On the Bike Ride of Life

consider these statements spiritually.

The Bike Ride of Life.

What will you do on it?

How fast will you "roll," or should I say, how much time will you take to gather in the beautiful sights?

Why are you riding? What is your purpose? What do you STRIVE for?

Who or what will you run over?

Who or what will you lift up?

Do you simply push the people in front of you, or do you pull the people behind you?

What path are you on?

What paths will you turn on to?

What trail will you leave?

Do you give up the up-hills?

Do you free your hair to tangle in the breeze down-hill?

Or do you hold yourself back to be sure your hair looks okay?

Do you fill those tires with air?

Do you cruise?

Do you sweat?

Are you balanced?

Do you stop at the stop sign?

Do you go at the green light?

Jacob and Esau and Me- a poem!

Esau sold something precious

To receive what he wanted then.

Jacob deceived his brother

 To manipulate God's plan.

Immediate gratification

Is what Esau sought after.

But later he would regret

The folly of his barter.

Jacob wanted pleasure

So he used his smarts.

He wanted his own way,

Instead of accepting God's path.

Who am I more like:

Esau or Jacob or both?

Do I sacrifice a precious gift

Because of my petty impatience?

Do I attempt to control

The future of my life?

Or do I combine these two follies

And reap what I have sown?

I think at times we all fall

Into one of these two traps.

For these traps are disguised as the path to success

When they are really the path to destruction.

Let us consider our actions

In light of this Biblical story.

And let's not forget that we will reap

The consequences of our folly.

Video

This is a video that we watched today in youth group; hope it blesses you with conviction as it did me.

Keep On Keepin' On {3 easy steps}

Wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

For consider him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be weary and faint in your minds.

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THIS POST IS PART TWO OF ANOTHER POST, KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON {ONLY} PRT. 1. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE PREVIOUS POST, PLEASE FOLLOW THE LINK TO READ IT.

Keep on keepin' on. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming! what do we do? We swim! swim! Don't give up! you can do it! Run! Bear with it. Keep at it. Hang in there. Stick to it.

Keep going. Persevere. Don't stop. Persist. Continue. Carry on. Endure. Abide. Press on.

okay, okay, you know what I'm talking about now :)

So let's see how to run a successful, persevering race in 3 easy, Biblical steps. (and one pre-requisite.)

Pre-Step:  Recognize that people are watching you. They are witnesses of your actions and attitude, and that will affect them. If you persevere, the souls of those eyes will want to persevere.

STEP 1)  Drop the baggage. No pro runner starts a pro race with a backpack full of rocks. If sin is a burden on your back, hand it over to the Lord, and He will take care of it. He is your coach. Hand the backpack of rocks to Him. Also, throw the deceptive sin away. It may seem refreshing, but it will only make you more thirsty. Always drink the Living Water.

                   "let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us..."

STEP 2)  Be patient. This race is going to seem long, but you need patience. Remember the One you are running for.

                   "... and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."

STEP 3)  Look to Christ. Keep your eyes on the One who ran the hardest race of all. He is the Author and Finisher of this race of faith. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, and He will strengthen your aching muscles.

"Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be weary and faint in your minds."

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You are tired. You are weary.

You are surrounded by witnesses. Drop the baggage. Be patient. Look to Christ. 

And you will be refreshed!

Keep On Keepin' On {only} prt. 1

Wherefore seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

For consider him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be weary and faint in your minds.

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Lord, why do I have to go through all this?!? I'm trying to do the right thing, but noone seems to want that. They are treating me so badly; I can't seem to see what good this is doing me. Maybe I should just give up on this; I'm tired and don't want to be around these people anymore. Could I just walk away and give up now?

Maybe these are your thoughts. Maybe you are trying so hard; maybe you are doing your best. And, probably, you are tired {okay, exhausted}. You just might be ready to GIVE UP. I've got news for you:

You're trying too hard.

