Reflecting on Your Life and Service

How have you taken the time to reflect on your lives and walk with Christ? We need to consider the direction we are headed. I need to do this in my life, too. Remember how I have lived and loved Christ. While I may lack strength at times, I have chosen to serve Him.

Such reflection will keep us encouraged and energized in our faith. We have been given the amazing opportunity to come and experience our Mighty God through His Gospel! Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Savior, has arrived and will save us. What is stopping us from accepting Him and surrendering our lives?

²³Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the LORD, not for human masters, ²⁴since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the LORD as a reward. It is the LORD Christ you are serving.

Colossians 3:23-24, NIV

Image: Cristian Newman (Unsplash)

Truth in Trials: Joy Stealing Comparison

Whenever I am enduring something, I try to keep a Bible verse on hand. So far, I have utilized two particular Bible verses to reach me in my time of need. But, the second one is far easier to remember.

My sister had a baby this week. While it is exciting to know this new life is here, this was the week where my PTSD symptoms were off the charts. While I tried to be physically present, my mind was feeling a little bit sick and needing some self care.

What are those two Bible verses?

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I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him [1 Corinthians 7:32, NLT].

I think it is easy to look at my life, and become depressed. My life, in comparison to others, is different. Most folks are either married, parents, or both. But, what is my role in society at this particular moment? While my mind and body are sick, I am exactly where the Lord Jesus Christ has planted me.

You know what, I don’t have a boyfriend or kids… but, my life still means something. And, I have to fight to believe this truth. At times, it’s quite difficult. But by being single and only an Auntie, I have freedom, time wise, that others likely don’t have. And, this time can be utilized by writing or spending time with my family (even when I am too sick to leave my bedroom).

With PTSD, I have to remind myself that I am not a failure or truly alone.

My Heavenly Father is present and working through me.

He is present in my circumstances.

He is present in the waiting room of life.

He is very present in our lives and acting on our behalf!

Even though I do fear still and am prone to anxiety, I can know He is with me.

And, I can keep reminding myself of His truths.

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Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me [John 16:32b].

A sentence of God’s truth can move mountains in our hearts and lives!

The Holy Spirit has given me these specific Scriptures to fix my eyes upon. His Words are truth, regardless of my emotions.

One of the most amazing things is how the Lord can use His Word to speak His truth into our lives and pick us up when we have fallen down.

This past week, I have learned the value of 1 Corinthians 7:32 – because of what I endured last week. If it wasn’t for my “mental health week,” I cannot say that I would have become as intimate with this Scripture.

I have the freedom to be concerned only with the Lord Jesus, His Kingdom, and my immediate family. This is freedom, not everyone has. So while it may feel shameful like somehow I am not measuring up, I can make a bigger difference in the world – because I am exactly where the Lord wants me.

No amount of comparison is worthy of becoming my joy stealer. I want the joy of standing right where the Lord wants me!

As for you, what are the Scriptures that our Mighty God is carving into your hearts and lives?

Image: John-Mark Smith

The Good Shepherd’s Love {{Devotion}}

I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep (Jn. 10:14-15, NLT).

My favorite passages are those who acknowledge God as my Shepherd. I am someone who has both been led astray by other humans and one who has heard my Shepherd’s Voice and still ran away.

Maybe, you can relate? It’s easy to find ourselves in either position, isn’t it? Our great God is the Perfect Shepherd. He knows how to lead us and is the Shepherd with the strongest ability to lead us in the way we ought to go.

Our Lord Jesus is declared as our Good Shepherd in John 10. As our Good Shepherd, He shows us the way to eternal life. He lives out what we are taught in Isaiah 30:21 – which says:

Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who has passionately, loving – laid down His life for His sheep – who are actually those who believe and follow Him. As we follow the Lord, we are loudly declared as His very own. And over time, He even gives us ways to impact the Kingdom of God. We are given ways to passionately love, in a similar way to how Christ Jesus has loved us. While we will never be able to show the exact love He has shown, we can passionately love just as He has loved us.

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Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God (1 Peter 5:2, NLT).

We are invited to feed the Kingdom of God. God has assigned to each of us a particular place of ministry. Maybe it is in our homes, through our blogs, or on the soccer field (or in the stands). Wherever you are: If you are a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, then, this verse is for you.

You may not feel important “enough”, or equipped. But the truth of the matter is: God has a purpose for  your life. Before you were born or became engulfed in your trial, God set you aside with a specific purpose in mind. That purpose still stands.

We are invited to join our great Lord at work, and share the Good News with others. While every day isn’t our best day, we have been given many new opportunities to share with others that our God is the absolute best God and Savior! He is far greater than we could ever imagine, and He is working all things together for His good (and ours).

And the really good news is: we don’t have to actually see God’s hands moving – to know He is most definitely working. When things get tough and we begin to doubt He is working, may we remember faith is choosing to trust what we know about our great God – through His written word, the Bible!

