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Independent is a Four Letter Word

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will ear or drink; or about your body, what you will wear....for the pagans run after these things, but your heavenly Father knows what you need. Matthew 6:25,32

I recently was camping with my boyfriend and his family last weekend, and we found a tiny baby kitten. She was so weak and scared. We took care of her and I took her home. She now depends on me for EVERYTHING. I need to feed her from a bottle, hold her, help her into her litter box and clean her every day. She hates being apart from me, because I supply all her needs. Without me she wouldn’t be able to survive on her own.

This new experience has really opened my heart. Thats the way God wants us to be with Him. We were not made to be independent. We were not meant to deal with our own problems, we were not meant to worry about life. God has created us for Him. He knows what is best for us, and knows what we need. Most of the time we don’t’ look to the Lord for the things we need. When we step out from under God’s protection and become independent from Him, thats when things being to fall apart. We become frustrated and angry. We wonder why things aren’t going well. God has created you to depend on Him for everything. The Bible tells us not to be anxious for anything. We need to pray to the Lord, because He gives us everything we need. He supplies every breath we take. He allows us to live another day. I know that I would never want to be independent from my Creator. I want to look to Him for all my needs. Because when I try to go out on my own and take care of myself, the world caves in. I can’t survive without my Creator. He feeds me. Clothes me. Gives me life. Remember to look to the Lord for all your needs. He is your Father and loves you more than anything.

"Looking Outside"

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under
heaven given to men by which we must be saved" Acts 4:12 NIV

How many of you are looking for something? Something to fill your life to
make you feel complete? I know the feeling well. I looked for friends to
give me validation. I looked to my own looks to give me self esteem. I
looked to what others thought about me for my self worth. I was always
looking outside of myself to fill me with what I desired. I wanted to
feel peace in that place inside of me that felt empty. I could not figure
out what was wrong with me, I just knew I needed something. If I could
find that one special boyfriend then I would be OK. If I just let my hair
grow longer I would look better. If I could hang out with a certain group
of friends I would be more popular. If these didn't work, I could always
get high to be cool to fit in and defuse the pain. I could always have sex
with my boyfriend to feel the ultimate love I needed. I could go shopping
and buy new clothes and jewelry. I would be like a blind person grasping
in the dark for something to hold on to. I was looking outside of myself
to fill the void inside. All the things I did filled a temporary void and
made me feel good for a time. But then reality hit hard, after the "good
feeling" left then I was faced with guilt and shame. On top of feeling
empty now I had this ugly feeling on top of it. It is a circle of
emotional pain. Then I started looking to my peers in my church for help,
especially my youth pastor. They were great help but once again I was
looking for something outside of myself to fill me. When you look outside
of yourself to fill the emptiness and void you will always come up short.
People will always disappoint you some way or another because they are only
human.

NOTHING OR NO ONE.... but Jesus Christ can fill you. The secret is, that
Jesus is inside of you, He is at the core of your being. All you have to
do is go there, in prayer and seek His love and comfort. I was so busy
looking to everything around me that I neglected to stop and look inside.
We are all born with the ability and free will to put God in us, all we
have to do is acknowledge Him and ask Him into our lives. Ask God to
reveal Himself in you and stop floundering around in the dark looking for
the answer. You will find the true peace and happiness inside of you just
waiting to take over. Go there now and find true peace and contentment
for your life.

Will I Ever Belong?

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household. (Eph. 2:19) NIV

I have a close friend who often tells me that he doesn’t feel as if he fits anywhere. When I step back to think about it, we all feel that way sometimes, don’t we? At least I do. It seems like everyone else’s jagged sides form a puzzle, and we’re left over.

I never had a crowd in high school. The preps were too rich, the druggies too tough, and the smart kids were too…well…smart. Then there was me. If you look at my family, my parents fit well together, my aunts fit, and my grandparents are off in their own world. But, then there is me, who has always stood out. The more I look at it, the more I see I don’t fit anywhere. Feel the same?

I have great news! We’re not supposed to fit. Well, in this world that is. We’re not supposed to be accepted, admired, and clicked with. We’re not supposed to fit in this world. If you do, you may want to re-evaluate things. God’s called us to stand out. We have no place in this world.

Tempted to be sad about that aren’t you? Look around one more time: drugs, murder, rape, divorce, yeah that’s something I’m sad about not fitting with. Look in Ephesians for a minute. Don’t you see? We’re called to belong in a better place. We’re called to fill our place in God’s plan. Can you imagine that, my friend? You’re asked to forfeit your citizenship to this world and handed a passport into heaven.

You want the truth? You DO fit. You DO belong. God chose you specifically to fulfill a certain purpose on this earth. Let it be in THAT place you find your value. Listen one more time to this verse, try the message paraphrase, and let it sink it, my friend, you’re a beautiful piece of the glorious puzzle.

