Romans 16 - My Greetings!

Our Romans study is coming to an end today. I am surprised about how quickly this month has gone...it has been a great time digging into the word of God.

Romans 16 is Paul's greetings to everyone there and a warning about causing divisions in the church. Most of the time when I read lists of names in the bible I usually think...boring. Something struck me today that caught my attention in this last portion of scripture.

Who would I greet in my letter if I were Paul. Who would be my mentors, prayer support, co-labors, friends? Paul realized the value of the body of Christ and the relationships that he had developed. God never intended for us to be alone. He knew that we would need family, friends and the church.

Everyday, I thank God for my church family. They pray for me, they love me, they are my friends and mentors; I don't even want to begin to think about what I would do without them.

When we value our friends and we follow the many lessons in this book in our hearts and lives, I don't think we would have the problems with division in the body of Christ. However, we live in an imperfect world and with this world comes imperfect people. So lets live lives in unity working together for the cause of Christ and be watchful of those who try to cause divisions.


So,If I were like Paul and needed to end a letter to those far away from me, here would be my list....

Greetings to my wonderful church family in my home town who has been so wonderful and encouraging for the last 8 years.


Greetings to my dear friend Jenilee for she has challenged me in my walk with the Lord and is a true kindred spirit.


Greetings to my sister Jennifer who speaks the truth to me when it is hard to hear sometimes. Her love for me is never doubted.


Greetings to the Neal's, my grandma and many other older people who prayers are so valuable and needed for my life.


Greetings to my in-laws who are always loving and kind.


Greetings to my parents who are the greatest support system. Who love me unconditionally.


Greetings to husband John who is my dearest friend and co-laborer in this great calling Christ has called us too.

and the list could go on and on! Who would be on your list???

27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

GET JOY!

Romans 15. part 2 - Passion for Missions

²⁰ My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard,

We are left with the challenge from Paul to spread the gospel to those who have never heard. Paul is such a great example of a true missionary. He was so driven to share the love of Christ. And through the power of the Holy Spirit, Paul radically launched the greatest movement of church history.... the spreading of Christianity into all the world.

Maybe God has not called you to a foreign land to tell others about Jesus; however, He has given us a job to do. We need to have a mission's heart. I was telling my kid's in kids church that we can have a heart for missions. They can pray for missionaries, give to them and even go themselves on short or long term trips. We need to be missionaries where ever we are. We all come into contact with people everyday that have never heard the "Good News". A Christ follower should have a desire to spread Jesus' love because the time is running short.

I wrote a blog post before, check it out "Heart for Missions"!

Let's have a passion for missions and....
GET JOY!

Our missionary friend, Matt Love, took this picture while my husband was in the Dominican Republic working with him on a short mission's trip.

Romans 15, part 1 - Hope for All

We are nearing the end of our Romans study and Paul is tying everything up here at the end. I like that over the last 29 days, I have been really challenged to dig deep inside of me. I want to live a life that pleases God and brings Him joy!

Here in Romans 15 we are also challenged to share the love of Christ with others. First, we see that unity with the body of Christ gives praise to God!

⁵ May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. ⁶ Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Secondly, the gospel of Jesus Christ is for the Jews and the Gentiles. We must do all we can to spread the good news the best that we can.

⁸ Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors. ⁹ He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them.

I love this verse....

¹³ I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I wrote about this verse before; make sure you check it out....God gives us Hope!

Let's share the love of Christ and overflow with confident Hope!

GET JOY!

Romans 14, part 2 - Critical of Others

Alright now go read part 1 from yesterday so todays will make sense....
go ahead, I will wait.....

lalalalalalalala

Did you read it?

Good!

Have you ever known someone that has something critical to say about everything?! Maybe, someone has been critical toward you:
they didn't like your hair,
your outfit wasn't quite right,
or wished you had done better on a project,
possibly they don't like how you raise your kids,
maybe the list could go on and on and on until you want to pull out every hair in your head!
How does criticism feel? Does it inspire you to do better? Does it encourage you? Does it make you feel loved? Do you just wish they would stop talking and leave you alone?


