Show it by not showing it

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

James 3:13

This verse just hits it right on. People want to have all the answers. They want to be the one that everyone comes to for advice. They want to be respected and honored. What we sometimes forget, though, is that we have to live out a good life if we want to be respected. I'm not saying that a person has to be perfect to be respected, but people often tend to respect those who are doing good because they know that it is the right thing, not because they want to be praised for it. If we want respect, we need to give respect to others. Also, you can't go around acting like you know it all. People who truly are respected are not boastful. They don't tell everyone every good thing they've done. They do things because they know they are right, not because they want someone to tell them that they did a great job. Don't do things for others to see. Don't do things so that people will say "Wow, look at them. They are really good." Do it because it's the right thing to do. And you will get your reward.

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Matthew 6:1-4

Friends

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

Ecclesiastes 4:12

Ok, so I read this verse on a flair piece on facebook, and I just thought it was a great verse! It just really emphasizes the need for good, godly friends. It's hard to resist temptation, especially when it's from people that you know or think are "cool." When you have friends there to help you to say "no", and maybe even get mad at you if you don't do the right thing, it makes resisting things that might even look fun or good at the time so much easier.


It goes the same way with bad friends. If you hang out with friends that are going to pressure you to do the wrong things, it will be much harder to stand up against. Have you ever tried to tell your friends no for something? I'm not sure about you, but I usually cave. Just think about all or even just a few of your friends asking you to do something wrong. Eventually you'll cave. That's why it's important to pick good friends. If you have friends that will help you out and help you to stay on track, it becomes much easier to lead a godly life.


So get some good friends. Tell them to help you say "no." Especially if it's something that you know you are going to struggle with.

Four things

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"

Acts 2:1-12

Ok four things here. First- WOW! I mean how amazing would that have been? How amazing would it be to see fire on top of your head and not be crazy! I'm surprised there weren't people freaking out because of it. Maybe there were. Although I'm pretty sure they weren't paying any attention to what was happening physically by then. They were probably so focused on God that they didn't even care about the the earthly things. Which just proves that God is more amazing than anything that can be going on around us on earth.

Second- God can do anything. Anything He wants. That's all.

Third- People had to have known that there was a group gathering to receive what Jesus had promised them. I know that all people like to talk, especially on "important new news". That's just how it goes. But, even when things happened that could only be God, they were still confused. They still didn't understand that it was God doing something there. Sometimes we, as people, are so clueless. God is right in front of us and we have absolutely no idea that He is there. You may say, "Well, that is different. Those people could physically see God. That makes it so much easier. We can't see God physically. It's a whole lot harder when you can't physically see what is going on in the spiritual realm." LOOK AROUND! You cannot honestly think that the beautiful scenery around us is just there, not inspired by God. The people around you weren't just created with chance. Think, just a little bit about how what everything is made up of and how intricate everything is. God designed all of it. God is around us to physically see, touch, smell, hear, and taste. Everything, everywhere, is God's creation. It's God's proof to us that He loves us and wants us to experience life. No, not just earthly, physical life, but a heavenly, spiritual life.

Fourth- Some of the people, when they saw what was happening, asked "What does this mean?" We need to ask ourselves this question. When something happens, even the smallest thing, we need to ask "What does this mean?" What can we do about this? How can we use this to minister to others or to, as much as I hate this phrase, "advance the Kingdom"? How can we help? Because, in every situation, we can help. Yes, maybe doing nothing is the right solution for some problems, but that is help. We need to know what to do in every situation. We find that out through prayer. Ask God what to do in situations, and He will guide you. He will let you know the right thing to do. All we have to do is ask.

Christmas

Christmas.

I love it! I love everything about Christmas, the lights, the songs, the shopping. This is one of the only times that I love crazy amounts of people all around me. And I don't think any of that is wrong, necessarily. In fact, it can be really good. It's good to get relaxed and enjoy your days and have fun. It's good to bless other people and let them know how much they mean to you through gifts. But sometimes we forget about what really needs to go on. While we are sitting around enjoying our friends and family, we need to remember what God did for us. We need to remember that God sacrificed what was most precious to Him so that we could have eternal life.

