Throwing Stones

There is an old saying, “People who live in glass houses, shouldn’t throw stones.”  I was reading a story in John the other day where Jesus made a similar statement.  He had been teaching in the temple, when the religious leaders brought before him a woman caught in the act of adultery.  They wanted to know what punishment the woman should have.  The Law of Moses commanded that she be stoned, but Jesus came to bring repentance to sinners; to save them, not destroy them.

The religious leaders were trying to entrap Jesus, to put him between a rock and a hard place.

Jesus encouraged the crowd who were pointing fingers at this woman to look inside themselves.  He urged whoever was without sin in their life to throw the first stone.  And no one could.  One by one, they turned and walked away.  When it was just Jesus and the woman left, he asked her if anyone had condemned her.  She said, “No.” 
 
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:11)

Jesus didn’t condemn the woman, nor did he condone what she had done.  He implored her to move on … and stop doing what she had been doing.

WOW … that is such an encouragement for me.  I don’t have to beat myself up when I make a mistake.  I don’t have to be stoned to death … I simply need to STOP – to ask Jesus for forgiveness and turn away from whatever it was I was doing wrong.

And when others mess up … I need to not throw stones … but take a good hard look at myself.

Father, thank you for this lesson.  Teach me how to keep myself clean and clear; to not throw stones at others.

I Love You Jesus!
   In your name I pray,
   Amen

God’s Blessings Upon You!

Love,
Joyce

The Choices You Make Today …
Will Affect Your Tomorrow!
http://www.alifedecision.org

A Chance To Be Different

God directed my attention to a set of Scripture verses this morning during my Bible Study time.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 says: “But mark this. There will be a terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”

Wow. How relevant those words are!! If you ever doubt how close we are to the Lord coming again – all you need to do is read those words. For they describe the world we live in — the world we live in TODAY.

I was watching the “Today Show” this morning and they had a segment on “are we becoming too rude?” I wanted to say “DUH?” I mean, are people just now realizing this? The fact that people think it’s cool to act rebellious, that manners are rare and stand out instead of being the norm, or even the fact that everyone is in too much of a hurry to be polite and courteous to strangers anymore? They are just now seeing this?

And we’ve done it to ourselves. We have no one to blame but ourselves.

It’s not too late to change and make a difference though. As I was out today, God showed me that there is still good in the world and there are still good people out there. There was a man at the gas station who was getting gas right next to me. He smiled, whistled, chatted with me, and was just nice. Do you remember “nice?”

Do you know that no one ever speaks to me at a gas station? Not even to smile or say hello? This man stood out. And then after getting my groceries, I saw a man on the corner with a sign that he was ill and wanted money. I was just going to reach into my purse and give him a couple of dollars when I saw a man approach him, bend down on his knees and start thumbing through dollar bills in his wallet. Let me tell you – I got tears in my eyes! Do you know that this is the first time I have ever seen someone do this?? It stands out.

Oh why have our hearts grown so cold? Why are we so protective of what we’ve got that we’ve lost touch with what others don’t have anymore?

Since when did it become “cool” to not be polite? Or fashionable to not care?

The holidays are here. And I know how rude people can be at this time of year. But we have a chance to make this season mean something different for us this year – and possibly mean something different to someone else, as well. How about letting that driver cut in, in front of you? How about picking up your trash, giving away a little money to someone who needs it, obeying your parents, having self control (and feeling good about it), thinking of others before yourself, being slow to anger (or letting an issue go altogether), and encouraging others?

The Lord IS coming again. And it’s sooner than we think or realize. I don’t want to be the person He speaks about in 2 Timothy. Do you?

 

~ Dionna Sanchez

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Being Better

I spend a lot of time on Sunday nights, sharing with our ladies group about being better. We’ve been going through Matthew 5,6, and & 7, The Sermon on the Mount. Jesus was teaching his disciples how to walk His way … not the way of the world.

They used to be one way … but Jesus is instructing them to be different, to be set apart from the world.

I spent a good part of my life, living in the world. The things that I did were not of Jesus. Then one day, I met Jesus. I fell in love with Him, with all He stood for. And I let Him teach me how to be better. Not better than someone else, but better than the me I was before.

We can’t work our way into heaven, it’s by God’s grace that we receive forgiveness and salvation. (Ephesians 2:8,9)

Paul tells us in Galatians 5, the acts of the sinful nature are obvious and those who live like that will not inherit the kingdom of God. His list includes: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.

But the fruit of the spirit … that is what comes forth from us, when Jesus lives and rules in us. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

I want the Jesus fruit … not the world’s way … I want to be better … because of Him.

