What is the most I can do?

Verse of the Day:
Matthew 16:24

Whoever wishes to follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross.

I've been working a lot on attitude lately, which is hard for me (for those who don't know me, I am actually quite the pessimist). But looking at this positively really truly does make your day go a lot smoother. Whenever I'm getting down on myself or on others, I think of this verse. I don't know why, it just gets me thinking about Jesus and all he did for me. It also gets me thinking of how I can do things for others.

Jesus never said "What's the least I can do and still bring salvation to the whole entire world?". Instead, he asked "What is the most I can do?". He gave up his life for us! With a positive attitude and this mentality of "What is the most I can do?", we're bound to make a difference in someone's life.

Especially in this holiday season, ask yourself, "What is the most I can do?". Maybe you can give up a couple Christmas presents this year and put the money toward buying toys for other kids who can't afford them. Maybe you can volunteer somewhere to package food for underprivlaged areas. So many options! What will do you?

The Simple Truth: Jesus did so much for us. He sacrificed is own life. What can we do for others?

Pray:

Lord, help me to be considerate of others and to ask myself regularly what I can do to improve someone's day. Help me make sacrifices, like You did on the cross.

Let your light shine.
-Lo

We're backkk!

Verse of the Day:

James 1:19

¹⁹ My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

We are back in action.  Expect a much more consistent blog from now on. J

I love this verse.  Mostly because it is so clear how you can apply something like this to your life.  And even though really does sound hard to live like this on a daily basis, I think we would be amazed at how things would change if we did.

Be quick to listen:  I actually really do like to listen to people.  But sometimes, I just want to tell my story or give my advice!  I consciously have to think about the fact that I need to be focusing on what the person who I am talking to is telling me.  It is easy to get distracted thinking about what you want to say next or even with other things going on in your head, but listening to someone and focusing on them and only them is an amazing gift that you can give a person.

Be slow to speak:   I have trouble with this a lot.  Something comes to my mind, and I want to say it immediately!  A lot of times I don’t completely think through what I am saying, and after it comes out of my mouth I want to just shove it back in.  Especially when you’re having a conversation with someone who wants your advice, being slow to speak and thinking through what you say is extremely important.   When God suggest we are slow to speak, I think He wants us to evaluate how much it is going to help the person or the situation. 

Be slow to get angry: People are going to hurt us.  People are going to do things and say things that we wish they wouldn’t.  But hurt is just a part of life.  When we are angry with someone, we are making life harder for ourselves and for that person.  I am nowhere near perfect, but I’ve learned that holding grudges is never worth it.  I try my hardest look at the situation from the outside and be able to either forgive the person, or be able to talk over a solution with them.  God doesn’t want us to spend our time being angry and bitter toward others.  We’re all in this together.  God gave us other people so life would be a little easier to get through.

Pray:

Lord, please help me to follow Your advice every day that I live.  Help me to think through my thoughts and actions and be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.  You are a great God.  Amen.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

You Can't Earn Grace

Verse of the Day:

Ephesians 2:8

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves; it is a gift of God.

In our lives, we constantly have to earn things.  I work hard and put a lot of time into school so I can earn good grades.  I have a job so that I can earn money and eventually buy the things I need.  I respect and listen to my parents so I earn their trust.  I try to be professional to my professors so I earn their respect.  I feel like I am always trying to earn all of these, plus more, things in my life.   But here’s some great news.  WE DON’T HAVE TO EARN GOD’S GRACE!  He tells us right in this verse, it’s a gift from Him.  There is nothing we can do to earn or deserve it.  It’s just ours. 

When we realize that God has given us this glorious gift not because we earned it, but solely because He loves us so very much, it makes it easier to give up our lives to Him and follow Him in everything we do.  By being willing to accept God’s grace, we are giving ourselves the fuel we need to obey and love God with everything we have.

‘God woos us every day with kindness; He changes our character with the passion of His love.’ – DM

The Simple Truth:  You can do nothing to earn God’s grace.  It’s yours, no matter what you do, because He is crazy about you.

Pray:

Lord, make my heart ready to accept the amazing grace that You offer me.  Thank you for all the gifts You provide for me that I don’t have to earn.  You are a great God.  Help me to continue to make the daily decision to follow You.

Peace, love & prayers-

K

Silence

Verse of the Day:
Job 37:14

"Listen to this; stop and consider God's wonders."

We live in a noisy society. There is noise all around us at all times. The day starts with a loud alarm, then you usually listen to music while you get ready, then off to school where your friends are always talking, then to a sport practice where coaches are yelling, then to dinner where you talk about your day, then you watch some TV and do some homework, and then it's time for bed. Many of us even fall asleep to the TV or to our iPod!

Silence is something that is not easy for us, in my opinion. When there is silence, it signals boredness or something negative. But silence is vital for a good relationship with God and for an intamacy with YOURSELF. I haven't mastered the skill of silence yet, but I'm trying. Whenever I am driving, many times I completely turn off my radio and just spend some time by myself. Sometimes in the middle of homework, I stop and just lay down in silence. It really helps you keep in touch with yourself and silence is a great place to pray.

