Never Again...

Every once in a while, these negative thoughts creep in, so I've started keeping track of those thoughts, and taking them captive with the Truth. Kinda like this:

Never again will I call myself a failure because...

• God has started something in me, a good work, and promises to complete it. (Philippians 1:6)
• I can do all things through Christ's strength and power. (Philippians 4:13)
• I can do even greater things than He. (John 14:12)
• I am the head, not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13)

Never again will I be lonely because...

• God is with me (Isaiah 43:2)
• God is with me (Joshua 1:9)
• God is with me (Matthew 28:20)

Never again will I be defeated because...

• I have the Greater One living in me (1 John 4:4)
• I was created to do His work (Ephesians 2:10)
• I am more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37-39)

Never again will I feel unloved because...

• His love is everlasting (Psalm 103:7, Jeremiah 31:3)
• His love endures forever (Psalm 136)
• He loves me (John 15:13, 1 John 3:16, John 3:16)

Never again will I be in need because...

• I am complete in Him (Colossians 2:10)
• He will provide for my needs (2 Corinthians 9:10)

Never again will my past control me because...

• He has taken away the past and replaced it with something new, something better (2 Corinthians 5:17)
• Every day is a new beginning (Lamentations 3:22-23)

What about you - what thoughts do you need to say never again to?

Was It Enough?

It's a question I keep coming back to, especially when I think I'm having the worst day.

Were the nails and the spear in My side

Not quite enough to provide

The victory you need in your life? -Jill Pacquette, Come to Me

No matter what you are going through, whatever pain you are feeling, what mountain is in your way or who your adversaries are, you have victory if you have a life surrendered to Jesus. The victory may not look like you expect, it's really better than you can imagine.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57

With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies. Psalm 60:12

What more could He have done? His sacrifice - I'd say it's more than enough.

Couldn't Have Said it Better Myself

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.

Let the whole world know what he has done.

Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.

Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.

Exult in his holy name;

rejoice, you who worship the Lord.

Search for the Lord and for his strength;

continually seek him.

Remember the wonders he has performed,

his miracles, and the rulings he has given,

you children of his servant Israel,

you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.

He is the Lord our God.

His justice is seen throughout the land.

Remember his covenant forever—

the commitment he made to a thousand generations.

This is the covenant he made with Abraham

and the oath he swore to Isaac.

He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,

and to the people of Israel as a never-ending covenant:

“I will give you the land of Canaan

as your special possession.”

He said this when you were few in number,

a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.

They wandered from nation to nation,

from one kingdom to another.

Yet he did not let anyone oppress them.

He warned kings on their behalf:

“Do not touch my chosen people,

and do not hurt my prophets.”

Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!

Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.

Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.

Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.

Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!

He is to be feared above all gods.

The gods of other nations are mere idols,

but the Lord made the heavens!

Honor and majesty surround him;

strength and joy fill his dwelling.

O nations of the world, recognize the Lord,

recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.

Give to the Lord the glory he deserves!

Bring your offering and come into his presence.

Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.

Let all the earth tremble before him.

The world stands firm and cannot be shaken.

Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice!

Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!”

Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!

Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!

Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise,

for the Lord is coming to judge the earth.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

Cry out, “Save us, O God of our salvation!

Gather and rescue us from among the nations,

so we can thank your holy name

and rejoice and praise you.”

Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,

who lives from everlasting to everlasting!

And all the people shouted “Amen!” and praised the Lord.

1 Chronicles 16:8-36 (NLT)

Random Active Kindness

Recently, I started helping lead a group of 5th and 6th grade girls on Sunday nights. It's really been challenging and rewarding, and I'm loving it!

A couple of weeks ago I talked about loving your neighbor. We read a lot of verses about loving each other, ending with the parable of the Good Samaritan. As we closed, I challenged them to do a random act of kindness each day during the week, and to come back with stories of what they did and what the reactions were of the people they served. (Side note: We didn't have many of the same girls the next week, so the only story I have is this one, from one of the mothers: Random act gone wrong. Maybe we should let the parents in on our weekly challenges.)

As we were cleaning up after the girls left, we found one of the girl's papers. She had written down the assignment as "Do a random active kindness every day." We kind of giggled at that.

