Life Blogs Archives - Page 9 of 21 - GraceAndWorks

There are two major categories of disappointment:

Has a Person Disappointed You?

When we place our expectations on people, we are usually disappointed. Has a close friend turned away from you? Has someone betrayed you? If you have set your hopes on your children being all you want them to be, you could be headed for a huge letdown. Did you marry, thinking your husband would meet all your needs? I have to tell you something: No man can meet all of a woman’s needs, and no woman can meet all of a man’s needs. God made us with a vacant space in our innermost being that only He can fill. So He will always let us experience disappointment with people so that we are driven to find fulfillment in Him.

Are You Disappointed in Your Circumstances?

If our joy depends on circumstances, we are in trouble, because circumstances are always changing. There are too many variables for them to remain the same. Did you expect a promotion, and someone less qualified got the job instead? Has illness interrupted and permanently altered the plans you had for your family? Has a divorce you never wanted radically changed your circumstances?

2nd Corinthians 1:3-4–God will comfort us in our afflictions.

Romans 8:31-39–No matter how bad things seem, nothing can separate us from God’s love.

Hebrews 13:5-6–God will not forsake you.

Philippians 4:4-7–Have no anxiety about anything, PRAY.

James 1:12–Blessed is the man who endures trials.

God has an open communication line, through prayer, that we can talk to Him. He will never give up on us or forsake us. He will be there in time of need. Talk to Him, let Him speak through his word, you’ll be amazed how quick your life will turn around!! You have cried the tears, gathered yourself, and got your life fixed. All is well!!

SMILE God loves YOU!! Have a good day all.

The Apostle Paul was an amazing man. In his early years, he persecuted Christians. Then on his way to Damascus his life took a 180% turn. He went from persecuting Christians to teaching and preaching Christianity. While working in God’s Kingdom, he was left for dead, shipwrecked, imprisoned, afflicted, and persecuted. At the end of his life (66-67 A.D.) he wrote 2nd Timothy. Timothy was one of the workers that helped Paul and was a close friend of Paul’s. The instruction that Paul gives Timothy had a lot of insight and applies to us as Christians today.

In the 3rd Chapter of 2nd Timothy, Paul tells Timothy what was coming in the last days. It is truly astonishing how accurate he was for today’s world.

Paul starts this Chapter off by saying, “Know this that in the last days perilous times will come.” He leaves no doubt about what was to come. In verse 2, Paul lays out exactly what he was talking about. 1) Men will be Lovers of themselves, 2) Men will be lovers of money, 3) Men will be boasters,  4) Men will be proud, 5) Men will be blasphemers, 6) Men will be disobedient to parents (And God the Father), 7) Men will be unthankful, 8) Men will be unholy, 9) Men will be unloving, 10) Men will be unforgiving, 11) Men will be slanderers, 12) Men will be without self-control, 13) Men will be brutal, 14) Men will be despisers of good, 15) Men will be traitors, 16) Men will be headstrong, 17 Men will be haughty, 18) Men will be lovers of pleasure, rather that lovers of God, 19) Men will have a form of godliness, but denying it’s power. Then Paul gives the instruction to: “Turn away from such people!” In verse 7 he says, “Men will always be learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of truth.” These men will resist the truth; Men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith.

Verse 10, Paul tells us how not to get entrapped in foolish ways. He tells us to, “Carefully follow my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, and perseverance.”

Verses 12,13, and 14 states that Christians who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. We must, as Christians, continue in the things we have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom we learned them.

Written 1950 years ago, this is the world today. Don’t get caught up in it!!

Have a good day all. SMILE God loves YOU!!

I wish it was that easy, don’t you? How many times have you said “I’m sorry” and got no response? Completely disregarded. Blown off. No response. No action. No reaction. You think to yourself, what just happened? It takes a big person to know they are wrong and an even bigger person to say “I was wrong and I’m sorry.” It has come to me that it is almost surprising to hear, “You’re forgiven.” We are all imperfect and make mistakes. We hurt feelings of others, sometimes, without even knowing. There are times we hurt someone on purpose-“To get even.” Scriptures tell us that God says, “Revenge is Mine.” So why do we take it upon ourselves? It has also come to me that it is surprising to hear, “I’m sorry.” It seems people think to themselves–yeah right! Maybe they don’t believe the person saying “I’m sorry.” The scriptures tell us, “If you can’t forgive, how do you expect your Father to forgive?”

