The Little Things

Sometimes, like children, we get so impatient for the good things God has in store for us that we ask Him to reveal it all at once. But God doesn't work that way. If God revealed all of His future plans for us at once, we'd miss out on the simpler things - a beautiful sunset, a good friend's encouragement, the smile from that special someone you know is yours for the rest of your life. Yes, God's will is best, and His plans perfect, and because of that He wants us to enjoy the little things as well as the big ones.

Sometimes We're Deaf, But God Still Cares

Sometimes we get so hard of hearing in the spiritual realm that God has to shout to be heard. Most often, it isn't a pleasant experience.

What We Want

It is easy to want things we don't need, and sometimes difficult to desire the things we do need.

What's Important?

What's important to us isn't necessarily important to God, but what's important to God should be important to us. After all, He's God, He loves us, and He knows what's best. And of course, it's always best to trust Him.

Simplify

When it comes to life, it's the simple things that count. Family, friends, and a personal relationship with God far outweigh the "bigger and better" television shows, video games, and internet gadgets. If your life seems too complicated, try cutting out the complications until only things of lasting value remain. You'd be surprised how simple life can be.

Prioritizing Life

Things are a lot simpler than we tend to make them. We have long lists of things we want to get done each day, but Jesus simply says, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God..." When we do this, all the other pieces slide into place.

A Pure Family

I am convinced that the most pure and only lasting form of family is that which God has given His children. Everything else is just temporary.

Worship = Sacrifice

Worship, in its truest form, is sacrifice. When we find ourselves set in our ways and focused on music, friends, or our pastors, it's time we try something new. It's time we sacrifice our personal desires, laying them down at the feet of Jesus and saying to our Father, "Here I am. I give my all to You, because You alone are worthy of it all."

Commitment

Christians are called to live out their commitment to Christ, and only Him. Not friends, not family, not their favorite style of music or their pet peeve in life. Just Christ. What Christ is committed to doing, that also must we commit to do, and always in Christlike love, hope, and compassion.

An Encounter With God

You can tell those who have truly encountered God from those who have not by their respect for His laws. A person who has truly encountered the living God can never forget it, and will live in constant remembrance of Him. A man who has never encountered God will live only in constant remembrance of himself. Any man who has never encountered God need only ask, and God will reveal Himself to him, after which his life will be forever changed.

Triumphal Entry - Triumphal Prayers

Hosanna! Save now! The Israelites' cry reverberated along the stone walls and rocky streets of Jerusalem. Their shouts of praise reflected the common belief that Jesus had come to save them from Roman dominion. Were their prayers answered? Maybe, but God saved not just the Jews, but all Christians, from something much greater - sin's dominion. Imagine the heartbreak a few loyal Jews must have felt at Jesus' death. Their prayers had apparently gone unheard. Their Messiah was dead, and all hope seemed gone. But then something happened. Christ rose from the dead, and with Him came an answer to prayer much greater than anything the Jews had dared to ask.

Isn't God great? Even when our prayers lack understanding, God still uses them to bring about what He knows is best, not just for us, but for all His people. Hosanna! God has saved us! Praise be to our Lord, now and forever.

Requirements For Life

If God's Word is our daily bread and His Spirit our life, then I am convinced that our times of stillness before Him are the life-giving milk each child receives at its mother's breast. Without it we cannot eat, breathe, nor live.

Dream On!

Sometimes we see our biggest dreams dashed to pieces at our feet, and it feels as if our insides have been ripped to shreds and left raw and broken. We mourn, we cry, and we search for an answer. We're told even as children that failure to learn from our experience would make us a fool, so we decide that to hope again would only be putting our hearts at an even greater risk. What we miss out on is that God wants us to learn from that experience, but not to fear. God's will is never to teach us to fear. In 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV), Paul tells us: "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." When we trust God's love, we are able to ask Him for the faith and the hope to go on. In short, we must learn to persevere through our pain. We must dare to dream, for that is the will of God.

Definition of A Friend

A friend is someone you can trust, not to be perfect, but to admit their mistakes and not be afraid to show their true self. A friend is someone who trusts us, and who accepts our mistakes and calls us on our wrongs. A friend is someone who sees in us what we want to see in others, and for whom we can do the same.

