Attitude of Cheerfulness

Hello Everyone!! I hope you had a great weekend. It’s the start of a new work week and school week. You have a choice to make…are you going to be cheerful or grumpy? Are you going to be quick to smile or quick to become angry? I have the following prayer and scriptures posted where I can see them every morning to remind myself what God says about attitudes.

Dear Lord, You have given me so many reasons to celebrate. Today, let me choose an attitude of cheerfulness. Let me be a joyful Christian, Lord, quick to smile and slow to anger. And, let me share Your goodness with all whom I meet so that Your love might shine in me and through me. AMEN!

Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not out of regret or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure. Philippians 2:14-15

Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. James 5:13

Have a blessed day!! and don’t forget to be a blessing to others!! Do they see Jesus in you?
~M

Faithful

A very faithful woman

An elderly lady was well-known for her faith and for her boldness in talking about it. She would stand on her front porch and shout “PRAISE THE LORD!”

Next door to her lived an atheist who would get so angry at her proclamations he would shout, “There ain’t no Lord!!”

Hard times set in on the elderly lady, and she prayed for GOD to send her some assistance. She stood on her porch and shouted “PRAISE THE LORD. GOD I NEED FOOD!! I AM HAVING A HARD TIME. PLEASE LORD, SEND ME SOME GROCERIES!!”

The next morning the lady went out on her porch and noted a large bag of groceries and shouted, “PRAISE THE LORD.”

The neighbor jumped from behind a bush and said, “Aha! I told you there was no Lord. I bought those groceries, God didn’t.”

The lady started jumping up and down and clapping her hands and said, “PRAISE THE LORD. He not only sent me groceries, but He made the devil pay for them. Praise the Lord!”

Psalm 150

1 Praise the Lord.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.

Have a great weekend!
~Pastor G

Be Still

Psalm 46:10a “He says, Be still, and know that I am God;”

This verse tells us to be still and know that God is God. How often do we really set still and quiet our minds and simply reflect on the fact that God is God? Our lives here on earth are only a mere mist in the cosmic time of the universal plan that God has made. Yet we spend countless hours pursuing everything but God. I really believe that if God’s own children spent as much time with Him as they do simply watching TV, revival would not be something that we long for, it would just be. The focus of the church would be to prepare for the return of our King Jesus. We would long for His return and work at spreading the news of the Savior like He was coming tomorrow. God tells us that He will return for us at an unexpected time to surprise us with His Glory.

The question is will we be ready for His return? Will we have made preparations for His return? Will we have done all that He wanted for us to do? Today I want you to do what God is asking. Simply be still and quiet your mind. Focus on the fact that God is God.

From the Pastors Heart,
~G

From My Heart to Yours . . .

Hello Readers! I pray you are having a good week. I thought I would share a few thoughts from my heart. The Bible is filled with so many encouraging words and wonderful promises. God doesn’t promise a world free from danger and hard times, but he does promise His help whenever we face these times. God gives us a wonderful treasure—His Word, The Bible! Here are just a few of those encouraging words:

Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall. Psalm 55:22

I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you. John 14:18

The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. Nahum 1:7

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:1-4

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20

I hope these verses will help you and give you encouragement. Just remember, this Earth is not our home. Heaven is our home!

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
~M

Love God Enough??

Do we really love God enough? How much time a day do you give Him? How much time a day do you watch TV?

What does God have to do to get your attention?
(I know when my kids want my attention they will do whatever it takes to get it)

When will you completely surrender your all to God? God has been patiently waiting for His people to wake up from our slumber and start being His Hands and His Feet…To Truly Live for God will COST you…

He reminds us in James 4:4 “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”

Now I ask you…What are you willing to do to be completely obedient to Christ? The COST is high…it is giving back the control you think you have so that God can mold you into what He desires for you…Not my will, but Your Will be done…I can’t tell you how many times I have heard that…yet in the very same week and sometimes the same day or hour…this statement became just a statement…because they were really asking God to make Their will His Will…

Do you love God enough to simply Obey what He left us to do?

Luke 10:27 “He answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Lord, Please show us daily what to do, say, pray, and go. In Jesus Name, Amen!

