By Your Side

Think again!

Have you ever had a bad day, week, month or even a bad year? Things seemed so bad that you felt like giving in or even worse, just giving up? Have you ever thought about packing it in and trying to run away from all your troubles, from all of your responsibilities? If so, you are not alone. Many of us have had similar thoughts to, "the grass is greener on the other side" at some point in our lives. It's important to recognize when you are experiencing those moments and when it all seems too much to bear. Then, we need to stop running away from our problems and turn toward Jesus. There's a song, where the lyrics go, "Why are you striving these days? Why are you trying to earn grace? Why are you crying? Let me lift up your face… just don't turn away! Why are you looking for love? Why are you searching… as if I'm not enough? To where will you go child? Tell me where will you run? To where will you run? Cause I'll be by your side, wherever you fall. In the dead of night, whenever you call, just please don't fight these hands that are holding you. Cus' my hands are holding you". These powerful lyrics speak straight to my heart and make me realize more than ever that Jesus is always there for me! He is always willing and more than capable to help. So, just remember that wherever you go, there you are, but so is He and therefore, you are never alone! You can't outrun Jesus, so when you're finally tired of running, turn around and walk into his arms. He'll never forsake you and will always embrace you! God bless you!

 

The Greatest Gifts

As a child, anytime that I was behaving poorly, my mom would tell me that Santa Claus was watching. That would straighten me right up. After all, who wanted to miss out on Santa's great gifts at Christmas time? So my question is, as adults, why do we not behave as though Jesus is always watching? Especially when we're behaving poorly? He is watching, you know? And if we did live that way, wouldn't we all just straighten right up? After all, who wants to miss out on God's greatest gift..... Heaven?

I Want To Be Loved Like That

On the first day of visiting the church that has now become our home, we stood for prayer. I stood there in silence with my head bowed, as she began to lead us. I was suddenly swept away in a flood of emotion. Becoming lost in her prayer and yet clinging to every word, I noticed that this prayer was different from all of the rambling and rushed prayers that I've heard in the past. It was soft and slow as she came to the Father with her needs and the needs of others. She spoke to Him with such passion and conviction. With such sincerity and eloquence, she took her time as though it seemed that she was allowing Him to take notes or as if He needed time to consider these requests. All the while, she would pause both briefly and periodically as though she were listening for OR to His responses before she continued. She poured out her heart as He took in every word. It was beautiful and it made my prayers feel inadequate. I was in awe of her relationship with the Father. All of a sudden, mine felt as though it were lacking in comparison. I couldn't imagine anyone questioning her love for Him any more than I could possibly question His love for all of mankind. I was touched and I want to love and be loved like that.

Not So Tough Now, Are Ya?

When I was younger and much dumber, I used to enjoy being thought of as a tough guy. I looked the part and even played the part pretty well. Then I found God.... well, He found me. That's when He opened my eyes and I saw that being tough wasn't important at all. Being strong in my faith in the Lord was everything, though.There were men in my life that I looked up to. Godly men! I found that I no longer wanted to play the tough guy at all, but the good guy. I wanted others to look at me the way that I looked up to these men. I prayed that the good Lord would soften my heart and He did. I continue to pray that my life has been a testimony that God is proud of. I'm far from perfect, but I know that as long as the Lord has His way, I will continue to be a work in progress. Thank you Lord for never giving up on me, even when I've felt like giving up on myself!

Why? Why do people always look at getting busted as sinning? Jimmy Swaggart, Bill Clinton, Tedd Haggard and maybe even you or me. If you've been doing something that is wrong over and over and knowing that it was wrong.... it's probably WRONG!! Why do we perceive that it is only wrong when we are caught with our hand in the cookie jar? The sin remains the same! Getting caught is not the sin, people! I repeat, getting caught is NOT the sin! Drunk driving is not a sin. Driving drunk IS the sin! Getting caught with another woman is not a sin. Being with another woman IS the sin! If you really felt bad about what you're doing, you wouldn't be doing it in the first place. You only feel bad when you get cold BUSTED!! The sad thing is that you were busted all along. You may not be aware of it, but God saw the whole thing the whole time. How do you think He felt about what you've done? Live your life like He is always watching because He IS always watching and when you've realized that you have made a mistake, ask forgiveness. He'll take you back. He loves you far too much not to.

If We Are the Body.....

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Many people feel this way today. Why? Like the song goes, "If we are the Body, why aren't His arms reaching? Why aren't His hands healing? Why aren't His words teaching? And if we are the Body, why aren't His feet going? Why is His love not showing them there is a way? Jesus paid much too high a price for us to pick and choose who should come, and we are the Body of Christ". Think about that and how people perceive you. When they see you out somewhere, do they see Jesus in you? In your actions? In your language? In your dealings with others? In your heart? If you can't honestly answer yes to these questions, what kind of testimony or witness to Christ are you? Are you living it or just claiming it? It's time that we give ourselves a check up from the neck up and to live for Him who died for us. Jesus Christ, our Savior!

