Read Romans 12:1-8
How do you find your special gift in life?
Sometimes mothers are right, everyone is good at something. The Bible says the same thing, God gives everyone gifts. But how do you find yours?
Try these tactics:
Dont expect an applause. Some people put you up front where people ooh and aahh. People seldom clap if you're kind, giving, encouraging or good at serving. Just because no one says, "WOW!" doesnt mean you bombed.
Try it out. You don't figure out what you're good at by sitting around or by trying something just once.
Be yourself. Even Christians can rip on people with different gifts. Sometimes you'll feel odd even when you're doing the right thing.
You begin to find your gifts, though, when you make yourself available to God. For starters, that's the only right response to everything God gives you, andas you follow him you'll find your way.
Romans 12:4
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving
Psalms 107 1....Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
As we sit here and stuff our face or listen to all the stories are family tells, what are we thankful for this thanksgiving? Is it passing that class? Having a roof over your head? Having all the food you can eat?
But Thanksgiving wasn't start for you to get out of school and stuff your face. It was a day people set aside to give thanks to God for all they have and all they have to look forward to. We love to thank the people in our lives for making us who we are but when is the last time we thanked God. We shouldn't have to wait for a special holiday to do this. It says "Give thanks to the Lord," we should do this everyday. The Lord has given us one life to live and if we start thanking God for it now, living a life thankful for God, our lives will be changed and so will the people around us.
I am thankful for everyone in my life, my family, my church, all the students in the Cypress Student Ministry, but I am thankful that God's love for me has giving me all of these things in my life. His love for me will last forever, that is what I am thankful for this day and EVERYDAY.
Happy Thanksgiving.
As we sit here and stuff our face or listen to all the stories are family tells, what are we thankful for this thanksgiving? Is it passing that class? Having a roof over your head? Having all the food you can eat?
But Thanksgiving wasn't start for you to get out of school and stuff your face. It was a day people set aside to give thanks to God for all they have and all they have to look forward to. We love to thank the people in our lives for making us who we are but when is the last time we thanked God. We shouldn't have to wait for a special holiday to do this. It says "Give thanks to the Lord," we should do this everyday. The Lord has given us one life to live and if we start thanking God for it now, living a life thankful for God, our lives will be changed and so will the people around us.
I am thankful for everyone in my life, my family, my church, all the students in the Cypress Student Ministry, but I am thankful that God's love for me has giving me all of these things in my life. His love for me will last forever, that is what I am thankful for this day and EVERYDAY.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
BREATHE
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:17.... Take a moment a just breathe.... How often does God tell us He wants us to pray? You figure that God is joking when He says to pray continually. It sounds like an assignment from your mom or a teacher. SO how can you pray all the time?
By praying different kinds of prayer at different times.
There's praying hard . That's setting aside time just to pray for yourself, friends, family, your whole world! It's a spiritual workout that's easy to shove aside, but it causes you steady growth. The key word here is -TIME! You have to make time to make the hard prayers.
There's the code red prayer for others. Those are the big-time emergency prayers, like when a friend's parents are divorcing or a family member is critically ill. But mouth to mouth moments dont come everyday.
When the Bible says to "pray continually, " it's talking especially about a third kind, prayer all the time, talking to God whenever, wherever you go and whatever you do. It's a habit as normal as the breaths you take everyday.
If prayer isn't part of your moment to moment life, you can slap your back and jump, start your breathing to day.Just say, "God I think...." or "God I feel.." or "God I need..." and tell him what's going on in your HEART, as often as you want and need.
By praying different kinds of prayer at different times.
There's praying hard . That's setting aside time just to pray for yourself, friends, family, your whole world! It's a spiritual workout that's easy to shove aside, but it causes you steady growth. The key word here is -TIME! You have to make time to make the hard prayers.
There's the code red prayer for others. Those are the big-time emergency prayers, like when a friend's parents are divorcing or a family member is critically ill. But mouth to mouth moments dont come everyday.