So, if you're confused, angry, tired, frustrated, happy, excited, grateful...whatever. Come to the silence.

The challenge: 10 minutes a day of pure silence. Ask yourself every morning when you can fit it in your schedule for the day. You'll be surprised at how much you'll appreciate that time for yourself.

The Simple Truth: Silence can help us grow in our faith and help us develop an intimacy with own selves.

Pray:

Lord, help me to realize that silence is not a bad thing. Help me to take time out of my day daily and devote it to You and to myself. Speak to my heart in those times of silence. Amen!

Let your light shine.
-Lo

Our Rescuer

Verse of the Day:
John 1:14


The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

A man was performing a covert operation, freeing hostages from a building in some dark part of the world.  His team flew by helicopter, made their way to the compound and stormed into the room where the hostages had been imprisoned for months.  The room was filthy and dark.  The hostages were curled up in a corner, terrified.  When the men (Navy SEALs) entered the room, they heard the gasps of the hostages.  The SEALs stood at the door and called out to the prisoners, telling them that they were Americans.  The SEALs asked the hostages to follow them, but they wouldn't.  They sat there on the floor and hid their eyes in fear.  They were not of healthy mind and didn't believe their rescuers were really Americans.  

The SEALs stood there, not knowing what to do.  They couldn't possibly carry everybody out.  The man leading the operation got an idea.  He put down his weapon, took off his helmet, and curled up tightly next to the other hostages, getting so close his body was almost touching some of theirs.  He softened the look on his face and put his arms around them.  He was trying to show them he was one of them.  None of the prison guards would have done this.  He stayed there for a little while until some of the hostages started to look at him, finally meeting his eyes.  The man whispered that they were Americans and they were there to rescue them.  'Will you follow us?' he asked.  The hero stood to his feet and one of the hostages did the same, then another, until all of them were willing to go.  All of the hostages safely made it onto American aircraft carriers.  (Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller)

Jesus became man so that we would be able to trust Him.  He loves His people and cares deeply about us.  The decision to follow Him is very much life the decision of the hostages to follow  their rescuer.  

God is asking you everyday to follow Him.  What decision are you making?

Peace, love & prayers-

K

Selflessness

Verse of the Day:
Philippians 2:4


Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself.

It is really really easy to think of ourselves before we think of others.  I believe that as humans we are naturally selfish and understandably, we want what is best for us.  This is our life and every one of us wants to be happy, successful, loved - all that.  There are many times that I can think of where I did something that didn't necessarily put someone else in a bad place, but it definitely benefited me more than it did anyone else.  God tells us here that we should be thinking about what is best for others before we think of what is best for ourself.
This brings me to the real point of this blog.  People matter.  Our lives would be nothing like they are right now if we didn't have people to celebrate with and to suffer with.  To love and to appreciate, and to love and appreciate us.  To influence and be influenced by.
If you're constantly focused on yourself and what is going to make your life easier and better, chances are you're not going to be the #1 person that people will want to be around.  But if you're making life easier and better for people around you, you will be someone that other people are drawn to.  People will want to be around you because you make THEM better.  Awesome.

Think about this:
The overwhelming majority of the time I spend thinking about myself, pleasing myself, reassuring myself, and when I am done there is nothing to spare for everyone else.  Six billion people live in this word and I can only muster thoughts for one.  Me.


Take some time to think about others today and appreciate all the amazing people you have in your life.

The Simple Truth: People matter.  Serve those around you.

Pray:
Lord, help me to look at others as more important than myself.  It is easy for me to be selfish in so many situations, but show me the way to serve You and others in everything I do.  Amen.

Happiness

Verse of the Day:
Matthew 10:8

"Freely you have received, freely give."

First of all, we just want to say thank you for all of the prayers throughout the last couple of weeks. The power of prayer is amazing, something we have never experienced so much in our lives. We've had a little trouble getting back into the swing of things, so blogs might still not be consistent, but bear with us!


Happiness is something that we all want. All the time. We try and keep our happiness level up, so we are always on a 'happy high'. We find little things to be happy about and we find big things to be happy about. I read this entry out of a book I'm reading, and it really hit me. Think about happiness this way:
 
"I guess it all comes down to deciding how long you want to be happy. If you just want moments of happiness, I suspect pleasure and possessions can satisfy. If you want to be happy for an hour, take a nap. If you want to be happy for a whole day, go shopping. If you want to be happy for a weekend, go fishing. If you want to be happy for a month, take a trip to Australia. If you want to be happy for a whole year, inherit a fortune. But if you want to be happy for a lifetime, find a way to make a difference in other people's lives."
 
Find a way to make a difference in other people's lives. Whether that's picking someone's books off the floor for them or giving them a compliment. God has done SO much for us, we need to pay it forward. That's where the true happiness will come.
 
The Simple Truth: Many things can make us happy, but only for short periods of time. Living God's word and making a difference in other people's lives will give us eternal happiness.
 
Pray:
 
Lord, help me to put others before myself. Help me to do what you want me to do and to positively impact others around me.
 
Let your light shine.
-Lo