Perseverance In Trials: The Book of James

James 1-5

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing...Therefore be patient, until the coming of the Lord. (1:2-4; 5:7a).

     It's been over two years since my last blog post.  Life seems to get in the way at times, and many months have passed by.  I deal with health issues at times that keep me from my writing.  I have learned over time that I need to trust God in all things that He gives me, to honor Him and show others His love, forgiveness and salvation.  James says to count it all joy in all trials (1:2).  Solomon also says in Proverbs to trust in the Lord with all your heart (3:5).  My faith, I've noticed, has wavered at times because I feel incapable at writing due to illness.  I've lost sight of God's calling just because I'm uncomfortable.  I came back to my hometown over ten years ago and was very uncomfortable doing so.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into or rather what God was getting me into.  It almost seemed out of the blue.
    This is undoubtedly what God called me to, but I left my kids and friends behind.  Like Abraham, though I knew where I was going, I had no idea what was next.  I feel at times, that I have failed, but I don't give up completely, although I have thought, "What have I done"?  Before 2006, when I truly gave my life to Christ, I struggled with many things, and truly wanted to give up on everything, including my life.  For years, I questioned if I really knew Him.  Then, one day it crushed me like a rock.  In one of my most desperate times, I told someone I didn't believe.  For months I struggled with it, until my life was at its very worst.  I was literally flat on my face, crying out to Jesus, "Lord please save me!  I'm sorry"!  And from that time, 13 years ago, I sincerely believed.
     Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:8, "We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;".  Before that moment, I had been in despair for many years, now, I am learning contentment, peace, and I have comfort in Jesus.  For several years I have had a physical illness that came about originally over 20 years ago.  It got bad again a few years back, and I did ask God, "Why this?  Now of all times"?
     Fast forward almost 8 years.  Just a couple of months ago my pastor challenged me to read the book of James for a month.  I've read it and studied it and learned, and am still learning how to live as Jesus wants me to, through whatever situation.  It's difficult and challenging (which I love challenges and adventure, well, most of the time), but it's well worth it, because the prize ahead, in glory with Christ is my ultimate goal (Philippians 3:14).  All other things are as rubbish (Philippians 3:8).  I think, reading James has put in perspective for me, how to live in suffering, with joy.  I've become more aware of the needs of other (although, at times. still being selfish, to my discontent).  No one is perfect.  I have learned, and am still learning contentment, even though being uncomfortable is not exactly what I want, but He gives it to me because it's what I need to draw closer to Him (James 4:8).
When people come against me, I am learning to be "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (James 1:19).  It's never an easy task, let me tell you.  It is getting more difficult these days to live a life of following Jesus.  Sin bombards us everywhere.  Suffering abounds in many forms.  Fear tackles us down, and we think we don't have it in us to do His will.  I ask, "Is this too much for me"?  Or I boldly go where no one should go, and insist, "This is too much for me"!  He probably just shakes His head and laughs a little.  He knows me, through and through.  Life is full of difficulties, and whether I like it or not, I run right into them, like I was being hit by a fast moving train.  I need to always be watchful and aware in life.  All of us need to keep in constant fellowship with God.  Pray without ceasing.  Knowing all these things and living them out, with patient perseverance, may help someone later, be brought to a right relationship with Jesus.

With great hope and perseverance,

Sabrina 

Can We Rejoice In a Fallen World?

Philippians 4:4

Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again I will say, rejoice!

     Have you been dealing with an illness?  Have you been dealing with a loss of a loved one?  A loss of a job or a home?  Has your spouse had an affair and there is an impending divorce?  What about all the violence in this world with shootings and bombings, terrorist attacks, racial tension?  How about our recent presidential campaign?  Is this all disturbing and discouraging to you?  I know it is to me at times, if I'm not focusing on the One that matters.  The question is, can we rejoice even in the midst of all this chaos?  The Apostle Paul says to rejoice when?  When all is good?  No.  Rejoice always!  But you ask, how?  Not in our own strength, but Jesus' strength (Philippians 4:13).  Focusing on Jesus, and knowing He is in control, and His plans for you life is good, is something to rejoice in.  Always!  In verse 6 of Philippians 4, it says to pray and bring our supplications to God.  If you are going through a trial, rejoice, pray, then rejoice again! 

     I have been struggling with an illness since 1998, and in the past 5 years, I have really had struggles with it.  Pain, trouble walking, numbness and tingling, among other things have given me limits on what I can do.  I have cried and been discouraged, but when I wake up, almost every morning, I rejoice and thank Him for another day.  There are times when I don't feel up to rejoicing, but I do thank Him.  I'm only human.  James 1:2-4 says to count it all joy when you go through trials, because it produces patience.  We grow in Christ as we go through trials and we continue to rejoice anyways.  I have gone through other trials in my life where I thought I was in hell.  I rejoice now, because I came through it.  I didn't have Jesus in my life then, but now that I do, I rejoice because if I hadn't gone through it, I wouldn't know Jesus.  Jesus set in motion, before we were born, what we go through, in order to draw us to Him.  Where are you in your life?  Can, or will you rejoice, in spite of the circumstances in the life around you?  Can you give up yourself, and give in to Christ?

