Daily Affirmation

Be thankful for everything you have. :)

Daily Affirmation

Peace, love, & prayers-
K

Choices

Verse of the Day:

Genesis 4:7

⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.

Choices, choices, choices.  Every day I have to make about a million choices and it always stresses me out.  I can choose to talk bad about someone or I can choose to keep my mouth closed.  I can choose to go out and drink or I can choose to stay in and watch a movie with my friends.  I can choose to go too far with a boy or I can choose to stand my ground.  We have so many things that we have to decide and each one of them effects the path of our life, no matter how small we think it is.  It is so cool to me that our God is a God of choice.  We can CHOOSE to follow Him or CHOOSE not to.  He never forces us to worship Him, it’s up to us.  By making choices that make HIM happy, we are in turn doing what is right and will be accepted by Him for it.  But if we choose to make choices that aren’t following what He wants for us-->‘sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you…’  Kind of a creepy way to put it, but I think it gets the point across well!  God has a great plan for your life, but the choices YOU make determine when, how, and if you get there.

The Simple Truth:  You know how God wants you to live your life – make choices that line up with His plan for you.

Pray:

Lord, thank You for giving me the gift of choice.  I am so blessed that on a daily basis I get to say ‘yes’ to You.  Help me with the times I say ‘no’ and make choices that don’t show I am following you.  Do not let sin rule over me.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

Gossip

Verse of the Day:

Ephesians 4:29

²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that what you are saying may benefit those who listen.

I KNOW gossiping is bad.  It hurts people when you talk badly about them.  Chances are you probably have at least part of the story wrong.  God tells me a million times in the Bible that gossiping is a sin.  It usually makes you look like a bad person too. And I could continue with more reasons why I shouldn’t gossip.  Yet I still find myself doing it, even today.  I know I should be saying things that are helping people, not hurting them and their reputation, but for some reason I can’t stop.

I remember in high school there was a girl and I who didn’t get along.  If anything happened in either of our lives, the other one would always somehow be the first one to know and be gossiping about it.  This literally lasted all the way until senior year when we realized how silly it was.  Now looking back, I see that she was actually a pretty cool girl and we could have been good friends if we hadn’t been so interested in ruining each other’s lives. 

One of my friends and I were talking about gossiping the other day and we realized we spend A LOT of time talking about other people.  What do YOU spend the majority of the time talking about when you’re with your friends?  Think about it…

The Simple Truth:  There are so many other things to talk about beside each other.  Gossip hurts everyone involved.

Pray:

Lord, help me to keep a watch over my mouth.  I know it is so much better to build up my peers, but sometimes it is just easier to tear them down.  Help me to think before I speak and say things that will help and not hurt.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

Texting

I get devotionals sent to my email every day from this site (www.findyourtruebeauty.com) and I felt that this one was too good not to share.  I could really relate to it because I know I spend more time texting than I do praying on a daily basis.  Check out this site if you have time too... Its great!

Peace, love & prayers-

K

Teen Girl Devotionals are brought to you by www.FindYourTrueBeauty.com.

Here is your devotion:

What would you text?

Written by Erin Offermann

In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 

Ephesians 3: 12

How many texts do you get/send every day?  A friend of mine said that he received/sent 30,000 texts last month! You would think that his fingers would be sore.  Texting is the preferred means for teenagers to connect these days. Who even calls anymore? 

Texting definitely has a language all to its own with abbreviations and symbols... lol and BFF to just name a few.  As much as you text your friends and as convenient as it is, do you communicate with God even a fraction of as much?  What if you could text God throughout the day just to touch base?  What would you say?  Would you say he was your BFF?  Would you tell him what happened in homeroom today?  Prayer is a wonderful way for you to keep connected with God.  As easy and fast as it is to text, you can shoot quick prayers to God, too.  Don't forget that he wants to know what's going on in life, what you struggle with and what you are excited about.  Trust me, he really does want to be your BFF!

Reflection:

Do I spend more time praying or texting my friends?

Application Step: 

Every time you text BFF, stop and give a quick prayer up to God.  He truly wants to be your BFF.

Prayer:

God, I love staying connected with my friends.  I thank you for the friendships you have given me in my life.  I realize though, that I spend more time connecting with them than I often do connecting with you.  Please forgive me for this, and help me to keep my priorities focused.  Help me to spend more time talking with you, in Jesus name I pray. Amen.

The Bucket List

Verse of the Day:
Hebrews 9:27

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.

