Proverbs 29:23
The Message
23 Pride lands you flat on your face;
humility prepares you for honors.
Just a thought here today regarding pride and humility. At a quick glance, someone who is exercising pride in their life can sometimes come across as someone we think of as having a "strong" personality. While the humble can be mistaken for "weak."
The interesting point I would like to make is that it is actually quite the opposite. The proud are very weak, and the humble are very strong.
For this very simple reason: pride can be broken, but humility cannot - because it already is and therein lies its strength.
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Apply the Love and Know God
1 Peter 4:8
Amplified Bible Classic
Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins (forgives and disregards the offenses of others)
This subject is a recurring one in my head. Some days it seems easy, some days it's really, really hard. But the conviction I feel in my own life has been building lately, and this morning it was not to be ignored.
You see, I, like probably most of you, have been hurt, disappointed, offended, disrespected - you name it. I have felt rejected - even when dishing out my own versions of love and acceptance of others. I have felt ignored by family and friends. I have felt unsupported by those that I (rightfully) expect it from. And sometimes, maybe I am justified in my feelings. While many times these offences are most likely not intentional, maybe sometimes they are.
The struggle in my own head is a basic human nature one - whether or not someone deserves my love, my forgiveness.
This is where the conviction comes in. As the thoughts of these things floated around my head this morning, I knew that if I am not abiding by this scripture, then I am not a Christ follower. The Bible says that God is love. (1 John 4:7-8) And it very clearly states that if I don't love, I don't know God.
Then I think about the love and forgiveness I need from God. And I think about how He provided that on the cross, bleeding, hurting, suffering - all while I was undeserving. How then do I think love and forgiveness is going to be any easier for me?
We can feel and be justified in our hurts and offenses, Jesus certainly was. But if we are true followers of Him, we will submit our human nature and take on His - which is love. It hurts. But just like Jesus knew, we can know that there is joy in the end. The peace we can experience when we follow His example is amazing.
I'm a work in progress, sometimes it takes me a minute to get it right. But with conviction, prayer and practice, the goal is to automatically apply the love and know God.
Amplified Bible Classic
Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins (forgives and disregards the offenses of others)
This subject is a recurring one in my head. Some days it seems easy, some days it's really, really hard. But the conviction I feel in my own life has been building lately, and this morning it was not to be ignored.
You see, I, like probably most of you, have been hurt, disappointed, offended, disrespected - you name it. I have felt rejected - even when dishing out my own versions of love and acceptance of others. I have felt ignored by family and friends. I have felt unsupported by those that I (rightfully) expect it from. And sometimes, maybe I am justified in my feelings. While many times these offences are most likely not intentional, maybe sometimes they are.
The struggle in my own head is a basic human nature one - whether or not someone deserves my love, my forgiveness.
This is where the conviction comes in. As the thoughts of these things floated around my head this morning, I knew that if I am not abiding by this scripture, then I am not a Christ follower. The Bible says that God is love. (1 John 4:7-8) And it very clearly states that if I don't love, I don't know God.
Then I think about the love and forgiveness I need from God. And I think about how He provided that on the cross, bleeding, hurting, suffering - all while I was undeserving. How then do I think love and forgiveness is going to be any easier for me?
We can feel and be justified in our hurts and offenses, Jesus certainly was. But if we are true followers of Him, we will submit our human nature and take on His - which is love. It hurts. But just like Jesus knew, we can know that there is joy in the end. The peace we can experience when we follow His example is amazing.
I'm a work in progress, sometimes it takes me a minute to get it right. But with conviction, prayer and practice, the goal is to automatically apply the love and know God.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
About To Pass By
Mark 6:48-52
Contemporary English Version
He could see that the disciples were struggling hard, because they were rowing against the wind. Not long before morning, Jesus came toward them. He was walking on the water and was about to pass the boat. When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they thought he was a ghost, and they started screaming. All of them saw him and were terrified. But at the same time he said, "Don't worry! I am Jesus. Don't be afraid." He then got into the boat with them, and the wind died down. The disciples were completely confused. Their minds were closed, and they could not understand the true meaning of the loaves of bread.
I was reading this passage of scripture this morning and I noticed something about this story that I hadn't seen before. It says that Jesus was walking on the water and about to pass the boat. But they noticed him and actually thought he was a ghost, which basically freaked them out - clearly they weren't expecting him, or looking for him.
He, of course, said it’s me, don’t be afraid. He then got into the boat with them and calmed the wind.
It dawned on me that maybe in our own lives, Jesus is passing by and we don’t even notice. Are we sometimes too distracted by our “storm” to see him? Do we not expect him, or look for him? Is it because we so easily forget all the times he has been there before? I suspect we all have missed him when he was right there.
