Do I Really Put God First?

“You shall have no other gods before me." ~Exodus 20:3  
                                                                                    I grew up in church. My family went to church every single Sunday, I went to Sunday school and knew the creeds, all of the books of the Bible forward and backward, and all of what were considered the "significant" Bible stories. I had the perfect attendance award every year! I knew all about Jesus but I didn't know Jesus. In fact I didn't understand salvation. It was very easy to follow people and to do what they did, but I wasn't a true Christian because although I knew so much from memory, I had no real comprehension of what it all meant.
                                                                                                                                  It wasn't until I was older and in a bad position that I called out to Jesus and then gave Him my life. I died to myself and began a new life in Him. It was a new beginning. I was a baby Christian at the beginning of a new road. I had much to learn and still do; in fact I will have more to learn and more growing to do for the rest of my life. I have a long way to go and always will, for I always be a sinner. There is no cure, we have all been born sinners. I am blessed to be filled with God's grace since believing Jesus to be my savior and giving God my life. It is genuine and He has been working in my heart.

Honestly speaking, it wasn't that long ago that I realized that although I always said I put Christ first, in reality I didn't. My husband and children were put right there with Him. Sometimes, my worries and burdens were put right there with Him, sometimes my wants were put right there with Him, and my wish to be healed of chronic illness was put right there with Him. At times, any of these, I am ashamed to say were put above Him. I realized that the things I put above Him were idols! Idols don't have to tangible things, precious carvings of silver and gold; idols can be anything that we hold more dear than our beloved God. It took a lot of honesty and soul baring to admit how guilty I was and none of these sins were intentional or even realized at the time.

"But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you."  ~Matthew 6:33

It is so easy to put other people or things before God without even thinking about it.But when we do put Him first the rewards are numerous-- we can "hear his voice,"  and we can actually lay down our burdens. We are open to receive everything he has for us and can live in his strength and do things through and with His assistance. The list of things that happen when we put God first is endless. He is our creator, He is responsible for all the good in our lives and in us.

How many times do we have to go back to start to learn this?

Here are a few simple questions to help you determine if You are putting God first in your life. I hope that you work on it and ask for His help in doing it (He will) like I do.

1. List the five most important things to you
2. List the order of importance
3. Do you feel like you have been growing in the Lord?
4. Are you satisfied with the amount of time You spend with God and the quality of that time?

Thank You Heavenly Father for loving one like I who doesn't deserve the grace and mercy that I live in! I pray that you help us all to put You and keep You first in our lives, where You belong, for You are the great I Am. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

The Freedom of Forgiveness

And when you stand to pray, if you hold anything against another, forgive it, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your trespasses as well."  ~Mark 11:25

Forgiving can be such a hard thing to do. When someone has betrayed you, hurt you to your core, how do you just forgive them? Isn't that letting them off easy? How could they deserve your forgiveness? What if they aren't sorry, or don't even see what they did wrong? How on earth can you forgive someone like that?

There was a time when I had those thoughts. I had been betrayed by someone very close to me, in ways that were unimaginable. I didn't understand how I could forgive something that had such a profound impact on my life. But I had the wrong ideas about forgiveness....

Forgiveness is not the same thing as pardon. You are not excusing the other person for what they did. What you are doing, is letting go of the anger and bitterness, and cutting the chains to the past. You are freeing yourself of the effects of what happened and giving yourself a chance to heal and move on. 

It's so easy to think that there are things we shouldn't forgive. When I read the Bible and realize the way my God forgives you and me and all of us every day for our sins, it makes me think twice. 

When I hear stories, like Corrie Ten Boom's story from World War II, where she and her sister were put into a concentration camp because they were caught hiding Jews, it really makes me think.  She watched as they killed her sister. Corrie miraculously escaped only days later and ran into a soldier who was directly part of the atrocities there. She forgave him. That is hard to imagine. You can read more about her story of forgiveness here.

Forgiveness is always possible, maybe not in our flesh, but with God, as He can forgive through us and in us. I experienced this and it is freeing in a way that is beyond description. It also removes a wall that we create between us and God. We are being disobedient when we don't forgive. When we continue to be disobedient our hearts harden.

If you harbor a grudge, if you have bitterness in your heart, don't you think it's time to let it go? It will eat you from the inside out if you don't. God will help you to do it if you just ask. Forgiveness, contrary to what many believe, is not done for the other person but for yourself. It is the best gift you can give yourself. For me, it was like a huge weight was lifted off me, one that had been there for a long time. 

I pray for each one of you who is dealing with this issue, that you will seek to forgive with God's assistance, and experience the freedom and joy that it brings. I pray that you can fill the room it leaves with good things, that will restore peace and bring joy. 

You Are So Beautiful To Me

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

~Psalm 139:14

Do you ever look at someone and think about how beautiful they are? I have. I have admired the waistline or the legs that someone has or the beautiful green eyes that another person has. The thing I find interesting is the more I get to know a person, the more or less beautiful they become to me. That is because what is inside is shining through, and it affects how they look to me.