I’ve had a couple instances recently where I’ve told someone “I’m sorry” and got no response. I don’t understand why. It hurts me to know or find out later my actions have hurt someone. I was raised to care about others and their feelings. I’ve been told I’m too sensitive. Really?? I wonder what that means. Are YOU not sensitive when you’ve been wronged or you have wronged someone else? Maybe it’s the society we live in today. Maybe it’s the all for me and I don’t care about you, that’s going on in the world today. One, I apologized for offending them and they told me they weren’t offended. However, a few moments later they turned their back on me and wouldn’t even say goodbye. I sent an e-mail later on and apologized again and got no response. What more can I do? Wash my hands of the situation and move on is all I can see to do. I know some or all of you have been in these types of situations before and it is heartbreaking and extremely frustrating . I don’t have an answer. I wish I did. I wanted to share this, so those of you in similar situations know you are not alone. This happens more regularly than one thinks.

The greatest command God gave us is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. God also says, “If you don’t love your brother, how can you love Me?”

SMILE God loves YOU!! Have a good day all.

Remember this, my dear friends! Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry. Human anger does not achieve God’s righteous purpose. (James 1:19-20)

Don’t give in to worry or anger;
it only leads to trouble.
(Psalm 37:8)

People with quick tempers cause a lot of quarreling and trouble. (Proverbs 29:22)

Keep your temper under control; it is foolish to harbor a grudge. (Ecclesiastes 7:9)

But now you must get rid of all these things: anger, passion, and hateful feelings. No insults or obscene talk must ever come from your lips. (Colossians 3:8)

If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day. (Ephesians 4:26)

People with a hot temper do foolish things; wiser people remain calm. (Proverbs 14:17)

But I promise you that if you are angry with someone, you will have to stand trial. If you call someone a fool, you will be taken to court. And if you say that someone is worthless, you will be in danger of the fires of hell. (Matthew 5:22)

Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. (Ephesians 4:31)

But keep away from foolish and ignorant arguments; you know that they end up in quarrels. As the Lord’s servant, you must not quarrel. You must be kind toward all, a good and patient teacher, who is gentle as you correct your opponents, for it may be that God will give them the opportunity to repent and come to know the truth. (2 Timothy 2:23-25)

Is it time to put away sin in our lives? It’s hard to do that if we don’t understand what sin is. The following verses deal with what sin is:

John 5:14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

Romans 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another;

1 Corinthians 15:34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Ephesians 5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them].

Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

1Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

2Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

2Timothy 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

James 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

1 Peter 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

2Peter 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know [these things] before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

1 John 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

3John 1:11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

Don’t let sin get between you and God.

SMILE God loves YOU!!
Have a good day all.

There are over 1000 commands in over 600 passages from God in the new Testament. I had no idea there were this many commands when I started to research this subject. Most times when we think of commands, we tend to just think of the 10 Commandments. However, in the New Testament, God lines out exactly what he wants and expects from us as Christians. This has changed the way I study. I have shared these passages from Galatians and Ephesians.

Galatians 5:1 STAND FAST therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only USE NOT LIBERTY for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; THOU SHALT LOVE HIS NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF.

Galatians 5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, TAKE HEED that ye be not consumed one of another.

Galatians 5:16 This I say then, WALK IN THE SPIRIT, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also WALK in the Spirit.

Galatians 5:26 Let us not be DESIROUS of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, RESTORE such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Galatians 6:2 BEAR ye one another’s burdens, and so FULFILL the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:4 But let every man PROVE his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

Galatians 6:6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that TEACHETH in all good things.

Galatians 6:7 BE NOT DECEIVED; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Galatians 6:9 And let us NOT BE WEARY in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Galatians 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us DO GOOD unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Ephesians 2:11-12 Wherefore REMEMBER, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; (12) That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

Ephesians 4:17 This I say therefore, and TESTIFY in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

Ephesians 4:22-24 That ye PUT OFF concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; (23) And be RENEWED in the spirit of your mind; (24) And that ye PUT ON the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Ephesians 4:25 Wherefore PUTTING AWAY lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.

