Heart

Deuteronomy 6:5 - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."

As Christians, one of our biggest challenges is to stay focused on God.  Sometimes... doing things for God can get in the way of being devoted to Him, especially if we substitute doing for knowing Him.

We were created to find our truest satisfaction in loving God first, above everything else.   We need to constantly check ourselves to make sure nothing comes between us and our relationship with God.  We should always remember to check our "heart."

Luke 11:28 -  He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

H - hear ...  When you read the Bible for inspiration, what would happen if we were to approach a Scripture with this prayer on our lips ...  "Lord, I need to hear a word from you today. Speak to me through your Word; help me to hear and to understand what you are saying to me."  When you make a habit of reading God's word daily and you pray that prayer, you have the opportunity to experience the power of God's word.   Then you can say, "God spoke to me through His word today …."

Romans 15:5 -  "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had..."

E - encourage ...We face so many challenges at every turn, it is important for us to have people in our lives that will get behind us to tell us we can do it.  What do we need when we are struggling?  Encouragement!  William Arthur Ward said, “Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you.  Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you.”

What can change the life of another person? Encouragement!

Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him,  and he will make your paths straight."

A - acknowledge God ... God has promised to direct our paths if we'll acknowledge Him in all our ways.  What does it mean to acknowledge God?  It means we are to seek out, consider and have respect for God.  It means that we are to apply His word to the everyday decisions of our lives.  This is the "knowledge of God."  If we'll obey God in the small areas of our life - apply the Word - then the big areas will fall into place. For those who choose not to follow God in their daily lives ... there is no promise of divine guidance.  However,  God promises to lead and guide those who regard and respect Him ... "acknowledging Him in all our ways!"

1 Corinthians 15:58 - "Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

R - responsible ...Without question the greatest reason that we live for God is our unwavering belief in the resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is through His resurrection from the grave that we have hope and the promise of life eternal with him.  The apostle Paul touches on such responsibilities in his statement in the 15th chapter of 1st Corinthians.  He declares that, if we really believe and if we are truly thankful that our resurrection is sure, we should “therefore” demonstrate our assurance and our thankfulness by “standing firm, letting nothing move us” and “always giving ourselves full to the work of the Lord” 

The Bible teaches us that our responsibility as believers is to work as the Lord has gifted us and leads us in our lives. We must fully understand that until the Lord returns there are souls to reach and ministries of every kind. We are responsible for our money, time, energy, talents, gifts, bodies, minds, and spirits, and we should invest all that we are to the work of the Lord. 

Psalm 84:11-12 - "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.  Lord Almighty,  blessed is the one who trusts in you.

T - trust me ... God wants us to trust in the Word and the truth it contains. But more than that, we are invited to put our trust in the author of that truth, the Son of God. The apostle Paul wrote, “God puts people right through their faith in Jesus Christ”. It takes a powerful person whose heart beats with infinite love to provide us with the new life we need for daily living and the hope we need for the future. The carpenter from Nazareth, the flesh and blood human who is also fully divine, is just that kind of person. It is in his character, his caring, his ability, that we place our confidence and trust. Salvation is personal. It is a relationship.  We can nurture trust, but only God can place it within us to begin with. We can grow God’s gift and deepen it through Bible study, prayer, and exercising faith, but we cannot originate it.

So friends, "take heart" and I'm Just Sayin'.

See Ya Soon

Kelly

Words

Words are funny, they can build you up and tear you down ... in the same sentence, they can bring, life or death, in the flash of a pen or the stroke of a key. 

Words can be kind, cruel, funny, sad, encouraging, discouraging ... string enough words together and you have a thought.  Put enough thoughts together and you can write a book.  But in the end what is a book?  It is page after page after page of ... words!

It turns out that words are so important, that we are going to give an account of what we say when we stand before the Lord.

Words have real power. 

Jesus said..."But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37). 

"What does the Bible say about the power of words?"

God spoke the world into being by the power of His words (Hebrews 11:3), and we are in His image -  in part - because of the power we have with words. In creation, only man has the ability to communicate through the spoken word. The power to use words is a very unique and powerful gift from God.

The apostle Paul wrote: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6; and Colossians 3:16).

Jesus reminds us that the words we speak are actually the overflow of our hearts (Matthew 12:34-35).  The sinner’s mouth is “full of cursing and bitterness” (Romans 3:14); but when we turn our lives over to Christ, we gladly confess that “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9-10). As  sinners, our mouths are silenced before the throne of God (Romans 3:19), but as believers, our mouths are opened to praise and glorify God (Romans 15:6).

Christians are people whose hearts have been changed by the power of God, a change which is reflected in our words. 

Our words are full of blessing when our hearts are full of His blessing. So, it stands to reason then, that  if we fill our hearts with the love of Christ, only truth and purity should come out of our mouths.

Peter tells us: “In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Let the power of our words be used of God to display the power of our faith.

Be prepared to give the reason for why we love the Lord—at anytime, to anyone at any place.  

Our words should demonstrate the power of God’s grace and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 

The Psalmist says, "May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart, be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 9:14)

I'm just sayin' .... may God teach us to use our words as an instrument of His love and His saving grace.

