Christmas Time!

 

With Christmas being a few days away.  I thought what not a better thing to write about then...CHRISTMAS! But that got me thinking, everybody writes about Christmas this time of year.  Do I really want to be like everybody else?

   Well...I'm here aren't I? But I'm not going to be sharing what you might be thinking.  I'm going to share some of the meanings behind different holiday things.  Along with a few other things to help us all remember the real meaning of Christmas.

   First, lets talk about the Christmas tree.  What are ways we can see our Christmas trees in our living rooms and think of Jesus? Well...for one, Christmas trees are evergreens which last all year round.  The same as God's love for us lasts forever.  Number two, the Christmas tree is in a triangle shape.  That could help us remember the trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit).

   Now what about all the stuff you put on a Christmas tree? well...the lights could help us remember that Jesus is the light of the world. The Ornaments, could mean a lot of things depending of the shape and color of it.  So that one I'll let you figure out.  Now for the Star at the top of the tree. The star can help us remember the star the wise men and Shepherds followed to find baby Jesus.

   You don't have a star on top.  Maybe a angel? Don't worry that can have an meaning to.  The angel can mean a bunch of things. It could be the angel that told Mary and Joseph about Jesus, Gabriel. Or it could be the angels that talked to the Shepherds.

   Now the candy cane.  Well...think of its shape holding it normally it looks like a cane.  Well...the shepherds used 'canes' when they were in the fields. But if you turn the candy cane upside down it turns into the letter 'J'.  Which stands for Jesus.

   Now on to the colors of the candy cane.  Red stands for the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross.  And the white stands for the purity of Jesus.  So those are a few ways you can remember The birth of Jesus when looking at a candy cane.

   Next, Presents.  A way to tie the Christmas story to presents, is to remember the Wise Men.  They gave three gifts to baby Jesus.  Those three gifts were Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.  Now we might not give those kind of gifts anymore, but we can still remember the gifts the Wise Men gave Jesus.

     Each of the three gifts can relate to something now too. Gold is something of value.  So the gifts that you really want. So with those gifts remember the gift of Gold. Next is Frankincense.  Frankincense is a essential oil used for offerings. symbol of the divine name, and an emblem of prayer.  So those thought though gifts that you put time and effort into can remind you of Frankincense.

   Myrrh was present at Jesus' death. In Mark he described the Roman soldiers mixed Myrrh with wine to give Jesus when he was on the cross. The disciples also used Myrrh when wrapping Jesus in the tomb. Myrrh is a sign of Worship.  So all of the gifts that can be a sign of Worship can help us remember the gift of Myrrh.

   We can also remember the gift God gave us.  His son, Jesus.  God didn't have to give His son to us to die on the cross for us all.  But He did. He did it so we could be together. Because God wants to be close to all of us.

   So this holiday season when you see a Christmas tree, candy cane, or a present.  Remember the Christmas story.

   Merry Christmas!

   Till next time
    LiveTheTruth :)

     

     

 

Naps Aren't Just for Kids

 

   Before I start I just want to say, I got this idea from my pastor.  And some of the things I said came from him.  I'm not going to say which words he said.  But know that the idea came from him.

    Now I'm sure most of us don't take naps anymore.  But a good nights sleep could help you in so many ways.  Now think about it, most people go to bed around 11 or 12 at night and they have to wake up the next morning around 5 or 6 for school or work.  So when you think about it you are only getting about 6 or 7 hours of sleep every night.  Try getting around 10 to 12 hours of sleep and see what difference it makes when you wake up the next morning.

   Now you're probably thinking what does sleeping longer have to do with the Bible? Well... lets read something from the Bible. 

 Genesis 2:2-3 (NIV) By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

   So you see, even God rested.  He didn't have to but I think there is a reason why he did.  If you read the 10 commandments you will see something else God says about rest.

Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV) “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 

   God tells us to have a day of rest.  But something I think is really important is God created the day of rest the day after Adam and Eve where created.  So Adam and Eve where starting there life resting.  That is was we should do also.

   We shouldn't wait to rest until we have time to, or all of our work is done.  We should start with rest.  that's why a good nights sleep every night could be a big change in our lives.  We could get the energy we need. But we also have to follow the 10 commandments and have a day of rest.  Now most people think that the seventh day is Sunday and that is the day of rest.

   But that is not entirely true.  Your day of rest could be Saturday.  Cause if you are like me you might be at the church most of the day teaching in Sunday school, preaching, leading worship, greeting people, showing new people around, the list could go on and on. And even though you like doing it and it makes you happy it's not really resting.

   So Saturday might work better for you, if that was you.  Now a day of rest does not mean stay in bed all day or watch TV all day.  Go for a walk  outside enjoying God's creation, read your Bible outside, Have a game night with your family.  Really just enjoy what God has given you with out having to do work.

