Announcement May 30, 2009

Lord God, help me not to allow the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things to come in and choke Your Word, making it unfruitful in my life (Mark 4:19).
According to Your Word, if physical things were allowed to completely satisfy us, our hearts would become proud, and we would forget the Lord our God, who brought us out of the land of slavery (Deut. 8:12-14).
I have been crucified with You, Christ, and I no longer live, but You live in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in You, the Son of God, who loved me and gave Yourself for me (Gal. 2:20).

This summer, we girls at Sister to Sister would like to set aside at least one week in which we all give up some of our “idols”, or the things that we put before God.  For example, perhaps you spend more time on the internet than you should.  So for the week of July 12-19 we would like to encourage you to give up any idols that you have.  Spend more time reading the Bible, praying, worshiping, or even just doing more productive things with your time.  Do some chores, go for a walk, etc.  At the end of the week, you can come back here and post about how that week went.  Nothing is mandatory, and no one will tell you what you have to give up.  You can give up one idol or several and don’t worry if you don’t give it up completely that week!  The purpose of the week is to try and focus a little more on God and a little less on ourselves.

During that week devotional posts may not be regular.  Some of us may give up the internet for that week, so if you don’t see any posts for a while, it’s ok.   We’re all still alive, I assure you.  And around July 10 I will post a post where you can leave comments and share some of the things that you will be giving up for the week.

I hope that you will all consider participating!

Patience is a Virtue, after all… May 29, 2009

 

As most people, who know me, will tell you, I am usually an impatient person. I lose my temper quickly, and hate to wait for very long periods of time…however, I’ve learned over the years, that things REALLY are better if I have been patient in waiting for them. I’ve seen how patience causes greater success: I love to play my favorite pieces on the piano. However, because of my impatience, I really don’t like to work on them for very long amounts of time. I want to be able to play the piece well and perfect after only a few times of practice. That does not happen very often to me, and so I have to pull out the old virtue of patience. Patience and perseverance to practice diligently until I can play the song perfectly. It’s just like the following quote says,

Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.
-   Napolean Hill

Patience is a hard virtue to learn…I know that for a fact…it goes against my nature to be patient!

Patience is bitter, but it’s fruit is sweet.
-   Linda Clarkson

That quote is so true…patience is “bitter” for me…I find it hard to swallow and to live by. However, I KNOW that if I’m patient, then the fruit from that patience will indeed be sweet! I may dislike waiting for something nice to happen, but when the time comes, I know it’s made even more pleasant by having waited patiently for it.

And one last quote that I found, that really stuck out to me was:

Patience with others is Love, Patience with self is Hope, Patience with God is Faith.
-   Adel Bestavros 

I had never thought of patience that way before! To be patient to my family and friends is a way of showing love! Being patient with myself…well, if I’m patient and diligent in controlling myself and learning to become a better daughter of the King, then there’s hope that I WILL change! And being patient on God’s will is indeed faith! Faith that He will work everything out! That quote has definitely changed MY look on patience…patience really is a virtue, after all!

The Power of Prayer May 28, 2009

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15).

This week is the National Day of Prayer.  Christian throughout the world are praying together for the world, Christians, and non-believers alike.  There are gatherings in churches, stadiums, homes, parks…you name it!  It is important for believers all over the world to spend time in prayer each day.  Pray for the world, for your family–for anything and anyone.

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:3).

Evening and morning, and at noon, I will pray and cry aloud; and He shall hear my voice. Psa 55:17

Pray for one another, that you may be healed. Jam 5.16b

Jesus Will Still Be There May 27, 2009

Jesus Will Still Be There

by Robert Sterling & John Mandeville

Things change, plans fail.
You look for love on a grander scale.
Storms rise, hopes fade
and you place your bets on another day.
When the going gets tough, when the ride’s too rough,
when you’re just not sure enough.

Jesus will still be there.
His love will never change,
Sure as a steady rain,
Jesus will still be there.
When no one else is true,
He’ll still be lovin’ you.
When it looks like you’ve lost it all
And you haven’t got a prayer,
Jesus will still be there.

Time flies, hearts turn,
a little bit wiser from lessons learned.
But sometimes weakness wins
and you lose your foothold once again.
When the going gets tough, when the ride’s too rough,
when you’re just not sure enough.

Jesus will still be there.
His love will never change,
Sure as a steady rain,
Jesus will still be there.
When no one else is true,
He’ll still be lovin’ you.
When it looks like you’ve lost it all
And you haven’t got a prayer,
Jesus will still be there.

