A lot of people in life see bad circumstances as just that,bad. I've learned that every single thing in life can be/is for good.
A couple months ago we had a gnarly storm and some heavy winds broke a few large branches off in a tree in my backyard. I couldnt get to them because they're too high for me to reach,so I left them. This morning I noticed a large one was still up there. The more I looked at it,I noticed it had made a base for a birds nest. How it rested up against the actual tree trunk worked out perfectly for a bird to make it's home there.
In our lives,we're going to have storms. They'll wreck us,but the outcome could be a blessing for you or for someone else. That's just an example for how God really does work everything out for some good. That's just the birds,what do you think He's doing with us?!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
1T516-17
As I grow older and mature,I find myself stressing things a little bit less each day. But it's hard to live in a world like this and be completely worry free.
Reading the Bible isn't always easy,but you have to look at it as just a big instruction manual written with a bunch of awkward words. There's so much practical advice in it,like Jesus is talking to us as a friend who's been in the same situations we've been. I mean,He kinda did overcome the world,so I'd take any tips I could from Him!
1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 gets really short and straight to the point,"Rejoice always, pray continually." Those are real Bible verses;two words each. That to me can sum up life,just my opinion. God wants us to be happy and be grateful,and pray. The end.
Whether you're having an amazing day,or a crappy one,follow those verses today. You have so much to be grateful for regardless of who you are,and you have a God that's always listening to your prayers. It doesn't get any easier than that.
Reading the Bible isn't always easy,but you have to look at it as just a big instruction manual written with a bunch of awkward words. There's so much practical advice in it,like Jesus is talking to us as a friend who's been in the same situations we've been. I mean,He kinda did overcome the world,so I'd take any tips I could from Him!
1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 gets really short and straight to the point,"Rejoice always, pray continually." Those are real Bible verses;two words each. That to me can sum up life,just my opinion. God wants us to be happy and be grateful,and pray. The end.
Whether you're having an amazing day,or a crappy one,follow those verses today. You have so much to be grateful for regardless of who you are,and you have a God that's always listening to your prayers. It doesn't get any easier than that.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
5-18
As I lay here,in what seems to come as the second worst pain I've ever been in,I'm thinking a lot. Along with thinking,I'm reading a lot. Probably not what you guessed,but I'm finding a lot of relief in the book "Coming Back Stronger"-The Drew Brees Memoir. If you don't know who he is,he's the New Orleans Saints Quarterback. You'd be surprised at what goes on in this guys life and heart.
On one page,I've already determined he's my new favorite quote-ster. So many things he's said are haunting me,and kinda cleaning out any crap that's clogging my heart and mind.
"God's refining process is never easy. It's kind of like a blacksmith creating a sword. The metal is strengthened when it is repeatedly put in the fire and then pounded with a hammer. But the end result is perfection. All the heat and pounding create strength and beauty,not only on the outside,but especially on the inside. God sometimes puts us in fire,and it's going to hurt,but it will mold and shape us into the people He intends for us to be. When I went through that fire,I didn't know what was ahead for me,and I didn't know what the end result would be. I had to trust and believe that there was a purpose for all of this and take things one day at a time."
On one page,I've already determined he's my new favorite quote-ster. So many things he's said are haunting me,and kinda cleaning out any crap that's clogging my heart and mind.
"God's refining process is never easy. It's kind of like a blacksmith creating a sword. The metal is strengthened when it is repeatedly put in the fire and then pounded with a hammer. But the end result is perfection. All the heat and pounding create strength and beauty,not only on the outside,but especially on the inside. God sometimes puts us in fire,and it's going to hurt,but it will mold and shape us into the people He intends for us to be. When I went through that fire,I didn't know what was ahead for me,and I didn't know what the end result would be. I had to trust and believe that there was a purpose for all of this and take things one day at a time."
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
L2240
I've been struggling a lot lately,more than I normally do. I mean,as humans we all have stuff we face each day,like sorrow or temptations or anything that brings you down and makes you feel like you're carrying a weight around. I'm not sure what it is,but I think as we drift from God,He allows things to kinda kick us when we're down so we'll realize what's actually going on.
Do you ever get haunted by a verse?Like no matter what you're doing it seems to come up and repeat itself? That was Luke 22:40 for me today. "There He told them,'Pray that you will not give into temptation'". I love how direct that is. It's like Jesus knows we're going to be facing it,but He says to pray about it and let Him help you make a better choice than one that will hurt you or someone around you.