If any of you saw me in the hall today after school, you may have noticed my mascara was running and my eyes were puffy and red. That is because we had just finished wathing The Bucket List in Human Relations class. Wow. If you haven't seen it, it's about two older men who are dying in the hospital, and decide that they want to make a list of things they want to do before they die. They have things on their list like driving a racecar, sky diving, and going across the world. The crazy part about it is that they actually follow through and check off the things on their list. It's a totally inspirational movie!

I honestly think everyone should have a bucket list. That movie made me realize that we never know when the end of our lives will be. We gotta make the most of what we have, because life goes really fast. So I encourage you to make a list. Include things like setting foot on all 7 continents, or memorizing all the presidents. But also include thing that will bring you closer to God, like reading the entire Bible, and going to church in a different country.

With that said,

What's on your bucket list?

Let your light shine.
-Lo

P.S. Have a great weekend! And I need some prayers next week, it's Homecoming and I have a lot of stressful things going on!

Faith

Verse of the Day:

2 Timothy 2:13

¹³ If we are faithless, He remains faithful - for He cannot deny who He is.

I was talking to my really good friend the other day.  He is kinda sorta currently working on finding his faith, and I am doing my best to help him and be an example of God’s love and grace to him.  We were talking about something faith related the other day and he was like ‘Well when I can say I believe without a doubt…’.  WITHOUT A DOUBT?!  I was amazed at him for saying that because I know that sometimes I doubt.  I wonder - if God really loved me and cared about me, why would He let _____ happen to me?  Why would He let me get so hurt?  Why won’t He just tell me what I should be doing with my life?!  

I remember one time specifically that I was having a lot of doubts.  Ironically it was the only year in about the past 10 years that I didn’t go to camp.  I can still think back and see myself thinking… ‘I don’t know.  Maybe this all isn’t real.  Maybe this is what my parents and my church want me to believe, but how do I know it’s the truth?’  I did a lot of soul searching that year and figuring out who I was. And that is when I found my OWN faith.  What I could trust in and believe in and what made sense to me.  And obviously God stuck with me through my entire journey.  Seriously, how great is our God?

The Simple Truth:  No matter how much we doubt God, He is waiting with open arms to take us back. 

Pray:

Lord, thank You for always being faithful and for never giving up on me no matter how much I doubt you.  I am blessed to be Your child.  Please help anyone who is struggling with their faith and looking for a relationship with you.  Show them the way and help them to be accepting to Your love and grace.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

YAYYY WEEKEND! J

Rock Bottom

Verse of the day:

2 Corinthians 12:9

⁹ But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in your weakness."

The summer before my junior year of high school was, without a doubt, the most emotionally draining summer of my life.  In June, my favorite teacher Mr. Kugler passed away suddenly.  This was really difficult for me because he had been a very influential teacher to me and even though I had only known him a year, he had made a huge impact on my life.  I don’t remember July being so awful, but then came August.  In the first 2 weeks of August, I failed my driver’s test, my pet goldfish died, my boyfriend broke up with me, and one of my friends dove into the shallow end of a pool and became paralyzed from the shoulders down.  I didn’t know how things could get any worse.  I remember going to a prayer service for Jake, the friend who got paralyzed, and sitting with my friends Chelsey and Amanda and just crying for hours.  I was at the lowest point I could ever remember being at in my life.  I didn’t know what to do, who to trust, or what to believe in.  But in that moment where I felt like I was at rock bottom, realized that through all of this, I really did have God there for me.  I was weak, but He was strong.  He brought me to that low point so that He could build me back up again and make me into the person I am meant to be. 

The Simple Truth:   It’s easy to get angry with God when He brings us to points like this where we don’t know how much further down we can go until we will just break.  But He has a purpose for it.  And He is there with us every single step of the way.   Let God make you weak so He can show His strength. 

Pray:

Lord, thank You for the trials in my life.  I know that I see them as burdens, but You mean them as blessings in disguise.  Help to glorify You to the fullest no matter what the circumstances in my life.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

By Your Side

Today, I'm not going to do a devotional on a verse, but I'm going to share a song with you that means A LOT to me. This is the song that I seriously think God tells the radio people to play at the PERFECT time for me, every time it plays. It always makes me stop and think of my relationship with God and makes me reflect on how I'm doing with my faith. Mostly, it makes me feel REALLY LOVED by God. And I want you to feel loved too :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdjRmM0Q0qs

Let your light shine.
-Lo

Gifts

Verse of the Day:

Romans 12:6-8

⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to us.  If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.  ⁷ If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸ if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. 

