Inside the Storm

     Have you ever been inside during a storm and saw the lightening? Or have you ever looked up pictures of storms on the internet? Those pictures look neat. It is cool to see how the lightening hits the earth. The contrast of the white/yellow lightening and blue/black sky is beautiful. Storms are also a good reminder of God's power. 

   Yes, we can admire the storm from a distance and be reminded of all those things. However, if you are inside the storm, it really is not that fun or cool. In fact, in those times the storm can be scary or saddening. Storms bring about destruction sometimes. People, places, and things can be desecrated in storms. 

   I'm not just talking about physical storms. I'm also talking about the storms in life. Storms in life can destroy us. Storms make us lose our jobs, family members, possessions, etc. We may feel like we are alone in those storms. However, it is vital to remember that we are not alone. Jesus walks with us in storms.

   Romans 8:28 says: "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." We may never know why certain storms come in our lives. However, we can know that God walks with us in those storms. He works all things for our good if we believe and trust in him. Being inside storms are not fun but we can have peace because of who is with us in those storms.

   So, are you trusting God in your storms? How can you trust God more today?

 

Service with a Smile

Have you ever dome something for someone and they appreciated your act so much they did something in return for you? It is nice when your acts of service are noticed and reciprocated. However, that does not always happen. There's one person who does not always recieve the thanks he is due. God does so much for us. What should our response be toward someone who gives us so much.

There's a event in Jesus' life that gives us the answer. One day Jesus was traveling. He went to the disciple Peter's home. There he found Peter's mother in law in bed with a fever. Jesus touched her hand and the fever left her. She was healed. Then she got up and began to serve Jesus.

Okay so first of all, this woman had a fever. We don't know how old she was or how serious the sickness was. But we have all been sick and had a fever before. How many of you would say you like having a fever? I am sure no one likes being sick. Now, how would you feel if you were sick and someone healed you immediately. You didn't have to continue to eat chicken soup, have to take rest breaks during the day, or have to continue taking icky medicine. How would you feel toward the person who healed you?

You probably would be grateful. Sometimes though we are grateful but we don't do anything about it. We may not evenly thank you. Peter's mother in law had the correct response. We don't know if she said thank you. But we do know she immediately got up and served him. Jesus healed her and she served him. That's what our response should be toward God. He saved us and healed us from our sins. So we should serve him.

How do we serve God when we cannot see him? We serve him by following his Word. We follow the 10 commandments. We follow Jesus' example. We follow the greatest commandments and the great commission. We serve his people. We serve without expecting anything in return. 

So, what is your response to God's healing? Are you following Jesus? Are you serving others as we are called to do?

The Love Triangle

   Once upon a time there was a young princess. She was told by all those that she knew that she was beautiful and she was loved by all the people in the land. Her father told her “you must remember who you are no matter what happens to you during your life.” For some time the girl did remember who she was but then she began to grow up.

   The girl grew away from her father. She started to dress in unflattering ways like the popular girls in the kingdom. She began to disobey her parents. The princess took her eyes off of her Father.

One night she found herself in an alley. Her dress was tattered, she was sick, and there was no one there to help her. All of her friends had abandoned her. The princess realized that she had forgotten who she was. She ran home. Then she burst into the throne room where her parents waited, sick with worry. The princess hugged her parents and told them she was sorry.

   She began to read her Bible more. The princess had a hunger for learning about her Father like no other in the kingdom. She had put her eyes back on the father. The princess also began to pray that her relationship with her Father would grow. And, that her future prince would keep his eyes on the father.

   In another kingdom there was a prince. He had thrown many parties, invited many women, and had wine there. He was not making good decisions. The prince loved the life of a bachelor. Until, one day, his parents decided to cut him off. For the good of their son and the kingdom they kicked him out of the castle.

   The prince could not understand why his parents would disown him. He asked his friends to help him. But, his friends wanted nothing to do with him. He joined a band of miscreants and began to lie, cheat, and steal. This went on for 2 years until one day he too woke up in an alley all alone. The prince felt a tug on his heart that day. He realized that he had forgotten who he was.

   The prince went home and begged for his parents’ forgiveness. His parents did forgive him. And, the prince began to read his Bible. His relationship with the Father began to grow. His eyes were back on the Father.

