2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
-Matthew 18:2-5
I miss Paola a lot. Who knew an eleven-year-old could teach so much to someone twice her age? Paola is a beautiful girl that I met at Hogar de Vida orphanage in Guatemala. I think of those children often and it is always with a sense of awe and admiration that I remember their love for our Lord.
Most people would walk through the streets and through the orphanage and see all the things that are missing in the lives of these people. Our missionary Dena, said that a big mistake that people make is wanting to give "America" to these children. They don't need America, they have Jesus.
These children have pure joy inside their hearts because they know the Lord and they live for Him. They find happiness in small things like swinging on a swing or swimming in the river. (el rio!) They are thankful, helpful, friendly, loving, and trusting to anyone who enters their home. Their unashamed passion for life in what is surely an imperfect world can only be a result of God's love.
They have so little in a physical sense. Few clothes, few possessions. The world would consider than poor or underprivileged. But they are rich where it counts. Their hearts are full. I prayed every day I was there that God would give me a grateful heart like these children. They have all they need because they cling to Jesus.
The last night of our visit, Paola was sitting on my lap around the campfire. While we were singing, I felt her reach down and slip something on my hand. When I looked down, I saw her purple bracelet on my wrist. One of her only personal possessions, and she gave it to me without a second thought. It's no wonder that God tells us we must become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven.
They radiate love and joy. Instead of complaining that they don't have their own room, whining that they have to do chores, or pitying themselves because they don't have parents, these children embrace life and praise God for what He has given them. Let's strive to be more like them. Instead of wishing for what we don't have, we need to count our blessings.
The only thing we truly need has been given to us by God through Jesus.
:-) Smile. The kids do it a lot.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Forgiveness
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
-Psalm 103: 8-12
The love of the Lord is hard for us to wrap our minds around. As high as the heavens are above the earth....so great is His love. It's INFINITE. Never ending. How do we comprehend something like that?
One of my teachers in high school used to say... "In the words of the American teenager....THAT'S NOT FAIR!!!" We often get mad when we think we don't get what we deserve.....but when you really think about it, we should THANK THE LORD for not giving us what we deserve. We are sinners, and if he "repay[ed] us according to our iniquities", it would not be pretty. He not only forgives our sins, he forgets them. He won't bring our mistakes back to haunt us the next time we make a mistake. The wrath of God was satisfied when Jesus died on the cross for our sins.
As one of my favorite songs says, "My sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow." I love the imagery in that line. As silly as it seems, I think about how badly blood stains clothes, or how anything red stains for that matter. (Ever left a red shirt or sock in the laundry with your whites? If so, you know what I mean.) There's no going back after a mistake like that. We might feel that way about our sins sometimes. As if our mistake was so terrible, we can never right our wrong. That may be true, but our mistakes are erased by the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I think of the beauty of freshly fallen snow, and what a miracle it is that we are redeemed by God. "My sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow..."
Take a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3o3DiMVdOI
Let's be thankful today that "life isn't fair".
And let's keep in mind how gracious and forgiving our God is the next time someone asks for our forgiveness. Just another way we can strive to be more like Jesus. :-)
Monday, November 15, 2010
Running the Race
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- Hebrews 12: 1-2
Anyone who grew up playing sports knows the importance of training, the effort required to reach goals, the competitive spirit that lies within an athlete. Many people can be good, only one can be the best. And in this world, there are trophies and Superbowl rings and riches and fame. But none of these things compare to the prize to be one in the race toward the kingdom of God.
"They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."
So think of yourself as an athlete, a runner in this race for righteousness. We cannot wander or run aimlessly, we must keep our eyes on the prize.
I was talking to a good friend about life being like a marathon. It is long, it is challenging, it is exhausting. There are downhill stretches and uphill stretches...but there is a prize at the end. If we sprint out of the gate, we will grow tired and most likely lose focus. We have to discipline ourselves to do what we can, when we can.
I was reminding my friend of these things, but he is actually the one that taught me this lesson. We used to run together often, and I admired his strong, consistent pace. I always had a tendency to sprint, and consequently my runs were short and didn't provide good exercise because I grew tired quickly. So what he probably doesn't realize, is that he taught me more than he even intended to....
We were running on a gorgeous spring day one time, and I was losing energy. I looked over and said, "You can go ahead, I don't think I can make it up that hill ahead of us." and he calmly looked at me and said "One step at a time, Renee. One step at a time." And I ran next to him all the way to the top of that hill. I had taken my eyes off the goal and focused too much on the challenges standing in my way. My friend helped me succeed at running that day, but also taught me a lesson that I still apply to my life. We have to take the race of life "one step at a time." We have to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" so that we do not lose sight of the goal of living for Him.
Jesus endured the cross for our sake. We, therefore, can gladly persevere and run the race for Him.
- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- Hebrews 12: 1-2
Anyone who grew up playing sports knows the importance of training, the effort required to reach goals, the competitive spirit that lies within an athlete. Many people can be good, only one can be the best. And in this world, there are trophies and Superbowl rings and riches and fame. But none of these things compare to the prize to be one in the race toward the kingdom of God.
