Hammer on Anvil '

Good evening everyone!
It has been a great week, very busy!
In my busyness this week, I thought about how busy God is. He takes care of every single thing in the universe, EVERYTHING!!! That is a huge job. And yet, He is always there for me, whenever I need Him, whenever I call on Him, He is there. It is just amazing, He is amazing.
Then I thought, not only is He always there for me, but He is always there for everybody! You, me, everybody. God is truly the greatest love I have ever known. His love is greater than my parents, family or friends. He has never disappointed me , let me down or failed me. I know that I can always count on Him. For this I say Thank You Lord, I love You with all my heart. I don't know what I would do without You in my life.
Have a very blessed weekend and God bless you all!!!
Cheryl

I have recently been reading two very similar, very thought-provoking books that have challenged how I look at my relationship with Christ. These authors have made me look at how my faith comes out in action, and evaluate areas of my life I'm withholding from Jesus. They have given me a different perspective on things such as tithing and devotion to the Lord.

One thing that disturbs me, however, is the area of suffering. Much is made of the concept of suffering for Christ in these pages. Each author, in his own way, asks the question, "What has loving Jesus cost you lately?" The question evokes images of continued suffering throughout the life of a Christian. In my estimation, it conjures up the idea that if I'm not in a bad way, I'm not in a true relationship with Christ.

I wholeheartedly agree with Luke 9:23 in which Jesus says, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." Denying self is, to me, the crux of Christianity-we must be buried to our own desires and allow Jesus to live through us. I just don't believe that Jesus wants His disciples to experience lives of depression and pain. Let me tell you why:

Psalm 37:4-Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

John 10:10-The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Psalm 23:1-3-The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

There are numerous other references in the Bible to support the idea that Christ did not come to make us suffer.  Not that our lives would be continually happy and worry-free; that is an impossible goal for a sinful human living in a fallen world. Plus, the Lord spells out that relationship with Him does not equate a free pass: For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.-Galatians 5:13. God gives us balance. "Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning."

Perhaps I make too much of what these authors are saying. That being said, if my mind has gone to this place, surely others have as well. Maybe I'm not the only person who needs to be reminded that what these authors have spelled out for us are not the only words the Bible has to say. The love of Christ is deep enough that it covers us with peace and joy. Sometimes those elements will be forced to overshadow suffering, but as it comes from the Almighty, I'd say it's well up to the task.

I want to share a blog that I follow today.

I think Jonathan makes has some good thoughts.  He has also written a lot of good stuff on youth culture.
We must build our girls up to have value in who they are as God's daughters.  We are in a battle with the culture.
Have a look:

I have found myself sucked into a new show this Fall. It is called Revolution. I'm a sucker for adventure, and the whole idea of all the power going off and civilization as we know it being redefined absolutely has me on the edge of my seat.

In this week's episode we found out that one of the main characters was one of the founders of the Monroe Militia (the military run, self-proclaimed government and salvation for all). Years prior he had realized his mistake and turned away from that life. He saw the monster he helped make and refused to live that way anymore.

After finding this out, some of the other characters still treated him like he was a terrible person. My wife and I were confused. We kept telling the TV (don't pretend you don't do this) that he was a changed man!

Chances are, you have been on one side or the other of this kind of situation. Either there has been someone in your life who used to live one way and now they don't but you have difficulty seeing passed their past. Or, you have changed and someone else has difficulty seeing you as anything but who you used to be.

It is really easy for us to listen to the voices, either from others of our own, that tell us the mistakes we have made in the past define who we are now. Too often I have talked with others who have said things like, "I wish I didn't live this way but that is just who I am I guess."

We too easily listen to the lie that tells us we are worthless because of the mistake we have made. This is not the message of Christ! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" We are more than the sum of our mistakes.

We must start living differently and believe that we are no longer who we were before. The woman who had lived in sin believed this. This belief is what led her to wash the feet of Jesus. She didn't continue living in her sin, even though that is exactly what everyone expected her to do. Instead, she went to Jesus, weeping because of the person she had been, but decided to serve Christ. 

Leave the old life in the past where it belongs. You no longer live like that. You are a new creation.

Something that sounds a little cheesy but actually works is telling yourself everyday you are who you want to be. Let me give you an example. If I weigh 210 lbs (still being the modest 5'6 I am) but I have made the goal of running a 5K in under 30 minutes and I want to lose 50 lbs then I need to start telling myself, "I am a runner." I need to change my entire mindset. "I am a healthy person." This is not so I can live in some delusional state, but so I can begin living the life of a runner or healthy person. It is the same way with our walk with Christ.

I am a new creation.

I have been saved by grace.

I am no longer a slave to sin.

I am a godly example to my wife and kids.

I am a Youth Minister who is in the Word for my spiritual growth daily.

By telling myself these things, it is easier for me to believe them and to actually live them out. I am not the person I used to be, and that person does not define who I am today. My identity comes from Christ and today I live for Him.