First I would like to say thank you so much to those of you who have been reading my blog. I know several of you have already checked today to see if I had posted, so I'd like to apologize for the late post. I have been busy with cleaning and two trips to Mobile today. Needless to say,I really needed tonight's reading!
When we begin John 4, we see that Jesus left Judea and went back to Galilee. The chapter begins with Jesus sitting at the well speaking to a woman who had come to draw water during the middle of the day. My study Bible provided me with the information that women usually drew water in the mornings and in the evenings, so it was strange for this woman to be at the well during the midday hours. As Jesus continues to speak with her, we learn that she has had 5 husbands and the man she lived with at that point wasn't her husband. Jesus seriously just called this chick out! To her face! About her own private living situation! I'm not sure about y'all but I think I'd be pretty stinkin' mad if some stranger reprimanded me for me having so many husbands. I think that this Samaritan woman knew there was something different about Jesus. 1. He spoke with her in public....that is a big deal because he was a Jewish man and she was a Samaritan woman. 2. He knew her sins but yet he spoke to her anyways! This is a valuable lesson for all of us! Our sins are not too great for God to handle. We also don't need to have the attitude that so many Christians have. There are people I personally know that will not converse with someone who is living a sinful life. I've heard of people saying that if a person is outright sinning and they come to their church, they should run them out of there! This is the wrong mentality to have. Yes Jesus reprimanded her, but he did it out of love. He didnt do it out of arrogance.
Verse 33 brought forth a few chuckles from me, I'll have to admit! The disciples remind me so much of myself! They are constantly asking questions because they don't understand what Jesus is talking about. With them being his close followers, they still didn't have a clue half the time, so that means that for those of us who don't follow him closely, we are really going to be lost. We need to try to have faith that God will work things out. The government official at the end of this chapter had faith. He left and went back to his sick son and didn't doubt that God would heal him for one minute. If we want God to work in our lives, we need to start praying and accepting and thanking him for his blessings he gives us. Even if We can't see them at this moment in time.
Verse 37 talks about how some do the hard labor and then other people reap the benefits. I took this as a sign to not get discouraged. We may not see the immediate result, but the planting and tending to the crop is much harder than picking it and reaping the crop. What we need to remember is that the seed has to start somewhere. Don't be discouraged. I am raging for every one of you!
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Friday, February 27, 2015
John 3
Today's reading is out of John 3. I read the whole chapter just like I have the past few days but I am only going to focus on a few verses. You will have to excuse any errors you see. I am using my iPad to type so things are going slower than usual.
As a child, when I was growing up, I really believed everything that anyone told me. It didnt matter if it was a simple or difficult concept. Someone could tell me that they were Superman and I would have believed it. Once I matured, I lost some of my innocence and began to doubt different things that I was told. This wasn't always a negative thing because it meant that I was learning to think for myself. It also meant that I didn't have that childlike faith that I had when I was younger. We see in John 3:4 that Nicodemus questioned Jesus about how a person could be born again. He didn't understand the concept of a spiritual birth after a physical birth and didnt realize that the second birth that Jesus was speaking about was a spiritual birth. Nicodemus doubted that the gift of salvation could be given to him if he chose to take it because he didnt have the faith of a young child anymore. As we grow older, it is easy for our hearts to become hardened by the world around us. We see so much hatred and evil on a daily basis that we doubt the good things that come from God. Nicodemus was also very educated. He was one of the teachers of the law. As I have furthered my education, there have been times when Satan has tempted me to throw God to the side. Being smart and intelligent is good, but we shouldn't forget who gave us that intelligence. We are and never will be so smart that we don't need God's guidance. The gift of salvation is one of those things that we doubt because it is so easy to receive it. We should pray that the hearts of those around us would be softened and willing to accept this gift of salvation and eternal life.