Now let's take a look at Romans 14 and being critical of others. I find that it is far easier to find the faults in others than it is to find our own... isn't it?! That is why I talked about our own personal conviction first yesterday. I think it is very important to search our own hearts rather than to point out others wrong doings, verses 12 and 13 are actually very clear on this very matter.

¹² Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. ¹³ So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.

God know us well doesn't He?! He wants us to really just focus on ourselves and our own relationship with Him and not get all caught up in thinking we can do something about others personal state with God. In reality, there is absolutely nothing we can do to save a person's soul or make them better that is God's job...not ours. He is also the judge, He is fair and good. I trust His judgment much more than I would ever trust mine or anyone else for that matter.

Whew, that should actually be rather relieving to us; it is one less thing that we have to think about. Now that doesn't mean we don't share, teach or instruct others about Christ; but it is not our personal mission 24/7 that they make through the pearly gates. Thank goodness I don't have to be everyone's personal Holy Spirit that would be exhausting. Remember God loves them far more than we do so let Him do the work, He will do a much better job at it too.

I have to do my best, watch what I say and do so that others can "follow me as I follow Christ."
My focus needs to be on my own relationship with God. I need to be very careful that I am not critical of others and instead encourage their relationship with Christ.

I love, love, love I Peter 3:8-9

⁸ Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. ⁹ Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing.
That is what God has called you to do,
and he will bless you for it.

Let us encourage one another in the faith, be blessed and....
GET JOY!

Romans Video, "Grafted"

Hey, one of my friends has been studying Romans with Jenilee and I, Emily. She made this awesome video based on Romans 11! You have got to take the time to watch it.



Here is the youtube address...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlGurCLHqyY

Be Grafted and...
GET JOY!

Romans 14, part 1 - Personal Convictions

Some interesting things were going on with the Roman Christians which Paul addressed some of the big issues in the first half of this book. But there were so other issues that needed addressing. The Christians were having a hard time meshing the Jewish traditions with the Gentile traditions. They were even arguing over it all. And in this chapter we find Paul addressing some of those issues in Romans 14.

These Christians were having a hard time with things like eating habits and days set aside to worship God. Jews did things one way...Gentiles another. So who is right and who is wrong when it is not necessarily a "sin" issue? That is the question they were struggling with.

I am going to break this up into two parts:

Today, "Personal Conviction"
Tomorrow, "Being Critical of Others"

Personal Conviction

One of my professors at school shared with us about his love of tennis in class one day. He played tennis All the time. He would try to play it every day and he was pretty good at it. However, tennis began to consume him. It took away time from his work, his family and it even took away time from his daily devotions. Eventually, tennis became something it never should have.

Now there is nothing wrong with tennis. I play tennis every once and awhile. It is a great fun sport. But the point that my professor was trying to make is that tennis became a sin for him. Tennis was consuming him. It was not only interrupting his family and work but it was actually hindering his walk with the Lord. He admitted that for him the only cure was for him was to not play tennis at all ever. It was far to tempting to play because it would only want him to play all the more...remember Romans 7?

There will be things in our lives that will be sin for us that are not sin for others. God knows us so intimately, He shows us our boundaries and where we need help. For me, if you have been reading my blog on Fridays, food can be a huge sin for me. My hubby can eat some things that I can not. Is he in sin? Nope! But for me it can be. One small piece of chocolate cake is okay; but not the whole cake.

We got a free piano a couple years ago. It needed a lot of work. It was pretty dirty, it need vacuuming, wiping and a piano tuner to come in. It was the fine tuning that took the longest. He actually has to come back a few times to get it to hold tune; before it is just right. When we come to God in our sinful state, He gets to work and does a huge overhaul. He begins the fixing and cleansing process and works on all the big stuff. Then he starts working on the details.

