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About Jill Richard

My name is Jill Richard. I'm a life long Christian. Trying to live my life for my Lord everyday. I've been working in internet marketing since 2003. I want people to look at me and think - What an amazing God she believes in! I want all of my actions to point back to my Lord. They don't always, and for that I am grateful for the Grace of my Lord Jesus Christ.

My God is…Concerned Exodus 3:7

28 Jan

Exodus 3:7 – The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying outdistraught-woman because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.

Are you miserable?

Many of us face miserable circumstances in our day. We may work for a boss who has unreal expectations or is unkind in an effort to increase performance. We may have a chronic illness. We may have a troubled marriage. Maybe for you it’s an addiction. Others are battling depression, self loathing and pain from their childhood. There are so many things to find misery in here on earth. So many ways our days can go wrong, but there is hope.

I have indeed seen the misery of my people

Yes in our verse above God was talking about His people who were being held captive in Egypt, but we know from throughout scripture that God promises to work all for good for those that Love God. (Romans 8:28), so hopefully I’m not overstepping by saying that the same deliverance God has for the Israelites, He has for us. He has seen our misery. He knows what you’re going through. He lived this life, and had temptations and trials (especially just before His death) that were harder than we’ll ever have to face. He knows about having family members not believe in Him. He knows about being treated poorly by those who should know better. He knows about being alone, different, sad and in pain.

Feeling overwhelmed? 

Have you ever been so overwhelmed with sorrow that you feel you might die? So has Christ. Read how He felt in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:38 – “Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.””. I remember the first time I really heard these words. I was battling depression and felt like no one had felt the way I did. I felt like God couldn’t even understand, yes He had become a human, but he never had His emotions overwhelm Him. When I read this verse, it was so freeing for me, because I have a God who understands my emotions. He understands having a troubled soul. I felt free to turn over my pain to Him, knowing He understood me more than I had ever realized before.

 I have heard them crying out

Have you cried out to Jesus to help you with your pain and suffering. He isn’t just some God who hasn’t gone through what you’re going through, He understands. He sees what you’re going through and wants you to turn your pain over to Him to take care of it. You might have to keep handing it over to Him (if you’re anything like me, I keep taking back my worries and pain), but we can trust the One who understands us to take care of our pain and sorrow.

I am concerned about their suffering

God doesn’t sit idly by while you’re in pain. He is concerned about what’s going on in your life, and will help you through it. Keep your focus on Him, trust Him and watch Him work miracles in your life. He is trustworthy, He is concerned about you, and He has the remedy for your pain. Give it over to Him so He can heal your soul.

Are you crying out?

 
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Posted by on January 28, 2013 in My God is Concerned

 

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My God is… Revealed Matthew 16:16-18

25 Jan

Matthew 16:16-18 – Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered pull-back-curtainhim, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

revealed  past participle, past tense of re·veal (Verb)

Verb
  1. Make (previously unknown or secret information) known to others.
  2. Cause or allow (something) to be seen.

Cause or allow (something) to be seen.

In our scripture for today, Peter is able to say that Jesus Christ is Lord, and Jesus points out to him that he couldn’t say that unless it was revealed to him from God the father. Knowing God is not something we do on our own. The Father in heaven uses many means by which we come to know Him as God. `He reveals it to us through scripture, baptism and communion.

Make (previously unknown or secret information) known to others.

As Christians, we can’t make someone believe. That’s God’s work, but we can let them know about God. We can tell others about God with our words, but for many people our actions speak louder than words. Some ways we might show evidence of God in our lives:

  • Caring for others (old and young)
  • Responding differently than the world does to pain, stress and unkindness
  • Remembering that everything we do is a witness (sometimes for God, sometimes against Him)
  • Loving those who are not easy to love
  • Putting God above everything else in our lives

Blessed are you! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven

We are blessed to know that Jesus is the Son of God. Knowing that He is our Savior and that we will be able to spend eternity with Him in heaven because of His sacrifice. Living in that freedom isn’t always easy as a human, but when we do, it can get the attention of the unbeliever. God is at work in our world. Let Him use you to reveal Himself to others. You will be blessed!

Are you revealing?

 
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Posted by on January 25, 2013 in My God is Revealed

 

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My God is…above all John 3:31-36

23 Jan

John 3:31-36 – He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks

God should be above all!