We worry so much about how we look on the outside, going to so much trouble to keep our bodies in great shape and preserve our youth. The truth is outward beauty makes a great first impression and attracts people. It is not what people value. True beauty does not come from the shape of one's body, or one's complexion. It doesn't come from mesmerizing eyes,luscious lips or gorgeous hair. 

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.  ~Proverbs 31:25,30

True beauty comes from a beautiful heart; it radiates from the inside. It comes from someone who is unselfish, loving, content, and spiritual. Some of the most beautiful women and men I know aren't confined by their age. They didn't have any work done, and don't do crossfit. They love life and people but most of all, they love the Lord. It shows! There is a sparkle in their eyes and a genuine smile that lights up their faces. People are drawn to the light within them.

I have friends that are truly beautiful but they cannot see it. They are so worried about extra weight or how different they look now as opposed to when they were younger. I understand, it is easy to feel that way. Their beauty is timeless. It doesn't age, it grows as they grow and mature in the Lord. It is a lovely thing to see. We cannot stop the aging process, but we can renew ourselves inwardly with God's word. 

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  ~2 Corinthians 4:16

So I pray for every reader, that you find the beauty of God's word and are transformed inwardly by keeping Him in your heart. May His light shine through for all to see.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  ~Colossians 3:12

From Striving To Surrender

Turn your burdens over to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will never let the righteous person stumble. ~Psalm 55;22

Life in the world today is challenging. God told us in His word that it wouldn't be easy for those of us who are on a Christian walk, although it would be worth it. It took me a long time to truly understand what that  meant.

One thing I have learned is that God allows us to suffer. I struggled with this for a long time. How could a loving God allow this? I now understand that He uses this to conform us to His image and to teach us how to live. When I look back, most recently over my multiple chronic illnesses, I see changes that could have only come about through hard times and a Loving God who is teaching me me how to do better.

I have been dealing with daily pain and frightening symptoms from rare diseases for years now. The desperation that I started out with accomplished several things:

• I sought God more through prayer
• I dug deeper into His word
• I opened my heart and my mind
• I actively sought ways to help myself physically and emotionally
• Most of all, I started surrendering myself to God.

For someone who has had to feel in control in the past, giving Him my burdens is huge. It is the most freeing and peace giving thing I have ever done. It is the way to enter His rest. I realized although I thought I had done this before, I had never truly surrendered all.

Striving is the more comfortable way to live, but is also stressful, tiring, and hurtful to one's soul and spirit. When we strive, we are not truly trusting God.

That doesn't mean we stop doing our part, but it does mean that we let it go once we've done our part. I believe this is part of being obedient to God.

Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light. ~Matthew 11:29=30

For me, laying my burdens at His feet is something I do repeatedly, but with my whole heart. One of the wonderful things about doing this is that it empties me of it and leaves room to be filled with all the good things God has for me. I am able to focus on my blessings and positive things, and don't have worries constantly distracting me. Having a much lower stress level contributes to my overall well being.

Of course It's not perfect, but it is oh so much better! The times I have trouble laying my burdens down, I pray and ask God to help do it, and He does. I can honestly say that I am no longer a Control freak!

“I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket.In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; ~Psalm 81:6-7

Judged

 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. ~Matthew 7:1-5

Social media is a wonderful tool to keep you in the know of where you stand with people. You can see how many people have seen what you have posted, how many have ignored it, how many "likes" you get, and more recently, now many "reactions" you get.

What a wonderful gage for being ignored! I see it time and time again. Someone made a snafu, in someone's book anyway; and the secret gossip spreads throughout chats, custom posts and personal messages.. Next thing you know this person has heartfelt posts that are either not responded to, or at least not responded to by a certain group of people. This is a great example of how things go in real life.

"You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD."  ~Leviticus 19:16

Even if what is said comes from what we deem as a trustworthy source, there are two sides to every story. All versions of a story, even those that come from us are colored with our own perceptions and lenses that comes from a lifetime of experience, baggage and yes, most likely issues we still have to work on.

Regardless of that, we have no right to judge others, only God does. It amazes me to see others walk away from someone because of what they think they have done, because they have an illness they don't understand, or simply because they think something. What is even more perplexing to me, is when they have discussed it with everyone but that person!

If there was one thing my parents did teach me correctly, it was to treat people the way I would want to be treated. I hope you have never experienced this. If you have, or are being treated this way, I would like to say a few things. The only approval we need is from God. He loves us and is not going anywhere. Do not respond to what is happening. Be the bigger person and behave as Jesus would. Trials such as these give the opportunity to show who Christ is. Think of things that are pure, noble, beautiful and true. Stay in prayer and let the Lord transform your mind. Pray for those who seek to hurt you and you will be blessed.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. ~Phillipians 4:8

Do not Conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. ~Romans 12:2

Remember, this is our temporary home. We are on our way to a much more beautiful place, where we will no longer have to bear these trials.

We are all flawed, every one of us. Every one on a journey with Christ is in the process of being molded and shaped into who He wants us to be. Meanwhile, we have our weaknesses and character defects God is working on in us. He sees us as the people we are going to be, through the eyes of love. Maybe we need to soften our views of each other and instead of gossiping and judging, keep being a friend of your fellow sinner; for we are all sinners and have much work to still be done on ourselves.