     In conclusion, rejoicing always is praise to God for all He has done in your life.  In Philippians, Paul was in prison and was being persecuted for his faith, but he still rejoiced.  He knew his reward and that was enough for him to rejoice.  Life's circumstances don't matter in the grand scheme of things.  It takes faith to rejoice when we cannot see the outcome.  This is what Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen".  We hope, then we rejoice.  We can worry about ISIS, we can worry about who will be the next president, or shootings and terrorism.  We can worry about our health or our losses, as painful as they are, or we can have faith, trust, and rejoice in the midst of life's chaos.  What is your choice today?

Like I have said previously, I hope to blog more consistently, and I hope you will follow my blog.  May you rejoice always!

In His Joy,

Sabrina  

     

Are You My Sheep?

It has been about a year since my last blog.  I hope to keep up on it more, as I can.

Matthew 25:31-36

"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on His left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'"

     Have we been the King's sheep?  As Christians, what have we done for the kingdom of God?  How many of us have walked by a homeless person and just ignored him, thinking the worst, when in fact, he is just like us, a creation of God.  They may be begging and they may smell bad, or even seem "dangerous" because of a mental illness, but have we offered them food or drink?  Have we shared what we have in abundance, with those who have nothing?  Jesus said if we do feed and give drink to them, we do it to Him.  We were all hungry and thirsty before we met Jesus, and someone fed us with the Word of God.  We were given drink from the Fountain of Life.  We were once like those who we now ignore.

     How are we with those who need a place to stay?  A stranger?  Are we willing to take a risk and house them or find a place for them?  Are we willing to clothe them with something of our own?  How often do we treasure our things, unwilling to let them go to a person in need?  Christians are to be generous with what they have, because in reality, God provided for them.  At one time we had no home and we were naked, and someone led us to Jesus and our home became heaven, and we became clothed in righteousness.  Jesus calls His sheep to do the same.  If we are unwilling, then we are mere goats, and not of His fold.

     How busy are we that we cannot take time to visit those who are sick?  Or how self-righteous are we that we are too good to visit those in prison?  The sick need us to reassure them of hope and the imprisoned need us for the same.  We were once sick and imprisoned by our sin and someone came to our rescue and gave us hope, and Jesus took our sin upon Himself and freed us from the bondage of sin.  We are called to help those in need.  Can we visit those who are sick, and visit those in prison, and put ourselves aside in doing so?  Jesus calls us to do to those because in doing so, would be doing it to Him.

     Jesus said to the goats in verse 41, "Depart from Me", because they did not feed, give drink, take in a stranger or clothe him, visit the sick or those in prison.  Those who do not do these will have no part in His kingdom.  Are we willing to humble ourselves and meet with these people and help them, or sit on our lofty thrones of pride and selfishness and miss out on what God intended for us to have?  If you have or have not done it to the least of His brethren, you have or have not done it to Him.  Which are you, sheep or goats?

Blessings to all that follow and read this.  I pray that my blog has, and will continue to be a blessing to you.

Sabrina

Sing Your Praise to The Lord

   Amy Grant performed a song awhile back called "Sing Your Praise to The Lord".  I listened to it this morning, and thought to myself, "I need to praise Him at all times"!  Hallelujah?  Even when life is challenging and hard, I need to praise Him.  We all do.  I've seen struggles in friends' and family's lives and I struggle as well with difficult situations, but we still need to give praise where it's due, and give it to Whom it's due...Jesus.  In just a few months we will be celebrating Jesus' birth.  He was born fully human and fully God.  He knew no sin.  He grew to the age of 12 and by then was teaching in the temple.  Years would pass and by age 30 he called 12 disciples and began a ministry that would change the world.

     A few months after we celebrate His birth, we celebrate the very essence of why He was born into a world of sinners.  They questioned His ministry and Him.  They mocked Him.  They arrested Him and beat  Him.  They scourged Him and flogged Him.  Spat upon Him and they Crucified Him.  He bled and died for our sin.  God had turned His back on His only Son, so that we may have eternal life.  Then something amazing happened 3 days after His death.  He arose from the borrowed grave He was lying in!  He conquered Death and Hades!  Salvation came to us by His blood, to whoever believed!  How amazing is that?  So yes, we can sing our praise to the Lord in any given situation, because He gave His life for us!

     You may have had a loss or you may have a health or a financial issue.  Family problems or job problems arise, and you are at the end of your rope.  What do you do then?  Give Him praise and glory, just because He died in your place.  Life is hard and we cannot minimize that.  But the truth is that we can praise Him in the midst of our problems, because He gave His life that we might live.  Jesus is our only source of strength.  Jesus is our only source of joy and praise.  Sing your praise to the Lord!

