Always
I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love–not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!
Romans 8:38-39
It always amazes me that God loves us no matter what. I don’t even know why He loves me, because I’m such a terrible person. He knows who I am, yet He still sent His son to die for my sins.
No matter what happens, no matter what is going on in our life. Our friends might abandon us, parents might kick you out, husband/wife might pack their bags and leave one day. God… He never will. I find comfort in the fact He’s always there. I also tend to take it for granted.
I wrote a song once called, Different. It’s mainly about how selfish I can be at times. The chorus goes.. “What if things were different, and you weren’t there? Would things still be the same? Would you hold my hand, tell me who I need to be? Would you still love me, would you still love me?”
What if God was not always there? I tend to take Him for granted more times than not, because I know He will always be there. I hate that part of me, the part that takes advantage of certain things. I take advantage of my husband. I’m use to him and I know he’ll always be here, so I tend to treat him badly at times. I tend to say the wrong thing, when easily I could have said the right. I get lazy, I get stupid.
Nothing can separate us from God, nothing we can do or say, will make Him love us any less, or make Him turn away. Everyone we know, will leave us at some point in time, in life. Either they mean too, or it’s by death. Even when we die, God is there. Here on earth, God is here. It’s amazing! We can not hide from him, no where we could run, can we hide.
I’m also amazed how He let’s us mess up, but even when we pursue our own needs, He is there. I always make a fool out of myself. Without even thinking some times, I venture out on my own. I follow the world and my desires, I get in trouble. God protects me each time, when He doesn’t have too. I have pushed Him away, but He doesn’t do the same to me. That kind of love, I can not comprehend, I am speechless at that kind of love.
The most amazing thing of all though, it’s not that we love God. It’s that He loves us.
Proverbs 2:4-5
Search for wisdom as you would search for silver or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to respect and to know the LORD God.
- Proverbs 2:4-5
I was reading through Proverbs 2 this morning, and this verse stuck out to me. “Search for wisdom as you would search for silver or hidden treasure.” It’s really sad that I don’t search for God that much. I’m lazy when it comes to reading God’s word, praying, love. Many times I have chosen other things before God. I am suppose to search for wisdom as I would search for silver or hidden treasure.
I tend to put God on the back burner. I think some of us are comfortable knowing God is God. At the same time, we feel He is up there. We are down here, and if I chose this…… Well…. It really wouldn’t matter. God really does not care if I do this or that. Yes He does, and He hates it when we put Him on the back burner. When we treat Him like crap.
We take for granted what He has done for us. Not in just sending His son to die for our sins. We take for granted that we are healthy! That we have a roof over our head, that we have food in our belly. Most of us do not know how it feels to starve. To go to bed hungry, actually hungry, because you have no money for food.
I have no clue what a hard life is. My husband and I have been through stuff, but nothing terrible. Even the stuff we have been through, I am thankful for. It has made us a stronger couple, made us stronger in Christ.
If we ACTUALLY do what God says, we can gain wisdom. The only wisdom that truly matters, wisdom in Christ! We will learn what it means to respect and to know God! The fact that we can even pray to God, is a blessing.
I’m a Christian and I need to work on wisdom in Christ. I need to work on learning more about God, learn about my king who I say I love, but toss Him aside. This is a serious matter and I need to be serious about it!
So, do pray for me. I get distracted, I let Satan get to me. He will use whatever he can to sidetrack me. I’m not a huge reader, but I have a thirst for God’s word. I want to stay strong in this area.
Nicci
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Happy New Year!
My husband and I brought the new year in, with our church family. It was a great time of worship, and talking about the year to come.
After we left church, Matt and I tried to go over to waffle house. Both restaurants in town were packed(figures). We hoped they would pack out Ihop, not our lovely waffle house.
When we pulled out of the waffle house on stateline, I saw an ambulance and a car behind it with it’s flashers on. It suddenly hit me, this night is not a good night for some. I prayed for whoever they were. They are bringing in the new year at the hospital. Some are bringing in a not so good year. Just because it started off bad, does not mean the whole year is done for.
We are not promised our next breath. 2010 could be it for you, for me. Tomorrow could be our last day.
What are you going to do with 2010? Is it going to be the same as 2009? Will you share Jesus with more people? Will you share Jesus with people you like…. and like not so much?
Let us think of our actions more. Let us think before we act more so this year, than the last. If we are going to make a difference, we need to actually do so. Some times we are more talk than we are do. Sadly, it seems Christians are terrible at that.
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
- James 2:14-26
Happy New Year to whoever reads this! 2010 is a time for change, a time to put actions to words.
Love Is Not A Chore
What? Love is not a chore? What does that mean?
I remember when I was a kid, I hated doing chores. It was something my parents made me do, and I dreaded doing all of them. In the long run, I figured out it was something I needed to do anyways. Now that I’m grown and married… guess what? I still have chores to do, my whole life is one big chore, being a housewife.
Love should not be a chore. It should not be something we dread to do, it should not be something we are pushed to do. It should be some thing we do freely, and it’s not a problem for us.