God Is Good

In a world where feelings shift and a great day is often followed by an equally distressing one, our God is good. Tremendous comfort exists in the knowledge that our God is good through good times and bad and will work all things for the good of those who love Him. Even when life seems hard, God is good.

Trust God!

Our God can be trusted, not just because of what He does, but also because of Who He is. What God does flows only from Who He is, so it makes sense that we would trust Him, not just His works.

Which Coaster Are You On?

I love rollercoasters. But one ride I don't enjoy is the emotional rollercoaster - the one that's full of loops, hills, and rickety bridges that make my heart pound. In fact, this rollercoaster is so dangerous that the Owner of the park Himself has banned it. So why do I continue to ride? I don't know. The Owner has brought me back to safety many times, yet my mind continues to pull me towards that coaster.

Who runs this outlawed coaster? A rebel. He's already been fired, and I have it on good Authority this rebel will soon be banished from the park altogether. Until then, all attendees of the park have been advised to stay away from this rollercoaster, often called by names such as Worry, Hopelessness, Anxiety, and Frustration. Thankfully, there is an alternative to ride. Its name is Peace, and its safety and satisfaction are guaranteed by the Designer Himself. I think I'll give it a try. How about you?

God's Love

God loves us. He loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us so we could be saved. God didn't have to do that. He'd provided a way out through the law, but the problem was, none of us could ever fulfill it. God was justified in condemning us in our sins, yet He went the extra mile because of Love. Often it feels as if the circumstances we face are impossible to overcome. We know better than to give in to that sin, that temptation, or that hopeless feeling, yet we keep doing so anyway. It doesn't have to be that way. The God who out of Love sent His only Son to save us still cares for us today, and He's still willing to go the extra mile to help us out. Out of what? Out of whatever situation causes us to feel trapped. Friends, let's trust God to do the impossible. In fact, let's eagerly anticipate His Love displayed not just on special occasions, but in everyday life.

Family

Family. What a wonderful word. For most, it brings up memories of Christmas eves spent in front of a beautifully decorated tree with their parents or siblings. For others, it brings only feelings of bitter emptiness at what they didn't have. For still others, it brings to mind the family that took them in when no one else would. For Christians, it can bring to mind our loving Father and Lord and the family Jesus died to bring us into. Often while at church I take time to look at my brothers and sisters in Christ. What a wonderful blessing to call them my family! Looking around I know I've found acceptance, not just for my strengths, but also my weaknesses. Isn't it great to be part of God's family?

Sensationally Driven, Or God-Driven?

Our culture has developed a taste for the sensational. We often see crowds of Christians flock to the nearest self-proclaimed prophet in search of a God-given formula for success (i.e. "God will bless you if you'll just do this and this") while our weekly prayer meetings remain nearly empty. When people prefer sensationally oriented performances to time spent with God, we know there's a problem in the church. I'm often taken back to the wise words spoken by a former children's pastor at my church, who shared that "God wants us to seek His heart, not just His hand." Amen, and may it be so.

Growing Faith

When it comes to faith, a "use it or lose it" principle often applies. If we choose to use the faith we have been given for God's glory, He will increase the amount He has given to us. Faith that moves mountains always starts off the size of a mustard seed, but like a baby's muscles, the more we use it, the more it grows. We may start out throwing pebbles, but with practice we will move mountains.

Obedience In The Now

Sometimes I'm tempted to stall rather than obey God's will. Usually this occurs when I sense God's prompting to do something I'm uncomfortable with or that I don't understand. Often, my excuse for delay is an uncertainty that the call is from God. My strategy is this: Sense God's call, delay by reasoning things out, force my own doubts into the picture to cloud the clearness of the call, then tell God I cannot obey because I don't know if it's Him. The problem with this strategy is that it nearly always works. How many blessings have those around me missed out on because of my "stalling" behavior? How many blessings have I myself missed? How could I dare to put off God's will, knowing full well I will never obey if I do? From this day forward, I have a committment to obeying God while the call is still clear. With His help, I will obey Him now for the rest of my life.