Singing Praises,

Sabrina

Pray Without Ceasing

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18~

     To be honest, I had something else in mind to blog today, but at my soon to be 53 years of age, my mind lost all the content of what I had previously thought.  Oh well, since today is the United States' National Day of Prayer, prayer will be the topic.  God has His ways, doesn't He?  On my Bible Gateway app, the word pray in the Bible is mentioned 392 times.  Prayer is mentioned 184 times.  Praying is mentioned 25 times.  Prayer is important and we must pray to keep communication going between us and our Lord.  With that, we must be thankful in everything, because despite good or bad circumstances, God has given us all we have.  

     How do we pray without ceasing?  It's not praying with our eyes closed on our knees 24/7.  It would be difficult to do the laundry, work at our job, or God forbid, drive with our eyes closed, on our knees.  No, it's an attitude of prayer.  It's always having our heart opened to God's leading and direction in our lives.  And yes we can pray in our mind while we do the laundry, work or drive, with our eyes opened.  Keeping in contact with Jesus at all times, in all situations means leaning on Him at those times.  Trusting Him.  Having faith.  Being strong and courageous in all of life's activities.  Pray without ceasing is having a heart for God.  A longing to hang out with Him all day.

     On our National Day of Prayer, remember those who need our prayers, from our government officials to the neighbor down the street.  Most importantly, open the communication between you and God all day, everyday.  Call upon Him in need and in praise.  He wants to hear from you.  His line is always open.  Remember as it says in these verses, it is the will of God to pray without ceasing.  God never ceases in His love for us.  Be a blessing to God and someone else.  Never stop having a heart of prayer.

Praying always in His Name

Sabrina

Just Wait

Psalm 27

Wait on the Lord;

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord.

     This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.  I may have told this story before, but here I go again.

     I was in a hospital in 1987.  I had some neurological symptoms and they did an MRI on me and several other tests.  They came to the conclusion that I had a mass in my head that was inoperable and they gave me days to live.  My life just then turned upside down.  My family's lives turned upside down.  I was 25 years old, married, with a baby.  What would happen next?

     After the crying, and going on, a nurse, who happened to be a Christian, came in and recited this verse to me and prayed for me.  I felt uneasy and afraid, but yet I felt peace coming from this precious nurse.  The next day came with results again from the MRI.  It might have been a miracle, who knows?  It might have been a doctor's mistake, who knows?  Only God knows.  The mass in my head was scar tissue.  I was going to live!  What we have to know is we have to wait on God, with courage.  He will give us the strength we need.  A miracle did happen by the way.  God showed me that waiting on Him, in His timing meant I would see blessings.  And I did!

     Fast forward 28 years later...

     Worried God wasn't listening.  Worried God wasn't answering.  Wondering where He was when I messed up.  With tears in my eyes, He held me close, and said, "Wait".  So the next day comes around, very early, and I'm thinking of the verse, "...Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning".  And I thought again, still struggling, "Where is my joy"?  All of a sudden I felt peace and joy with the arms of Jesus holding me.

     The next thing I know, I get a text from a family member with some good news we were praying about, and I cried for joy this time.  I failed the day before to trust and have faith...and to wait.  The next day, God showed up.  Another verse that comes to mind as I conclude this is, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding".  Proverbs 3:5.

     God always shows up when you least expect it.  Are you waiting on Him?

Waiting on Him

Sabrina

Stand

Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 

Are we willing to stand?  These verses are meant for our stand against the devil. But what does that mean for us?  What stands do we make?  Do we stand against our selfish desires?  Our anger?  Our sinfulness?  Where do we draw the line?  Or do we draw the line when it comes to standing for Christ?  What costs come in doing the right thing?  Do we carry the whole armor of God to take that stand?  Do we gird our waists with truth?  Do we put on our breastplates of righteousness?  Do we shod our feet with the gospel of peace?  Do we take our shields of faith?  Do we take our helmets of salvation and our swords of the Spirit; the Word of God?

When we stand against the devil we are standing against sin.  We are standing against the desires of the flesh.  Sometimes we have to sacrifice things in our lives that stand in our way.  Some things we really want to keep, and even those things we keep that we don't really want, but can't get rid of until we stand for what God wants.  That is not always easy.  Paul said in Romans 7:15, "For what I am doing, I do not understand.  For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do."  Sometimes we do things in our flesh that we wish we wouldn't do.  We must stand firm with our armor so that we can fight against such things.

Let's take a stand today against the evil of this world, against that which the devil would have us to do, so that, we as Christians, can live above reproach and show Who Jesus really is to a dying world.

                          In His Love

                             Sabrina

Desperately Seeking______?

Deuteronomy 15:11

For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, "You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land".