Ephesians 4:26-27 Be ye angry, and SIN NOT: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: (27) Neither give place to the devil.

Ephesians 4:28 LET HIM that stole steal no more: but rather LET HIM labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

Ephesians 4:29 LET NO corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Ephesians 4:30 And GRIEVE NOT the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Ephesians 4:31 LET all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Ephesians 4:32 And BE YE KIND one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Ephesians 5:1-2 Be ye therefore FOLLOWERS of God as dear children: (2) 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 sweetsmelling savor.

Ephesians 5:3-4 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, LET it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; (4) Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather GIVING of thanks.

Ephesians 5:6-7 LET no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. (7) BE NOT ye therefore partakers with them.

Ephesians 5:8-10 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: WALK as children of light: (9) (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) (10) PROVING what is acceptable unto the Lord.

Ephesians 5:11 And HAVE NO fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather REPROVE them.

Ephesians 5:14 Wherefore he saith, AWAKE thou that sleepest, and ARISE from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Ephesians 5:15 See then that ye WALK circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 REDEEMING the time, because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:17 Wherefore BE YE NOT unwise, but UNDERSTANDING what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:18 And BE NOT drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but BE FILLED with the Spirit;

Ephesians 5:18-20 And BE NOT drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but BE FILLED with the Spirit; (19) SPEAKING to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; (20) GIVING THANKS always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Ephesians 5:21 SUBMITTING yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Ephesians 5:22-24 Wives, SUBMIT yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. (23) For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. (24) Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

Ephesians 5:25-28 Husbands, LOVE your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (26) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (27) That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (28) So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

Ephesians 5:33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so LOVE his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Ephesians 6:1-2 Children, OBEY your parents in the Lord: for this is right. (2) HONOR thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;

Ephesians 6:4 And, ye fathers, PROVOKE NOT your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:5 Servants, be OBEDIENT to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

Ephesians 6:9 And, ye masters, DO the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, BE STRONG in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Ephesians 6:11-18 PUT ON the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (13) Wherefore TAKE unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) STAND therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) Above all, TAKING the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (17) And TAKE the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (18) PRAYING ALWAYS with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and WATCHING thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

God tells us to obey His commands and He will prepare for us a place (Heaven). Obviously, this goes much farther than just the 10 Commandments. 2nd Timothy 2:15 and following–Study to show yourselves approved. Make yourself a better Christian and the child God will approve of.

Have a good day all!!
SMILE God loves YOU.

I find it very difficult to understand politics. We have politicians that have their own agenda and will vote accordingly. They will make agreements with others so that both get their way. How can we ever come to an understanding of that? We have a government that is run by imperfect people. We vote them in and try to do the best we can to get qualified candidates, but sometimes it doesn’t turn out for the best. We think we have things figured out and then someone changes the rules. The constitution isn’t perfect so we have amendments to try to make it better. How can we come to an understanding of that? We have a group of people that are ultra conservative, a group that is ultra liberal, and then there are those in the middle that keep trying to figure out what is what. Confused by what is going on? So am I. Imperfect laws, imperfect rules, and imperfect people leading, leaves most of us with no understanding what is going on.

Religion, on the other hand is laid out in perfectness. God laid out a plan and it doesn’t change and neither does He. The basics of religion and salvation is very simple and easy to understand because there are no amendments, no rule changes, and is run by a perfect person with no flaws, GOD!! God says, “Those who have ears, let them hear.” God’s word will speak to you, if you will listen. Sometimes we need help to understand. Even the Eunich needed help from Philip. However, once he heard the words spoken, he obeyed the Gospel and asked Philip to baptize him. So the basics are this: 1) Hear the Word, 2) Believe the Word, 3) Repent from your sin, 4) Confess that you believe Christ is the Son of God, 5) Be baptized, 6) Live a righteous life thereafter. The confusion and misunderstanding of religion is that man’s opinion tries to change God’s plan and there is no room for that to happen. God is perfect, God’s Word is perfect, and Christ is perfect. In the book of Revelation we are told to not add nor take anything away from God’s Word. No rule changes, no amendments, and no opinions!!

