Choices We Make

Yes, life is a series of choices. It is very difficult to make wise decisions when you are angry, hurting, confused, bitter or unforgiving. You can do it though. How you respond to lifes disappointments can destroy your faith or it can strengthen you spiritually.

So many people leave God out of their tragedies. Maybe they don't believe in Him or they don't understand His ways. But instead of turning to Him in their need, they look for human solutions.

Some may ask, Why would God allow or do such a thing? Is He really in control?

There is nothing wrong with these questions, yet if your answer is that He has turned away and left you to fend for yourself, then you are looking in the wrong direction. Thinking like this will lead only to anger and guilt. some people even search for a way to blame God or someone else for their misfortune. This never brings healing.

What is the right choice you should make in tragedy? You can choose to believe God is sovereign over all. Job is an example of righteousness, through whom the Lord displayed His faithfulness. (Job 1:6-22) He has the right to do the same in your life too, doesn't He?

Choose to believe that because God is in control, he will comfort and assure you. (Job 42:2) Trust Him in your hard times, though you may not understand it (Isaiah 55:8-9), and believe He will bring something valuable out of the heartache.

God can produce good from eveen the worst situations. Don't dwell on what you have lost, but on the blessings for which you are grateful. Don't waste your pain and sorrows. Learn something to better yourself and help others. Meditate on the Scriptures instead of feeding on the pity others have for you. The best person to turn to in tragedy is not your neighbor or a close friend ~ it is the Lord.

God does not deny our pain, He wants us to turn to Him for healing. (Romans 8:31-38)

When we trust Him and walk in the center of His will, we will be blessed. (Job 42:10-17)

When we make right choices in the midst of painful situations, our heavenly Father will see us through.

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

Be Rooted In Love

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge...that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17-19)


There's nothing more fun in life than looking for the attention and personal love of the Father. He is waiting to show off His love and character to us in totally fresh and unique ways. He is such a genius, our God is! It would most likely bore Him to be anything but incredible and mysterious in all His ways.

I have been absolutely delighted in exploring the boundries of His love. I have not reached the edge of the width or the length, nor have I experienced the height or depth. Have faith and start looking for His love. If you have already found it, then there are still many more surprises ahead for you.

Just as love between a man and a woman will result in the conception and birth of a life, this love of God to you will spring forth life in you.

Experience His love today and forever.

Laughter

A merry heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)

Most of the time we live in the calm stage, but the times of extreme hilarity have value too.
Laughter is like internal jogging...it improves emotional and mental health.

We need to learn how to laugh. Laughter and smiling are outward evidence of inward joy and they definitely make you feel better.

Joy is defined: to rejoice, a very glad feeling, happiness, great pleasure, delight. The expression or showing of such feeling.

SMILE ~ Many Christians are so sour~faced that they look like they were baptized in vinegar or lemon juice.
You are the light of the world, your smile is the switch to turn it on.
There is not much chance of laughter if you don't start with a smile.

We can be all by ourselves and smile and we don't even need a particular reason.

When we have a frown on our face, the corners of our mouth turned down, it begins to drag us down emotionally. But, when we smile, we sense a lifting of our countenance.

How long has it been since you laughed ~ really laughed? You will find that you feel better all over after a hearty healthy laugh. It's like your pipes are being cleaned out after a good laugh.

When tired and weary from dealing with daily life issues, a good hearty laugh seems to clean out the dusty, stale closets.
When God provides an opportunity to have a real good laugh, it seems to refresh you and lift the load off of your tired mind.

Rejoice in the Lord. Again I say, Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4) Here we are told twice to rejoice.

James 1:2 tells us ~ My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials...he tells us the final outcome will be good.

Despite your problems, your trials, and temptations, you can be assured you will benefit in the end. Look ahead to the end and rejoice now! We need to laugh every day as much as possible. Laughter makes life more enjoyable and also keeps us HEALTHY.

God wants laughter interwoven into the rest of life. We need both, the serious and humorous sides.

We sanction crying in church as a holy and godly response, but laughter in church often is offensive to many people. We need more insight into the nature of God. Jesus laughed a lot more than most of us do.

According to Ecclesiastes 4, there is a time to laugh, so don't be afraid to laugh ~ even in church.

It is contagious!! When we are around someone who is depressed and negative, if we don't resist it, that person's depression and negativity starts to effect us. The same with happy, positive people. they make us feel better, help us forget our troubles for a while and their joy is contagious.

Are you too busy being serious and intense? When opportunity comes your way, enter in and get the most out of it. You may as well laugh when you have the opportunity, because you don't know how long it will be before you get another opportunity.

Jesus talked about joy and the fullness of joy.

Enter into the joy of the Lord. (Matthew 25:21)
Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:24)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing...(Romans 15:13)
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace...(Galatians 5:22)
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials...(James 1:2)
...you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1Peter 1:8)
And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. (1John 1:4)
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. (Jude 24)

It takes a conscious effort to keep your heart merry. The enemy is always willing to steal or block our joy, and he will if we allow it.

The world cannot see our heart, they need expression. Our attitude should be pleasant, abundant with smiles, and we should laugh whenever possible

WARNING: Extreme hilarity has been known to cause smiles, decrease stress, and promote a good~ole time.

Try it...right now, frown and see how you feel...now smile and see how you feel.

First in Everything

"That in everything He might have first place." (Colossians 1:18)

I'm going to begin with a radical statement: You will never experience the fullness of joy that you were created to know until Jesus Christ has first place in every area of your life.