Personal convictions are the fine tuning of our souls.

(God just gave me that, feel free to quote me. Wink...wink! I don't think any famous person said it...so I think it is all mine. hehehehe)

God is wants to get down to the motives of our hearts. He wants us to really be pure and holy.
I really like the last part of the chapter. It really brings it home regarding our own personal conviction.

²² You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right. ²³ But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it.

Did you read that last part, I mean really read it? I want you to fill in the blank with what ever you have doubts about....

But if you have doubts about whether or not you should _____________, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it.

Whoa...whoa...whoa...Stop right there! I have read Romans so many times and never really noticed that verse. All I can say is Ouch Lord...Okay you are serious about the personal convictions You have placed in our hearts.

For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

Lord, forgive me if I have done anything when I have felt it is not right. Sadly, this has happened many times in my life...maybe it was movies that I was not sure about, maybe it was conversations that I thought were questionable, maybe it was resentments I held on to for far to long or maybe it was something that regularly distracted my devotion time all of these things caused me to sin.

But, thank be to God who is able and ready to forgive and help us to not do it any more. Thank you Lord for you are always working on us by purifying us and making us new. Thank you Lord for you are always making me better and more beautiful. Thank you for fine tuning because it makes me more like you and when that happens I will....

GET JOY!

Romans 13, part 2 - ahhhhhh.... In The Presence

There are so many great parts in the second half of Romans 13.

Like....

8 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another.

Our only requirements are to love God and to love others as much as we love ourselves. If we can focus on those things then we will a sweet aroma to God. It is our act of love towards Him. When we love Him truly then love pours out of us for others.

This one is great...

10 Love does no wrong to others

Ouch this one can be hard to do sometimes especially when it is our enemies. We must always check ourselves, our attitudes and how we treat other people. Notice that this verse doesn't say Love does no wrong to our family, our friends, the people we like, our husband, our children. Look it says no wrong to others that means Everyone even our enemies.

Are you ready for this next one....

11 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

Jesus is coming soon so we need to be alert and ready. We need to be awake not drifting off to sleep. As Christ followers we need to being sharing the love of Christ in an urgent way...the time we have left here is short.

and...

12b So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. 13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see.

We need to turn away from our sin and live for Christ. Why? Because people are watching us to see if we are truly followers of Jesus. Sure we are going to make mistakes, we all do. That is the beauty of Christ love, He is forever changing us, mold us, making us into the beautiful person He intended us to be and it is a life long process. He will never be finished with us until we see Him face to face and He says, "Well done my good and faithful servant now enter into the joy of your Lord."

and of course to wrap it all up, I love.....

14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I want to be bundled up in the presence of Jesus. I love my fuzzy blankets they are so warm, toasty and I feel completely peaceful in it. It is one of those moments where I just feel like ahhhhhhhhh so good. When I am in the presence of Jesus is is so much more than my blanket it is perfect Joy, perfect Peace, perfect Love, just perfect ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. There are no words that can describe the security I have in the presence of my Jesus.

When we wrap ourselves in Jesus than all the previous things come so naturally they are a part of who we are.

So many nuggets of truth that are so powerful for us today. So everyone lets hide them into our hearts and of course we will .....

GET JOY!

Romans 13, part 1 - Live Blameless

I hate driving the speed limit, especially when I am in a hurry. It gets me all frustrated. But I do me best to obey the law and go the stupid 15 miles per hour down the street I go on almost every other day. Why? Because I know there are cops usually sitting around at the end of it....nope... I don't have to worry about being pulled over because I am not breaking the law. Don't get me wrong I like to drive fast to get to some where fast; but I know that there are rules and they are for my good.

Romans 13:1-7 Talks about obeying those in authority over us...even when we don't like it so much or even agree with them. God has placed people in authority for our good. As Christians we need to have the right attitude toward them even if we have a hard time with them ...even the IRS. Ugh!

