What does the world tell you everyday? I don't know about you, but in my experience, love, sex, power, money, fitness, and material things are important. The world sees these things as things we need-- or we aren't good enough and don't fit in. Everyone seems to be so obsessed with fitting in and conforming to the worlds' standards that we lose our own. Even Christians have this happen to them-- they become so obsessed with the world that they lose sight of God and what He wants for them. I know that I have done it. Many times over.
The world tells us we don't need God. You know what? God loves us so much that He created this world-- however, Adam and Eve's sin is what made it what it is today. The world was a perfect place-- but they fell into Satan's trap telling them there was something better than what God had given them. Check out Genesis. The whole story is in there.
But even in that, God made a way for us to get back to Him. He sent His Only Son, Jesus, to live here, teach us about Him, and die a brutal death for our sins. His story is in any of the gospels-- Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. (Check it out! It's awesome!:)
The world is always telling us we need to change, eat this, have a hot boyfriend/girlfriend, own anything/everything we want. But you know what God tells us?
HE LOVES US (see John 13:34)
HE WANTS US TO COME TO HIM WITH EVERYTHING (Matthew 11:28-30)
HE FORGIVES US OF OUR SINS (Luke 7:48)
HE IS ENOUGH FOR US (Matthew 11:30)
God loves us in a way the world never can. We, as Christians, need to learn to listen to God, not the world. Remember, God is the Only One who can love you unconditionally. He loves you in a way no person ever can. Don't hang on to the things of this world. They won't last. Hang on to God-- HE WILL LAST--FOREVER! And so will His love.
Showing posts with label power of God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label power of God. Show all posts
Monday, September 8, 2014
Friday, May 10, 2013
Wise Prayers?...
What have you prayed for lately? If you're at all like me, most of the prayers are for family, friends, missionaries, sponsored kids, etc. But what does God really want us to pray about?
Well, there are many ways that we can pray. God sets us a good guideline in Matthew 6: 5-15. That is the Lord's Prayer. But what I want to talk about is the content of our prayers; all that we pray about. What does God want us to pray about?
Solomon, the son of king David (David killed Goliath, and later on in his life, became king) offered sacrifices to the Lord. The Lord was pleased with Solomon, and asked him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you" (1 Kings 3:5). Wow! What an amazing opportunity! Anything he asked for, he would be given! What did Solomon do with this opportunity? Ask for death of his enemies? Ask for a bunch of useless stuff? NO!
He asked for something that really pleased God. He asked God for a "discerning heart." (Aka wisdom.)
Now, that seems to be a little bit strange-- especially for someone who could have whatever he asked for! I suggest you read the whole story in 1 Kings 3: 1-15. It is truly a good story-- one that is worth reading! And don't just read it; study it and try to apply it to life. Now, this won't be easy, but who says being a Christian is easy? I am realizing now how hard being a Christian is; trying to balance work, school, chores, and reading and studying my Bible is extremely hard! There are days when I want to just give up; but if I would stop feeling sorry for myself and turn to God for help, my life would be so much easier! So, I'm not saying I'm a person who has this all together-- really, I am learning as I go along! But I ask you to join me and learn with me.
Ultimately, God wants our physical, spiritual and mental lives to line up with His will. And, when you think about it, isn't that the best way to go? After all, He can see the whole picture; we can only see a small part of it! God has an amazing plan for our lives; He wants us to trust that He will see it through! Join me in learning to lean on God. He is the most stable thing in the universe; after all, He created it!;D Come on; what are you waiting for? Pray for wisdom!;D
NIV USED
Well, there are many ways that we can pray. God sets us a good guideline in Matthew 6: 5-15. That is the Lord's Prayer. But what I want to talk about is the content of our prayers; all that we pray about. What does God want us to pray about?
Solomon, the son of king David (David killed Goliath, and later on in his life, became king) offered sacrifices to the Lord. The Lord was pleased with Solomon, and asked him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you" (1 Kings 3:5). Wow! What an amazing opportunity! Anything he asked for, he would be given! What did Solomon do with this opportunity? Ask for death of his enemies? Ask for a bunch of useless stuff? NO!
He asked for something that really pleased God. He asked God for a "discerning heart." (Aka wisdom.)
Now, that seems to be a little bit strange-- especially for someone who could have whatever he asked for! I suggest you read the whole story in 1 Kings 3: 1-15. It is truly a good story-- one that is worth reading! And don't just read it; study it and try to apply it to life. Now, this won't be easy, but who says being a Christian is easy? I am realizing now how hard being a Christian is; trying to balance work, school, chores, and reading and studying my Bible is extremely hard! There are days when I want to just give up; but if I would stop feeling sorry for myself and turn to God for help, my life would be so much easier! So, I'm not saying I'm a person who has this all together-- really, I am learning as I go along! But I ask you to join me and learn with me.
Ultimately, God wants our physical, spiritual and mental lives to line up with His will. And, when you think about it, isn't that the best way to go? After all, He can see the whole picture; we can only see a small part of it! God has an amazing plan for our lives; He wants us to trust that He will see it through! Join me in learning to lean on God. He is the most stable thing in the universe; after all, He created it!;D Come on; what are you waiting for? Pray for wisdom!;D
NIV USED
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Jesus' Life
Jesus gave us all a tremendous gift. He gave us His life in order to save us. I am going to give an account of Jesus' betrayal and death since it is Easter weekend. Jesus died on Good Friday and rose again on Easter. Now, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, so let's start at the beginning.