Guess what? YOU CAN'T DO IT. At least, you can't do it... on your own. Take a look:

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Phillipians 4:13

I want to clarify this before I move on {to prt. 2} of this post: 

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Note from author: This post is part of a series; if I included everything that I wanted to say in this post then it would be loooooooooooooooooooooooooong. So I'm spreading it out; hope it's not too confusing. You can definitely look forward to part two!!!

Love Poured Out

Pouring out love, not anger. 

That's something I had to do the day before Wednesday, because I was in the confined car with two other people, and you know how that can be. Anything gets on my nerves in that situation, but I determined not to let that get the best of me. I also determined to have a wwjd attitude.

And that was hard.

But it reminded me that I love my brother more than my DSI, meaning that even if he ever did completely destroy what I spent lots of hard-earned money on, I still wouldn't give up on him by blowing up. With love, I still wouldn't have that right. {Which he didn't break it at all, by the way}

And that brings me to a great Valentine's Day story. It's a story of a guy who truly loved his girl more than any work or possession.

Read it here.

What a cool story! Something I didn't notice before is that Jacob worked for seven years after her married Rachel, which shows that he probably forgave Laban for his deception.

Suppressing rage is pouring out love, and that's one of the ways I poured out love and gave of myself this Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day

It's Valentine's Day.

Some of you reading this are married; some may be in a relationship; some are single. I fall into the last category, and yes, I am celebrating Valentine's Day; because, even though the background of it may not have to do with singles, love does.

I do not have to be in a relationship or be married to love. The Bible says that love is a fruit of the Spirit, not a result of romance.

That means that I, as a Christian, can love, even if I don't have a significant other.

Enough about what love is not; let's talk about what love is.

Today, I am celebrating Valentine's Day by choosing to be loving through the strength of Christ.

I will choose to be patient, waiting on God's timing for romance.

I will choose to be kind, especially to my parents, who introduced me to singleness.

I will choose to reject envy, especially envy of couples.

I will choose humility, not boasting or prideful of a loving heart.

I will choose to suppress rudeness, especially to those who treat me differently because of my singleness.

I will choose to be a servant, even to those who have a significant other.

I will choose to reject anger, even towards my situation.

I will choose to reject a record of wrongs, especially those wrongs done due to my singleness.

I will choose not to delight in evil, especially lies that would tear me down.

I will choose to rejoice in truth, the truth that God's timing is best.

I will choose to protect my heart and others' hearts from lies.

I will choose to trust, especially in the Lord of my life.

I will choose to hope, especially in God's Word.

I will choose to presevere, even through this time of my life.

For then, I will love!



A re-definition of Valentine's Day:

This Valentine's Day, I dedicate my heart to the Lord of my life, Jesus Christ. Let His strength prevail, for I am fallen and weak, and cannot love on my own. May He work through me as He molds me and purifies me. I surrender my life to Christ, the Author of my life, and the Author of love!

Forbearance

Forbearance.

Forbearance is calming every nerve in your body that tells you to scream when your brother is innocently squeaking the dog toy but it's biting at your pulsing headache.

Forbearance is calmly accepting the fact that you must learn how to waltz for drama class.

Forbearance is holding it the stomp and yell in when you just brushed your fake-hair clip five times, and, five minutes after you put it on, you must walk a ways in the cold harsh wind to your co-op class.

Forbearance.


Forbearance is a type of reaction to a situation that's completely out of our control. Yeah, forbearance is that type of reaction that is glorifying to God. Forbearance is putting up with it (suppressing anger) while loving which means fully forgiving which happens due to the Holy Spirit within us which in turn leaves no room for bitterness.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance, against such there is no law."