(side note...There is a time when we choosing God's rule over certain issues will cause us to be disobedient or not follow certain people in authority who want us to sin that would be the only exception to this; for example the story of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego found in Daniel three.)

I love the last part of this portion of scripture....

⁷ Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Paul is really getting down to the heart of the matter, our attitudes. If we are truly Christ followers we will even show respect to every person in authority over us ...even the traffic police. Really at the heart of my speeding issues is a bad attitude...I didn't prepare so I am running late...so I think I need to speed to get there on time and forget the laws and endanger people on the road...because what I am doing is more important than anything else....Ouch! If we are truly honest, TRULY honest, with ourselves we will find selfishness and pride lurking some where in our in our attitude with what we might struggle with.

The cool thing about obeying the laws and rules that are placed for my benefit is that I get all the benefits. I don't have to worry ever about the cops parked in their secret places; because I am not doing anything wrong. I reap the benefits of others following the laws and rules; I don't like getting hit by reckless drivers....it hurts. I think you see where I am going with all this....

Live blameless and

GET JOY!

Romans 12, part 2 - BE 3 and Get Joy!

I am a little concerned, there is too much good stuff, so buckle your seat belts people this is going to be a long one. Hahahaha just kidding, well maybe not we will see at the end of this post now won't we.

The rest of Romans 12 tells us how to live a Christian life. Here are three ways that we can be a living sacrifice pleasing unto God and Get Joy!

Be Humble

³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

God wants us to start off on the right foot now doesn't He?! Before we start acting on our faith we need to make sure our attitude is right. God wants us to be humble not puffed up. He wants us to patient and not quick to judge. He wants us to have a clear understanding of where we are at with Him and not where we "think" we are. Remember we are always a work in progress, nobody has figured it all out perfectly on this earth. We need the grace and mercy of Jesus everyday!

Be Using Your Gifts

⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.

Everyone has unique gifts and talents that God has given to us. I love the word picture of the "body" to help us understand that we are all working together as a unit. An arm can not work separate from the body nor could the leg. We need all our parts working together to work the best that we possibly can. Side note, John's brother always called him the ingrown toenail of the body of Christ. You know the annoying part. Heehehehhehe I thought it was funny.

What are some of the different gifts? Paul gives us a list. Ask God today what your gift is and then find a way to use it to help the 'body' of Christ. Remember to also do our best at it with the right attitude always.
prophesying
serving
encourage
giving
leading
showing mercy

Be About Love
Being a Christ follower is more than just believing it is acting that belief though sincere love, clinging to goodness, being devoted to others, honoring others, zealous, having spiritual fervor, serving the Lord, being JOYFUL in hope, patient when it is tough, faithful in prayer, sharing with those in need, practicing hospitality, blessing those who are mean to you, rejoicing with those who rejoice, mourning with those who mourn, being in harmony with others, being humble (just in case you missed the first part), being a servant, doing what is right, being peaceful and if that isn't enough also don't forget to love your enemies!

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Whew what a list! Now before you think this is impossible and chuck it all out the window; remember God is with us. He will give us the strength and ability to do the things listed above. We could never do this on our own. That is why when we come to know him and have a relationship with Him...He can do some pretty amazing things in our lives. We are becoming a living sacrifice unto God....how awesome is that!

Be humble, be using the gifts God has given you and be about love and watch as you...
GET JOY!

Snowed In!

I guess we are stuck in the house for the next two days......Hummmmmmmm.......there goes my spring cleaning plans; well at least the hopes in my mind of getting some serious cleaning done. hehehehehe

They are pretty cute...
GET JOY!

Wednesday's Walk - Dreams of Warmer Places

I'm leaving on a jet plane...don't know when I'll be back again....We have a snow day today on March 23rd and the kids are at home making messes, fighting and being crazy. Come on spring where are you...I miss you so much. I am sitting in my chair and dreaming...dreaming of a time that seemed so long ago and much warmer...........