Father, thank you for giving us the greatest example of how to be better. Thank you for giving us your spirit, to live in us and to work through us to enable us to live our lives in a way that glorifies you. Father thank you that we are in this world, but we don’t have to partake in it. That you have made a way for us to be set apart. Thank you Jesus for helping me to be better … better today than I was yesterday.

I love you Jesus.
In Your Name I Pray,
Amen

God Bless You!
Joyce

The Choices You Make Today
Will Affect Your Tomorrow!
http://www.alifedecision.org

Too Casual with God

I have come to the conclusion lately, that most of us are too casual with God. I know that I have felt convicted about how casual I have been with my Lord. It can become too common place to pray to Him with a “please that” and a “Lord I ask you for this” or just a “thank you for doing that.” I think we have forgotten who we are dealing with!

Jesus is God. GOD. He is GREATLY to be praised and worthy of our fear. He is powerful and sovereign.

Our generation has almost become complacent about revering our Lord. We say that Jesus is the God of our life – but then we whine about this or that – failing to submit each and every second of our day to Him. Failing to realize that what God gives in our lives – He has every right to take away.

Have you ever seen someone worship God? Truly worship Him? Usually they either have their hands thrust in the air, they are on their knees, or they might have their eyes closed as they soak in the words of a song or chorus. They humble themselves because they have endured trials and challenges. They have felt great pain and KNOW and FEEL the awesomeness, the greatness, the power of our Almighty Lord.

I know that God wants me to come to Him like I would a friend. And I can talk to Him and converse to Him throughout my day. I think God enjoys it when we do that. But I also have come to realize that we minimilize His royalty and the fact that He is ruler of ALL. We would treat a celebrity in much more reverence than we treat our Lord sometimes! We think too highly of ourselves and believe too little of our Lord to truly allow ourselves to treat Him with all of the accolades He deserves. We say “God this” and “God that” – with no real thought to it. We don’t bow down our daily lives to Him.

God deserves our worship. He deserves our esteem, honor, and glory. I pray that I, personally, can begin to act in mind, actions, and spirit – more serious about the way I praise, submit, talk about, repent, and serve my Lord.

One day I am going to be accountable for my heart, thoughts, and actions before Him. And I don’t want to fall on my face ashamed because I minimized who He is.

 

~ Dionna Sanchez is Founder  of the Emphasis On Moms Ministry at http://www.EmphasisOnMoms.com

Jesus Is Alive

I’m trying to understand how colored eggs, chocolate candy and bunnies have taken over this special day. I have nothing against eggs, candy or bunnies … in fact, I was sitting here wishing I had a piece of chocolate. I love chocolate. But I love Jesus more.

Today is the day that followers of Jesus celebrate the empty grave. Today is the day that we, as followers of Jesus, celebrate the risen Savior.

It is so easy to get caught up in the traditions, we sometimes forget the reason behind the season.

Jesus suffered a horrendous demise on a wooden cross, conquered death and rose on the third day. And because of Him … our lives are forever
changed.

We can never repay Him. We can only love Him … and continue to proclaim, not just once a year, but every day that JESUS IS ALIVE!

Here is the story, from The Message, John, Chapter 20, verses 1-18

Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, “They took the Master from the tomb. We don’t know where they’ve put him.”

Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb. They ran, neck and neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter. Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn’t go in. Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself. Then the other disciple, the one who had gotten there first, went into the tomb, took one look at the evidence, and believed. No one yet knew from the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. The disciples then went back home.

But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus’ body had been laid. They said to her, “Woman, why do you weep?”

“They took my Master,” she said, “and I don’t know where they put him.” After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn’t recognize him.

Jesus spoke to her, “Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?”

She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, “Mister, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him.”

Jesus said, “Mary.”

Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” meaning “Teacher!”

Jesus said, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.’”

Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: “I saw the Master!” And she told them everything he said to her.

Father, thank you for sending your son to die on that cross so that I might live.

I love you Jesus!
In your name I pray,
Amen

God Bless You!

Love,
Joyce

The Choices You Make Today …
Will Affect Your Tomorrow!
http://www.alifedecision.org

Are You Hungry For God?

I was just listening to a CD by Michael W. Smith. When the song ended, he asked, “Are you hungry for God?” Last night, in our ladies group, we were discussing the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus climbed up on a hillside with his diciples, those who were committed to him, who followed him and he explained to them how to live out this new life that was before them. The beginning of the message talks about being blessed. Matthew 5:6 says,

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Being blessed is such a cool concept. It’s much more than just being happy. Happiness comes and goes with the wind, blessed is a state of contentment inside. That sticks with us, regardless of the situations around us. God stands for righteousness, God is righteousness. So basically, Jesus was telling his followers if you hunger and thirst for God, you are blessed and you will be filled.

We are going to be filled with something. We have a choice. It’s either the things of the world … or the things of God. Whichever we feed on.

I want to fill myself with God.

