Good Thing

 

The communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.  Philemon 1:6

We all have someone in our lives-a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a co-worker, that seems to be down and out and full of negativity.  With many of my colleagues working from home and most of the world turning crazy post pandemic/'lock-down', it's easy to be negative.  In moments of isolation, it is easy to self-loathe too.  The truth is that God never intended for His children to act this way.  You see, the communication of our faith is made effectual by acknowledging every good thing that is in you through Christ Jesus, not by rambling on about everything that is wrong. I have been pondering this an awful lot lately-trying to take a personal inventory of my life...

The enemy wants us to spend every waking moment of our lives pondering how awful we are.  He will stop at nothing to direct our focus from who we are in Christ to all of our many shortcomings.  His intentions are for us to believe that because of our faults, we are worthless.

There is a saying that we should “count our blessings.”  We should count our blessings and we also need to remember that we are a new creation in Jesus Christ and an ongoing work in progress.  Start acknowledging the good things that are inside of you because of Jesus Christ.

Good Thing

 

The communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.  Philemon 1:6

We all have someone in our lives-a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a co-worker, that seems to be down and out and full of negativity.  With social distancing, working remotely, and most of the world essentially on 'lock-down' it's easy to be negative.  In moments of isolation, it is easy to self-loathe too.  The truth is that God never intended for His children to act this way.  You see, the communication of our faith is made effectual by acknowledging every good thing that is in you through Christ Jesus, not by rambling on about everything that is wrong. I have been pondering this an awful lot lately-trying to take a personal inventory of my life...

The enemy wants us to spend every waking moment of our lives pondering how awful we are.  He will stop at nothing to direct our focus from who we are in Christ to all of our many shortcomings.  His intentions are for us to believe that because of our faults, we are worthless.

There is a saying that we should “count our blessings.”  We should count our blessings and we also need to remember that we are a new creation in Jesus Christ and an ongoing work in progress.  Start acknowledging the good things that are inside of you because of Jesus Christ.

Good Thing

The communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.  Philemon 1:6

We all have someone in our lives-a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a co-worker, that seems to be down and out and full of negativity.  With social distancing, working remotely, and most of the world essentially on 'lock-down' it's easy to be negative.  In moments of isolation, it is easy to self-loathe too.  The truth is that God never intended for His children to act this way.  You see, the communication of our faith is made effectual by acknowledging every good thing that is in you through Christ Jesus, not by rambling on about everything that is wrong. I have been pondering this an awful lot lately-trying to take a personal inventory of my life...

The enemy wants us to spend every waking moment of our lives pondering how awful we are.  He will stop at nothing to direct our focus from who we are in Christ to all of our many shortcomings.  His intentions are for us to believe that because of our faults, we are worthless.

There is a saying that we should “count our blessings.”  We should count our blessings and we also need to remember that we are a new creation in Jesus Christ and an ongoing work in progress.  Start acknowledging the good things that are inside of you because of Jesus Christ.

Good Thing

The communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.  Philemon 1:6

We all have someone in our lives-a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a co-worker, that seems to be down and out and full of negativity.  With social distancing, working remotely, and most of the world essentially on 'lock-down' it's easy to be negative.  In moments of isolation, it is easy to self-loathe too.  The truth is that God never intended for His children to act this way.  You see, the communication of our faith is made effectual by acknowledging every good thing that is in you through Christ Jesus, not by rambling on about everything that is wrong. I have been pondering this an awful lot lately-trying to take a personal inventory of my life...

The enemy wants us to spend every waking moment of our lives pondering how awful we are.  He will stop at nothing to direct our focus from who we are in Christ to all of our many shortcomings.  His intentions are for us to believe that because of our faults, we are worthless.

There is a saying that we should “count our blessings.”  We should count our blessings and we also need to remember that we are a new creation in Jesus Christ and an ongoing work in progress.  Start acknowledging the good things that are inside of you because of Jesus Christ.

Good Thing

The communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.  Philemon 1:6

We all have someone in our lives-a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a co-worker, that seems to be down and out and full of negativity.  The truth is that God never intended for His children to act this way.  You see, the communication of our faith is made effectual by acknowledging every good thing that is in you through Christ Jesus, not by rambling on about everything that is wrong with you.

The enemy wants us to spend every waking moment of our lives pondering how awful we are.  He will stop at nothing to direct our focus from who we are in Christ to all of our many shortcomings.  His intentions are for us to believe that because of our faults, we are worthless.

There is a saying that we should “count our blessings.”  We should count our blessings and we also need to remember that we are a new creation in Jesus Christ and an ongoing work in progress.  Start acknowledging the good things that are inside of you because of Jesus Christ.

Good Thing

The communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.  Philemon 1:6

We all have someone in our lives-a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a co-worker, that seems to be down and out and full of negativity.  The truth is that God never intended for His children to act this way.  You see, the communication of our faith is made effectual by acknowledging every good thing that is in you through Christ Jesus, not by rambling on about everything that is wrong with you.

The enemy wants us to spend every waking moment of our lives pondering how awful we are.  He will stop at nothing to direct our focus from who we are in Christ to all of our many shortcomings.  His intentions are for us to believe that because of our faults, we are worthless.

There is a saying that we should “count our blessings.”  We should count our blessings and we also need to remember that we are a new creation in Jesus Christ and an ongoing work in progress.  Start acknowledging the good things that are inside of you because of Jesus Christ.

