He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. -Mark 16:15-16 This is one area I am not the best at, I am not horrible at witnessing (when I use God as my co-pilot), but many times I let fear enter me and chicken out. It seems now that I am out of the Navy, all my friends are Christians and I have fallen into a comfortable place where I do not have the need to tell others about Jesus. I need to follow the model Jesus set for me and hang out with the non-saved. I need to follow the model Jesus set for me and be courageous and tell people the Gospel or “Good News”. I need to follow the model Jesus set for me and deliver the message with a kind heart and at times just meeting the physical needs of others. But I need to do something besides sit on the sidelines. At the end of my life I do not want to sit and wonder why I didn't talk to someone about Jesus and save their life, the life that is important, the everlasting life, not this temporary one. This is my prayer for myself and you all. “Lord I beg of you to make right all the missed opportunities to spread your word. I pray that you will set up encounters for me to share and I pray that you give me the right words that will feed your flock. In Jesus name I pray these things, Amen”
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 By trusting in God instead of our own decisions and ideas we open the door for Him to fill us with the Holy Spirit and to work in our lives the way He desires, with us and inside us. He will guide us to where we should go if we just let Him. Now there is a difference between trusting in God and simply believing in Him. So often we rely on our own gut instinct thinking that because we are Christians and believe in Him that our gut instinct must be in keeping with God’s plan. The problem with that is even though we are God’s children, we are also a part of a sinful world and more often than not our gut instinct stems from what we have learned here rather than through His word. It may work sometimes, but the only true way to live for Him is to trust and rely on God to direct our paths. When we focus on His truth and put our trust in Him we are filled with joy and peace in our lives. That doesn't mean our lives will be a cake walk, but with God by our side we will continue to have that inner joy and peace in our hearts knowing that He is there to walk us through whatever comes our way. Our God is a God of hope, He keeps His word and we can trust in His judgments always. I pray that we not just believe in Him but also that we put our trust in Him so that He may direct our paths and show us the true peace, joy and hope of living with Him inside us can bring.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 The Word is God and to think that He chose to come here to live among us. To think He chose to feel pain, sorrow, hurt and even temptation. To think that even though He was perfect, without blemish or sin, He chose to endure this cruel fallen world. To think that he did this for us, meaning you, me, and everybody here on earth for all time. To think this is truly amazing and beyond anything I could ever ask for and more than I could ever deserve. He gave us this ultimate gift of grace and love. Let us remember that and praise His name.
(Due to sickness and getting in the habit of the posting routine, we have fallen a bit behind. We have both set reminders so this won't happen again. We apologize to any followers and are posting the last two days even tho they have passed as we would still like the 96 days covered) Friday, December 28, 2012 And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior" Luke 1:46-47 When given the news about the burden she would have to bear in becoming the virgin mother to God's son and the trials she would have to face, Mary did not shy away and turn bitter or get down in despair with doubt and fear. She instead was convinced that God was doing a great work in her life to use her as the most blessed woman and she burst into a song of praise. Her heart overflowed with joy, and not because her situation was favorable, on the contrary, she was about to embark on a difficult and trying journey, but because she had God in her heart and trusted in Him to guide her. God calls us to obey His plan for our lives and serve for His purpose. We need to trust in Him and remember that He protects us, He is with us and He is inside us always, despite what troubles or blessings we are experiencing. May God fill our hearts with songs of joy as we see His amazing grace on us as we continue to celebrate His birth this Christmas season as well as always. I hope we are like Mary and our souls glorify the Lord and our spirits rejoice in God, our Savior.
(Due to sickness and getting in the habit of the posting routine, we have fallen a bit behind. We have both set reminders so this won't happen again. We apologize to any followers and are posting the last two days even tho they have passed as we would still like the 96 days covered) Thursday, December 27, 2012 ...and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." Matthew 2:2
There are signs all over that point to Christ but most of the times we are too blinded by our own plans and agenda to see them. I pray that our eyes may be opened and that when we see those signs everywhere, that we don't ignore them but listen to them. They are filled with the Holy Spirit calling us to come to Him. So next time we see something that reminds us of our Father, let us go to Him, for now is the time to worship and praise Him!
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
This Child born to us was no ordinary baby that is for sure. He was God's son and would bear the weight of the world on his shoulders. His name was Jesus, but He was known by many more names that that. Names of love, greatness, and power. Regardless of what you call Him, His birth, life and death are the reason we have hope in this world. He is my Heavenly Father and truly an awesome God.
Whatever the problem, whatever the question, He is always the answer. Thank you Jesus, Son of God, Mighty Lord, Heavenly Father, Prince of Peace, my Savior, my God... my everything.
For the next 96 days I am going to post a Bible verse a day, and a small summery of why I decided to post the verses. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11
Of course I have to start with the announcement of our savior. I know He wasn't actually born on December 25, but it is the day we celebrate His birth. I know a couple of people who do not celebrate their birthdays on the actual day they were born, in fact most of the time, in our family, unless their birthday lands on a weekend, they pick a convenient day during the weekend to celebrate it. So the date is not as important as the understanding that we are celebrating His birth and arrival. An arrival that changed the world completely. There will always be the argument of which is more important, Christmas or Easter, and honestly they both tie in my book. The gift of salvation requires both events to happen, the arrival had to happen for the later to occur. I am grateful for the gift Jesus has given me. The Bible verse I chose to start this blog with is from the book of Luke and the announcement of Jesus.