In John 17, Jesus prays for Himself and His disciples. He prays in verses 4 and 5 this prayer; "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was." Later on in the chapter, He prays this for His disciples: "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth." (verses 14-19) As you read on, you read a prayer that Jesus prayed for all the believers now and in the future. This is really cool, I think. He thinks of people who were with Him at the time, and those who would be with Him and working for Him in the future!
After Jesus prayed, He and His disciples went to the garden of Gethsemane. Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, came with a group of troops and officers that the chief priests and Pharisees gave to him. Armed with weapons, lanterns and torches, they answered Jesus' question; "Whom are you seeking?" They replied that they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth. He told them it was He, and they fell to the ground! Jesus asked them a second time, and told them that He was the One they were seeking. He told the soldiers to let His disciples go, to fulfill the saying He spoke. (vs 4-9)
Simon Peter, of course was the one who fought the soldiers. He grabbed his sword, and cut off the high priests servant's ear. Jesus was not happy. He rebuked Peter, and was led away by the soldiers.
Jesus had an audience, if you will, with the high priest, and after that was led to Pilate for judgement. Since it was the time of the Passover, Pilate would release one prisoner to the people. He offered to release Jesus to the people, but they wanted the other prisoner, Barabbas. He then asked what he should do to Jesus, and all of the people cried out, "Crucify Him!" Pilate ordered Jesus to be scourged. Then, He was mocked, and sentenced to be crucified.
Jesus died an excruciating death on the cross, and then was laid to rest in a tomb donated by Joseph of Arimathea. The first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. What was amazing was that the stone had been rolled away! She ran to tell the other disciples, and they came running to the tomb. They went in and all of Jesus' burial clothes were lying there. He had risen from the dead! He has conquered evil and the devil and all of our sins! He loved us so much that He came and did that for us! No, it wasn't something He wanted to do, but He still did. HE DID THAT FOR EVERY ONE OF US!!!!! HE LOVES YOU AND HE WANTS YOU TO LOVE HIM AND ACCEPT HIM!!!!! PLEASE DO THAT!!!!! HE LOVES YOU JUST AS YOU ARE!!!!! HE CONQUERED SIN AND DEATH SO THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO DO THAT!!!!! LOVE HIM... COME TO HIM.... HE WANTS YOU, FLAWS, BROKENNESS, AND SADNESS. JUST COME BEFORE HIM AND GIVE YOURSELF TO HIM. TELL HIM THAT YOU'RE SORRY AND JUST ASK HIM TO HELP YOU AND TO LOVE YOU AND BE WITH YOU. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? HE WILL!!!!!!!!! LOVE YOU ALL!!! HAPPY EASTER!!: )
In John 17, Jesus prays for Himself and His disciples. He prays in verses 4 and 5 this prayer; "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was." Later on in the chapter, He prays this for His disciples: "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth." (verses 14-19) As you read on, you read a prayer that Jesus prayed for all the believers now and in the future. This is really cool, I think. He thinks of people who were with Him at the time, and those who would be with Him and working for Him in the future!
After Jesus prayed, He and His disciples went to the garden of Gethsemane. Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, came with a group of troops and officers that the chief priests and Pharisees gave to him. Armed with weapons, lanterns and torches, they answered Jesus' question; "Whom are you seeking?" They replied that they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth. He told them it was He, and they fell to the ground! Jesus asked them a second time, and told them that He was the One they were seeking. He told the soldiers to let His disciples go, to fulfill the saying He spoke. (vs 4-9)
Simon Peter, of course was the one who fought the soldiers. He grabbed his sword, and cut off the high priests servant's ear. Jesus was not happy. He rebuked Peter, and was led away by the soldiers.
Jesus had an audience, if you will, with the high priest, and after that was led to Pilate for judgement. Since it was the time of the Passover, Pilate would release one prisoner to the people. He offered to release Jesus to the people, but they wanted the other prisoner, Barabbas. He then asked what he should do to Jesus, and all of the people cried out, "Crucify Him!" Pilate ordered Jesus to be scourged. Then, He was mocked, and sentenced to be crucified.
Jesus died an excruciating death on the cross, and then was laid to rest in a tomb donated by Joseph of Arimathea. The first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. What was amazing was that the stone had been rolled away! She ran to tell the other disciples, and they came running to the tomb. They went in and all of Jesus' burial clothes were lying there. He had risen from the dead! He has conquered evil and the devil and all of our sins! He loved us so much that He came and did that for us! No, it wasn't something He wanted to do, but He still did. HE DID THAT FOR EVERY ONE OF US!!!!! HE LOVES YOU AND HE WANTS YOU TO LOVE HIM AND ACCEPT HIM!!!!! PLEASE DO THAT!!!!! HE LOVES YOU JUST AS YOU ARE!!!!! HE CONQUERED SIN AND DEATH SO THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO DO THAT!!!!! LOVE HIM... COME TO HIM.... HE WANTS YOU, FLAWS, BROKENNESS, AND SADNESS. JUST COME BEFORE HIM AND GIVE YOURSELF TO HIM. TELL HIM THAT YOU'RE SORRY AND JUST ASK HIM TO HELP YOU AND TO LOVE YOU AND BE WITH YOU. AND YOU KNOW WHAT? HE WILL!!!!!!!!! LOVE YOU ALL!!! HAPPY EASTER!!: )
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