Now hang onto that for a minute. First place.

* First in your home.
* First in your choices for entertainment.
* First in the way you use your money.
* First in your career.
* First in your thoughts.
* First in your decisions.
* First in your marriage.
* First in your singleness.
* First in your relationships.
* First in your dreams for the future.

Say it now: "I will never experience the fullness of joy that I was created to know until I put Jesus Christ first in every area of my life."

I think a lot of people would intellectually subscribe to that statement, but I wonder how many of us would truly embrace it in a way that affects our behavior? Doing so doesn't come easily.

Colossians 1:16 says, "All things were created through Him and for Him." Through Christ and for Christ. Some people have a hard time with that. They're like, "I can handle the fact that He created the universe, but I have a hard time with Him creating the universe for Himself. Who does He think He is? His glory? His pleasure? His purpose? Is that ever prideful! How self-centered can you get?!" Listen. The amazing thing is not that Jesus Christ created us for Himself. The amazing thing is that He cares at all. The amazing thing is that He has chosen in His incredible grace to love us, to dwell with us, to forgive us? The list goes on.

Think about your life. Think about His persistent love. Think about how faithfully He pursues you in spite of yourself. The next time you sin, reject or ignore Him, how amazing is it that He just doesn't walk away and say, "Forget you!" We are here to bring Him glory and to make Him known. He is our purpose and we find our greatest joy when He is at the center of our lives.

We love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

The Measure Of The Family

"Says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people." (Jeremiah 31:1)

WE ARE FAMILY...

When someone rises to a high position in world leadership and influence, the first information the world wants to know is,"What is the family history?"

Upon reading just a few of the volumes of biographies of well~known people, we will quickly sense that indeed the family ~ the home and the individuals in it ~ or the lack of family ~ greatly influences the actions and life~changing decisions of adults and young people. It makes them who they are, and, in turn, the family molds and shapes future generations.

Name the person or persons who have shaped our world in art or music, politics or science. Look beyond those persons to the families and homes that molded them.

We cannot fully measure the effect of the family, any family. Like the wake of a ship that leaves an unending ripple in an enormous sea, a family influence can extent far beyond our sight or knowledge.

How can you and I measure the influence upon us of the families that lived before our time? Our ancestors? Or even those who are not in direct line, but whose lives affected those who were?

Something to think about...God Bless You and Your Family!

Give Time To Quietness

"The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)

The fight that we have been called to is not an easy fight. we are touching the very center of the enemy's power and kingdom, and he hates us intensely and fights hard against us. Without being disciplined soldiers, utterly out~and~out and uncompromising, men and women of prayer...we have no chance of winning in this fight. These battles belong to the Lord, He wants to fight them for us and through us.

To do so we first and most important, must give MUCH time to quietness. We have to get our help directly from our God. We are here to help, not to be helped, and we must learn to walk with God alone and feed on His Word so as to be nourished.

Don't only read and pray, LISTEN. "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)

Don't evade the slightest whisper of guidance that comes. May God make you very sensitive, and very obedient.

Fill up the crevices of time with the things that matter most. This will cost something, but it is worth it! "Seek ye My face, My heart said unto thee, Thy face Lord, will I seek." Psalm 27:8)

All this will be, if you walk with Him as with a visible Companion, from dawn through all the hours until you go to sleep at night. And your nights will be holy, too, for He is watching over your sleep as your mother watched over it when you were a tiny child.

"He will give His angels charge over you." (Psalm 91:11)

Restoration

Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock. (Jer. 31:10)



Restoration is the reason Jesus came to earth. He came not only to redeem us from the fall ~ as essential and wonderful as that was. Redemption was just the first step in God’s ultimate plan for us. Redemption was not the end but only a recovery program, incorporated to return us to God’s large purposes, which He planned from the beginning. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us. (Luke 1:69) Salvation is an all-inclusive term. It means “to deliver, protect, heal, preserve, make whole.” In other words, “restore.”

God wants to make us whole, that is why Jesus suffered and died! Jesus, the Creator of the universe, died to restore that which He created, and He bore more than just our sins. He suffered death that we might experience peace, healing, and a sense of purpose or destiny, all of which are necessary for wholeness. Restoration is at the heart of the gospel because it expresses the very heart of the Father.

I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. (Phil. 4:11)

Paul, denied of every comfort, wrote those words in his dungeon. A story is told of a king who went into his garden one morning and found everything withered and dying. He asked the oak that stood near the gate what the trouble was. He found it was sick of life and determined to die because it was not tall and beautiful like the pine.

The pine was all out of heart because it could not bear grapes like the vine. The vine was going to throw it’s life away because it could not stand erect and have as fine fruit as the peach tree, and so on all through the garden.

Coming to a heart’s~ease, he found it’s bright face lifted as cheery, as ever. Well, heart’s~ease, I’m glad amidst all this discouragement, to find one brave little flower. You do not seem to be the least disheartened. No, I am not of much account, but I thought that if you wanted an oak, or a pine, or a peach tree, or a lilac, you would of planted one; but as I knew you wanted a heart’s~ease, I am determined to be the best little heart’s~ease that I can.

They who are God’s without reserve, are in every state content; for they will only want His wills, and desire to do for Him whatever He desires them to do; they strip themselves of everything, and in this nakedness find all things restored an hundredfold.

Here am I Lord, restore me I pray.