When the Bible says to "pray continually, " it's talking especially about a third kind, prayer all the time, talking to God whenever, wherever you go and whatever you do. It's a habit as normal as the breaths you take everyday.
If prayer isn't part of your moment to moment life, you can slap your back and jump, start your breathing to day.Just say, "God I think...." or "God I feel.." or "God I need..." and tell him what's going on in your HEART, as often as you want and need.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Computer Issues
Hey all sorry for the delay in this but my computer is having issues so I will return to the blogging part I hope tomorrow. Please look over all the other blogs.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Pop Quiz
John 6:5-13
What does Jesus want more from you?
Jesus has a situation on his hands.A crowd of five thousand men, plus women and children, swarms toward him and his disciples. Jesus sees it's time to eat. And time for a pop quiz: "Where's lunch from?" Jesus asks."For the whole hillside!" he adds.But he's not wondering where he can find the nearest Taco Cabana or looking for volunteers to spare their pocket change. What he really wants is to know what the disciples think about him.
None of Jesus' disciples answer the quiz question right. Philip mumbles about the price.Andrew finds a kid toting what he regards as a useless little snack of fish and chips. To solve,to survive, and onteir own they don't see any solutions.
All Jesus wants them to do is to ask for his help. "Crack the bread in half, Jesus." he wants them to say."Start passing it around. You're able to do what we can't."What he wants from his disciples, from his followers back then and from us now, is TRUST. It wasn't supposed to be a trick question. It was a trust question.
John 6:5-6
What does Jesus want more from you?
Jesus has a situation on his hands.A crowd of five thousand men, plus women and children, swarms toward him and his disciples. Jesus sees it's time to eat. And time for a pop quiz: "Where's lunch from?" Jesus asks."For the whole hillside!" he adds.But he's not wondering where he can find the nearest Taco Cabana or looking for volunteers to spare their pocket change. What he really wants is to know what the disciples think about him.
None of Jesus' disciples answer the quiz question right. Philip mumbles about the price.Andrew finds a kid toting what he regards as a useless little snack of fish and chips. To solve,to survive, and onteir own they don't see any solutions.
All Jesus wants them to do is to ask for his help. "Crack the bread in half, Jesus." he wants them to say."Start passing it around. You're able to do what we can't."What he wants from his disciples, from his followers back then and from us now, is TRUST. It wasn't supposed to be a trick question. It was a trust question.
John 6:5-6
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Don't Apologze for You
Read Psalm 138
How can you learn to be bold about who you are?
"Different" What does that word mean? This probably isn't high on your list of what you want to be when you grow up. You might like someone no one else likes, you might get along with people no one else gets a long with. Or you know people will bad mouth you, your hobbies, so you slam them before they slam you. True, sometimes its socially acceptable to be strange, but only if the "crowd" says so.
That's what your "friends" or the world around you think.But God has some amazing news about who you are.
You are the work of God's hands, and he won't abandon you. He made you unique, and he will he will show his purpose for you. His heart is with you wherever you go, and when you ask for help, he will make you bold.
God delights in nothing more than seeing you live as the masterpiece he made you.(Eph 2:10)He is worth praising for how he designed you, no matter what others think. When you're shy about revealing the real you, he is your source of power to crack out of your shell.
Psalms 138:3
When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted
How can you learn to be bold about who you are?
"Different" What does that word mean? This probably isn't high on your list of what you want to be when you grow up. You might like someone no one else likes, you might get along with people no one else gets a long with. Or you know people will bad mouth you, your hobbies, so you slam them before they slam you. True, sometimes its socially acceptable to be strange, but only if the "crowd" says so.
That's what your "friends" or the world around you think.But God has some amazing news about who you are.
You are the work of God's hands, and he won't abandon you. He made you unique, and he will he will show his purpose for you. His heart is with you wherever you go, and when you ask for help, he will make you bold.
God delights in nothing more than seeing you live as the masterpiece he made you.(Eph 2:10)He is worth praising for how he designed you, no matter what others think. When you're shy about revealing the real you, he is your source of power to crack out of your shell.