Yeah, I understand that you've heard all of this before: Christmas should be about Christ, Jesus is the reason for the season, its not just about reading the Christmas story. But it's the truth. We don't need to just think about what God has done during Christmas day. The things we do for others during the Christmas season, the happiness we have during this time should keep going. It shouldn't just stop suddenly, like the Christmas music stops playing on the radio as soon as it turns to the 26th. It needs to continue, even when we are in a bind. Even when we don't think anyone cares about us. We need to understand that God died for us in the good times and in the bad, when we are praising Him and when we've completely forgotten.

I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

Psalm 77:11

Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love, which you have shown from long ages past.

Psalm 25:6

Confidence In Christ

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

Ever need prayer more than anything? Ever want God more than anything? Ever want someone to pray for you more than anything? Ever feel like you can't be strong enough to even talk to God, who knows it all already?

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

The author of Hebrews tells us to approach God with confidence. But where do you go when you don't think you have the confidence? We find it in our faith. Esther is one that we can model our confidence after. She could have been killed for going to the king, her husband, to ask for protection for the Jews, not only because she was not supposed to go into the king's inner court uninvited, but also because she was a Jew herself. But Esther fasted and prayed that she would have the confidence to do what was right, and God granted her request.

Now I don't think any of us are dealing with being threatened with death for having confidence, but we still need it. We need to ask God for the confidence to be have mercy and grace towards not only our faults but also others. We need to be able to have the confidence to do what is right, even when it is hard. When we need something, we need to ask God for it. When we are in need of anything, not just worldly things, but also emotional or spiritual strength, all we need to do is ask Him. It might take time, but he will grant us what we need.

Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes material for the silversmith

Proverbs 25:4

Dross is, according to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, "the scum, or impurity, that forms on the surface of molten metal". This dross is useless to the metal. It makes it less valuable and, in some cases, makes it completely worthless. When the scum is gone, it makes the metal so much more valuable and usable.

This is much like it is in our own lives. Our lives are worthless and unvaluable because of all of the things that we have done to add dross to our lives. We add scum and impurities to our lives and make ourselves less important. When we allow God to come in and take out all of the impurities and scum in our life, we become more valuable. We are then able to be used by God for His purpose.

It's not a one-step process either. We have to be continually cleansed and made pure by God. We constantly need to be refined in order to keep our "usability" pure. When we allow God to change us into something better (which is all that he ever does), we allow ourselves to become more valuable, not only to others, but also to the kingdom of God.

There's No "Game Planning" In Life

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 19:21

God's will is better. It's as simple as that. We need to consult God before we make plans for our lives. Our plans will not last. We don't know when our last day will be. We don't know what lies ahead in our lives, but God knows everything. He knows every step of our life. He knows the steps we have taken and the steps we will take. He knows the people we will meet and the people we have known our whole lives. He knows what is best. Just like a parent will try to do what's best for you, God will lead you in the way that you need to go. But unlike a parent, God knows exactly what is going to happen. Parents, as great as they may be, can make mistakes. God won't. He ALWAYS knows best. You can always trust him. In Proverbs, it also says this:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding

Proverbs 3:5

God knows what is best. Surrender completely to Him, and your life will be right. It may not always be easy, and it may not always be "SO much fun!" but it will be right. It will be satisfying in the end. And in the end, you will be in a place of eternal perfection with the God Almighty, who gave you life and led you through it.

Check!

A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.

Proverbs 18:2

The words of a man's mouth are deep waters

Proverbs 18:4a

A fool's lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating. A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.

Proverbs 18:6-8

He who answers before listening— that is his folly and his shame.

Proverbs 18:13

From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 18:20-21

Wow! All those verses about our words, and that's only one chapter! Obviously, this is a big matter. What we say can really hurt, or even really help someone. Words are the hardest thing to keep under control. In James it says "If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check." (James 3:2) That is how important what we say is. What we say controls how we live and what we do. James also calls the tongue a "restless evil, full of deadly poison." (James 3:7) We need to constantly keep our words in check.

How do we keep our words in check? By keeping our mind in check. Don't let rude or corrupt thoughts continually go through your head. Pray for help to keep ungodly thoughts out of your mind. Keep yourself in check with what God wants for you. Remember that we are representing God and we are to be disciples for Him. No one is going to believe that we are representing the children of God if we are being rude, even if it's just to each other. Therefore, keep your words under control. It helps you to control the rest of you also.