Father, I do want to hunger and thirst for you. I know, so many times when my spirit is dry, it’s because I’ve let the world fill me up. Lord, help me to make the right choices. To always choose you and your ways.

I Love You Jesus.
In Your Name I Pray,
Amen

God Bless You!

Love,
Joyce

The Choices You Make Today …
Will Affect Your Tomorrow!
http://www.alifedecision.org

Counterfeit Christians

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Matthew 7:22-23

I heard a message the other day that really touched me. It is a message that has been on my heart for a long time. In our world today, the term ‘Christian’ is used almost simultaneously with the term ‘American’. Now, let me preface this message, you surely don’t have to be an American to be a true Christian. And being an American does not automatically make you a ‘Christian.’

Originally, the term Christian meant … someone who follows Christ. But through the years, the definition seems to have changed. As I said before, it’s almost like now if you are an American or not of another religious following, well then you are considered a Christian.

But that is not what God’s Word tells us. This scripture in Matthew is pretty clear, not everyone who says they know God will enter into heaven, but only those who do the will of GOD. It’s not just believing that there is a God out there, the demons believe in God.

A Christian is a person who loves Jesus and believes that He is the son of God and that he came to this earth to save us from our sins. If we accept Him into our lives and ask him to forgive us of our sins, to become Lord over our lives, well, then we are truly followers of Christ.

The message I listened to was about being authentic, being real. It is so easy to pretend through life … pretend we are one thing, but live another. Last night, I was sharing with my ladies group this thought, “Would you do what you are doing, if Jesus was with you? Would you say what you are saying if you were face to face with Jesus?”

I want my life to be honoring to God where ever I am – whatever I am doing.

The Word tells us we are in the World … but we don’t have to be of the world.

Real or Counterfeit … the choice is ours.

Father, help me to walk your walk and to talk your talk. Somedays the world seems to overwhelm me, help me to walk away from it, to find my peace through you.

I Love You Jesus.
In Your Name I Pray,
Amen

God Bless You!

Love,
Joyce

Submitted by:
Joyce Schneider
A Life Decision
http://www.alifedecision.org

Caught In The Middle

So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Revelation 3:16

I love the music group, Casting Crowns! Their music is right where we live. They have a song out called, Somewhere In The Middle. One of the verses says this:

Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle.
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is.
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle?
Are we caught in the middle?

So many times I find myself caught in the middle. I want to be a warrior for God, but here I sit in my safe little house doing what? I want to abandon my fears and go for it, but what about my family? What about my job? What about _______? I want to dive head first into the pool … but I can’t swim … I have to stay in the shallow end. (literally) Okay, I can swim. I don’t like to swim. I choose not to swim. But you get the idea.

One of the lines says:

Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control.

That’s the real problem with me. I want all of God, but am I really willing to lose all of me to achieve all of HIM? I want to surrender my life to him, but I keep holding onto the parts of me that I don’t want exposed or revealed or I just plain don’t want to let go of.

I was talking to my friend the other day and we came to the conclusion that wanting our control was the issue that stops us from attaining true peace. That when we truly release whatever issue we are holding onto to God, we can have peace through the situation, whatever the outcome is. But … releasing our control is hard. As Cindy said, “Our strong stubborn self-will messes us up, everytime.”

I don’t want to keep messing up. I don’t want to be somewhere in the middle … I want to be right in the middle of God’s Will!

Father, help me to release control … total control … of my life, to you. Lord, you have a plan for me, and it is a good one and I want to follow you. I have good intentions, I mean well, but then something happens and boom, I’m right back in the middle of the junk. I don’t want the junk Father, I want your peace in my life. Help me Lord Jesus to stay in the middle of Your will … not mine.

I Love You Jesus.
In Your Name I Pray,
Amen

God Bless You!

Love,
Joyce

Submitted by: Joyce Schneider

The Choices You Make Today …
Will Affect Your Tomorrow!
http://www.alifedecision.org

Here is the link to the song on UTube, if you’d like to hear it for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DveYBno-pmQ

Gossip…Who Me?

“You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son,” so says Psalm 50:20 (NKJV). The Message Remix version states it this way, “You stab your own brother in the back.”

If you and I were created in God’s image and likeness, and our families, friends, and neighbors were all created in God’s image and likeness, then how do we justify speaking against God’s creations?

Do we not see the face of Christ in others? How can we love God and hate Him in others at the same time? Would you like it if someone said something against your child? Our heavenly Father doesn’t like it either.

Malachi asked, “Don’t we all come from one Father? Aren’t we all created by the same God?” (Malachi 2:10a The Message Remix) Unfortunately, we use our tongue “to give thanks to our Lord and Father and also to curse our fellow-man, who is created in the likeness of God,” (James 3:9 GNB).