~Ephesians 5:22-23 (emphasis mine)

And, since I will be on a road trip all day tomorrow {all the way to Tennessee!} with my brother and my mother in an enclosed space, I think I will need some forbearance. But, by definition, I can only do it through God. I am excited to see what God will do in me tomorrow as I live this out. :D

Busy, busy, busy! and Small Choices

You know you're week's been busy when you've substituted brushing your teeth with an Altoid and skip a shower for four days straight. Well, I guess it means you could be really tired, too. But, seriously? My room looks like a junkyard, my {many} dirty clothes smell like one, and I feel like one! My goals of having a clean room and getting my laundry done and blogging and spending free time on more meaningful things crashed. And then, yesterday I had {not had, chose to get up late} to do my eye-shadow and such and read my Bible on the car ride to church.

And then I read that verse that pierces me every single time:

Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.

yeah. ouch!

Innocently "forgetting" was no excuse to tell an omniscient God. He knew that I made the choice to get up late almost every day of the week. He knew that I made the choice to neglect putting on the armour of God. But I thought I was all set because I had read my Bible everyday. But I did it to keep my record straight, forgetting God for "days without number."

a small choice made with God's guidance is a beautiful thing.

I made the choice. That's something I've been learning: that my small choices add up to a larger result. My "small" choices of pressing snooze on the alarm clock added up to a week of sleeping in and quick Bible reading. I only got a sliver of what I could've gained from my time with God.

Please don't make the same mistake I did. It might not be pressing snooze on the alarm clock, but there's probably some small choice that adds up that you will be making this week. Make the right choice.

Rubber Bands

The other day I got a rubber band put in my mouth. It attaches my top braces to my bottom braces, in such a way that it will pull my bottom teeth to the left.

I've been thinking about it. I am actually starting to see a lot of analogies for my life from the rubber band in my mouth. :)

A rubber band is elastic-y. Even when it is stretched out, it will bounce right back to its original shape. {Too} many times I will become very angry when I am "stretched." My "stretching" can really be anything from a trial to my brother accidentally getting into my stuff to gossip that is spread about me. Too many times I react in a harsh way, such as yelling or what have you.

However, God's Word tells me to do things much differently. There is no need for my anger or harsh reaction; there is need for my forgiveness, compassion, mercy, and understanding.

Of course, I must forgive whoever has done me wrong.

Then came Peter unto him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

~Matthew 18:21-22

I must show love to that person.

This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.

~John 15:11

That's definitely a challenge. We have done so much to hurt Him, yet He shows love. Immense love. And He commands us to do the same to others, whether they hurt us or not.

I must show purity, peaceableness, gentleness, openness, mercy, and the fruits of the Spirit to that person with the right attitude.

For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of the righteous is sown in peace of them that make peace.

~James 3:16-18

I should try to relate to that person.

And as ye would do that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

~Luke 6:31

Well, that sums up a great challenge for my week. I personally am going to write these things down on an index card and keep it in my pocket, so that every time my tongue touches that rubber band, I will read it and remember. And ask God to fill me with His Spirit, 'cuz it's not gonna happen naturally. :)

When You Can't See God (or you just don't recognize Him)

Sometimes (like very recently), I get in a mode where I am either bored of God or I just don't see Him working. Or sometimes I just kinda ignore God.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This was one of our memory verses for Sunday School. Even when we don't see God working, our faith is evidence of His work, because He works through our faith.

The hard part, though, is having the faith when you don't see God.

Do you hope for a better relationship with God? Do you hope for better family relationships? And, by hope, I mean an earnest expectation. Do you earnestly expect a full life? I know I do, especially as a teenager.

And the substance of those things hoped for is faith.

The hard part, though, is having faith when the things you hoped for aren't turning out the way you wanted.

:D

The picture above ill because faith is the evidence of things not seen. When we look up into the sky, we are not actually looking at the sun, but the tremendous light produced by it. Even so, faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen

So, what'll it be? For me, I want to have faith even when God seems boring, even when the things I hoped for aren't coming out the way I want them to. I will have faith that He is going to make something great out of my situation. I will have faith that He is doing something. By faith, I will allow God to use me, even when the use doesn't seem like a big deal. I want to live out my faith so that it is evident to those around me.