     As I look out my sliding glass door to my patio, I see trees and humming birds, among other birds flying from tree to tree.  I see cars passing by in the parking lot of my apartment complex, and I see the lot behind us and the traffic on the street on the other side of the lot.  I see people walking to and from their cars and apartments.  Then, slightly north, I see a dumpster, that we take out our trash to almost daily.  It just sits there in the sunlight of the day, and in the moonlight of the night, waiting on us to fill it up.  There is a peculiarity about it when it is topped with the trash, just before dawn, and after dusk, though sometimes in between.  The peculiarity is that desperate people come along and climb into the bin and rummage through it for their "treasures".  Most are from the streets, with no job, and nowhere to lay their heads at night.  They look for plastic or cans and paper to gather to collect money just to eat, or maybe to obtain other substances, or maybe food itself, whatever the case.  These are desperate people looking...looking for something...desperately seeking.

     Desperate people doing desperate things.  Seeking something...or...seeking Someone.  The poor will always be.  Poor because they have no means, or poor spiritually, though it could be both.  We look out our windows and see them searching, and we do nothing, as we sit comfortably in our chairs.  Giving to the poor doesn't always mean giving them money.  Maybe it's a bite to eat, a place to lay their head, or maybe it's food for their soul...the gospel.  Are they sick?  Are they in prison?  Go and help them.  Many people are afraid to go up to a homeless person.  Though there may be some that are harder to approach than others, we can pray for them, or give them a smile.  Everyone needs Jesus.  

     Digging through the trash to find something of value is like us digging for something we yearn for in our hearts.  We seek out things that we think might make us happy and yet they don't.  Nothing we rummage through makes a difference until we find Jesus.  We just need to find the right place to find our treasures.  The poor need that more than ever, because they are mostly forgotten by their family and by society.  They are outcasts.  But you want to know the truth?  So were we.  And, Jesus was basically and outcast in society's eyes.  He did not have a home of His own, and most people ignored Him.  We need to love our neighbor's as ourselves.  Our neighbors are not just those who have a house across the street.  Our neighbors may not even have a house.  Don't ignore those who seem so different than yourselves, just because they aren't as fortunate as you.  Help those in need and God will reward you.

The next time you see a homeless person walking down the street, if nothing else, just say hello.  It may just make a difference.

Sabrina

     



     

     

Food and Fellowship and Choosing God Over Others

Isaiah 40:11

He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather His lambs with His arms, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who with young.

1 John 1:7

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

     We all need to be fed.  We all need others.  And we all need to make a choice between God and others or other things.  If we are going to be ministers to each other, we must first put God first, at all cost, and get fed by the Word of God, and if we must also have fellowship with others.  God gave us a choice in the Garden, Him or ourselves.  We chose ourselves.  We lost fellowship with God and we lost fellowship with each other.  Adam and Eve felt naked and ashamed.  They also could no longer get food for their souls because they were set apart from God.  Adam and Eve made the choice to put their desires first, but should we?  If we are ministers of the Word, whom should we choose?

     We have so many distractions on Sunday morning.  In the fall, there is football.  We also may want to get away for a day, and the day we have left on our calendar is Sunday.  There may be your child's sports or family visits.  Or you may just not want to go to church that day for no good reason.  Are you putting God first and getting fed by His Word?  Like our bodies, our souls cannot function without food.  And we need each other to be accountable to each other and to have the support of fellow brother and sisters in the family of God.

     Let's put our own desires aside for a moment and give God our full attention, not just on Sunday, but everyday.  Keep in fellowship with others as much as you can.  Busyness can keep us from so many things, but we have to make God our first priority or we will starve.  Who is your god today?  And are you hungry and lonely?

Seek ye first the kingdom of God this weekend, and all week.  Be blessed!

Sabrina

     

The Warrior Is A Child

     Ephesians 6:10-18

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--

     There are sometimes when a warrior gets weak and wants to just go home.  Sometimes we just want to go to our Heavenly Father and cry.  Weariness sets in and we become weak.  Others may see us as strong believers, but we all have our days when we just want to be comforted in our Father's arms.  The Armor of God is there at our own dispense.  God gave it to us to use against the devil's schemes.  Sometimes the devil pierces us so, that we fall down.  But we can get back up, with the help of Jesus.  

     Don't worry when you fall.  Jesus paid the penalty of our sin and He is right there to pick us up.  There is no fear in love, and He loves us.  Being a warrior in Jesus' army is a tough job.  We must always be watchful and we must always be prepared.  We do not, however, need to be discouraged when we fall down.  Stand.  Stand up.  Take a stand, at all costs.  We are fighters until Jesus calls us home to heaven, so stand until then.  We have a friend that loves us better than a brother, and we do not need to fear the enemy, satan.  He is already done for, and his place is in hell.  Our place is with our Father in heaven.  We fight a daily battle, but we have already won in Jesus, so stand up.  And if you fall down, Jesus will be there to pick you up.

There is a warrior in all of us that know Jesus.  God bless.

