What do you value?

Hello Friends,

I have really been spending a lot of time considering what I value?  Do I value what God truly values?  For myself, it is easy to say I value what the Bible says....but does my life show that? 

What do I spend my time doing?  What am I thinking about?  Where do I spend my money?  Deep inside what are my desires?

I challenge you along with myself to truly begin to ask yourself, "What do I value?"  I have a friend who always says, "we will live out, what we believe."

What does your life say about you?

What would your children say you value?

What would God say you value?

What do you think about most?

What do you want most?

I don't know about you but I really want to live out...what I say I believe and value.  I want to value things that matter....things that are going to really count.....things that are worth spending my time and energy on. 

I want to live a life with "No Regrets"

Ask yourself this today..."Is this really going to matter?" 

Is this really what I value...and if you find what I have been finding....you might need to ask God to help you change what you truly value.  Because whatever you feed grows.  If you continue to feed the wrong values, thoughts, etc...then they will grow.  So, if we start meditating on God's word and feeding our mind what he values....our values will change. 

Let's not say one thing and live another.....that's a hypocrite...and the world doesn't need any more of those.

Blessings!

Melissa

Dying to Live

Several people have asked me to go into more detail about what I mean by "dying to live."  I chose this title because for many years....I was dying to just be able to enjoy my life and truly live life.  I longed to have the abundant life that Jesus talked about in his word......The abundant life!  Instead of really enjoying my life...I was full of fear, worry, anxiety, torment, hurt, pain and many other feelings.  What I finally realized is that to truly have the life that Christ has promised we must die.  First, we have to die to our own way and choose to follow him.  Just as Jesus died for us...we must die to ourselves in order to follow him.  This truly is a daily thing.  Each day we can choose to die to our will and say "not my will but thine." 

Death is never easy or fun.  It is painful!  Giving up my desires, my wants, my ambitions and putting those to death.  So, I can truly be free to live for him.  Once we have decided to die to ourselves and follow Jesus...we quickly realize that there are many other things that have to die: Selfishness, Unforgiveness, Anger, Hurt, Fears, Sin, Gossip, Wickedness, Drunkedness,  and the list goes on.  What I have found..... is that as we surrender our will and die to these things....we truly experience peace and freedom.

I am still in process and it is a daily choice of picking up my cross and following him. 

So although the title is "Dying to Live" this really is all about living.  Living for him and living in victory over things that are holding you back from the life that God intended you to live. 

My friend that is a Bible teacher told me that one day in class she had a casket up front with a mirror in it.  She had each student go upfront and look in the casket.  She wanted them to understand that in order to truly follow Christ...you must die.  This was a great example of a what we are saying when we say that we are a Christian.  When you decide to follow Jesus...it is no longer you that lives...but him living in you!  There is not room for the two of you.

Jim Elliott said it very well...."He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."


With Love,

Melissa

Dying to worry

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  And now, dear friends, let me say one more thing as I close this letter.  Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right.  Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you.  Philippians 4: 6-9 New Living Translation

Wow, that is a very powerful section of scriptures.  I don't know about you, but somehow the cares of this life can bog me with down with worry.  When we feel like we are losing our peace....we need to remember that God has promised us peace (when we fix our mind on him)...not our problems, fears, situations or anything else.  We must fix our thoughts on the right things and think about the things of the Lord.


Let's look at a few things the scriptures above tell us to do in order to experience that peace:

• Don't worry
• Pray about everything
• Tell God what you need
• Thank him for all he has done for you

The promise to you (if) you do these things:

• His peace will guard your heart and mind

So, what are we to be thinking on:

• Things that are true
• Things that are honorable
• Things that are right
• Things that are pure
• Things that are lovely
• Things that are admirable
• Things that are excellent
• Things that are worthy of praise

The promise (if) we keep putting these things into practice:

• The God of peace will be with you

I don't know about you friend, but I could use some of God's peace in my life.  Sometimes the cares of this life can way me down.  The worries of kids, what-if's, fear, future, day-to-day life and millions of other things.  But, God's word promises to give us peace....the choice is up to you.  Are we going to obey what he says and put his word into practice or are we going to continue to fret and worry?

What we put into our minds determines what comes out in our words and actions.  The word tells us to program our mind with thoughts that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise.  Do you have problems with impure thoughts?  Examine what you are putting into your mind through television, books, conversations, movies and magazines.  Replace harmful input with wholesome material.  Above all, read God's word and pray.  Ask God to help you focus your mind on what is good and pure.  It takes practice, but it can be done.

I was reminded yesterday by a friend that when parenting it is better to focus on what is right and good...not on all the bad and sinful things.  This is what the scripture is telling us....to focus on the right things.  Yes, if you listen to the news, your friends, the world's report...you are filled with fear and worry.  But, if you focus the Word of God....He has promised to fill you with his peace.  The kind of peace that the world does not understand and can only come from God.  This is not the kind of peace that says only if things are going ok...God can fill you with peace, no matter what you are facing today.

Let's die to worry......and be filled with peace.

Praying for you,

Melissa