Oh Florida, I love you. I am dreaming of you, warm sun. Vacations help me....

GET JOY!

Jenilee at The Goodwin Family is hosting Wednesday's Walk.

Romans 12, part 1- True Worship & God's Will

¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
² 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.

So much "Awesomeness" is in these two little verses. (Can I say that word...well I just did!) These are some great "If-Then" verses as I like to call them. "If -Then" verse are the ones that "IF" we do something "THEN" something really good comes after. I like God's promises, don't you???

Now, I like the little tiny phrase in verse one "In the view of God's mercy". We need to put our mercy glasses on and see that everything that we do, say and achieve brings glory to God; because He has had mercy on us. Without His mercy we would be lost and still deserving of His wrath. Remember this through out this chapter that it is by grace we have been saved through faith. God in His love has had mercy on us.


#1 "If" I offer my body as a living sacrifice "Then" I will give true worship.

The Jews really understood this idea of sacrifice. They sacrificed animals to repent of their sin and as an act of worship to God. When God's people sacrificed it was a sweet aroma to Him because their sins were covered and their hearts and attitudes were pleasing to God. But now that Christ became the perfect sacrifice once and for all the need for animal sacrifice was now gone.

Interestingly enough though we need to still have the attitude of sacrifice by being a "Living" sacrifice unto God. Yes, Jesus did the work but we still need to have the right mind set, attitude everyday because of that sacrifice and not take it for granted.

This has been really coming to "life" for me as I have been changing my eating habits. There have been days that self-control has been such a struggle and I have wanted to chuck it all and say who cares. God cares!

He cares that I treat my body with respect. This is just a small aspect of "presenting my body as a living sacrifice"; God wants me to bring my health, my spirit, my mind, my heart all into the submission of Him. I must not hold back one little secret part from Him. He wants all of me. We can not become lazy.

When I offer myself as a living sacrifice, I will be able to offer myself as true and proper worship. When I look through those glasses of mercy, I begin to see how much God has given me. I in turn want to worship Him, to love Him. Why? Because He loves me....so much so that He died for me. I want to be a "sweet aroma" of worship to my beloved Creator.

#2 "If" I do not conform to the world and be transformed in my mind "Then" I will know God's will.

The second verse gives us clear direction to not be like the world. The world is in direct hostility towards God. The world is deserving of God's wrath. Remember the first part of Romans?

We need to be transformed. How do we become transformed? The answer is very simple here in verse 2, by the renewing of our minds. I like the word renewing it has action behind it. We don't renew our minds once....nope. We need to be in a state of renewing. We daily need to:
seek God,
read His word,
go to church,
meditate on His teachings,
listen to Him when He speaks,
do what He asks us to do,
be open to change,
learn from mentors, pastors and teachers

When we allow our minds to be transformed by God then we understand the heartbeat of God. We have developed a relationship with Him. He has become more than a friend to us. When you understand someone that well then you know their character, you understand their motives, and you know the love they have.

When things get tough and you don't understand God...then you can test and approve His will because you know Him. You may not know the full extent of what He is doing but you can totally trust HIM! His will is good, pleasing and perfectly perfect in every way.

.....Ooooo those verses will preach! I think I have written the most today than I have over the whole study and on just two little verses. When God touches our hearts lets listen and do....then receive all His good promises.

Let's offer true worship and know His will today and ....
GET JOY!

Romans 11, part 2 - Oh the Depth!

Apparently, my good friend Jenilee and I wanted to keep the last part of Romans 11 for today. I have to say, I am not surprised...we are kindred spirits. hehehehe

Here is a beautiful piece of scripture that write the glory of a sovereign, holy, omniscient (all knowing) and omnipotent (all powerful) God!

Romans 11:33-36 (New Living Translation)

³³ Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

³⁴ For who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
Who knows enough to give him advice?
³⁵ And who has given him so much
that he needs to pay it back?

