Recognizing God's Will

David and Jonathan had one of the most celebrated friendships in the Bible. Yet, the two of them had just cause to hate each other. Jonathan was the son of King Saul, the man who was literally doing everything in his power to hunt down and kill David. David stood as the one man who would take over King Saul's throne - a throne that by right belonged to Jonathan.

However the two men were closer than brothers. They loved and looked out for one another. They recognized the honor and grace that each of them had inside and respected one another. They didn't allow outside circumstances or inward envy or selfishness to taint their views of the other. Because they were able to remain humble, they were able to experience a friendship that was beyond comparison.

Both of them respected the Lord in their friendship. David refused kill King Saul because He respected how the Lord had chosen Saul to be King. Even when he had every reason to take out his enemy, David chose to honor the Lord's will.

Jonathan respected God's call on David's life. He did not become bitter or envious when he realized that David would one day reign as king over Israel. Instead, Jonathan honored the Lord and did his best to protect the future king.

Do you recognize and respect the will of God for those around you? When you see other people, are you looking with the eyes of the spirit? Or, are you looking at things in a selfish or envious light?

We must make strides to always remain humble and remember that God's will far outweighs our own. We must not look with resentment on someone whom God has placed in a position, even when they may be abusing their place. We can't become bitter when God chooses someone else to take on a task that we might have thought belonged to ourselves.

In all things we must recognize God's omniscient control. In all things we must remind ourselves that His will is what's best. With everything, we should choose to follow after Him because it will all work together for our good in the long run.

Verse of the Day: At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the LORD’s name. The LORD is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.” 1 Samuel 20:42a

Check It Out!

Just wanted to share that I'm now in rotation to write blog posts for EmpowerMoments, a wonderful Christian blog that's mission is to empower women everywhere. Check out my first post for their site HERE!

Wednesday's Word: Beautiful Beings

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,

as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.

They cannot be numbered!

I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!

And when I wake up, you are still with me!

Psalm 139:13-18

Have you ever sat and thought about how intricate you are as a created being? From the way your blood pumps through your body to the way you balance on two feet to the way your eyes take in the world... You are truly amazing!

God took time to create your being. He fashioned you with love and care. He didn't just give you a body, either. He gave you life! He plotted out a special purpose and destiny for you. He formulated a plan to allow you to be the best you that you could be.

Even as the Lord took care of you before you even made your appearance on this planet, He is always with you. He knows what you are facing, and He understands what you are going through. Today, take some time to give Him praise as the Creator of your fabulous self! Give Him honor for honoring you with His full attention. Send Him some love for how He has taken care of you.

Amazing Grace!

Right now I'm taking an apologetics class, and we are studying other religions. One common denominator with other religions or cults is the fact that they have to earn their salvation. In order to please their god, they have to do something. It could be dressing a certain way, eating a particular diet, saying a certain number of prayers, visiting a specific city... the list is endless! But, they all have to work to gain their god's favor.

What I love about the true and living God is that He realized that there was nothing that man could do to earn His favor... and He chose to create a way for man to be close to Him anyway. God knew no matter how hard we tried to be free from sin on our own, we would always fail. God knew that only a pure sacrifice would cleanse us, and He knew the only One who would be worthy to take on the task.

God sent His Son Jesus to die in our place. He sent His Son to bear our sins on the cross. His Son received our punishment of death and separation from God. All so that we could have the chance to be with Him for all eternity.

Jesus' atoning sacrifice gave us grace. We have God's grace! We don't have to work, we don't have to earn it, we don't have to try to prove our worthiness. All we have to do is accept Jesus as Lord. All we have to do is receive His gift of eternal life. Simple acceptance of Jesus' precious gift grants us the grace to be in right relationship with the true and living God.

That's it.

That's amazing grace!

Verse of the Day: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God... Ephesians 2:8

Getting Up

This morning it was hard for me to get up out the bed. I hate it when I wake up and still feel tired. So I laid there. I laid there and thought about all the things I have to complete today. My mind started whizzing, and I wanted to go back further under my covers.

I took a break from analyzing my upcoming day and took a moment to pray. I prayed about my day. I prayed for strength. I prayed for the Lord's help.

And then I got up.

What's facing you today? What is piling up on your plate already and making your head spin? What is trying to keep you from moving forward?

Take a moment to pray. Ask the Lord for strength. Ask the Lord for help. And then get up and keep moving.

God is always there for you. He will lead you, guide you, strengthen and keep you. You're not facing anything alone. You don't have to do it all on your own. The Lord is there, ready and willing to help you. Whether your problems seem great or small, God wants to help carry you through it all.

Allow Him to keep you on today.

Verse of the Day: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

Uniqueness All Around

Last night my church had a great discussion on the soul during Bible Study. It was really interesting and I learned some things. Plus, the topic was so intriguing, I'm going to be doing some further study on the soul on my own.

Nights like yesterday always remind me of why God created all of us with different thought patterns, ways of seeing the world, and personalities. None of us is the same. All of us have something unique and different to offer that will help better those around us.

The Bible says that there is safety in the company of good counsel. (Proverbs 11:14) Also, friends help to "sharpen" each other in their daily walk. (Proverbs 27:17) Because of the effects we can have on each other, the Word also cautions us to not be "unequally yoked" with those who do not believe in Christ.

So, who is sharpening you? What have you learned from those around you? Are you sharing your unique insights and viewpoints with the world?

Today, enjoy the uniqueness of those around you. Remember God created each one of us especially for a specific reason and purpose. Don't hide you're exclusive qualities, share them with the world!

Verse of the Day: Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. Proverbs 11:14

Wednesday's Word: Greatness

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favor.”

“What is your request?” he asked.

They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”

But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?”

“Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”

Then Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering. But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”

When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Mark 10:35-45 (NLT)

In order to be great in God's Kingdom, Jesus told us that we have to be a servant. In order to be at the "top", we have to be willing to serve everyone at the "bottom". Jesus Himself did not come for His own glory or His own gain, He came to serve the world and give up His own life to save others.

It is the servant's heart that gets God's attention. Those people who have the humility to seek the needs of others above their own are the ones who God wants taking care of His people. The people who are willing to pour out of their own selves to nourish those around them are the one's who catch God's eye.

Are you like James and John? Are you too busy looking for glory that you're missing the larger mission?

Remember the role of our Savior. He came to serve. If you want to be great in God's Kingdom, you have to be willing to do the same.