Can You See Him?

James 2:18-20

But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe-and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

I found this poem online a while back and liked it a lot. I'm not sure who wrote it, it didn't say, but it had a good message. It's so very good to share the Gospel with others, that is what God intended for us to do, but we should also SHOW the Gospel to others. What good is it to tell others that we as Christians are all about love and evangelism and charity and kindness if we don't show those things through our actions? And what about little ones, the younger generation? Do they have a good Christian example in you? After all, it takes a village to raise a child and it isn't exactly raising an upstanding citizen that's the primary goal, it's about raising God fearing adults; it's about raising disciples. People may be able to hear your faith loud and clear, but can they see it? Don't act with the intention of others only seeing you, act with the intention that through you, others may see Him.

I'd rather see a sermon

than hear one any day;

I'd rather one should walk with me

than merely tell the way.

The eye's a better pupil

and more willing than the ear,

Fine counsel is confusing,

but example's always clear;

And the best of all preachers

are the men who live their creeds,

For to see good put in action

is what everybody needs.

I soon can learn to do it

if you'll let me see it done;

I can watch your hands in action,

but your tongue too fast may run.

And the lecture you deliver

may be very wise and true,

But I'd rather get my lessons

by observing what you do;

For I might misunderstand you

and the high advice you give,

But there's no misunderstanding

how you act and how you live.

Photo: Pinterest

Matthew 5:14-16
"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

    

Let the Helper, help...

Ever had a bad day?

Like, a really bad day? One where everything goes wrong and you just want to kind of shrink up and fade away???

When will this day be over?!?!

We've all had those days where we feel so alone or upset or just plain on edge for no reason. It's days like those when we feel so far from God and we manage to lose ourselves in an even darker place than we were when our bad mood started in the first place. God hasn't gone anywhere though, He's right next to you. Close your eyes for a second. Imagine Jesus sitting near you, like how it feels when you sit near someone at a sporting event or at church or in a car. You get that feeling of another person next to you, don't you? Now imagine His arm around you, imagine Him whispering, "I have you my child, you will not have to fight this alone. I am with you always." Because that's what happens when we feel lost and make the decision to turn to Him.... 

Psalm 91:4 
He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

See? Says so right there... :)

Bad moods aren't easy to get over, especially if something goes wrong on that particular day. But guess what helps? It's fool proof!!! It never goes wrong, anyone can do it. It's an easy fix that you can apply at any time in any place. You can do it in a crowd or completely alone, totally up to you. It's one of the oldest tricks in the book, it's been going out of style lately, that's just unfortunate for the one's not trying it out anymore. It goes well with literally everything and it ALWAYS solves your problems. Okay, okay, take it easy. Just trying to add some suspense, I'll tell you what it is. Sheesh.


PRAY.



You knew that already though, didn't you? But maybe you didn't. Maybe you used to, but it's just been a while. How long has it been? Minutes, hours, days, weeks.....years?? It helps. Oh, how it helps. He is always listening. He is always there. And He always answers us. Sometimes we may get the feeling that we are being ignored in our time of trouble because He doesn't take away what is hurting us, but that NEVER means He hasn't answered. We can't always see the things God does for us because we're surrounded by to many worldly problems. 

Matthew 14:29-32
So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

Psalm 107:28-30
Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, So that it's waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; So he guides them to their desired haven.

God does not always calm the storm, sometimes He only calms His child. Our situations don't necessarily always change because that might not be His plan. He may not want our situation to change because He wants our hearts to be the thing that changes.
God is in the business of changing hearts. 
When Jesus called Peter from the boat while the wind was raging, it scared Peter. Instead of looking toward the Lord for comfort and safety he began to look around him and doubt the greatness of the Savior and began to sink. In the same way, when we're having bad days or hurtful times in our lives, we focus on the things around us and slowly start to be swallowed up in all the negatives. We forget the greatness of our Savior!! 
He is there, and He is listening. He's only waiting for us to ask for His help. He's waiting to hear our prayers. Look past your problems and look instead at the Problem Solver. Seek Him and you WILL find Him.

1 Chronicles 16:11
Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!

Psalm 145:18
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.

1 Thessalonians 5:17
pray without ceasing,

When your mind is on Him, it has no room for problems or pain.
Life can seem daunting and problems look big sometimes, but our
God is BIGGER.

"There's a difference between knowing God and knowing about God. when you truly know God, you have energy to serve Him, boldness to share Him, and contentment in Him."
- J. I. Packer

Go ahead. Have a talk with the best Friend you'll ever have. And the next time you get the feeling that you're in a problem you can't get out of or a situation that has you depressed or angry, try to stop looking at your own picture and try taking a look at what God might be seeing instead. What lesson can you take away from this? What is He trying to teach you? It's always for our own good and He always has our best interest at heart, and when we go to Him in prayer our problems shrink at the sound of His name.
If you're looking for help, the Helper is listening...

Psalm 116:2
Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.


(Picture:Pinterest)

(Picture:Pinterest)

What is Agape?

Agape...

Agape love is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional, and never ending.

This love is not the kind we have for our neighbor. It is not the kind we give to our friends and family. This is not the love that is shared in a marriage between a man and a woman.

Agape love is the kind of love that poured out of our Savior, Jesus Christ, as He suffered on the cross. Agape love is the type of love that God gives us daily, no matter what.

John 10:17

"Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.

I read something on Pinterest (the most successful time killer out there if you are unaware) that reminded me of God's love for us. It said, Love is not "if" or "because", love is "anyway" and "even though" and "in spite of". WOW. God does not love us IF we do what He says, God does not love us BECAUSE we are good and faithful... God loves us IN SPITE OF the things we do wrong, and EVEN THOUGH we fall short and make bad decisions. And when we stray away from Him for a time or become completely lost altogether, He loves us ANYWAY.

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God is not surprised by us, we do nothing to shock Him, we have no secrets from Him. He knows all, sees all, and hears all. AND HE LOVES US ANYWAY!!!!!

 That's what agape love is.

If God loves us so much, that, knowing that we would all fall short or sin or stumble, He STILL sent His Son to die for us...why can't we love Him back?

All He wants is our hearts. How wonderful is that?! 

How wonderful is that agape love He has for us?!

It's easy to get caught up in this world and lose sight of our Father and His word. We become concerned with what we'll be doing this weekend, the "to do" list that we have, the "he said, she said" gossip, relationships, our schooling, our jobs, our social lives...

We forget the One who made all of that possible, the One who (agape) loves us.

Our Father in heaven.

Romans 8:38-39

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Give Him your heart, that's all He wants. Obey His word and follow Him.

When you focus on Him and His love for us, everything else falls into place.

He died for us, let's live for Him.

He gave up His life, let's give up our hearts.
Let's love Him the way He loves us.
Agape love.

(Picture: Pinterest)