³⁶ For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

We serve a powerful, wonderful and loving God. Who are we to question Him when we know His word says he is working all things for our good. Remember

Romans 8:28 (New International Version, ©2011)

²⁸ 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.

When you understand that then we can know we worship a God who is not far away. He longs to be with us and to have a relationship with us. Everything good is to bring glory to Him!

I love this song, "Oh, the depth of the riches!"

Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God
How unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past finding out.


For who has known the mind of the LORD?
Or who has been His counselor?”
who has first given to Him
that it should be repaid?”


For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things,
For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things,
to whom be glory forever
to whom be glory forever and ever
Amen


We worship you, All knowing sovereign Lord
to whom be glory forever
to whom be glory forever and ever
Amen

We worship you, All knowing sovereign Lord
All glory All praise belongs to our God!
Belongs to God!

I hope you paid close attention to some of the images shown in this video. They really reflect what we have been studying.

Let's meditate on the depth of His riches today and
GET JOY!

Romans 11, part 1 - The Family of God

Verses 1-32 are pretty intense. There is so much going on in these verses regarding God's people the Jews and the Gentiles. God is always trying to redeem His people all we need to do is have faith in Him...the message remains simple.

I love the illustration of a root and branches Paul uses it to help us understand how we are "grafted" into the family of God.

Grafted: a bud, shoot, or scion of a plant inserted in a groove, slit, or the like in a stem or stock of another plant in which it continues to grow.

We are so blessed to be a part of His family when we have a relationship with Christ. We are grafted in by faith. However we must remember that we all can be cut off it we choose to no longer follow Christ. God loves us so much just like He loves His chosen people the Jews.

Redemption is God's heart. Redemption comes when we believe that Christ died for us. Grace is for all of us and it is freely given. There is nothing we can do to earn God's grace. I like this verse....

⁶ And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

The Jews have a choice to accept this gift just like we do. Someday the nation of Israel will be restored to God. Today, you can be restored...have faith and you can be a part of the family of God.

Be grafted into the family of God today and....

GET JOY!

Romans 10, part 2 - Beautiful Feet

Feet are not usually something we think of as beautiful. But in the next couple of verses we read about some really beautiful feet.

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

What a challenging passage of scripture for us all who call ourselves Christians. God is calling us to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. We need to reach out to all those we come in contact with and share the love of Jesus.

Our missionaries are just about the most amazing people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. They give up all the comforts of home to go to some place that is so foreign to them. Many leave loved ones, many leave security, and many leave everything to share the love of Christ.... wow, such compassion such zeal! What beautiful selfless people.

We need to remember our missionaries who "go into all the world" to preach the gospel in prayer. We need to pray for them and give to help them go into the areas that we are not able to go to. Our missionaries are our heroes!

17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

We need to share the message of Christ. His love, His compassion, His longing for a relationship with us is what the world needs to hear. We need to share the Good News with the people around us and if we cannot go too far off countries help those who can.

The beautiful feet of missionaries and sharing Jesus help me....
GET JOY!

Memory Jewels

I want to post these just because I found them while searching for something else. It is always fun to find little jewels of memories. These are pictures of my oldest daughter, who by the way is growing up way to fast. She is going to be 11 next month.

GET JOY!

Romans 10, part 1- How To Get Saved!

⁹ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

¹² For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,

¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

My daughter is working very hard at church to earn the highest honor in our girl's ministries program, to become an Honor Star. One of those steps towards this achievement is to learn the ABC's of salvation.

Admit we are sinners. (Romans 3:23)

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Believe in Jesus to forgive our sins. (Acts 16:31)

³¹ They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

Confess our sins. (1 John 1:9)

⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

This is one of those passages of scripture that is also so great to memorize. These verses lay out perfectly how to become a Christ follower, how to be saved. Jesus Christ is for anyone who believes in their heart and confesses with their mouth. There is no discrimination for anyone. We are His creation who He longs to redeem.

