Encouraging and empowering people to live victorious lives in Christ

Posts tagged ‘Jesus Christ’

What are you grateful today?

If you’ve been listening to the news lately, you know that there is a lot going on around the world as well as in our local communities. And we have such busy lives that sometimes we can’t keep up with ourselves!  It can be overwhelming to take it all in.  When I write to you, I often challenge you to make plans and work on your goals so you can achieve what you are called to do. Today, I want to encourage you to do something simple:  be grateful.

No matter what’s happening around us, no matter what’s going on in our lives, there is SOMETHING that we can be thankful for!  It could be our children, our families, our health, good weather, food in the refrigerator or a job.  Whatever it is, and no matter how or big or small, we can be grateful!  Our lives may not be all we want them to be, but we can be grateful for the desire to be better today than we were yesterday!

One of the things I’m thankful for today is cooler weather!  After I write this message, I plan to go for a walk and enjoy the fall temperatures.  

What are you grateful for today? 

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

Compassion and Kindness: A Beacon of Light

In one of the online devotionals I read during the week, the scripture came from the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).  It’s a familiar passage, but as I read it a few days ago, it really resonated with me in a different way.  

You probably know the story: while a man was traveling, he was assaulted by robbers and left for dead. Two religious leaders passed by without helping him, but a Samaritan man (considered to be an outcast in Jewish society) was the one who had compassion for the injured person.  The Samaritan helped the injured man, brought him to a place of safety and instructed an innkeeper to care for him (and provided money for his care).  He went out of his way to help this man and showed compassion and kindness to him.

It’s not enough to read these stories and agree how good they are. 🙂  They should cause us to evaluate our own lives.  How compassionate am I? How kind am I? Am I more concerned about myself and how I may be inconvenienced when presented with the opportunity to help someone?  When we are compassionate and kind, we are demonstrating God’s love for others. 

Our kindness doesn’t have to be something as extravagant as what the Samaritan did for the injured man. Earlier today, I called into my benefits center to ask a question. When I explained my situation (my question was regarding something I was expecting to receive as a result of my separation from my former company), before the representative answered my question, she expressed her sympathy regarding my separation from the company.  It was kind of her to be concerned about how I was feeling after this life changing event.  And it didn’t take much effort for her to share that with me.  While I am doing well in this new season, she didn’t know that and wanted me to know that she cared!

What can you do today to show kindness and compassion to someone?  I encourage you to be intentional about this; you never know what the person on the other end of your kindness needs in that moment.  Our compassion can be a beacon of hope in a dark moment in time. Our kindness can be just the thing that person needs to change a negative outlook into a positive one!    Be the light of kindness and compassion today!

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

Dealing with Disappointment

Whenever I write, I am writing from my own experiences, and this post is no different. My hope is that when I write, I can bless someone else who may be going through the same thing that I am (or have).

disappointment

Disappointment is a feeling that at some time or another we all experience. We may be disappointed that our favorite sport team didn’t win like we thought they would, or we may feel disappointed when we’re planning a trip to the beach, but the weather forecast calls for rain all day. At the moment, these turn of events negatively affect us, but soon we’re over it and on to the next thing….we continue to root for our favorite team (or change teams) or we change our plans and decide to hit the beach another day. These are what most people would consider minor, but what about those disappointments that are not so minor?

Here are a few examples of the kind of disappointments I’m talking about: the person we planned to spend the rest of our lives with decides he or she no longer wants to be married to us; one of our children didn’t turn out the way we raised them to; the life that we envisioned growing up is not what we’re currently experiencing, and there seems to be no hope for things turning around in our favor. This list can go on, but you get my point. We just don’t ‘get over’ these major disappointments in our lives, but we have to somehow find a way to deal with them. If we don’t what will become of our lives? Will we be in a perpetual state of misery because things didn’t turn out the way we wanted them to?