Verse 17 says, "For God did not come to the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him." This verse was one that I pondered for awhile before I came to the conclusion of what I thought that it meant. I also discussed it with a few people and they agreed that while Jesus was here, he was a living example of what we should strive to be like. He was truly "Christlike" every day that he walked this earth. God didnt send Jesus here to tell the world that they were living the wrong way. He did tell them how they should live and he did explain to them the way that the should do things, but he also lived the lifestyle and led by example. When he did reprimand someone, he did it out of love and with a great humility. This is how we should go about telling people about Christ. Condemning someone to hell because of their actions is wrong. Loving someone and showing them the correct way to live is the right way to go about that situation. Don't get me wrong, I do believe we are to confront other believers when they aren't following the right path, but for non believers, the best way to lead them to Christ is to show them his love and TELL them what he has done for you!
John's disciples became angry at one point when Jesus began baptizing people. In a way I can relate to the frustration shown by his disciples. For so long, they had been the ones to handle all of these things and then once Jesus shows up the people give them the boot. They probably felt used and abandoned. John, with his wisdom, knew that they were there to prepare the way for Jesus Christ. He states, "He must increase, but I must decrease." I find this so hard to do with my daily life. In order for God to increase and work in my life, my wants, needs and desires must decrease. I must remain humble and unselfish. That goes against my human nature which is why it's so important to stay in the word of God on a daily basis.
As far as accepting this gift that Jesus gave us when he died on the cross for our sins, we need to be sure that we have asked Jesus to live in our hearts and lead, guide, and direct us on a daily basis. Indecision can become a fatal decision as far as this goes. If we put off accepting Christ, then we could essentially be damning ourselves to hell. We also could be sending others to hell every time we miss an opportunity to tell them about Jesus. This should grieve us. I don't want anyone to go to hell. It's something that has plagued my heart since I was a young child. The thought that there may be others who are suffering an eternity in hell because of missed opportunities to plant or water that seed causes me a lot of heartache. We need to pray for boldness and bravery for these times that we are faced with these situations. Don't miss God. The world tells us that we can be a "good person" and go to heaven because God is love and love wouldn't send someone to hell. That's not true. God is love, but God also gives us free will to choose for ourselves. It is a decision that only we can make when we feel the Holy Spirit drawing us to him. The entrance requirements are easy. 1) repentance and 2) spiritual rebirth. After this, our prayer line to God is always open! He is our strength.
I sincerely hope that this has encouraged those of you who aren't a born again believer to look into these scriptures for yourselves and see what you think. Please email me if you have any questions whatsoever. Also, keep praying that more people will look at the blog and keep sharing the page.
Love in Christ,
Brooke
As a child, when I was growing up, I really believed everything that anyone told me. It didnt matter if it was a simple or difficult concept. Someone could tell me that they were Superman and I would have believed it. Once I matured, I lost some of my innocence and began to doubt different things that I was told. This wasn't always a negative thing because it meant that I was learning to think for myself. It also meant that I didn't have that childlike faith that I had when I was younger. We see in John 3:4 that Nicodemus questioned Jesus about how a person could be born again. He didn't understand the concept of a spiritual birth after a physical birth and didnt realize that the second birth that Jesus was speaking about was a spiritual birth. Nicodemus doubted that the gift of salvation could be given to him if he chose to take it because he didnt have the faith of a young child anymore. As we grow older, it is easy for our hearts to become hardened by the world around us. We see so much hatred and evil on a daily basis that we doubt the good things that come from God. Nicodemus was also very educated. He was one of the teachers of the law. As I have furthered my education, there have been times when Satan has tempted me to throw God to the side. Being smart and intelligent is good, but we shouldn't forget who gave us that intelligence. We are and never will be so smart that we don't need God's guidance. The gift of salvation is one of those things that we doubt because it is so easy to receive it. We should pray that the hearts of those around us would be softened and willing to accept this gift of salvation and eternal life.
Verse 17 says, "For God did not come to the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him." This verse was one that I pondered for awhile before I came to the conclusion of what I thought that it meant. I also discussed it with a few people and they agreed that while Jesus was here, he was a living example of what we should strive to be like. He was truly "Christlike" every day that he walked this earth. God didnt send Jesus here to tell the world that they were living the wrong way. He did tell them how they should live and he did explain to them the way that the should do things, but he also lived the lifestyle and led by example. When he did reprimand someone, he did it out of love and with a great humility. This is how we should go about telling people about Christ. Condemning someone to hell because of their actions is wrong. Loving someone and showing them the correct way to live is the right way to go about that situation. Don't get me wrong, I do believe we are to confront other believers when they aren't following the right path, but for non believers, the best way to lead them to Christ is to show them his love and TELL them what he has done for you!
