Mark 16:15 KJV
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Have you ever considered the fact that you are responsible for someone's life? I am not referring only to those who may have children. I am speaking collectively to each and every person who hears or reads this. I am speaking to young and old. I am speaking to males and females. You are responsible for someone else's life.
Some of you may be wondering how or what on earth is she talking about? Well, it's quite simple actually. You are responsible to spread God's word. You are responsible to serve Him with your life. If we look to the scripture,
Joshua 24:14 KJV reads (in part)
Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and truth...
This scripture tells us to serve God. A part of that service includes telling others about who He is. Before Jesus left His disciples for the final time, He said
Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15)
This was the mandate that he gave to them. This is also what He expects of me and you. He expects us to not only embrace His words, but to boldly share them with others. I know that many rely on the pastor or other leaders to share the word. It is their responsibility, but that does not excuse you.
There are people that God has assigned to be in your life, to cross your path, or just to approach you. These are the people that you are responsible for. You are required to tell them that Jesus lived. You are responsible to tell them that He died. You are responsible to tell them that He longs to be in a relationship with them.
There is no time to put it off until next week. No time to gather your thoughts and decide what the appropriate thing is to say. If you miss the opportunity to share Jesus with them in the moment, they may never know Him. Not knowing Him will cost them their life.
Adayinthelife:-)
Friday, August 30, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Look Up
Psalms 121:1 KJV
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
I remember a time some years ago when me and a friend of mine used to race each other to see who would call first after bible study or church. We would sit on the phone for hours and give each other a review of the sermon, the singing, and all the ways God moved in the service. We always spoke in a way that was positive and uplifting.
When our conversation would end, I would write about the service or call and share what happened in both services with a friend. In those days evangelism was easy. We didn't meet a person who we wouldn't share the word with. In those days it was the norm to find both of us with guests in church services. We wanted them to share in the joy that we were experiencing.
About five years ago, the conversations changed. All of a sudden the choir was off key, the music was too loud, and the sermon was just ok. Things that hadn't bothered us before began to shape our conversations. We were united in our unhappiness and because we each had the other we made one happily miserable pair.
I say happily miserable because Satan certainly rejoiced at the fact that he had both of us tearing down our help. How could he not be happy with changing our testimony? How could he not be happy that we had lost sight of the big picture? We had compartmentalized worship into things that man could do to tickle our fancy.
As time marched on, there were glimpses of the way we were. We would read a passage of scripture, have some new revelation, or experience with God. But we continued to cheat ourselves of what had us so happy in the first place. We forgot simply to focus on God. When we were so happy in the beginning, we never focused on the delivery of the pastor or the melody of the song. We spent hours and hours focused on the word. The word God sent in the beginning is the same word that He spoke to Moses, to Noah, to David, and to her and I. It did not change and cause us to be unhappy. Our line of sight changed. Misery remains only until we remember to look up.
Adayinthelife:-)
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
I remember a time some years ago when me and a friend of mine used to race each other to see who would call first after bible study or church. We would sit on the phone for hours and give each other a review of the sermon, the singing, and all the ways God moved in the service. We always spoke in a way that was positive and uplifting.
When our conversation would end, I would write about the service or call and share what happened in both services with a friend. In those days evangelism was easy. We didn't meet a person who we wouldn't share the word with. In those days it was the norm to find both of us with guests in church services. We wanted them to share in the joy that we were experiencing.
About five years ago, the conversations changed. All of a sudden the choir was off key, the music was too loud, and the sermon was just ok. Things that hadn't bothered us before began to shape our conversations. We were united in our unhappiness and because we each had the other we made one happily miserable pair.
I say happily miserable because Satan certainly rejoiced at the fact that he had both of us tearing down our help. How could he not be happy with changing our testimony? How could he not be happy that we had lost sight of the big picture? We had compartmentalized worship into things that man could do to tickle our fancy.
As time marched on, there were glimpses of the way we were. We would read a passage of scripture, have some new revelation, or experience with God. But we continued to cheat ourselves of what had us so happy in the first place. We forgot simply to focus on God. When we were so happy in the beginning, we never focused on the delivery of the pastor or the melody of the song. We spent hours and hours focused on the word. The word God sent in the beginning is the same word that He spoke to Moses, to Noah, to David, and to her and I. It did not change and cause us to be unhappy. Our line of sight changed. Misery remains only until we remember to look up.