I remember a few times in high school where I literally thought I didn’t have any gifts.  I looked around in school at people who were really talented in sports or academics and their gifts were so obvious.   I watched my older sister Erin succeed in BPA and be at the top of her class academically and knew those were some of her gifts.  I looked at Lauren and saw her amazing musical and acting talents.  I looked at myself and couldn’t see any specific gift that God had given me.  It really bothered me for quite a while that I didn’t really feel like I had anything to offer that was so much different than anyone else.

As I have grown up I have realized that the gifts that God blesses us with aren’t always things that we can see right away – talent at sports or music or something like that.  Sometimes our gifts are being an encourager, serving people, or being a teacher.  Within the last few years I have realized that these are my true gifts from God and I wouldn’t trade them for anything (Lauren’s voice was a close one though ;) ).  I LOVE TO SERVE.  One of my favorite parts of every summer is going to Summer Fest because I get to hang out with amazing kids and ‘counsel’ them.   I love working with kids in anyway and helping to make a positive difference in their lives.  Not everyone enjoys doing that and I know God gave me that gift for a reason. 

The Simple Truth:  When you feel like God has given gifts and talents to everyone else and skipped you, look at little deeper inside yourself.  You have something that He has given you that really makes you, YOU.  

Pray:

Lord, help me to realize my gifts and to use them in the way that You intended me to.  If I am having trouble seeing them, place me in situations where my gifts will be tested and I will be able to see them shining through.  You are a great God for everything you have blessed us with.  Amen. 

Peace, love & prayers-

K

Obedience

Verse of the Day:
Luke 14:28-30

Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, "This fellow began to build and was not able to finish."


Okay so I am really bad at working out and getting exercise. I get all excited thinking about the idea of being in shape and running every day and toning my muscles, but when it comes down to it, I get super lazy. I usually get into a routine for like 2 weeks, and then as soon as I get the hang of it, it's almost like I get bored and I quit. I run out of patience. I'm not obedient anymore. As soon as that happens, I get out of shape. FAST.

Now, comparing this to our relationship with the Lord. The thought of having a really close relationship with God is super duper exciting. Especially after retreats or week-long camps, all you want to do is work on your relationship with God. But after awhile, it's easy to get lazy. Not so obedient. It's hard to keep that flame going. As soon as we stop working on our relationship with Jesus, it gets 'out of shape'. FAST.

We gotta press on even when we're tired. We gotta keep that fire going in our heart. We gotta be obedient for the Lord. Cause in the end, it'll be worth it ;)

The Simple Truth: It can be hard to stay in touch with God, but be obedient to Him even when you're feeling lazy!

Pray:
Lord, help me to desire to work for a better relationship to You. Help me to maintain a strong connection to you even when I'm tired. AMEN!

HAPPY WEEKEND! :D

Let your light shine.
-Lo

Turn Things Upside Down

My amazing friend Allie showed me this video.  I am going to write all about her soon, but for now I will just say that she is a great Christian friend and I am so lucky that God has blessed me with her.  Check out this video.  It's really cool the way God can just turn things upside down sometimes and make them right. :)

This Is The Truth


Peace, love & prayers-
K

Mustard Seeds

Verse of the Day:
Matthew 17:20

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

I grew up in a household where we go to church. Every. Single. Weekend. No exception. It just happened, and none of us minded! So I always knew God was there, but I didn't really have a strong personal relationship with Him.

I went to Summerfest for the first time, and the one word that described my mood the whole week was frustrated. Of course all the games were fun along with the staff and my counselors, but when it came to God and talking about Him, I got so frustrated. I wanted Him to SHOW me right there and then that He was there. I was basically looking for a sign like a giant gust of wind from heaven or Skittles raining to show me He was present.

I heard this verse about the mustard seed somehwere along the way that week, and thought "Okay, if He's not gonna give me a huge sign, I might as well just give this whole faith thing a try. I'll plant a mustard seed, just to test Him out." Looking back, nothing happened right away. But let me tell you, my faith has grown since then, I mean it has grown A LOT. I'm not saying I'm perfect with my relationship with God or anything like that, but I AM saying that since I planted just that little bit of faith in my heart, God has grown something permanent. So if you're on the fence about this whole faith thing, give it a try! A little mustard seed of faith won't hurt ;)

The Simple Truth: With just a tiny bit of faith, you can do a lot of things. God will help you blossom!