Give

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Proverbs 11:25

Give. We don't like that word a lot of the time. We think that it means that we will get less. We think it will make us less happy. Well, this verse tells us differently. When we give, we gain. We will grow rich when we are generous and give to others. Maybe not rich in worldly money, but we will become abundant in something good, something even better than earthly money. It kind of reminds me of the movie, Cars. In the movie, Doc tells Lightning McQueen to "turn right to go left." Doesn't seem to make much sense, but it works. When you give, you gain. Another verse also says the same thing:

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Luke 6:38

God will give you something greater and in more quantity than what you gave away. He will replenish you with the things that you truly need in your life. So do what He says: give.

Joy

The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil. The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land.

Proverbs 10:28-30

Okay, so this is what I learned from today's chapter of Proverbs: Strive for joy. When we can't seem to obtain joy by ourselves, go to God for joy. God will always be there to help us obtain joy because He has done so much for us that we will be able to find something to be joyful about, even in the hardest circumstances.

Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a sluggard to those who send him.

Proverbs 10: 4,26

Another thing I learned from today's chapter of Proverbs: Do something. When you don't do something, you are hurting others and annoying them, too. It's troublesome for everyone else. If God tells you to do something, you need to do it. Also, In James 1:22, it says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." We need to follow God and His Word so that we can be more like Christ and be a witness to others.

What did you get from today's chapter of Proverbs?

Guard your hearts

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Proverbs 4:23

I think this verse is pretty self-explanatory. Guard yourself from evil. Don't wear your heart on your sleeve for anyone to take. Don't go around spilling everything to everyone. If you need someone to talk to, God's always there. You can't get much better than that.

Titus

For the grace of God that brings salvatioin has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliess and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Titus 2:11-14

I have one word for you- AMAZING! I was just reading Titus this morning and those verses stuck out to me. With the temptation around us, we need to have something that will help us to resist it. Sometimes we get impatient and tired of doing the right thing, but we can stand on the hope that God will always be with us and be helping us through life. No matter what goes wrong (or right), God will help us out. He will be with us forever.

Fortress

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

Psalm 59:16

The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

Psalm 28:8

That verse is so amazing to me. God is our fortress. How amazing is that? Even when we have had the worst day, he can be our light. He can help us through the day. God is our strength. We are so weak without Him. We could not even make it through one day. He is our fortress. He is our everything. We can do nothing without Him. Don't you think that we could sing about that? Don't you think we could tell Him how much we love Him? He has done everything for us. We can never repay Him for all the things he has done. He is amazing! We cannot comprehend all the wonderful things He has in store for us. We should love Him for that, shouldn't we? Isn't He more than worthy of our praise?

Whatever you're doing by Sanctus Real

It's time for healing time to move on

It's time to fix what's been broken too long

Time make right what has been wrong

It's time to find my way to where I belong

There's a wave that's crashing over me

All I can do is surrender

Whatever you're doing inside of me It feels like chaos somehow there's peace

It's hard to surrender to what I can't see

but I'm giving in to something heavenly

Time for a milestone

Time to begin again

Revaluate who I really am

Am I doing everything to follow your will

or just climbing aimlessly over these hills

So show me what it is you want from me

I give everything I surrender...To...

Time to face up

Clean this old house

Time to breathe in and let everything out

That I've wanted to say for so many years

Time to to release all my held back tears

Whatever you're doing inside of me

It feels like chaos but I believe

You're up to something bigger than me

Larger than life something heavenly

Whatever you're doing inside of me

It feels like chaos but now I can see

This something bigger than me

Larger than life something heavenly

Something heavenly

It's time to face up

Clean this old house

Time breathe in and let everything out

This song is awesome! A complete song of surrender. Even if we are scared or think we can't do it, God wants to use us in His own way. Who are we to tell Him, the creator of all things, no? It's true, we can't do anything... by ourselves. But the Bible clearly states that through him, we can do all things. It also tells us that we should not be doing it for ourselves. Therefore, we should not be doing it to make ourselves look good. We are doing it for the glory of God.

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us."

Romans 8:37

"We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is your perfection."

2 Corinthians 13:9

"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are impossible."

Matthew 19:26

Mark 10:27

"If anyone speaks he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves He should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."

1 Peter 4:11

So don't worry about what YOU look or sound like. Listen to God and what he is telling you to do for your life. He will give you the strength to do whatever He is telling you. Just remember, it's not you, it's him.