Adayinthelife:-)
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Tomorrow Is Not Promised
Tomorrow is not promised
So choose to love today
There is no time to sit and ponder
The words you have to say
I love you is not hard
In word, thought, or deed
Speak up, act, do it now
This is a word that you must heed
It is not like an empty promise
That comes packaged just the right way
No, this is a solemn vow
So hear me when I say
Take the time to seek God's face
And confess all your wrongs
Ask Him to forgive you
For hiding from Him for so long
Approach Him with a pure heart
Allow the Father to see
The bruised and broken parts of you
That are hidden just beneath
The surface does not matter
No time for words for show
Cry out to Him in earnest
Because if it's fake, He'll know
He'll spit you out in disgust
And then you'll cry and weep
About the time you missed out
On giving Him your soul to keep
You'll beg Him to reconsider
Making hell your home
But He will just remind you
That you ran from Him for so long
I'll get it right when I'm older
I'm too young to give up my partying ways
When I'm 30 or maybe 40
Yeah, that's when I'll get saved
By then I'll have it all out of my system
And I can find myself a good church
I'll be like my grandma and them old ladies
That make the third row their perch
I will tithe and give my offering
I'll have good money by then that I can pay
I heard the sermon about you were soon to come
But I thought I would be okay
This is what He will let you hear
Your very own words will pick you apart
There will be no tears in heaven
So the Father won't even let you start
He will sit you there to listen
To the words you used to say
And when it's all over
He will say choose ye this day
I hope you make the right choice
I sincerely do
For tomorrow is not promised
To me or to you.
Adayinthelife:-)
So choose to love today
There is no time to sit and ponder
The words you have to say
I love you is not hard
In word, thought, or deed
Speak up, act, do it now
This is a word that you must heed
It is not like an empty promise
That comes packaged just the right way
No, this is a solemn vow
So hear me when I say
Take the time to seek God's face
And confess all your wrongs
Ask Him to forgive you
For hiding from Him for so long
Approach Him with a pure heart
Allow the Father to see
The bruised and broken parts of you
That are hidden just beneath
The surface does not matter
No time for words for show
Cry out to Him in earnest
Because if it's fake, He'll know
He'll spit you out in disgust
And then you'll cry and weep
About the time you missed out
On giving Him your soul to keep
You'll beg Him to reconsider
Making hell your home
But He will just remind you
That you ran from Him for so long
I'll get it right when I'm older
I'm too young to give up my partying ways
When I'm 30 or maybe 40
Yeah, that's when I'll get saved
By then I'll have it all out of my system
And I can find myself a good church
I'll be like my grandma and them old ladies
That make the third row their perch
I will tithe and give my offering
I'll have good money by then that I can pay
I heard the sermon about you were soon to come
But I thought I would be okay
This is what He will let you hear
Your very own words will pick you apart
There will be no tears in heaven
So the Father won't even let you start
He will sit you there to listen
To the words you used to say
And when it's all over
He will say choose ye this day
I hope you make the right choice
I sincerely do
For tomorrow is not promised
To me or to you.
Adayinthelife:-)
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
A Child's Heart
Isaiah 54:13 KJV
And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord ; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.
This was one of the first prayers that I ever learned. I am not ashamed to say that I sometimes still say this prayer when I go to bed. To some it may seem simple. To me it is a reminder of a young girl who first learned to believe. Memories of a time when all I knew was to pray.
Growing up I spent a lot of time with my grandma and my great-grandma. I had nosebleeds quite often. Each time I had one, grandma would read to me from the bible and pray. If I was sad, great-grandma would tell me to pray. If I didn'tlike something, they both said pray. For every situation that presented itself in my young life, I was instructed to pray.
Sometimes when I asked too many questions my grandma would say "child I don't know". Instead of feeling defeated, I would talk to God. I figured if grandma didn't know surely God did. In those days my thoughts were overwhelming. I was only around 8 when it first started.The year that my grandma died was around the same time I started to wonder about everything. She was gone so I prayed.
"Will my cousin come to live with us? What do You think about my sister having a baby? Do drug dealers go to heaven? Will my friends and family fall in love with Jesus? Will my dad find time to see me? Why are there so many people living on the streets? Why can I see things in my dreams?"