A reminder for us all…( What will you do today to encourage someone’s faith? )…May God Bless you as you Serve Him…
From Your Pastors Heart.
~Pastor G

Resolved To Obey

Psalm 119:112 (HCSB)
“I am resolved to obey Your statutes to the very end.”

This verse is a statement to God saying, Lord I will obey Your Word, Your Truths, Your Commands no matter what. Can you honestly and wholeheartedly say that you are resolved to obey God? What does resolved mean? Hear in this verse it means to be Determined. Are you determined that no matter what comes your way you will chose to live for God?

God has given us 168 hours each week to chose what we think is the most important ways we are to use this time. In one year we will have chosen how to use 8,736 hours. In one decade we will chose how to spend 87,360 hours. If you attend church every Sunday for just the Worship Service in one year you will have chosen to give God between 52 to 60 hours out of 8,736. Say it is 60 hours of church services in one year times ten is only 600 hours out of 87,360. If you have attended just church service for every Sunday for ten years and that is all the time that you have given to God. Then you have chosen to spend 87,360-600= 86,760 hours without God.

If we are resolved to obey God and live for Him, then why does the math say different? Are we really determined to spend more time developing our relationship with our Savior or is our time just our time? Each day we are given a choice on how we will spend the next 24 hours. Will you chose to as the psalmist said, “I am resolved to obey Your statutes to the very end” Psalm 119:112 (HCSB). The time we have been blessed with is extremely important. The generations to come are watching every second. So show them the you have resolved to Obey God.

From Your Pastor’s Heart,
Pastor G

Blessings Through the Storms…

This past year has been one of my hardest ever. I have struggled and struggled with countless illnesses, vehicle troubles (both vehicles having dead batteries on the same day…flat tire that had to be replaced and only the dealership could order and put a new one on…both kids having surgery (our son (age 5) had his 4th set of tubes, our daughter (age 6) had her tonsils out and her first set of tubes)…foundation on house had to be repaired…our dishwasher died, our air conditioner’s control board fried (had to get new one and was without central air in south Louisiana for almost a week)…my dad having a stroke (and not being able to go see him due to my illnesses)…and several more things.

There were times when I just wanted to throw my hands up and say, “Lord, I give up! I can’t take it anymore!” But, I kept enduring the storm because I knew that the Lord was growing me through this time. If you focus on the negatives, then you allow Satan to take your joy away. Now, some positives that I experienced…Our children aren’t near as sick as they were, foundation has been repaired, an anonymous donor purchased us a new dishwasher, our air conditioner could be fixed and we found a window unit to keep us cool as we spent extra quality time together as family, we grew closer to the Lord and closer as a family unit. God has sent people in our lives to encourage us and to hold us up when it felt like our world was crashing down. To those people, “Thank you! You will never know how much that meant to us. You are a blessing to our family and to the Kingdom of God!”

During this time of struggle, God led me to several scriptures and directed me towards this song called, “Blessings by Laura Story”, that just described what I was going through so well. It truly ministered to me. I even set this song to replay in my van for a year. I hope these scriptures and the lyrics to her song bless you as much as they me.

James 1:2-4 – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Ezekiel 36:26 —“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

1 Peter 5:10 – “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

Lyrics from Blessings by Laura Story

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

Let your blessings rain down, Lord!! Be blessed and be a blessings to others!
~M

What’s Your Top Ten?

A Question To Ponder…
Recently a childhood friend of mine asked me to make a list of ten ways that I would want others to treat me. So here is my list. Top 10 ways: Lovingly, Respectfully, Seriously, Compassionately, Mercifully, Forgivingly, Gently, Kindly, Encouragingly, and Gracefully. After compiling my list of the top ten I was feeling pretty good about myself. Until he said something to me that I did not expect. He said with a firm voice; now ask yourself one Question. “Is that how I treat all people?” Wow I was taken back by this question. It caught me off guard. I wasn’t sure if I could answer yes to all ten or even to just a few of them. Because he wasn’t asking how I treat people who I love, but for the treatment of all people. The longer I pondered on this simple question, the more I realized that the first question was not nearly as important as the second one. My answer to all ten toward all people was; No, not always. At this point in my conversation with my friend I prayed these words.”God forgive me of this sin and help me to treat others how I want to be treated even when they don’t treat me the way I desire. Thank You Father for this insight and revelation In Jesus Name I Pray Amen.” The Bible tells us in Luke 6:31 (NIV) “31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.” So I’m asking each one of you to take time and write your own top ten ways that you want to be treated. Then ask yourself, is this how I treat all people? A Question that all of us need to honestly answer before God. How do you treat what God has created?

