Christianity – Page 69 – Drawing Closer to Christ

Celebrating Mother’s Day…while remembering those who are hurting

I have been thinking about Mother’s Day on and off for the last couple of weeks. While I know it’s a happy occasion for many, including myself, I am also aware that many are very unhappy. I have been praying and asking God to help those who are hurting on this holiday.

We should be thankful for the beautiful memories that have been created with our moms over the years. Mother’s deserve to be honored not just on Mother’s Day, but even more importantly every day of their lives.

Ephesians 6:2-3 KJV, “Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.”

In the midst of our celebrating, let’s not forget those who are hurting. Let’s be aware of the souls around us who may need a word of encouragement or a hug. Let’s be sensitive to the reality that some have broken hearts related to their mom, and they need time to heal. Take time out to listen to another persons story if they need you too.

Here are some reasons people may struggle on this special day:

1. They never knew their mom or they knew her but never felt her love.

2. Their mother has passed away.

3. Their child/children have passed away.

4. They have not been able to have children.

5. They are estranged from their children.

Your prayers are needed…

Please say a prayer for those who are hurting on this Mother’s Day. Pray that God will comfort them, and provide them with exactly what they need for healing.

Always be thankful…

Mother’s Day is a time of thanksgiving. First and foremost, we must be thankful to Jesus for the blessings we have received through the love of our mothers. Second, thankful to our mothers for their relentless love and support of us.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mom’s out there!

One Day at a Time

Matthew 6:34 NIV, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

My mom always uses the phrase, “one day at a time”. Thanks to her, it’s one of my favorite phrases too. According to this verse in Matthew, “one day at a time” is all we really can handle. God didn’t intend for us to carry tomorrow’s troubles today.

I remember when the Israelites tried to hoard the manna/bread, after the Lord instructed them to only gather what they needed for the day (Exodus 16). The extra manna/bread they kept spoiled and smelled really bad.

This reminds me of how it is when we carry tomorrow’s worries today. The extra stress will cause us to be less effective, drained and unhappy. It will spoil our outlook if we let it. We’d like to know the details of tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year! However we must be content with God’s provision for today.

We must take one day at a time and trust God to give us our daily bread. I pray God will give you peace of mind, strength and hope for today.

So Thankful For Thy Truth

Psalm 119:142 (KJV), “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.”

I’m so thankful for the truth of God’s Word, because His Word is a firm foundation. I’m also thankful for the wisdom and instruction found in His Word.

Nowadays many are in search of truth. Truth has become whatever people want it to be, instead of what God says it is. God’s truth does not change. He does not “adjust” His truth to please mankind. He does not “relax” His standards so that we can live by our feelings. Feelings change, but God’s truth always remains the same.

In order to stay connected to truth, we must stay connected to God and His Word. The Holy Spirit will help us to understand God’s Word, and He will empower us to apply what we learn to our lives. Jesus Christ died and rose so that we could be free to walk in Truth.

Father,

Thank you for Your Truth. Help us to walk in Your Truth daily. Help us not to be deceived by the lies of the enemy. Help us not to succumb to the many false teachings that are being taught today. When we are tempted to compromise Your Truth, so we can please ourselves or other people, give us the will to stand strong. Thank you for guiding us into all truth by Your Spirit.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

A Crown Of Glory

Proverbs 16:31 NLT, “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life.”

We live in a society where youth and outward beauty are esteemed above the beauty of growing older and gaining wisdom.

Living a godly life that is dedicated to God’s purpose, will create a legacy that can be passed down for generations to come.

There were so many people in the Bible who were well advanced in years. Regardless of their age, God used them to accomplish great things and bring Him glory. No matter how old we are, it’s never too late for God to work through us. As long as we have breath in our bodies, we can have an impact and make a difference in the world around us.

Psalm 92:14,“They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,”

God’s ability to use us is not solely based on our educational background, status, or age. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Our only qualification is to know Jesus and to allow His power to work in us and through us.

God says that gray hair is a crown of glory and once He has spoken, His Word is all that matters.

What If It’s All In Vain?

As a Christian, I’ve asked myself this question before, “What if it’s all in vain?” I have never personally struggled with wondering if God exist, because I have seen Him answer prayers I have prayed. I have heard Him speak to my heart. I have experienced His peace and comfort. Plus I can look at the beauty of His creation and know that He is real.

However, I have definitely had times where I felt weary in my Christian walk. I wondered if it was worth it to keep pursuing the things of God. I have questioned His involvement with the details of my life. There were even times I have experienced that vague feeling, that somehow I was missing the mark of understanding who God is, and what He really wants from me.

Have you ever felt this way?

I believe that it is perfectly fine with God for us to ask Him questions. He wants to know all of our doubts and fears. It’s up to Him to decide what He will and will not reveal to us, but we are always free to talk to Him about anything. Our questions are at times what Jesus uses to draw us closer to His heart.

