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March 25th, 2014

3/25/2014

1 John 4:16-17.
"We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world."

Two things stood out to me as I read this: first, "...and as we live in God, our love grows more perfect..." This is why our having a relationship with Him is so important. We grow by knowing and we know by learning. As we continue to learn and grow we become what we know, since God is love we begin to truly love because our lives are changing. As we put time in any relationship it becomes stronger, how much stronger will we be by developing our relationship with The Lord.

Secondly, "...but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world." Our confidence is because we know Him and our lives have changed to be like His. The Holy Spirit in us gets louder and because we are true friends we listen to what the Spirit is saying. I love listening to people that are excited to know Jesus because they are talking with Him constantly with prayer or reading and they have a glow or light about them. God wants us to talk and know Him so He has given us all we need to find Him.

In Matthew chapter 7 verses 7-8 Jesus says this, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."
This is why we build our relationship daily and never stop learning who Jesus is and how He showed us to live. We need to be confident and let Him continue to perfect our lives by His power in us. Amen

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2 Peter 1

3/18/2014

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2 Peter 1:3-4
"By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for
living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one
who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And
because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious
promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and
escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires."

This is why it is so important for us to look down deep into why we believe in Jesus and learn to
belong to Him. It says, "...God has given us everything we need to live a godly life." The way we do this is by knowing Him and the way we know Him is by studying Him (relationally). God is not trying to make it difficult to know His Son, He has given us everything we need, we just need to seek Him. When we open our heart to Him and devote ourselves to Him we experience the strength that comes from Him. It says because of His excellence and glory we have all we need to live our day to day lives not driven by what we lust for or feel we
deserve, but we die to ourselves and live to do His will. When we think we need something that we want so bad our flesh can't stop craving it we say ( not my will) and we turn to Jesus for strength.

This is true because it us in God's word and we believe and have faith in Him because we belong to Him. Peter shares, "these are the promises that enable you to share His Devine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires." No matter what our human desires are we can die to them because of who we are in Christ. We can always make excuses for why we choose the things we do but when we say yes to Jesus and our life becomes living to glorify Him we don't see our choices as that important.

We might think this is to hard and it is good enough just to believe but Jesus really does want us to show our love with obedience. He is not asking us to show how perfect we are or how perfect we can do something, He is asking us to know Him so much that we live how the Spirit is guiding us and we know Him so much that we can finish our thoughts the way He would because we know Him. This world will always say we should get this or get that or do this or do that but we know if we stop to pray and listen we will be given exactly what we need even if we don't agree. Love is not having to be right but it is willing to be there for others. As I sit on my couch for the seventh week after breaking my neck and back I see how no matter my circumstances I still need to glorify God in my actions and life choices. I can choose to be down or I can choose to be a light. God has given me the tools to be a light so I need to continue to learn and grow so He gets the glory.

I love what Peter shares in 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 5-7, "In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone." The very first thing says "make every effort". Are we making every effort? Sometimes I can say no and that is not alright with me, so I pray to be stronger and I study more and I try and become less of me so I can shine more of Him. John the Baptist had it right on when he said this to his followers and as I have learned by God's word He has given me people to study, stories to read, miracle to see and love that is unfailing. Let's all focus on Him and give, serve and love because He has done that for us. Amen

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1 Peter 1

3/11/2014

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1 Peter 1:13-16 "So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, "You must be holy because I am holy."

These verses are just so important for us to read, bite into and then swallow. It says exercise self control, and that mean as we get to know Jesus we will also have to partner with Him to believe and change our ways. The Holy Spirit is in us to guide us and show us everything but He will not just make us new. We are going to have to believe and accept what Jesus has done and then live as new creations lead by the Spirit in us. It says to live obediently to the Father and not to do what we desire but to see what God desires. When we continue to grow and study our new life the Spirit shows us every way to be obedient and as we surrender, God's love will transform us, but it takes us being a part of the transformation. In Romans chapter 12 verse 2 it tells us "...to let God transform us..." If we don't (let) we will struggle being different and if we are not different the world won't see Christ in us.

I love verse 23 which says, "you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God." As the church and a new creation (born again) we must be an example to right living that is shown by a love that can only comes from The Lord. We must stop living by our feelings and start feeling why we are living. Which is living for Him and growing to help people see Him in all we do. It is a process of maturing that will never stop but will always get better. Our strength comes from Christ and that strengths allows us to say no to our desires and yes to His will. It doesn't mean He will make our desires right for our lives, but He will help us think of the better way that will glorify the Father. We can't fight the truth and have it our way we must open up and learn to be holy like He is holy, this is done by having a relationship with Him and desiring to be like Him.

I want to end with this prayer: Father I want to thank you for the gift you have given to all and I want to learn all I can so I continue to grow and show that I am a fully devoted follower of Jesus. Keep my focus on you and off of me. Amen

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James 1

3/2/2014

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James 1:13-15 "And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, "God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death."

As I read this today it just kept speaking too me. We always want to put the blame for our actions on something so we have an excuse for why we couldn't help doing it. We have to take the responsibility for our actions and know we are new creations in Christ so as we learn from God we change how we act and live. When we open our heart and accept Jesus that is the beginning of our new lives, as we take the responsibility to ask, seek and knock God transforms us so as we do, we can grow. Read Romans chapter 12 verse 2 it says, "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

God will do it but we still need to be willing to let Him. If temptation comes from our own desires then we have to play a part in our desires. What I mean is; if we believe we are new creations and let God transform us then our desires can change to what we are feeding on. If it is a constant dose of God's word and prayer we have a good chance of our desires being the good we are putting in. If we put nothing but the world in, then our desire will be clouded to what the world is showing us. And we all know the world is going to show us what we want it to. If we want to validate a sin we are doing sooner than later the world will ok that sin and keep us focused on ourselves. Then even when we know what is right we do what is wrong because we take our eyes off the truth- Jesus Christ. It says our "...temptations entice us and drag us away..." We can't allow our actions to be from what we desire we must forget ourselves and truly believe the statement "not my will be done." We can't live our lives loving God when it is convenient for us we need to grow and make our obedience to Him what we desire.

This will take us living and believing that we are new and different and that the will of God is our passion. Really look at the end if verse 15 which says, "And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death." When the desire is Jesus then He is what grows and we live not for ourselves but for God and others so people see something different about us and then desire it as well. Amen

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March 25th, 2014

2 Peter 1

1 Peter 1

James 1

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