From Your Pastor’s Heart,
~G

True, Funny Stories of Ministry

My husband and I have been involved in some form of ministry since we got married over 11 years ago!  So, I would like to share with you some of my funny stories.

We were serving at this Church that had this mischievous little boy.  I don’t know how many times I argued with him about believing everything he watches on TV.   He was a sweet kid, but always up to something.  You NEVER knew what he was going to say.  One Sunday, he was so excited about getting to  participate in his first Lord’s Supper.  He got his little cracker and his cup of juice.  First, his eyes got big–is that really blood??!!   Then he chewed and chewed and chewed his cracker.  He leaned over and said, “Hey, does this come in chocolate?”  During this serious time, it took everything I had not to giggle.

Matthew 19:13-15:  “Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.  Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

While on the subject, I will mention a sweet story from our oldest child.  When she was about 4, she told me, “Mom, you want to know something??  God comes down to Walmart every night and fills the store with all the things we need and TOYS, too!!  So, how about we go see what toy God wants me to have?!”

Matthew 21:16 “”Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”

**Make sure to encourage your children.  Let them talk and ask questions about God.  Never hinder them from praying (even for their dog).  They come from such a pure place when they pray.  Our daughter can bring you to tears when she prays!  She has such a sweet spirit.

Now, a funny story about our son.  He was only about 2 years old.  He had been sick with ear infections and I decided to just hold him during the worship service.  Well, he did great through the singing.  Then, daddy got up to preach.  So, did our son.  He stood up there for about 15 minutes.  He stomped his foot and shook his finger.  Then, he turned to his dad and said, “I think that’s enough for today.  I’m hungry!!!  Let’s go!”  G didn’t stop preaching, so our son decided to sit down on the steps in front of his dad and kept mumbling, “that’s enough dad.  I am starving!!”  G said he never heard him, but the rest of the church sure did!

Psalm 126:2 “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”  Don’t take things so seriously.  Laughter is good for you!   Ecclesiastes 3:4 reminds us, “a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,”  Life is tough enough.  A good laugh is medicine for the soul!!  Dance and get silly with your children.

Be a blessing,

~M.

 

 

A Personal Struggle…

I need an attitude adjustment!! Have you ever just struggled with something so much that you can’t let it go? It seems like that is my life lately. I am really struggling with my attitude. I’ve never been one to struggle with that. I am one of those people who wakes up ready to go and happy to be alive.

Lately, one minute I’m crying, the next I’m angry, and the next I’m just numb. This repeats all day. I’ve been going through a lot lately. It stinks being sick for over 14 months! My Dad had a stroke and I’ve never seen him look so weak. I can’t go see him because doctors fear I will get something even worse and might share it with my dad. But, don’t worry, My daddy has this! He is so strong! He is a fighter. But, mostly, he believes in Christ as his Savior. My dad and mom have put their full confidence in God’s healing powers!!

I have decided do discipline myself. Get off my pity party and have an attitude adjustment. So, how do I do that?!

1. Ask God to forgive my bad attitude
2. Read the Bible
3. Pray
4. Choose to trust God for the future instead of worrying about it!

So, what does the Bible say about attitudes?

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,”

Philippians 2:14 – “Do everything without grumbling or arguing”

Colossians 3:17 – “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

John 14:1 – “Let not your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in me.”

Dear Heavenly Father,

I come before you today, broken, hurt, angry and just numb.  Lord, I lay these requests at your feet.  I TRUST in you.  There is no point in worrying because You have promised me that you have plans for me and those plans are to prosper me and not to harm me.  To give me a future.  Lord, help me to have a better attitude about life.  Help me not have a pity party, but a faith party!!  You, Lord, are faithful to me.  You never break your promises!!  Thanks for listening God.  Forgive me for doubting your plan.  Thank you for never giving up on me!!  I love you, Lord!!!  In the Precious Name of Your Son, Amen!!

I don’t know about you but I have a smile on my face and my heart is warm and cozy with God’s grace.

Be a Blessing to Others

~M