Change

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

 

3 things about change:

1. Change brings stress

2. We seem to focus on what was lost and not gained

3. Blame stress on whoever is "in charge" of the change

 

When we are put in situations that require us to step out of our comfort zone we are stressed due to change in our situation. Focus on what you can gain from the situation not loose. The unknown can overwhelm you, but God is omniscient, which means he knows all things, including the future. He can prepare you for the future in ways you can't prepare yourself, God is the guide who is never surprised.

Grow

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father" Colossians 1:9-12

 

Paul, the author of Colossians, was writing the church to give them inspiration to help them grow in their faith. God made you into the person you are today, but doesn't want you to stop there. He continues to work on us through struggles, celebrations, and our friends and family.

 

Remember: He loves you so much just the way you are... BUT he refuses to leave you that way, He wants you to continue to grow!

The mayo jar

          A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes". The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life:

• The golf balls are the important things in life. Your family, your children, your health, your beliefs, your friends, and your favorite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
• The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car.
• The sand is everything else, the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.  Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

        One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Beautiful

He makes everything beautiful in it's own time- Ecc 3:11

God always has a purpose! He promises to bring you through them to fulfill His purpose He has placed on your life. Just remember just because WE don't understand His timing, doesn't mean that He does not have your best interest in mind. 

Smudge

When you only follow directions "sorta" if begins a wave of consequences.
Like baking a cake, if you smudge a little on one ingredient and a little on
another, and so on, in the end you will have smudged a lot and the so called
cake will not be edible. God has given us instructions to live by, just as
there are directions for baking a cake, don't "smudge" your life. Follow
God's directions and he will lead you to happiness.

Rooted

Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving- Col 2:6

Are your roots deep enough in Jesus that when the world starts digging you can withstand and stand strong?  God did not promise a calm passage, just a safe landing... Be rooted in thanks to God.

Look...

Let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. Hebrews 12:1-2

 

Look inside, and you may have self pity,

Look down, and you might want to give up,

Look around, and you might grow discouraged

Look up, and you will see the reason to be strong!

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
 and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next.
 Amen

Whisper

If you listen to me whisper now, I wont have to shout later -GOD

 

God talks to us through our conscience, nature, family, friends, and situations. Sometimes we choose to ignore what he wants us to do and eventually he has to 'shout" for us to hear him. Listen.....

Shine like stars

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a crooked generation.”Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.

Philippians 2:14-15

 The best way to ruin a good thing is to complain about all of its imperfections. If you want to make every day the worst day of your life, describe everything that is wrong about it to yourself or someone else. That should do the trick! Rather than complaining about what is wrong, let's remember to thank God for what's right! If there is something you need, PRAY ABOUT IT !! God would much rather listen to your problems through a prayer than to hear you grumble about them to others.

Sinking

"About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.  When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”  But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here! Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.  But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.  Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” Matthew 14: 25-31

• Have faith in yourself, God picked you for a reason
• Take his hand and step out of the boat.
• Peter didn't sink because he had no faith in Christ, he sunk because he had no faith in himself.

Be shaken

"Shake the ground I walk on, I want to be dependant on you"

 

If we are never 'shaken' how could be ever learn and grow stronger. If we never have to lean on God for support and help through a circumstance, than what would we need him for?

Going through life's "circumstances" helps build our relationship with God.

 

For when I am weak I am truly strong.

Matthew 6:34

Every time I buy a new bible I like to get them in different translations, I think that you are able to get something different from different translations. Matthew 6:34 is one of my favorite verses it is simple and to the point. 

 

• Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. NIV
• Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. ESV 
• Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked us about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. MRMX 
• Dont worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today.

Circumstances

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; Persecuted, not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed" 2 Corinthians 4:9

 

Several things to think about with this verse:

• Tough circumstances? Consider this: God dressed up in a man's body, living among those who wanted to kill and torture him, simply because he wanted to save them! This brings light to the saying, " Wherever you've been, He's been there"- He was pressed, persecuted and struck down.
• Perseverance is good, but that alone is not enough, Endurance helps you survive the moment by toughing it out. Surviving is good, however will not last. But you truly prosper when you add trust in God's character and sovereignty. (Sovereignty= Gods supremacy, stating that God is God, and He is the up most high)
• In tough times, you will be tempted to take your eyes off your goals, allowing distraction and discouragement by the difficulties instead of anticipating the possiblities

Anyway

"People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered- LOVE THEM ANYWAY
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives- DO THEM ANYWAY
If you are successful you may win false friends and true enemies- SUCCEED ANYWAY
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow- DO GOOD ANYWAY
Honesty makes you vulnerable- BE HONEST ANYWAY
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight- BUILD ANYWAY
People really need help, but may attack you if you help them- HELP THEM ANYWAY
Give the world your best you have and you may get hurt- GIVE YOUR BEST ANYWAY"
~ Mother Theresa

Rocks

"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it, But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining forward to what is ahead, I press on to the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" ~ Philippians 3:13-14

Sometimes we focus on what has happened in the past, so much so that we forget to see what he is doing for us now and in the near future. The past are like rocks weighing us down, if we never drop them they will become so heavy that we will not be able to carry forward for very long.  God offers us a great future, drop your rocks and be thankful for what you have now and look forward to see what he has waiting for you.