At home later that evening, I thought of how she heard that and I think she was right. Loving others requires action. It's not about feeling some emotion, but it's about getting up and doing something. We can't say we love God and love people if we are sitting around talking about it.

It's time to get moving! It's time to make a difference. It's time.

We ended our time together talking about why it's important to love others and show kindness to them. I'll leave you with Matthew 25:31-46 from The Message.

The Sheep and the Goats

"When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'

"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.'

"Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—

I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'

"Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?'

"He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.'

"Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."

It's time. Go.

If you don't know where to start, some of the ideas on this site may jump start your creativity: A Risk A Day

Who am I?

I needed some encouragement this morning. I have sent this to many people in the past to encourage them. Today, I'm going to remember that God wrote these words for me, too.

* I am born again…through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 1:23)
* I am a child of God. (John 1:12)
* I am saved by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
* I am loved by God and He gave his one and only Son for me. (John 3:16)
* I am a new creation in Christ; the old has gone and the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
* I have peace with God. (Romans 5:1)
* The Holy Spirit lives in me. (1 Corinthians 3:16)
* I have access to God's wisdom. (James 1:5)
* I am helped by God. (Hebrews 4:16)
* I am reconciled to God. (Romans 5:11)
* I am not condemned by God. (Romans 8:1)
* I am justified. (Romans 5:1)
* I have Christ's righteousness. (Romans 5:19; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
* I am Christ's ambassador. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
* I am completely forgiven. (Colossians 1:14)
* I am tenderly loved by God. (Jeremiah 31:3)
* I am the sweet fragrance of Christ to God. (2 Corinthians 2:15)
* I am a temple in which God dwells. (1 Corinthians 3:16)
* I am blameless and beyond reproach. (Colossians 1:22)
* I am the salt of the earth. (Matthew 5:13)
* I am the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14)
* I am a branch on Christ's vine. (John 15:1,5)
* I am Christ's friend. (John 15:5)
* I am chosen by Christ to bear fruit. (John 15:16)
* I am a joint heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him. (Romans 8:17)
* I am united to the Lord, one spirit with Him. (1 Corinthians 6:17)
* I am a member of Christ's body. (1 Corinthians 12:27)
* I am a saint. (Ephesians 1:1)
* I am hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)
* I am chosen by God, holy and dearly loved. (Colossians 3:12)
* I am a child of the light. (1 Thessalonians 5:5)
* I am holy, and I share in God's heavenly calling. (Hebrews 3:1)
* I am sanctified. (Hebrews 2:11)
* I am one of God's living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house. (1 Peter 2:5)
* I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession and created to sing His praises. (1 Peter 2:9-10)
* I am firmly rooted and built up in Christ. (Colossians 2:7)
* I am born of God, and the evil one cannot touch me. (1 John 5:18)
* I have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16)
* I may approach God with boldness, freedom, and confidence. (Ephesians 3:12)
* I have been rescued from Satan's domain and transferred into the kingdom of Christ. (Colossians 1:13)
* I have been made complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10)
* I have been given a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)
* I have been given great and precious promises by God. (2 Peter 1:4)
* My needs are met by God. (Philippians 4:19)
* I am a prince (princess) in God's kingdom. (John 1:12; 1 Timothy 6:15)
* I have been bought with a price, and I belong to God. (1 Corinthians 6:19,20)
* I have been adopted as God's child. (Ephesians 1:5)
* I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18)
* I am assured that all things are working together for good. (Romans 8:28)
* I am free from any condemning charges against me. (Romans 8:31f)
* I cannot be separated from the love of God. (Romans 8:35f)
* I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God. (2 Corinthians 1:21,22)
* I am confident that the good work that God has begun in me will be perfected. (Philippians 1:6)
* I am a citizen of heaven. (Philippians 3:20)
* I am a personal witness of Christ's. (Acts 1:8)
* I am God's coworker. (2 Corinthians 6:1, 1 Corinthians 3:9)
* I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm. (Ephesians 2:6)
* I am God's workmanship. (Ephesians 2:10)
* I can do all things through Christ, who gives me the strength I need. (Philippians 4:13)