I find things go better for me, when I surrender to God. When I actually sit down and study His word, things seem to flow better. When I give God His time, things I once hated, I love.
The word “Love” is always thrown about. We are told as Christians, we should love one another. I think more hate is around than love, some times. We are told to love, like it’s a chore. We some how put it in our heads, that love is a bad thing. Jesus tells us to love, we are suppose to be like Him. He loved us so much, that He died for us. I know us “Christians” say that a lot, but it’s the truth. He knows everything about me, yet He chose to die for all of us. He didn’t just die for John down the street, He did it for us all.
When Jesus tells us to love one another, it’s not meant to be a chore, some thing we do with a sigh under our breath. We should actually love, even though it’s hard. It will always be hard to love certain people, BUT if we stay in God’s word and close to Him, love makes since. Love is not so much of a chore for us all. We start to do it, without even thinking about it, it’s in our system.
What is love?
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
After reading that, ask yourself….. Do you love? You may now think it’s impossible to love someone, if love is all this. I am not patient, I am not kind. I do envy, I do boast, I am proud more times than not. I am rude, I am self-seeking, and I am easily angered. I do keep record of wrongs. I delight in evil, because even though I am a Christian, Satan dangles certain things in front of me. He knows what will knock me off my path with God. I delight in evil more so than rejoicing in the truth. I don’t always protect nor trust, I don’t always have hope, nor do I persevere. The best thing is the last sentence! It says, love never fails!
God is love. In Him, I can love. I’m learning each day how to love people, and some times I believe it’s more than a chore than not. I have to make myself love, instead of freely loving a person. I want to love like God loves, it’s not impossible, it can be done. I will never be perfect, but I can strive to get this love thing down.
Love never fails! Love is going to stand the test of time, love is going to conquer all! We need to realize that love is not impossible, it can be done. WE need to move out of the way and let God do HIS work. If we are always getting in the way, with what WE believe, and what WE want to do, love will never move. Love is not of US, it’s of GOD. We can’t truly love without God. It took His love to save us, so why do WE think our ways are right? We’re foolish, little, humans. We are lifeless without God.
In Christ we can do all things. In Him we can love, like love is suppose to, not something we think it should be.
Thanksgiving
As we all know, Thanksgiving is this coming Thursday. While we are all trying to hurry up and arrange things. Trying to get all the food ready, make sure the house is clean and what not.. Don’t forget to give thanks. It’s easy to forget to be thankful. Let’s not forget!
I’m thankful that God saved such a wretched soul as myself. Earlier tonight, I sat outside and watched the many leaves I raked, burn. I looked up to the sky, it was a perfectly clear night. The moon was half, the weather was just right. I had my husband by my side, I had our dog in my lap. God gave us so many things to enjoy in this life, and we don’t deserve any of it. Who am I, that He’s mindful of me? I’m thankful for His grace and unconditional love.
I’m thankful for life. I’m thankful that I wake up each morning next to a wonderful man. We don’t always get along, but I’m thankful for him. Some times things cloud my mind and I forget just how much I really do love him. He’s an amazing man of God, and I’m thankful God put us together. He’s a great matchmaker if I must say so myself, if you let Him do it all for you. 
I’m thankful for my family! I’m thankful that my mom and step dad took me to church, made me go. Thankful they told me about God and that you have to actually live for Him. It’s not about getting saved and forgetting about Him, it’s about giving your all to Him.
I’m thankful for a roof over my head. I’m not one to be caught up in material things, but I’m thankful for the necessary things. God has blessed us so much and we don’t even deserve it. I screw up so much, and yet He forgives me and sends blessings. Some times I think about giving up, but He has never given up on me. Loving me, is not to hard for Him.
I’m thankful for more things than this, but if I went on and on…. this would be the longest blog entry known to man…
Hope you have a great Thanksgiving! Remember to be thankful and praise God for your blessings. He gives and takes away!
Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
- 1 Chronicles 16:8
God bless,
Nicci
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Do Without?
I’m really thankful for God’s forgiveness. I know! I know! You have probably heard it a hundred times! People always stand up during praise time in church and thank God for forgiveness. Do we really sit and think of how GREAT it really is, that HE forgives? What if He didn’t? What if He was like humans? What if He was not perfect? What if we had to prove our love to Him?
Forgiving is hard business! None of this Christ following stuff is easy though, Jesus tells us in His word about it. It’s hard to live right, most of all it’s hard to stay right with God, when we are surrounded by so much ungodliness. It’s hard to truly stand up for Christ, when being made fun of. It’s hard, but worth it.
I treat Christ like crap each and every day. No! No! God, I would rather watch tv. No! No! I would rather do mindless things on the computer. I can’t right now God, I just have way to many OTHER things to do. Other things that do not matter.