If we say God reigns supreme in our lives and we are part of His body, why are we so unloving to His other body parts? Do our eyes hate our polished fingernails for being prettier? Do our teeth covet the gold in our ears? Are our hands jealous because our feet sport new shoes?

You may say that sounds silly, but if we are all parts of Christ’s Body, why does one part behave so unbecomingly, so unlovingly, towards another part? I just don’t get it!

The Lord once said to me, “Do not wound My Heart by saying unkind things about those I love, things you could not say to their faces.” Our love for Christ must prevent us from grieving Him with our criticism and judgment of those He loves.

Let’s bring this closer to home. Let’s say you are in a restaurant and see someone you know, perhaps, your preacher or someone well known eating with his or her spouse. They are having a lively conversation, waving their hands in the air, with determined looks on their faces.

The next day you tell a friend what you saw, but what do you say? “Oh, I saw so-and-so last night, fighting with her (his) spouse in a restaurant. They were waving their hands all around, arguing. It looked terrible. I’ll bet they’re on the verge of breaking up.”

Now, what have you done? You have gossiped and spread rumors of that which you had no knowledge. Matthew Henry said, “Men are most apt to speak evil of those persons and things that they know least of.” They were probably not arguing at all, just having an impassioned conversation on a subject close to their hearts, such as, how do you suppose rumors get started?!

Jesus warned, “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults – unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging,” (Matthew 7:1-2 The Message Remix).

We are neither to listen to gossip nor to spread it. Remember, those who gossip to you will turn around and gossip about you! Have you ever felt the hot breath of another’s Judas-kiss upon your neck? Has another felt yours?

Lord, keep my tongue from bringing shame on Your name. Let my words to others be always wrapped in love and lavishly filled with encouragement. Amen.

~~Blessings, Lynn~~

Suffering Needlessly

I have been listening to a sermon online from my cousin today. And it touched me based on some recent things my husband and I have been going through. We have felt the need to stand up and speak regarding a certain circumstance – and to not sit by and be merely “victims” of the whole thing.

I don’t know why, but it seems that we as Christians sometimes feel that we must suffer in order to be Christlike. The Bible tells us to turn the other cheek, to love our enemy as ourself, to forgive over and over, etc. And so I think at times, we end up suffering needlessly. We end up doing a disservice to ourselves and the lives that God has given us because we are not calling upon the strength and power of the Lord to “be wise as serpents” and to take a stand. If it doesn’t bring glory to God to sit by and suffer, then it is not wrong for us to rise up and put an end to it.

We are not better Christians for suffering. It doesn’t always make us stronger. In fact, sometimes Satan can use our suffering to pull us away from the plans that God has in mind for us. We can let fear rule us and allow whatever it is that has a stronghold over our lives to hinder our growth in the Lord, and to change our mentality so much that we end up becoming ensnared by it.

Standing up and being on guard doesn’t mean that we lose moral ground or become vindictive. We should always pray and seek God’s counsel so that we can maintain our integrity and witness.

I think far too many Christians have become passive. I think far too many of us suffer needlessly. We are either afraid to take a stand or we have lost our acute vision to discern when a serpent enters our midst. We need to be aware. Satan is out to attack us and we shouldn’t be surprised when we are targeted. We need to start calling upon the Lord to protect us and to arm us so that we can fend off people who mean to emotionally or physcially harm us or our family. Don’t let your heart grow cold, but constantly take your feelings to the Lord and allow Him to help you deal with them in His timing.

People are cunning today. They are decevious, conniving, and sly. They are selfish and prideful. We live in a time when we can’t just be blind and turn the other cheek. There is a time and a place for that – but there is also a time and a place for saying, “I will not suffer needlessly.” I will not let you inflict needless pain on me or my family. I may get discouraged, but I will continue to call upon the Lord and do the right thing. I will let God comfort me so that I will not easily be shaken. I will be a faithful servant despite the arrows aimed at me.

Are you doing what God has called you to? Are you suffering needlessly in your life right now because you’ve let fear, hate, bitterness, unforgiveness or something else defeat you? We are soldiers of the Lord. Keep your eyes on God, and be alert – watching for that lion who is ready to devour you. Don’t run and flee. But stand up and call upon the power of the Lord to help you fight whatever it is you are facing.

We don’t need to be victims anymore. There’s nothing “Christlike” about huddling up into a ball or pretending not to see something going on, all for the sake of “peace.” Uncurl yourself, turn around, and refuse to let Satan use anyone or anything to make you feel less than you are. We are children of the Lord and we have a heritage through Him. We need to start acting like it.

I knowI’m tired of suffering needlessly when God doesn’t get any glory through it or because of it. How about you?

 

Read Dionna’s blog at http://emphasisonmoms.blogspot.com