I don’t believe God wants us to live this way. Just like the title of this site states, I believe God wants us to have a victorious journey. And it’s through Him (and only Him) that we can experience this.

So, how do we deal with disappointment? We can first cry out to God and be honest about how we feel. It’s ok to ask questions and wonder why circumstances didn’t turn out the way we’d hoped, planned and prayed. And certainly, if God created and maintains the universe, then He can handle our questions. Check out the example of David in the Psalms: “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.” (Psalm 18:6 NIV) What a blessing it is to know that in our distress we can call out to the Lord, and not only that, we can rest assured that he does hear us. Our cries are not falling on deaf ears!

We can also go to the Word of God to remind ourselves of God’s promises to us. Look at what Peter writes to the early church (this also applies to us): “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”(2 Peter 1:4, NIV) One of the key words in this passage (in my opinion is ‘knowledge.’ We have everything we need for a godly life through the knowledge of God, and we obtain that knowledge from the Word of God (remember this scripture: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”? Romans 10:17)

Lastly, we should trust God and His word. When we are in the throes of experiencing disappointment, this is when our faith comes in. We’ve read the word, we’ve prayed, and now we must trust that God knows exactly what he’s doing. Even if things never change, if we never receive the desire of our heart, we can rest assured that God said he would “never leave us nor forsake us.” (Hebrews 13:5b) This scripture in particular has helped me navigate through disappointment, and it helps remind that God really does have a plan for my life, and that’s it’s in His hands to make it come to pass.

This post is a bit longer than I would normally write, but it’s particularly relevant to me. Although the idea of this topic came to me months ago, it’s very interesting to know that I’ve only been led to write it today, 2 days after Mother’s Day Not having had the experience of motherhood, this particular Mother’s Day was very difficult for me. So again, I’m writing this, not as just glib points, but real life experiences. I may never receive the desire of my heart in this area, but I’m TRUSTING that God’s plan for my life is perfect and that He will not leave me or forsake me.

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

I’m Already Complete

A dream I had this morning left me feeling odd.  In this dream, I was searching for something that would bring me peace and contentment.    I was literally trying everything I could to find this desired state, and finally, after munch struggle, I found it.  It was a little girl.  And when I found this little girl, I knew she was what I’d been looking for, and I began to release all the other things I’d tried in search of satisfaction. 

Searching

Well, who among us can’t relate to searching for something that seems to elude us, but we believe that once we get it, it will completely fill and satisfy us.  It could be that career, that relationship, that fortune, that house…it could be any number of things.  We think that if we just get that thing, all will be well with us and the world.  But time and time again, we’ve been disappointed and discouraged.  If we finally receive the thing we believe is the panacea for the lack of peace in our lives, we soon come to realize that it isn’t!  So we go on a search for the next thing, and the pattern repeats itself.

I believe the message from that dream is that Jesus is the One thing that can fully complete us. Colossians 2:10 (KJV) says “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.”  The NIV says that “in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.”    According to Clarke’s Commentary on this verse, “the Colossians were empty – spoiled and deprived of every good, while following the empty philosophy and groundless traditions of Jewish and Gentile teachers; but since they had received Christ Jesus they were filled with him.”  Doesn’t that sound like us?  We are empty and trying to fill ourselves with any and everything, only to fall short every time.  In Jesus, we find our completion, contentment, and peace.

So what does that mean?  Do we stop striving for the dreams and goals we may have?  Absolutely not!  But we put those goals and dreams in their proper perspective.  They are designed to give us some level of satisfaction and fulfillment, but they are not meant to complete us.  Only Jesus can fill that space each of us has inside.  And when we’re feeling empty and alone, we should seek Him out in prayer, Bible reading, meditation or quiet time (instead of trying to fill that space ourselves). And when we will draw closer to him, James tells us that Jesus will draw closer to us (James 4:8). 