It’s crazy how Jesus was thinking of me on that cross, but I can only think of myself. I can only think of MY small problems, things that do NOT even matter. We do NOT matter, not a thing is about us. It’s about Christ and what we can do in HIS name. Only in Him can I show love, only in Him can I truly forgive. Only in HIM can I do ALL things! =)
God is not concerned about facebook, myspace, or twitter. He doesn’t fret over who left you a mean comment. He doesn’t care who made you mad, sad, or caused you to have ill feelings. He IS concerned of what WE are doing in HIS name. Are we going throughout the nations and preaching the word of Christ? Are we doing what He’s told us to do? Our problems are small compared to all the lost souls out there. People are dying and going to Hell, and I’m more concerned about at tv show, or what I’m going to eat for supper.
I watch a show called 18 kids and counting. They are a family of 18(one more on the way) and they are a family souled out to Christ. They don’t even have a tv, cable, or directv. Most people would think they are crazy, I think they are smart.
Could you imagine how life would be? Without internet & tv? I honestly sit and tell myself, I could not do without. Isn’t that crazy? I will say all day long, I’m willing to do whatever for Christ. Yes, I’m willing to die in His name even. How can I mean that, when I could not even give up something as SIMPLE as tv and internet?
He thought enough of me to die for me. I think enough of Him, that I put Him last on the list each day. Do you? Do you do it also? If so, what are we going to do about it? If we say He means more than anything in this world, let’s show Him.
Nicci
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A Few Things…..
Lukewarm People
I typed this up really fast from the “Crazy Love” book. So, there might be a few typos. =)
1. Attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe “good Christians” do, so they go. Isaiah 29:13
2. Give money to charity and to the church….. as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right? 1 Chronicles 21:24, Luke 21:1-4
3. Tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what others think of their actions(like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives. Luke 6:26, Rev. 3:1, Matt. 23:5-7
4. Don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly sorry for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one. John 10:10, Rom. 6:1-2
5. Are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for “extreme” Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call “radical” what Jesus expected of all His followers. James 1:22, James 4:17, Matt 21:28-31
6. Rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issue’s like religion. Matt. 10:32-33
7. Gauge their morality or “goodness” by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren’t as hard-core for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street. Luke 18:11-12
8. Say they love Jesus, and he is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, their money, and their thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their lives. Luke 9:57-62
9. Love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of total devotion isn’t really possible for the average person; it’s only for pastors and missionaries and radicals. Matt 22:37-38
10. Love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love of others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and connect with. There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally sight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached. Matt. 5:43-47, Luke 14:12-14
11. Will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give. Luke 18:21-25
12. Think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focused on today’s to-do list, this week’s schedule, and next month’s vacation. Rarely, if ever, do they intently consider the life to come. Regarding this, C.S Lewis writes, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.” Phil. 3:18-20, Col. 3:2
13. Are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor. They are quick to point out, “Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only that he love of money is.” Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel “called” to minister to the rich; very few feel “called” to minister to the poor. Matt. 25:34, 40, Isa. 58:6-7
14. Do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty. They want to do the bare minimum, to be “good enough” without it requiring too much of them. 1 Chronicles 29:14, Matt. 13:44-46
15. Are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaved to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God. 1 Tim. 6:17-18, Matt 10:28
16. Feel secure because they attend church, made a profession of faith at age 12, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote republication, or live in America. Just as the prophets in the Old Testament warned Israel that they were not safe just because they lived in the land of Israel, so we are not safe just because we wear the label Christian or because some people persist in calling us a “Christian nation”. Matt. 7:21, Amos 6:1
17. Do not live by faith: their lives are structured so they never have to. They don’t have to trust God if something unexpected happens – they have their savings account. They don’t need God to help them — they have their retirement plan in place. They don’t genuinely seek out what life God would have them—they have life figured and mapped out. They don’t depend on God on a daily basis – their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn’t look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God. Luke 12:16-21, Hebrews 11
18. Probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Matt. 23:25-28
Abortion
Please
By: Frontline Revival
Please,
I need to live.
Don’t you know there’s so much I could give.
Please,
I need to love.
Mistakes are always planned up above.
Please,
don’t let me down.
Hear my cry.
Bless the chance to feel,
to know that love is real.
Please,
A chance to smile.
Can’t you hear the laughter of the child.
Please,
A chance to grow.
Hold me oh so tight, don’t let me go!
To have and to hold.
Or death, that is so cold.
It’s you that must decide,
if my life will be denied.
Please,
my life is real.
My life could be the touch,
to help you heal.
Please,
I want to care!
Give me a chance and I’ll be there!
A child can be so much.
Gentle, loving touch.
We may never know,
if you never love me so!
Mommy don’t be crying,
it’s not hurting anymore.
I know the choice you must have made.
All of that is over now,
but your pain remains.
Lots of things will never be the same.
I know you must have counted,
when my birthday would have been.
I know night you even hear me,
crying out a name.
I know you would do it different,
if it was all to do again.
Mommy I’m beautiful,
the angels here are too.
You must know that I forgive you.
Mommy, Jesus told me,
that He loves like I do.
Jesus wants to meet you.
Mommy, Jesus told me,
that He loves you like I do.
Some day me and Jesus want to meet you.
I think this song speaks for itself. Abortion is murder, please give the child a chance to live!
