Birthday Meditation

Birthday Meditation 12/30

As I sat there in the quiet of the morning I felt refreshed by the time I was spending with myself and God. It is so easy to get whisked away by the adult experience with its responsibilities, challenges, wins and expectations that by the time you grab the reins to spend time with yourself you hardly recognize you!

I have found that the older I get the more serious and focused my personal deliberations  have become. I have over the years become more concerned with my God designed purpose, with growth and maturity, with being a good steward of the blessings I have received, with looking through God's lens when I am faced with challenges (or at the very least trying hard to), with learning what I can from everything and everyone, with being a better me not just for myself but for the people in my life so that these conscious activities might, together, cause me to live life more abundantly.

Yes! I am determined to work on me!
I am not going after 'stuff' (position, power, possession, wealth etc), I am focusing my energies on self-development believing that as I mature and as I am refined I will undoubtedly attract the other things I desire because I will be more prepared to receive of them. Many of us spend so much time chasing things and if and when we get them they are short-lived in our hands/lives because we were never equipped to maintain them.

Here are some of my commitments:

(A) To be gentle with myself...I am still growing
Words of Caution
That is no excuse to be a mess or to act crazy
This gives me perspective so that I can learn from mistakes rather than wallow in self-pity 
My Creator already knows everything about me and still He loves me; reason to get up and keep going; God has confidence in me!

(B) To break-free from the microwave mentality I sometimes have. I need to simply wait...some things take time and they do for a reason.
It is sad that sometimes we act as though what we want will be best served only if I receive it now and when we don't get it we want to act like we don't want it anymore smh lol
Words of Caution
Being patient is easier when I truly trust in God
My timing isn't perfect because I do not have the complete picture of my life as a frame of reference
God's timing is perfect

(C) To commit to going through the process through which God is taking me to prepare me for the work ahead.
 
Words of Caution
Lack of preparation positions me for failure
If I am not a good steward over little I will never be given a lot no matter how ready I think I am for it

(D) To be better in all the roles I am required to play in life; to become a better christian, wife, parent, 
family member, friend, employee, woman etc. 

(E) To let go of hurt, loss, pain and disappointment
This is a heavy one for me, so heavy I can hardly write about it.
Ok, God is still working on me here as I continue to deal with the loss of a very close  relative (almost 7 years). 
I don't know if you are struggling in this general area, but I will share with you what God has told me..."LIVE! You did not die!"
The disappointment, the end of your marriage/relationship etc should not mean the end of your world. There is nothing too hard for God. He says, "Let me heal those opens wounds. I am all you need to live through this and past it...LIVE"
The fact that you are alive means there are other opportunities in your future. Don't feel guilty, you loved hard, you worked hard at your career and the business you never thought would fail and yes you believed they would have had your back because you always had theirs but they didn't...OK OK...STOP! There is better in store for you do not be afraid, don't talk yourself out of your 2nd, 3rd, 4th... chance. "LIVE!"

I don't know what introspection you will do or have done but at the very least you should not just be doing it only on the cusp of the new year but even on your birthday (smile). Truly we should do it more frequently that is if our hearts can handle so many life audits for fear of what we might find (cracking myself up...clears throat...being serious again)

I thank God for another birthday! I show Him my gratitude by maturing and making progress on my journey of life by cooperating with God at work in me so that although I am not perfect I am still better than the person I was the year before.

In every single moment of your life:
Be Bold.
Be the Authentic You.
Walk in God-given Authority.
Live IN Purpose

Blessings for the year ahead! 

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Until next time:)
EJ

Have you Considered your Purpose?

Have you Considered your Purpose?

All night I have been thinking about purpose. What is purpose to you? To me the most basic way to define purpose is as the very thing that gives meaning to life or that which we were created to do! While many of us may share this perspective on purpose the lines of demarcation become established when we consider what our purpose is and even how our purpose will be accomplished.

Do you already know your purpose? Many might answer with a resounding, "Yes!", while others will admit that they are still seeking it out.  Maybe you have come to define your purpose through your career or through your family or through even your hopes and desires. This seems only logical right since popular literature usually advises that to find purpose we ought to look within ourselves. I want to add a dimension to your deliberations on purpose and that is the God sphere. 

