God's Kingdom

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things will be added to you"

Mathew 6:33

My top priority must be my Father's kingdom. I must apply self-discipline and undergo training in order to better seek God's will and implement his ways in my life. His eternal kingdom, his children, and his ministry plans for me are to be the focus of my life.

The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word "crisis." One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger- but recognize the opportunity -Richard M. Nixon

In every crisis, I must seek the opportunity that God want me to pursue, and I must look for a way to advance his kingdom.

Very little is needed to make happy a life. -Marcus Aurelius

All I need is Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:18

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

The trials of this life are temporary. There is a purpose to the troubles we face. God allows suffering and pain in his children’s' lives for different reasons.

• Troubles keep us from becoming prideful in our own strength. Facing difficulties teaches us to rely on God's strength and wisdom.
• Struggles pull our focus off of this earthly life. Obstacles we must overcome remind us to seek God's kingdom first, and to appreciate God's future home for us in heaven.
• Our weaknesses and our grief give God the opportunity to demonstrate his love and power to us and to the people around us.
• Trials are used by God to strengthen our faith and to help us grow in Him.
• Suffering gives us opportunities to reach out and minister to others in ways that would not be possible otherwise.
• The pain we endure reminds us of the suffering Christ experienced for our sake. The Student's A to Z Guide to Bible Application, Tyndale House Publishers Inc. (p. 220)

Never, in peace or war, commit your virtue or your happiness to the future. Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment 'as to the Lord.' It is only our daily break that we are encouraged to ask for. The present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace recieved. -C.S. Lewis

In this moment, and in every moment, I will seek God’s kingdom and pursue his righteousness. When I fail, I will seek forgiveness and ask for his grace to continue my pursuit.

Enjoy!

1 Peter 3:10
For let him who wants to enjoy life and see good days keep his tongue free from evil and his lips from guile. 

Click here to view a youtube video of "Enjoy It!" 

I wanted to make a treat for our Sunday school class, but I was discouraged because I could not afford to purchase something to share and we did not have many ingredients in our kitchen.  But, just like in the youtube video I've linked to this post, I was able to create my own experimental snack with leftovers I had in the refrigerator.  In spite of having run out of flour, sugar, and not having  much in the way of spices, I made a successful lemon, raspberry, blueberry coffee cake.  And, most importantly, my experimental self made recipe actually tasted great and was enjoyed by my Sunday school class this morning! 

I find that the key to enjoying life's journey is to keep a positive mindset and to stop yourself from complaining.  When I am sad, I want to talk about it.  If I am discouraged and disappointed, I want to overflow with laments.  BUT, typically, venting about heartbreak changes nothing.  Getting up and doing something to change the situation, or making the best of what life gives you is a better choice.  If you can spread joy in the midst of most difficult circumstances, then you have accomplished something truly worthwhile. 

The next time your plate has more broccoli than apple pie, remember who prepared the meal.  And the next time your plate has a portion you find hard to swallow, talk to God about it.  Jesus did. 
-Max Lucado

Coffee

Adam and I love our morning coffee!  Brewing a steaming cup in our Keurig is a most important morning ritual.  Most recent weekday mornings I have woken at 4:00 am or earlier, in order to meet deadlines for my school projects and observations.  My coffee (and a little chocolate) keeps me fueled for my studies, my planning, and my projects. 

This will be a busy semester.  This will be a busy end of the school year.  I will be frantically busy pursuing my dreams.  Adam and I also created good plans for our times of Bible study together, and we will need much coffee to keep our focus. 

Thank God for coffee!

Ashley has given me a wonderful book called, "Coffee Talk."  This book is a collection of facts, quotes, Bible verses, and inspiring stories.  It even has blank pages at the end for my notes and journaling.  I enjoy using this book in the morning. 

"Good coffee is black as sin, pure as angels, strong as death, and sweet as love."

A Beautiful Life

For the happy heart, life is a continual feast.  Proverbs 15:15 (NLT)

My friend Judith recently posted an inspiring message through her blog...she recounted stories from her grandfather's life journey. 

I pray that Adam and I write a lovely story with our lives.  We are praying daily that God show us clearly his way and that we are blessed with the self control, the determination, and the courage to follow his path for our life journey. 