Prayer... Live It!

I was praying the other day... and I was being very frank with God. I told Him that I know how people say that prayer is supposed to change my life. But I wasn't seeing a change. I was falling back on my prayer life because it didn't seem to be changing my life. I would try to set aside a time every day to do it, but something would always get in the way. I was discouraged. Since last year I dedicated the next few years of my life to bettering my prayer life, this specific night {the first night of 2013} I was determined to get rid of bad habits and establish new, good habits. I decided that I would just have to deal with kneeling in my bedroom and reading that list up to God. Then, I thought, I might become this amazing spiritual person with beautiful prayers.

Ha! 

It almost seemed like God whispered in my heart, "Cosette, you don't get it!"

I interrupted. "Of course I don't get it! This prayer thing is supposed to change my life, right? Well, apparently I don't get it, because it's not!"

Patiently, He seemed to respond, "Cosette, prayer isn't just throwing words up at me. Prayer isn't all about you; you're praying for all those people on your list. You've got to live out that prayer!"

"yeah, I know, I've heard that before."

"But you don't get it."

"wait, what did you say again?"

"You have to live it."

"oh." "oh." "oh."

So this was it! Prayer isn't about me, although it affects me. I must live my prayer, affecting others! While I get down on my knees and pray for my family relationships to improve, I must live that prayer by willingness to put my part in. While I pray for my friend to be encouraged, I must live that prayer by encouraging them. Now,. I feel refreshed and ready to take this challenge head on- through the power of Christ!

A New Year?!?

A whole new year... Thinking about it almost makes me wince.

What if i mess it all up?

What if some drastic change happens, like last year?

What if I realize some great truth that I've been missing out on for fifteen years?

What if my sixteenth birthday party isn't what I expect?

What if I don't mature?

What if I do mature? Will life ever be the same?

What if... and I am sure you can fill in whatever your anxiety is.

You've probably seen where I've gone wrong. First off, every one of the above questions started with "What if..." I was just building off of an assumption! And secondly, I was getting all worked up about it!!!

Hmmm... I'm spotting another area for improvement. A certain verse comes to mind:

"Casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you."

Yeah, that verse kinda says it all. I don't have to be anxious about the year coming up. Because HE knows what lies ahead, and He cares for me. That means I don't have to worry. It's a circle, see? A wonderful circle of comfort that takes a load off my and your shoulders. Take your anxiety to God! There's really no reason to be worried about this next year when you're close to a Guy like Him.

The 'leventh day of Christmas: The Gift

It's my dad's b-day today. I know, right? Christmas Eve! Well, we will be holding a little celebration for him later this evening. For the next paragraph, I want you to clear your mind of all the "Christmas buzz" in there and think about what I am about to say.

Let's say it's your birthday. Let's say it's the day of your birthday party. Picture all your friends around you, smiling and laughing with you. Your parent, who's running the party, announces "Present time!" Everyone scurries to get their gift, but surprisingly, they don't look like they are about to give any to you. Instead, they are giving them among  themselves. Okay, something's wrong with this picture.

Do you think that might be how Jesus feels on Christmas Day? Sure, we know it's about Him, and celebrating His "birthday," but,

in the midst of His "birthday party," we are giving gifts among ourselves, and not really giving gifts to Him.

Let me ask you this question:

What are you giving Christ for Christmas???

There are plenty of options. Just remember, what would He like? Something like an ipod, or something like your heart?

I challenge you to give something to Him this Christmas. Something meaningful. Something that will better your relationship with Him. Something special!

The Ninth Day of Christmas: The Star

The star. The star that shone so brightly that wise men followed it. The star that led these wise men to Jesus and his family. The star that, well, plays a big part in the modern retelling of the Christmas story.