We often ignore this area because quite often it may be in direct conflict with the things that we may desire or the things that make us 'happy'.  Maybe your preoccupation with your career or traveling the world makes you happy but is truly a distraction from what God is calling you to do and to be at this very point in your life. Purpose has its challenges and if we want to realize our God given purpose we actually have to turn our eyes away from ourselves and place them squarely on God. Yes I must concede that some of your dreams and aspirations may be directly connected to your purpose but there are also instances where they are not. 

Photo by Dreamstime

 

Purpose is profound and may even seem a bit complex! I know by now you are asking, "How will I know my purpose?" To believe you are created by God is to believe that there is purpose in you; that there is some higher calling on your life that was framed outside of you and is therefore not always to be found by looking just within you. When you want to know your purpose you need to ask God, your Creator to reveal to you the reason you were made. 

Some people will stop reading at this point because they feel they do not want to be bothered by something that may disrupt their plans for their lives or the direction their lives have taken up to this point. Still there are others who might feel a little overwhelmed and even disappointed that they must seek an 'outside' Source to have their purpose revealed. Then there are still some who will recognize the authorship of God in their lives and who will recognize that to truly actualize as God's creation is to, through the help of our Creator, do exactly what we were born to do. Which one are you? How you view your purpose will impact whether you live out your God crafted role or not. If we truly believe that which we often confess with our mouths; that God's plan for us is to only prosper us and not to harm us then we will find that we can rest in His plan knowing that His divine purpose of our lives is what is the best of everything for our us. 

As 2012 draws to a close it isn't too late to ask God to not simply reveal our purpose but to set us back on track (if we had gone off course) or to put us on the track to our divine purpose; a purpose that is bigger and greater than the limitations of our human capabilities and objectives. 

I don't know about you but just the thought that God designed me with a purpose in mind for my life, that He chose my parents so I could look the way He wanted me to look, that He has been transforming my missteps and even disobedience as learning experiences so that I can bounce back from them instead of condemning me, makes me want to be who He wants me to be! (side note) While saying that I can only think about things that must be sacrificed, forgotten, changed etc. if I am going to be who God has called me to be.  Purpose requires obedience, discipline, faith and sacrifice. What cost have you had to pay to honor God's purpose for your life?

Look at these passages:

Ephesians 2:10

"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God created in advance for us to do"

Romans 8:28 

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose" 

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm, plans to give you hope and a future" 

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Until next time,

EJ

His Love Makes Me Better

Singing : “He loves me

Oh how, He loves me

Oh how He loves me

Oh how he loves”

Do you really understand God’s love for you? Before just saying, “yes” because you think you are supposed to, really take a moment to think about this question. Many of us cannot properly conceive of God’s love for us because we have been hurt so much by people who supposedly love us. Comprehending God’s love is made even more difficult because of our own limitations and wavering as it relates to loving someone and loving them unconditionally. Consider 1 Corinthians 13:5. How many of us truly keep no record of the wrongs done to us by those we say we love?

Our concept and experience of God’s love is further complicated due to the fact that we actually try to earn God’s love. We try to earn something that God has already freely given to us. It is one thing to do stuff to show our love for someone or for God; however we enter a completely different sphere when we do things to convince someone to love us.

Are you willing to admit that you are most certain that God loves you only when you are doing things that you think will please Him? Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with doing the things you know will please God because you want Him to be happy with you, but it a whole different thing altogether to recognize that God loves you even when some of your behaviors and thoughts  DO NOT make Him happy. I have to admit that I am humbled, grateful, sobered up by a love that persists even in the face of my mistakes and sins!  

Now before you go feeling as though you have the 'carte blanche' to simply do whatever you want because of God’s unconditional love please recognize that love like this is supposed to make you want to please Him the one who shows you this love even more…His love ought to make you be better and do better; it ought to cause you to make an extra effort to act right and to think right or to put yourself in a position where God can help you to be more than you could ever be on your own.

Photo by Jesus Freak

Listen it doesn't matter what you are going through or what you have done, God is not punishing you…He loves you and is a thousand steps ahead of you telling you that if you only just trust Him you will see that every hurt, pain, disappointment, joy, success, misstep, and sin, God himself has behind the scenes worked it all out for your good. This is not to impress you with His power; He is not trying to throw you a bone because your life has been ‘bad’, He does all He has and all He will, because He loves you. With your imperfection, frailty, flaws, strengths, desires, dreams etc. He loves you. God loves me. God loves you. It may seem scary and unimaginable or God’s love may finally make you feel safe and secure, either way we need to embrace God’s love if we are to really live and to have life more abundantly.

