You ever wake up in the morning and you suddenly realize that you really have nothing good to say!!now don’t get me wrong , we should always thank the Lord for waking us ,, but beside that,,,Hmmmmm “NOTHING”Well Pastor Troy briefly touched on that very same subject last Sunday in service. He spoke on the fact that what we say can have different affects and outcomes on the people that hear the words that come out of our mouths,and I wholeheartedly agree with him. Along that same subject a good friend of mine Mark asked me a question while we were having lunch together after service last Sunday. He asked me why I haven't posted anything new on my Blog site lately,and my reply was “I just don't have anything good to say”,,,,,pretty sad isn't it! .That question really made me think,
I consider myself a pretty well grounded Christian,I do my very best to make it to church every Sunday,I try my best to encourage the people that I meet throughout each day,,Hey I am even on the prayer team at church,and my response to Mark was, “I just don’t have anything good to say” UNACCEPTABLE,totally UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!
In the bible we read in James chapter 3 verses 3-8, 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
You see although we cant tame the tongue , we can be ever so conscious of what it produces,we must strive to speak positivity,it only takes a single small word to utterly destroy someones sense of well doing,not to mention possibly totally destroy their confidence.
I can remember when I first came to faith, that I had a strong desire to correct my bad language. I began by exchanging neutral words for the vulgarities that I had been using in the past. But in tough situations, I found myself using the replacement words with the same venom that I used to use the bad language. Nothing had really changed, and I believe now that God was no happier with my language. God wanted me to work on my insides, and he is less concerned with the replacement words I used. It’s not the words we say, it’s the way we feel. Look at what Jesus said about our words:
We read this in the bible,in Matthew 15:10-11 it says ,Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
So back to the question that was presented to me by Mark,”Why haven’t you posted anything on your Blog lately?”
So if you would,Imagine a life in which there was no pain from the things that we say or the things that were said to us. Imagine a world where people reached their potential because they were constantly encouraged with words. Imagine a world with no gossip, no criticism, no vulgarity. It is a world that could exist if only we would live our lives God’s way.
As we read in the Bible Jesus reminds us that the words we speak are actually the overflow of our hearts. When someone becomes a Christian there is an expectancy that a change of speech follows because living for Christ makes a difference in one’s choice of words. The sinner’s mouth is “full of cursing and bitterness” ,but when we turn our lives over to Christ, we gladly confess that “Jesus is Lord” . As condemned sinners, our mouths are silenced before the throne of God , but as believers, our mouths are opened to praise and glorify God .
So thank you Pastor Troy for the message you delivered last Sunday,and thank you Mark for being obedient ,(even though you may think it was nothing) for asking me that question. We as Christians need to realize that we always have something “GOOD” to say,as long as we have the word of God hidden in our hearts,as we should have, we always have a good word to share with others.
I will close with this ,Psalm 119:9-11 says 9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart,do not let me stray from your commands.11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Blessings,and Oh Yeah,,,GOOD WORDS!!!! :-)
,
Monday, July 30, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
"Summertime with God"
This morning as I was catching up on things,reading my e-mail,looking over things that I had set aside because of the holiday,I began to ponder on a few things. Its summer time now , and for a lot of us that means no more work , or not as much work. Many of us have more time on our hands now and we need to figure out how we can maximize it. During the summer it’s easy to get lazy—sleep in on Sunday and neglect your devotional time with God. Instead of losing touch with God this summer, why not use this vacation time to draw closer to Him?
Lets look at some ideas that we can do to maximize this “summertime”.Get a little deeper with God, if you don’t usually spend quality time with God,why not start now?start by setting aside a few minutes a day, say 20 minutes, to connect with Him,and why not be creative,sing songs,memorize Scripture . . . use your imagination The Bible say this in Exodus 15:2 (Good News Translation), The Lord is my strong defender,he is the one who has saved me. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will sing about his greatness.
Take some time to talk with God,Think of what you want to say to God , and who you want to lift up to him in prayer. some people find it helpful to make a list of people ,their names and situations that they want to pray about. Maybe you could create a prayer journal, divide your list into different categories for praying about on different days .and remember each day as you pray, don’t forget to confess your sins to God. Also, remember to thank Him for His blessings and for answering your prayers. Psalms 118:1 says Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures forever.
Remember to attend church,,,,Hmmmmm,,,It may be tempting to sleep late or to spend a full day at the beach on Sunday, but neither of these choices builds you up spiritually. Strengthen your walk with God through regular church attendance. It honors the Lord when the faithful assemble for corporate worship and praise of God, who is infinitely worthy to be praised Acts 2:44, 47; says ,All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved..There is something especially powerful in a community of believers uniting to worship God with one voice. But we can’t do this together unless we are together! Summer vacations often take their toll on church attendance, but you can make it a goal to be at every service. Not only will attending church grow your relationship with God—it will encourage others to keep coming as well.