Does it really have to do with us? I mean, the thing did shine, like, over two thousand years ago! Can it really affect our lives two thousand years later??? These were kinda my thoughts when I felt God lay this post on my heart. I mean, what am I supposed to write about?

Well, yes, the star does apply to our lives. It applies to our attitude and actions, as a matter of fact.

The star can help us examine our attitude. While the star was not a living object, I think we can apply it. You see, if we want to shine radiantly like the star, we have to have the right attitude. We must be filled with the Spirit to shine for the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit, which we already talked about this Christmas season, are listed in Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. What we haven't talked about yet are the stuff we gotta get outta the way to shine. We must avoid the fruit of the flesh. Galatians 5:19-21 says,

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

Long list! And we can't do it on our own. We must do it through Him.

I've been focusing alot on this subject in my posts. But it's important.

The star also helps reveal what actions we must take. The star didn't just shine in a one-mile radius! No, the star had to reach pretty far. Even uncomfortably far. Even so, we must reach out, and not stay in our little bubble. Reaching out means we must act. We must act out of the Spirit, and act out of love. If we act out of strife, our actions will be pointless. Literally. When we act out of the Spirit, we share the gospel with others. God's Word is like a double-edged sword, and it will do its job! But when we act out of strife, we are basically throwing a plunger at a brick wall. Not gonna work!

The star also led people to Christ. When our attitude and actions are in line, people notice. And what's better than leading someone to Christ? That should be our goal, to glorify God by helping others who are blinded and deceived. If they choose to accept the light of the truth, then they will secure their eternal life. What a great thing to lead someone to do!

So, as we think of the star, we should remember how it relates to us, and how it relates to our relationships to others.

The Seventh and Eighth Days of Christmas: The Deal with gift-giving

Sorry about not posting yesterday.... Things just get so busy, especially around Christmas. Why? good question. Maybe it's because we spend so much time making, buying, sending, and giving gifts for others.

Or so we think.

Maybe the last part of that isn't exactly true. Maybe we're not doing it out of the spirit of giving.

Maybe we're actually doing it out of the spirit of selfishness.

You may be thinking I'm nuts. How is it selfish to sacrifice tons of time out of my life to get these great gifts and cards ready for all these people? How is it selfish? It's all but selfish! It's considerate!

And maybe you are being considerate! However, many times, I find myself in that yucky mode of selfishness, even during Christmas-time. And, honestly, I think others struggle with it, too. 

When we get so caught up in making the gifts and cards perfect, many times we are not focusing on the details for the good of the other person, but we want to receive credit for doing "such a good job." Sometimes we focus on what others will think of us when they open the gift, not the happiness they might receive when they recognize that we have put time, effort, and thought into their gift.

It's not wrong to put nice detail into a gift; that's great! What's wrong is when our focus shifts.

Our focus should always be on Christ; when our focus is on Christ,we will bear fruit.  I already posted on bearing fruit this Christmas, and on e of the fruits of the Spirit is kindness. I think that includes giving gifts. But we must remember Hosea 10:1. Israel chose the wrong option, and bore fruit to herself. Her focus shifted from God to herself, and therefore she bore fruit to herself. We have to be careful to not let this be our motive.

So happy gift-giving! And, keep guard against selfish motives.

The Sixth Day of Christmas: The Angel

I am sure that you have been listening to the radio or reading blog posts about the Christmas angel, Gabriel. Today, I'd like to put a perspective on it. It may not be what you expect, but we'll see how it comes out :)

So, last night, my mom was really stressed out, and she exclaimed, "I need an angel!"

Well, I thought about that for a few minutes. What did angels do in the Bible? Some of them fought the spiritual battles, some of them brought good news to people, they praise God, and some set people free from prison. You know, angels interest me ALOT. I'd like to learn alot more about them; that's one of my goals for 2013. However, with my primitive knowledge of angels, something struck my heart when my mom said that she needed an angel.