These were the questions that guided many of my prayers. Some of these questions still make appearances on my prayer list now. I still lay in bed wondering about the things that shape the world and the things that shape my life. My curiosity still leads me to sometimes ask too many questions. This is why I still talk to God.
Adayinthelife:-)
And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord ; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.
This was one of the first prayers that I ever learned. I am not ashamed to say that I sometimes still say this prayer when I go to bed. To some it may seem simple. To me it is a reminder of a young girl who first learned to believe. Memories of a time when all I knew was to pray.
Growing up I spent a lot of time with my grandma and my great-grandma. I had nosebleeds quite often. Each time I had one, grandma would read to me from the bible and pray. If I was sad, great-grandma would tell me to pray. If I didn'tlike something, they both said pray. For every situation that presented itself in my young life, I was instructed to pray.
Sometimes when I asked too many questions my grandma would say "child I don't know". Instead of feeling defeated, I would talk to God. I figured if grandma didn't know surely God did. In those days my thoughts were overwhelming. I was only around 8 when it first started.The year that my grandma died was around the same time I started to wonder about everything. She was gone so I prayed.
"Will my cousin come to live with us? What do You think about my sister having a baby? Do drug dealers go to heaven? Will my friends and family fall in love with Jesus? Will my dad find time to see me? Why are there so many people living on the streets? Why can I see things in my dreams?"
These were the questions that guided many of my prayers. Some of these questions still make appearances on my prayer list now. I still lay in bed wondering about the things that shape the world and the things that shape my life. My curiosity still leads me to sometimes ask too many questions. This is why I still talk to God.
Adayinthelife:-)
Thursday, August 8, 2013
UNCONQUERED
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 KJV
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."
Visitors to Florida State University's football stadium are greeted by an amazing statue of Chief Osceola and Renegade. The statue is beautiful all by itself, but what has always stood out for me was the word engraved across its base. UNCONQUERED
Unconquered means undefeated in battle or victorious. It's easy to understand why so many FSU fans love this statue. Our team, like the Seminole Indians the statue pays homage to, is unconquered. Many of our opponents would argue this and say "but we beat y'all last year ". I smile and reply, "that's right. But we are still unconquered. We are still victorious. We will see what happens when we play." As a fan, victory remains the focus regardless of the what happens during the game.
1st Quarter ~ FSU down by 10. Fan says "we might be down, but it's still early".
2nd Quarter ~ FSU down by 24. Fan says "they beat us up good this half, but I promise you we gone get it right".
3rd Quarter ~ FSU still down by 24. Fan says "I'm not worried. We got this."
4th Quarter ~ FSU loses 44-20. Fan says "Can't nobody beat us I don't care what the score say. We got y'all next year."
The game just ended in a loss, but Seminole fans still speak victory. Isn't it funny how the fan embraces what the Christian does not? Christians say "we are conquerors. No weapon formed against us shall prosper." But the minute we suffer a loss we walk with heads hung in defeat saying "Lord why have You forsaken me?" We forget how steadfast we are as football fans.
Christians live with conquerors on the tongue. But fans live life with unconquered firmly rooted in their spirit. They know that regardless of who comes up against the team (be it Gator, Hurricane, or Bull), the battle will not end until the result is victory. Along the way games might be lost, but the Seminoles will never surrender. The Seminoles are the only U.S. tribe to be unconquered. Christians, the Lord says SO ARE YOU. It's time to engrave unconquered in your spirit.
Adayinthelife:-)
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed."
Visitors to Florida State University's football stadium are greeted by an amazing statue of Chief Osceola and Renegade. The statue is beautiful all by itself, but what has always stood out for me was the word engraved across its base. UNCONQUERED
Unconquered means undefeated in battle or victorious. It's easy to understand why so many FSU fans love this statue. Our team, like the Seminole Indians the statue pays homage to, is unconquered. Many of our opponents would argue this and say "but we beat y'all last year ". I smile and reply, "that's right. But we are still unconquered. We are still victorious. We will see what happens when we play." As a fan, victory remains the focus regardless of the what happens during the game.
1st Quarter ~ FSU down by 10. Fan says "we might be down, but it's still early".
2nd Quarter ~ FSU down by 24. Fan says "they beat us up good this half, but I promise you we gone get it right".