Ok, so I started reading ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren. It seems quite the popular book and before I got the chance to read the first page people were already announcing how great of a read it ought to be because they had already read it and liked it. Wait; wait, I should ask, “Have you already read it?  

Warren said something in chapter 2 that reminded me how grateful I am for God’s unwavering, matchless love. He said, “God created you so He could love you!” (I just want to jump and dance around because that was a word for me…God knew exactly what I am dealing with and He used Rick (hehe) to remind me of who I am in Him). WooHoo!! God was not lonely, He was not lacking anything. Because God is love He chose to, in love, form you and I (some special things) to nurture and to love. Just imagine if we could truly accept God’s love and to let His love influence our daily lives and living. To consider that the one who created me loves me when I am good and when I am bad is such a sobering thought because it truly makes me know that I am special…that there is purpose in me!   

Listen I watched a news piece on ‘The Bicycle Man’ Moses Mathis, who has repaired donated bicycles for 20 years and has been giving them to children at Christmas. The 75 year old Mathis had all of 1,100 bicycles for children this year! Many of us take our hats off to a person like this. The truth is the love he shows to these children is only a glimpse into the all encompassing love of God. Here is a link to the news piece just in case you are interested: The Bicycle Man

Accepting God’s love helps us live an empowered, shackle-free, righteous, fulfilling life as His love transforms us and our circumstances and makes our experience the best.

Take a moment and meditate on this, “I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born”

Isaiah 44:2

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Until next time:)

EJ

What's your connection?

Have you ever listened to the group called Shekinah Glory? I hadn’t until recently, I mean as recently as a week and a half ago; they have been around for years (covers face) smh

Now for those of you who know me, you know that when I find something I like, I wear it out! I listen to it non-stop that you would wonder what I used to do before my discovery. Then once I have had a fill of it, which could be weeks or even months, I can finally move on to something else or at least listen to it less often. So a friend loaned me one of Shekinah Glory’s CDs and though I will not include the song title (I feel like that would take away from the randomness of this post since I would have to look it up) I will however share one part of it with you. I learned it very quickly because the words went straight to my heart and are the words that inspired this post:

“like the desert needs the rain

I need you

like the ocean needs the stream

I need you

like the morning needs the sun

I need you,

Lord You are my only one”

I almost retyped it because I was literally singing it out as I documented it. Did you look at the analogies used? Each of those things (the desert & the rain or the morning and the sun for example) has an actual hunger or dependency upon the other to exist as it does. I have an overwhelming excitement thinking about the depth of the relationship. 

Now come with me a step further and imagine having this kind of dependency on and connection with God. Well, Liz isn’t that how it should be? Sure, but is that how it is? Just imagine how much we are missing out on simply because we do not do our part to nurture an insatiable desire for God and the things of God. Now this was not the first time that I had been introduced to this kind of longing. As a child we mastered Nystrom's, 'As the Deer' which was based on the words of David, “As the deer pants for streams of water so my soul pants for you, my soul thirsts for God, for the living God..." (Psalm 42:1-2 NIV). To be in relationship with God we must desire to become and to remain entangled; body, mind and Spirit with our Creator and Savior who transcends our understanding and our limitations. 
Stay with me I just have a bit further to go with this :)
                                   

                                        Photo by New Haven Bulletin

This same yearning and knowledge of the profound relationship between the Believer and God ran through the Old Testament into the New, where we see devout Christians, who inspired by God and their understanding of their relationship with Him, believe "that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39 NIV) What an assurance, such a wonderful communion! By the way, we believe this too right? How awesome it is that the apostles lives reflected, despite their imperfection, an unyielding passion and unwavering faith in God. 

Reflection:
1) Let us consider our relationship with God. Is what we say we have with God reflected in our every day lives?

2) Have we put conditions on our relationship with God? How connected are we to Him? Could we do anything differently to improve the connection?

3) Looking at the picture of our relationship with God versus that of the Believers in Biblical times, is what we see consistent or is ours somewhat diluted in our drive, desire and committment? If so, then why?  

4) We have a responsibility to do our part. What have we been doing?
Can we truly sing, "I need you, Lord You are my only one"? 
 

5) How has your relationship with God changed you? What level is God calling you to that you have been running away from.

To take these questions seriously is to perform a spiritual audit which can only prove profitable if we answer honestly.

Talk soon.
EJ 

Will He speak to Me?

What has He said to you lately?

"My sheep hear My voice, I know them and they follow Me" John 10:27 NKJV

I wasn’t sure how best to introduce the topic of my blog this week so I decided to jump right in! 

We study the Bible so that we might hear God speaking through scripture but also because God’s word is a necessary weapon to possess in any and every situation, challenging or not, in which we might be engaged.

Though, over time I had acquainted myself with the Bible I still had not understood that the promises within scripture were for me to claim and to have confidence in. For some reason I believed that to claim those promises I needed to have had a special message from God prompting me to speak those assurances over my life almost as though all the things God had said were not all for me and I needed permission from God regarding the ones available for my life before I could be bold enough to claim them.  (Please don't leave me all by myself) I know there must at least be one other person who has felt or is feeling this way. 

With that said I am happy to note that my perspective was wrong! 

So of late I have not been afraid to speak scripture into my life in ways I never really did before like “My God shall supply all your (my) needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:19 or "I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread” Psalm 37:25 when I was getting ready to tread uncertain territory as I was making difficult financial decisions. 

This action didn't just remind God of His promises (Isaiah 43:26) to me but also strengthened my faith that no matter the circumstances and whether I can see it or not, God is at work in my life causing all things to result in my favor if I only just trust in Him!

It is important for us as Christians to recognize that the Bible is the word of God to us; the promises of God concerning us; the instructions to living the God-led God-centered life.

When seeking an encounter or message from God know that when God directs you to His word where He challenges or reveals truth to you, it is God speaking; it is an encounter with God. We often look for God to speak with a trumpeting voice from the sky or to speak through a prophet at some Christian convention but often overlook God speaking through His word in scripture. As I sat thinking about hearing God’s voice in my current situation I suddenly realized that I could stand firm on the promises of God in the Bible because He did not just make them (and I mean all of them) to the people of biblical times but to you and I who would come to depend on Him through faith in His Son centuries later!

The words of the Bible, with its promises, plans, rules and regulations represent God in constant dialogue with us so once truth is revealed we must acknowledge that God has spoken and be ready to respond as He would have us. Like the sheep who hear their Shepherd's voice and because they recognize the voice as that of their leader they FOLLOW Him by doing what He says. Please take the time to acknowledge that to understand scripture is to have an encounter with God for these are secret things of God which we can only relate to or understand through God the Holy Spirit. We constantly ask God to speak to us and to reveal Himself to us and if we are serious then one way to get into God's presence or to hear from God  is to spend time reading the word of God.

 Of course we will not always be comfortable with what God might be saying to us or challenging us to do but our duty to our Creator, Savior, Master, Teacher, Sustainer, Friend and so much more is to align our will and behavior with His! 

What has God been talking to you about lately? What have you been running away from that God has been calling you to? What does His word say about your current situation? How will you respond?

Until next time,

EJ

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RealTalk Thursdays: Homosexuality

REALTALK THURSDAYS
Question: What is your take on homosexuality? Do you believe that the church is handling this issue well; how do you believe people should respond? This issue has caused much controversy in elections in the US and the Caribbean. Do you expect the leader you select to also share your ideas on the matter?

Have you ever considered a world of just women? Is there anything that it would lack? How about one of only men? What might it lack? Both worlds would not survive very long since there would be no possibility of procreation. I suppose God could not retire from making man from dust and I suppose He would have had to alter His manufacturing process since in a world of females there would not have been man in the first place. However, when God created human beings, he made man and woman and empowered us to do what only He can do which is to procreate; an undeniably divine activity. Many people like to argue that a relationship between a man and woman is simply a societal construct, an idea to which I beg to differ by simply looking at the implications. We were created man and woman alike for a special purpose which we could not accomplish had we all embraced homosexual relationships (Read the book of Genesis). So much more could be said here but let us move on.

To offer a Christian perspective I suppose one must clearly understand what sin is. I am going to define sin as any behavior, belief or any thought process which deviates from what God intends or His rules and regulations. I think now is a good time to throw in that, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23 (NIV). With that said I must speak on society’s influence on our perception of our sinful actions and attitudes; an influence which proves a conscious attempt to separate according to significance and severity sin and wrong. Can we blame society for that? When we think of punishment of wrong many of us have been conditioned to believe that the punishment should match the crime. Right? After all we can concede to the fact that these persuasions and protocols which have been put in place are in the interest of ‘justice’ however the truth is when we consider God’s perspective He does not separate sin into categories but rather perceives all sin as sin. The same measure of grace shown by God to the murderer is the same given to the adulterer therefore the same penalty is imposed on them both in God’s eyes; “the wages of sin is death” Romans 6:23 (NIV). Now of course we are not talking about how the consequences of sinful actions might differ in or even impact our lives (that’s a whole other story). Notice in Romans 6:23 there are no other specifics or gray areas to factor in outside of what was expressly stated, all sin carry the same penalty and result.

Yes, many in homosexual relationships often allude to never being attracted to someone of the opposite sex or even acknowledge that no other kind of relationship feels right. Is that idea hard to identify with or is it that you do not acknowledge your deviations from what God wants as sin? If you do, then you know that we often feel justified in our sins, whether we are convinced we love the person, that it feels good, that it is what the person deserved or that it gives us relief that we need and we almost get mad at God for not understanding. So before you are quick to turn your nose down at someone who loves someone of the same sex take a look at your own situation, challenges and sinful actions and attitudes. My Jamaican kinsmen may not be too happy with this idea because we were raised in a kind of no tolerance for homosexuality environment. Needless to say that many Jamaicans and even just in general people in the western world (men and women alike) seem to be more even-tempered when it comes on to female and female relationships and even fantasize about being with two women but are repulsed by the idea of two men; DOUBLE STANDARD! Let me move on.

As the church we seem to have polarized approaches to confronting homosexuality. Either we ostracize them or we almost encourage it for fear of being branded with some negative labels for rejecting the sin (and yes I am aware that these same practices exist in the church…that discussion is for another post). Of course both tactics are incorrect and we need to find middle ground somehow. That starts with first acknowledging that their sin is no worse than ours and conceding to God’s perception of sin. Then we ought to look at Jesus’ response to sinners – “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8 (NIV). Jesus’ response to us is one of love and forgiveness through undeserved mercy. However He requires us to live according to His rules as He admonishes us to, “be holy because I am holy” 1 Peter 1:16 (NIV) at the same time cautioning us, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7-8 NIV).

Our job as Christians is to love each person irrespective of their religious beliefs and moral persuasion, in addition we are expected to live a life that teaches others about God’s love and forgiveness (the same attributes that saved us and that we rely on to live out our Christian lives). Our job is to show God through our actions and attitude but also share God through the word and through prayer. So then the same God who convicts us and delivers us from the stronghold of our own sinful nature and sinful actions is the same God who will do it for any other sinner or sin. It leads me to the familiar scripture verse, “Judge not, that you be not judged Matthew 7:1 (ESV) Many of us need to spend some time getting this concept deep into our spirit since we have a propensity to judge others especially when we want to feel a little better about ourselves. Before you cast that first stone, remember those sins in your closet that are not as open and consider how passionately you are concealing them for fear of being judged by others. Let us reserve judgment for God; He is the only one in a position to judge because He IS the standard.

As it relates to our leaders, whether a Prime Minister or a Presidential candidate, I have a very basic approach. A democracy is rule by the people, for the people, while theocracy on the other hand is governance based on religious beliefs. The existence of democracy which governs the country’s overall socio-economic and political behavior calls for a representation and attempt to fulfill the longings and ideas of the masses and not just my individual persuasion. As a result I have already settled in my mind the fact that certain policies may not be in-keeping with my own religious beliefs and behaviors.

For those who will be quick to say I have an affinity toward homosexuals. Please know I am only Pro God and Pro God’s Forgiveness. For those who think I am too hard I am Pro God and Pro God’s Salvation and these ideas have informed my response to this week’s REALTALK Thursdays question.

SUMMARY

If you have read through this and you are still unclear about this perspective see the summary below:

1. I believe homosexuality is a deviation from God’s plan and purpose and therefore a sin (there are more than enough scripture passages to support this)
2. I believe no sin is greater than another in God’s eyes just as His word says, as such I believe it is wrong to look down on someone practicing homosexuality while you are a liar, cheater etc
3. I believe that my duty is to be God’s light in the world so that people may be convinced of their sin and be brought to salvation through faith in Jesus. As such it is important for us to daily strive after the things of God and to deny our flesh and follow after the things of God through the help of the Holy Spirit.
4. No one is perfect and as a child of God it is my duty to love and to teach the word of God and allow God to do the rest. Jesus while on earth never once condoned sin but he certainly did not hate the sinner; He used every opportunity He had to teach them what was right…that is our calling.

 

I know this post is a lot to swallow and maybe has several areas of agreement or even contention for you. I would love to hear your opinion so comment below and continue the conversation.

Talk soon.

EJ

Justified – "Just as if I’d never sinned" Pastor Andy

Hey There!!! 

Last night I was at Bible study and Pastor Andy speaking on forgiveness and peace with God referred to the fact that it is justification through faith that causes us to be in relationship with God. That justification through faith by the grace of God closes the great divide between God and man. Pastor Andy spoke of the fact that we find this concept (that God justifies us) difficult to accept because we find it difficult to (justify/forgive) others. There was not one person in the room who could not concede to the difficulty in forgiving someone not to mention to go further to forget what that same person had done to result in the broken relationship.

Of course I am not going to spend this post recounting what was said last night. I want to talk not about why as humans we find it difficult to accept God’s forgiveness but about this awesome God that we serve who when we repent not just FORGIVES us but FORGETS – remembers my sin no more!!!!! My mantra has always been that to not feel the same pain or anger when I think of the dirt that was done to me is a telltale sign for me that I have truly forgiven. To be honest, it is clear that that still falls short of what God does for us; God forgives us then keeps no record of our sin so there is no ‘mistake’ on which He will spend time to reminisce.

As I wrote that last sentence I felt a broad smile come over my face because to me knowing that is more than enough reason for me to break into praise. 

I expect it is the same for you, I mean, unless you are perfect and have never sinned (looking at you sideways)! To understand His love for us is to understand His actions toward us. Now I know why when we used to sing this song in church it used to give me the ‘fuzzies’ in my tummy because we were singing something so powerful. Check it out (pretend I am using my opera voice wink wink):

                      “I love you with the love of the Lord Yes I love you with the love of the Lord

I can see in you, the glory of the Lord and

I love you with the love of the Lord”

God forgives me and forgets my sin giving me a clean slate; a chance to start afresh. Pastor Andy says it is "just as if I had never sinned"! Wow!!!  He does not let me begin from a place of disadvantage but gives me a head start at pleasing Him by making me righteous that I might fellowship with Him!

Lord help me to act right and to be right and when I sin help me not to be prideful but to understand my sin in relation to who You are as a holy, pure, righteous, sovereign God. I always make reference to David, who God referred to as a man after his own heart. When he admitted his sin, he said "it is against You, You only have I sinned...” (Psalm 51:4). He never felt like he was not benefiting from his actions. He killed Bathsheba’s husband to get her completely to himself (David and Bathsheba had been having an affair)…he scored the girl, he was happy but he had to come to the place where he realized that his actions were displeasing and evil in the eyes of God. When you have the chance read 2 Samuel 11. 

Sometimes we do things and we don’t really believe we are wrong because we feel justified in the actions we do but we are being called to come to a place where we recognize and repent for our sins even if only based on the fact that it is displeasing to the God who loves us like no one else ever could.

Now the fact that God forgives us and gives us a new slate is not reason to become complacent in our sin or to be presumptuous in our sinning! The mercy and grace of God ought to make us want to run away from actions and thoughts that are sinful because we owe it to the God who justifies us because of His love for us but more importantly we should come to a place where we run away from our sinful ways and become uncomfortable with sin in our lives because of our love for God. Can we truly say we love God if we do not care whether we displease Him with our sinful thoughts and actions? What say you?