I felt like maybe I could do something.

And, maybe, I can. I mean, I can't transform into an angel, but I can attain some characteristics of them. Yes, God made angels and humans for different purposes, but I think we might share some similarities.

I already listed some of what angels do, and I think that's where the similarities begin. We are told to praise God, encourage others, fight the spiritual battle, and bring good new to people! My point is,

maybe we can act like angels for those who need it.

Christmas isn't about us, it's about Christ. He calls us to love others as He loved us.

Why not spread the love of Christ this Christmas?

Even if we are not angels, I think that God wants us to do some of the same things. Here's a list of activities we can do to spread the love.

• Pass out gospel tracts.
• Go to a nursing home or care facility and spread the news.
• Read the Christmas story to someone, on a day other than your traditional day.
• Bake some cookies for someone you don't talk to or see often, and include a note or gospel tract.
• Make a card for someone you don't talk to or see often; maybe even a cashier!
• Tell your family that you love them. Then make sure to follow that up with acts of love.
• Write down your "worst enemy." Give them a homemade card and maybe some cookies, pray for them, and follow up for the rest of 2013.
• Pray with someone who is hurting.

These are just a few activities that we can complete together, and carry on through 2013. In 2013, I will posting about angels and their similarities and more activities. We will call this the "Angel Project." It is one of my resolutions for the new year, and I hope it will be one of yours, too!

The Fifth Day of Christmas: The Snowstorm (prt. 2)

So, yesterday we started on the snowstorm. We talked about God as our refuge in the storm of a trial or emotional distress. But today, I have a different application.

A snowstorm isn't new; it's happened before, right? Just like a trial or emotional tragedy! It's happened before to someone else; maybe the same person who is going through the trial has been there before.

My point is, we have a Book full of true stories of real people who have gone through the same kinda stuff we go through. Okay, so maybe the culture was different, but didn't God know that when He wrote His sufficient Word? The stories in the Bible are entirely applicable to our lives.

1 Corinthians 10:11
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

1 Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Another circumstance that requires action is when we have gone through the storm already. We are to recognize God's hand in the past storms, and praise Him and thank Him for it.

Psalm 105:5
Remember his marvelous works that he hath done; His wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;

*Psalms are full of passages like these. Look some up for yourself!

_________________________________________________________________________________

Now, for another metaphor. A snowstorm is storm of snow. So you know how complex one snowflake is??? and they are all different!

Yes, we are like snowflakes. Unique and beautiful, in figure and soul, we display the Creator's handiwork.

Psalm 139:14
I will praise thee: for I am fearfully and wonderfully make: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

We are unique. God did not create us all the same; if He had, this earth would be filled will robots! No, He made us each individually. He has an individual plan for each of us. I know I need to learn this, but this is why we can't compare ourselves to others. As I write this post, I think that point is clicking in my brain.

Did you know that God's snow is so beautiful and complex, but man-made snow is just plain blob-like? Take a look!

In the same way, when we try to create the plans for our life, it won't come out pretty. But when we let God take control and do it, our lives will be beautiful.

So, remember this Christmas season, as you may be going through the storm, that we have examples of people who have gone through it. (Don't forget your parents and godly counselors!) And remember the times that God carried you through in the past. You are unique; God has a unique plan for you; don't attempt to build your life. Instead, hand it over to Him!

It's not the end; it's only the beginning of something more beautiful.

The Third Day of Christmas: The Candle

*sniff* mmmmm... smells good! Have you ever had a really great candle that just smelled lovely? Or maybe a Scentsy flavor that just, well, pleased your nose? Well, as I learned today in church, we can be a sweet-smelling savour to our Lord.

Ephesians 5:1-2 says, "Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour." So, from verse 1, we understand that we are to follow God as His dear children. And then, in verse 2, we are told to walk in love, as Christ did, and this includes offering ourselves as a sacrifice to God as Christ did. And when we do that, our sacrifice produces a sweet-smelling savour.

