Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
I recently read a book where the author was talking about the grace of God and something he said made me think. He said that if your yoke is not easy and your burden is not light you have not really yoked up with Jesus. You are still laboring in your own strengths and abilities (Dr. James Richards).
There are many things throughout our life that we will attempt to do by our own strength. Sometimes we may start to feel so overwhelmed that we begin to lose sight of the fact that God has already taken what we are trying to carry on our own. We pretend to lay it down only to pick it back up when we leave. It is as if we are afraid that if we leave it there that it wont work out or rather yet work out the way we have planned.
It may not work out the way we thought it would. However, when we honestly and whole-heartedly leave it at the feet of Jesus we don’t have to worry about it, we don’t have to become consumed with it. Why not give it to someone who already has taken care of it? Why do we try to do it on our own strength when Gods Word clearly states that He will give us rest if we just come to Him! I encourage you to take Gods Word literally and go to Him, lay it at His feet! Let Him take the burden you are carrying. After all you were not made to carry that burden. Become yoked with Him and the burden will be light!
What burden are you holding on to that you should lay at the feet of Jesus?
What can you do to lay them at His feet and make sure you leave them there? If you don’t know the answer to this question then I encourage you to get into Gods Word and find scripture to help you!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
His Plan Not Mine
Gods plan for Abraham was to make him a father of many nations. When Abraham started getting old and had no children he and his wife Sarah took matters into their own hands by impregnating a woman who was not his wife. Was this part of Gods plan? No it was not, but God still fulfilled the plan He had for his life!
There are many times we have taken matters into our own hands. We unknowingly attempt to divert Gods plan for our life and become discouraged when nothing worked out. God will still lead you when you follow Him. It may not be the way you thought it would be (Abraham and Sarah did not expect to have a child at such an old age), but He always will! Regardless of how often you try to do things your own way Gods plan will never change! He knows the plans He has for your life! Will you let Him fulfill it His way?
It's easy to let our hands get in the mix of things. Ever since I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior I felt Him leading me to ministry. As a sixteen year old girl I was excited that God had such a huge plan for my life! Shortly after that I started seeking what I wanted to do and enrolled myself in culinary school. I soon became aware of the fact that this wasn't Gods plan for my life so I un-enrolled. During this time I had people in my life who thought working in ministry would get me no where. Instead of following Gods plan I followed mans plan. That spring I started college in pursuit of a Criminal Justice degree. Throughout this whole ordeal Gods plan was still there. A year and a half later a guest speaker came to my church and talked on dream killers. It soon became apparent to me that the person who encouraged me to not follow the plan I felt led to was a dream killer in my life. Within a month I was applying for a missionary training center and preparing to leave for six months. When I got back I was caught up in the world again and started pursuing what I thought was Gods plan for my life. I have a passion and desire to help the hurt, abused, and abandoned generation of teenagers so I thought going to school for Social Work/Psychology would fit Gods plan. I was attempting to fit a piece of my puzzle where it didn't belong. Finally six years after I felt God calling me to live a life set apart for Him I enrolled in school for Intercultural studies with the desire to follow His plan and His plan only for my life. Are you willing to follow Gods plan? I am!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
There are many times we have taken matters into our own hands. We unknowingly attempt to divert Gods plan for our life and become discouraged when nothing worked out. God will still lead you when you follow Him. It may not be the way you thought it would be (Abraham and Sarah did not expect to have a child at such an old age), but He always will! Regardless of how often you try to do things your own way Gods plan will never change! He knows the plans He has for your life! Will you let Him fulfill it His way?
It's easy to let our hands get in the mix of things. Ever since I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior I felt Him leading me to ministry. As a sixteen year old girl I was excited that God had such a huge plan for my life! Shortly after that I started seeking what I wanted to do and enrolled myself in culinary school. I soon became aware of the fact that this wasn't Gods plan for my life so I un-enrolled. During this time I had people in my life who thought working in ministry would get me no where. Instead of following Gods plan I followed mans plan. That spring I started college in pursuit of a Criminal Justice degree. Throughout this whole ordeal Gods plan was still there. A year and a half later a guest speaker came to my church and talked on dream killers. It soon became apparent to me that the person who encouraged me to not follow the plan I felt led to was a dream killer in my life. Within a month I was applying for a missionary training center and preparing to leave for six months. When I got back I was caught up in the world again and started pursuing what I thought was Gods plan for my life. I have a passion and desire to help the hurt, abused, and abandoned generation of teenagers so I thought going to school for Social Work/Psychology would fit Gods plan. I was attempting to fit a piece of my puzzle where it didn't belong. Finally six years after I felt God calling me to live a life set apart for Him I enrolled in school for Intercultural studies with the desire to follow His plan and His plan only for my life. Are you willing to follow Gods plan? I am!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Living Life On Purpose
Living Life On Purpose
We all have a decision to live life however we please. Growing up you are faced with the decision to play a sport, join a club, and what you want to major in at college. Not every decision you have is a major one in life (what are you going to wear in the morning) but each decision you make helps shape you into you. Who do you want to be known as? What do you want your legacy to say?