   Till next time
    LiveTheTruth :)

   

 

Fruit of the Spirit: Self-Control

   I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! Now on to our last fruit of the spirit...Week 9!

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

SELF-CONTROL.

   Self-Control is a word that we use a little more often then some of the other words in the fruit of the spirit. But lets start off with learning the definition of self-control. Self-Control is the ability to control oneself, in particular one's emotions and desires or the expression of them in one's behavior, especially in difficult situations.

   Now...how can we use Self-Control? Well...the holiday season is fast approaching, so putting self-control in to use should be easy.

   Like, I'm sure with the holidays there is some kind of dessert some where in your house.  Using self-control would be not keeping it all for yourself because you think you need it, but instead giving it to your neighbors.

   Another way to show self-control is when you go into stores and you see that one thing that you really want.

   DON'T GET IT! Christmas is right around the corner you don't need to be buying yourself things that you don't need to survive.  Wait for Christmas and see what other people have bought you before getting that one thing.

   That way if some one does get you that one thing you will be more grateful for it, then you might have been if you had got it for yourself.

   So this week I'm challenging us all to have Self-Control this holiday season, and see what it can change in our life.

   I hope by now you have all the fruit of the spirit memorized.  And in the last 9 weeks you have used them a little more then you have had in the past.  I encourage you to keep using them in your daily life and see how it changes you.

   Till next time
    LiveTheTruth :)    

Give Thanks

   So it's almost Thanksgiving!

   Which means the craziness of the holidays have begun. But in this season we have to pause and give thanks to God for everything he has gave us: our family, friends, house, job, ect. There is SO MUCH we can be thankful for, for what God has given us.

    Psalm 107:1 (NIV) Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

 
   Did you know that this verse is not only in Psalm it is in other places in the Bible too? Many of them are in Psalm but not all of them are.
 
   Think back to when the first Thanksgiving happened... people gathering together that didn't know each other, but they still were together and gave thanks. What would have happened if the pilgrims and Indians didn't put aside there differences to help everyone survive?
   Would we be here today? Would there be more wars then there already are? Would we have Thanksgiving?
   God knew all of this before it happened, and that is just one reason why we should be thankful.

   So I am going to challenge ALL of us (me included) to set aside some time in this crazy holiday season to write out 50 things we are thankful for. They can be as broad or specific as you like.

   I  am also going to challenge us that after we write the list, as the weeks go by we pull the list back out and read it and thank God for EVERY thing you wrote down.

   Till next time
    LiveTheTruth :)  

Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness

   Week....8!

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

   GENTLENESS.

   what is Gentleness? Well...the dictionary says gentleness is the quality of being kind and careful.

   So how can we show gentleness with the holiday season coming up? If you look at the first part if the definition it tells you.  BE KIND.

   How can we be kind to people this holiday season? Well...Thanksgiving is Thursday, (That's why I posted this today instead of Thursday) and that whole day is about giving thanks and being thankful for things.

   So be kind to people help them out.  If you don't host thanksgiving at your house offer to do the dishes after lunch or dinner (when ever your family meets).  Offer to come over earlier and help the host finish the food, set the table, or even any last minute cleaning they need done.  Just help them out in anyway possible.

   Now on to the Christmas/Holiday season.  Being kind at Christmas is easier then you might think.  Because there are so many things going on around the Christmas season that you can be a part of.  So I'll list a few things.

   First, most of us probably bake Christmas cookies.  But how many of you are still eating them after the New Year? I know I am.  Something you can do is take some of those cookies to your neighbors. Or you can take them to family and friends.

   Second, they're so many different organisations that give toys, food, coats, ext. to people who need them around Christmas.  That is a great way to show gentleness.   If you don't know where to start looking for this, ask around at churches (sometimes they even do that stuff), they might know some places around where you live.

   And lastly, if you can't find an organisation around your town, or you just want to do extra.  You can give stuff to homeless shelters, or if you know of a family in your town that are struggling to get by this holiday season.  You can buy some stuff for them and deliver it to their door.  

   I hope this gave you a few ideas on how you can show Gentleness this holiday season. Have a great Thanksgiving!

   Till next time
    LiveTheTruth :)

Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness

   Week 7!!!

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

   FAITHFULNESS.

   As you guys/girls probably already know, unless you're new (If you are welcome!), I had already wrote a post on Faith awhile back.  So feel free to read that one also for some more on this topic.

   Now...what does faithfulness mean? The dictionary says that faithfulness means: the quality of being faithful; fidelity.

   So what do you think God wanted us to learn from this? I think the dictionary is right on this one.  I think God wants us to be faithful, to tell the truth and not lie.  But it's not just our words that we have to be faithful in, we need to be faithful in our actions too.

   Psalm 40:11 (NIV) Do not withhold your mercy from me, Lord;may your love and faithfulness always protect me.

