Without Complaining or Arguing

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life - Philippians 2:14-16

Wow...I haven't written anything in a while but after reading this verse I felt the need to share.

So, Paul said to do ALL things without complaining or arguing. It seems impossible at times, doesn't it - to do EVERYTHING without complaining? It seems like it's impossible, anyway. Or at least it does to me! It's so easy to grumble and complain. It's easy to even justify your right to complain. If your boss tells you to do something how many times have you complained to a co-worker? Do you complain about your country? If someone asks you to wash the dishes, or clean up a mess how do you respond? Do you find yourself talking to a friend and complaining to them about someone you know? Not only are we to not complain but we are to do all things with a good attitude.
In doing so we have an opportunity to point people to Jesus and help them develop a saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior. If we are complaining then we are no different then those who don't follow Jesus. Can you imagine Jesus complaining? Can you imagine what it would have been like if Jesus had gone to dinner at someone's house and started complaining about the disciples lack of faith. What if he had showed up at John's house and started complaining that Peter betrayed him or complaining about how everyone ran off and deserted Him?
While it's true we'll never reach sinless perfection, we do have an obligation to be pure and holy in our motives and also our actions.
As others watch you from day to day, are they drawn closer to Jesus because of your speech and actions? Regardless of our age, we are to "set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."

John Wesley once said, "Give me a hundred men who love nothing but God and hate nothing but sin, and I will shake the whole world for Christ."

What Real Love Looks Like ♥♥♥

LOVE SUFFERS LONG - meaning you are patient with the person. Patient when they make the same mistakes over and over. Patient when they seem to give up. Patient with their faults.

AND IS KIND - If we keep in mind that the purpose of real love is to seek the welfare of the one loved, then we see why real love must not only be patient but gracious. Kindness, not harshness, is more apt to encourage good in another person. Just as Proverbs says that "a soft answer turns away wrath" (15:1), so love that is practical and useful is skillful in bringing out the best rather than the worst in the one loved. Jesus reminds us that while love calls for truth, truth expressed without kindness is not loving. He reminds us that while love calls for patience, patience without kindness is not loving either.

LOVE DOES NOT ENVY - You don't get jealous of this person. What they have, who they are friends with, what kind of job they have, what kind of status they have, what kind of family they have. Jealousy wants what someone else has, but bragging tries to make others jealous of what we have. Remember comparrison is the seed and Jealousy is the fruit!
Real love says, "I can be happy for you, even if I never achieve the accomplishments, recognition, or comforts that you are enjoying. While I might wish myself more, I could not wish you less."

LOVE DOES NOT PARADE ITSELF
Love does not brag about its accomplishments. It is not given to self-display, not even to carefully worded statements of subtle self-promotion.
This concept finds ancient roots in the Bible. King Solomon said it well when he wrote, "Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth" (Prov. 27:2). Simply put, real love doesn't push itself into the spotlight.
Real love not only applauds the successes of another, but it knows how to handle its own wins when they come. I've heard it said that "for every 100 people who can handle adversity, there are only 10 who can handle prosperity."

IS NOT PUFFED UP
By contrast, puffed-up people, full of themselves and having an exaggerated opinion of their own importance, are likely to assume that their happiness, well-being, opinions, and feelings are the only things that really count. Puffed-up people find it easy to dismiss the needs and feelings of others.
The first place we might look to see if we have a puffed-up sense of our own importance is in our prayers. Do we pray only for ourselves and our own interests, or do we also pray for the children, spouses, and concerns of others? The simple truth is that real love does not allow us to assume that our health, our prosperity, our home, or our family is any more important than our neighbor's.

DOES NOT BEHAVE RUDELY
It reminds us that the honorable nature of real love will never make inappropriate demands of others. Real love will never prompt an unmarried person to say, "If you love me, you'll prove it by giving yourself to me." Those who love will never ask others to prove their loyalty by lying, cheating, or stealing for them.
By not behaving rudely, real love does not use the "love" of a friendship to pressure anyone to do something that is contrary to the principles of conscience or faith, or to the moral principles of God.
Real love, according to Paul, never pressures another person to do something that is wrong. Real love seeks the best for the one loved--not the personal gain, pleasure, or control that manipulation is often designed to achieve.

DOES NOT SEEK IT'S OWN
It speaks of the person whose focus is outward, not inward. It describes the heart that is not so consumed with its own interests that it cannot show concern for the needs and interests of others.

In Philippians 2, Paul expressed the same principle of real love this way:

If there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love . . . . Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others

IS NOT PROKOVOKED
In other words, real love does not have a short fuse. It is not touchy or irritable. How easily we can forget this important quality of real love. After a few years of mutual disappointment, husbands and wives become easily provoked with each other. Exasperated parents shout unkindly at their children in frustration. Workers show a quick temper when an employer or fellow worker fails to give the consideration that not only is deserved but has been agreed to. Citizens become incensed when public servants use their office to violate the public trust. Why do we get provoked? Sometimes we simmer and boil inside because we want what we want, when we want it--and we won't take "later" for an answer. Sometimes our temper provides evidence of our own selfishness.

THINKS NO EVIL
Saying that love "thinks no evil" means that it won't keep records of unkindnesses with the intent of someday getting even. In other words, real love will not hold bitter grudges or allow longstanding resentments against others, even when the wrongs done against us are real.

DOES NOT REJOICE IN INIQUITY
Love does not hide evil by keeping secrets that need to be exposed. Love does not pass along a "juicy morsel" of someone else's failure just because it tastes good to do so. Love does not gossip to break the monotony, or to appear knowledgeable, or to feel better about itself by publishing the news of someone else's shame. Breaking the news of sin must be for the good of others rather than to promote a "feeding frenzy" around someone else's embarrassment and pain.

BUT REJOICES IN TRUTH
Paul's words to the Thessalonians give us a clue why he said "love rejoices with the truth." He wants us to think about the profound relationship between what we believe and what we do. On one hand, what we believe determines what we do. On the other hand, what we want to do determines what we are willing to believe. This is why the Bible puts such an emphasis on right beliefs. Good doctrine is right thinking about God, ourselves, and others. Right thinking, in turn, allows us to love one another in truth rather than in a setting of self-deception. All unrighteousness denies the truth. All wrong behavior is rooted in a misbelief about reality. All immorality is rooted in a process of self-deception that says, "I know better than God how to further my own interests and the interests of others."

BEARS ALL THINGS
The word bears comes from a Greek word that means "roof." The point is grand in its simplicity. Love covers and protects like a roof covers a house and protects it from storms. Love bears up and continues to work for the good of others regardless of what happens. Love bears the storms of disappointment, the rains of failure, and the winds of time and circumstance. Love provides a covering that shields from the extremes of cold winters and hot summer sun. Love provides a place of shelter that can withstand the worst circumstances imaginable.
Love cannot protect others from the harsh realities of living in a broken world. Neither can it protect others from the consequences of their own choices. But love does give broken, hurting people a place to find someone who cares for their good and well-being. Love gives even unrepentant people an advocate and intercessor who prays for their ultimate well-being. Love offers even the worst sinners a place to bring their repentant hearts.

BELIEVES ALL THINGS
The truth that "love believes all things" is central to our understanding of Christlike love. Real love is rooted and grounded in faith. Faith, in turn, is rooted and grounded in what God has said in His Word.
Without faith in God, love quits and dies. Unless we continue to "believe all things" God has said, our love will not survive the disappointments, rejections, and insults of life. Unless we build our love firmly on the Word of God, love will throw in the towel. Only by faith in God can love remain strong.

HOPES ALL THINGS
The psalmist said of God, "My hope is in You," (Ps. 39:7). Paul wrote, "Hope does not disappoint" (Rom. 5:5). And Peter added, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who . . . has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pet. 1:3).
This is the power of love. It is fueled and sustained not by an ever-changing emotional or physical state, but by deep beliefs and hopes that are given by God to those who trust Him. Real love has a capacity to view life--and live it--with an optimism that is refreshing because of "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27)

ENDURES ALL THINGS
Here the emphasis is on how we respond to life in general. Love doesn't give up. It doesn't quit. It doesn't walk away. It perseveres to the point where it "endures all things."

LOVE NEVER FAILS
Real love is a survivor. Because it finds its source and life in God, real love can endure anything. Even when the nature of our relationships change due to unfortunate human choices, the love of God can cause us to pray and, where possible, to act in behalf of another person. It is the love that reflects the heart of Christ and reveals the wonderful change that only He can make in a life. It is real love

1 Corinthians 13 ♥

Pray for One Another

I think it's so easy as a Christian to say to our fellow brothers & sisters "I will pray for you". I think we need to really mean it if we say it. Too easily this can become just a coin of phrase. Are we really praying for one another? Are we praying that our fellow believers will be filled with knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that they may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him. That they are fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. That they are strenghtened with all His might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and long suffering with joy? That is how Paul prayed for his brothers & sisters in Christ.
Are we truly praying for our friends to be blessed in their time with God, their relationships, their finances, blessing their families & children? Do we pray for healing, physically, mentally, emotionally? Have we fasted and prayed for our unsaved loved ones never giving up on them because God never will. Do we sincerly pray for our pastors and leaders who are always under attack or do we just complain about how they could do things better?

Come on church, we all NEED each others prayers! It's our only defense against the enemy and this world's temptations.
Do we see our bother or sister struggling and ignore their cries for help? Even if the cry is silent and they don't ask for help. We can still pray for them.
Let's spend less time pointing out each others faults and more time on our knees before a loving God who died for us all. We are all in need of grace.
Next time you say.."I'll pray for you", think about if you really mean it. Will you really?

Your prayers are the greatest gift you can ever give. Remember, it's not in vain!

True Friends

The Bible says:

Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. - Proverbs 27:6
I have experienced this one first hand.

A true friend tells you what you NEED to hear, no matter how painful at times. Someone who is not your friend may flatter you and tell you what you WANT to hear but it is usually to get something from you.

Remember gossip is saying behind someone's back what you would never say to their face. Flattery is saying to their face what you would never say behind their back.

Don't despise those who bring correction or point out areas in your life that need guidance. They do it because they truly love you and care about you. Don't get defensive. Listen to what they have to say.

We all help each other to grow.

Be a Tree with Strong Roots!

God was showing me that a strong tree has very strong roots. The tree that is strong takes in nurishment through the living water. Strengthens it's roots. If it does not it withers up and dies.
Then I was reflecting on something my friend, Jaime Barkwell shared. That even when a tree appears dead (in winter) it is still producing internal fruit. External fruit is in season but internal fruit is ALWAYS being produced. What appears dead on the outside or what we see with our eyes is not really dead. That's why it is so important to walk by faith and not by sight. For what we "see" is temporary. What we don't see is eternal.

Cursed is the strong one who depends on mere humans,Who thinks he can make it on muscle alone  and sets God aside as dead weight. He's like a tumbleweed on the prairie, out of touch with the good earth. He lives rootless and aimless in a land where nothing grows. But blessed is the man who trusts me, God, the woman who sticks with God. They're like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers - Never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf. Serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season. - Jeremiah 17:6-8 (MSG)

Permissible But Not Beneficial

 
Can something we do or think be permissible but not beneficial? That’s possible. In 1 Corinthians 10:23, we are told, “Everything is permissible – but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible – but not everything is constructive.” Why should this be so?