Good Thing

The communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.  Philemon 1:6

We all have someone in our lives-a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a co-worker, that seems to be down and out and full of negativity.  The truth is that God never intended for His children to act this way.  You see, the communication of our faith is made effectual by acknowledging every good thing that is in you through Christ Jesus, not by rambling on about everything that is wrong with you.

The enemy wants us to spend every waking moment of our lives pondering how awful we are.  He will stop at nothing to direct our focus from who we are in Christ to all of our many shortcomings.  His intentions are for us to believe that because of our faults, we are worthless.

There is a saying that we should “count our blessings.”  We should count our blessings and we also need to remember that we are a new creation in Jesus Christ and an ongoing work in progress.  Start acknowledging the good things that are inside of you because of Jesus Christ.

Good Thing

The communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.  Philemon 1:6

We all have someone in our lives-a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a co-worker, that seems to be down and out and full of negativity.  The truth is that God never intended for His children to act this way.  You see, the communication of our faith is made effectual by acknowledging every good thing that is in you through Christ Jesus, not by rambling on about everything that is wrong with you.

The enemy wants us to spend every waking moment of our lives pondering how awful we are.  He will stop at nothing to direct our focus from who we are in Christ to all of our many shortcomings.  His intentions are for us to believe that because of our faults, we are worthless.

There is a saying that we should “count our blessings.”  We should count our blessings and we also need to remember that we are a new creation in Jesus Christ and an ongoing work in progress.  Start acknowledging the good things that are inside of you because of Jesus Christ.

Good Thing

The communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.  Philemon 1:6

We all have someone in our lives-a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a co-worker, that seems to be down and out and full of negativity.  The truth is that God never intended for His children to act this way.  You see, the communication of our faith is made effectual by acknowledging every good thing that is in you through Christ Jesus, not by rambling on about everything that is wrong with you.

The enemy wants us to spend every waking moment of our lives pondering how awful we are.  He will stop at nothing to direct our focus from who we are in Christ to all of our many shortcomings.  His intentions are for us to believe that because of our faults, we are worthless.

There is a saying that we should “count our blessings.”  We should count our blessings and we also need to remember that we are a new creation in Jesus Christ and an ongoing work in progress.  Start acknowledging the good things that are inside of you because of Jesus Christ.

Good Thing

The communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.  Philemon 1:6

We all have someone in our lives-a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a co-worker, that seems to be down and out and full of negativity.  The truth is that God never intended for His children to act this way.  You see, the communication of our faith is made effectual by acknowledging every good thing that is in you through Christ Jesus, not by rambling on about everything that is wrong with you.

The enemy wants us to spend every waking moment of our lives pondering how awful we are.  He will stop at nothing to direct our focus from who we are in Christ to all of our many shortcomings.  His intentions are for us to believe that because of our faults, we are worthless.

There is a saying that we should “count our blessings.”  We should count our blessings and we also need to remember that we are a new creation in Jesus Christ and an ongoing work in progress.  Start acknowledging the good things that are inside of you because of Jesus Christ.

Peace of Mind

We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to Hus purpose for them.  Romans 8:28

Our oldest son, Elliott, is scared of the dark.  In an effort to convince him to sleep through the night without a lamp on in his room, I attempted to point out some items to give him peace of mind.  For starters, our master bedroom is right down the hall.  No one would be able to sneak past our room without us hearing it.  We also have a security system that is armed at night before bedtime, so it is highly unlikely that someone would be able to enter our home without triggering the alarm.  Last but not least, we have a dog named Charlie, a Shetland Sheepdog, that can hear a leaf drop a mile away, and will bark upon hearing any suspicious noises in or around our home.   

All of these things are great, but we are still having to leave a light on in the hallway to get him to go to bed at nighttime.  This reminds me of the way many believers live their lives as well; in fear.  

We have no reason to live in fear once we understand that Jesus died on the cross to spare us from eternal punishment and the free gift of eternal life puts the troubles of this world into perspective.

We can live with peace of mind knowing that our eternal futures are secure.

No matter what happens to us in this lifetime, we can have peace knowing that the trials and troubles we face won’t last forever…

I Keep Forgettin'

“I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.” Psalm 116:1, 2

Do you have people in your life who only seem to talk to you when they want something? Conversations that solely revolve around the other person’s needs or demands make it hard on a friendship or relationship. These one-sided relationships can lead to us feeling used and/or manipulated.  Sadly, I treated my wonderful parents as the proverbial ATM machine during college.  I would stop by the house to visit briefly with my folks and then hold my hand out and ask for a check or some cash to help bail me out of my wreck less spending habits.

I have a feeling that God must feel much the same about us when we only approach Him with our needs and desires. We’ll gladly give Him our prayer requests without spending any time praising Him or taking the time to thank Him for our past blessings or seeking a relationship with Him. We  have no problem praying for future events without even acknowledging His help, provisions, and blessings in the past. Our forgetfulness is an indication of our ingratitude toward God and it renders our prayers ineffective.

God loves each of us, but doesn’t want to be taken for granted either.  He also doesn’t want to hear our lists of needs and wants every time we pray to Him without an effort on our part to truly know Him and be in a relationship with Him. 

When we face difficult times, we must look at the past and acknowledge all that God has done in our lives.  We must spend more time thanking Him and praising Him, so that our blessings glorify Him!