Declare HIS Glory

So this weekend was quite an adventure! Friday night I went down to Laguna and had a sweet time of fellowship with some really old friends, and some new ones too, and spent some awesome time in worship with the Lord. It was so refreshing to see a group of people who are so passionately in love with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and people whose one and only desire is to glorify Him in all they do. That's a high calling in life. I think sometimes as Christians we have a wishy-washy faith. In that we decide what we think is "ok" without compromising. But ultimately, we are to glorify God in all that we do! That means to glorify Him in the friends we hang out with, at our jobs, out our schools, when we are at the grocery store, when we are alone in our rooms, EVERYWHERE and in EVERYTHING! That's a high calling. But take heed to what God promised to Joshua in Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Something God really showed me this weekend is what mature Christian living looks like.
"The key to overcoming anxiety, fear, worry, fretting, and emotionalinstability is to have the right priorities in our thought life; to be deliberatethinkers. And the secret is to be other-oriented, not self-centered; to fixour thoughts on God, others and our blessings–not our problems. That’s theessence of mature Christian living.”

In order to live righteously, we must have righteous thoughts, and we are never going to have these thoughts if everything that we focus on is ourselves. We must prioritize and discipline our thoughts, and then our words and actions will follow.

We have the power of our words. You can tear someone apart with what you say, or you can encourage and build them up. What goes in is ultimately what goes out. If what you feed your spiritual mind is not of the Lord and isn't Godly, then what will come out in your life will not be true Christian fruit, but if you are feeding your mind righteous things, the word of God, on a constant daily basis, then the fruit will be very evident in your life! No doubt in that.

One day we will all stand before the Lord, and with the blood of Christ He will welcome us with loving arms, as a forgiving Father. Take the high road, be the one who acts like Christ, imitate Him, love HIm first, and that love for Him will overflow into others. Its hard to love those who dont love us, especially when we dont know why, but Christ calls us to love even the unlovable, He did. Love them as Christ would love them, ""You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." (Matthew 5:43-45). And realize that they are in the Lord's hands. You can only pray for them, and pray that the Lord would make them like Christ! And in turn let the Lord work on you! Let God show you where you need to grow, be changed, chastened, rebuked, stretched...there is a sweetness in being broken before an Almighty Father, coming with nothing, knowing you have nothing to offer, and asking Him to use you...and when He does, only He could recieve the glory!

PRAISE THE LORD!
"Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples." --1 Chronicles 16:24