Pray:

God, help me to have faith in You. Give me the courage to plant a mustard seed of faith in my heart and to help it grow. YOU'RE AWESOME. Amen.

Let your light shine.
-Lo

Saying Thanks

Verse of the Day:
Psalm 100:4

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

I'm on student council. These are 3 characteristics of being in such an organization.

1) Nobody knows how much work we do.
2) Nobody CARES how much work we do.
3) Nobody notices how much work we do, unless we mess up.

For realzies. Plain and simple.

Homecoming is coming up, and for student council, that means A LOT of planning. It's a very stressful time of year. Everyone else in the school thinks it's totally fun and it's kind of a 'break' from normal school, but as for us, we are stressed to the MAX. Well...most of us at least! So last year I took up the task of heading the Coronation committee. I didn't think it would involve as much work as it did. In actuality, there's a ton of behind the scene stuff that no one knows about. For example, the piano doesn't just appear on stage, the tuxes don't magically fit all the guys right, and the flowers that the women hold don't come out of no where. So when Coronation was over last year, naturally I had a lot of stress lifted off me. I thought it went fine, but the next day there were students and teachers bombarding me!

"Um, the lighting SUCKED."
"The speaker's speech was waaaay too long."
"I think all the sports teams should wear formal to the event."

Those were just some of the comments I heard. It overwhelmed me even more than I had been in the planning process! Then a couple days after Coronation, a friend came up to me with an envelope. Inside, there was a card. That card said "THANK YOU!" in big letters. I didn't get it. I opened it up and read what she had to say. She thanked me for my planning abilities and for making Coronation a really great night. She told me I did a great job. When everyone else was pointing out everything I did wrong, there was someone who was thanking me for doing the job at all.

I think this relates to our prayer life. When we sit down to pray, a majority of us list off the things that went wrong that day. We tell God our wishes and our dreams. We ask God to help us with a math test. We ask God to strengthen someone who is sick. Don't you think God gets overwhelmed with all of those things? Although it is fine to pray about the things I just talked about, God deserves a great big THANK- YOU at the end of every single day. When you had an awful day, think of the things that didn't go wrong. Thank God for the sunshine. Thank God for your house. Thank God for your best friend. Thank God.

The Simple Truth: God deserves a thank-you each and every day!

Pray:

You're on your own today! Come up with a list of things you are thankful for, and tell God!

Let your light shine.
Lo

My Plans

Verse of the Day:

Proverbs 19:21

²¹ Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

So I just started my senior year of college.  Yep, I am an old lady.  I feel like I just graduated high school still and really cannot believe I have been here for 3 years already!  When I came into college, I remember thinking that by the time I was a senior, I would have my whole life figured out.  I would know who I was going to marry, I would know exactly what I wanted to do when I graduated, I would know where I wanted to live, I would know it all.  I had made my own plans and I tried my hardest to stick to them. 

I thought I was going to be a radiation therapist – now I am going to be a teacher.  I thought I was going to be married young – now the thought of that makes me panic.  I thought I wanted to live around home – now I want to go see the world (for a while at least!).  God threw me a lot of curveballs in the last 3 years, but I could not be more thankful for where I am right now.  I know that I am exactly where I am meant to be and that God knows my purpose.  I can make all the plans that I want to and try to make everything work, but in the end it’s all about where God wants me to end up.

Every person has a purpose.  The real work of our lives is finding it.

The Simple Truth:  You can plan until you’re blue in the face, but when you least expect it God will change your life and direct you on the path that He has planned for you.

Pray:

Lord, thank You for being so concerned about me.  I love that You already have a predetermined plan for my life and cannot wait to see what it is.  Help me to follow and listen to You.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

Our Race

Verse of the Day:

Hebrews 12:1

¹ …let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.   

One of my best friends is currently in the process of training for a marathon.   Some days she is running as many as 19 miles!  To me, that’s pure craziness, but whatever. Ha.  Anyway, when you say you’re going to run a marathon that is a pretty big commitment.  You have to spend many, many hours running.  You have to make sure you’re providing your body with the nutrition it needs.  You have to get enough sleep.  You have to buy quality running shoes.  All in all, you have a to make a lot of sacrifices in order to ensure that you’re going to do well when it comes to race time.