Matthew 7:7 NIV, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

Some of the things I have learned during my times of struggling with doubt include the following:

1. Doubt is something the enemy will use to pull us away from God. Therefore, we must be honest with God about our struggles so He can help us. (Hebrews 3:12)

2. Don’t compare yourself to others. Comparing yourself to others will cause discontentment, which will cause you to doubt God’s goodness in your life. (Galatians 6:4)

3. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Meditating on and speaking God’s Word will replace your doubt with faith. (Romans 10:17)

4. Fear not! Fear will cause you to doubt that God loves you and will supply your needs. Understanding God loves you perfectly will cast out fear. (1 John 4:18)

God promises us that the life we are living for Him is not in vain…

1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Where Will You Look?

Proverbs 11:4 (ESV), “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.”

Yesterday at church, my pastor taught on the parable of the rich fool, found in Luke chapter 12. During the sermon, he also showed a short clip of several famous, wealthy celebrities expressing what brings them happiness. As they spoke, they were all very adamant about the fact that money and fame did not bring them happiness.

One of the celebrities really stuck with me (she is a very famous singer), because she said she felt happiest when she was able to be herself, and express her creativity. She said being made to do things just for the sake of earning more money, made her sad.

Most of us don’t possess wealth and fame, but the world we live in encourages us to look everywhere for satisfaction except God. There are many so called “solutions” to the problems we face, but only One True Answer. Jesus Christ is that Answer. He has told us that He is the Way, the truth and the life. No one can get to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). That means wealth can not save us. Popularity can not save us. Even the good works we do can not save us. Our good works only point people to the One who can save them.

I love it when God speaks…

Luke 12:20-21 NLT, “20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for? 21 Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Our relationship with God through Jesus Christ is what is most important. Wealth is good when used wisely, but it will one day pass away. We must avoid the temptation to let earthly things that will pass away, replace the solid foundation that we have in Christ.

My pastor summed up His message with this point, “when we have an abundance, we are to be generous and give to others.” Instead of giving, the rich fool decided to build bigger barns to store more stuff. It’s easy to look to money and “stuff” in search of happiness and security, but these things are not reliable.

We must look to Christ to fill our voids. He will satisfy our desires.

Psalm 145:16 NIV, “You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.”

Sunshine Blogger Award – 2

Thank you Stuart for nominating me for the Sunshine Blogger Award. I have been enjoying your post. They are very intentional and address a variety of issues which is very helpful. It’s inspiring that you don’t mind tackling the tough topics.

Check out Stu’s blog:

Something to Stu Over

Here are the rules:

• Thank the blogger who nominated you.

• Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.

• Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.

• List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award in your post/or on your blog.

Here are the questions for me:

1. What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten or should I say attempted to eat? Chitterlings

2. What is the hardest thing you have overcome? Lack of self confidence. I am still working this!

3. What is the one thing you have to have every day? A banana at breakfast

4. Why do you think it is so hard for most men to share their true feelings with the ones they love? Because men are usually taught to be “tough” and that includes not showing too many emotions.

5. If you are married, what do you treasure the most about your spouse?

If dating, what about the one you are seeing? If single, what are you looking for?

As a single person I am content and thankful I have had this time as a single to grow in Christ. I’m not really looking. If God wants me married He’ll send the right person. But He would have to have true godly character.

6. Where did the term, without using Google or any other search engine, by the skin of my teeth come from? I have no idea! I would need to google it. Lol.

7. What are you passionate about and why?

I am passionate about encouraging people, and helping them to know and understand that they are valuable in God’s eyes. They don’t have to compete with others because God has a special unique plan for each person.

8. What topics, if any, have you wanted to write about but haven’t because you feel your “fan base” would not approve?

I don’t necessarily think people would not approve but sometimes I think about racism. Living in South Florida it is so multi cultural (which is great) but there is much racial tension and other negative things to go along with the diversity. It gets tiring at times that people can’t just realize we are all human regardless of what country you came from.

9. Someone who has hurt you deeply in the past reaches out to you. They have done so to make ammends because the Lord told them to. Do you forgive or do you tell them to bugger off? I forgive them.

10. Now, let’s flip that question a little. The Lord tells you to reach out to someone you hurt in the past. Do you do so or do you ignore the prompting of the Holy Spirit out of fear?

You do it! I have actually reached out to someone from my past before because I hurt them. I would just advise people to pray for God to give them the right timing to approach them and the right words to say. Timing is everything.

11. Oh gosh, you are running late for work, grab a quick cup of coffee, get dressed quickly, slip on a pair of shoes and jet. When you arrive at work people snicker when you walk in because you slipped on two different pairs of shoes. What do you do?

I laugh with them! This actually happened to my coworker some years ago. She laughed at herself. We all laughed with her. Lol

I am nominating the following for this award:

Lamar Gibbs

https://thoughtsofredemption.com/2019/04/04/nationalpoetrymonth/

You Are Awesome

https://hhhigh.wordpress.com/2019/04/30/i-wait-for-the-lord/

Silent Songs of Sonsnow

https://sonsnow.home.blog/2019/04/27/a-home/

Reflections of a storyteller

https://reflectionsofastoryteller.com/2019/04/16/a-heart-of-gratitude/

Michael Ogazie’s Blog

https://ogaziestheory.wordpress.com/2019/05/04/a-weekend-tip/