3rd Quarter ~ FSU still down by 24. Fan says "I'm not worried. We got this."
4th Quarter ~ FSU loses 44-20. Fan says "Can't nobody beat us I don't care what the score say. We got y'all next year."
The game just ended in a loss, but Seminole fans still speak victory. Isn't it funny how the fan embraces what the Christian does not? Christians say "we are conquerors. No weapon formed against us shall prosper." But the minute we suffer a loss we walk with heads hung in defeat saying "Lord why have You forsaken me?" We forget how steadfast we are as football fans.
Christians live with conquerors on the tongue. But fans live life with unconquered firmly rooted in their spirit. They know that regardless of who comes up against the team (be it Gator, Hurricane, or Bull), the battle will not end until the result is victory. Along the way games might be lost, but the Seminoles will never surrender. The Seminoles are the only U.S. tribe to be unconquered. Christians, the Lord says SO ARE YOU. It's time to engrave unconquered in your spirit.
Adayinthelife:-)
Monday, August 5, 2013
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Genesis 9:12-15 NIV
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.
Somewhere in this great big world a rain cloud is forming. A little girl is sitting at her window upset that the rain has come to steal her fun away. Her mother runs from the car with a bag of groceries cursing because getting wet is just the latest thing to go wrong in a pretty crappy day. She overslept that morning, missed a meeting with her new boss, and now here comes the rain. It might not be so bad if her life wasn't in as much turmoil as the clouds that covered the sky in black and grey.
Her husband seemed to be uninterested in spending time with her, making love to her, even talking to her was the last thing he did with his day. Their daughter had been acting out for weeks and she was sure her long hours at work were to blame. But there was nothing she could do. Her job was on the line and the family has more debts than she can manage. Why she wondered, did God have to send the rain?
She hadn't thought about praying or talking to God in so long. There was so much going on, yet she didn't have a lot to say. Every night she would lie in bed wondering when the storm would pass. When would somewhere over the rainbow be more than a childhood song she used to sing? When would the sun shine on her life again?
This mother could be any one of us. She is so focused on the storm, the rain, the troubles in her life. A part of her remembers that she should talk to God, but she doesn't. She walks in the rain cursing it. But it was sent to restore. She stumbles through her life unwilling to place her relationship with her daughter over her quest to keep things. Her marriage is falling apart, yet she has not looked inward or upward. She has only looked outward at her husband to place blame. She has forgotten for better or for worse just as she discarded the reason for the rain.
God sends the storm and the rain to wash away what should not be, to restore what has wilted, and to remember the covenant He made. Besides, if you're looking forward to somewhere over the rainbow, you must remember you cannot have a rainbow without rain.
Adayinthelife:-)
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.
Somewhere in this great big world a rain cloud is forming. A little girl is sitting at her window upset that the rain has come to steal her fun away. Her mother runs from the car with a bag of groceries cursing because getting wet is just the latest thing to go wrong in a pretty crappy day. She overslept that morning, missed a meeting with her new boss, and now here comes the rain. It might not be so bad if her life wasn't in as much turmoil as the clouds that covered the sky in black and grey.
Her husband seemed to be uninterested in spending time with her, making love to her, even talking to her was the last thing he did with his day. Their daughter had been acting out for weeks and she was sure her long hours at work were to blame. But there was nothing she could do. Her job was on the line and the family has more debts than she can manage. Why she wondered, did God have to send the rain?
She hadn't thought about praying or talking to God in so long. There was so much going on, yet she didn't have a lot to say. Every night she would lie in bed wondering when the storm would pass. When would somewhere over the rainbow be more than a childhood song she used to sing? When would the sun shine on her life again?
This mother could be any one of us. She is so focused on the storm, the rain, the troubles in her life. A part of her remembers that she should talk to God, but she doesn't. She walks in the rain cursing it. But it was sent to restore. She stumbles through her life unwilling to place her relationship with her daughter over her quest to keep things. Her marriage is falling apart, yet she has not looked inward or upward. She has only looked outward at her husband to place blame. She has forgotten for better or for worse just as she discarded the reason for the rain.
God sends the storm and the rain to wash away what should not be, to restore what has wilted, and to remember the covenant He made. Besides, if you're looking forward to somewhere over the rainbow, you must remember you cannot have a rainbow without rain.
Adayinthelife:-)
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