“Man cannot live by bread alone//He needs something stronger//To feed his hungry soul//So he’ll try everything under the sun//But nothing will end his hunger//Nothing but your love//He’ll acquire treasure//But it won’t amount to much//He’ll fall in love with pleasure//And none will fill him up//And when he has exhausted//All that this world could give to him//Still him will not grow weary//Of chasing after the wind.”
Above is one of my favorite parts of the song “Bread” sung by Christian singer/song writer Ginny Owens. The message that Owens relays in her song is something that has been weighing heavily on my heart.
I recently completed my first semester of college, and had a whole semester of watching other students completely giving themselves away to the things of this world. I would look around and see people searching for something that they could cling to-- something of substance. People in today’s world are looking for someone/something to gravitate towards when hardships come their way. Or they are looking for something to fill a void, but the thing is people are looking in all the wrong places. Humanity is hungry for something... but having a boyfriend or girlfriend, the best education, the perfect job, the coolest friends, money, latest fashions, and accolades from man does not lead to that fulfillment and satisfaction that people seem to be searching for. I am not saying that having a good education, a respectable job, or nice clothes is a bad thing, BUT when we turn to those things for fulfillment in this life, then we are on a road to destruction.
Also, drugs, alcohol, partying, and sex do not lead to that feeling of completion or acceptance either. Actually those things end up making an individual feel less full— because they are not of substance. The sad thing is, some don’t even realize that there is something out there that is soooooo much better... and that is JESUS CHRIST!
John 4:13-14 reads, “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty. The water I give will become a spring of water gushing up inside that person, giving eternal life.’” The previous scripture is from the portion of text where Jesus is speaking to the woman at the well.
John 6:35 reads, “Jesus said, 'I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever.'” That such a simple statement, but why don’t we always understand the powerful message that lies in that?!
The only way one can find true fulfillment, satisfaction, acceptance, joy, peace, happiness, etc., etc., etc., is in the Lord Jesus Christ. He can be your hope, peace, love, savior, redeemer, help in times of trouble, comforter, healer, strong tower. He can be everything we need! Once we realize that, then we won’t feel the need to rely on the things of this world, which are only temporary and therefore only provide temporary pleasure and happiness. The things of Christ are forever satisfying!
One of the closing lines of Owens’ song is “So restless and so hurried//I've spent so much time//Running after things//I'm going to have to leave behind.” We put some much effort into things of this world, but when it comes time to put in effort for the things of God and His Kingdom, we all scatter. It’s something that each and every one of us has to keep in check!
The good news is that it is never too late to come to Jesus Christ and become complete in Him! It doesn't cost you a thing! You should take comfort in knowing that you can feel full for free! Christ already paid your bill! Hunger no more.
[[is.your.life.filled.with.chirst?----> or.emptied.by.the.things.of.this.world?]]e
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Don't Box Him In
I have had the scripture Proverbs 3:5-6 memorized ever since I was little. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don’t depend on your own understanding. Remember the Lord in all you do, and he will give you success.” At times I find myself saying that scripture without really believing it to the fullest extent. There is so much power in that! But sometimes we box God in, limiting Him in our minds of what He can do. Maybe our arm is short, but God’s certainly isn’t. He has been doing big things since the world began!
When the waters begin to rise in our life, the human tendency is to stray from God, trying to figure it out on our own. We try to wrap our carnal minds around the circumstance/hardship that has come up against us, but doing that just makes it worse. I believe our relationship with Christ is weakened that way. The Message Bible further clarifies the above scripture. It reads, “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over.” [[Proverbs 3: 5-10]]
Why do we doubt the creator of the world, the one who fed thousands with seven loaves of bread and a few little fish, the one who raised people up from the dead, the one who healed people of their diseases?? We shouldn’t, but we do.
There is a situation in my life that I have been praying about for over seven years. I remember feeling like nothing was changing and my prayers were not being heard. I pretty much started to accept the way things were. “It’s okay that this situation has come up against me. That’s the way it was supposed to be, I guess.” I wasn’t putting all my trust in God. I was doubting what He could do, that he could change it. Looking back, that was foolish of me.
Maybe God’s timing isn’t the same as ours, and it usually isn’t, which is probably a good thing, but that doesn’t mean we should stop trusting in Him. We should trust Him all the more! It says in Habakkuk 2:3, “It is not time for the message to come true, but that time is coming soon; the message will come true. It may seem like a long time, but be patient and wait for it, because it will surely come; it will not be delayed.” Every night I still pray for this person/situation. I have put my trust in the Lord knowing that one day He will make things come to pass, but in HIS timing. And I take comfort in that.
I personally don’t think it’s enough to say “God I give this situation to you, please help” and then just walk away. We have to do our part too. Our part is also very important. We need to keep reading the word, pray, just sit at God’s feet and LISTEN, and keep on following Him no matter what we are going through.
--->>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIkQ7YVys_A
*Listen to this song! It is truly amazing!
[[when.you.feel.like.your.world.is.falling.apart---->> run to the one who creates worlds.]]
When the waters begin to rise in our life, the human tendency is to stray from God, trying to figure it out on our own. We try to wrap our carnal minds around the circumstance/hardship that has come up against us, but doing that just makes it worse. I believe our relationship with Christ is weakened that way. The Message Bible further clarifies the above scripture. It reads, “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over.” [[Proverbs 3: 5-10]]
Why do we doubt the creator of the world, the one who fed thousands with seven loaves of bread and a few little fish, the one who raised people up from the dead, the one who healed people of their diseases?? We shouldn’t, but we do.