So then here is the conclusion of the whole matter (hehe) we can do nothing to earn or buy the love and forgiveness of this wonderful God who is everything to us and everything we need. Our justification is based on who God is and the unchanging love He has for us. When you wrestle with sin in your life remember the higher level that God has called you to and more than anything else has equipped you to reach. When you wrestle with the guilt of sin remember the mercy of God that justifies you regardless of what you have done or could ever do just ask Him to forgive you, have confidence in Him that He will do what He says He will and turn away from your sin.

Here are a few scriptures to consider:

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7 NIV)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV)

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. (Isaiah 1: 18 NIV)

“as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions (sins) from us” (Psalm103:12)

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Until next time:)

EJ

REALTalk Thursdays

REALTalk Thursdays                                    Launch Date: November 1, 2012

Do you have questions about our faith that you would like answered?

Do you have any issues that you would like a Christian (Spiritual and practical) perspective on? 

Ever had a question but because it was considered taboo you could not ask it or you were never given an answer?

Well REALTalk Thursdays is for you where:

Every question will be considered

       No question is Taboo

                 No question is silly

Simply submit it and we will post it on our page on your behalf!

Here is what you need to do to get involved:

1. LIKE our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GodSpeakToday 
2. Submit your question(s) to our GodSpeak Today message inbox – you do not have to wait until Thursday; you can submit questions at any time
3. Participate in REALTalk Thursdays visiting our Facebook page and giving your perspective on questions posed by other members and non-members 
4. Visit our blog for a summary of the answers to each question and for our blogger’s response to the question asked. You can check for the summary the following day. Blog address: http://light-check.blogspot.com Subscribe. It’s FREE 
5. Share our ongoing event with everyone you know and get more people involved!

Looking forward to hearing from you! See you Thursday:) 

EJ

Just Say It!

I saw him sitting there…the young Asian guy with an earphone in one ear and head down focusing intently on his cell phone.  I quickly looked away. Surely God must have been instructing me to speak with someone else but where was that person? I looked around as I walked toward the bus stop where he sat waiting. I even glanced behind me too almost hoping to see someone else less engaged, someone I thought seemed more available for conversation.  

Confessedly, I felt my steps toward the bus stop starting to slow. I was lost in thought wondering what might be the right way to use this opportunity to witness since I felt an overwhelming urge to do so.

Okay, I know.

Some of you will say, “ Shouldn't you always have the urge to tell someone about Jesus? Is that not our duty as believers, so what’s so hard about this situation?” Still others will say, “Since you feel ‘led’ to share your faith with him, you definitely need to be obedient!”

SIGH!

 “I can do this! I am not perfect but that is exactly why I need to share with him about Jesus. That Jesus can love me in spite of my flaws and my insecurities is enough reason for me to ‘shout Him out’!”  I didn't know what this guy needed but I bet whatever it was that God was still the only Source. Then came the hard part, how could I get the conversation started? Was I supposed to ask him if I was the only one who listened to The Light 103.9 FM (the gospel station in NC) and sang out loud even if my windows were down? As I write this I can’t help but think that he could have been listening to that same station on his phone (covers face). Was I supposed to just ask if he was a Christian and just take the conversation from there?

This is the trouble some of us face as Christians, that is, having confidence in God to give us the right words to say in every situation and being obedient enough to open our mouths and just say them! We spend too much time allowing self to get in the way of God’s work as it tries to control, manage and orchestrate how and when God’s work is to be done rather than just identifying what God is doing and accepting His invitation to join in.

As the bus pulled up, I realized I had not seized the opportunity. I could not understand it. I had grown up being involved in tract ministry, inviting other young people to church and testifying to my belief in God. What had changed, if anything? I have always been able to speak with my friends about God and if they know me and still recognize my love and commitment to God (all the while being an imperfect being) so then what was the reason to be afraid of a stranger.

I realized (though there was nothing that could excuse my disobedience) that on many occasions I was in the company of people wanting to share their faith but their approach was so distasteful that I wouldn't be surprised to learn that many were 'put off' by the encounter.

This experience was enough for me to evaluate myself and how I share my faith with others.

What experiences have you had with sharing your faith? What challenges/victories have you had? 

Comment below:)

Stay tuned for the next blog post! We will talk about witnessing and strategies to overcome some of the possible challenges as we share our faith.

I will leave you with this, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…"

(1 Peter 3:15 NIV)

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Until next time (smile)

EJ