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About Marie

Happily married to the same awesome guy for many years. Love God, reading, cats, and travel. Avid crafter especially counted cross stitch and crochet.

HOLDING BACK

What do we really give to God?  Do we keep anything from God?

Read Acts 20:35

All that we have IS HIS and WAS HIS and will always BE HIS.  The time we spend playing computer games rather than searching for more understanding through the same source IS HIS.  The things we do, like writing, crafting, singing, playing an instrument, cooking, baking, career or job activities ARE HIS.  Every penny of the money we have, earn or inherit  IS HIS.

If we are holding back any part of the ALL that IS HIS we need to ask Him to make us aware.  Pray that we will be made aware of what is needed in the Kingdom.  Our return of His provision let those around us know that WE ARE HIS!  (John 13:35)

NO OPTIONS TO LOVE

John 13:33-34

How often do we pray, “Father, let (help) me love everyone today,” then walk out of our ‘prayer spot’ and totally forget we’ve asked?

Then, someone irritates us with their words…

Then, something happens that wasn’t planned…

Then, another person tells us what someone else has said about us…

Then we feel slighted by someone, in some way…

When we are commanded in John 13:34 to love one another like HE loves us there are no ifs, there are no buts.  One almost might say there are no options.  But there are actually two,  right choices and wrong choices.  The above “thens” have options.  We can choose to respond as HE would with kindness, love, patience, gentleness and self-control.  We can choose to be hateful, gossipy, malicious, or controlling.  What choice we make we shows others Whose we are.

Let’s choose loving one another!!!

Reaching Out

What are we doing to bring the lost to Christ?  Who do we know that needs to know the love of Jesus?  Are we consistantly showing others that we are a child of the King?  Do our words and actions lift up and not put down those around us?

OK!  I’d like to say yes to all those questions, but then I’d have to ask for forgiveness for lying.  These kinds of questions are so convicting for me that I already feel the need to get on my knees.

Are we giving a cup of water (or food, or clothing, or help) when one who does not have it shows the need?  Or are we sending them away with a hug and the thought that we have problems and needs too.  They may not ask  but when we see the need we must act upon it.   We really do show our commitment to our LORD through our actions.  Can we even imagine the surge of New Believers if  our relationship with Jesus is evident in all our thoughts, words, and actions. 

Applying ourselves to a way of life  that shares our faith regularly with those around us is one way to reach the non-Believer.   Caring about others goes a long way toward saying and showing that we really are who God says we are.

There is an additional page on this blog called Lifestyle Evangelism where I’ll be placing suggestions for caring, sharing, and reaching out to everyone around us.  Even though we are commanded to reach and teach the lost we also need to show our support to other believers.  Take the time – TODAY!

Thoughts on Eve

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That darn snake! Too often he gets into our minds and uses what he finds there to cause us problems. It happened to Eve and has continued through history to us. He is like a roaring lion that travels miles to find something to devour. (1 Peter 5:8) In the first part of that verse we are told to be self-controlled and alert. Alert to what? Perhaps our lack of self-control.

Read Eve’s story in Genesis 3. She had some self-control issues that we still deal with today. How about the fact that we, and Eve, let our words get us into trouble?  If she hadn’t spent so much time talking with the snake she wouldn’t have determined that she was perhaps missing something. God didn’t create us with two ears and one mouth for no reason. He wants us listening carefully, He wants us being careful about what we listen too, and He wants us to simply close our mouths to becoming involved in unnecessary conversation.

It also seems that we, and Eve, have a really big problem with coveting that which belongs to another. There is a commandment about that. We really aren’t supposed to get ourselves wrapped up in what others around us have. Jesus tells us plainly that the Father provides what we need and we need to be careful that we are not wanting more than He thinks we should have.

Lastly, we eat too much. This is both a physical and figurative statement. We certainly need real food, in appropriate proportions to nourish the body and keep us healthy. We also need to be ravenous for the food that is provided in a daily diet of God’s Word. He will feed our hunger for the answers to life’s questions if we take the time to learn what he wants for us.

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie