Matthew 6:34

“Don’t worry about tomorrow. It will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today.”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:34‬ ‭CEVUS06‬‬

http://bible.com/392/mat.6.34.cevus06
Don’t worry about tomorrow. That’s hard to do isn’t? But why? – Because society has lead us to that conclusion. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. Tomorrow the power bill will be due. Tomorrow the kids have to be in school early. Tomorrow I have that meeting. We live our lives worrying about what is next. God wants us to worry about what’s right now. Right now, your son wants someone to play with. Right now, God wants your attention. Right now, your family needs you. God wants you to live for right now because he knows there may not even be a tomorrow for you or us. We are not promised tomorrow. We are given one day at a time. So yes, be responsible, pay your bills, make sure the kids are at school on time, but most importantly- Do not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow has enough problems of its own. Live for today. Enjoy today. Today is what you have. Tomorrow is not promised. 
Have a blessed day, guys. 

Colossians 1:17-18

“God’s Son was before all else, and by him everything is held together. He is the head of his body, which is the church. He is the very beginning, the first to be raised from death, so that he would be above all others.”

 

Let’s break this verse down.. God’s son was before all else. He was before your sins, my sins, the sins of our world. And by him everything is held together. You know how when you turn on the tv and see the news about another shooting, another riot, or the latest political shenanigans and you think, “By the grace of God, we are all still here.” That is how I interpret this part. I feel like with all the evil running rampant in our world today, God would look down and just throw his hands in the air, giving up on his hateful children. But by the grace of God and Jesus himself, everything is held together. This verse says that everything is held together by Jesus, which means everything you hold dear that you want to stay intact, the center needs to be Jesus. Your marriage. Your job. You talents. Your relationship with your children. Your relationship with yourself. Everything is held together by God’s son, so if He is not the center, it ain’t staying intact! Next, Jesus is the head and the church is the body. That again to me means, Jesus is to steer us (the church) in the right direction. He is the very beginning, the first to be raised from death, so that he would be above all others. God himself orchestrated the miracle of the death and resurrectional of Jesus to demonstrate the strength of his hands. He needed his children millions of years from then, to look back in awe and see Jesus as the one and only savior.

 

I hope this helps you find your inner peace today and understand this verse a little better! Feel free to leave your opinion in the comments.

Examine me, God!

“Examine me, God! Look at my heart! Put me to the test! Know my anxious thoughts! Look to see if there is any idolatrous way in me, then lead me on the eternal path!”

Psalms 139: 23-24

This verse can be very powerful if you really read it. Examine me! Look at my heart! Put me to the test! This is an example of how we should be talking to God. We should be open to the idea that He can test our faith and examine us out of love. Life is no walk in the park. God is going to challenge you in ways that you will not understand. However, this does not mean His love for us is not strong. God’s love is the strongest force there is. That is why He is challenging you! He wants you to be the best, most equipped version of yourself. Lead me on the eternal path! Here God is showing us an example of how we can call on Him to point out our wrong doings and then help us get back on the right path. God wants to help you, not hurt you. Show him your ways, ask for guidance and forgiveness.

 

These challenges you are facing right now are to build you stronger than ever. Consider this the work out. Your body tired. Your mind telling you to give up. You can not imagine this can be as hard for everyone else. No one else seems to be sweating as much as you. But one day very soon, you will be able to see a change in your strength. When everyone else is giving up, you’ll be running passed. When your body says, “Stop!” You’ll say, “Not yet!” All your struggle and hard work is going to pay off in ways only God understands so stay diligent. Have a great day, guys!

 

 

 

God wants you to be happy?

I think somewhere along the journey of Christianity someone may have accidentally mislead Christians to believe that God wants us to be these lifeless, Bible-crazed, dry people. My opinion is very different from that. I believe that God wants us to be devout Christians, but no where in that definition says you have to be stale. I love seeing youth groups having parties and dancing. I love seeing videos online of church members who dance and sing with praise. I love the idea of Christians getting together and having tons of fun. God wants you to love Him, but also yourself. That means, to me at least, dance, sing, cry, paint, tell jokes, act crazy! Do not let other people’s opinions of how Christians “should” act influence you. People will always judge.. God is the only real judge. 

I am going to be honest, I do a lot of things God probably is not proud of. I have made him look down and shake His head more than I should have. I cuss way too much.. I get aggravated with the general public pretty often.. I judge people sometimes. Jesus was the only person to step foot on this earth that was perfect. Just because you make mistakes, does not mean God does not love you. He probably wishes you would stop and you will, especially since you know these things you will be better without. The point I am trying to make here, is do not be afraid to act a certain way because of what others may think of you. Only God knows the relationship the two of you have and that is beautiful. 

Remember, God gave his only son to set you free of your mistakes.. Work on improving yourself, your relationship with God, and your relationship with happiness, and the rest will fall right into place.

 

“Come to my home each day and listen to me. You will find happiness.” Proverbs 8:34

 

 

Saturday Morning Bible Study

“The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:2‬ ‭CEVUS06‬‬ http://bible.com/392/rom.8.2.cevus06

I usually do not post Saturday Morning Bible Studies. Maybe I will start or maybe the terror that has stricken the world and my own personal life in the last few months is fueling my thirst for God’s word. If you have the Bible app powered by YouVersion, (I strongly recommend it!) then you’ll know that today’s Bible Verse is Romans 8:2 pictured and written above with a link to the Bible app. Now most Christians will not pay much attention to this verse.. It is simple and states a fact we hear very often. Jesus died on the cross for each of us and our sins. Maybe after you hear something over and over again, it takes away from just how miraculous it is. Like when your mother tells you everyday while your in your rebellious teenage years how much she loves you and you appease her with a monotone, “Love you too” before heading out the door. One day you will be out of those ugly teenage years and the very idea of hearing your mother say to you how much she loves you will fill your heart with warmth and joy. This is kind of like that. We may have taken the fact that Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we can be saved for granted. So today, let’s put it in perspective and be thankful.

“The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death.” Romans 8:2

Inside of you, you have the Holy Spirit, the spirit of Jesus, the spirit of God. This spirit gives you fight, love, peace, and like the verse says, life. Let’s think of life in a deeper meaning than just being alive. It gives you life. A light no one can take away from you. An inner peace that calms you in moments that should make you pull your hair out. It gives you a smile on your face on the hardest of days. A sense of meaning and purpose when everyone else makes you feel unwanted. This gift of the Holy Spirit burning inside you is one of the greatest tools and assets a person needs. This life came from Jesus, a man who never met you, but knew you were worth his pain and suffering. Jesus healed the sick. Jesus loved the people who hated him. Jesus carried the very cross he would be nailed to and tortured on with perseverance and grace. You have a little bit of Him inside of you carrying you through this life. More so, this great spirit and love does not stop there. It sets you free of your sins. All the times you turned your back on God, set free. All the times you lied for no reason, set free. All the times you’ve stolen out of rebellion, set free. All the times you hurt your loved ones with swift words, set free. You are free. You are not tied down by your mistakes, you are free from them. God loves you despite your mistakes. This Spirit sets you free from death. Your last breath here on earth is just a new door opening to an amazing world called Heaven that we can only imagine. Where we are allowed to walk hand in hand with our creator and rest without the hustle and bustle of life here on earth. That is how much God loves you. He knows you are special,  intelligent, beautiful, and worthy. Have a blessed day, guys!

 

 

Stand Together.

It is a scary time to be alive right now. In the past few years, we have witnessed terrorist attacks, multiple mass shootings, kidnappings, murders, rape, government conspiracies, think of your worst nightmare and it has happened here in America. Don’t get me wrong, I love being American and living in America, but that does not make these events any less terrifying. Let’s do some research..

The following is all directly from https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2015/september/latest-crime-stats-released/latest-crime-stats-released

Here are some highlights from Crime in the United States, 2014:

There were an estimated 1,165,383 violent crimes (murder and non-negligent homicides, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults) reported by law enforcement.
Aggravated assaults accounted for 63.6 percent of the violent crimes reported, while robberies accounted for 28.0 percent, rape 7.2 percent, and murders 1.2 percent.
There were an estimated 8,277,829 property crimes (burglaries, larceny-thefts, and motor vehicle thefts) reported by law enforcement. Financial losses suffered by victims of these crimes were calculated at approximately $14.3 billion.
Larceny-theft accounted for 70.8 percent of all property crimes reported, burglary for 20.9 percent, and motor vehicle theft for 8.3 percent
Police made an estimated 11,205,833 arrests during 2014—498,666 for violent crimes, and 1,553,980 for property crimes. More than 73 percent of those arrested during 2014 were male.
The highest number of arrests was for drug abuse violations (1,561,231), followed by larceny-theft (1,238,190) and driving under the influence (1,117,852).

The following is from http://www.gunviolencearchive.org regarding gun violence.

Total Number of Incidents 27,447
Number of Deaths 7,095
Number of Injuries 14,646
Number of Children (age 0-11)
Killed/Injured 314
Number of Teens (age 12-17)
Killed/Injured1 1,541
Mass Shooting 179
Officer Involved Incident
Officer Shot/Killed 170
Officer Involved Incident
Perpetrator Shot/Killed 950
Home Invasion 1,151
Defensive Use 845
Accidental Shooting 1,171

Gun violence and crime incidents are collected/validated from 1,500 sources daily – incidents and their source data are found at the gunviolencearchive.org website.

1: Actual number of deaths and injuries
2: Number of INCIDENTS reported and verified

Numbers on this table reflect a subset of all information
collected and will not add to 100% of incidents.

http://www.gunviolencearchive.org http://www.facebook.com/gunviolencearchive

Data Validated: July 08, 2016
Gun Violence Archive

I do not blame guns, race, sexual orientation, religion, cops, or even ignorance. I blame hatred and the devil. People whose hearts are filled with hatred are prime victims for the devil to invade their minds and corrupt them with even more hatred and violence. Crime and hatred is on the rise, which means the devil is on the rise. Christians, we have to stand together! The only way to eliminate this hate, is with love. So Christians, I challenge you to spread love everywhere you go. The devil’s followers want us to hate them! That means we let them win. So literally kill them with kindness. It is not our job to sacrifice these people with our words. Nothing we can say or do can compare to the wrath God will have on the devil’s followers. Smile to the lady who is rude to you at the grocery store. Scream “God bless you!” to the man that screamed curse words at you. Send flowers to your hateful boss on their birthday.  Pray for the evil people who attack our religion, freedom, and our lives everyday. Pray they find love, peace, and most of all GOD. God has to fight this war for us, but he won’t fight for a bunch of unworthy, unreligious citizens. God will fight for devout, loving Christians. Spread God’s love everywhere you go, that is the only thing that can fight the devil and his evil.

 

“I will bless your country with peace, and you will rest without fear. I will wipe out the dangerous animals and protect you from enemy attacks.”
‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭26:6‬ ‭CEVUS06‬‬
http://bible.com/392/lev.26.6.cevus06

 

“Think of the bright future waiting for all the families of honest, innocent, and peace-loving people.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37:37‬ ‭CEVUS06‬‬
http://bible.com/392/psa.37.37.cevus06

 