Really Matters Most

How different our live are when we really know what is DEEPLY IMPORTANT to us, and keeping that picture in mind, we manage ourselfs EACH day to be and to do was REALLY MATTERS MOST.
Stephen Covey

Mountains

Don't tell your God how BIG your mountains are, tell your mountains how BIG your God is.

 Though the mountains be shaken
   and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
   nor my promise of peace be removed,”
   says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
 Isiah 54:10

Corinthians 13:5-8

 Love never gives up,
Love cares more for others than for self,
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have,
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Isn't always "me first"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end

"Trust Steadily in God,
Hope unswervingly,
Love extravagantly"
1 Corinthians 13:13

God and the Spider

 During WWII, a US marine was separated form his unit. All alone, he could hear enemy soldiers drawing closer. Quickly he found a cave to hide in. He realized that the enemy soldiers were looking for him and soon find him.  He prayed to God, " Lord, if it be your will, please protect me." After praying he noticed a small spider start spinning a web at the entrance of the cave.

Hah' he thought, I need a brick wall and the Lord has sent me a spider web. As the enemy drew closer he waited with his gun out to make his last stand. As they came to the cave opening, they quickly moved on. Suddenly, he realized that the web over the cave made it look like no one had been there.

In God, a spiders web is stronger than any brick wall.

How Far on One Tank?

 Spiritual encouragement is a renewable source. But like backpackers with canteens we can only carry around so much at one time. We run dry. We must return again, and again to the Lord, the never failing source of encouragement to replenish our supply.

Be filled with the spirit. Ephesians 5:18

This world is going to dry you up. Everyday relationships are going to drain you. Pressures of life are going to deplete you. Struggles with sin are going to drag you down.

Bumblebee's

Some bumblebees were taken on a space mission to see the effects of weightlessness. The bees floated around with ease without using their wings. After 3 days the bee's died. Bees were never meant to go through life without using their wings, not having any resistance.

Without opposition or resistance there is no potential for progress. Without the resistance or air an eagle can not soar. Without resistance of water a ship can not float.

Painting

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, Plans to prosper and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord. and I will bring you back from captivity. Jeremiah 24: 11-14

Claude Monet, the famous painter constructed a 3 panel painting in which he named 'Water Lillie's."  The massive feature measuring 6 feet by 57 feet, now hangs panel to panel in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. When you see the painting on the ground floor you are about 4 feet away, and to me, it did not look anything but a bunch of paint splashed on a canvas and smeared around. I remember thinking why and the world would this be one of the main attractions. After going up stairs I noticed a large gathering of people standing on a catwalk, I walked over I looked down and saw the massive painting from several hundred feet away. To say it was breathtaking would be an understatement. From far away you could see that the smeared paint became an intricate painting of flowers and a pond. It was beautiful and you could not walk away.

Your life is like this painting, right now all you see is the close up version of it. But God sees the whole painting. His plan is to make all trials and tribulations beautiful in time. Sometimes we need to take a step back and know that one day we will see what God has orchestrated.

Flowers

Therefore we do not loose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far out weighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not in what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. II Corinthians 4:16-18

Sometimes we focus so much on our troubles that it is hard to see past them, yet when we look back we realize that God has made them into something beautiful. He strengthens us, builds us up, and improves our relationships with not only Him but our friends and family, who we lean on for support.

Rain now, means flowers later!!

Storms

One day HE got into a boat with HIS disciples, and HE said to them, "Let us go across the the other side of the lake." So they put out, and while they were sailing HE fell asleep. A wind storm swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling up with water, they were in danger. They went to HIM and woke HIM up shouting "Master, Master, we are perishing!" HE rebuked the wind and the waves. Luke 8:22-24

 

Things to remember while we are going through life's storms:

• Storms give us the opportunity to shine in Gods glory
• Don't forget that Jesus is always in the boat with us
• Storms ALWAYS pass, they do not last forever!!!!

Life is not about waiting for Storms to pass, its about learning to dance in the rain!