How Much Can You Forgive?

17 " 'Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.
18 " 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:17 & 18 (NIV)

"O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes," he said, "then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance." Exodus 34:9 (NIV)

21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[a] Matthew 18:21 &22 (NIV)

This afternoon, I watched a brief video concerning the Muslims population. Then, I thought about a message from a pastor who had worked in a Muslim country. He said, "Once a nation arrives at a 70% Muslim population they publicly execute Christians who refuse to bow to "Allah." After that, I thought about a friend of mine at school who told me she was afraid to renounce "Allah" as her god. She was afraid of being beaten, or even killed.

What kind of religion kills people for non belief or abandonment? Certainly not a loving or free willed one. Why does anyone even consider that kind of faith? My God is loving and merciful. Yet He created the heavens and the earth. He seeks love from His people on a free will basis.

I am really struggling with the fact that we may see public executions and this country and that America may be a Muslim nation before I die. Do you know what and why you believe? Is your faith worth dying for? Jesus Christ gave His life freely for me. I'll gladly live and die for him, but I am not without sin. Jesus knew no sin. He became the ultimate sacrifice for any sinner who would invite Him to be their Savior and Lord.

Will I be able to forgive others if they kill my friends and family in Christ? That's one I'll have to pray about, because it's hard to forgive others who harm my loved ones. How do you feel about this question?

Are You Ready for Life's Finals?

" Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." 15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,"

1Peter 3:13-18 (NIV)

"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:8-14 (NIV)

A few weeks ago our pastor told a joke about an elderly lady who was in a nursing home about to die. Her grand daughter came in while she was reading her bible. After the grand daughter sat patiently waiting for her dear grandmother to finish, she noticed that she was reading from chapter to chapter. The granddaughter's a lotted time she could spend talking to her grandmother was quickly slipping away. So gently the lady asked, "Grandmother, what are you doing?"

To which the Grandmother replied, "I'm cramming for finals dear!"

Many of us are in our last two weeks before Summer finals at school. Everything is quickly coming to an end in our present classes. It's so ironic that when they started I was so up tight I failed all my first tests. A math teacher looked at me and said, "What happened? I know you know this stuff." I was so tense I figured out the the problems, but coordinated the wrong answer to most of the problems.

Life can be like that, can't it? We know the right thing to do, but left on our own guidance, we choose the wrong solution. Then it seems we'll never find our way back, but somehow God always takes us back.

As my math teacher pointed out, we need to relax and just take it one step at a time, slowly and methodically, knowing God is in control. "It's a test-not a matter of life and death!" If we fail God will probably make us go back through the same thing until we get it right with Him. Things really do go better with Jesus-not Coke a Cola.

So Many Things to be Thankful for!

(This is Hurricane Shoals in February. Friday I rode a tube from the falls down stream! What a blast, thankfully God gave me the strength and wisdom to dodge, and bounce off the rocks! You can't imagine the Zeal and Joy it is, unless you do it yourself! At 48 it's quite a thrill. No, there's not this much water there now, it's actually more of an adventure with less water!)


Be ye Glad, be ye glad Jesus is the best friend we've ever had!





I have so many things to be thankful for, many more than ever take the time to count each day. Most of you know I was suppose to be dead many years ago, yet I'm not only alive, but doing well! If fate calls my number today and I enter eternity in less than a Nano second, again I come up on the winning end. Because Christ is my Savior and friend, I simply reside at the best address given-heaven.





Friday, I had the joyous privilege of tubing down a small water fall not far from my house. Honestly, I felt like squealing like a happy little kid as the tube roared over the falls, down stream. It's so hard to imagine less than 3 summers ago I was facing the possibility of not walking any more, before an extensive surgery with lots of pain and lots of mesh. Dr. Linn at Emory hospital cut and sewed for over six long intensive hours putting this body back together again. Had he not took the time and skill I would be setting in a wheel chair today. (My stomach muscles had ripped apart almost all the way around to my spinal cord. Had they reached the spinal cord, I would have been paralyzed from my waist down for the rest of my life.)





Not only am I connected but I'm actually sore from tubing on Friday-but what a great pain to know it comes from using muscles that could have easily been disconnected and non functioning had they not been repaired. God is so good, we never know exactly how or what He will do in this life time. Sometimes we run, sometimes we're forced to slow down and walk. Sometimes we are so weak we have to crawl, but one thing we must never do is give up. Why should we the author and perfecter of our faith is still in control! Do what you must, just never give up!





Thank God for all the Good , Bad and Ugly. It's at all those times He shows us who and what we are, His children in the struggle of living, loving and hopefully growing in Him! Hail Him who saves you by His grace.





Thanksgiving and Prayer





"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.



For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."


Colossians 1:3-14 (NIV)


No matter what happens today or any day, I hope you can say with me, "Life has been good and God has been an an awesome God who has Always loved and took such good care of me!"

Stear into the wake, but set your eye on the prize

"6.But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
11But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
17Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." 1st Timothy 6:6-19 (NIV)

That says so much at one time, but really sums up what we should seek in this lifetime. We come into this life naked and we shall go out the same way-with no material value. It is so easy to get caught up in all the other distractions isn't it? Satan loves to throw us off track from God with all the temptations where we're the weakest.

Set your eyes on the prize and cling to the spirit of God as you sail through the waters of life and love.

We may need to follow the wake of those who have gone on before us, but how we sail and our life journey ultimately is left between God and the individual sailor!

Choices

"A person should be like a watch-open-faced, busy hands, well regulated and full of good works. " Roy Zuck

That is a pretty good illustration, wouldn't you agree? it is so important to keep growing and going, as long as we are alive. Everyday is an opportunity to grow in our relationships with others and God. We will never know how many days we have left before our time on earth stops.

My father called last night and told me that one of my first fishing buddies in Michigan has advanced lung cancer. You or I may never take another breath, because every breath is given from our creator and sustainer. Tell me what would you do today if today was your last day on earth?

Now go tell those people you love how much you love them. Share the important stuff, do the necessary things you'll want to be remembered for and live like it was your last chance. Dance like nobody is watching! Live,Laugh, Love and Give everything you give from your heart!

Will the choices you make today bring health and happiness to God and others, as well as yourself? Make the most of what you have, give it to your heavenly Dad!

"If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.
Command and teach these things. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching" 1 Timothy 4:6-13 (NIV)

You and I will be changed in the twinkling of an eye. That is why it is so important to know where you will go when you die.

Seven ways to build a Better You

1. Show Appreciation

2. Reach out and connect with other people

3. Work on the Relationships you have.

4. Follow Jesus-The best Role model you'll ever have.

5. Smile often

6. Focus on Positive People

7. Build your inner circle with the people who inspire, truly love and care about you and others with a sincere heart. Never forget, you must love others in order to be loved.

What kind of people do you want to attract? I guess that depends on where your heart really is. Just remember that life is short and it goes by so much faster than you imagined, so make the most of what you have and be glad while you're here doing it!

Proverbs 21:1-8 (NIV)
1 The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.
2 All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.
3 To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin!
5 The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.
6 A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.
7 The violence of the wicked will drag them away, for they refuse to do what is right.
8 The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

Everyone needs a place to meet God Alone

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul alike." John Muir

I totally agree with that statement, so often I find I need sheer solitude with God instead of haughty, noisy crowds. Sometimes I simply need to be alone and ask God, "What should I do now?" Sometimes He doesn't respond quickly, and I become frustrated, but often as I'm walking and waiting He simply responds through simple examples in nature. Pray for me as I seek God's guidance in so many things.

"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah chapter 40:28-31 KJV