“That's plain enough, isn't it? You're no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You're no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He's using us all--irrespective of how we got here--in what he is building.” (Eph. 2:19)MSG

A Steady Rain

"Then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit." (Leviticus 26:21) NASB

What a feeling to have every part of your life covered in the grace of God! To ignite the flame deep in side us which brings revival to our lives. Do you remember the way it felt when you first excepted Christ into your life? Do you remember wanting to share it with the world? Do you remember the excitement? I know I do.

I've lived in Florida most of my life and after a while you start to get used to the seasons and the climate. Really there are only two, hot and really hot. If that wasn't bad enough, we have this problem with humidity which makes it feel even hotter than it really is. Now let's combine that with the fact that we have gone months without rain, you can see we are starting to have a little problem. That problem is drought.

Like the drought Florida seems to be struggling with, some of us our also fighting for a spiritual drought in our lives to end. Your crying out for rain and it doesn't seem to come. Your aching to quench that thirst that doesn't come from your mouth but from your heart. You have been turning to everything imaginable except God. Why? Do you think that He doesn't love you? Do you think that you have strayed to far from His grace this time?

Friends, if nothing else realize this, Jesus loves you and wants nothing more than to see you get through the dry times in this life. But, giving it all up to Jesus is the only way. He holds the hose that will drench our lives if we will just get our hand away from the spiket. You have to give Him your life. Let Jesus be your Lord, not TV or Friends. Let Him take the burden of your life now. Go to Him! If you think the 40 day flood was big, just wait till you let Him flood your life. May peace be with you.

Jesus To You

Jesus Said, "Who do people say the son of Man is?" Matt. 16:13b

Boy life seems crazy a lot of times. We all can relate to the fact that sometimes we get so busy that our hair seems to hold on by it's last stretch as our exploding brain pounds against our already headache ridden head. Life is not easy, life is not simple, and life is more often a task than an easy ride. So we make a choice on a daily basis to live our life like, for, and with Jesus or to live our life on our own. The same choice that Jesus was posing to his disciples on today's title verse is the same choice that we wake up to every day, "who is Jesus to you today?"

I understand that life is tough but I'm here to tell you that Jesus is tougher. God allows us to be put in circumstances and we can choose to get out of them His way in His timing or we'll suffer our way through them. Through the hard times we often see Jesus more clearly and learn vital lessons that can help us in our future lives. But in order to live through the tough times we must make a choice in the easy times to follow Him. To many people try to jump on the bandwagon too deep in the storm and the only result is a harder fall after a longer and unnecessary trip that could have been a lot easier on Christ's boat. God doesn't promise us life will be easy but He does promise us He'll never leave us.

The question Jesus was posing to the Disciples is one we desperately need to contemplate. Close your eyes and imagine Jesus asking you that piercing question, "Who am I to you?" Is Jesus just a historical figure in your eyes? Is Jesus simply a person whom you've been raised to know? Or is Jesus your best friend and the most vital person in your life? To many Christians in these times live on the faith of their Fathers and Jesus is nothing to them. My question isn't "do you know who Jesus is?" no not at all ... my question is "who is Jesus to you personally?" I'm here to tell you that He can be your all and that you'll only enjoy true fulfillment in your life when you make a legitimate effort to make him that part of your life.

So how do you take the Savior of the world and truly get to know him as your best friend? How do make Him your first priority? It's really simple and that's through building your relationship with Him. Read your Bible, pray, attend church, live a God-honoring life, and make a legitimate effort to make Him and things that honor Him your first priority. Never forget that's He's more than just a historical figure. He's the only person ever to truly love you and give you the most indescribable gift in human history.

"The Pickle Jar"

I hope that you were blessed as much as I was with this story.