Always

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

That's a hard thing to do when everything's going wrong. "Be joyful always." That isn't always the thing we want to do when nothing is going our way. "Give thanks in all circumstances." When we're angry, we usually don't want to thank someone. But the Bible states it pretty clearly: always be joyful, always pray, always give thanks. How can we even begin to do that?

All we have to do is remember. Remember that God created you. Remember that God gave you a choice. Remember that God died for you. Remember that God saved you. Remember that God is making a place for you to be with him for eternity. Can you remember all that?

The whole shebang!

"All this," David said, "I have in writing from the hand of the LORD upon me, and he gave me understanding in all the details of the plan."

1 Corinthians 28:19

Don't you sometimes wish this would happen? Don't you wish God would give you all the right answers and tell you exactly what was going to happen? Well, as you probably know, it's not that easy. But God gives us our plan as we need to know it. Sometimes we don't agree with the things he tells us to do now. If He gave us the whole plan now, do you think we would be willing to do it? You might have to do something later in life that you will refuse to do now. Later on, it might not seem like such a big deal, but if you knew it now, would you keep going? Would you do the little things that you're afraid of now when you know you're going to have to do this big thing later?

David also said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished."

1 Corinthians 28:20

God wants us to do the work of trusting him. When we put our faith in Him, everything will work out. It might not seem like it when we can't see ahead, but I can tell you, it always will. Yes, maybe not the exact way we had planned, but it will always be the right plan for us. It will be even better than the plan that we had before. And he will not leave us or give up on us during the process. God wants us to trust Him, and after all of the amazing things that He has done for us, how could we not trust Him?

Men

And in my dismay I said, "All men are liars."

Psalm 116:11

How great is that? Yes, taken out of context, but it is great, no? It just made me laugh, and I thought it might make others laugh, too. : )

Love

What is love?

"Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning."

2 John 1:6

When we do what God has asked us to do, we are showing our love for God. God clearly tells us what we must do to show our love for Him. We must love each other. No matter what others may do, and no matter how much we are annoyed by others, we must love them. That does not always mean that we have to like what they are doing. We may not like the way they act or the things they say, but we can love who they are. We are God's creation. How can we say that we do not love God's creation?

"May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love." (Titus 1:2)

JMD

Crazy?

Daniel 4

Ever feel like your going crazy?

Ever ate grass?

King Nebuchadnezzar did.

King Nebuchadnezzar had a WEIRD dream. He was so worried that he called a ton of people to come and try to interpret this dream. When none of them could figure it out, he went to one of the best: Daniel. Daniel became worried too. He told the king that this dream was telling him that he would be eating grass like the cattle and would be living with wild animals. Talk about a major change! Try going from a castle to living with the wild animals. And all because of his resistance to the Almighty God.

Aren't you glad that we praise the Almighty God?

Amazing

"Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens—what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave —what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea."

Job 11:7-9

God continues to amaze me. How he can forgive us time and time again and love us without fail, I will never be able to comprehend. I will never be able to fathom the depths of his love for me. No one can or ever will be able to understand his love with our human minds. No one will ever be able to understand all of his wisdom. People who think Christianity is boring have the wrong impression. I can always become better acquainted with the love that God has for me. I can always experience more of God's compassion for me. Psalm 145:3 says "Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom." That is true for all of us. He is worthy of all of our praise because he has saved us from hell and eternal torture. He has given us an undeserved eternal life for which we will be eternally grateful. He is an amazing God...... scratch that. He is THE amazing God.

God's Work

Unfailing Love

"Though the mountains are shaken and the hills removed, my unfailing love for you will never be shaken and my covenant of peace will never be removed," says the Lord who has compassion on you.


Isaiah 54:10


How awesome is that?! No matter how many times we screw up, and no matter how many times we forget about him, he never gives up on us. He loves us no matter how stupid we may act. We always think of mountains as unshakable. God's love is stronger and more unmoving than a mountain. We can't do anything bad enough for God to say, "You've messed up too many times. I'm leaving." He will always be there. Psalms 119:76-77 says "May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant. Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight." I pray that this psalm is the prayer of our hearts. No, we can't ever get close enough to earn our salvation, but I pray that we would strive to be everything God would like us to be. I pray that we can step out of our comfort zones to praise the One who gave us life, both now and in eternity. I pray that we can be subjects of God's love and compassion, and that we can share that love with others who need it just as much as we do.