up the body.

Today, my prayer is Lord help us to be extreme about the gifts you have given us.  Help us to us what you have given us to bless the body.  When we all begin to function as we should with our gifts, the body will be stronger, and more able to withstand the defeats we face.  So help us to build each other up with the gifts places within the body.

Words of Encouragement

The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.  To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. - Psalm 18:24-26

God's Way. He Calls Us Faithful, so that We Will be Faithful. As I read this scripture I found something quite interesting.  The writer says, God has rewarded me according to my righteousness.  Doesn't that sound strange?  What righteousness did the psalmist have?  Better yet, what righteousness can we claim?

What is important for us to understand is the psalmist is not claiming his "own" righteousness but what has been imparted to him by God.  When we belong to God we have been given his righteousness and because of it, he calls us faithful.  That is because he now views us through his son and not through our sins.

God changed what we look like so therefore he expects us to start looking the way he wants.  Another way to say that is, if he gave us his faithfulness, shouldn't we be able to exhibit that which we have?  If I am righteous, I should live, act, and be as he has changed me to be.

God shows himself to us according to how we present ourselves.  How foolish it is to have been changed to one that is faithful, blameless and pure and then present yourself as one that is unworthy because then you will see the shrewd side of God.  The question then is, how do you present yourself unworthy?  When God has given you the opportunity to be changed and you refuse to accept it or to turn away from what he has given you, then you no longer appear as one that is worthy.

Today I pray for us to walk in that which God has given us.  He has given us his righteousness, his faithfulness and his purity so that we can stand as one that is righteous, faithful and pure.  Help us to do things your way.

Photo Gallery - 2

This is my daughter and her roommate, which they found out they are quite alike in many areas.  The best thing is both are Christian girls.  Doesn't God make a way for you?

Me cleaning up after our day of shopping with other people getting their students ready for school. 

The desk look great put together.  There wasn't a lot of light so we put light everywhere.

A brother and Sister from our church that came share their blessings with her at the trunk party.

Many family and friends came to show support at the Trunk party.  The food was great also, supplied by her aunt Emma and other members that pitched in to help with the games and everything else.

Mom after a long drive ready to get to the end of the day.  Besides, have you ever drove in DC.  Nothing is straight!  You have to go in circles!  After this I was ready to go sit down and not move again.

Keep you eyes open we will share more about our road trip.  Also, take a look on the Fearfully and Wonderfully Made blog for other photes.

Words of Encouragement

As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem. - Isaiah 66:13

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. - 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

God's Way. God Comforts Me to Comfort Others. It is important for us to understand how important the will of God is.  We often seek God to bless us with the things we stand in need of.  There is nothing wrong with that, however we sometimes get stuck in that place. 

We forget sometimes that God blesses us so that we can turn around and be a blessing to someone else.  God gives us comfort from the things that trouble us.  Like a mother, he will catch us up and help us to feel safe and loved.  Do you remember what it felt like when you fell and hurt yourself and ran seeking your mother?  You wanted her to acknowledge your hurt and to kiss it and make it better.  There was something magical in that kiss.  It made the hurt go away.  It was because the kiss was just the evidence of love.

God gives us that same love. He will catch us up when we have fallen or when we have faced some of lifes difficulties.  We reach out to him to acknowledge our hurts and for his love to make things better. God does this for us, but there is another purpose for it. God gives us the comfort so that when we see someone else in the same place we have been, that we will offer to them that which will comfort them.

What is that comfort?  It is two fold.  Our lives can be an encouragement to those that are facing the same or similar things that we face.  Then we can also direct those that we encounter to the one that gives comfort to the weary and the hurting, God.

Today, my prayer is that God would comfort you in whatever trouble you face.  When he does, may you remember to comfort others with the same comfort you have been given.

Words of Encouragement

Love is what motivates a father to love a child or a grandchild.  Love is what motivates a mother to care for a child. If we being human, how much more does the love of God care for us?  How much more is the Heavenly Father willing to give for his children?

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. - 1 John 3:16

God's Way. We will Reflect Love. Last week we talked about God's way and I felt compelled to continue this week with the same lesson. People are often heard talking about themselves and their great ability to love.  However, I would like to interject here that we really have no idea about the depth of love until we understand something about God's love.

God loved us so much that he gave his son for us. Not when we were cleaned up and receptive, but when we were filthy and unappreciative of the gift he was giving.  His love did not depend on us.  His love did not change because of our foolishness or lack or ability to show love in return.  As humans we love those that love us, but given time those that treat us bad we can release that love for them.

Something changes however when you accept the love of God through Christ.  What changes is your ability to love because of your relationship with God.  Where you once would only love the lovely, you learn to love the unlovable.  This is because you were loved when you were still unlovable.

God's love as it grows within us changes us so that we can now lay down our own lives (our ideas, our agendas, our ways and our rights) so that someone else may live.  We can do it even if they do not return our love.  We can do it because we are no longer motivated by what we receive in return, but by what we have already gotten from God.

Today, Lord I pray that you would help us to show more of your love to others.  Help us to obey you by how we love even those that do not love us in return.

Words of Encouragement

If Jesus went to the cross for you and I, how much more will he care for us that we succeed in this walk?  God cares enough to keep us from falling.

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done. - Psalm 9:9-11

God's Way. God's Way Requires Trust in Him. One of the most difficult things for believers to do is trust in unseen things.  We hear the scripture read often about how we do not walk by sight, but by faith.  Well it sounds all good, but in our secret places we sometimes struggle with this one.

How easy is it to trust that God will heal when the report you have is that you will not get better?  How easy is it to trust that the impossible will be made impossible?  How easy is it to trust that God will heal a marriage or save a child when everything before your face speaks differently?  I don't come to condemn you because I too will admit it is difficult at times to trust what I do not see.

Yet, I remind myself, Lord to say that I love you requires me to obey you.  One of the things you require of me is to trust you to be faithful to your children. I can rejoice like the psalmist when I think about the fact that God has never forsaken me.  Whatever I needed, he took care of.  When I did not see how a situation in my life would be changed, he changed it far beyond my imagination.  When I was sick and no one could figure out why, God healed me and I never experienced that illness again.

When I have been in trouble and the enemy seemed to be ready to destroy me, God stepped in and rescued me.  Today I simply come to encourage someone that no matter what your situation looks like, God works in the impossible.  God shows up in the incredible.  He makes the unbelievable, believable.  He makes the unseen, seen.  God is one that we can trust in. He will never let his children down.

So today, I pray Lord help us to take refuge in you.  Help us to know without any doubt or fear that you are the one that will care for us and you will change our situations.  Today Lord I ask from my humble heart, that today you would manifest yourself in someone's life in a way that reassures them that you are present and you will never leave them alone.  This I pray, amen.

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