New in Christ

Since Easter is right around the corner, I thought I would make a post about God making us new.

When God sent Jesus to us, it was so that through Him we could have eternal life. When He died on the cross, He took away are sin and made us new. We are now alive in Christ!

Here are some verses, from The Message, on being remade:

Romans 8:1-2 (The Message)

With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.

Hosea 6:1-3 (The Message)

"Come on, let's go back to God. He hurt us, but he'll heal us. He hit us hard, but he'll put us right again. In a couple of days we'll feel better. By the third day he'll have made us brand-new, Alive and on our feet, fit to face him. We're ready to study God, eager for God-knowledge. As sure as dawn breaks, so sure is his daily arrival. He comes as rain comes, as spring rain refreshing the ground."

Romans 7:4-6 (The Message)

So, my friends, this is something like what has taken place with you. When Christ died he took that entire rule-dominated way of life down with him and left it in the tomb, leaving you free to "marry" a resurrection life and bear "offspring" of faith for God. For as long as we lived that old way of life, doing whatever we felt we could get away with, sin was calling most of the shots as the old law code hemmed us in. And this made us all the more rebellious. In the end, all we had to show for it was miscarriages and stillbirths. But now that we're no longer shackled to that domineering mate of sin, and out from under all those oppressive regulations and fine print, we're free to live a new life in the freedom of God.

One of my favorite songs is by an artist named Jason Gray. In his song, I Am New, he sins about being new in Christ. Here is his song:

I Am New by Jason Gray

Now I won’t deny
The worst you could say about me
But I’m not defined by mistakes that I’ve made
Because God says of me

I am not who I was
I’m being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy and I’m dearly loved
I am new

Who I thought I was
And who I thought I had to be
I had to give them both up
Cause neither were willing
To ever believe

I am not who I was
I’m being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy and I’m dearly loved
I am new
I am new

Too long have I lived in the shadow of shame
Believing that there was no way I could change
But the one who is making everything new
Doesn’t see me the way that I do
He doesn’t see me the way that I do

I am not who I was
I’m being remade
I am new
I am chosen and holy and I’m dearly loved
I am new
I am new

Forgiven, beloved
Hidden in Christ
Made in the image of the Giver of Life
Righteous and holy, reborn and remade
Accepted and worthy
This is our new name

This is who we are now

Reflection Questions:

1. What defines your worth? (ex: friends, culture, parents, grades, accomplishments etc.)

2. Have you been made new in Christ?

3. What can you take from this that you can apply in your life?

Be Blessed and Remade through God's Grace!

A Little Bit of Encouragement

Here is a little bit of encouragement for all of you!

Exodus 23:2 Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong.

John 15:18-25 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Hope your encouraged!

Jealousy: The Green Eyed Monster

When you hear that someone else you know is doing something without you, and with someone else, do you ever want to scream, "It's not fair!"? When you feel like that, it is a warning to yourself that you are sinning in jealousy.

I am writing this post because I am being attacked by the Green Eyed Monster. I am feeling jealous because there are two girls doing something that makes me wish I had someone to do the same thing with.

I decided to look at some verses to see what God tells us about jealousy.

Psalm 78:58
They angered him with their high places; they aroused His jealousy with their idols.

Psalm 79:5
How long, LORD? Will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire?

Psalm 78:58 and Psalm 79:5 talk about how God is angered by our idolatry of others and things. His jealousy is aroused when we make other things or people more important to us than Him. Since He is a jealous God, He burns with anger for our total attention. He is jealous for us. We can understand this better, when we struggle with our own jealousy. But this does not give us permission to be jealous.

Romans 13:13
Let us behave decently........and not in jealousy.

Romans 13:13 talks about how we should behave decently. It goes one to describe jealousy as an indecent act. While the Lord has the right to be jealous for us, we are not to behave with jealousy in our hearts.

After reading these verses, I prayed and asked God to help me to get rid of my jealously! If you ever are feeling jealous, think of these verses.

How to Treat Evil

This past night, I had a dream about talking to a guy who was really mad at his friend who had hurt him and done some pretty stupid stuff. He kept telling me how much he wanted to get revenge and that he couldn't even talk to his friend because of the situation. He told me what had happened, although I don't remember right now, and asked me if there was anything I should do.