God should be above all!

in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

He who comes from above is above all

Whether we admit it or not, God is above all. Whether we act like it or not, God is above all. God is the ultimate, the big cheese, the big kahuna, the master of the universe. Sin, He’s above it. Kings, above that too. Nature has got nothing on God (He created it after all).

He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. 

We can’t fathom it. We’re from the earth, God is too big to fully understand this side of heaven. He is beyond our comprehension how He is so far above us. Some times we say that His above all things in our lives, but more often than not we put other things in front of our relationship with God. We don’t put God in His proper place above everything else. We watch TV instead of doing a Bible study or praying. We go out with friends instead of helping our neighbor whose lawn and soul desperately need your attention. We put our needs above God and others. But even if we don’t act it, God is above all. He is most important.

Just because we act a certain way doesn’t make it true (or false). 

We say we eat healthy and then go out for french fries. We think of ourselves as kind and then talk behind someone’s back. We act as if we have it all together, while at home we’re crying our eyes out. Even though we don’t act like God is above all, He is. He is above all, no matter how we act, whether we acknowledge Him or not. God is above all.

What’s the big deal? 

Why does it matter that God is above all? Because your God, who is above all, chose to save you. He died on the cross, not because you deserved it, but because He loves you. He saved you not because you would always put Him above all, but because He knew you would fail and wanted to live with you in heaven anyway. He loves us and even though He is above everything else in the Universe (and beyond). That is amazing and miraculous. It is something we need to remind each other of, while we’re working to keep God above all else in our lives. To God be the glory.

Above all by Michael W Smith

Above all powers
Above all kings
Above all nature
And all created things
Above all wisdom
And all the ways of man
You were here
Before the world began

Verse 2
Above all kingdoms
Above all thrones
Above all wonders
The world has ever known
Above all wealth
And treasures of the earth
There’s no way to measure
What You’re worth

CHORUS
Crucified
Laid behind a stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

 
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Posted by on January 23, 2013 in John, My God is above all

 

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My God is a Sun Psalm 84:11

21 Jan

Psalm 84:11 – For the Lord God is a sun and shield; Morning web
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.

What is that? That bright thing in the sky?

I live in Oregon, and this morning my son looks out the window and says, “What’s that bright thing in the sky?”. Now he is thirteen, so it was really a joke, but here in Oregon, we don’t take the sun lightly. As I sit here writing this, the sun is shining directly in my eyes. If I look up, I have to quickly look away. My eyes can’t handle the brightness. Like Moses on the Mountain, God’s radiance is like the sun, too great for us to look at without being blinded by its brightness.

What is the purpose of the sun? 

The purpose of the sun is to give us light here on earth. It is to allow us to see the evils that linger in the dark, and to remove the dirt and gunk that has built up in our lives. Ever taken a flashlight to look into a dark part of your home, only to find out that it’s incredibly dusty or dirty? God is that sunlight. He helps us to see into our lives, into the dark recesses of our lives (where we don’t really want to look). When we see the dust, we have to decide whether to get rid of it, or pretend it isn’t there.

Cleaning out the cobwebs

In our entryway, there is a chandelier of sorts hanging from the ceiling, and suddenly when there is sunshine coming through the top windows, you become keenly aware of the cobwebs that have formed on that light fixture. As we get to know God more, His Sunlight shines and we see the cobwebs of sin that were not visible before building that relationship with Him. Some of the cobwebs and dust you can get rid of easily, others you have to work a little harder at removing. Sins are the same way, some are easy to break, but others are harder to reach and be truly rid of in your life.

Watch out for spiders

God is using the light to shine on cobwebs of sin in our lives, not to point them out and to make you feel guilty, but instead to make sure you don’t get stuck in them and eaten by the evil one, the devil. He wants you to be free from your sins, not trapped by them, and shining His Sunshine on them allows us the freedom to avoid those sins in the future, and remove the guilt that still lingers.

Don’t ignore what you see

It’s true here in Oregon, that if you ignore the cobwebs, they may not be visible again for a while. Who knows when we’ll get more sun. In our Christian lives it would be a travesty to have God’s Sunlight and then not have it. We don’t want to hope to not be convicted by the Lord and His Sunlight, but instead like Oregonians, run out into the Sun to soak up every blessing He has for us.

Are you soaking up the Sun?

 
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Posted by on January 21, 2013 in My God is a Sun, Psalm

 

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My God is…Pouring Out Acts 10:44-46

18 Jan

Acts 10:44-45 – While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the1_starterColour believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God.