There is a situation in my life that I have been praying about for over seven years. I remember feeling like nothing was changing and my prayers were not being heard. I pretty much started to accept the way things were. “It’s okay that this situation has come up against me. That’s the way it was supposed to be, I guess.” I wasn’t putting all my trust in God. I was doubting what He could do, that he could change it. Looking back, that was foolish of me.
Maybe God’s timing isn’t the same as ours, and it usually isn’t, which is probably a good thing, but that doesn’t mean we should stop trusting in Him. We should trust Him all the more! It says in Habakkuk 2:3, “It is not time for the message to come true, but that time is coming soon; the message will come true. It may seem like a long time, but be patient and wait for it, because it will surely come; it will not be delayed.” Every night I still pray for this person/situation. I have put my trust in the Lord knowing that one day He will make things come to pass, but in HIS timing. And I take comfort in that.
I personally don’t think it’s enough to say “God I give this situation to you, please help” and then just walk away. We have to do our part too. Our part is also very important. We need to keep reading the word, pray, just sit at God’s feet and LISTEN, and keep on following Him no matter what we are going through.
--->>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIkQ7YVys_A
*Listen to this song! It is truly amazing!
[[when.you.feel.like.your.world.is.falling.apart---->> run to the one who creates worlds.]]
Friday, July 23, 2010
The Guardian
If you just won a million dollars, you wouldn’t put it in the back seat of your car and drive on the highway with the windows rolled down.... would you?! Of course not; that would be careless. But why is it that we are just as careless with our hearts?? It’s a question that I have been asking myself a lot lately. I have seen people open themselves up to things that in the end only does their heart harm and weakens their relationship with Jesus Christ.
The word [[heart]] is mentioned 743 times in the bible, so it’s pretty obvious that our hearts are a very vital part of us. We need our natural hearts strong because it needs to maintain the flow of blood through the entire circulatory system, AND we need to make sure that our spiritual hearts are strong as well.
Why??
Well... it says in the Bible, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” [[Proverbs 4:23]] The Message Bible makes it even more clear, it reads: “Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts.” These scriptures reinforce how the heart is such a delicate thing and how easily it can get damaged. There is no way we can come against the circumstances of life unless Jesus lives in our hearts and we truly understand that what we feed our hearts is how we will turn out to be.
The phrase “guard your heart” has been something I have grown up hearing. My local church instilled the values in me that makes me WANT to guard my heart. But I think the phrase often gets misunderstood. When someone says “guard your heart,” I know people’s minds go straight to the idea of a romantic relationship, BUT guarding your heart is not limited just to that idea. What friends you surround yourself with, what you spend your time doing, what music you listen to, what types of jokes you tell, etc. are all outlets that can end up destroying your heart. These things might not seem like a big deal at first. “.....So what if I go to that party, listen to that song, start that relationship, not read the Bible, not be open to God’s plan for my life, etc.” Eventually the good things in your heart that were instilled by Christ will no longer be there because you didn‘t guard it. We erased it all because we fed on all the wrong types of things.
C.S. Lewis says it best: “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”
There is no way that one can help further the Kingdom of God if he or she opens their heart up to anything and everything that comes their way. Eventually you have to make a stand. What enters your hearts will either help you grow your relationship with Christ...or not. The value of a pure heart and mind in today’s society is overlooked.
[[your heart----> no.one.else.can.guard.it.for.you.
The word [[heart]] is mentioned 743 times in the bible, so it’s pretty obvious that our hearts are a very vital part of us. We need our natural hearts strong because it needs to maintain the flow of blood through the entire circulatory system, AND we need to make sure that our spiritual hearts are strong as well.
Why??
Well... it says in the Bible, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” [[Proverbs 4:23]] The Message Bible makes it even more clear, it reads: “Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts.” These scriptures reinforce how the heart is such a delicate thing and how easily it can get damaged. There is no way we can come against the circumstances of life unless Jesus lives in our hearts and we truly understand that what we feed our hearts is how we will turn out to be.
The phrase “guard your heart” has been something I have grown up hearing. My local church instilled the values in me that makes me WANT to guard my heart. But I think the phrase often gets misunderstood. When someone says “guard your heart,” I know people’s minds go straight to the idea of a romantic relationship, BUT guarding your heart is not limited just to that idea. What friends you surround yourself with, what you spend your time doing, what music you listen to, what types of jokes you tell, etc. are all outlets that can end up destroying your heart. These things might not seem like a big deal at first. “.....So what if I go to that party, listen to that song, start that relationship, not read the Bible, not be open to God’s plan for my life, etc.” Eventually the good things in your heart that were instilled by Christ will no longer be there because you didn‘t guard it. We erased it all because we fed on all the wrong types of things.
C.S. Lewis says it best: “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”
There is no way that one can help further the Kingdom of God if he or she opens their heart up to anything and everything that comes their way. Eventually you have to make a stand. What enters your hearts will either help you grow your relationship with Christ...or not. The value of a pure heart and mind in today’s society is overlooked.
[[your heart----> no.one.else.can.guard.it.for.you.
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