Eph. 6:1-2
Proverbs 31

The pickle jar as far back as I can remember sat on the floor beside
the dresser in my parents' bedroom. When he got ready for bed, Dad would
empty his pockets and toss his coins into the jar.
As a small boy I was always fascinated at the sounds the coins made
as they were dropped into the jar. They landed with a merry jingle when
the jar was almost empty. Then the tones gradually muted to a dull thud as
the jar was filled. I used to squat on the floor in front of the jar and
admire the copper and silver circles that glinted like a pirate's treasure
when the sun poured through the bedroom window.
When the jar was filled, Dad would sit at the kitchen table and
roll the coins before taking them to the bank. Taking the coins to the
bank was always a big production. Stacked neatly in a small cardboard box,
the coins were placed between Dad and me on the seat of his old truck.
Each and every time, as we drove to the bank, Dad would look at me
hopefully. "Those coins are going to keep you out of the textile mill,
son. You're going to do better than me. This old mill town's not going to hold you back." Also, each and every
time, as he slid the box of rolled coins across the counter at the bank toward the
cashier, he would grin proudly.
"These are for my son's college fund. He'll never work at the mill
all his life like me." We would always celebrate each deposit by stopping
for an ice cream cone. I always got chocolate. Dad always got vanilla.
When the clerk at the ice cream parlor handed Dad his change, he would show
me the few coins nestled in his palm. "When we get home, we'll start
filling the jar again." He always let me drop the first coins into the
empty jar. As they rattled around with a brief, happy jingle, we grinned
at each other. "You'll get to college on pennies, nickels, dimes and
quarters," he said. "But you'll get there. I'll see to that."
The years passed, and I finished college and took a job in another
town. Once, while visiting my parents, I used the phone in their bedroom,
and noticed that the pickle jar was gone. It had served its purpose and
had been removed. A lump rose in my throat as I stared at the spot beside
the dresser where the jar had always stood. My dad was a man of few words,
and never lectured me on the values of determination, perseverance, and
faith. The pickle jar had taught me all these virtues for more eloquently
than the most flowery of words could have done. When I married, I told my
wife Susan about the significant part the lowly pickle jar had played in my
life as a boy. In my mind, it defined, more than anything else, how much
my dad had loved me. No matter how rough things got at home, Dad continued
to doggedly drop his coins into the jar. Even the summer when Dad got
laid off from the mill, and Mama had to serve dried beans several times a
week, not a single dime was taken from the jar.
To the contrary, as Dad looked across the table at me, pouring catsup
over my beans to make them more palatable, he became more determined than
ever to make a way out for me. "When you finish college, Son," he told me,
his eyes glistening, "You'll never have to eat beans again...unless you
want to."
The first Christmas after our daughter Jessica was born, we spent the
holiday with my parents. After dinner, Mom and Dad sat next to each other
on the sofa, taking turns cuddling their first grandchild. Jessica began to
whimper softly, and Susan took her from Dad's arms. "She probably needs to be
changed," she said, carrying the baby into my parents' bedroom to diaper her.
When Susan came back into the living room, there was a strange mist in her eyes.
She handed Jessica back to Dad before taking my hand and leading me into
the room.
"Look," she said softly, her eyes directing me to a spot on the floor
beside the dresser. To my amazement, there, as if it had never been removed,
stood the old pickle jar, the bottom already covered with coins. I walked
over to the pickle jar, dug down into my pocket, and pulled out a fistful
of coins.
With a gamut of emotions choking me, I dropped the coins into the jar.
I looked up and saw that Dad, carrying Jessica, had slipped quietly in the
room. Our eyes locked, and I knew he was feeling the same emotions I felt.
Neither one of us could speak.



~ Author Unknown ~

Banana, Kiwi, or Just a Bad Apple?

“A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
Matthew 7:18-20.

As I walked through the produce department in the grocery store, something caught my eye. It was the section of apples. As I was hungry, I decided that I would pick out a couple. So I went through the apples, looking at their exterior appearance as well as picking them up to see if they were firm or soft. The ones that I picked up that looked good were actually soft and that is not what I wanted. So I continued on my way and decided that apples were not for me that day.

Have you ever thought about your life in this light? Just because one looks good on the outside, does not mean they are good on the inside. It’s only upon careful examination that one would find this out.

Just as I carefully examined those apples, so the world examines us as Christians. They examine us to see if we are living out what we say and what might possibly be different in our lives from theirs. Fruit in the Christians life is simply that: living differently than the world. Galatians 5:22 and 23 gives us specific fruit that should be evident in our life: “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.” These can be displayed in many different ways, but they are still the core.

How is your life measuring up? When people look at you and get a ‘feel’ for you, are they ready to buy?

Song For A Savior

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30)

There is a song by Third Day on their Offerings CD that I remember hearing. I don't remember the title but I do remember some of the words. Below are just a couple of lines to the song. They might be a little out of order.

"I heard it said that a man would climb a mountain just to be with the ones he loves... Just to be with you I would do anything ... there is no price I would not pay"

One day in our Campus Crusade for Christ meeting last year, they played this song while they showed a clip from the "Jesus Video." The clip was the crucifixion. It was so real, so heart touching. Jesus Christ came a great distance to bear our sin. He became human so that He could die for us. Christ paid that ultimate price for us.

Do we love Christ that much? Do we love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength? Are we willing to give up our lives for Him? Are we willing to put our lives on the line to tell others about Him?

I am not saying they we need to die for Him, but we need to be willing to make sacrifices for Him. If we love God with everything that we are, than we need to be willing to obey Him.