Jesus Satisfies You!

As I stood there staring at this stupid vending machine full of overpriced junk food looking for something to hold me over until I could make it home for dinner, all of a sudden, it dawn on me that that the chewing gum was the least expensive thing in the machine, but also had the least amount of nutritional value. The snickers bar was one of the most expensive thing and their slogan "Snickers satisfies you" rang back to me. Then my brain shifted and got me thinking. A relationship with Jesus Christ isn't so different to a vending machine. I could get the gum for very little and have it satisfy only my taste buds and do absolutely nothing for my appetite or I could put more into the machine and get more out of it by getting the Snickers bar. Are you satisfied with your relationship with Jesus? If not, perhaps you could try putting a little more into it and maybe, you too, will get a little more out of it. Snickers may satisfy your cravings, but Jesus is what nourishes the soul. Just a thought!

What Goes Around Can Come Back Around!

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 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 6:37-38

I believe this to be true in most everything. “What goes around comes around”, “You get out of it what you put into it”, “You reap what you sow” and many other sayings mean the same thing. Some might say that its karma, but I think that its God plan of checks and balances. We all make deposits and withdrawals from our checking or savings accounts. I think that God manages our spiritual accounts when we fail to. In other words, when we take too many withdrawals without making any deposits, we end up with insufficient spiritual funds. I think that when we take too many withdrawal from others (in the way of not loving or caring for them) without making deposits (as in spreading the love of Jesus), He takes from our accounts, as well. When we give willing and with a servant’s heart the way that Able did in the form of tithes, time, service, praise, love, etc., God will bless us abundantly. But, if we choose to hold out or hold back the way that Cain did, then we are sometimes left completely on our own. So, whether it be, a kind word of encouragement, a helping hand, a prayer, forgiveness, mercy, love or a number of other things, just remember that we do reap what we sow. Now, ask yourself, “What have I been reaping and is it worth it?”

Hungry For You!

Psalms 42:1-2 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.


We disciss in Sunday School how in John 4, the disciples came back to the well where they had left Jesus and found Him talking with the Samaritan woman, how they may have been confused. About how they may have become even more confused after she left the well and they offered Jesus food and He refused. He said, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” When they asked if someone else had fed Him, He replied, “My food is to do the will of Him who has sent Me and to finish His work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps, draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”


I've heard people say that they "get drunk on the word of God" or "get high on life". They don't need the alcohol or drugs to help them get happy. I kind of think that Jesus was saying something very similar here. He didn't need their food. He got His nurishment from doing the will of God. Have you ever lost your apetite while being distracted doing something good..... or bad for that matter?

While they were confused, I feel that He was saying that although they put their food as a priority, He put this woman as His. And, in doing so, she ran off to tell everyone about how He affected her life. These people, in turn, started to the well to see what she was talking about. This woman who probably came to the well at the middle of the day to avoid the town's people because of her social status had now she run into town to share the love of Christ with the very people that she set out to avoid. That's pretty powerful. That's the power of Christ. That may just be what He means by the harvest. It starts with the seed of One and it grew to a whole town.

Jesus also told the devil that, "man does not live by bread alone, but by the very word of God" as He wandered the wilderness and came toward the end of His forty day fast. Satan chose to take advantage of this time of weakness and try to tempt Him. He failed and Jesus won again! 

The Psalmist had it right. We should yearn for Him. Thirst for Him. Hunger for Him. Desire Him. Need Him. Afterall, where would we be without Him?

Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide

A wise cricket once sang to, "always let your conscience be your guide". Who knew that crickets were so wise? My prayer is that there will come a day when all of my loved ones will make a decision for Christ. Not to just stake a claim to be Christian, but to become. To live it. To establish a relationship with the Lord.

When we do this, we find ourselves putting Him first in everything that we do. That's what being a Christian is all about. It is accepting Him as our personal Lord and Savior and letting Him take over our lives. We live for Him.

Once  we do put God first, we begin to change. We begin to see things differently. Not just a little, but a lot differently. We see things much clearer. What is right and wrong stands out to us like a beacon in the night. That difference is as obvious as day is to night and we strive to stay in the light of Jesus to avoid falling back into darkness. 

I’m not saying that we won’t mess up. It just becomes more clear to us when we do and when this happen, we begin to feel remorse because of the wrong and we want to repent with no need to be told that it was wrong or that we should be sorry for it. Our conscience is fueled by the Holy Spirit becomes our guide.

Some say that hindsight is 20/20, but soon, the foresight becomes 20/20. We start to make better choices as all we want is to become better for Him. More like Christians are suppose to. More like Christ.