Sabrina

When God Stepped Down

     There are several times in the Bible where God stepped down in order to help us see Who He really is.  In Genesis 2:7 He even stooped down, picked up dust and created mankind.  In the Gospels it tells us of how He stepped down to human form, as a baby, so that He could save us from our wretchedness.  In Revelation it tells us He will step down to fight the devil at Armageddon, then create a New heaven and New earth.  From creating the universe, the world and mankind, from coming down as a baby, living in human form, yet still being God, suffering, dying and rising again, giving us a chance of redemption, to fighting the final battle for us and creating all things new in the end, God stepped down.  He did it for us because He loves us.
     There are countless times in the Old Testament where He came down from heaven, and from mountains.  He showed us glimpses of Himself throughout the Old Testament.  Then He came to us in flesh.  Now, if we have faith and believe in Him, He steps down to us, and dwells in us.  What other god would do that?  What other god died and rose again and lives forever?  What other god would come to our level, and chase after us?  No other god would, and cannot, because they are lifeless.
     Jesus was there when God picked up the dust and will be there to create the New heaven and earth.  Christmas can be a time to acknowledge that.  This Christmas, will you acknowledge that He stepped down for you?  Mary's pregnancy was like no other.  Jesus' birth was like no other.  And the way God had all of it played out, with Him lying in a manger, in such a humble way, God had to have stepped and stooped down low enough for us to touch Him.  That's how much He loves us.

May your days be merry and bright!

Sabrina 

Thanksgiving in Trials

James 1:2-5

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, Who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

     Being thankful for a loving family, good kids, your good health, a good job, a nice house and a nice car--or two, is one thing, but being thankful in your trials, when your family life is less than perfect, your kids go astray, you come down with an illness, you lose your job and can't make mortgage payments on your house, and all your cars are repossessed, or whatever is testing your faith, that's a different story.  Can we be thankful and full of joy in our trials?  I wondered that myself.  But God said to count it all joy in trials.  With joy, I believe, comes thankfulness.  Philippians 4:6 says, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.  Life was never meant to be perfect after the Fall of Man.

     Without thanksgiving there is pride.  We see ourselves and our problems, but we don't see God--working on our behalf.  He is at work my friends--always.  This Thanksgiving, be thankful for the trials you suffered this year, especially if you grew closer to Jesus in them.  I know it is difficult.  I have been there many times, and I've wondered, "What is there to be thankful for in this?  And where is the joy in this trial?  You can be thankful and have joy.  They are both available to you and to me.  God's Word is truth, and what He says and offers us is truth, we just have to accept the truth.  When you sit around your dinner table tomorrow, with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, vegetables and pumpkin and pecan pies and whatever delicacies you may sink your teeth into, remember those who go without, and be thankful for what you have, in any circumstance you are in.

Psalm 106:1

Praise the Lord!  Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!  For His mercy endures forever.

Happy Thanksgiving to all and may you all receive God's blessings during this holiday season.

Sabrina

Being Thankful

1 Thessalonians 5:18

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

     Family is arriving for Thanksgiving.  They meet and greet and each family member brings delicious dishes to go with the host family's turkey.  The men sit around the television waiting for the annual Thanksgiving football game to come on.  The kids play with each other in the back yard.  The women prepare the table and meal.  Thanksgiving is a great treat for the family to get together and visit and eat.  The greatest treat and gift from God is to be thankful for all the year's blessings.

     The women call in the kids to wash their hands and get them sat down at the table set especially for them.  Then the women pry the men away from the television and sit them down at the main table as well.  The big kids get to share the main table, unless there is no room, then they are sent to the little kids table.  The head of the house says grace and then they go around with their thankful statements.  It starts with the head man.  He is thankful for his beautiful family that God has graced him with.  The wife then goes on and says she is thankful for being with all the family again for another year.  Grandma is thankful for her grand kids.  Grandpa is thankful his wife let him live another year.  They all chuckle.

     The Aunt and Uncle are thankful for God's provisions in time of need.  One cousin is thankful for the college he attends.  The younger kids are thankful they have laptops, tablets, iPads and iPhones.  What do they know?  They're kids, right?  Then their parents remind them of the important things in life and they squirm in their seats.  

    As grandpa gets ready to carve the beautiful turkey that his daughter prepared, God asks the turkey, "What are you thankful for Tom?"  The turkey looks up at God and asks, shaking and nervous at his upcoming demise (granted, he's already cooked, but just work with me), "Are you kidding me Lord?  They are about to eat me!"  God again asks, "What are you thankful for?"  Tom scratches his head (yes, again, work with me), and thinks, "Well, I've been fed real well I guess.  I use to have beautiful feathers.  I was created by You Lord and free to roam (thinking to himself, "Only to get shot and plucked and packaged and cooked and ate".)  "I suppose I'm thankful for that".  God nods His head, even considering what the turkey was really thinking.  "Anything else?", God asks.  He looks up at God and answers, "Anything else?  I'm about to be carved up and eaten!"  God says to him,  "Look around you and what do you see?  I see people getting together with family and enjoying a meal together.  I see them giving thanks even though some have had hardships, and I see you with a purpose."  The turkey shakes his head and says, "Yes, this purpose of Yours is for people to eat me."  "Yes", the Lord says.  Some of the family members have struggled to put food on the table because of a job loss.  "I see", said the turkey.  He thought about and told God, "Yes, I am thankful for being of service to these people."  The the grandpa carved the turkey and they ate happily and were thankful.