My conclusion is this: Politics are not understandable because of the imperfect things that occur. Religion is very understandable because it is perfect.

Have a good day all and SMILE God loves YOU!!

As I was driving down the road today, I was looking at all the signals my car has and was thinking about how nice it would be to have those for everyday life.

POWER BRAKES: Gives me that extra boost to put a stop to things I shouldn’t be doing.
POWER STEERING: Gives me the ease and quickness to get out of harms way.
TURNING SIGNALS: So those around me would know when I’ve changed direction or changed my mind.
BRIGHT LIGHTS: So that I might always walk in the light and never be in darkness.
SPEEDOMETER: To let me know when things are going too fast or too slow.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: So when there are changes in my life, there would always be a smooth shift to another chapter.
CUSHIONED SEATS: To always provide that smooth ride that I desire as my life goes on.
WIPERS: Giving me a clear look at what is happening so I can make better judgement calls.
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT: So I would have a warning signal when things are about to go sideways.
OIL PRESSURE GAUGE: That I would always know my blood pressure and if I’m under undo stress.
HEAT GAUGE: To let me know if my temper is out of control and I need to stop and let things cool down.
AIR CONDITIONING: So I can maintain a level nature about myself–Never too cool and never too hot.

And what about the engine that makes everything go? That’s what reminds me of God. He and the written word He gave me is the engine that pulls me through life. Without the engine all the other signals that a car has would be of no value. Without God life would have no meaning. There would be no road to travel down and no need for anything or anyone to give any signals for danger.

SMILE God loves YOU!!
Have a blessed day all.

Building a good relationship takes work. It doesn’t just happen. I think many times we take a relationship with others for granted and that is why they fail. The Apostle Paul lays out the groundwork for a successful relationship in the book of Romans.

Romans 12:9-21:
Love without hypocrisy
Cling to what is good
Be kind to each other
Be patient
Be of the same mind toward one another
DO NOT be wise in your own opinion
If it is possible, as much as depends on YOU, live peaceably with everyone.

Romans 14:1-23:
Accept others differences
Don’t be judgemental
Do what leads to peace

Romans 15:1-13:
ACCEPT EACH OTHER!!

Every one has their own little quirks. We all have different personalities. We have different likes and dislikes. Let’s respect that!!

SMILE God loves YOU!! Have a good day all.

Let’s talk about friends, family, marriage, and God.

So how is your relationship with your friends? Are you talking, texting, or staying in contact regularly? Or do you just wait around until they contact you? In the age of electronics, it’s real easy to stay in contact–just grab your phone and text/talk away. But what happens when no one texts or calls you and you are always the one to make contact? How does that make you feel? Agitated, angry, left out, lonely, or just plain upset? It’s been said that highways and phone lines run both directions, but many times they are only going one way.

How is your relationship with family? Always in contact, spotty, or not at all? The same thing can be said about family as I said with friends. If you are the one who always has to make that first contact, how do you feel about it? If you do always make the first contact and then get a one word response with no other conversation, how do you deal with that? Highways running one direction, phone lines only running one direction–do you eventually just decide they don’t want anything to do with you and throw your hands up and move on the best as possible?

How’s your relationship with your spouse? To be a success, I’ve always believed that communication is the key to that success. One person always initiating the conversation is not the ideal way to communicate. Is there love in the marriage? Do you do things that are special? Do you tell each other that you love them? The special touch or that smile that melts the heart? Many marriages end in divorce because of the lack of communication. The highway and phone lines–are they only running one direction?

What about your relationship with God? Do you pray without ceasing, as the Bible teaches. Praying is the communication line between you and God. Christians know that God will answer your prayers. It might not be what you wanted, but was what God wanted for you. And after some time goes by, you see He was right. Or do you treat God like friends, family, and marriage–just wait around until you need Him to talk to Him? What makes God different is that the highways and phone lines run both directions. He will answer you and He will also let you know through blessings that things are good. You don’t have to wait around for Him. There is no wandering if He cares. There is no doubt in this relationship. He is always there for you and He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. When everyone else fails you, God WILL be there!!

Have a good week all and SMILE God loves YOU!!