John's disciples became angry at one point when Jesus began baptizing people. In a way I can relate to the frustration shown by his disciples. For so long, they had been the ones to handle all of these things and then once Jesus shows up the people give them the boot. They probably felt used and abandoned. John, with his wisdom, knew that they were there to prepare the way for Jesus Christ. He states, "He must increase, but I must decrease." I find this so hard to do with my daily life. In order for God to increase and work in my life, my wants, needs and desires must decrease. I must remain humble and unselfish. That goes against my human nature which is why it's so important to stay in the word of God on a daily basis.
As far as accepting this gift that Jesus gave us when he died on the cross for our sins, we need to be sure that we have asked Jesus to live in our hearts and lead, guide, and direct us on a daily basis. Indecision can become a fatal decision as far as this goes. If we put off accepting Christ, then we could essentially be damning ourselves to hell. We also could be sending others to hell every time we miss an opportunity to tell them about Jesus. This should grieve us. I don't want anyone to go to hell. It's something that has plagued my heart since I was a young child. The thought that there may be others who are suffering an eternity in hell because of missed opportunities to plant or water that seed causes me a lot of heartache. We need to pray for boldness and bravery for these times that we are faced with these situations. Don't miss God. The world tells us that we can be a "good person" and go to heaven because God is love and love wouldn't send someone to hell. That's not true. God is love, but God also gives us free will to choose for ourselves. It is a decision that only we can make when we feel the Holy Spirit drawing us to him. The entrance requirements are easy. 1) repentance and 2) spiritual rebirth. After this, our prayer line to God is always open! He is our strength.
I sincerely hope that this has encouraged those of you who aren't a born again believer to look into these scriptures for yourselves and see what you think. Please email me if you have any questions whatsoever. Also, keep praying that more people will look at the blog and keep sharing the page.
Love in Christ,
Brooke
Thursday, February 26, 2015
John Chapter 2
I am very pleased to see that I have had 105 page views so far! I really am happy that people are reading the post from yesterday! I was discouraged to see that we had no comments yesterday and no discussion, but I know that some people are hesitant to post. I am a writer, so I am not shy about placing my thoughts and feelings online for all to see. Most of you can probably tell this by my facebook posts. I'm brutally honest about myself most of the time and I'm my hardest critic. I have been dealing with a lot lately as far as God opening my eyes and my heart. I can't tell you what an emotional day I had yesterday! I feel like God is breaking my heart and I'm only on day 2 of this challenge. That means that he is definitely moving and the Holy Spirit is working through this blog post. If not for anyone else, he definitely is for me. I am very thankful for this!
In John Chapter 2, we see where Jesus performed the first miracle. He turned water to wine because his mother involved him in this situation. Isn't that just like us ladies....trying to fix everything and play hostess. I think that Mary knew her son could perform this miracle and that if she prompted him to try, then he would fix the issue of not having any more wine at the ceremony.
In verse 10, it says, "and said, 'Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.'"
As I was reading this, I began to think about how that wine began as nothing but water. When Jesus touched it, (figuratively or physically-it isn't clear how he turned the water into wine..that's why it's called a miracle!)he changed it into something better. Sometimes, my life is like that water. I began my life as a sinner. I was saved at the age of 15. I wish that I could say that I had a radical experience and changed immediately, but I struggled with temptations and gave in to a lifestyle that I shouldn't have lived. I was still in the "water" stage of my life because I wasn't willing to let God change me into something better. Once I matured and grew up, I began to feel that I didn't deserve forgiveness and I didn't deserve for God to work in my life because of the mistakes that I have made in my past. This is a recent struggle that I have been dealing with. Since I started this challenge, Satan has used every thing in his power to convince me that I'm worthless, ugly, messed up beyond repair, and useless. I have struggled to forgive myself for my past. I need to be more like Mary in the sense that I need to trust and know that Jesus can "fix" me just like he fixed the problem at the ceremony in John 2. He changed the plain water into wine. Not only wine, but the best wine that was present at the wedding! This means that God can change me into someone who is better than what I am now and that is better than what I was in the past. No matter what I've done, he can "fix" me if I allow him to.