     See, even a turkey can be thankful at Thanksgiving even though he will be gobbled up, so be thankful in everything.

I know my turkey humor was a little odd but that's my humor at times.  A little humor, even though odd, goes a long way.  Enjoy the holidays this year and be thankful all year.

Sabrina

 

     

Doubt and Worry

Matthew 14:31

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt"?

Philippians 4:6

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

     I haven't blogged in awhile.  I really couldn't pinpoint why I hadn't written at all.  Though today I'm not talking about discouragement, I have been discouraged, and that right there brought me to doubt my abilities, not just in writing, but all my talents and gifts God gave me.  I saw Jesus and got out of the boat.  Then I saw the storm and started to sink.  Thankfully, He came to me and pulled me up and saved me.  My faith was wavering and I not only doubted myself, but I doubted Him.  Each time God has me do His Will, satan invariably comes up and puts thoughts into my head that I'm nothing, a nobody.  Satan is wrong!  He already has lost the battle, and I've gained victory through Christ.  I go to Jesus each time, and He lifts me out of the storm.  So why so little faith?  Why do I doubt?  Because I, for a moment, look at the storm instead of my Savior and sink into despair.  But God is always ready to help when I call out to Him.

     There are storms everyday, but God is right there ready to bring us through it.  When the world says that God can't or won't help, ignore their blasphemies, and listen to Jesus.  When the world persecutes you, stand up, stand firm, and stand strong in Jesus.  When you're sick, and think you are of no help to God, think again.  Jesus uses every obstacle for His plan for your life, for His glory.  God's promises are true, even today when men say there is no God.  I don't believe in men, I believe in God!

     After doubt comes worry.  In the NKJV in Philippians, it says anxious.  Worry and anxious are synonymous.  When I pray for something or someone, I sometimes doubt, then, ultimately I worry.  We are to worry about nothing and pray.  When we pray, we are to believe, not doubt or worry.  If we doubt or worry, why pray?  Trust is another word that comes to mind as I write this.  Believe God and trust God, in EVERYTHING.  He cannot lie.  He is trustworthy at ALL TIMES.  There are things that are going on in this world that are horrible.  Everyday we hear about terrorists, diseases, wars, school shootings and such.  It can be worrisome.  But Who is in control?  God is.  Pray.  Take it to Him.  Give Him your worries.

     Life was never meant to be easy after the Fall.  We struggle to make ends meet, with our families, with illness and the world going on around us.  But Jesus has the answer in every situation.  Why does He allow such troubles?  Why does He allow such sins?  He showed it at the Cross.  We fell as a human race and separated ourselves from God, then God gave us His Son as a sacrifice for an atonement for our sins, to honor and glorify Him.  He gave us a way out.  He gave us a second chance.  We were created to glorify God and we blew it, but He let us off the hook by the way of the Cross.  Worrying is from the Enemy.  God's got our backs.  Why worry?

     Matthew 11:28 says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest".  When we doubt and worry, we carry a heavy burden that only Jesus can take from us.  Give it to Him.  One thing I've learned is that I will not stop doubting or worrying, but the remedy is that I cry out to Jesus in times of distress and ask Him to help me.  We are not perfect until we see Jesus on the other side of eternity.  So for now, things will pop up and we'll wonder where God is.  Things will pop up and worry us, but the good news is He will hold us in His arms and comfort us at any given time.  Just let Him.

Just wait for what's in store for November!  Remember, be thankful.

Sabrina

Are You Happy Now?