We are fully aware of God 's love for all mankind. He loves the lost as much as the righteous and that he expects us to love Him first and our neighbors as we love ourselves. In doing so, we extend our hands and witness the love of Christ to the lost. We try to live by example. 

As we grow in the love of Jesus, we continue to change. We find ourselves not messing up as often and desiring only the good in our lives. We find ourselves avoiding the areas that are hazardous to our walk. We find ourselves surrounding ourselves with the good and only going around the bad when there’s a chance to do good and pull someone else up. Scripture teaches us that in doing so, we are to be careful to not fall back into or be dragged back into sin.

He starts to make us want to be better for His sake and His name and to want the same for others. To grow His kingdom. 

It's not as glamorous as some might think. We’re condemned and made fun of our lifestyle because we are different. Some may think that Christians are show offs or that we think that we’re better than them because we don’t participate in their ways. The ways of the world as the Bible teaches us not to.

We're actually more made fun of, tormented and condemned far more than we are ever lifted up by man. Again, we don't do it for selfish reasons, but for His glory and to further His Kingdom. In order to live it, we sometimes have to become less in order for Him to become more. 

We must make sacrifices in this world to make it more about Him instead of always about ourselves. In doing so, He’ll bless us all the more for it. We fight the good fight, we win the race and the righteous will receive our reward of heaven as promised.

Is it so wrong to want the same or even to expect the same for all of our loved ones? I said it before and I'll say it again. I plan to go to heaven and I want my loved ones there too. What are you willing to do, to give up or change to ensure that I see you there? Think about it!

Oh, How I Love Jesus!

We should all stop and reflect on what Jesus me means to us. He knew and loved us before we ever knew Him. He knew us and He knows us now. “When He was on the cross, I was on His mind”. I love the lyrics to this song. I believe this to be very true. That as He suffered on the cross, He was able to see through the time and distance and what He saw was you and me. We haven’t done anything to deserve what He did for us on that day and yet He did it anyways. “I stood before Jesus and asked Him how much He loved me. He stretched out His arms as they nailed His hands to the cross and said, ‘This much’.” WOW! “Oh, how I love Jesus because He first loved me!”

What A Coincidence Or Is It?

Is life really about coincidence? Some might say, yes. I say that if it is, WOW! Albert Einstein was a self proclaimed "religious man", but never claimed to be Christian. He said, “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.” Albert Einstein was a very smart man. I just hope that he was smart enough to know that religion doesn't get you into heaven. It's through Christ's blood that we are redeemed and only through that relationship with Him, will we ever get to meet Jesus face to face. It would be cool to meet Einstein someday, too. I just hope that it's under the right circumstances.

  
The Lord is alive and doing VERY well. He speaks to us through these little "coincidences". Through His word, through meditation and prayer, through signs, through our family and friends and directly to our hearts. We may take these things for granted or not even take the time to notice them at all. And, when we do notice, we often dismiss them as unimportant. Life is too fast? I say slow it down and make the time so that you can take time for the Lord. Enjoy every moment that He has given you. When we speak to Him, linger for a few extra minutes to meditate and see what He may have to say to you. He really does speak back to those that take time to listen. Ask Him to speak to you. Ask Him to open the eyes to your heart and understanding so that you may grow in His ways and His glory and He will. You may not hear a booming voice or see something in the clouds like in the biblical times, but He does talk to us and it is no less amazing. As Casting Crowns sang, "I am a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow. A wave tossed in the ocean, a vapor in the wind. Still You hear me when I'm calling. Lord, You catch me when I'm falling. And, You've told me who I am.... I am Yours". You are His, is He yours?

How Great Thou Art!

“O’ Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the works thy hand has made. I see the stars. I hear the mighty thunder. Thy power throughout the Universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my Savior, God to Thee….., how Great Thou art! How great Thou art!”  This morning these lyrics were brought to the forefront of my mind. I can’t help but think of the words, but also the punctuation. “How great Thou art!” Notice that this is a sentence begins with a word that usually ends in a question mark, but instead ends in an exclamation mark. The writer was not questioning our God, the creator of all things. He was not challenging Him, either. He was exalting and exclaiming the power  that is God. Simple and to the point. How great Thou art! If the ocean were made of ink and all the sky made of parchment, there would still not be enough room for the Lord to write of His love for us. Little ole us. Pretty amazing! He loved us then, He loves us still today. Take a moment and take a closer look at all that He does for us. He never promised that there wouldn’t be storms in our lives, but afterward, He does give us a rainbow. All we have to do is seek and we shall find. “When Christ shall come, with shouts of acclamation, to take me home, what joy shall fill my heart. Then I shall bow, in humble adoration. And, there proclaim, my God……, HOW GREAT THOU ART!”