Psalms 138:3
When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Play-Doh
Who used to love to play with play-doh? Well some of us might still enjoy but the greatest thing about play-doh is it can be cut, tied, rolled, pulled apart and made to make anything.
Galatians 1:3-12
When is it worst to give into peer fear?
You don't live in this world by yourself. Its' crowded. You bump people, they shove you, the gang up and squish you. You inevitably get molded into a new shape.
So? you've hear that before. Parents, teaches, youth pastors, and public service announcements on TV have been telling you since you were able to crawl that peers can crush you.
But peer pressure isn't all bad. If it weren't for peer fear, you'd still pick you nose in public. You can't live isolated from your peers, and lot of times its fine to fit in. A true nerd is someone who lives in a wee little world, clueless of when its okay to conform.
Yet you can never be all that your peers want you to be. In one area, your faith, its never right be squashed by the forces that surround you. The facts that Christ died and rose for you, forgives you, and deserves total obedience aren't ideas open for negotiation. You don't swap them to win points with people.
Sometimes you can act, talk, dress, and think in a way that is wonderful to both God and people. Other times, you can't. Its a choice. But its no contest whose opinion matters mare.
Galatians 1:10(verse of the day)
Galatians 1:3-12
When is it worst to give into peer fear?
You don't live in this world by yourself. Its' crowded. You bump people, they shove you, the gang up and squish you. You inevitably get molded into a new shape.
So? you've hear that before. Parents, teaches, youth pastors, and public service announcements on TV have been telling you since you were able to crawl that peers can crush you.
But peer pressure isn't all bad. If it weren't for peer fear, you'd still pick you nose in public. You can't live isolated from your peers, and lot of times its fine to fit in. A true nerd is someone who lives in a wee little world, clueless of when its okay to conform.
Yet you can never be all that your peers want you to be. In one area, your faith, its never right be squashed by the forces that surround you. The facts that Christ died and rose for you, forgives you, and deserves total obedience aren't ideas open for negotiation. You don't swap them to win points with people.
Sometimes you can act, talk, dress, and think in a way that is wonderful to both God and people. Other times, you can't. Its a choice. But its no contest whose opinion matters mare.
Galatians 1:10(verse of the day)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Belly Flop
Proverbs 25:28
What good is self-control?
Getting a sugar buzz sure isn't the only way to lose control of yourself. A guy who misuses drugs has misplaced his brain. A girl who drinks to much and ends up making a bad choice and loses her body, and maybe her health or her life.
Letting your emotions or hormones run wild can destroy you. When you lose Self-Control, you're like an ancient city with broken walls. You have NO PROTECTION. You have no power over who comes in or who goes out or what they do.
God respects you enough to make you ultimately responsible for yourself. HE gives you parents, teachers, and other adults to help instruct and shape you. But in the end, YOU answer to God for yourself.Having authority over yourself is God's gift that allows you to follow him, not becuase you have to, but because you WANT TO!
But we abuse God's gift whenever we surrender control of yourself to anything or anyone other than God. You might as well bind your hands, gag your mouth, and unplug your brain. If you dont control yourself, some other nasty thing will.
What good is self-control?
Getting a sugar buzz sure isn't the only way to lose control of yourself. A guy who misuses drugs has misplaced his brain. A girl who drinks to much and ends up making a bad choice and loses her body, and maybe her health or her life.
Letting your emotions or hormones run wild can destroy you. When you lose Self-Control, you're like an ancient city with broken walls. You have NO PROTECTION. You have no power over who comes in or who goes out or what they do.
God respects you enough to make you ultimately responsible for yourself. HE gives you parents, teachers, and other adults to help instruct and shape you. But in the end, YOU answer to God for yourself.Having authority over yourself is God's gift that allows you to follow him, not becuase you have to, but because you WANT TO!
But we abuse God's gift whenever we surrender control of yourself to anything or anyone other than God. You might as well bind your hands, gag your mouth, and unplug your brain. If you dont control yourself, some other nasty thing will.
In the Trunk
Whats your job when you have to get a long with people you're not sure you like.