Poured out

When someone asks you to, “pour this out”, do you think they mean just some of it? When you come back, do they want to find you’ve left some of the substance still in the container? No, they want it completely poured out. That’s one of the things that I love about this verse, the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on all who heard the word. To me that sounds like everything that is the Holy Spirit came upon them.

The Holy Spirit Fell

This is another great way to describe the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Receiving the Holy Spirit isn’t something that happens partially. You don’t sort of get the Holy Spirit. Either you do or you don’t. They Holy Spirit fell on all who heard. When you fall, you either completely fall or you don’t. Sometimes you might say, “I almost fell”, but that’s not the same thing as falling. The Holy Spirit falling on the people was complete, they weren’t left wanting more of the Holy Spirit.

And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles

Typical humans, we want to think we’re special, and under the old covenant, the Jews were the chosen people, so I guess for them it was appropriate to be amazed that both Jew and Gentile were having the Holy Spirit poured out on them. It was confusing for them, because they hadn’t fully grasped the “New Covenant” that Jesus established at the Passover. Matthew 26:27-28 reads, “ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” There is that phrase again, poured out. I love how the Lord goes all in here. It’s poured out, He’s holding nothing back. That’s how much He loves us, that He poured out (or shed) His blood for us.

Do we love like that? 

God hasn’t been holding back in His sacrifices for us, in giving us the Holy Spirit, then why do we hold back? What should be pouring out of us? What is pouring out of us? I want Jesus and Love to be pouring out of me. I don’t want to hold back. I want to be bold for Christ. I want to be poured out.

Are you going to pour that out?

 
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Posted by on January 18, 2013 in My God is Pouring out

 

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My God is…Awesome Psalm 68:35

16 Jan

Psalm 68:35 awesome compliment

You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary;
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

Praise be to God!

 

Our God is an awesome God

I don’t know if you’re like me, but when I hear someone say our God is an awesome God, my brain instantly goes to the song of the same name.

AWESOME GOD LYRICS – MICHAEL W. SMITH

You can listen to it here http://youtu.be/38V8jnN1Kpw (just got chills rewatching it).

When He rolls up His sleeves
He ain’t just puttin’ on the Ritz
(our God is an awesome God)
There is thunder in His footsteps
And lightning in His fist
(our God is an awesome God)
Well, the Lord wasn’t joking
When He kicked ’em out of Eden
It wasn’t for no reason that He shed his blood
His return is very close and so you better be believing
that our God is an awesome God

REFRAIN
Our God(our God) is an awesome God
He reigns(He reigns) from heaven above
With wisdom(with wisdom) pow’r and love
our God is an awesome God

And when the sky was starless in the void of the night
(our God is an awesome God)
He spoke into the darkness and created the light
(our God is an awesome God)
Judgment and wrath he poured out on Sodom
Mercy and grace He gave us at the cross
I hope that we have not too quickly forgotten that
our God is an awesome God

Refrain x3

Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
(Our God is an awesome God)
(Our God is an awesome God)

The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

That is an amazing song, and through out the song we see so many ways that our God is awesome. But it is the scripture selected for today that has the message I want highlighted. He is awesome and gives power and strength to His people. I have quite a few friends who are going through some big things in their lives right now. Turmoil in their families, pain and suffering because of ailments and injuries, stress and discord at work, or even lack of money to sustain themselves and their family. But the God of Israel provides us with power and strength to persevere and run the good race.

Press on!

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Letting go of the hurts of the past, is not easy, as it’s described as straining in these verses. We have to strain forward, battling through the painful things that are going on now while forgetting what lies behind. In our Tuesday night Bible study, It said that forgetting in this verse didn’t mean, not remembering exactly. Instead it meant “not letting it have an effect”. In the same way that God remembers our sins no more, we are to forget or not let our past have an ill effect on us any longer. That’s not easy, and it often does come with strain. For me that meant going to a counselor and baring my soul (not to say that I’m in great shape now – long way to go yet). That was a strain. It’s not easy to confess all that has been bringing you pain, whether your fault or someone else’s, it’s not easy to forget (or forgive). But God gives us all that we need to attain this goal, starting with His example. May we strive to be more like Him.

Where do you get your power and strength?