“And so my prayer is that your story will have involved some leaving and some coming home, some summer and some winter, some roses blooming out like children in a play. My hope is your story will be about changing, about getting something beautiful born inside of you about learning to love a woman or a man, about learning to love a child, about moving yourself around water, around mountains, around friends, about learning to love others more than we love ourselves, about learning oneness as a way of understanding God. We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax and the resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn't it?

It might be time for you to go. It might be time to change, to shine out.

I want to repeat one word for you:
Leave.

Roll the word around on your tongue for a bit. It is a beautiful word, isn't it? So strong and forceful, the way you have always wanted to be. And you will not be alone. You have never been alone. Don't worry. Everything will still be here when you get back. It is you who will have changed.”  
-Donald Miller, from his book Through Painted Deserts

Click here to view Judith Allen's blog:

Hope Scribbles

http://hopescribbles.wordpress.com/blog/

Looking Forward

Looking through my new prayer journal, and looking forward as I pursue my New Years resolutions,

I chose to share a few thoughts and verses today that I hope will bless you too. 

 

Pleasant reminders I've found reading through Philippians:

Do everything without complaining...

Rejoice in the Lord!

Press toward the goal to win the prize for which God  has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Let us live up to what we have already attained. 

 

Cheery thoughts:

Corinthians 2: 9b-10, No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" -but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit

Colossians 2:6, So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Don't throw away your confidence. 

 

When I'm sad, I reread these verses:

Psalm 5:11-12, But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.  Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.  For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as a shield. 

Grace

Titus 3:1-2
Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. 

This verse struck me in my devotions this morning.  I wish all Christians would be peaceable, gentle, and show every consideration for all.  If we did this, then I think we would rarely have to ‘share our faith,’ because our faith would shine through all we do. 

When reading, ‘malign no one,’ I think about the damage that unkind words cause.  So often Christians bring others down by their harsh words.  It is my goal to never say anything behind someone’s back that I would not say to their face.   This is a challenging goal…sometimes I spill out thoughtless words, or bubble over with frustration over pain someone has caused me.   I pray that God will give me the words to say in order to be both tactful and honest. 

Colossians 4:6. 

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Grace is key…I want to become more graceful in all I say and do.  I want God’s beauty to shine in my life, pointing towards him, giving him the glory for the works he accomplishes through me.  As part of my new year’s resolution, I hope to read these verses often to remind me of my goals:

Colossians 4:2-5

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. ³ And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. ⁴ Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. ⁵ Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

Pray Without Ceasing

As I work towards my new year's resolution to pray increasingly, I've been reading John MacAurthur's book, Alone with God: Rediscovering the Power and Passion of Prayer.  In today's reading, I was intrigued by the writing of a19th century preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon: 

Like the old knights, always in warfare, not always on their steeds dashing forward with their lances in rest to unhorse an adversary, but always wearing their weapons where they could readily reach them, and always ready to encounter wounds or death for the sake of the cause which they championed.  Those grim warriors often slept in their armor; so even when we sleep, we are still to be in the spirit of prayer, so that if perchance we wake in the night we may still be with God.  Our soul, having received the divine centripetal influence which makes it seek its heavenly center, should be evermore naturally rising towards God himself.  Our heart is to be like those beacons and watchtowers which were prepared along the coast of England when the invasion of the Armada was hourly expected, not always blazing, but with the wood always dry, and the match always there, the whole pile being ready to blaze up at the appointed moment. Our souls should be in such a condition that ejaculatory prayer should be very frequent with us.  No need to pause in business and leave the counter, and fall down upon the knees; the spirit should sent up its silent, short, swift petitions to the throne of grace... 
The soul should not always be in the exercise of prayer, but always in the energy of prayer; not always actually praying, but always intentionally praying...
I think of praying at all times as living in continual God consciousness, where everything we see and experience become a kind of prayer, lived in deep awareness of and surrender to our Heavenly Father.  It is something I share with my Best Friend- something I instantly communicate with God.  To obey this exhortation means that, when we are tempted, we hold the temptation before God and ask for His help.  When we experience something good and beautiful, we immediately thank the Lord for it.  When we see evil around us, we ask God to make it right and to allow us to help accomplish that, if it is according to His will.  When we meet someone who does not know Christ, we pray for God to draw that person to Himself and to use us as faithful witnesses.  When we encounter trouble, we turn to God as our Deliverer. 
Thus life becomes a continually ascending prayer: All life's thoughts, deeds, and circumstances become opportunities to commune with our Heavenly Father.    -Charles Haddon Spurgeon