     The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for 400 years.  They complained of being under Pharaoh's hard labor and God sent Moses to deliver them.  God told Moses to go to Pharaoh and ask that he let go of his people, and Pharaoh just laughed and said no, so God sent plagues, and finally Pharaoh let the Israelites go, only to change his mind and chase them.  The Israelites got away.  No problem.  They saw God's hand destroy Egypt.  No problem.  I wonder if God said to the Israelites, "Are you happy now"?  Then comes the Red Sea.  The Israelites were already frightened and complaining about Pharaoh chasing them, and along comes the Red Sea.  Oops!  They said to Moses, "Did you bring us out here to die"?  But God opened the Red Sea.  Split it right in half, and the Israelites made it!  If fact, the Egyptians chasing them all drowned as God made the Red Sea flow again, right over them.  God may have asked again, "Are you happy now"?
     The Israelites wandered the desert and found that there was no water.  They were of course not happy, forgetting their Lord, their Provider.  They came to Marah where the water was bitter and boy the grumbling began!  Moses was told by God to throw a tree into the water.  It then became sweet, and they were able to drink it.  It was as if God said to them, "I told you so".  "Now", He says, "Are you happy"?  Then they were hungry and complained, so God gave them manna from heaven, and may have said, "Are you happy now"?  
     The Lord had Moses go up Mount Sinai to meet Him because He was giving The Ten Commandments to Moses to give to the Israelites.  Moses went up the mountain again after the Ten Commandments was told, to get the tablets to which they were on.  Moses was gone for 40 days and nights, and no, the Israelites were not happy yet.  In fact, they panicked, and made a golden calf to worship.  How many times would it take for God to rain miracle after miracle to make His people happy?  It was never good enough.  In fact, they got so sick of the provision of food God gave them, that they asked for meat, and boy did God rain meat down on them so much, that they were sick of it.  God may have asked again, "Are you happy now"?
     I don't know how many miracles it took, but it took 40 years wandering in the desert for God to get their attention.  They still grumbled and complained.  They were going to a land of Promise and complained the whole way.  God wasn't happy either, so a whole generation died, without seeing The Promise Land.  Don't miss out on God's blessing due to your grumbling and complaining because life is not going your way.  I may have put a little humor in this by the question God could have ask, "Are you happy now"?, but what will it take for you to be happy with God's plan for your life? 

I hope today you see the blessings God has given you.

Sabrina

Character in Our Christian Life: Guileless and Holy

Guileless and Holy are the last two characteristics I will cover in this series of our character.  We must remember not only to tell others about Christ, but live it in the character of Christ.

10. Guileless: "I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked.  I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, Lord, proclaiming aloud Your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds". Psalm 26:5-7.

     To be guileless is to be innocent.  We are not to associate with those who do evil.  We are to be innocent before the Lord.  We live in this world, and we do associate with those who are lost, in the sense that we share the gospel with them, but we are not to be like the wicked.  In the workplace, we associate with Christians and non-Christians alike.  We are to be their "light" to shine Jesus upon them.  We are to set examples instead of going about doing what they do in order to "fit in".  We are not suppose to fit in with the world.  Be an example of the innocence of Jesus in your daily walk with Him.  Live a life that is exemplary to God.

11.  Holy:  "For you are a people holy to the Lord your God.  The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession".  Deuteronomy 7:6

     We are to be holy and blameless before the Lord.  Yes we are sinners.  Yes we mess up, but we as humans are not holy and blameless as God is.  We have Christ's atonement only to make us holy and blameless.  What our part is; to live as Christ lived, serving and giving, helping and forgiving others, including those who are our enemies.  Most important of all, love one another as Christ loves us.  Live Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law".  Without the Holy Spirit's presence in our lives, we cannot be holy.  It only comes from God.  Be holy as Christ is holy.

I may continue my humor blogs next, just for a little break from the realities of life.  Be blessed this week, and bless someone else.

Blessings

Sabrina

Fearing God, Following Christ, Godly

Our character matters in all our aspects of life.  How we act in our daily lives really shows others how we truly are on the inside.  This blog is the third installment of Character.  This includes fear God, following Christ, and Godly.

7.  Fearing God: "Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His Name".  Malachi 3:16.

     When we fear the Lord, it is not a fear like He will punish you or destroy you if you sin, but an awe of His own character, presence, knowledge, power, justice, mercy, grace, etc.  He is our Almighty God Who is our Provider, and Who loves us so much that He gave up His Son to save us from an eternity in hell, because of our sinful lives.  To show others that we fear God, it shows them that we put Him first, above all else.  It shows we mean business when it comes to following Him.  It shows that He is the One True God.

8.  Following Christ: "When He puts forth all His own, He goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice".  John 10:4.

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me".  John 10:27.

     Do you think we would be a great witness to Christ or even a Christian for that matter at all if we indeed not follow Christ?  I don't think so.  Christ knows His sheep and His sheep knows Him.  One characteristic is, that we must follow Christ in order to minister the Gospel to others.  How else are we going to do it if we don't believe ourselves?  If we know Christ and follow Him, You need to share the good news with others.  If you don't know Him, then how can you "go into the world and make disciples"?  Know Him, the go.

9.  Godly: "But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself; the Lord hears when I call to Him". Psalm 4:3.

"Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment". 2 Peter 2:9.

     We are all made in the image of God, from the very beginning of time.  We are to imitate God, and in doing so, we need to be godly, set apart from the world.  We need to have the fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  To be godly is a crucial characteristic to have when ministering to others.  Being unrighteous or ungodly is a detriment to Christ's cause and if the world sees that, they will not receive the good news well, and will reject God even more.