See Ya Next Week...

-Kelly

Alone

The Bible says, "we wrestle not against flesh and blood...."  Ephesians 6:12

The Bible says, "every man is right in their own eye..."  Proverbs 21:2

The Bible says, "the battle belongs to the Lord..."  2 Chronicles 20:17

We shout, "it's not my fault, you said this, your words hurt me, you loose, you're wrong, I'm right, you're no good, I'm better than you, you don't understand, I want, you can't, we don't, you always, you never, I only"  ...  we say it all  - on the inside!  

But on the outside - we are silent.

When we face situations that force us to stand alone it becomes natural to compromise, to buy into social and religious 'fashion' for the sake of gain, or pleasure, or popularity -- yet it is divine to sacrifice all of this at the altar of God's truth and responsibility.

It is comforting, and human, to want to stand with the crowd...however, it is divine to stand alone.  It is man-like to follow the popular, to follow society and culture - to follow the world and drift with the tide.  It is God-like to follow a principle...to do all within your God-given ability to 'stem' the tide.

The battle scarred apostle wrote, "no man stood with me, but all men forsook me..." (2 Timothy 4:16) ...he stated this to defend his teaching, to defend his belief...a belief that was very contrary to the Roman world.

Noah built a boat and he sailed it  ...  alone.

Daniel prayed in a lion's den and he prayed  ... alone. 

Abraham wandered and worshiped ... alone.

Elijah sacrificed and witnessed  ...  alone.

Jeremiah prophesied and wept  ...  alone.

Jesus loved and died  ...  alone.

God's absolute -- His revealed Truth has been out of fashion since we changed our robes of fade-less light  --  for garments of faded leaves.

It is a lonely place we walk...  And, of this trail, Jesus said,  "Straight is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life...and few there be that find it." (Matthew 7:14)

The Lord is looking for those who are willing to stand up and stand alone.  Today - and every day - you are wanted.  Men and women, young and old ...those who will obey the convictions of truth and duty...

...and by the way...

In Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV) we read...

6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

and...finally...

1 Corinthians 16:13  (NIV)

13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

... I'm just sayin' - that standing up may cost you fortune, friends, everything .. Jesus said that it may cost us our life.

I'm willing ... you?

-Kelly

Joy

Let's be honest - there appear to be more grumpy Christians, than those who are, well ... happy.  So, what does a happy Christian look like? (Please, no selfies)  How can you tell a joyful person from a happy person, or a giddy person, or a foolish person? You can be happy your team won, you can be giddy about a great opportunity, you can act happy ... but be miserable, so, what is it that makes joy different?

Joy is not based on circumstances.... In fact, joy will not even prevent us from experiencing negative stuff.  However ...  joy is a deep-seated sense of happiness in what God has done and what He is continually doing. The Greek word for "joy" is related to the Greek word for "grace."  That means,  joy is a grace bestowed on us by God. 

 From, "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth!" (Ps. 100:1) to "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Phil. 4:4)— There are many scriptures,  before, after,  and in between— where we are compelled to lead joy-filled lives.

According to Galatians 5:22-23 joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit but it can often seem elusive, if not impossible, for Christians.   

 Joy is unaffected by circumstances.  It is a state of mind and an orientation of the heart. Joy is deep. It is a settled state of contentment, confidence and hope. 

In many ways, perspective is key. When we look at what God has done for us, we naturally respond with thanksgiving and joy. When we look at difficult circumstances or the frustrations of life, we naturally respond with discontent. This is not to say that we don't acknowledge the difficulties of this life. But that, we do so --  while still recognizing that God is in control and that He loves us.

The Psalms display this truth. David, for example, poured out his complaints to God. He did not deny the hardships of life, his depression, his hurt, or his disappointment. Yet by the end of each psalm, he generally seems encouraged (check it out -- Psalm 3; 6; 7; 13; 16; 18).

When we voice our problems and worries, when we allow ourselves to be reminded of the goodness of God, we release our burdens.  Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). 

We can experience joy when we give our burdens to Jesus. He helps carry the heavy load. He also reminds us of Who He is. Knowing of His care for us and our ultimate victory in Him, we can experience joy even in our hardships.

In the opening words of Philippians 1, Paul writes ...

Philippians 1:3-8 

I thank my God every time I remember you.   In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy  because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.   It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.  God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

So it is with  "Joy to the World" - that Jesus has come and "Joyful, Joyful We (will) Adore Thee."   We will remember these songs, "...if you want joy, you must ask for it..." or, "..if you want joy, real, joy, God's joy, wonderful joy ... then open your heart and let Jesus come in..." and wait, "joy is the flag flown high in the castle of my heart ... for the king is in residence there."  - (that last one is going to be stuck in your head for days....just like the theme from...It's A Small World After All... - yep, you are welcome!)  

...and...really it is a very small world ... all things pale in comparison to our lives in Christ ...so c'mon... all of you...yes, you are my friends and you know I'm talking about you ...and I'm  just sayin'.

Back at it next week...

Kelly