Relationships are like driving a car. When it comes to friends, you're usually in the driver's seat. Within limits, you can pick your friends. With peopl around you at school or on a team, you get some choice. That's like being a back seat driver. But when its comes to family, you don't get any control. You're all stuffed in the trunk together, like it or not.
Still, you help determine whether the trunk is cozy or crunched. Any family will get cramped at times, but you can at least control whether it's you that's elbowing, shoving , and kicking everyone else. You can choose not to bang on the inside of the trunk or drill in the gas tank and drop a match. YOU CAN'T CONTROL WHO'S IN THE TRUNK, when it comes to family. You can control your friendships, YOU CAN CONTROL YOURSELF!
Romans 12:18
It it is possible, as far as it depends on you , live at peace with everyone.
Relationships are like driving a car. When it comes to friends, you're usually in the driver's seat. Within limits, you can pick your friends. With peopl around you at school or on a team, you get some choice. That's like being a back seat driver. But when its comes to family, you don't get any control. You're all stuffed in the trunk together, like it or not.
Still, you help determine whether the trunk is cozy or crunched. Any family will get cramped at times, but you can at least control whether it's you that's elbowing, shoving , and kicking everyone else. You can choose not to bang on the inside of the trunk or drill in the gas tank and drop a match. YOU CAN'T CONTROL WHO'S IN THE TRUNK, when it comes to family. You can control your friendships, YOU CAN CONTROL YOURSELF!
Romans 12:18
It it is possible, as far as it depends on you , live at peace with everyone.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Dont Go Solo
Read Luke 1:26-38
Where can you run when you feel overwhelmed?
Obeying Jesus doesnt make your life a cushy motor-home campout.Flies will still bite at your eyes and storms will still blow your way. You're smart when you know enough to run for cover when you know you can't make it alone.
When an angel knocked at Mary's door and said that God had an astounding plan for her life, Mary had a big question: How can I have a son? I've never been with a man. But her baby wouldnt be an ordinary baby. He was God's Son, Savior of the world.
People will still talk, Mary must have thought. I'll be an outcast. Even Joseph decided to break their engagement, until God told him the plan.(Matthew 1:19)
Mary saw in God's plans for her life both wonder and terror. But she knew where to run for safety. She was tough-even though she was possibly barely a teenager, because she hid in the Rock(Isaiah 26:3-4). Mary knew whomto trust.
You won't earn a merit badge for trying to survive life solo. You've only failed if you dont hide in the Rock and end up getting blown away.
Luke 1:38
Where can you run when you feel overwhelmed?
Obeying Jesus doesnt make your life a cushy motor-home campout.Flies will still bite at your eyes and storms will still blow your way. You're smart when you know enough to run for cover when you know you can't make it alone.
When an angel knocked at Mary's door and said that God had an astounding plan for her life, Mary had a big question: How can I have a son? I've never been with a man. But her baby wouldnt be an ordinary baby. He was God's Son, Savior of the world.
People will still talk, Mary must have thought. I'll be an outcast. Even Joseph decided to break their engagement, until God told him the plan.(Matthew 1:19)
Mary saw in God's plans for her life both wonder and terror. But she knew where to run for safety. She was tough-even though she was possibly barely a teenager, because she hid in the Rock(Isaiah 26:3-4). Mary knew whomto trust.
You won't earn a merit badge for trying to survive life solo. You've only failed if you dont hide in the Rock and end up getting blown away.
Luke 1:38
Sunday, November 2, 2008
God Flexing His Muscles
Today is going to be a simple devo, why you ask? Sometimes we need to not read these to spend time with God, we need to be in prayer and talking with Him. Having a relationship with Christ needs to be a intimate one. So I am going to encourage you to be in prayer during this time. Pray for this Country, pray for your struggles, your fam, forgiveness, etc. But once you talk to Him give Him time to respond to you before you say Amen. Remember the strength of God, remember how strong He is and feel Him holding you up away from things.
Isa 41:10- So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isa 41:10- So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