Thoughts on Psalms 1:1

“The truly happy person doesn’t follow wicked advice, doesn’t stand on the road of sinners, and doesn’t sit with the disrespectful.” Psalms‬ ‭1:1‬ ‭
This is just a quick post before work, but I needed to gather my thoughts on this verse. “The truly happy” what does that even mean? “The truly happy person doesn’t follow wicked advice, doesn’t stand on the road of sinners, and doesn’t sit with the disrespectful.” Maybe the truly happy are those who can clearly hear God’s voice, who can wake up on a rainy day when times are bad and be thankful, who can think of a positive characteristic in anyone they meet. Maybe “the truly happy” aren’t millionaires with everything going their way. Maybe they are “normal” people like you and I who find something to be happy about everyday. They don’t follow wicked advice because God’s voice is much clearer to them. They don’t stand on the road of sinners because they don’t associate themselves within that group. They don’t sit with the disrespectful because they’re standing and working hard to please their Father. The potential to be truly happy is within all of us. With God’s love, a gracious attitude, and a pleasant mindset you can achieve being truly happy. Find your own happiness. Spread happiness and you’ll also spread love.

First post!

I created this blog because of a burst of inspiration that I have not had in quite some time. Today while reading my Bible and Taffi Dollar’s Embracing the Love God Wants You to Have, I came to a huge realization. My whole life I have tried to live as a Christian. I went to a private Christian school, attended church every now and then, I even read the Bible a good bit, but I never felt complete. It is safe to say that most of my nineteen years on this planet have been spent feeling empty. Don’t get me wrong, I am a happy person. I have a great family, job, even a boyfriend, but I have had a hole in my heart since the day I was born that only God Himself can fill. I feel like that is true for everyone though. Some people try to fill that hole with love from another human being or material possessions or even drugs and alcohol, but deep down I think we all know that hole has to filled with God’s love or it will never be filled at all.This gaping hole that every so often reminds me that my life is still empty and meaningless no matter how hard I try. I have known for a while now that this hole will only be filled with God’s love and presence in my daily life, but achieving this has been difficult for me and I never understood why; until today. Today this huge realization I have come to (wait for it..) is that I do not love myself. That is so very hard to understand. I am me. Why do I not love me? I am going to be me forever, might as well get used to it. But ‘getting used to it’ is not what God wants from us. I think the reason I do not love myself is that I compare myself to everyone. The women on tv and in magazines, I sit and look at them and all their beauty in disbelief. How can they be so beautiful? Why did God not make me as pretty as her? These thoughts took me further and further away from God. Imagine this, you are a talented artist. You paint exquisite, detailed pieces of art. Now imagine all of your art comparing themselves to one another (if art could think, of course.) Even though, every one of them is different with unique aspects. That would be a slap in the face to their creator, wouldn’t it? I can just imagine God looking down at me as I am comparing myself to another woman and saying, “Why can you see the beauty I made within her, but not within yourself?”  God made us. All of us. That murderer on the news, God made him. That gorgeous girl from work you hate just because she is pretty, God made her. The sweet old lady down the road, God made her. The soldier fighting for your freedom right now, God made him. The gay kid everyone picked on in high school, God made him. The celebrity you idolize, God made her. The insecure girl typing all this, God made her. The person taking time out of their very busy and productive day to read this, God made you. He has a love for you that no one will ever have for you, except Him. He made us all beautiful and unique, with our own set of challenges and talents. That alone is amazing.

I would like to quote a part of Taffi Dollar’s Embracing the Love God Wants You to Have, “God is clearly proud of His accomplishment, having created you.” Let that truly sink in. God, the most powerful presence of all time, made you. Created you by hand like a dainty figurine. He spent a long time getting every detail just right, bringing you to life. While making you, He smiled and thought of all the positive moments you would have in your lifetime. Like when you first started talking, or your first day of college, or even the day you get married. He also thought about all the positive moments you would create in others’ lives. Like the time you stood up for the kid everyone picked on in high school, or the homeless man you gave a twenty to, or the insecure girl you called beautiful the other day. The point I am trying so desperately to make here is that until we recognize how special, talented, beautiful, and loved we all are, we will never fully understand God’s love for us and without that, the gaping hole you feel in the pit of your stomach after every accomplishment or bad decision you make, will be there forever. To me, nothing is scarier than that.