People Problems?

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. -1 John 4:19-21

Our love for God should translate into a love for people. The solution for loving difficult people is love Christ more deeply. Relying on his strength and not our own. We all know people who can push our buttons, annoy us, frustrate us, and even cause discontentment to rise up in our hearts. It's at those times that we turn to Christ and pray that our minds are renewed and that we begin to see the good qualities in them versus our negative viewpoint. Happy Tuesday! I'm back from my mini hiatus, renewed and eager to share what God's placed on my heart!

What about your friends?

"Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel." Proverbs 27:9

Take a look at your friends. Can you count on them to give you wise counsel? Do they direct you to God's words versus their own? In the same vein, what kind of friend are you? Are people drained when they finally escape your presence or are they content, feeling better than before? Let's focus on nurturing friendships that cause growth rather than regression. Don't allow bad company to corrupt your morals (1 Corinthians 15:33). Happy Wednesday! :)

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up..." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Matthew 26

Matthew 26 is the story of Jesus' betrayal and arrest. Honestly, I get slightly annoyed every time I read it. Could you imagine KNOWING someone was going to stab you in the back but not acting on it? Jesus knew that some of his "ride or die" friends (Matthew 26:35) would not be there for him when things got rough. Regardless of the prophesies, Jesus still chose to love Peter and Judas. 

Life application: People are bound to hurt and mistreat you because of our sinful, carnal nature. The power comes in your response. Christ followers are called to stand out and love those who are hard to love- because you're hard to love sometimes too (Romans 12:9-21). Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) when someone hurts you. Next time someone doesn't treat you right (according to your standards), I challenge you to begin to pray for them. Not just, "Bless their heart," but a genuine prayer like for a family member or your best friend. Romans 12:14 says to bless, not curse those who hurt you. You'll deepen your faith and mature as a result. Happy Wednesday! 

Matthew 1-3

I’m so pumped about this Matthew Study! I had every intention of posting on February 1 and 2 but life happened haha I’ll share that at the end of this post :)

Matthew 1: The Birth of Jesus

Matthew 1:18-25 which talks about the Immaculate Conception and the birth of Jesus. When Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant, an angel spoke to him in a dream (verse 20-23). 

Joseph had great intentions by trying to take care of things quietly, but it wasn’t God’s plan for him. Has God ever given you a task or something to do and you felt as though you couldn’t complete it?

I absolutely love this part, “Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God’s angel commanded in the dream…” Matthew 1:24 (MSG)

When God speaks to you, do you listen? And when you hear him, do you gripe, complain, and take your sweet time?

Matthew 2: Herod’s plot

“Herod then arranged a secret meeting with the scholars from the East. Pretending to be as devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth announcement start had appeared…” Matthew 2:7-8

Herod, is a perfect example of James 1:26 (If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless…). He put on a front, quoted scriptures, sang all the right songs in praise and worship, prayed super long prayers… or whatever else to convince the scholars that he was a believer. As Christians, The Lord gives us a discerning spirit. Spend time with Him, so you can be aware of the “Herods” of the world.

Matthew 2:16-17 says that Herod was angry when the scholars did not report back to tell him the location of baby Jesus. He then commanded that all the baby boys should be slaughtered so that nobody would be able to follow a messiah.

We shouldn't share our dreams and visions with everybody. Some people (like Herod) will hear about your calling and become jealous. They’ll lead you to believe that they are supporting you, but all the while, they are plotting against you. Who are you sharing your dreams and aspirations with? Are your relationships God –lead? Or are you hanging on to relationships that God told you to cut off, because they drain you, pull you AWAY from Christ, and steal your joy?

Matthew 3: Jesus gets baptized  

^“But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he denounced them. ‘You sons of snakes!’ he warned. ‘Who said that you could escape the coming wrath of God? Before being baptized, prove that you have turned from sin by doing worthy deeds. Don’t try to get by as you are, thinking, ‘We are safe for we are Jews—descendants of Abraham.’ That proves nothing. God can change these stones here into Jews!’” Matthew 3:7-10 (The Living Bible)

John the Baptist had become widely known, much like the celebrities of today. Everyone wanted a piece of John, so baptism was the cool thing to do. But I love how John called out the hypocrisy. Similarly, we should not merely accept that everyone who professes Christianity does in fact have a growing relationship in Christ. Our walk with Christ is not determined by how many things we do well at church, but it’s about our heart. If the heart is right with God, we should be bearing the fruits of the spirit. It’s not determined by how often we attend church, or that our grandparents thrice removed pray for us daily. It’s a PERSONAL decision to take up our cross and follow Him.

“Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized there by John. John didn’t want to do it. ‘This isn’t proper,’ he said. ‘I am the one who needs to be baptized by you.’ But Jesus said, ‘Please do it, for I must do all that is right.’ So then John baptized him.” Matthew 3:15

Fun fact: Jesus was baptized for all that follow him! Baptism is not necessary to be saved, but it is a outward act for an inward change. Really, Jesus made being a Christian so much easier. We don’t have to slaughter things, wait for prophets to speak words from God, or any of that. Thank you, Jesus :)

I celebrated my birthday this weekend! So much fun. It's crazy to think that a few months ago, I knew a total of ZERO people. 

*I also served as a chaperone at my church lock in, but I don't have those pictures yet :(

I also met my absolute favorite person in the world, Heather Lindsey. She's so sweet! Ladies, visit her website: www.heatherlindsey.com. Guys, visit her husband's website: www.corneliuslindsey.com 

Proverbs 17- Friendship, purity, & cheerfulness

"Friends love through all kinds of weather; and families stick together in all kinds of trouble" Proverbs 17:17

We choose our friends but can't choose our family. I heard a message that said even if the biological family is a mess, God gave us the church body to serve as another family. Are you growing in your church body? Are your friends pushing you closer to Christ?

"The person who courts sin, married trouble; build a wall and court trouble" Proverbs 17:19

We can't be lukewarm Christians, tiptoeing the lines of sin. This is also a great verse for keeping our lives and relationships pure. 

"A cheerful disposition is good for your health; doom and gloom leave you bone tired" Proverbs 17:22

Cheer and joy are a choice. We can choose to strive to praise and have joy at all times. That comes with the renewing of the mind and removing all the negative influences that causes us to have a sour attitude or disposition. 

Seriously, Proverbs 17 covers everything: gossip, friendship, leadership, arguments, wisdom... If you have a favorite topic or verse or anything, let me know! Happy Tuesday :)