 
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Posted by on January 16, 2013 in My God is awesome, Psalm

 

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My God is…the Messiah Matthew 16:16

14 Jan

Matthew 16:16 –  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Salvation

mes·si·ah  /məˈsīə/

Noun
  1. The promised deliverer of the Jewish nation prophesied in the Hebrew Bible.
  2. Jesus, regarded by Christians as the Messiah of the Hebrew prophecies and the savior of humankind.

The Promised Deliverer

Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies in the Old Testament. It’s amazing to see how books written hundreds and thousands of years before Christ could so specifically predict the things that would take place. Here is an example of those prophecies:

Psalm 22

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.[b]

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.[c]
In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
“let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”

Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions that tear their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted within me.
My mouth[d] is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.

Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce[e] my hands and my feet.
All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.

But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you[f] I will fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
for dominion belongs to the Lord
and he rules over the nations.

All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!

11 Prophecies in Psalm 22

There are 11 prophecies right here in this chapter that point to Jesus as the Savior, the Messiah. Why does it matter? Because it adds validity to His claims to be the Messiah. That means we can have faith in Him. The Scripture is giving its testimony for our Lord Jesus.

Some of the prophesies in Psalm 22:

There are so many more places in scripture that point to Jesus as the Messiah and Savior. Those scriptures are how Herod’s scholars could figure out where the messiah was to be born. Herod believed that this Messiah was to be the new leader of the Jews, and couldn’t stand that idea so he had all the boys two and under killed in Bethlehem. Herod believed it. The wise men too knew of the prophecies and knew when the star rose in the east that they were going to see the new king. They were certain, or they wouldn’t have gone on that long journey. All of these events, prophecies and people are witnesses for the Truth that Jesus is the Messiah, our Messiah that we might be saved by Him and have eternal life.

Can I get a witness?

 
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Posted by on January 14, 2013 in Matthew, My God is the Messiah

 

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My God is…rebuking Hebrews 12:5-6

11 Jan

Hebrews 12:5-6 Dad disciplining son

And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

 

Do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you

Have you ever been rebuked? Told that your behavior is unacceptable?  This will probably not come as a surprise, but I have. When I was growing up, I think rebuking was my parents favorite form of punishment. My best friend growing up used to get in trouble all the time. She didn’t have to do much wrong to get grounded. I would do the same or worse and only get a talking to. She asked me one time, “Why don’t you do more wrong? All your parents do is talk to you as punishment.” I explained to her that I didn’t want to have to find out what was after the talking to. I listened to my parents, because I guess I knew they could have done much worse than talking to me, and I think the thing that was most difficult for me with the “talking to” I received is that my parents showed their disappointment in my behavior. I loved my parents and wanted to please them, so a talking to was all it took, I guess. Also my mom didn’t like to ground us, because that meant she would have to ruin her life staying home to make sure we obeyed the grounding. She didn’t want to be grounded because we did something wrong.

Why do parents discipline their children? 

I’m sure we’ve all seen the kids who have been raised with no discipline. I guess not all parents discipline well, but most parents have certain things that do matter to them, and if their responsible at all they make an effort to properly discipline their children. Do they do it so other people will think they’re good parents? Maybe, but I think the real motivation is love. They love their children and want to help their children grow up and be able to live fulfilling lives without getting in a lot of trouble they can’t get out of on their own.

God disciplines us. 

In the same way that loving parents discipline us, the Lord disciplines us, and the verse above tells us how we should respond to that disciplining. ” do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son” So if you’re going through something right now, and you feel like the Lord is neglecting you, punishing you or abandoning you, know that He still loves you. He hasn’t changed. He is consistent. His love for you does mean that sometimes we have to face the consequences of our sins. Sometimes we have to face things that don’t seem fair. But God does not abandon us, but loves us like His children. Sometimes letting us learn small lessons so we don’t have to face the bigger ones, and sometimes facing the bigger ones because the smaller ones haven’t gotten through to us. He takes no pleasure in our pain, but does know what is necessary for our growth in our faith in Him.

He loves us. 

No matter what is going on in your life, you can cling to the fatherly love of your Lord. He cares about you more than you care about yourself. Turn to Him for your refuge, strength and fair discipline.

Have you been rebuked?

 

 

 
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Posted by on January 11, 2013 in Hebrews, My God is Rebuking

 

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My God is…Anointed Acts 10:37-38

09 Jan

Acts 10: 37-38 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the The Lord's Love is Lavished on usbaptism that John preached— how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power

Have you ever been anointed with oil? Our church does anointing with oil (a small cross on the forehead). Here is what they say about the anointing with oil.

“Anointing is not a sacrament like the Lord’s supper, but a physical sign accompanying prayer, much like incense used in the worship of the Israelites. In the ancient world, oil was used for medicinal purposes and for spiritual healing. The practice is described in James 5:14 (Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.), and Mark 6:13 (They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.). It marked a person as one set apart for God’s care.

The anointing of oil in Exodus 30:22-31 ( Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant calamus, 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil. Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil. Then use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law, the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.

“Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. Say to the Israelites, ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come.) had a similar function, marking certain items as holy, dedicated to God, indicating that it is the Lord who heals, according to His will.

Definition of ANOINT

1: to smear or rub with oil or an oily substance
2a : to apply oil to as a sacred rite especially for consecration
 b : to choose by or as if by divine election; also : to designate as if by a ritual anointment <critics anointed the author as the bright new talent>
You know how I love definitions, so I wanted to look this word “anoint” up and see what kind of depth we could find to the meaning. I did not expect to see the word smear. Weird word smear. Right up there with moist, not my favorite words. When I read this definition, I was instantly reminded of the baptism scene in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. There isn’t anything said about the anointing of oil in the scene, but I think the concept of smearing on of oil is forever smeared in my brain.

http://www.movieweb.com/dvd/DV3Eg969ePHe63/the-baptism

to choose by or as if by divine election

So with the definitions above, it is probably the final definition that fits most with Jesus being anointed by God. I like the richness of having all of the definitions though, because the idea that Jesus got the Holy Spirit smeared on Him, makes me think that He had the power of the Holy Spirit lavished on Him. Not just a little, but a lot, all He needed.

We too are anointed

As believers, we have been lavished by God. Anointed in a sense. It reminds me of 1 John 3;1-3, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”

We are set apart to do good works in Him, to purify ourselves, but mostly to live focused on Him. Putting God at the center of all we do. I love the word lavished, it’s decadent really. It’s not just giving a little, it’s putting on more than is necessary. Have you ever put on lotion and tried to rub it in only to realize you have too much. You hope to find someone else to smear some on. That’s how God’s love (and anointing is). We get so much love and setting apart from God, that we want to spread it and share it with those around us. We’ve got too much love from the Lord not to share it. Smear someone with God’s love. (Still a weird word)

Have you smeared someone today?

 

 
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Posted by on January 9, 2013 in My God is Anointed

 

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My God is…cleansing me 1 John 1:7-10

07 Jan

1 John 1:7-10 – But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the

Are you stinky?

Are you Stinky?

blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Why do you take a shower? 

Truth be told, I’m sitting here, having done Zumba Rush on the Xbox (yes, I actually exercised). I haven’t showered after working out, and I’m sure I don’t smell amazing. I would take a shower before I leave the house, but why? Because I’m dirty. I have to get clean. I can’t get clean by myself (unless I want to go all catlike, but I’m not up for that). I need water and soap to get clean (at least water).

Do you stink? 

My boys are typical teenagers, and sometimes they avoid taking showers. I don’t know for sure what the aversion is, except maybe that it takes time away from other things they would rather be doing. When they ask,  “Do I have to take a shower?” the answer is almost always, “Do you stink?”. Now if you know anything about teenage boys, you probably know that they pretty much always stink unless they’ve just come out of the shower. Of course, that doesn’t stop my boys from saying, “No”.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves

Just like my boys trying to deny that they stink, sometimes we want to deny that we are sinful. We don’t like the idea that we don’t measure up. It’s not a pretty picture. But the truth is they stink, and I’m sinful. I do thinks that are unkind, I am selfish, and I put my want and needs above those of my Lord, My family and all people. It’s all about me. The problem is, no matter how much we deny it, God knows the truth. Just like I know my boys need soap and water to get them clean, God knows we need help getting clean. That’s the whole reason He sent Jesus.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Keeping God as our focus allows us to have true fellowship with each other, just like taking a shower makes it easier for us to not turn people away. Because we put our faith in Jesus, we are cleansed from our sins, able to be part of other relationships, and also get clean in the process. I don’t want to stink when I go out to meet a friend, and to be honest, I don’t want my sins to show either. But even if my sins do show, I can be cleansed, and as far as God is concerned, all my sins have been washed away.

Do you stink?

 
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Posted by on January 7, 2013 in 1 John, My God is cleansing me

 

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