The next time, I will cover the last two characteristics in being a witness of Christ or to ministering to other the Good News of Christ.  There are many other characteristics to cover, but for now I will only cover eleven of them.

Be blessed this weekend.

Sabrina 

Character: Contrite, Devout, Faithful

    This is the second set of characteristics we need to have as Christians, in our daily walk with Jesus.  Come with me and look at the next three characteristics we should follow, so that the world will see Jesus through us.

4.  Contrite:  "'For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, Whose name is Holy, 'I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with a contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite...'"  Isaiah 57:15.

"For my hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being'", declares the Lord.  "'But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My Word'".  Isaiah 66:2.

     Being contrite in spirit because of our sin is a character trait that is honorable to God.  To be sorry for the wrong we do is the first step actually, that we should take.  Humbly accepting our failures and going to God with them.  He will revive us when our hearts are right with Him.  Accepting the fact that we sin, on a daily, if not hourly basis, tells God that we do indeed have to depend on Him to get our hearts straightened out.

5.  Devout:  "Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him".  Acts 8:2.

"A certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law, and well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me, and standing near me said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight'!  And at that very time I looked up at him".  Acts 22:12-13.

    Devotion to God is a love that is pure and true, and we must be devout in our relationship with Jesus.  It is what keeps our hearts, mind, soul and body in constant communication with our Lord.  Without devotion, there is no relationship.  God honors those who devotes him or herself to Him.  It is a true Christian heart who is devoted.  It is a must when ministering to a lost and dying world.

The last of the three is being faithful.  Are we faithful?  And if not, how can we be?

6.  Faithful:  "These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.  These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords, and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful".  Revelation 17:13-14.

     Being faithful is being loyal and trustworthy.  Are we loyal and trustworthy to Jesus?  Devotion and faithfulness goes hand in hand to me.  Without loyalty and trustworthiness we are not faithful.  It takes faithfulness to Jesus to witness to the people around us, and being faithful to those people also.  Gaining trust and being loyal to the people around you will show them the true meaning of Christianity, and how a Christian is suppose to act.  We must go and make disciples, as Jesus commanded, and if our character is out of place, we fail. 

Blessings to you today and the rest of the week.  More to come on how our character should be while we walk with Jesus and minister to others.

Sabrina

*Note:  I will not be blogging tomorrow due to me being out of town.  Friday I will resume.  Thank you.

What is Our Character?

     I want to take three or four blogs to go through what our character should be as Christians in ministry.  I will start with three today.

1.  Attentive to Christ's voice; 1 John 1:3,4

"What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ".

     Our character must be willing to listen to the voice of Christ and the Father's Will for us.  Our selfishness must banish.  We need to be willing to serve others first, so they may fellowship with Jesus.  Listening and being attentive to Christ's voice is essential in ministry.  Doing ministry in our own way will lead to failure.

2.  Blameless and Harmless; Philippians 2:15 "So that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among you who appear as lights in the world".

     Our character must remain blameless and harmless.  Live out our lives the way we minister to others and do not harm one another.  Be doers of the Word and not just hearers.  We are God's children, and must not warp our ministry with our sinful nature.  If we do sin, confess and repent, and always forgive those who sin also.

3.  Bold; Proverbs 28:1 "The wicked will flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion".

     This is the last character for this blog.  Being bold in our witness and not backing down in the face of opposition is very important in our ministry.  Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy, and we must stand against him with boldness for our testimony for Jesus to stand strong.  God says many times in the Bible to "be strong and courageous".  It is crucial that we stand boldly when facing our enemy.

I hope all of you are blessed by God this week and remember that our character and integrity count for our eternity and others' eternity.

Blessings

Sabrina

God's Sense of Humor

     Abraham and Sarah laughed at God.  Jacob lied.  David committed adultry and murder.  Jonah ran away.  Mary was a virgin and gave birth to Jesus.  Matthew was a tax collector.  Peter needed anger management.  Thomas doubted.  Martha worried.  The woman at the well had many marriages and was living with a guy.  Barnabus had words with a Paul.  Timothy was just a kid.  Paul hated Christians in the beginning and had them killed.
     Yes, God has a sense of humor.  He used all these people in their sinful ways and in Mary's case, an impossible way, and gave us a life--giving Gospel, despite human error.  He even illustrates us as sheep, in a round about way saying we are stupid.  Yes, humans and sheep alike are stupid.  He loves us so much though that through these men and women, we have His-story, and Jesus came through these people, so that we may be redeemed from laughing at God, lying,  committing adultry or murder, running away from God, cheating people out of money, getting angry, doubting or worrying, or being faithful to one spouse. 
     He also came so that we may not break friendships with harsh word, or not worry about being to young, and worry what others will say about it.  He came to change persecutors lives and make them powerful preachers.  The last laugh is from God.  If you say, "I can't be used".  God will use you in that area you doubt, so watch out and be careful the next time you mess up and think you're in the clear.  God'll get you then.