   As it says in the verse above, David asked God that His love and faithfulness would always protect him.  But what do you think David was meaning by saying your 'faithfulness always protect me'?

   I think he was talking about that God would always be there for him, and He'd be there for David when he needs Him.  But remember I'm not an expert this is just what I think.

   My challenge for you guys this week is, I want you guys to try and be more faithful this week.  Be somebody people can count on.  keep your word.

   Till next time
    LiveTheTruth :)
  

Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness

   Week 6!!!

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

   GOODNESS.

   What is Goodness? according to the dictionary Goodness is the quality of being good, in particular. 

   So what does God want us to learn from this? Well...I think the word Goodness, is a lot more then we think at first glance.  There is so much more to it then we give the word credit for.

   Goodness can mean a bunch of things having a good attitude at all times, being good in spirit, having a good heart, or the more popular one: just being good in general.  To name a few.

   So what do you think God wants us to learn from this? Kind of like I said in my Fruit of the Spirit: Love blog post.  We are to have a good heart at all times and have a good attitude at all times.  Instead of loving all people all the time.  (Although that is just as important at this topic).

   This is a big ask from us.  We so easily forget about this, by thinking badly about someone.  Or getting mad at something.  That are once good heart and attitude starts to get ugly.

   So lets all try keeping our good hearts this week.

   Till next time
    LiveTheTruth :)

 
 

Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness

   Week 5!!!!

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

   KINDNESS.

   What is kindness?  According to the dictionary kindness means, the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.

   So what does that mean for us? Well...kindness is probably one of the hardest things for us to do.  At least for me any ways.  Sometimes it just seems easier to just walk away and never talk to the person again.  But that's not the right thing to do.

   God wants us to be kind to everyone.  Going back to my fist blog post, Happy Endings, I talked about loving your neighbor.  That is the kindness that God wants us to have.  He wants us to love and be nice to everybody, no matter what.

   Sometimes I think that we think that we don't have to be nice to someone because they're not nice to us, or they aren't Christians and sin too much.  And that's not true at all.  We all sin, yes ALL of us.  We all have those days when you just don't want to talk to anybody.  But we don't want those things to get in the way of being kind to others.

   So I want to challenge us all this week to pick ONE person you have problems being nice too.  And talk to them, nicely.  Be kind to them, do stuff for them.We are called to be servants of God.  So be a light to that person this week and show them God's love.

   Till next time
    LiveTheTruth :)    

Fruit of the Spirit: Forbearance

 

 Week 4!!!

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 

   FORBEARANCE.

   So first question what even is forbearance? lets look at a different version of Galatians to find out.

 Galatians 5;22-23 (NLT) But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

   So forbearance is patience.  Now what does patience mean? Well...the dictionary says, the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. 

   Now this probably wasn't what you were thinking of when you thought of patience.  You might have thought of something from your childhood.  Like, When your Mom or Dad told you to be patient and wait for the food to be done. Or the hardest one of all as kids, being patient for Christmas to open your gifts.

   But I don't think that is what God was thinking when he told Paul to write the Fruit of the Spirit.  What the dictionary said is probably closer then what we normally use the word for.  So what is God telling us to do?

   I think to be slow to anger and to be patient in what God is doing through you, is what God was more so talking about.  How many times do we all react too soon and become angry too fast? When we should keep calm and hear out the person or the situation.

   This happens so many times in our lives.  We judge the situation all to quick and let anger get the best of us.  So lets try to be slow to anger and to be patient in what God wants.  And lets see how that changes us.

 

   

Fruit of the Spirit:Peace

 

Week 3 here we come!

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

   PEACE.

   What is peace? Freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility.
   
   What do you think of when you think of peace? Do you think of what the definition above says? For me when I think of peace I think of being home alone in the house with no distractions.  But if you're like me that rarely happens, speciously if you have pets. :)

   But what kind of peace is God talking about in Galatians 5? I personally think he is talking about not worrying and to be at peace with things.  Below are a few verse on why I think this way.

1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Philippians 4:6 (NIV) Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

   So what does that say for us? What are we suppose to do about it? Well...I think that God's telling us not to worry and to fill our mind and heart with peace.  The Bible says "Fear Not" tons of times in the Bible.  If God didn't want us to do it, he wouldn't have put it in the Bible so many times.

   So how can you be more peaceful? Well...that question only you can answer.  But, we can start by not worrying about things and putting our worries in God's hands. Because when we give our worries to God our lives will be a lot more peaceful.

   Till next time
    LiveTheTruth :)

Fruit of the Spirit: Joy

 

Week two! This week I'll be talking about Joy.  So lets get started.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

   JOY.

   So what is Joy? A feeling of great pleasure and happiness.  Well at least that's what the dictionary says about it.
   When you think of Joy what do you think about? Well, for me I think of being happy, having a smile on my face, just enjoying the moment.

