The Unbeatable Gift

Giving someone a gift is an act of love, we give gifts so we can see the other person happy.  No one would give someone something thinking that person wouldn’t want or need it. Our Lord gave us a precious gift through His son Jesus Christ, a treasure every human desires. As it says in 1 Peter 1:3, “Praise be to the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in His great mercy He has given us a new birth through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” This would be referring to two new births; the first in our current bodies the second in our new. The first means removing the feeling of “its my way or the highway” sense and letting the Holy Spirit come into your heart and change your life. The second new birth is even better, because guess what? We get rid of this flimsy body and we receive a stupendous new body in a new place where I don’t think they’ll have scales or canes in heaven! And it gets better, no allergies! So free Kats everywhere!

With this in mind, have you received God’s gift for you? He only gives the most precious and glorious presents. Though challenges will still arrive, accepting God’s gift makes it possible to thrive during tough times. The Holy Spirit will guide you and give you perseverance.

Soul Salad

Staring at your bruise only emphasizes the size and pressure of it. Even though it hurts, distracting yourself will get your mind away from the ouch. And perhaps even move on to something nourishing for the body like salads. One might even consider enjoying a soul salad, they are even more nourishing! Where might one find these? With Jesus! He died on the cross for you and I so we might have everlasting life. As it says in Hebrews 12:2 “Fixing your eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him he endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Let the Holy Spirit be your physical trainer, build strength by reading the Bible, and gain endurance through Jesus, He will guide your every step. 

The Sword of the Spirit

The devil hides way beneath the shadows, you never expect his sly attack. Whether it be coaxing us to say something horrible, or tempting us to do something mischievous, you never know when he will strike. However, we are given such a stupendous protection, a suit that fits perfectly sent by the Lord called the armor of God. Ephesians 6:12-13 describes why we need the armor of God, “Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. That is why you need to put on God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will be standing.” This Godly armor will protect you from the various temptations and struggles satan tries to stumble you with. 

Though you may be as weak as a kitten, by using the power of the Lord you can be as fierce as a lion. Praying for God’s strength and reading the Bible will help against the spiritual battles of the world. 

God Will Rescue You

The lawn is nicely mowed but keep your eyes off the despicable things such as the large tin of trash to the side. A well kept lawn in this case represents life. While keeping your eyes on the beautiful lawn and praising God for it, don’t let your eyes become distracted with the negative items that lessen the lawns beauty. But even if some things aren’t very pleasing to look at still praise God for them. Certainly we can face hardships, but if we focus on the good and look continually on the positive there is a road to relief. If you need help finding the bright side of life don’t call Triple A, rather call out to the Holy Trinity. As it says in Psalm 50:15, “Then call on me in day of distress; I will rescue you, and you will honor me.” Call on someone who actually knows all the answers which is only God! And there are various ways God can rescue you, sometimes it’s just by sending a certain Bible verse that a friend tells you to check out or you happen to run across a particular verse as your doing your Bible reading for the day.

Now that the lawn is looking nice its time to go out and enjoy a cup of coffee while you’re reading the Bible searching for the verse the Lord put upon your heart that day.

Figs from Thistles?

Put the pedal to the metal, actions speak louder than words.

Of course it’s simple to talk the talk but go a step further and include the walk. Don’t be like a tree with no leaves or fruit, it would be full of empty branches and cut down due to its worthlessness. As James 2:14 says, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?” Saying you know God without actions would be like someone who just cut their finger, and after finding bandaids they never put one on. Even though the bandaids are in visual distance they are too preoccupied by something else and they simply do nothing. When a person becomes saved they are encouraged to carry out the deeds of the Holy Spirit, not only in words alone but also in action.

“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles...A good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit...Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” Matthew 7:16-17,19-20

I Think I Hear the Phone Ringing

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay, the telephone is ringing! Did you know there is actually someone waiting for your call right now? Our Heavenly Father is waiting for you to call out to Him!

King David made the call after making some mistakes. Though we strive to live a Godly life, occasionally our sinful nature wins. King David made some huge mistakes, but he realized he needed God’s assistance to help clean up the messes he made. As David wrote in a prayer in Psalm 4:1 “Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.” Replace wasting your time whining about how life is rough and instead call on your faithful friend God who is always waiting, eagerly wanting to help.

How does God respond to your call? Sometimes the help comes to you through a Bible verse, other times it’s by sending an old friend to chat with you. Or sometimes you will wait in silence until you hear His peaceful voice. God will never ignore your call.

Made for Another World

Through thick and thin is a lifelong endeavor. Pens run out of ink, seasons change, not a lot can survive through thick and thin. If you want to indulge yourself with finding something that is never going to cease to exist there’s only one thing to do, remove your eyes from items that run out of batteries and look to the unending Lord. As it says in 1 Peter 1:24-25, “For all people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

If this concept is hard to grasp let me help you curious cats like myself out there. How does the enduring word of the Lord help me in this chaotic world?  It’s because the Word instills hope, the continual hope of heaven with Christ. This is not a brief visit but a forever one. No more competitions or weight loss challenges, but peace in heaven forevermore. C.S. Lewis said, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we are made for another world.”