God Cares about the Attitude of Our Heart!

Amos 5:14-15 CEVDCUS06

If you really want to live, you must stop doing wrong and start doing right. I, the Lord God All-Powerful, will then be on your side, just as you claim I am.  Choose good instead of evil! See that justice is done. Maybe I, the Lord All-Powerful, will be kind to what's left of your people.

When life is going great, we become prosperous and everything seems to be just right in our lives, that's when we really need to be careful! We can become complacent and be setting ourselves up for a downfall. We begin feeling less need for God and family in our lives...this can verily easily happen to any of us. We wind up hurting and blocking out the ones that are really the most important to us, without even realizing it. We pretend that everything is just right in our lives, while trying to satisfy our boss, self, friends, etc.

God created us with a need for a relationship with Him and our family....not isolation. He can see through our false appearances, even when others don't. God is more concerned with what our heart looks like on the inside and truly I believe our family does too, rather than our outward appearance to others. Maybe it's time we take a real close look at our situation, reconcile and make restitutions with the ones that we have hurt and neglected, along the way.

A Big Heart or a Big Head?

God uses the Bible to transform us...not just to inform us.

Rick Warren makes a good point, when he answered the question, what translation of The Bible is best...Rick answered,  "when you translate it into your life."

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

James 1:22 NLT

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

We All Can Use A Little Help Sometimes!

Ecclesiastes 4:12

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.

Our choice of who accompanies us in life’s journey can make all the difference in the world!

We all have times in our lives when we start feeling out of control, falling into sin, temptation, and trouble....that's why it's important for us to have relationships with others such as "our spouse, pastor, family member or a true Christian friend"....who can help guide us when our lives begin to spin out of control.

Forgiveness...Yes, Difficult, but Possible

Forgiveness...yes, seems difficult at times...maybe this will help, it did for me.

Matthew 18:21-22 NIRV

Peter came to Jesus. He asked, "Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"  Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but 77 times.

When we need to ask forgiveness from someone, we need to ask the Lord to give us a humble heart and a spirit willing to change. If we are being asked to forgive, we should ask the Lord to help us look to Him to help restore the person back in our heart without bitterness. The Lord will help us. He is on both sides. Let us pray that we keep His focus and His heart during the conflicts, and not our own.

Suffering? Remember God's Unfailing Love

No one is exempt from suffering. The people we think deserve it the least are often the ones faced with it. Whatever the situation or whenever our heart is breaking, God wants us to give our grief and sorrow to Him. He’s the one who mends broken hearts.

Jeremiah....known as the weeping prophet...watched as his nation was taken captive and almost completely destroyed, because of it's refusal to surrender to God. He cried out these words....as it took place.

Lamentations 3:18-20 NLT

I cry out, “My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!” The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.

Lamentations 3:21-23 NLT

Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

We all get in to feeling sorry for ourselves. But before we stay there, we must remember our hope: God’s love is unfailing....and it never ends!

Grown Men Do Cry and It's Ok

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. - John 14:27

Grief is the process that helps us release our pain and losses to God. In our grief, we come to terms with our past and we find freedom to live in the reality of the present. On the other side of grief, we’ll find hope for the future.
The prophet Jeremiah shared his grief and tears with God. So in his grief, he wrote the Old Testament book, Lamentations. When we read it, we find that Jeremiah didn’t mince his words or hide his pain. He weeps openly and fully, releasing his emotions to God. It’s a great example for us when we grieve our own losses.
 
Lamentations doesn’t provide pat answers for the suffering we’ll experience. When we read it, we discover that it’s all right to be real, to be angry, to be disappointed with life, and to be concerned about what tomorrow holds for us.

If Only........

3 John 1:4 NIV

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

I don't know about you...but I feel like I have had a blessed life. God has blessed me with a great family thst I love so much five super children and a beautiful granddaughter! He blessed me with an overall sucessfull career, etc. There are some things though in my life that "if only" I could go back and do differently. ..I would.

“If only......” is a haunting phrase. It implies that you failed and that you wish you could go back and do things differently.

When we dare to see the truth and accept responsibility for our life, we may feel sad and ashamed. We may regret our irresponsibility and destructive behavior, and wish to erase our past. The Bible is full of stories of regret. This Bible shows us how many of our troubles are a direct consequence of our irresponsibility.

When we are irresponsible in our relationship with God and others, our situation will grow progressively worse. The process of our spiritual renewal may start out painfully. When we confess the truth about ourself...it hurts. But as we begin to see the truth, speak the truth, and accept responsibility for our life...we’ll discover the great relief and hope that God offers.

When you are irresponsible in your relationship with God and others, your situation will grow progressively worse. The process of your spiritual renewal may start out painfully. When you confess the truth about yourself, it hurts. But as you begin to see the truth, speak the truth, and accept responsibility for your life, you’ll discover the great relief and hope that God offers.
 
“My one regret in life is that I’m not someone else.” -Woody Allen (1935-    ) Quote taken from a Daily New Life

5-30-2013 Just thinking......

This scripture really made me think as I read it over and over tonight..

2 Corinthians 5:10

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Though none of us will ever be perfect and we all struggle to live according to the moral and ethical teachings found throughout the Bible. We sometimes neglect what's truely important in life. I know that we will be forgiven for our sins and wrong doings...but once we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior shouldn't we repent "change" from our old ways and strive to do what's right according to God's Word. It doesn't take a college degree to know the difference between right and wrong. I don't remember how old I was when I realized the difference, but it was early in life...and that still did not stop me from doing a lot of wrong either...I realize it takes strength and God's help to overcome the temptation to do wrong...I don't know about you, but I still have a lot of right still left to do to even balance the scales.

On the day we stand before God, we’ll be judged based on what we did with Christ...then we’ll be rewarded for the works we have done in the flesh. So in this life, we need to take responsibility for our actions and stand up for and do what’s right.

I pray that God will give us a strong sense of personal responsibility to do what’s right when we are tempted to do wrong.As an individual...as parents...as a family...as a neighbor and as a nation.

Choices.....

This quotation kinda sums up how I have chosen to try to view and respond to the Trials and Tribulations in my life. A relationship with Jesus Christ helps me to become "The Victor" not "The Victim." It takes a lot of praying and meditation in order to help me turn some negatives in to positives. I think it will always....it seems to get easier in time. We'll see if it becomes a natual outlook..a second nature, if you will. One thing that's for sure...without a relationship with Jesus Christ...my Choices from a New Perspective would be virtually impossible.

Good Info!

http://bible.us/392/ROM12.12.CEVUS06 Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. Bible.com/app