   The Father began to move the princess and the prince together. One day, while at a royal ball, the prince and the princess met. Both of them had gone through a lot, and they had been waiting a long time to meet each other. They began courting. And, one day the prince asked the princess to marry him. The princess agreed and they lived happily ever after.

   Obviously, this is a fictitious story. But, the message behind it rings true. In order for a relationship to work it cannot be just a relationship between husband and wife. It must be a love triangle made up of husband, wife, and Jesus.

   In this story the princess and the prince were not anywhere close to meeting one another until they fixed their eyes on the Father. Before, one can meet their significant other he/she must have a relationship with God. Think about it: when you were in middle school or high school what were you like? If you would have met your spouse then, would you have gotten together? More than likely you would not have gotten together because you still needed to grow.

   The point of this story is to say that, if you are still waiting to meet your spouse you need to keep your eyes fixed on God. If you are not growing in him then God will not move you toward your spouse. And, if your spouse’s eyes are not fixed on God then you still will not meet. Thus, you must also pray that your spouse will fix his/her eyes on God.

   If you are married or with someone, you do not get out of this either. You need to continue to grow in God. It is just that now you can grow with each other. You should be holding one another accountable and should still have your love triangle with Jesus.

   So, do you have your eyes fixed on the Father? If you do not, what are you going to do in order to fix your eyes on the Father again?

   Hebrews 12:2, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Colossians 3:14

Coming Together

     One place that has been a part of my life since I was little was Camp YoliJwa. My family and I have been going to camp for many years. For about the last 10 years we go to family camp. On the last day of family camp, we typically have fireworks. The firework show is neat to watch. We enjoyed watching the show one night at camp.

   The next morning, we got up and got our cleaning assignment which was to clean the grounds around camp. For the most part it was not a big deal because most people at family camp clean up their trash. Then we went up to the hill where they were setting the fireworks off. There were firework scraps everywhere! It was just my sister, mom, and I cleaning up and it was an area larger than a football field. There we no way we would be able to clean it all up alone in 30 minutes. Nevertheless, we began to clean.

   30 minutes passed and we had only gotten half of the place cleaned. We ended up going down to the front desk to ask for help. They made an announcement that we needed help to clean up the fireworks. People began to come to help. We finished cleaning up the rest in 15 minutes. That would not have happened if we didn't have people come help us.   This situation is just like spreading the gospel. Each of us alone cannot spread the gospel to all the lost. However, if we all do our part the gospel can be spread to the lost quickly. 

   We are each called to do our part to spread the gospel to different people and in different ways. The Lord gave us each a gift to use to reflect his glory. When we each use our gifts to spread the gospel it gets spread quickly. It is important for us to remember that the lord entrusted us with this awesome responsibility. 

   So, are you spreading the gospel as you have been called to do? What can you do to share the gospel today?

 Matthew 28:16-20

 

Refuel

One day I was driving my car home and a light came up on my dashboard. The little fuel emblem was bright orange. I realized that I had forgotten to get fuel on the way home. I waited until I reached the next gas station lest I get stuck on the side of the road.

Another day I arrived at work in the morning. I grabbed my bag then went to grab my lunch. That's when I realized that I didn't have my lunchbag. Unfortunately I did not have a break that day. So I went throughout my day and lost energy as I went. Then I began to get hangry and you would not like to see me hangry. And, as soon as work was over, I rushed out to get some food.

What do both of these stories have in common? They both talk about needing replenished. If a car is not replenished with gas then it cannot run. If a person is not replenished then she may get hangry, or worse die. Both of these instances are common sense. But what happens when we are not replenished by the Word?

Hebrews 4:12 tells us how important the Word is. It says: "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." The Word is alive and active. It tells us what to do as we wait for the Lord. What happens to us when we choose not to read the Word?

When we choose not to refuel our spirits by reading the Word we are putting ourselves at risk. The Devil doesn't want us to read the Word as it connects us to God. The Word is our guide while we are here on earth. If we don't know it and don't follow it the Devil wins. Also, if we don't know it then we will not know our best friend, father, and savior as well as we should. That's why we should replenish ourselves each day by getting into the Word. 

So, are you replenishing yourself with God's word each day?