ponderUpon...

Lent isn't over, it never has been, and it never will be. It's the feeling that stays with us in our hearts. We don't stop learning from God we keep listening. Lent is a time for learning, but shouldn't that be all the time as well? Lent is a time to give something up to break down the distracting barriers between us and God. But shouldn't we try to do that every day? Jesus said to all of them, “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing to give up their lives daily to follow me. -Luke 9:23. Jesus didn't say they must give up their lives only during Lent He said they must give up their lives daily. What did Jesus mean by "give up their lives"? I believe He meant anything that keeps us from growing closer to God...a big one is ourselves, our selfishness. If there is something in our life that keeps us from God in any way then it isn't worth being in our life. As it is written in Galations 2:20 "It

I love you, Lord. You are my strength. -Psalms 18:1 He gives strength to those who are tired and more power to those who are weak. -Isaiah 40:29 Depend on the Lord and his strength; always go to him for help. -1 Chronicles 16:11 The Lord saves good people; he is their strength in times of trouble. -Psalms 37:39 Ponder Upon these verses. God layed on my heart tonight to share with you, my dear friends, that those who need strength from the Lord shall have it. Call upon his name with a humble heart and he will not abandon his people. I really love Isaiah 40:29...that one really hits me. I want you to think of these verses throughout your day & especially in your times of where strength is what you need most. I also see strength corresponding with patience & probably many other things. It's a really beautiful thing to see how these attributes, if you will, flow & weave together working in unison all for our better. So in the times when you say "God, see my heart,

Make your living dear pilgrim with whatever makes you happy. Before you take these words into consideration though think about this verse: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. -Matthew 6:21 & in 1 Corinthians 10:31 it is written do all for the glory of God. So once our treasure lies in God & not in the world & we do whatever we do for His Glory we will be happy. Once our interests He's instilled in us come alive something really cool happens. Forget the worlds definition of rich & poor. What God wants us to do we will be happy making our living for Him. I had the privilege of seeing Francis Chan (more than once!) but a few summers back I heard him say this & I'll never forget it...I want the things I do in this life to have an impact on the next life (referring to Heaven). The moral of this story is what you do for the Glory of God make sure to share that Glory with other people. Because that...that is what makes it all important! Shari

I must share these thoughts with you. Christ's power within us is a mighty thing! Sin is destructive to ourselves. It seems attractive & pleasing to us but me must live as Christ lived & live not to please ourselves (Romans 15). We must live to please God our Father. With Him within us we can overcome all sin! No matter how great the temptation. The devil is always lurking & preying on our minds hoping we will fall to his traps. But I am here to tell you God is always around us too, continually strengthening us from these traps! Listen to Him when He speaks; when He provides a way out of our temptation. The offer is extended but we must take it. Do not entertain temptation because I guarantee you you will fall to sin because entertaining temptation is not God's will & it will sway our minds away from God. I come to you tonight with a humble heart. With an imperfect heart. A heart God is continually working on...& continually teaching. I was reading Romans 6

Mercy: something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing: -The Dictionary. It is God's divine favor that He has mercy for us so we can have mercy for people. It is a blessing we are allowed to have mercy from God & we are given the opportunity to show mercy to others. Without mercy...this world would be a wretched place indeed. Also in the dictionary it states mercy is compassion shown to an offender. When Jesus was being nailed to the cross mercy was shown. Not from the Roman soldiers but from Jesus himself, the one who was tortured to a horrible degree & in unimaginable pain, yet he had mercy on them, by forgiving them & pleading to the Father for them (Luke 23:34). What a beautiful thought. Who among us could do that? Have mercy on the person who was murdering you? This is a prime example of God's unimaginable love for us. It shows He has mercy on us, the ones undeserving of it (the offenders). How beautiful & what an example for us to follow. If Jesus

"I have fallen so many times, for the Devil's sweet cunning rhymes." This is a line from the song Nothing But The Water by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals. How true it is. As humans we want to believe we are right. And it doesn't help when the Devil tells us we are. God's voice is always with us but so is our own. We have to make up our minds which voice we will listen to. The easy choice would be our own. But in the long run it will be more beneficial to our whole well being if we listen to God. But like I've been saying all along we're human (this isn't a justification but a statement we are weak without God), so sometimes we're going to listen to what we want to do, sadly. And as you all know it usually doesn't end up good. Alas all is not lost though when we selfishly do what we want to do, God can use the moment to teach us something out of it, show us a lesson. It is up to us though to not leave the lesson but keep it with us for next t

Do not put too much time into your worldly possessions because what is important to you is not always important to others. Let me explain by giving an example. This past week I've given a lot of thought to phones (which brand is better than the other), their operating systems, what looks cooler, what I want in this phone & what I don't want in that phone. And it struck me...none of this would probably matter to a blind person or a person with (insert here). So is this a good use of my time? Does this, in all truth & honesty (I love saying that now by the way) owe that much of my attention & does it matter. Am I focusing on less important things when truly more important things are at hand? My answer is yes & no. It is all in accordance with a balancing of time. This applies to all recreational things. Give an interest in what you like but don't let that interest go too far so as you miss truly important things. I'll give you an example from me. Instead o

I hope everyone has had a nice unexpected winter break, & for those of you who didn't have a winter break I hope your week has been great as well. During this winter break I've been pondering upon many many things. I cannot take credit of these things as my own imagining and creativeness but things I believe God has revealed to me. Things I hope to see become a reality someday but only if they are in God's plan. The whole point of this blog is so you will ponder(U)pon. So you will search yourself and think. Are you living your life to please God or are you living to please yourself? Are you living God's plan or are you living your plan? I want you, dear readers, to think upon these things. And I want you to never stop thinking upon these things. Many words do not need to be said to convey my purpose for this reading. With this final thought I say...in my absence this past week have you been pondering upon how U can improve the present moment through the love of God?