I had a verse in mind which I told him but I could not remember the reference. This morning when my family was doing family devotions, the whole story was based on the verse in my dream, Romans 12:17-21. I then decided I needed to right about this verse. Below I have it in the NIV and The Message.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17-21 NIV)

Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it."Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good. (Romans 12:17-21 The Message)

Sunshine Makers

This past week, in my devotional, A Girl of Beauty, by Carol Fiddler, I read about being a sunshine maker. Have you ever thought about what a sunshine maker is?A sunshine maker makes others happy. Have you ever had a moment when a family member or friend was laughing and then all of a sudden you started laughing also? Laughing is contagious. Smiling is contagious. When you smile, yes, just a smile can make someone’s day soar.

Let’s take a look at what God says about being a sunshine maker!

The Message (MSG)

Proverbs 15:13

A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face;
a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day.

Proverbs 15:13 talks about how a cheerful heart helps you get through the day, but a sad one makes it hard. That is very true. When you aren’t happy, it is harder to get though the day.

Proverbs 17:22

A cheerful disposition is good for your health;
gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.

When you are happy you feel terrific. Don’t you? You feel like everything is good and you just fly through your day.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

This verse talks about being cheerful no matter what. Would you agree that the hardest time to be cheerful and thankful is when your going through something hard. This verse pushes us to always be cheerful and thankful.

Colossians 1:24

I want you to know how glad I am that it's me sitting here in this jail and not you. There's a lot of suffering to be entered into in this world—the kind of suffering Christ takes on. I welcome the chance to take my share in the church's part of that suffering. When I became a servant in this church, I experienced this suffering as a sheer gift, God's way of helping me serve you, laying out the whole truth.

Wowee! That is the only thing that I can say. Here Paul is in jail and is cheerful and thankful that he is the one in jail and not his friends.

*A sunshine-maker is one who brings joy into everyday situations, whether work or play. This ability comes from an attitude of thankfulness.

Inspired by A Girl of Beauty by Carol Fiddler

*From Carol Fiddler's a Girl of Beauty

Press Towards the Goal

Today we're focusing on Philippians 3:12-14. These are some of my favorite verses. Listed below I have the verses in the NIV and in the Message. The Message, is a version that puts it into easier text. What do you think it means to press on to a goal?

Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14 (Message)

I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

These verses discuss the fact that we need to press on to the prize-Jesus Christ. As the Message puts it, reaching for Christ. In the NIV, it says to forget what is behind you. Forget the past. Stay in the Moment. Don't let the things of this world get in front of you. Instead, press onto your goal, Jesus Christ.

What are things that could distract you from pressing on to your goal?

How could you prevent that?

Let me leave you with this suggestion: 
Did you know that the Latin words " Carpe Diem" means, "seize the moment"? If you are ever feeling down and you are thinking about the past, think of the words, Carpe Diem, and press on to your goal.

Becoming Real,

The Rock: Jesus

Are you familiar with the story of the wise man and the foolish man from Matthew 7:24-27? The story goes like this: The wise man builds his house upon the rocks and the foolish man builds his house on the sand. A storm as bad as a hurricane comes, and the house on the sand completely fell apart but, the house on the rocks stood firm. Obviously the wise man really was wise. He might of thought about building his house on the sand but he made the right choice.

Many other times in the Bible it says that God is our rock. If it says it a lot you know that it is no lie.

Here are some examples:

2 Samuel 22:32

For who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God?

2 Samuel 22:2-3a

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.

Deuteronomy 32:41

He is the Rock.

Psalm 31:3b

Be for me a great rock of safety, a fortress where my enemies can not reach me.

All these verses have something in common. They all talk about how Jesus is our rock and that we should rely on him to help us, and to not do it on our own.

The wise man in the story represents a christian who trusts in God to help him. He does the right thing even though he wants another thing.

The foolish man represents people who don’t trust in God to help them and try to do it themselves. He chooses the foolish way instead of the right way.

If you haven’t excepted Jesus into your heart, you can do so now. Just click the button on the sidebar that says, YES, and it will give you some tips.  I will be overjoyed and will pray for you!!!!!!!!