   So if that's what we think of when we think of joy.  What in our lives gives us joy? That question can be answered tons of different ways.  It all depends on you.  Maybe it's your family. your friends, being on the football team, being in band, having people like you in school/work, ext.  The list could go on and on.

   But is that what we should put our joy in? Yes and no.  Yes, we should be happy to do or have these things, but we should not put our joy in them.  We are to find our joy in Christ. But do we do it? Well...that's up to you.  I know it's really hard to.  The world just distracts us with a bunch of other things, that we start to forget where our joy comes from.

   This week I want to challenge you guys with something.  Think about where your joy comes from. It can be anything, from something I said above or something else.  Now after you think of that I want you to think why it gives you joy.

   Because that is when our joy shifts from God to self.  Take Singing for example, do you sing because people like it? You are getting popular from it? Or because God gave you a gift and you want to share it?

   Now I'm not saying just because you are not finding joy in the right things, you have to stop doing it.  I want you to try changing the way you think of these things.  Find your joy in God with these things and see how it changes you.

   Till next time
    LiveTheTruth :)    

Fruit of the Spirit: Love

 

 From reading the title you know that today I'm writing about the Fruit of the Spirit.  But I'm not going to be talking about them all today, I'll be doing them one at a time, so this will take 9 weeks!
   But don't worry you may learn some things that you never knew before.  So lets get started!

Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 

   LOVE.

   what is love? Well according to the dictionary love is: an intense feeling of deep affection.  But if we look at the Bible we'll get a little different answer.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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.  

   So what does that mean for us? Well...we are suppose to live out the Fruit of the Spirit.  Which means we are to love.

   But who or what are we suppose to love? God tells us to love ALL people.

 Luke 6:27-28 (NIV) “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you

   I know this is a BIG ask.  But God knew that this would me hard for us.  If he thought is would be easy, do you think he would have asked us to it? Probably not.  Go back and read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 again but this time change the word love for God.

   It all describes God, doesn't it.  The love God wants us to have and share is the love that He has.  That He is.  Are we always going to get it right? No.  But God wouldn't have put love in the Bible 551 (NIV) times if He didn't want us to do it.

   So lets try to love more, in the little things and the big things.

   Till next time
    LiveTheTruth :)

Faith

 

 Faith is one of the hardest things for us to do.  It is hard sometimes to have faith in things you can't see, or don't know will happen. I was recently listening to Royal Tailor's song 'Give Me Faith'.  I want you to read the lyrics in the song (But I can't write down the lyrics so you'll have to look them up).

   Time and time again people in the Bible had to have faith in God, that his promises would come through. How many times do we NOT put money in offering, because we think we don't have enough money? Sometimes we just have to put the money in the offering and have FAITH that God will provide for us.
 
  Have you ever been fired or let go from a job, and you had no idea what your next job will be or when the next time you will get paid? In tough times you have to trust that God will help you though it. It might not be exactly when you want it, but it WILL be when HE wants it.
   One of the lines in the song, talks about when Peter walked on water.

   Peter, ordinary man, walked on water.

   That is the perfect example of faith.

Matthew 14:22-36 (NIV) Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
 “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

   In the beginning of this story Peter had faith and was walking on water. But even the littlest distraction can make you take your eyes off God and start doubting again. And that's what happened to Peter. He saw wind, instead of Jesus and he started to sink.
   We so easily start doubting and fearing things, that we start to sink just like Peter did. But if we fix our eyes back to God and have faith in him, He'll catch us before we sink.

   Till next time,
    LiveTheTruth :)

  

Happy Endings

 

Once apon a time, in a far away land lived...
 
   This is how most 'fairy tales' start. But is this how our lives are?

    No, not really.
 
   But can this be how our lives are? Probably not, but we can make the world better. We can change how we act around people, even if we don't like them.

    Matthew 5:43-44 (NIV) “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor  and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,     

   Luke 6:27-28 (NIV) “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you

 
   If you want to read the the whole part on loving your enemies they are: Matthew 5: 43-48 and Luke 6:27-36.
 
   Loving your enemies seems like a pretty big ask of us. I mean how are we supposed to love the bully at school? The boss that always yells at you? Or the group of people that think they are better than you and make fun of you?
   You're probably thinking, 'yeah I can't love them they're mean to me'.

   But we're wrong.

   We are to love them. Why do you think they act this way? People are not just mean to be mean. Normally they are doing this to hide their own problems.
   Like their parents fight all the time, they were bullied growing up, people make fun of them, or they're going through a divorce. There are a lot of possibilities for why they act this way.  But that does not mean we should not love them. Maybe being their friend is the only good thing that's happened to them that day.  
   And by doing this we can change our once not so 'fairy tale' lives into...

   ...And they all lived happily ever after.


   Till next time,
     LiveTheTruth :)