There are plenty of verses that speak of our sacrificing of ourselves, and also the sacrifice of praise. Romans 12:1 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." We are to present ourselves a sacrifice unto God, holy and acceptably. In the Old Testament, Israelites had to go to the temple to have the priests sacrifice for them. I don't think that God was looking for the lamb's death, although it was a symbol of Christ. I do think that God was looking for the sacrifice of obedience. But just think... God has made us priests, in that we can sacrifice our lives for our Lord!

Another sacrifice is the sacrifice of praise. Really, the sacrifice of our lives is a sacrifice of praise, and it produces that sweet-smelling savour, as a candle. Hebrews 13:15-16 says, "By whom therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." Our praise is a sweet-smelling savour to God. There is so much more in these verses, why don't you read them over again?

We should attribute to God the glory that is due to Him. A great example of this is in the Model {Lord's} Prayer. At the end of His prayer, Jesus says, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever." Another example of praise and giving glory to God I Psalm 29. Take the time to read it now! God is the One who lights us as candles!

A candle not only smells good, but it also produces light! Matt. 5:14-16 says, "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works. and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Well, there's a handful {or much more!} of meaning in these verses! We are candles to the world, set on a candlestick for everyone to see. When they do see us, and our good works {the fruit that we talked about yesterday}, they will glorify God! Weren't we just talking about that?!?

Well, alot was packed into this little post! But I pray that it spoke to your heart. We are to be a living sacrifice to God, praise and glorify Him, and be radiant about it!

The Second Day of Christmas: The Christmas Tree {prt. 2}

So, yesterday I posted about how a Christmas tree represents the body of Christ, and I also mentioned the consequences of not bearing fruit, or being an empty branch. {Hosea 10:1; John 15:2} As we are branches of Christ {John 15:5}, we can represent Him by bearing fruit. But there's alot more to it than that.

Bearing fruit requires some prerequisites: we must be filled with the Holy Spirit and abide in Christ. Galatians 5:21 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit..." (we will come back to this verse) It is the Spirit that fills us that allows us to bear fruit, or else we are empty, as Israel was in Hosea 10. Also, we must abide in Christ. John 15:4 says, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; mo more can ye, except ye abide in me." We cannot do anything without Christ, but Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ which strenghtheneth me." That includes bearing fruit!

What fruit does a branch filled with the Spirit and abiding in Christ bear? Well, Galatians 5:21-22 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance; against such there is no law." The fruit we bear is a major part of this study, for it helps us examine ourselves to see what we really are bearing. Galatians 5:19-20 says, "Now the the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Maybe you are not a murderer; maybe you have not committed adultery; maybe you have. But you've probably stirred up strife, or had bitterness in your heart. Things like this do not give us rewards in eternity, and they are the fruits of the flesh... rotten and slimy and definitely not beautiful! What is beautiful is the fruit of the Spirit! Let us desire to bear such fruit, and let our hearts, those ornaments on the Christmas tree, be radiant in Christ!

A branch that produces good fruit must be purged. We have talked about the Spirit and Son, but here's the part where the Father comes in. John 15:1 says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman." The Father is the One who purges the fruitful branches. John 15:2-3 says, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it , that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." We are purged through God's Word, the Bible. The Bible is like a cleanser, to get all the yucky stuff out and the good stuff in!

There is even more action to be taken! A few verses after teaching on bearing fruit, Christ discusses love. Verses 9-10 tell us to continue in Christ's love. Wow! what a challenge! He also says in verse 11, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." Then He again commands us to love one another. He really makes His point in this chapter, and I do not have the time to discuss all of it, so please read it through, letting it sink in. :-)

So remind yourself to be radiant every time you see those beautiful ornaments hanging on your Christmas tree, and remember the little simile mentioned in prt. 1. Your heart is the ornament hanging on the branch, which represents you as a branch of Christ.