Living for God

In 2017, the word beauty has a variety of meanings. When people think about the meaning of beauty, what usually comes to mind is something that is pleasing and attractive to the eye. Such as a person, clothing, nature, or a physical object. When looking up the word beauty, it is defined as a combination of qualities such as, shape, color, or form, and that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight. Today, we measure beauty by how we look, the latest fashion trends, and material possessions we can obtain. We are such fickle people and look to beauty to find fulfillment in our lives. We often compare our beauty to other people and look down on others who we deem as ugly or that don’t look like us. But when have we stopped and looked at beauty in its truest form. Realizing that God created us each uniquely beautiful in our own way as we are God’s masterpiece. For we truly are God’s masterpiece. “He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned f

Life is filled with many uncertainties, as we never know which direction our life will turn or where God will lead us next. As we live life, we begin to form goals and dreams that we want to accomplish. We work hard to accomplish these goals and dreams that we have, and will take the necessary steps to achieve them. At times the goals, dreams, and even our vision for our life does not align with what God has in store for us. There will be a time that God will not only call for us to accept what He has planned in our lives, but also to abandoned our own plans to fully obey His will and His ways. It is in our best interest to obey what God has planned for our life as God’s ways is the best way, His plans will truly fill the desires of our hearts. Jeremiah 29:11 states; “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Although we know that God’s plans is best for our life, we still struggle with obey

As a Christian, especially as a new believer, we have this mindset that once we have a relationship with God that He will instantly show us our future spouse. Then following a short amount of time, we will get married and live happily ever after. Rarely does finding a spouse happen this way, and this leaves many Christians wondering where their spouse is; and if God has forgotten about them. About four years ago I was guilty of having those same thoughts, thinking God had forgotten about me and that I would never be in a good relationship; let alone ever get married. What I had to learn, and what many believers are learning, is often times there is a waiting process involved for God to bring that special person into our lives. That process also involves making sure that you and your future spouse is ready, both spiritually and mentally, before even meeting each other. So today, I'm here to tell you that the special person God has for you is worth the wait. Please don't ever f

The word faith is a common word that believers and churches like to use often; it is a word that we as Christians are familiar with because we know that in order to be believers in Christ we are supposed to have to faith in God. But do we look at faith as just a word, something that we must acquire in order to be a Christian? Or do we realize the true meaning behind faith,   is more than just a word that is used as an noun, but that having faith is much like using a verb in a sentences, it has action and it grows. In James 2:14; James goes on to explain that it takes more than saying you have faith, but that faith must have action. “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?” Thus, simply saying you have faith is not enough, we must show our faith by our actions and behaviors to have true faith. As I continue

With 2017 coming to end, it's a common practice to review what you accomplished during the year.  Often times we start the year with certain goals and resolutions that soon become a disinterest to us. We can become idle and lazy when it comes to goals and resolutions that are difficult to accomplish and do not give us instant satisfaction. Once we give up altogether on the resolution, we look back over the year frustrated that we did not accomplish what we set out to do in the beginning of the year.  We tend to have a way of thinking that once the current year ends, and the new year begins we can pick right back up on accomplishing the resolution, as if a new year automatically means a new us. The same idleness can be said for our relationship with God. We become casual in our relationship with God throughout the year. We read our Bibles with no desire for God and no intention on building a real relationship with Him. We go to church out of habit, with no praise in our hearts, mak

The word love is such a powerful word, and often times is very vague. When asking people what love means to them, often times they have a hard time describing this word, and use phrases such as a feeling I have when I'm around someone,  like butterflies in my stomach. Often times the word love is taken out of context and is used freely. People may say they love a certain movie, song, activity, or even use it loosely when it comes to friendships and relationships. When I was working with an adolescent student who constantly used the word love in a relationship she has with an adolescent male at her school, I challenged this student on what love means to her, and how did she know this was love she had for this male student. As this student struggled to describe what love means to her, she could only think of how this male student makes her feel and what he does for her. As I thought about how this student described love to me, it made me think about God's love for me and others.