Verse 24-25 of John states, "But Jesus did not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person."
I understand that in these verses Jesus is speaking of knowing the hearts of the Jews and the people who were selling things within the temple. It says he knew their hearts and knew what was in each person. If Jesus knew the hearts of those men during that time, then he knows our hearts now also. The word of God cannot be changed. It is the same now as it was then. Jesus hasn't changed anything since then. He intercedes on my behalf every day! Not only did he die for my sins, but he continues to forgive me and ask God to have mercy on me on a daily basis because I screw up! If Jesus, who died for me, still asks for mercy for me, then why can I not forgive myself for those sins that have already been covered by his blood. I have been bitter and angry about things because my life hasn't worked out the way I wanted it to work out. I have remained in church and done the right thing, and then been angry because my life isn't working out how I want it to. That's the mindset I've had and I've been angry because things weren't going the way I wanted. How completely selfish is that?! God has a plan for my life and that plan is better than any plan I have for myself. It's not my job to look into the future and try to "fix" things...it's my job to live every day for Jesus Christ. The rest will fall into place when it is time.
I know this post has been more about me than anything, but I just wanted to share my thoughts and what God was already doing in my life. I am still praying that God is working in your lives as well!
Thanks again!
In John Chapter 2, we see where Jesus performed the first miracle. He turned water to wine because his mother involved him in this situation. Isn't that just like us ladies....trying to fix everything and play hostess. I think that Mary knew her son could perform this miracle and that if she prompted him to try, then he would fix the issue of not having any more wine at the ceremony.
In verse 10, it says, "and said, 'Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.'"
As I was reading this, I began to think about how that wine began as nothing but water. When Jesus touched it, (figuratively or physically-it isn't clear how he turned the water into wine..that's why it's called a miracle!)he changed it into something better. Sometimes, my life is like that water. I began my life as a sinner. I was saved at the age of 15. I wish that I could say that I had a radical experience and changed immediately, but I struggled with temptations and gave in to a lifestyle that I shouldn't have lived. I was still in the "water" stage of my life because I wasn't willing to let God change me into something better. Once I matured and grew up, I began to feel that I didn't deserve forgiveness and I didn't deserve for God to work in my life because of the mistakes that I have made in my past. This is a recent struggle that I have been dealing with. Since I started this challenge, Satan has used every thing in his power to convince me that I'm worthless, ugly, messed up beyond repair, and useless. I have struggled to forgive myself for my past. I need to be more like Mary in the sense that I need to trust and know that Jesus can "fix" me just like he fixed the problem at the ceremony in John 2. He changed the plain water into wine. Not only wine, but the best wine that was present at the wedding! This means that God can change me into someone who is better than what I am now and that is better than what I was in the past. No matter what I've done, he can "fix" me if I allow him to.
Verse 24-25 of John states, "But Jesus did not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person."
I understand that in these verses Jesus is speaking of knowing the hearts of the Jews and the people who were selling things within the temple. It says he knew their hearts and knew what was in each person. If Jesus knew the hearts of those men during that time, then he knows our hearts now also. The word of God cannot be changed. It is the same now as it was then. Jesus hasn't changed anything since then. He intercedes on my behalf every day! Not only did he die for my sins, but he continues to forgive me and ask God to have mercy on me on a daily basis because I screw up! If Jesus, who died for me, still asks for mercy for me, then why can I not forgive myself for those sins that have already been covered by his blood. I have been bitter and angry about things because my life hasn't worked out the way I wanted it to work out. I have remained in church and done the right thing, and then been angry because my life isn't working out how I want it to. That's the mindset I've had and I've been angry because things weren't going the way I wanted. How completely selfish is that?! God has a plan for my life and that plan is better than any plan I have for myself. It's not my job to look into the future and try to "fix" things...it's my job to live every day for Jesus Christ. The rest will fall into place when it is time.
I know this post has been more about me than anything, but I just wanted to share my thoughts and what God was already doing in my life. I am still praying that God is working in your lives as well!
Thanks again!