In this verse living a Christian life is compared to running a race.  If you were running a marathon things that would ‘hinder’ or ‘entangle’ you would probably be things like not eating or sleeping well before the race or not training as much as you should have.  In our lives, gossiping, lying, or cheating may be things that easily trap us and cause us to struggle in our race.  We need to ‘train’ our hearts to be stronger Christians.  The only way to win this race is to focus on the goal, put in our very best effort, and stay committed to the task at hand.  The coolest thing about our race is that everyone has the chance to win!  If you keep your focus on Jesus and you stay committed to the race, there is no possible way to lose.

"Let us now get out of the grandstand; let us get down on the racecourse of life, and let us do whatever God has called us to do wherever He has called us to live and move and have our being. Let us run the Christian race, and let us move out for God."  - J. Vernon McGee

The Simple Truth: To win the race of life you need to ‘train’ well and keep your eyes focused on the most amazing prize we could ever receive (eternal life).

Pray:

Lord, thank You for always being by my side in this race called life.  Help me to run away from the things in my life that get in the way of me constantly praising You.  Keep my eyes focused on the finish line.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

Happy weekend! J

Waiting

Verse of the Day:
Joshua 1:9

Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

I hate going to the dentist. I hate it more than anything in the world. I could think of one million things I would rather do than go to the dentist. I am 17 years old, and I tear up every time I have to go because I think it is so awful. I could probably type for 20 more minutes telling you how much I HATE THE DENTIST. I'm just gonna scream it.

I HATE THE DENTIST!

Okay, got that out of the way.

When I get to the dentist office, the waiting room is always comfortable. There are always interesting magazines and entertaining music. It smells nice and there are flowers on the table. The receptionist smiles and is polite and I think, "Hey, maybe this won't be so bad after all!" But then I hear my name. The dentist is calling me into the office. The time has come. I freeze. I don't want to go. I would rather just stay in the waiting room! It's so nice and cozy!

I feel like this situation can be applied to real life. We can get so COMFORTABLE waiting. I mean, let's be real. God is not in a hurry very often. So when he nudges us to get moving, we freeze. We're content. We're afraid to move. But the reality is, we aren't meant to live in the waiting room. The waiting room is there for us to mentally prepare ourselves for what is ahead. When God calls us, we gotta be ready. We gotta have courage. We gotta be strong.  But don't be nervous, God tells us that He is with us (even at the dentist).

Pray:

Lord, help us to be courageous, that we may be strong on the day you call us. Help us not to get too comfortable in the waiting room of life, but to mentally prepare ourselves to do Your will.
P.S. YOU ROCK!

Let your light shine.
-Lo

We Are All In This Together

Verse of the Day:

1 Corinthians 12:27

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

If you know me very well you may know that I absolutely love this blog called ‘1000 Awesome Things’.  The guy who writes it discusses an ‘awesome’ thing each day.  They range from ‘The sound of rain from inside the tent’ to ‘Eating ridiculous things for breakfast’ to ‘Peeling an orange in one shot’.  All really great things that we often overlook and under appreciate.    Reading it always puts me in a better mood.

Today’s ‘Awesome Thing’ is ‘Hanging On’.  Read what Neil has to say about it and then I’ll share my thoughts on how I think it relates to us and the verse I chose for the day.

We’re all pretty much the same.

Packed tightly in our skintight skin is a bumpy clump of slippery organs and brittle bones. Yes, you’re a pile of bones, I’m a bucket of blood, you’re a slab of muscle, I’m a chunk of chub. And no matter what we got squeezing through our veins, zooming through our brains, and dripping out our drains, one big thing just always remains.

We’re all pretty much the same.

We’re all pretty much the same.

We’re all pretty much the same.

Baby brains buzz and little eardrums pop, baby lungs breathe deep and little eyelids flop, but as we grow up and grow older maybe we start letting differences be our guide, start choosing our own adventures, start carving paths and curving wide. We settle into ourselves, settle into our skin, settle into our lives, and find the comforts within…

We grow up, we grow older, some grow hotter, some grow colder. We focus on our tastes, on our preferences and our choices, we find our kinds of friends, we read our kinds of voices. We might cut deep paths, we may turn others away, we may deepen our divides, we may have nothing nice to say.

But way down deep in our stomachs, way down deep in our hearts, we can always remember that no matter which way we turn, which lessons we learn, which bridges we burn…

We’re all pretty much the same.

We’re all pretty much the same.