There are two people during Jesus's lifetime that purposefully made a decision that affected who they were. Judas made the decision to betray Jesus (Mark 13:10-11) and Peter denied Him 3 times. We all do things and make decisions that are not always the best. However I challenge you to start taking every thought into captivity. Let all of your thoughts filter through God before letting anything take root. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We all have a decision to live life however we please. Growing up you are faced with the decision to play a sport, join a club, and what you want to major in at college. Not every decision you have is a major one in life (what are you going to wear in the morning) but each decision you make helps shape you into you. Who do you want to be known as? What do you want your legacy to say?
There are two people during Jesus's lifetime that purposefully made a decision that affected who they were. Judas made the decision to betray Jesus (Mark 13:10-11) and Peter denied Him 3 times. We all do things and make decisions that are not always the best. However I challenge you to start taking every thought into captivity. Let all of your thoughts filter through God before letting anything take root. "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Letting Go and Letting God
Letting Go and Letting God
Imagine climbing up a mountain. You are extended in the air thousands of feet and climbing toward the top. You are almost there and can taste completion, taste victory. You decide to look below and see something that catches your eye. Your attention changes and you attempt to reach for the object that has captured your eye. You are successful and start carrying it up the mountain with you. After a while you start to realize how heavy that object has become and you do not think you can go any further with it, but you are afraid that if you drop it, it may break. So, you continue up the mountain. As you are climbing up the mountain God is taking things off of you, to help you reach your goal. Finally He comes to the object you've reached back for and you have become so attached to it that you do not know what to do. You want to give it to God because you know it will be easier to continue without it but you do not know how. You have reached a dilemma, what do you do?
Trusting God does not always seem like the easiest and simplest thing to do, am I right? However Hebrews 3:14 says "For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." In your own eyes it may seem impossible to let God take over what you have held so near and dear to your heart. Stand strong believing that what God says is truth and "He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength."- Isaiah 40:29. Let go and "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and God will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Imagine climbing up a mountain. You are extended in the air thousands of feet and climbing toward the top. You are almost there and can taste completion, taste victory. You decide to look below and see something that catches your eye. Your attention changes and you attempt to reach for the object that has captured your eye. You are successful and start carrying it up the mountain with you. After a while you start to realize how heavy that object has become and you do not think you can go any further with it, but you are afraid that if you drop it, it may break. So, you continue up the mountain. As you are climbing up the mountain God is taking things off of you, to help you reach your goal. Finally He comes to the object you've reached back for and you have become so attached to it that you do not know what to do. You want to give it to God because you know it will be easier to continue without it but you do not know how. You have reached a dilemma, what do you do?
Trusting God does not always seem like the easiest and simplest thing to do, am I right? However Hebrews 3:14 says "For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." In your own eyes it may seem impossible to let God take over what you have held so near and dear to your heart. Stand strong believing that what God says is truth and "He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength."- Isaiah 40:29. Let go and "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and God will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Is Christ Enough?
Over the past few weeks I've been reading a book by Eric and Leslie Ludy called "When God Writes Your Love Story." I've been learning a lot about loving God above all else. If He cannot be your first love then how can you love another? I read this quote from the book and really enjoyed it and decided to share it.
"Am I enough?" came the gentle challenge of my Prince, and His tender voice drowned out all the clamoring confusion in my mind. Jesus was, and would always be, much more than enough. He did not desire to destroy my life, to leave me as a desolate, lonely failure alone in the woods somewhere. He wanted me to put Him first, above everything else - to give my heart, time, affection, energy, and devotion to Him alone. He gently assured me that as I pursued Him and Him alone, all my other needs would be met. In the meantime, my only concern must be to worship Him with my every fiber of my being." - Leslie Ludy, Authentic Beauty
I challenge you to live a life fully devoted to Him and all your desires will come to pass! ("Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart." ~Psalm 37:4)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
"Am I enough?" came the gentle challenge of my Prince, and His tender voice drowned out all the clamoring confusion in my mind. Jesus was, and would always be, much more than enough. He did not desire to destroy my life, to leave me as a desolate, lonely failure alone in the woods somewhere. He wanted me to put Him first, above everything else - to give my heart, time, affection, energy, and devotion to Him alone. He gently assured me that as I pursued Him and Him alone, all my other needs would be met. In the meantime, my only concern must be to worship Him with my every fiber of my being." - Leslie Ludy, Authentic Beauty
I challenge you to live a life fully devoted to Him and all your desires will come to pass! ("Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart." ~Psalm 37:4)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)