What a powerful 5 verses, especially verse 13, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!" Let's proclaim the love of Christ to everyone we come in contact with. His gift of salvation is free; we only need to have faith in Him. So simple...don't make the gospel complicated, He doesn't. He loves us so much. He does everything He can to bring us back to Him.

Will you call on the name of the Lord today and ....

GET JOY!

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Freeing the Fat Friday- Whoo Hoo,The Benefits!

God's Lesson For Me
So for the first time ever in my life I have lost the most amount of weight that I ever have. I have lost 14 lbs. Whoo HOO! Now that may not seem like a lot; but it is for me. My goal is slow and steady so that this will be a permanent life change. Because it is not about weight loss it is about becoming healthy and glorifying God with my body. I have a long way to go; but I am learning so much.

One of the greatest things I have been learning is that sometimes I just don't need to eat it. Just because it is there doesn't mean it needs to go in my mouth. I am also learning to make better choices. I am learning the fine art of self control. What a challenge it has been!!!! I love this verse....

Philippians 1:6 (New International Version, ©2011)

⁶ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Changing the way I eat is very much about my relationship with Christ. I want to surrender all that I am to His will, even my food. It is a process but that verse is a promise. He is faithfully working in me to make me all that He knows I can be.

Meals for the Week

Sticking to a 1,200 calorie plan is tough stuff. This week was a little rough and didn't keep to it for a few days; but I will pick it up this coming week. I am thinking of sticking with a meal plan to help.

Exercise

It is starting to get warmer...I think I will try some walking this week!

Food's Favorite Friends
I love, love, love the Nabisco 100 calorie snack packs....for when a girl just needs some chocolate! Thank you Nabisco...Thank you!

Life Challenge
Remember that this is always about God and not about me.

GET JOY!

Romans 9, part 2 -Of Pots And Mugs

I ain't gonna lie...I am one tired girl and this is big theology; my brain is having a hard time wrapping around all that is going on in verses 6-33. There are a few things that really get my attention though...

I love visual things, if you haven't figured that out by reading my blog yet. In verse 21, Paul uses the Potter and the vessel image. Since I worked a pottery place, I really get a lot out of that visual.

In these verses we learn that God has had a plan all a long for the Jews and the Gentiles. His plan has always been our redemption. We must always remember His sovereignty when we study this passage. We must also remember that, "Who are we to question why God does what He does in the way that he does it?" We need to remember that God is working all things out for our good. He has a plan for us and a plan for His chosen race Israel.

At the pottery shop, I painted many pieces. Now I didn't create the form of the piece; but I painted it, glazed it and fired it. I played a major role in the completion of each piece that I worked on. I have worked on pottery from the clay stage as well in high school; so I really have an understanding and appreciation for the process.

²¹ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?

Each piece that I worked on always had a different purpose. From my statue of Jesus, to my dishes, to my pots, to my mugs everything had its purpose...everything was important to me. My art, my passion, my love was put into each piece. My plate that sits on display at my mom's has just as much of a purpose as my pot that held my sponges at the sink. I love them all, I had a plan for each, each piece was important to me and each piece was valuable even if it was a pot or a mug.

God had a plan for the Jews and He had a plan for the Gentiles. He created us all for a certain purpose, just like I created my pots and mugs for a purpose. God's plan for the Jews was for Christ to come and redeem all mankind through His promise to Abraham. They seem like pretty special people...but God loves all His creation the same. Remember...

Romans 2:11 (New International Version, ©2011)

¹¹ For God does not show favoritism.

His ultimate plan is for ALL, Jews and Gentiles, to have a relationship with Him through faith. We cannot earn our way to heaven...it is a free gift. God doesn't make us serve Him....we have a choice. He has a plan for you...it is up to you to seek it.

God has created you. He has a plan for you. Are you willing to let Him use you and...
GET JOY!

These are just some of the many pieces that I painted while I worked at the Pottery shop in Petoskey!