The Bible says they cried out, and I can only image that they were calling his name. Once they did this, Jesus came into their situation, and he calmed it. I think we could apply that to our lives today, invite him into our situations, call his name - I think he waits on us. Don’t let him pass by.
Contemporary English Version
He could see that the disciples were struggling hard, because they were rowing against the wind. Not long before morning, Jesus came toward them. He was walking on the water and was about to pass the boat. When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they thought he was a ghost, and they started screaming. All of them saw him and were terrified. But at the same time he said, "Don't worry! I am Jesus. Don't be afraid." He then got into the boat with them, and the wind died down. The disciples were completely confused. Their minds were closed, and they could not understand the true meaning of the loaves of bread.
I was reading this passage of scripture this morning and I noticed something about this story that I hadn't seen before. It says that Jesus was walking on the water and about to pass the boat. But they noticed him and actually thought he was a ghost, which basically freaked them out - clearly they weren't expecting him, or looking for him.
He, of course, said it’s me, don’t be afraid. He then got into the boat with them and calmed the wind.
It dawned on me that maybe in our own lives, Jesus is passing by and we don’t even notice. Are we sometimes too distracted by our “storm” to see him? Do we not expect him, or look for him? Is it because we so easily forget all the times he has been there before? I suspect we all have missed him when he was right there.
The Bible says they cried out, and I can only image that they were calling his name. Once they did this, Jesus came into their situation, and he calmed it. I think we could apply that to our lives today, invite him into our situations, call his name - I think he waits on us. Don’t let him pass by.
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Past, Present, Future
Philippians 3:13-14
Easy-to-Read Version
Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven.
The Past. We all have one. And most of us spend a lifetime dealing with the "fall-out" of it. The majority of us have things from our past that has hurt, traumatized, shamed or debilitated us in some way. And we spend a lot of time trying to fix or cover it up. This is what can make living in the present painful, and the thought of the future unbearable sometimes.
And unless you believe in time-travel, you will never be able to "fix" the past. The things and experiences that happened before - already happened. There's no changing them. It is done.
However, this does not mean that there isn't a "fix." It's just that the fix has to be applied to the present, which will automatically affect the future. My belief is that the past should be dealt with and identified for what it is. If there is a hurt or wound, however traumatic, the sooner it is identified as that, the better.
The past issues can be put into their place, to learn and grown from. And once the place for "the past" has been identified, one can move on to the present. It is possible to live triumphantly today. As I read the scripture in Philippians, I see a choice, either live with regret and grief over the past, or reach for the goal before me. I submit to the reader that they both take the same amount of energy - but take you to two completely different places.
The Past should be a limited part of our lives and put away. Today can be lived free from the chains of it. The future is still to be lived with the choice of direction. Turn away from the past and choose your path towards the finish line.
P.S. The author understands that this short post regarding the past may seem to minimize the path to the present and the future. There is no minimizing trauma and wounds, nor the path through healing. Healing from Jesus is the only way to fix how the past affects us. And healing can be painful because of the growth that happens in the process. But it is worth it. ♥
Easy-to-Read Version
Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven.
The Past. We all have one. And most of us spend a lifetime dealing with the "fall-out" of it. The majority of us have things from our past that has hurt, traumatized, shamed or debilitated us in some way. And we spend a lot of time trying to fix or cover it up. This is what can make living in the present painful, and the thought of the future unbearable sometimes.
And unless you believe in time-travel, you will never be able to "fix" the past. The things and experiences that happened before - already happened. There's no changing them. It is done.
However, this does not mean that there isn't a "fix." It's just that the fix has to be applied to the present, which will automatically affect the future. My belief is that the past should be dealt with and identified for what it is. If there is a hurt or wound, however traumatic, the sooner it is identified as that, the better.
The past issues can be put into their place, to learn and grown from. And once the place for "the past" has been identified, one can move on to the present. It is possible to live triumphantly today. As I read the scripture in Philippians, I see a choice, either live with regret and grief over the past, or reach for the goal before me. I submit to the reader that they both take the same amount of energy - but take you to two completely different places.
The Past should be a limited part of our lives and put away. Today can be lived free from the chains of it. The future is still to be lived with the choice of direction. Turn away from the past and choose your path towards the finish line.
P.S. The author understands that this short post regarding the past may seem to minimize the path to the present and the future. There is no minimizing trauma and wounds, nor the path through healing. Healing from Jesus is the only way to fix how the past affects us. And healing can be painful because of the growth that happens in the process. But it is worth it. ♥
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