We all have a part as the Body of Christ

I have attended the same church for 17 years. I have seen many changes in the church during my time here. I have seen seasons of growth and I have also seen what seems to be dry seasons. I believe that God places us where He wants us to be at a specific place at a specific time for a specific reason.  So often, it is easy for us to want to leave or attend a different church because things are not going as we think they should. Not enough ministries for the young adults, not enough events for the youth or the young children of the church...etc. my question is this....why do we choose to leave instead of stepping up and taking the ministry you feel so passionate about and praying about what you could do to make the ministry what you would like it to be?  Please know that I am preaching to myself because I am so guilty of this...waiting for someone else to do "the job".  What would happen if the people of our churches stepped up and took the bull by the horns per say? When your church seems to be going through a dry spell...are you doing your part to make it pass or are you sitting on the sidelines complaining and talking about what "others" should be doing? 

1 Corinthians 12:27 says "Now YOU are the body of Christ, and each one of YOU is a part of it." 

We all have a part in our churches. We all have gifts The Lord has equipped us with. Let's use these gifts to help bring others to Christ. Lets quit waiting on someone else to do OUR job. 

I am truly guilty of this. I want things to be easy. I say yes to things of this world, yet when it comes to the things that help grow the Kingdom of heaven, I sit and wait for others to take the lead. Let's be the leaders God created us to be and be in prayer of the ministries God wants us to help grow. 

Fully surrendering our lives to God

Peyton came home today and we were shopping for socks to wear with our clown costumes. As we were shopping she told me she went to a bible study last night and they discussed how God wanted to be involved in every aspect of our life, all of our decisions....whether big or small. Her example she gave me was about a lady trying to decide what color to paint her kitchen. It may seem silly to pray to God and ask him something so trivial compared to other things in life, but he wants us to come to him as our Father, our Best Friend. He cares about the things we care about. I picked up a pair of socks and Peyton jokingly asked "do you feel at peace with these socks?" (She's really not crazy). My answer was "no, I don't".  This may sound ridiculous...but if we really think about it, why do we just go to him for big decisions? And an even more important question is, do we go to Him at all for any life decisions? Do we pray about our jobs? Do we pray about what He wants us to do in life? Do we pray about the person we or our children choose to marry? Do we pray when we go to make a decision to buy large purchases such as homes or vehicles? He knows what we need and cares about all of these things...even my pair of silly clown socks. 

Philippians 4:7 says "And the Peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  

This peace can only be found when we are truly in the center of God's perfect will for our lives.  And the only way to be in His perfect will is to surrender our body, soul, spirit and our ENTIRE life into His perfect hands. 

I can't wait to find my PERFECT clown socks! 

Why should we forgive?

I love when I listen to the Holy Spirit! I love when I go to church and come home covered with conviction! I especially love the times I actually obey the Holy Spirit! You know why???  Because it sets me free! 

I have been hurt...we all have been hurt. I have hurt others....we all have hurt others, whether it be intentional or not. 

As I have said before, I have struggled for years trying to figure out what my spiritual gifts are. I know I have at least one because God's word says as soon as we accept Christ as our Savior, we receive our spiritual gifts. Mine happens to be Forgiveness. I love to forgive. I have forgave all of my life. I have a sense of urgency to not only forgive, but also receive forgiveness. I do not always believe that asking someone to forgive you is accepting all fault, but I know in every situation there is fault of my own in some way. So when someone apologizes, I can't think of a time I haven't accepted it.  Why?? Because my God forgives me everyday! Matthew 6:14-15 says if you forgive others their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you...but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. I don't know about y'all, but I NEED daily forgiveness from my Father!  This is where my urgency comes from! Who am I to think God should forgive me, if I am unwilling to forgive others? But what if the other party is not willing to forgive? Or even wants your forgiveness? It doesn't matter...because you have set yourself free from the bondage that has been holding you. Praise God!!!!!!

Another reason to forgive is because Ephesians 6:12 tells us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood (other people) but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. In other words, man is not our enemy....Satan is. Satan sneaks in and nothing makes him happier than when he can cause conflict and bitter hearts. 

I choose to live without a bitter heart. I want to love all people because God loves me and I have been commanded to do the same!