Let’s see a few examples. For the Christian, watching T.V. is permissible. But if such watching goes on for 6 consecutive hours with you merely switching channels just to pass the time then it is not beneficial. Some of the time spent watching T.V. could have been used to read the Bible, call someone to encourage them, visit someone who is lonely, or help out a neighbor.

Listening to secular music and watching all kinds of entertainment is permissible but is it beneficial? Remember, everything that goes in will come out in our way of thinking, our speech, and our actions. Garbage in - garbage out.


Eating ice cream is permissible but eating 3-5 bowls of it is not beneficial to your body.

Smoking cigarettes is permissible but not beneficial to the health of your body.

Playing golf as a recreation is permissible. But if your golf games take you away from your wife and children, then it is not beneficial. However it will be constructive if your wife and the children also join you in the same game and you have a time of bonding together.

I could go on and on..

Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should. This body of ours is a masterpiece, an amazing creation of God. It is not to be thought of as an empty soda can to be tossed away. The Bible says one day this body will be resurrected and changed. We will not receive a new body but the body we have will be transformed. We need to treat this body with respect. Many of us take better care of our cars then our own bodies.

As parents and caretakers we are protectors over what is permissible and what is beneficial for young children. We tell them no when they want that 2nd or 3rd ice cream, we limit their T.V. time, we make sure they get enough rest. Then why oh why do we care more about their bodies then our own?

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

We are accountable for what we do with our bodies, and how we spend our time. We are not our own. We were bought with a price.

You Are What You Eat

I've been thinking of this expression a lot lately. I have always heard it and thought it applied more to food. However, it never made sense to me in that aspect...if I eat an apple..I'm an apple? lol..
Recently I have been thinking about it in another way. We have all heard in Christian circles the expression..eat the Word of God. Give us this day our daily bread..reffering to God's Word for us today or His provision for us.

So, if you are always chosing to watch things in movies or on television that fill us up with worldy junk then that would be what comes out of us. Listen to swearing long enough and you will be swearing, too. Watch TV shows that mock God and your faith in Him will diminish. Watch enough violence and you become desensitized or complacent about it. Listen to lies long enough and they become truth to you.
But, if we fill ourselves up on God's Word, feast on that daily..then that will come out of us. Joy, faith, love, forgiveness, patience, goodness.

That children's song always pops into my heard at times like this..."Oh be careful little eyes what you see, oh be careful little ears what you hear, oh be careful little mouth what you say, oh be careful little feet where you go for the Father up above is looking down in love.."

Let us be mindful of what we consume each day because eventually it will spill out of us.

Comfort Through Grieving

I recently have witnessed many beautiful souls who's life ended too soon. One was a young mother of three children, one a newborn baby, another a young girl of twenty. At times like this we often wonder, "Why, God?" , "Why are some prayers answered and others not?"
In times such as these my heart and spirit mourn for those families but I remember that God is in control and He knows the outcome of everything.

We are tempted at times to think that death has come to the wrong person or has come at the wrong time, especially when a child is left without a mother, or when children die at a young age. Familiar as we are with death, the ways of God regarding it often seem strange to us. But, without a doubt, God never abandons His children. He leads us to look beyond our grief and to trust in His wisdom and in His tender love to comfort our broken spirit. At times we all need comfort. This is especially true during experiences of distress and grief when a loved one dies. Those of us who have lost loved ones know what a word of compassion can mean. I remember what a comfort it was for me when my dad died. As we see others suffering, let us also remember that our Heavenly Father has commanded to comfort His people.
The words of our Savior are most comforting, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:1-3).

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. - Psalm: 116:15
The Lord pays special attention when his faithful people die. - Psalm 116:15 (NIRV)
Dear Lord,
Bless those who mourn with the comfort of your love that they may face each new day with hope and the certainty that nothing can destroy the good that has been given. May their memories become joyful, their days enriched with friendship,
and their lives encircled by your love. In Jesus' name, I pray.....Amen.

Please pray for families that are mourning today. My heart grieves for other countries as well. Many die everyday, thousands of children from disease and hunger, and sometimes we don't blink an eye. Pray for the broken hearted and those who mourn.

When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher then I (Psalm 61:2)

God is still in control

The Lord's Prayer

Jesus gave us a guideline for prayer. Yes, it's the Lord's prayer.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your nameIt starts with worship. God is holy and worthy to be praised. We need to worship Him ever day and give thanks for His creation, His glorious works, and the sacrifice Jesus paid for us on the cross.
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Surrender and submit to Him. Not my dreams God but Yours! His plans for me, His thoughts. Ask God for direction in all things, for wisdom, and guidance. Change me, God…make me more like You. Less of me and more of You!
Give us today our daily bread.
This is our petitions. Intercession for others, the lost, hurting, our brothers & sisters in Christ and for God to fill us with what we need for that day.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Asking God for forgiveness for our sins, what we have done wrong and for what we should have done that we didn’t do. Also, forgiving others. Not complaining about them, back biting, or feeling bitter but truly forgiving. God forgave us a far greater debt so we in return must forgive others of theirs..even if they really hurt us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.Covering Prayers. Praying for yourself and others to not be tempted by sin, deceived, tricked, or trapped by the enemy’s plans. No to become a puppet of the world and For lies and hidden sins to be exposed.
AMEN!!!

Only One Enemy

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. - Ephesians 6:12

How easy we forget who are enemy really is. We only have ONE enemy.
God has been speaking to my heart so strongly about loving my enemies, praying for them, forgiving, not talking bad about people who hurt me. When I tried to love them in my own strength I failed everytime. When I chose to go to my friends first and complain and vent all my feelings it always made things worse. Why? Because I was hurting those people back by my words and keeping contempt in my heart against them. Then the time I went to God first, cried my eyes out to Him and told Him everything it always ends with Him showing me how I can change. Change my heart and attitude towards the situation and then in His strength, encouraged by His word, and led by His spirit I was able to overcome and the situation always works out and peace is restored. AND the best thing is no one got hurt in the process because I didn't hurt anyone with my words. Instead I covered them in prayer and in God's grace, mercy, and love.
As I wrote before that doesn't mean you have to open the door to let them hurt you again. Trust must be earned and we must guard our hearts. The Bible tells us to guard them.
It doesn't mean we have to let people walk all over us and take advantage of us.
However, if we are to truly be like Christ and be a light to the world then we must remember who are enemy really is. The Bible says that satan comes to steal, kill, & destory. He is the one who brings false accusations, lies, threats, thinks up evil plans against us, leads people into jealousy, hatred, and hardens their hearts. He is the one who tempts us with the things of the world and keeps us distracted from God.
The good news is WE HAVE THE VICTORY! Jesus already took care of it on the cross for us and defeated him when he rose from the dead. The devil is under our feet and we have the power to stand against Him as Christians and tell him to get lost! We can choose not to believe the lies and we can choose not to focus on what we see with our eyes. We can choose to trust in God, even when everything around us looks bleak, looks bad, ...we can not trust our eyes! We must look to God and trust what we can not see, in the future He has promised us, in the hope of His calling and future for our lives. Like Job we must remember that no matter what, God is still good and still on the throne. He has not forgotten us.
He loves all His children, those who choose to believe on Him and even those who are running away and hiding as Jonah did when he hid on the boat. He never stops loving us, never stops believing us. He has great faith in us. Thank goodness He does! He believes in me when I do not believe in myself.
He never gave up on me and He will never give up on any of us.
So, who are we to judge? Only God knows the heart. Even when Jonah was in the belly if the fish crying out to God, the fish was already taking him to Ninevah. The plan was already in motion :)

I pray we will all have God's grace, mercy, and strength to love those who hurt us. To forgive them and pray blessings for them. To stop back biting, gossip, and trying to get justice.

God is in control and He is one God and Father of us all.