"They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."
So think of yourself as an athlete, a runner in this race for righteousness. We cannot wander or run aimlessly, we must keep our eyes on the prize.
I was talking to a good friend about life being like a marathon. It is long, it is challenging, it is exhausting. There are downhill stretches and uphill stretches...but there is a prize at the end. If we sprint out of the gate, we will grow tired and most likely lose focus. We have to discipline ourselves to do what we can, when we can.
I was reminding my friend of these things, but he is actually the one that taught me this lesson. We used to run together often, and I admired his strong, consistent pace. I always had a tendency to sprint, and consequently my runs were short and didn't provide good exercise because I grew tired quickly. So what he probably doesn't realize, is that he taught me more than he even intended to....
We were running on a gorgeous spring day one time, and I was losing energy. I looked over and said, "You can go ahead, I don't think I can make it up that hill ahead of us." and he calmly looked at me and said "One step at a time, Renee. One step at a time." And I ran next to him all the way to the top of that hill. I had taken my eyes off the goal and focused too much on the challenges standing in my way. My friend helped me succeed at running that day, but also taught me a lesson that I still apply to my life. We have to take the race of life "one step at a time." We have to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" so that we do not lose sight of the goal of living for Him.
Jesus endured the cross for our sake. We, therefore, can gladly persevere and run the race for Him.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
The Opposition...
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings."
-1 Peter 5: 8-9
Sometimes it happens when we are struggling and feeling far away from God. Sometimes the opportunity for him to sneak in occurs when we are feeling awesome.... Either way, the enemy is always looking for opportunities to work his evil into our minds and our lives. He does not have our best interest in mind, he wants to pull us away from our Lord. He has tricky ways of making evil things look very appealing to us.
I was talking to a friend recently, and he was telling me that it is sometimes when we are feeling closest to God that the devil is able to deceive us. I think that makes a lot of sense. When we are comfortable, we are not "alert" to the dangers of the devil.
In this passage of Peter, Satan is likened to a roaring lion. He is hungry and will not stop looking for ways to bring you down. He will hunt through our lives until he finds a weak spot to prey upon. And if we are running from him alone? Yes, he will certainly catch us and bring us down. But if we stand firm in our faith, we have God on our side and that makes all the difference. He is our Faithful father that loves us and He will save us.
It reminds me a lot of a scene from an awesome movie, The Lion King :-) Simba gets himself into a bad situation with the hyenas and it looks as if he and Nala will not escape alive. His father comes to save him.... take a look!
long version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGQ8PSGdfrg&playnext=1&list=PLD7DE90A98B2AB8A1&index=44
short version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x49NwjnwDUw&feature=related
Even when we disobey our Father, He will always rescue us because He loves us unconditionally. We must cling to Him and learn to obey Him so that we are not tempted by evil!
:-)
-1 Peter 5: 8-9
Sometimes it happens when we are struggling and feeling far away from God. Sometimes the opportunity for him to sneak in occurs when we are feeling awesome.... Either way, the enemy is always looking for opportunities to work his evil into our minds and our lives. He does not have our best interest in mind, he wants to pull us away from our Lord. He has tricky ways of making evil things look very appealing to us.
I was talking to a friend recently, and he was telling me that it is sometimes when we are feeling closest to God that the devil is able to deceive us. I think that makes a lot of sense. When we are comfortable, we are not "alert" to the dangers of the devil.
In this passage of Peter, Satan is likened to a roaring lion. He is hungry and will not stop looking for ways to bring you down. He will hunt through our lives until he finds a weak spot to prey upon. And if we are running from him alone? Yes, he will certainly catch us and bring us down. But if we stand firm in our faith, we have God on our side and that makes all the difference. He is our Faithful father that loves us and He will save us.
It reminds me a lot of a scene from an awesome movie, The Lion King :-) Simba gets himself into a bad situation with the hyenas and it looks as if he and Nala will not escape alive. His father comes to save him.... take a look!
long version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGQ8PSGdfrg&playnext=1&list=PLD7DE90A98B2AB8A1&index=44
short version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x49NwjnwDUw&feature=related
Even when we disobey our Father, He will always rescue us because He loves us unconditionally. We must cling to Him and learn to obey Him so that we are not tempted by evil!
:-)
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Powerful Prayer
15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
-James 5:15-16
The power of prayer never ceases to amaze me. Even the simplest honest sentence spoken to God can make a difference. And praying for each other? It just multiplies the blessings that God gives us.
The Word of God tells us here in James that the Lord will raise us up if we pray faithfully. He listens. He is always listening. When I am struggling, I know I can take anything to Him in prayer. Do I pray often enough? No. But I'm trying. I want to talk to God constantly throughout my day. I hope I can get there.
I was questioning lately my tendency to ask others for prayer in times of need. I was wondering why I felt the need to ask for prayer....was I being lazy? getting them to do it for me? couldn't I just do it myself? Well yes, I can pray. And I do. But God tells us here to pray for each other, to share our sins and our struggles, and I have witnessed the power of that.