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Day 1- John Chapter 1
For Day 1 we will read John chapter 1 in it's entirety. John 1 is basically what begins Jesus's journey to Calvary. John begins this chapter with verses that explain who God is. Verse 4 says :
"In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind."
This tells us that this life that God has to offer us is the light for everyone. This is the light that we should shine for others to see. He is life. Without this light that he offers us, we cannot truly live up to the plans that he has for us. This is why it's so important to try to live a Godly life so that others can see his love in us.
In verses 7 & 8, it says,
"He came as a witness to testify concerning that light so that through him, all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light."
These verses are important because they distinguish the difference between God and John. John was the messenger. We can compare John to our human self. We are God's messenger. I think that John was showing humility at this point. We, as Christians, sometimes tend to become arrogant because we are "God's messengers." John's words can serve as a reminder to us that remaining humble and seeing ourselves as only a servant to God who is unworthy of even untying Jesus's sandal straps (verse 27). This humble attitude will allow us to bring God's word to a lost and dying world in a more proficient manner. Many Christians are arrogant and that turns unbelievers away. They don't want any part of what we offer because they feel that we are "downing" their way of life. When we begin to see ourselves as equals, then we will begin to see ourselves for what we truly are. My sin is no different than the unbelievers sin. In my opinion, my sin is much worse because God expects me to do the right thing and to resist any temptation to sin. Many times I put myself up on a pedestal and think that I am so much better than unbelievers. In reality, many unbelievers are "better" people than I am. The only one who deserves to be on a pedestal is Jesus.
That brings me to verse 23,
John said, "I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'"
I love how the Bible that was written so many years ago can still apply to our lives today. Our wilderness may be different now, but the message is and always will be the same! Our job is to bring that message to the world around us. This is our JOB! God doesn't expect us to live a perfect life, so why do we expect the world around us to be perfect? Especially when they aren't saved. Even if they are saved! It's always easier for me to recognize the sins of others and not look at my own. I am not expected to live perfectly. I am expected to prepare the world for the coming again of Jesus Christ.
The last two verses I want to mention are 40 & 45
When Andrew found the Messiah, the first thing he did was go to his brother, Simon and brought him to Jesus. Then Phillip brought Nathanael to Jesus as well. When did we stop being so excited about Jesus Christ that we stopped bringing others to him? I know that I am guilty of not talking about Jesus. There have been times when I have missed God. These times have haunted me, but God gives us chance after chance to share his love and to SHOW his love. I need to get back to the point that I am so excited about God and his word that I am not ashamed to share it. I sincerely hope that this blog post has inspired you to be radical in the areas of not just sharing God's message but showing his love. There is nothing greater than seeing someone come to know Jesus Christ. When the light is in us, it's our job to continue to feed that light with daily scriptural readings and prayer so that the light will shine as bright as it possibly can. This is my prayer for each one of you. God Bless!
Please feel free to leave comments and post anything that you would like to add or discuss in the comments section!
What is the 30 Day Challenge?
Hi everyone,
I know that I am well acquainted with most of you who will be taking part of this challenge and I know that most of you have already read what it's all about on my facebook, but I want to explain it again for those of you who haven't heard about it.
Yesterday, I began to think about how close I used to be to God and how far away I am from him now compared to what I used to be. I also began thinking about how God gave his son for me but yet I can't even give him 15-20 minutes a day to spend time in His word. So, with all of that being said, I decided to begin a 30 day challenge where I will read my Bible every day for 30 days. As I thought about it, I decided that I would finally go through with my plan of starting a blog. After much consideration, (not really-it was more of a last minute decision) I decided to issue the challenge to my friends as well as start the blog at the same time. I basically want to see how much a month of reading my Bible every day can change my perspective on life. This was one of the best ways for me to hold myself accountable also. Please bear with me and understand that I am only human. I don't want anything on here to turn into an argument. God doesn't want us to argue over scriptures. This is basically something that will be good for all of us and will allow each of us to hold one another accountable for our daily scripture reading. Please feel free to follow/subscribe to the blog so that you will receive notifications by email when I update the site. You will also be able to comment on each post. If you have any scriptures you'd like to discuss or read please feel free to post those as well.
Thanks so much,
Brooke
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