Take time to visit somebody,maybe a family that you haven't seen in church for a while. Visiting people will give you a chance to share your faith and to encourage others.
This summer, don’t take a vacation from God. Instead, use your summer vacation to have fun as you purposely seek God and grow in your relationship with Him. He promises: “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me” Jeremiah 29:13,
The older I get the faster time seems to fly by. Birthdays and anniversaries arrive so often I can’t keep up with them. The months of my favorite season disappear so quickly. The thing God values most is time. It is a priceless possession we should learn to cherish. One of the greatest ways to show God our gratitude is to use our time wisely.
My Friends ,I hope and pray that this summer is the summer to remember, that being that this summer may God bless you beyond your wildest imagination because you put Him first.
Revelations 3:20says this, "Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends.
Jesus is standing at the door asking to have a meal or some time to be with you. Just think about it, if you are about to sit down to dinner, and you here some knocking at your door and you go to answer it and there is your friend, just standing there asking to come in for a meal, it is going to do something to your relationship.?
Jesus is the one who is taking the initiative to spend time with you. He is the one who is already at the door to your life, asking for some time just to visit with you. All that you have to do is open the door.
I have found that whenever I make time for God in my life I am better for it. I get some of God’s love in my life, I get God’s thoughts in my mind, I get God’s wisdom in my decisions. He is the kind of friend that makes you much better,and he really wants your time.
we just have to decide that God’s word is the final authority in our lives, not our emotions or circumstances. Putting God first in life means that when it comes to our time, God gets the best of what we have to offer.
My friends I encourage you all to seek God's face this summer so much more than you have in the past. You will be amazed how much God wants to bless you,seek him .Hear that???? that’s God knocking,,,who will open the door?????
Blessings.
Lets look at some ideas that we can do to maximize this “summertime”.Get a little deeper with God, if you don’t usually spend quality time with God,why not start now?start by setting aside a few minutes a day, say 20 minutes, to connect with Him,and why not be creative,sing songs,memorize Scripture . . . use your imagination The Bible say this in Exodus 15:2 (Good News Translation), The Lord is my strong defender,he is the one who has saved me. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will sing about his greatness.
Take some time to talk with God,Think of what you want to say to God , and who you want to lift up to him in prayer. some people find it helpful to make a list of people ,their names and situations that they want to pray about. Maybe you could create a prayer journal, divide your list into different categories for praying about on different days .and remember each day as you pray, don’t forget to confess your sins to God. Also, remember to thank Him for His blessings and for answering your prayers. Psalms 118:1 says Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures forever.
Remember to attend church,,,,Hmmmmm,,,It may be tempting to sleep late or to spend a full day at the beach on Sunday, but neither of these choices builds you up spiritually. Strengthen your walk with God through regular church attendance. It honors the Lord when the faithful assemble for corporate worship and praise of God, who is infinitely worthy to be praised Acts 2:44, 47; says ,All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved..There is something especially powerful in a community of believers uniting to worship God with one voice. But we can’t do this together unless we are together! Summer vacations often take their toll on church attendance, but you can make it a goal to be at every service. Not only will attending church grow your relationship with God—it will encourage others to keep coming as well.
Take time to visit somebody,maybe a family that you haven't seen in church for a while. Visiting people will give you a chance to share your faith and to encourage others.
This summer, don’t take a vacation from God. Instead, use your summer vacation to have fun as you purposely seek God and grow in your relationship with Him. He promises: “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me” Jeremiah 29:13,
The older I get the faster time seems to fly by. Birthdays and anniversaries arrive so often I can’t keep up with them. The months of my favorite season disappear so quickly. The thing God values most is time. It is a priceless possession we should learn to cherish. One of the greatest ways to show God our gratitude is to use our time wisely.
My Friends ,I hope and pray that this summer is the summer to remember, that being that this summer may God bless you beyond your wildest imagination because you put Him first.
Revelations 3:20says this, "Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends.
Jesus is standing at the door asking to have a meal or some time to be with you. Just think about it, if you are about to sit down to dinner, and you here some knocking at your door and you go to answer it and there is your friend, just standing there asking to come in for a meal, it is going to do something to your relationship.?
Jesus is the one who is taking the initiative to spend time with you. He is the one who is already at the door to your life, asking for some time just to visit with you. All that you have to do is open the door.
I have found that whenever I make time for God in my life I am better for it. I get some of God’s love in my life, I get God’s thoughts in my mind, I get God’s wisdom in my decisions. He is the kind of friend that makes you much better,and he really wants your time.
we just have to decide that God’s word is the final authority in our lives, not our emotions or circumstances. Putting God first in life means that when it comes to our time, God gets the best of what we have to offer.
My friends I encourage you all to seek God's face this summer so much more than you have in the past. You will be amazed how much God wants to bless you,seek him .Hear that???? that’s God knocking,,,who will open the door?????
Blessings.
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