What Was Your Name???

Stay tuned for a post under this heading.  I'll give you a little taste...

I've only been a Christian for 5 years.  I've done it all, including spending night after night in my lost state, giving myself away, physically and emotionally.  Not to long ago, I spoke with someone who was an important part of my past.  It wasn't too long ago that I spent 2 years of my life with this man.  The conversation was great.  We bantered back and forth just like old times and I remembered the deceitful charm that he had back then.  About 10 minutes into the conversation, he said..."Sum, what was your last name again...?"

I sat still on the other end of the line thinking about how audacious the enemy is and how foolish we are when we fall for his "deceitful charm".  As wonderful as it would be to blame the enemy for everything, the Bible says that we are led away by our own wicked desires.  Again....tough pill to swallow.  Hopefully I will be able to sit down and update this post very soon.  Until then, remember this.  Remember that each time you give in, WILLFULLY, to sin, making provision for the flesh, that you are serving darkness rather than light and that one day, your beloved, whom you sold yourself for, will turn to you and say...."what was your name?" mocking you, shaming you and moving on to the next.  Instead, serve the One who knew your name before time began and who has called or is calling you to believe.  Call on the one name above all names, one that will NEVER BE FORGOTTEN...His name is Jesus.  Praise the Lord for such an awesome Redeemer!!! 

Purity Matters

Just A Bad Day?

Your dog died.  Your Husband left. Someone stole your car.  Your Wife is cheating. You're STILL single. You need a vacation.  You need a job. Your children aren't perfect.  Your house won't sell. The diagnosis was worse than you thought.  It's raining.  It's cold.  It's hot.  There's no money in the bank.  There's too much money in the bank. He won't call back.  She calls too much and the list goes on and on.  Are you having a bad day? 
Ever found yourself having one of these realities, complaints or....fits?  It wouldn't take long to add an entire page full.  The truth is that we will ALL have troubles in this life.  Regardless of your religious beliefs or whether or not you eat all organic and take yoga three times a week, you will still find that this life brings you troubles.  One of the interesting things is that in the midst of our "troubles" we still have to interact with one another. We shouldn't ignore the reality of life's sorrows & trials, but we also should not let them delegate how we treat others.  Sadly, we often do just that.  Ladies, how often have you dealt with the kids all day, a phone call from your mother in law, work, co-workers that get on your very last nerve, high pitched noises in the background, Husbands texting you wondering what's for dinner, all for it to come to a GREAT BIG HEAD when someone walks through the door??  Gentlemen, how about you?  Ever worked ALL day, received 20 texts from your significant other wondering "what's wrong", walked into a house full of screaming kids and a woman who seems to be just waiting for you to mess up so she can have an excuse to argue with you because of her "bad day"?  You can easily put your own situation in here, these are just examples.  So what happens when you have a bad day and you still have to interact with others?  Ever lashed out at someone in anger when they have done nothing wrong?  I know I have.  Maybe you are more passive aggressive and choose to give the silent treatment and roll your eyes or make sarcastic comments that you KNOW will hurt the other person.  Perhaps you've done that many times and shrug it off to just having had a bad day.  You may even apologize to the person that you hurt and blame it on your "bad day".  Lashing out against an innocent party is not called overreacting.  It's called sin.  Ouch.  We don't want to hear that. These aren't my words, I'm just a messenger.  So if you disagree, like I wanted too, get your Bible out and see what God says about our bad attitudes.  Does that mean that anger, in itself is sin?  Not at all actually.  Remember that Bible we were talking about?  You don't have to look too far into it to see that Jesus himself, showed that very emotion.  What Scripture does say, is for us not to sin in our anger.  Ephesians 4:26 says "In your anger do not sin".  Seems pretty simple, right? Keep reading.  Let's look at verses 29-32, 5:1-2..."Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.  Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."  I don't know about you, but the majority of my life is far from a fragrant offering.  Let's try something together.  The next time you've had a TERRIBLE day and you take it out on someone IN ANY WAY, first....take it to the Cross and confess it.  There is no condemnation in Christ, discipline & love, yes, condemnation, no.  Then, go to the person and tell it like it really is.  Explain, that there is no excuse for how you treated them.  Believe me, I know firsthand, how difficult it is to apologize without following it with an excuse.  But you can do it.  Go humbly before your God, and humble yourself before the other person and admit, that the reason for your lashing out was your own sin in your own heart and then ask for forgiveness.  Dear Precious Reader, it is in these sweet, albeit difficult, moments, that God draws us closer to Himself and molds us, as His clay, into the likeness of His perfect Son.  It is here, that we often find the sweetest  forgiveness and ultimately it pulls us closer to Him and closer to each other. 

Ever Heard?

Ever heard an "open air" preacher?  Things can get pretty intense.  Though some are sure to disagree with this approach,it's a part of historical Christianity. The main goal is that the gospel is preached. Sure, there are some fanatics, but aren't there fanatics everywhere, religion or no religion?  In Scripture, the disciples were not popular and certainly weren't politically correct.  There is a fine line though.  That is why, when sharing the gospel, whether your gift is to big crowds or one on one, we must pray for boldness and wisdom.  We must share in love. Let us not be so quick to judge one another for our approaches to sharing the gospel.  Remember, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and rather than back biting one another, we should pray for & encourage each other to go and share our faith while we still have time.  If you know someone that shares their faith in a way that you don't understand or that offends you, take it to God first, then, compare it to Scripture, then if you are still uncertain...go to the person, in love.  Ask questions.  Remember that iron sharpens iron :)

On that note...

For those of you are on the front lines, sharing your faith...this clip may help you next time you are talking with someone who says..."what's true for you is not what's true for me" :) It's a little humorous as well lol so enjoy :)