Whether it be drugs,sexual desires,getting drunk,anything that isn't what God wants for you,that's a temptation. I seem to overlook a lot of these,but I still deal with them. Some are easier to say no to and not let them affect me. Some are extremely difficult and I seem to get mad at God after,even though it was my choice. He won't stop the temptations from coming. The more you deal with and reject by taking the high road,the better you'll be. It's just one test after another. The more you pass,the stronger you'll be.
So the next time you find yourself in a situation like that,or any that doesn't feel right...just pray. You don't even have to be formal. Just talk to God,ask Him to help you and He promises that He always will:)
Do you ever get haunted by a verse?Like no matter what you're doing it seems to come up and repeat itself? That was Luke 22:40 for me today. "There He told them,'Pray that you will not give into temptation'". I love how direct that is. It's like Jesus knows we're going to be facing it,but He says to pray about it and let Him help you make a better choice than one that will hurt you or someone around you.
Whether it be drugs,sexual desires,getting drunk,anything that isn't what God wants for you,that's a temptation. I seem to overlook a lot of these,but I still deal with them. Some are easier to say no to and not let them affect me. Some are extremely difficult and I seem to get mad at God after,even though it was my choice. He won't stop the temptations from coming. The more you deal with and reject by taking the high road,the better you'll be. It's just one test after another. The more you pass,the stronger you'll be.
So the next time you find yourself in a situation like that,or any that doesn't feel right...just pray. You don't even have to be formal. Just talk to God,ask Him to help you and He promises that He always will:)
Friday, May 13, 2011
R832
I feel like no matter where I turn in my Bible,I find myself in Romans. I can't even begin to explain why I love it so much,but it just always speaks to me whatever it is I'm going through or searching for. I found myself in 8 today which is my favorite chapter of all. Paul really summed up life so perfectly in it.
Do you ever feel like God won't/can't do something in your life? Like something might seem not important or too hard? It's very natural to think that every so often,even though it's terribly wrong. One verse I love,but never seem to dwell on is found in that chapter. Verse 32 says,"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" Soak that up. Paul is saying,that if God would give us His Son,in place of our sins,why wouldn't He do anything else? It's like being scared to ask someone for a buck when you know they would give you billions.
I know I've done this many times. I just forget that I'm just as important to Him as you are; no more,no less. He wants to bless us with everything we need(2 Corinthians 9:8),and give us the desires of our hearts(Psalm 37:4). All we have to do is follow Him,love Him,and share His love.
Do you ever feel like God won't/can't do something in your life? Like something might seem not important or too hard? It's very natural to think that every so often,even though it's terribly wrong. One verse I love,but never seem to dwell on is found in that chapter. Verse 32 says,"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" Soak that up. Paul is saying,that if God would give us His Son,in place of our sins,why wouldn't He do anything else? It's like being scared to ask someone for a buck when you know they would give you billions.
I know I've done this many times. I just forget that I'm just as important to Him as you are; no more,no less. He wants to bless us with everything we need(2 Corinthians 9:8),and give us the desires of our hearts(Psalm 37:4). All we have to do is follow Him,love Him,and share His love.
Monday, May 9, 2011
P628
The greatest thing I've ever read,came from a fictional book about reality. I still remember getting chills the second I finished the sentence. The Shack was a book written about a mans weekend with God,Jesus,and the Holy Spirit. It's really hard to explain unless you read it. Anyways,the part that still haunts me with complete and total peace went like this.
In the book,Mac(the main character) is siting on a boat dock with Jesus one night. He was worried and totally scared by things going on in his life. He looked over at Jesus and said,"but I'm so scared." Jesus looked back at him and said,"Why? I'm not,and I'm always with you."
Just thinking about that kills me. The fact that I have no reason to worry or be scared,yet I am sometimes just makes me feel horrible. Psalm 62:8 says,"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." He's always with us,and He's always waiting on us. All we have to do is submit ourselves,our pain,our fear to Him and He'll take care of the rest. It's sometimes almost too easy to serve a God of such incredible power...
In the book,Mac(the main character) is siting on a boat dock with Jesus one night. He was worried and totally scared by things going on in his life. He looked over at Jesus and said,"but I'm so scared." Jesus looked back at him and said,"Why? I'm not,and I'm always with you."