So today, I’m resting in the truth that I am already complete in Christ. I’m believing what Jesus said about seeking Him first and the kingdom of God. (Matthew 6:33) And I’ll strive to press into Him to remind myself that He is my source of peace and contentment.  Will you do the same?

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

It’s Storm Season…Are You Ready?

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. Matthew 7:24-27

 

Hurricane image

 

I live in West Central Florida, and from June 1 to November 30, we have to contend with hurricane season. As I write this, we’re about 6 weeks into the season.  Things have been quiet so far, but that could change at any moment.  Having been born and raised in New Orleans and now living in Florida, hurricane season is a part of life.  What can this weather phenomena teach Christians?  I’m glad you asked!

 

We know it’s possible that a storm will come

There are some years when the season is a quiet one, while other years, it’s crazy! But we know, based on scientific evidence, that a storm will come! In 2004, we dealt with 4 hurricanes back to back here in Florida that took just about the same path (right up the middle of the state).  Just as soon as we breathed a sigh of relief, there was another one on the way that we had to brace ourselves for.  It’s a proven fact that, because of the warmth of the water and other factors, these storms WILL form in the Gulf of Mexico and travel around the states surrounding the gulf, or to the states bordering the east coast of the United States.

Just like we know hurricanes will come, we Christians also know that the storms of life will come. James 1:2 tells us to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” (NIV, emphasis added)  James doesn’t say “if” trials come, but “when” they come.  Peter says in 1 Peter 4:12: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you” (KJV).  Just like we shouldn’t think it strange that a tropical storm or hurricane will form in the Gulf from June to November, we as Christians should not be surprised that storms and trials come in our lives.  So, if we know storms and trials are coming…

 

We need to be prepared for when a storm comes

During hurricane season, there are several ways to find out how to prepare for a storm.  The local city and county governments publish brochures and update their emergency preparedness websites, local TV stations air news specials, and local newspapers have entire sections dedicated to hurricane preparedness. When the storm hits, we know what to do (or we should know what to do), and there should be no excuse for lack of preparedness.  Unlike sections of the country that deal with tornados, when facing hurricanes, we have advanced warning.  We have the resources at our disposal to get ready, so we can prepare ourselves as best we can.

Christians also have advanced warning of impending storms (we already know that they will eventually come).  And we’ve been given instructions on how to get ready.  What are those instructions?  According to Jesus, we are to hear his words and put them into practice. As we read and hear the Word of God, we become more assured of the promises He’s made to us.  Our faith is growing as we study and meditate on his word, and we are becoming like “a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matt 7:24, NIV)  Although we don’t know the exact circumstances, we are shoring ourselves up for what will come.

 

We have an assurance that, despite the storm, all will be well

When a tropical storm or hurricane comes, there will be some after effects or consequences.  There could be flooding, downed power lines, interrupted phone service, and damage to our homes.  But if we’ve prepared properly, we’ve secured a generator, we’ve evacuated to a safer location, or we’ve stocked non-perishable food and water to have on hand until the comforts of home are restored.  We have what we need to face the consequences of the storm, and we know that eventually, things will get back to normal.

I’m sure you can see the parallel for the Christian!  J  Look what Peter says in 2 Peter 2:9a: “Now if [all these things are true, then be sure] the Lord knows how to rescue the godly out of temptations and trials.” (AMP)  Praise God, He know how to rescue us! Also, look at Jesus’ words to us: “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (Matt 7:25, NIV)  Despite the rain, wind, and streams, the house that was built on the rock remained, while the house that was built on sand fell.  The house on the rock remained because it was built on a solid foundation.  Rock is far more stable than sand, right?

Don’t be caught unawares, we know that a storm will come.  It’s our responsibility to prepare for impending storms when things are going well, not when the storm is barreling down on us.  And as we prepare for impending tests and trials, and build our spiritual house on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ, we are assured that we will be able to withstand the storms of life, because God has promised that we wouldd.

A storm is coming…are you ready?

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with: