RSS

Tag Archives: Jesus

My God is…Invisible 1 Timothy 1:17

29 Apr

1 Timothy 1:17 – To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.oath on the Bible Amen.

How can I believe in something I can’t see? 

Do you believe that there is oxygen in the air? Do you believe in love? Sometimes we get bogged down by the fact that we can’t see our God. We want Him to be standing right there in front of us. We don’t like that we can’t point to Him in a room and say – right there, that’s Him, that’s my God.

But Jesus is God and you could see him – how is God invisible? 

Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. Jesus came to earth, true man and true God. While He was here on earth, He didn’t reveal His full Godly self, but instead humbled himself to become a servant that would sacrifice himself for us.

How do we have faith in what is not seen? 

Why do you believe? I think it’s for the same reasons you believe in oxygen, love, hate, and family. Because we see evidence. There are things all around us that give evidence to the Lord. Scripture is a big one of those. It is in God’s word that we learn most clearly what the Lord wants to tell us. Other things too give testimony to God. The endurance of His story is part of the testimony. Many other gods have fallen in the wake of God’s story. In our own lives many of us have examples of unexplained miracles that can only be chalked up to being from God. Creation as well gives evidence of God and who He is.

Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

When Jesus had shown Himself to the disciples, Thomas wasn’t there. He didn’t believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. He was living within the science He knew to be true. No one could come back to life after being killed on the cross. He said he would only believe that Jesus had risen if he saw it with his own two eyes. Then Thomas did see Jesus again, and he did believe. Jesus said those of us who have not seen and yet believe are blessed. It isn’t always easy to remain faithful to something we don’t see, but the Holy Spirit is at work in our heart showing us the evidence, reminding us of what the Lord has done, both in ancient times and in our own lives right now.

Giving Glory to God

In our own lives we give a testimony to God. Every time we react in a Christian manner, we’re giving testimony to God. When we don’t hold grudges, even though we’re in the right, people will wonder what is the source of our strength and we can bear witness to God, our redeemer. When we are facing life changing ailments and yet remain unshaken, people will want to know what makes us strong. It’s God! When our spouse cheats on us and we’re able to forgive them, people will wonder how we could behave so unusually, and it is our opportunity to give God the glory, to testify to the one who allows us to live in the freedom of forgiveness. God is good. God is invisible. God is real. We are blessed to be able to give God glory in all we do. We are blessed to be part of the testimony that points people back to God.

Are you going to testify?

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on April 29, 2013 in My God is invisible

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My God is…not ashamed Hebrews 2:10-12

16 Apr

Hebrews 2:10-12 – 

In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everythinggail-jill exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.  Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says,

“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;

 in the assembly I will sing your praises.”

 

Do you have siblings? 

I have an older sister. In my mind, she was perfect (I say was, because now I know it was only in my mind! 🙂 – Love you Gail). She was beautiful, smart, funny and kind (most of the time). But I’m pretty sure I drove her crazy. I was the typical little sister, wanting to be wherever she was, doing whatever she was and following her wherever she went. I was annoying. Worse than that, many times, I’m sure I was embarrassing. Hard to believe, right? I was only a few years behind her in school, so that meant even in high school, I could embarrass my sister. Now however, we’re more likely to join forces and try to embarrass our children.

Are you ashamed of someone?

Have you ever been ashamed of someone? Maybe it’s your outspoken racist uncle, your politically uninformed but loud friend, or your doting mother? Maybe it’s your screaming child during church, shopping or pretty much anywhere.

Definition of ASHAMED

1 a : feeling shame, guilt, or disgrace
  b : feeling inferior or unworthy
2: restrained by anticipation of shame
Why do we get embarrassed or ashamed? 
I’m no expert, so take it for what it’s worth, but I think we get ashamed, because we feel embarrassed by what we or someone else has done. Usually in order to be ashamed of someone or something, we have to feel that it has some sort of reflection on us. We feel like the other person is hurting our reputation as a fun loving, accepting, patient, kind and entertaining person. We don’t want to have our friends or family putting out the wrong impression of us (though to be honest we’re probably doing a pretty good job on our own).
So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.
Why is that a big deal? Do you know how often we must say or do something that could potentially hurt God’s reputation? Maybe it’s just me, but I can think of quite a few times just recently I haven’t been a good reflection of the Lord. Maybe it’s when I used words that are not very becoming. Maybe it’s when I was selfish and took the last banana without a thought for anyone else. Maybe it was when I yelled at my children, not because of anything they did, but because I was in a mood. Worse yet, maybe I’m not giving glory to God because I’m not showing others love. I think too often I wimp out on caring for others, encouraging others and going the extra mile. I put my needs first. When I say “needs” I use that term loosely. For me I may be choosing a nap, watching TV or playing games on Facebook over doing what I know in my heart would be a better reflection of the Glory of the Lord.
Here’s the Good News!
Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. If we were in high school with Him, He would let us sit at His table. He cares about us, and isn’t afraid to let it show, even when we’re not very lovable. His love is not conditional on our love for others. It is not conditional on anything we do outside of having faith in Him. All He wants from us is for us to believe in His promises and grow in our relationship with Him. We don’t have to be afraid to wave to Him in the hallway, He will acknowledge us. We know He will always welcome us with open arms. We are so blessed to have our God as our Brother, one who is not ashamed, but has washed away all that could bring us shame. He saved us from our shameful behavior so that we would not have the full consequences of our sins. God is good!
Are you ashamed of Him? 
 
Leave a comment

Posted by on April 16, 2013 in Hebrews, My God is not ashamed

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

My God is…seated on His Royal Throne Psalm 47:7-9

12 Apr

Psalm 47:7-9 – For God is the King of all the earth;Royalty's Throne. Ornate. On White sing to him a psalm of praise.

God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.
The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings of the earth belong to God;
he is greatly exalted.

For God is the King of all the earth

What does it mean for us that God is King? It should mean a lot to us. God is the King, and He is a good King. Not only is He our King, but He is also our Father, and that makes us part of the royal family. We are inheriting from Him much more than we can ever give back to Him.

God reigns over the nations

Sometimes we think that God can’t handle what we’ve got going on. Sometimes we thing it’s too big or too small for Him, but God is in the details. He is in charge of all things. Over all the nations, all the people, all the animals, all the cells and all the atoms. He’s got them all under His power. He can do anything. In Matthew 19:26 we read, “Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”” If you want something big changed, you might contact your senator or your congressman. But what if you had access to the President. wouldn’t it be better to ask Him. We’re able to go right to the top, in fact we have Jesus interceding for us at all times (Romans 8:34 – Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.) We are blessed to have a God who hears and listens to what is important to us. We can go right to the top and ask the one who can make all things possible.

God is seated on his holy throne.

So why does it matter that God is seated on His holy throne? Have you ever seen a movie where the king enters to sit on His throne? Everyone stands and turns their attention to Him. Why? Because He’s about to get down to business. He’s ready to hear your requests, to give you advice, to celebrate with you, to send out His angels to protect you. To do all the God things He does. He has taken up His position of authority and is ready to use it. And because you are His adopted child through Christ Jesus, you’ve got an in with the Big Guy. You can have access to Him at any time. How amazingly blessed would you feel to be able to walk right up to the King? Right to His throne all the while knowing that He loves you as He loves His own Son. He took action for you and me that day. He had Jesus shed His blood so that you and I could live in Heaven with Him. He loves you that much. God is good!

Do you want some time with the King?

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on April 12, 2013 in My God is seated on His Holy Throne, Psalm

 

Tags: , , , , ,

My God is…Kind Jeremiah 9:23-24

20 Mar

Jeremiah 9:23-24 – counting-fortune

This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.

But let the one who boasts boast about this

I don’t know about you, but I was taught not to boast. Not that I did a lot that was worth boasting about. I never worked that hard really. I was a decent student, but I wasn’t super motivated. I can’t say that I’ve achieved a lot by the world’s standards even now. I have reduced my working hours so that I can remain at peace and have more patience with my teenage boys. It’s worked, and it’s a huge blessing, but as the world sees it, all I really did was reduce the amount of money that was coming in the door. My boys struggle with knowing that as well. Every now and then they ask if I could go back to work so we could have more money, but then I ask, “Do you want “mean mommy” back?” They quickly say no. They like it that I’m calmer now when they come home. I work from home, and often wanted them to be quiet when they came home so I could quickly finish working. So I would snap and be grumpy. Never mind they were coming into their home, not an office (as far as they were concerned).

I can boast:

Being home without a super large workload has allowed me more time for Bible study, devotions, writing my blog and spending time with people in prayer. I’m no saint. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still working on a lot of things, but having time to worship God on a daily basis has allowed me to get to know my Lord more.

But let the one who boasts boast about this: That they have the understanding to know me

One thing that is so amazing is how the Lord reveals Himself in scripture and through prayer. Spending even 5 minutes a day reading His word can make a difference in my outlook for the whole day. I’m excited about my faith, and the faith of others. I enjoy discovering God’s truths (sometimes for the first time, sometimes being reminded of old discoveries) with my sisters in Christ. Mostly I enjoy sharing the joy they have when they see the difference knowing the Lord is having on their reactions to unkindness, injustice and stress. As we journey with Christ through the scriptures, we’re led to know Him more and that changes a person. Knowing your creator and savior is powerful.

But let the one who boasts boast about this: that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth

So now I will boast. I boast in my Lord who loves me and who loves you. He shows us kindness through His grace, mercy and patience as we are being set free from the bondage of hate, addiction and abuse. He is patient, so that we might not be lost, but that instead we might know Him. That we would know that he is the one who exercises kindness. He’s the Lord, and He exercises justice – you can trust Him to handle the vengeance you want to take out on those who’ve hurt you. He is righteous, and is exercising righteousness through His Son Jesus Christ who gave us righteousness by dying on the cross so that we would not be left to our own failing attempts at righteousness. Instead we are free to strive for righteousness because He has already washed us clean from all our sin and failures.

Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches

All of these things are good, but we need to recognize the source of them. We can’t boast in our wisdom, because any wisdom we have is from the Lord. We can not boast in our strength, but we can boast in the Lord giving us strength. We can not boast in our riches, because they are a gift from God. These things are all temporary and do not amount to anything without faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus. With Him, these things can have purpose, meaning and value. But only in Christ to they have any value at all. Only if they point back to Him.

We can boast: in Christ.

 

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 20, 2013 in My God is Kind

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

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?

 
Leave a comment

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

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

My God is…empowering 2 Timothy 1:6-7

13 Dec
fear

God did not make us timid

2 Timothy 1:6-7  For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

When are you timid? 

Maybe you’re not. I don’t think most people consider me timid, but when I enter a room, I can be quite shy. I’ll be looking around for anyone who makes eye contact that I can comfortably go hang by (sometimes for the rest of the night). I’m not very brave in social situations. Not at all timid once you get to know me, but those first meetings (especially if I can’t remember your name) are hard for me. I’m a bit insecure sometimes.

Why are we sometimes timid? 

I think the reason we’re sometimes timid is because we’re looking for our self-worth in the wrong places. We’re looking at getting our self-worth through other people, our work, our money or position. But in the verse above it seems to be related to the gifts God has given us, and we’re to use those gifts for God’s glory.

Power

What do you think of when you think of power? A super hero? Your boss? Your father? I think in reality power for me is security. Feeling comfortable in my own skin and not being affected (as much) by the negativity around me. The definition of power a few places is to be able to produce an effect. Here it is telling us that by the Holy Spirit we are given the ability to produce an effect. We can be effective for Christ.

Love

I’m sure most of us know that the commandments Jesus talked about were about love: Mark 12: 29-31,  “Jesus answered, “Here is the most important one. Moses said, ‘Israel, listen to me. The Lord is our God. The Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Deuteronomy 6:4,5) And here is the second one. ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ (Leviticus 19:18) There is no commandment more important than these.”” Giving us through the Holy Spirit the ability to love, God is giving us the ability to fulfill His commandments (ok – not perfectly, but without Him, we’re incapable of true love – loving those who don’t deserve it – as Christ loves us).

Self Discipline

Ok – if you’re anything like me being given the gift of self-discipline is like getting socks at Christmas. Useful, but not very exciting. At least it used to be. I’m finding that as I grow up (yes I’m still working at that) I find being self disciplined helps me avoid a lot of self loathing, a lot of over eating, snapping at my family, being selfish (or at least recognizing it) and loads of other sins I would rather not reveal this morning. Being able to have self-discipline also allows me to focus and keep my eyes fixed on the Lord. Still not perfect at it, but learning to daily seek God is a self-discipline.

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God

Practice, practice, practice. Everything we want to be truly good at takes practice, or doing something over an over again. Have you ever fanned anything into flames? I truly try to avoid open fires for the most part, so this hasn’t happened to me very often, but I do watch Survivor (don’t hold that against me) and it’s really hard work for them to get a fire going. After they finally get a spark, they have to fan it into flames to get a fire worth using started. Our faith is the same way. If we leave it alone and don’t tend to it, it will diminish, or even peter out. But if we fan it into flames, by reading the word of God and renewing our mind we will be transformed. Romans 12:2 says, “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.”

What are you fanning into flames?

 

 
2 Comments

Posted by on December 13, 2012 in 2 Timothy, My God is empowering

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My God is…Commanding John 15:12

16 Oct

John 15:12 – This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Love one another as I have loved you

Love one another as I have loved you

This is my commandment

In John 15:12, Jesus is talking with His followers, trying to give them the low-down just before He is going to go to the cross. They don’t know what’s coming, but He does. To be commanding means to draw attention or priority. Here Jesus is trying to put His ministry in a nutshell, His elevator pitch of sorts. This is what I want you to do. This is what I want your priority to be. This is what I want you to give your attention to doing. Jesus said, of all of the things He could have commanded, “Love one another as I have loved you.”

Love one another

Easier said than done, right. We all have known our share of unlovable people, haven’t we? I remember way back when I was teaching (for a whole year and a half), there was a little boy named Howard. Howard was super smart. You couldn’t get anything past Howard. He didn’t do his homework much, but he probably already knew everything I was teaching at the time anyway. Needless to say a bored, creative, young man was bound to push the boundaries a little. I remember one day he had been less than nice to a younger student who was annoying him. He said to me, “You can’t make me like him.” I said I didn’t care if he liked him. I told him the Bible didn’t say we had to like people, it said we have to love them. That means treating them kindly and not threatening to beat them up. He, in his wisdom, thought that made a lot of sense. He was thrilled, “So I don’t have to like him? ” he asked. “Nope, but you do have to love him.” I said. “I can do that.” He said and ran outside to play.

Love vs. Like

Are we always likable? No, I don’t think we are, but Jesus loved us anyway. He loved us so much that He laid down His life for us, so we could spend eternity with Him in heaven. So how do we love the unlovable. Sometimes, for me, it seems like loving the unlovable is best done by doing the opposite of what I want to do. I see someone I don’t particularly care for, or am uncomfortable around and my tendency would be to look the other way or walk away. God would call us to reach out to that person with care and concern. How about the person who has stabbed you in the back. It may be a bit much to think you’re going to go out of your way to find ways to love them, but perhaps even just forgiving them and being cordial in their presence. Not easy, but it is what we’re called to do. We don’t have to like them, but we’re called to love them. How about at church? Are there people who get under your skin? Maybe they said something that was off-color or unkind, and you don’t want anything to do with them. Even if you can’t bring yourself to go up to them, you might add them to your prayer list, and maybe even pray that one day you would be able to show them love.

WARNING – if you pray something like that, you’ll probably be given an opportunity to see if you can love them. EEEK!

That you love one another as I have loved you

Jesus calls us to love one another as he has loved us, unconditionally. He doesn’t love us more when we’re good and less when we’re bad. He just loves us. And he loves us so much He died for us. The verse that follows the verse above says how we are to love one another.  “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” We have to put others needs ahead of our own, like Jesus put our needs above His own desires. This is His command for us. This is what He wants us to pay attention to in our lives. This is what we need to make a priority in our lives. Love one another.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 16, 2012 in John, My God is Commanding

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

My God is…the Cornerstone Ephesians 2:19-22

06 Sep

Ephesians 2:19-22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saintsChrist is the Cornerstone and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

The cornerstone determines how the building will be built.

It was the tradition during Bible times, that a cornerstone would be laid when construction began to help give the building stability. The shape and makeup of the cornerstone would determine how the building would turn out. So naturally the builders would try to find a cornerstone that was straight, solid and could take the pressure.

All of the other stones lean on the cornerstone

All of the other stones lean on the main cornerstone as support. If that cornerstone isn’t strong and resistant to the pressure, the building likely won’t stand for long.

Jesus is our cornerstone

Jesus is what we lean on. He is our strength and our foundation. We need to rely on Him for our salvation. We need to lean on Him for our strength. He takes the pressure for us and helps us to build on what the believers before us have built on Him. Our faith is strong only when it relies on the Lord. He is sound. He is unmovable. He is reliable. He is Strong. So when we’re not, we don’t fall apart. He supports us. He holds us up. He strengthens us so we too can take the pressure.

In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

As a church, when we lean on the cornerstone, Christ, we grow together in our faith and are continually filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit. We must lean on Him, our cornerstone, and encourage those in our church, our families and our workplace to lean on Him too. Sometimes we’re able to do that by letting them lean on us. We know our strength doesn’t come from ourselves. We have a strong cornerstone that keeps us upright and pointed in the right direction, Jesus Christ.

What are you building your life on?

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on September 6, 2012 in Ephesians, My God is The Cornerstone

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

My God is…The Way John 14:6

15 May

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

GPS Tracking Disaster

I can hardly live without my GPS. I use the GPS on my iPhone nearly every day. I type in the location I want, and then it gives the directions I need. Most of the time, my GPS is right. Sometimes it’s not very clear in the directions it gives. Though my GPS hasn’t failed me totally, there are those who have been completely led astray. Some have followed the GPS instructions into lakes, the middle of nowhere or even the Pacific ocean.

Looking for clear directions

We don’t like to be lost. We want to know what is the fastest, shortest and safest way to where we’re going. We don’t want to hit construction, traffic or dead ends. It’s the same way in our Spiritual life. There are a lot of “systems” out there that promise to get you where you want to go, but only one can be trusted to get you there.

The directions are clear

In the verse from John above, we see Jesus clearing up the directions to heaven. He doesn’t want to leave any room for confusion. Jesus says, ““I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  So how do you get to Heaven? How do you get where the Father is? Through your faith in Jesus Christ. He is the way. The only way. His way is available to everyone, but sometimes people get set on the wrong path. They get told a different direction is better. Jesus promises He is the Way. Following other directions will likely make you end up in the lake.

GPS – God Positioning System

As we go through life, sometimes we get off path. We get distracted by the things of this world; money, sex, success and selfishness. We don’t keep our eyes on the Way, Jesus Christ. God has given us a GPS (God Positioning System) to help keep us on our path toward Jesus Christ. The Bible is our GPS. It points us always towards Jesus, and through the word and the Holy Spirit, the GPS will lead us to our salvation through the acts of Jesus Christ. He died on the cross so we might spend eternity with Him in heaven.

What is your destination? 

Where are you going? Do you know? Do you want to be in heaven after you die? How are you going to get there? Not all paths lead to heaven, but we know of one that does, Jesus Christ. With faith in Christ Jesus, you can be confident of where you’re going. You know the path, and He makes your way straight.

 
2 Comments

Posted by on May 15, 2012 in John, My God is the Way

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

My God is…the Alpha and Omega Rev 1:8

29 Mar

Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Α and ΩJOY

It’s possible that you’ve heard this phrase before, “I am the Alpha and Omega”, but didn’t know what that was exactly. Alpha and Omega are letters from the Classical Greek alphabet. The Alpha letter comes at the very beginning of the alphabet and Omega comes at the end.

So why did Jesus describe Himself this way?

I believe it was because He was revealing Himself as eternal, with nothing coming before Him or after Him. He reinforces this concept in the second half of verse 8: “Who is, and who was, and who is to come”.

Nothing coming Before or After Him

Jesus may have been describing Himself as eternal, but today it came to my mind that it’s also how I should be thinking of Him in my daily life. When my boys were attending a Christian school in Tucson, they were taught the JOY method – Jesus – Others – Yourself. They were encouraged to put the Lord first, others ahead of themselves, and also to respect themselves. If I think of Jesus first thing when I wake up, and the last thing before I go to bed, I’m well on my way to having a stronger relationship with Him.

What if I take that a step further and each time I make a decision or consciously act while putting God first and last in my thoughts? I wonder how my life would be different. If I could live the JOY method more truthfully, I would guess that my friends and family would start to see more of the fruits of the Spirit presenting themselves in my life.

Are you a believer in the JOY method?

 
2 Comments

Posted by on March 29, 2012 in My God is the Alpha and Omega

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

← Older posts
Newer posts →