Unsplash Photo: Scott Webb

In Him,
Stacey

Who Are We Living For? {Diving Into The Corinthians}

This week, we have been studying 1 Corinthians 3. I have loved every moment of it. While it isn’t always easy to stop distractions for Bible study, it is always worth it!

Let’s get started, shall we? Grab your Corinthians journal, Bible, notebook – whatever you need.

Brothers and sisters, I couldn’t speak to you as people who live by the Holy Spirit. I had to speak to you as people who were still following the ways of the world. You aren’t growing as Christ wants you to. You are still like babies. ² The words I spoke to you were like milk, not like solid food. You weren’t ready for solid food yet. And you still aren’t ready for it (1 Cor. 3:1-2, NIRV).

God wants to save us, and to be in community with us through His Son Jesus Christ who paid the price! But, there’s more to our story: God wants to be our Refuge, Peace, and Comforter. He wants to rescue us from sin, help us through difficult times, and become our Best Friend. This is the God we get to experience on a daily basis.

Life gets rough, but it’s encouraging to know: God wants to be there for us.

Meeting with our Lord Jesus is going to transform us. God’s Spirit will actually change us from the inside out.

Holy Spirit Led

Paul couldn’t talk to the people like those who were being led by God’s Spirit. They wouldn’t allow the Holy Spirit to change them. They chose their sins, instead. We all have been there.

When living by the Holy Spirit: We will actually want to be around other Christians, talk about the Lord and Bible, and allow Him to radically change our lives. Their focus is on the Savior and eternal things.

Without the Holy Spirit leading us, our focus is on other things. It isn’t on our Risen Lord who can defeat the giants in our lives.

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. ² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good (1 Peter 2:1-3, NIV).

If we want to see God perform miracles in our lives, we have to go deeper in our relationship with Christ!

Finding Excitement in Christ

There is an undeniable joy, when we have spent time with the Lord! He replaces loneliness and incompleteness with the filling of our soul. It’s inexplainable, other than to say “our cup overflows!”

To grow in Christ, we make the choice to invest in our relationship with Him. We choose to turn from sin and run to God – prayerfully sharing our need for Him! We may have screwed up, but no matter what – God’s grace is made available to each us – as we turn to Him.

Three questions for us –

• Are we turning from sin, so we can turn to Christ?
• Are we craving (and enjoying) alone time with our Lord Jesus?
  • Reading the Bible?
  • Prayer?
  • Being with other Christians?
• How are we following Him in obedience?

Featured image by Ruben Mishchuk from Unsplash.

In Christ,

Equipped for Ministry {Diving Into Corinthians

One of the hardest things is accepting that I am exactly where the Lord wants me. God has given me this season, so I can “join Him in what He is doing (see John 5:19).” God will welcome our willingness to serve Him in whatever place we find ourselves. As we serve Him, He will send us into a variety of ministries using our gifts.

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⁵ After all, what is Apollos? And what is Paul? We are only people who serve. We helped you to believe. The Lord has given each of us our own work to do. ⁶ I planted the seed. Apollos watered it. But God has been making it grow. ⁷ So the one who plants is not important. The one who waters is not important. It is God who makes things grow. He is the important one. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have the same purpose. The Lord will give each of them a reward for their work. ⁹ We work together to serve God. You are like God’s field. You are like his building (1 Cor. 3:5-9, NIRV).

Paul’s goal was to exclusively teach the people who God is and His precious Word! In this passage, we learn that God gives each of us a specific way to further His Kingdom. And our God brings us into that way of serving, and is the One producing the growth. Through and through, it is all God so none can boast in their own efforts.

God will use our life’s story to minister and reach people – so they too can know our Lord Jesus Christ. The goal is to experience Jesus Christ for ourselves and share it with others.

When Your Giving Looks Different

My ministry may be a combination of relationships, this blog, and encouraging others. It is not “less than,” even if it seems like it at times. This is where God has saw fit to prepare and equip me.

Life with chronic illness can make us feel like we aren’t doing anything to further His Kingdom, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Let’s allow ourselves to get excited about how God uses the hard days for His Kingdom!

Friends, we need to remember these words: “Having such a deep affection for you, we were delighted to share with you not only God’s good news but also our own lives, because you had become so very dear to us (1 Thess. 2:8, AMP).”

We are given the opportunity to share the Gospel and our very lives with others, regardless of our life’s circumstances. There are always opportunities to share, but let’s keep the focus on our Lord Jesus Christ.

Drawing Nearer

As we draw nearer to the Lord, He most certainly will provide ways for us to build up His Kingdom. Maybe, it isn’t going out to share. Maybe, it is using your social media for the glory of God. Maybe, it is your example by the way you have chosen to live on fire for Christ – running to the Word whenever you get a chance.

This is God’s work, friends. He will put us in the places, where we need to share His hope and our lives. Hold tightly to these biblical truths!

Featured image by Julie Kwak from Unsplash.

In Christ,