No matter what money we earn, what chances we churn, what choices we spurn…

We’re all pretty much the same.

We’re all pretty much the same.

Because we’ve all got cracks and chips, we’ve all got sores and scratches, we’ve all got doubts and dreams, we’ve all got hearts with patches. We laugh and cry, we soar and sink, we go up and down, we stop and think. Behind your favorite things, behind your bestest friends, behind your fears and doubts… we’re all waiting here again.

We’re all in this big show together.

We’re all singing the same song.

We’re all walking into the future.

As we all keep hanging on.

(1000awesomethings.com)

We ARE all the same.  And we are ALL God’s creation.  All of us are a part of the bigger picture – the body of Christ.  No matter how different or strange someone seems to you, you have one huge thing in common with everyone.  You are a part of a great thing.  Everyone hurts, everyone wants to be loved, everyone wants to be accepted, and everyone is searching for their own but the same thing.  But no matter what, we are all in this thing together.

The Simple Truth:  We’re all pretty much the same.

Pray:

Lord, thank You for providing me with the people I have in my life.  I am lucky that I have friends who listen to me, parents who love me, and people to support me.  Help me to see that we’re all the same and that every person out there is a part of You.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers- 

K

The Best Advice

Verse of the Day:
Jeremiah 33:3

Call to me, and I will answer you; I will tell you wonderful and marvelous things that you know nothing about.

When tough times hit us, we like someone to talk to. It's always nice to have someone to vent to when a boyfriend breaks up with you or you fail a test. It's especially nice when that friend gives great advice. We like to have someone right there, physically present. But has it ever happened to you when your friends are too busy to listen to you? Or they have their own problems? Who do you turn to then?

Jesus tells us in Jeremiah 33:3 to call upon HIM. And HE will give us the answer. In fact, he will do more than that. He will give us advice that we never even thought about. I know that when I have a problem, I don't always turn to God first. I want INSTANT answers (and we all know that God answers us when the time is right for HIM) so I talk to friends, my sisters, or my mom. Sometimes I am too frustrated, to sad, or too upset to get myself to talk to God. This verse reminds me that He won't let us down. He says right in the verse, 'Call on me, and I will answer you.' Next time you're having a problem, who will you call on?

The Simple Truth: Turn to God in times in trouble. He knows what to do.

Reflect: How often do I go to my friends for advice? How often do I turn to God for advice?

Apply: Next time you're upset, go to God first. He may surprise you!

Prayer:

Lord, help me turn to you when I am going through a tough time. Help me to know that you have the answers that will fufill my heart.

Labor For The Lord

Verse of the Day:

1 Corinthians 15:58

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Happy Labor Day!  School starts tomorrow (draggg) and it is going to be a big adjustment getting back into the routine that we haven't had to think about all summer long.  The teacher in me thinks it wouldn't be a bad idea to maybe write down some goals or things to get accomplished this school year, but of course that's up to you.  :)

Anywho, the verse for today.  Sometimes we work really hard for something and it turns out nothing like we planned.  You study all night for a big test and you don't do as well as you had hoped.  You work extra hard at practice but still someone does better than you in the game.  You put all your time and effort into a friendship that the other person doesn't care about.  All in all, life can be rough sometimes.  All of these things really take a toll on our emotions and our lives.  We can feel like no matter what we do we will never be good enough for ourselves, for our friends, for our parents.  But if we are giving ourselves to the work of the Lord, we know we will never disappoint God, and He is the one person whose judgement truly matters.  God sees EVERY little thing you do and He will reward you greatly for serving Him.

Tomorrow at school do a little extra something that shows you're working for the Lord.  Seek out a new kid and invite him/her to your lunch table.  Reconnect with a friend who you maybe had a falling out with.  

The Simple Truth:  There is no way you can go wrong when you're working for the Lord.  

Pray:

Lord, we are all facing real difficulties and challenges today. Please do your work in our hearts. Encourage the discouraged. Replace anxiety with peace. Restore relationships. Help us to dream Your dreams. Help us to do Your work with willing hearts. Amen.

Happy First Day of School! :)  I'll be praying for all of you.

Love, peace & prayers-

K

Good Deeds

Verse of the Day: 

1 Peter 2:12

¹²Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Being a believer matters. In simple things we do every day. It matters in how we conduct ourselves at home, school, and everywhere else we go. It matters how we treat the kid who sits alone at lunch. It matters to how we treat the crabby cashier at Target. It matters how we treat our parents when they ask us to do a chore. It matters to how  we drive on the roads. This verse reminds us that people who may NOT believe are watching us.