We need our friends - our brothers and sisters in Christ to lift us up and to hold us accountable. God knows just what we need, and so if we ask, He will give it to us. Sometimes it comes in the form of those friends....I firmly believe He brings people into our lives for a reason. I am thankful for the awesome ones He has blessed me with.
"The prayer of a righteous person is powerful."
And I always try to remember....Sometimes an "unanswered" prayer is just a prayer that God is answering in a different way than we expected. It doesn't mean He's not listening, it just means that He knows what we need better than we do. :)
-James 5:15-16
The power of prayer never ceases to amaze me. Even the simplest honest sentence spoken to God can make a difference. And praying for each other? It just multiplies the blessings that God gives us.
The Word of God tells us here in James that the Lord will raise us up if we pray faithfully. He listens. He is always listening. When I am struggling, I know I can take anything to Him in prayer. Do I pray often enough? No. But I'm trying. I want to talk to God constantly throughout my day. I hope I can get there.
I was questioning lately my tendency to ask others for prayer in times of need. I was wondering why I felt the need to ask for prayer....was I being lazy? getting them to do it for me? couldn't I just do it myself? Well yes, I can pray. And I do. But God tells us here to pray for each other, to share our sins and our struggles, and I have witnessed the power of that.
We need our friends - our brothers and sisters in Christ to lift us up and to hold us accountable. God knows just what we need, and so if we ask, He will give it to us. Sometimes it comes in the form of those friends....I firmly believe He brings people into our lives for a reason. I am thankful for the awesome ones He has blessed me with.
"The prayer of a righteous person is powerful."
And I always try to remember....Sometimes an "unanswered" prayer is just a prayer that God is answering in a different way than we expected. It doesn't mean He's not listening, it just means that He knows what we need better than we do. :)
Friday, November 5, 2010
Trying to Be More Like Christ
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.
Philippians 3:10
I think a little differently about ministry and spreading the Gospel. I'm not going to go shouting through the streets, or forcing the Gospel on those who are not ready to hear it. I don't mean to criticize these enthusiastic approaches, it's just not my style. I think it's our responsibility to be as Christ-like as we can. We're called to express our joys (the hope we have in Jesus) and use even our little everyday actions to glorify God. The trend of WWJD? bracelets is past it's prime, but it's still the best question to ask when faced with a tough situation.
What would Jesus do? Would He look past appearance to the heart? Would He forgive 70x7 times the man who wronged Him? Would He put the needs of others before His own? Would He give His life for those who did nothing to deserve forgiveness? Would He take up the cross for you?
Jesus did all of these things. He sufferred for us. So what is a part of being more like Christ? Sufferring. "the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings..." In order to be like our Savior, we have to accept the hardships that come our way. It's easy to wish away challenges, but as one of my favorite songs says "God gave s mountains so we could learn how to climb." If we cling to our Lord, He will give us the strength we need. Talk to Jesus. He's been there. Suffering is essential for us to Truly KNOW Christ and the awesome power of His resurrection.
Philippians 3:10
I think a little differently about ministry and spreading the Gospel. I'm not going to go shouting through the streets, or forcing the Gospel on those who are not ready to hear it. I don't mean to criticize these enthusiastic approaches, it's just not my style. I think it's our responsibility to be as Christ-like as we can. We're called to express our joys (the hope we have in Jesus) and use even our little everyday actions to glorify God. The trend of WWJD? bracelets is past it's prime, but it's still the best question to ask when faced with a tough situation.
What would Jesus do? Would He look past appearance to the heart? Would He forgive 70x7 times the man who wronged Him? Would He put the needs of others before His own? Would He give His life for those who did nothing to deserve forgiveness? Would He take up the cross for you?
Jesus did all of these things. He sufferred for us. So what is a part of being more like Christ? Sufferring. "the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings..." In order to be like our Savior, we have to accept the hardships that come our way. It's easy to wish away challenges, but as one of my favorite songs says "God gave s mountains so we could learn how to climb." If we cling to our Lord, He will give us the strength we need. Talk to Jesus. He's been there. Suffering is essential for us to Truly KNOW Christ and the awesome power of His resurrection.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
To Seek and Pursue Him
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
-Psalm 34:10-14
"Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing". How awesome is that? God will provide. He will sustain us. He will not leave us in want or in need. All we long for can be found in Him.
If only it were so easy... We need to seek Him. Our hearts must yearn for him and we must be obedient to His will. To turn from evil is sometimes the hardest thing to do. Satan tries every day to deceive us. He would like nothing more than to see us turn away from God. Do not let yourself be fooled. Pray that God will help you discern truth from deceit.
The last line of this passage is I think both the most important part and the most difficult part. "Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." We have often come to like some of the things in our lives that have evil roots. It's hard to let go. If was easy, everyone would do it. It's not easy, but if we ask for help, God will provide. He will guide us and He will be faithful.
This is a Native American story that I think applies here. . .
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all."
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment,
inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather:
"Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied,
"The one you feed."
Feed the good "wolf" inside of you. Smile at others. Be kind to those in need. Show compassion. Be honest. Share your faith. Hold onto hope. And love.
Make sure the God's GOODness triumphs in this world. Be a part of it. :-)
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