Today is New! May 26, 2009

Summer is coming! Lovely, golden days, and I look forward to them. However, yesterday, I was sitting on the deck at my grandparent’s house, surrounded by my family, enjoying our time together at our BBQ. And, I realized, again, how important it is to enjoy and appreciate EVERY day we get…especially RIGHT on those days. When I look back and think of the “happier” days, I think of the slow days that I was able to enjoy to the very fullest. Those days are amongst the best in my memories…So, here’s just a small reminder to just take each day as it is, even if it starts out bad. Turn it into a good one! Be grateful for every day you have, because each day is a gift from God. Enjoy each day…slow down and stop to see all the gifts you can receive from each day! God gives you life, He gives you each day, He gives you the beautiful creation to see, the beautiful music to hear, the wonderful food to taste, the loyal friend to talk to…slow down and savor each gift. Use each day wisely, so you don’t have to look back on your life and say, “Gosh, how I wasted my teen years!”

Go out today with the mindset that you are going to LIVE today as today without worrying about tomorrow, or the future, or yesterday, or the past. Live today as today! See it as it is: a gift from God! An exciting gift…you may have lived many days…but one thing will always be true: you have never lived today. Today is NEW! See it as that…not as “just another day”. Live it for God! Give back to Him as much as you can in today, in thanks for this day that He gave you.

Freedom Isn’t Free May 25, 2009

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He’d stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers’ tears?
How many pilots’ planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers’ graves?
No, freedom isn’t free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant “Amen,”
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.

No, freedom isn’t free.
~Kelly Strong

Parades, BBQs, and having fun is one great side to Memorial Day, but also take the time to remember those who’ve fought and died to keep our country free and safe. Freedom, whether the political freedom of our country or our Spiritual Freedom in Christ, is NEVER free!

If you know of anyone in the military, or someone who has been in the military in the past, thank them today for their service to our country. They’ll certainly appreciate it!

Wait For You May 24, 2009

Wait for the man that God has chosen.  He will be the best man you could ever hope for.

Is Love a Fancy or a Feeling? May 22, 2009

I could make a whoooooooooooooooooooooooole long post about love: the different meanings of love, how to love, what kind of love to show to others and to God, etc. etc. As it is, I only have a short amount of time to post today. And, no, I don’t feel like I can wait to write this post…it just needs to be written today.

I’ve had one thought on my mind quite a bit lately: Do I love my family? This past week we had friends over, and I was enjoying my time with them. I enjoyed cuddling with the youngest girls, holding hands with the two other girls as well as chatting with them, joking with the oldest boy, and teasing the little boys.

But I realized something… I treated this family more patiently and kindly than I do to my own family. :/ I brush my little sisters off when they want to cuddle…I scold my other sisters and brothers…and am altogether not as agreeable.

I then questioned myself, “Do I love my brothers and sisters?” My reply was, “Of course!” But how do I know that I really love them? That made me sputter and hem and haw in my mind…”Well, I feel a love towards them.” was my lame reply.

What SHOWS that I have love towards my siblings?

What IS love?

God gave the perfect definition in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7: “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

When I show my siblings patience and kindness, I’m am showing them that I love them. When I bear ALL things, do not rejoice in their downfall, do not brag to them, or act unbecomingly, or become provoked…I am showing my love to them.

BUT. If I say that I love them, yet, I don’t show them patience, or kindness…any of the above…then do I TRULY love them? How can I TRULY love them if I am not willing to be a servant, or to show these acts of love to them?

I fail so often in performing these acts of love, but it’s not something I can give up on! Did Jesus give up on us when we nailed Him to the cross? Think about all the times YOUR family has performed acts of love for YOU. Do you love your family? How? Is your love just a feeling? Or is it something you show in your actions and words to them?

God Loves a Cheerful Giver! May 20, 2009

“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” ~ 2 Corinthians 9:6-7

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” ~ Galatians 6:7-10

“…And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” ~Acts 20:35b

Remember, Jesus gave all up for us, so we should give cheerfully, without holding back, to others!

Empty Me May 19, 2009

Empty Me

by Chris Sligh

 

I’ve had just enough of the spotlight

When it burns bright

 To see how it gets in the blood

And I’ve tasted my share

Of the sweet life

And the wild ride

 And found a little is not quite enough

I know how i can stray

And how fast my heart could change

 

Empty me Of the selfishness inside

Every vain ambition

And the poison of my pride

And any foolish thing my heart holds to

Lord empty me of me

So i can be Filled with you

 

Ive seen just enough of the quick buys

Of the best lies

To know how prodigals can be drawn away

I know how I can stray

And how fast my heart could change

 

Empty me

Of the selfishness inside

Every vain ambition

And the poison of my pride

And any foolish thing my heart holds to

Lord empty me of me

So I can be Filled with you

 

Cuz everything is a lesser thing

 Compared to you

Compared to you

Cuz everything is a lesser thing

Compared to you

So I surrender all

 

 Empty me

Of the selfishness inside

Every vain ambition

And the poison of my pride

 

Empty me

Of the selfishness inside

 Every vain ambition

And the poison of my pride

And any foolish thing my heart holds to

Lord empty me of me

 So I can be

Lord empty me of me

So I can be

Filled with you.

Filled with you

Empty me