Just thinking about that kills me. The fact that I have no reason to worry or be scared,yet I am sometimes just makes me feel horrible. Psalm 62:8 says,"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." He's always with us,and He's always waiting on us. All we have to do is submit ourselves,our pain,our fear to Him and He'll take care of the rest. It's sometimes almost too easy to serve a God of such incredible power...
Thursday, May 5, 2011
E714
Truthfully,answer this question: Is it easier and more enjoyable to be happy or to worry? The right answer is to be happy,if you said worry please call me so we can talk.
Times can be good and times can be bad. We all have ups and downs,no matter who you are,you will face times of joy and happiness,and sometimes you'll face dark and troublesome times. One thing I want you to ponder today is this,
"When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other."
Think about that. God makes good times,and bad times. They're only bad if we perceive them as bad,and the same goes for the good. If your mind is out of whack,sunshine could be bad to you and rain could be great! It's all about how you think about what is going on,then act on it. God never promises that life will be easy,He just promises to be there for us. He never promises smooth sailing,He just gives you inner peace during a storm.
Know that God works in the weirdest ways that you can never understand. All things,good or bad,can workout for the best. I don't care if you're broke,if you're sick,if your family abandoned you...God is with you,God is for you,God is working these things out to make you stronger.
Times can be good and times can be bad. We all have ups and downs,no matter who you are,you will face times of joy and happiness,and sometimes you'll face dark and troublesome times. One thing I want you to ponder today is this,
"When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other."
Think about that. God makes good times,and bad times. They're only bad if we perceive them as bad,and the same goes for the good. If your mind is out of whack,sunshine could be bad to you and rain could be great! It's all about how you think about what is going on,then act on it. God never promises that life will be easy,He just promises to be there for us. He never promises smooth sailing,He just gives you inner peace during a storm.
Know that God works in the weirdest ways that you can never understand. All things,good or bad,can workout for the best. I don't care if you're broke,if you're sick,if your family abandoned you...God is with you,God is for you,God is working these things out to make you stronger.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
P411
How often do you find yourself content when the world is crashing down on you and when there seems to be no hope in your life? I'm assuming you probably said never because that's near impossible. But,with an unfailing and always present Savior,we can get better at it.
I feel content when it's sunny out,when I'm with my friends,when I have money,and so on;but I'm usually not when it's pouring rain,alone,broke and so on. In Philippians 4:11 Paul says,"For I have learned to be content,whatever the circumstances." Coming from a guy who holds the record for the worst life story,I can believe it's possible. This dude use to persecute Christians,lie,cheat,steal,you name it. Then one day God made it all flip turn upside down. He later went on to write over half the New Testament,but in that journey he faced a lot of hard times. He was nearly killed over a dozen times,starved for weeks,didn't have shelter or even water...and he's saying that he has 'learned' to be content. I emphasize learned because he wasn't born with that feeling. He had to go through some rough times to get it down,that no matter what's going on in life,his Savior was there with him and for him.
It's easy to get dragged down when things don't happen in our time or way,but we need to remember that God is working on things in our lives that we can't even see. We can't fathom how hard He is working in and around us. So until you see it,be content knowing that our God is greater,stronger,always with you and nothing can be against you.
I feel content when it's sunny out,when I'm with my friends,when I have money,and so on;but I'm usually not when it's pouring rain,alone,broke and so on. In Philippians 4:11 Paul says,"For I have learned to be content,whatever the circumstances." Coming from a guy who holds the record for the worst life story,I can believe it's possible. This dude use to persecute Christians,lie,cheat,steal,you name it. Then one day God made it all flip turn upside down. He later went on to write over half the New Testament,but in that journey he faced a lot of hard times. He was nearly killed over a dozen times,starved for weeks,didn't have shelter or even water...and he's saying that he has 'learned' to be content. I emphasize learned because he wasn't born with that feeling. He had to go through some rough times to get it down,that no matter what's going on in life,his Savior was there with him and for him.
It's easy to get dragged down when things don't happen in our time or way,but we need to remember that God is working on things in our lives that we can't even see. We can't fathom how hard He is working in and around us. So until you see it,be content knowing that our God is greater,stronger,always with you and nothing can be against you.
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