Even the people who do not believe (pagans) notice our good deeds. I mean, who doesn’t appreciate a good driver? Who doesn’t mind someone sitting with them at lunch when they have been sitting alone all week? Who has a problem with a nice comment when they have been working at the same cashier for the past 8 hours?

I looked up the meaning of the last part of the verse, the part that says “and glorify God on the day he visits us”. Apparently it has many meanings, but the one that most Christians believe is that it refers to the day that God brings salvation to a person’s life. So in short, God uses your good deeds to get the attention of non believers so that THEY may also have eternal life. If you think of it that way, it’s pretty mind blowing, isn’t it? J Good deeds go a LONG way.

The Simple Truth:  Our good deeds matter.

Pray:

Jesus, remind us that our actions and words really do matter. Use this truth to motivate us to do good deeds and bring people to You. Amen!

Let your light shine.

-Lo

Leading Your Flock

Verse of the Day:

1 Peter 5:2-3

² Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers – not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; ³ not lording over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 

Do you feel like you’re a leader?  Well whether or not you do, you are.  There are constantly people that you don’t even know about who are watching how you life your life as an example of how to live theirs.  It might be younger siblings, cousins, people at school, or teammates.  I can still remember people that I looked up to when I was in elementary and middle school.  They may have never or rarely talked to me, but I knew a lot about them.  Creepy, I know.  hahahah.  God has made you to be examples of what it means to live like a good Christian and He so badly wants you to not have control over or ‘lord’ these people, but to just be a good example to them.  He also wants you to be willing.  I think that being an example and overseeing His flock is a great and actually pretty easy way to serve Him.

Knowing that you’re a leader and that people are looking up to you helps you make good decisions in your life.  I know can think of a few times when I have been tempted or ask to do something that I knew probably wasn’t a good idea and I thought ‘Would I want to tell Lauren about this?  Would I want to tell my Summerfest girls about this?’ and if the answer was no, I didn’t do it.  By trying to be an example to others, I make better decisions in my life.

The Simple Truth:  People are watching you even when you don’t know it.  Strive to constantly be a good example to those who God has entrusted to you.

Apply:  Make an effort to interact with people who you think you might be an example to.  Your smile in the hallway, invite to a party, or just a kind word could change their life.

Pray:

Lord, I pray for everyone who is a leader. Give us courage to lead. Give us tender hearts to serve. Help us to be strong in our faith and to make good decisions. Give us vision and grace. Help us to lead like Jesus.   Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

Forgiveness

Verse of the Day:
Genesis 42:6-8, 25-28


Joseph was in charge of the country; he sold grain to all its people. His brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground. When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan to buy food,” they replied. Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. Joseph then gave orders to fill their containers with grain, return each man’s money to his sack, and give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out. They loaded the grain on their donkeys and left.


The musical this year is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. So, me being the nerd I am, I have been watching the movie and listening to the soundtrack nonstop. Last night, I actually read the whole story of Joseph in the Bible. SO COOL! The whole story is about something EVEN BETTER than getting even – forgiveness.


Here’s the shortened story of Joseph. Joseph had 11 brothers. Joseph was the favorite son, though, and all of his brothers got extremely jealous of him. So one day, they got so fed up that they decided to sell him. So basically Joseph went through a lot of rough stuff, but he always managed to get by because he had a special talent of interpreting dreams. So, he went to Egypt and interpreted the Pharaoh’s dream and the Pharaoh made Joseph his right hand man. He had a LOT of power. At this time, his brothers and were STARVING at their own home in Canaan. They heard that Egypt was selling food, so they made the trek there to beg for food. When they got there, they didn’t realize that the dazzling young ruler who met them and sold them grain was his own BROTHER. Joseph could have kicked them out. He could have made them starve. Because remember that his brothers were the ones who SOLD him. But Joseph filled their sacks with food and FORGAVE them. Joseph returned so much good for so much evil.


The Simple Truth: Forgiveness is better than getting even.


Reflect: Do I purposely get even with people when they do something mean to me, just to pay them back?


Apply: Next time you feel like getting even with someone, surprise them with kindness and forgive them.


Pray:
Lord, help me take the story of Joseph and his brothers and apply it to my life by forgiving others even when it is hard.


Let your light shine.
-Lo