I Challenge You.....

I think we all love to be a little competitive at times, and so I thought it was time to give a little challenge.  If you complete the challenge successfully, you will be entered into a drawing to win a $10 Amazon gift card.  Are you up for the challenge?

Here it is:

I challenge you to read your Bible every single day in the month of March.  I am not asking you to devote hours and hours of your day to reading, just a few minutes each day.  March is only 31 days long.  If you spent an average of five minutes each day reading your Bible, you will have spent a total of 155 minutes reading.  This is not a huge time commitment.  Consider how much time you spend on your phone or social media each day.  Do you think you could take 5 of those minutes to read a little bit of the Bible?

Okay, I have given you the challenge.  Now I get to convince you to take it!

As Christians, it is vitally important for us to know what the Bible teaches so that we can "take our stand against the devil's schemes."  (Ephesians 6:11)  How will you know what to believe if you don't read God's Word?  In Jeremiah 29:13 it says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  Have you noticed that it is a little difficult to learn something without studying?  The same is true of God's Word.  Without reading it, we will never learn the depths of the truths in it.  If we don't learn the truths, how are we going to grow in our faith?

Are you convinced?  Reading the Bible is essential to the Christian life!

Now that you are convinced, let me give you the details on how to take the challenge.

If you are really committed to taking this challenge, then here's how you start:  1. pick a book of the Bible or passage that you want to read through.  If you want to start in a short easy-to-read book, try Proverbs.  The chapters are short, and it isn't too hard to understand.  Give it a go!  There are exactly 31 chapters, so it would perfectly match up with the days there are in March.  If you want to try the New Testament, try the book of Mark.  It isn't too long, and it is packed full of high-action stories.  2.  Send me an email at sistersinchrist.girlz@gmail.com with your name, age, and address.  (This information will not be used for any purpose other than this specific contest.)  I would love to know if you are taking the challenge so that I can pray for you as you take it.  3.  Be serious about it!  If you aren't committed to this challenge, you probably won't make it through to then end.  Don't hesitate to ask God for some help in doing this.  He will give you the perseverance to make it for the whole month!

Don't hesitate to challenge your friends and family to do this with you.  Some moral support can go a long way in accomplishing a goal!

As Far as the East is From the West...

Every Sunday night my family meets with a group of people from our church to discuss questions from that morning's sermon and to be in community with other believers.  Last night as we all sat in our living room, my Dad decided to do a little object lesson.  Each person in the room took two pieces of paper.  On the first piece, everyone wrote something that they had done in the past week that was Christlike.  On the second piece, we wrote something that we had done that was not Christlike.  Each person folded up their pieces of paper.  The papers with the Christlike action went into Bibles and pockets, but the pieces of unchristlike behaviors stayed out.  My Dad lit a candle that was in the center of the table and asked each of us to burn our second piece of paper in the flame.

You are probably thinking, "Okay, so her Dad likes to burn things...  Why is she telling me this?"

Do you ever feel like you have done something so terrible that God can't forgive you?  Have you ever thought that maybe you messed up your life so badly that there is absolutely no way God will ever forgive you?  If you have ever thought that, I can offer you hope!

Psalm 103:8-12 says, "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.  He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."

Because of our sins, we all deserve death (Romans 3:23), but because of God's grace we can be forgiven (3:24).  When you come to God and confess your sin, He removes it from you as far as the east is from the west and forgives you.  Don't ever let yourself be deceived into thinking that you can't be forgiven!

When each of us burned the piece of paper containing unchristlike actions, it represented the incredible grace and forgiveness that God offers each one of us.  Is there something that you need to ask God forgiveness for?  He is ready and willing to forgive you if you will repent.

A New Look at Valentine's Day

Every year on February 14, we celebrate Valentine’s Day—a specific day when people across the world celebrate their love for one another.  When someone mentions the holiday, we typically think of hearts, flowers, and chocolate.  At least, that is what the stores want us to think of…  While hearts, chocolate, and flowers are nice, there is more to love than the world realizes.

Take a look at what the Bible has to say about love.

“Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.”  - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Wow!  There is a little more to the kind of love talked about in the Bible than just the chocolate kind of love that the world likes to celebrate on Valentine’s Day!  Look at the different ways that love is described in the passage.  It is patient, kind, trusting, not selfish, not angry, not proud.

The only person that I know of who can truly love like the Bible describes is Jesus.  As humans, we are sinners and are unable to love perfectly like Jesus did.  But the Bible says, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”  (Philippians 4:13)  I challenge you to try to love like Jesus loves—with patience and kindness.  Hope and trust.  We are human, we will make mistakes, but by God’s grace we can be forgiven and He will give us the strength to love like Him each and every day.

Sacrifice vs. Opportunity

I came across this quote today from Leslie Ludy (a Christian author and speaker) that really made me stop a minute and think about what kind of risks I am willing to take for God.

She said, "Many of us are happy to sing songs about Christ, write about Him, and talk about Him to other believers, but often when the true test of loyalty comes, we choose personal comfort over radical abandon to Him.  We might take a few small risks for our King, but if He asks us to make a significant sacrifice, we often reason, 'If I went that far in my devotion to him, I'd be putting myself at risk.  I'd be making myself vulnerable to discomfort and pain.  I can't give up everything for Him; it's just not reasonable!'  But Jesus Christ gave up everything for us.  And He is asking if we will give Him everything in return.  Saying a whole-hearted 'yes' to this priceless opportunity is the secret to discovering the vibrant, victorious Christianity of the Bible."

Is there a risk that God is asking you to take for Him?
Are you willing to take that risk, if only to discover the amazing adventure God has in store for you?

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship."  - Romans 12:1

Do Not Conform!

As we are beginning a new year, a lot of you probably made New Year's resolutions in some form or another.  A few of you may have already broken the resolutions that you made...  What if every Christian dedicated their year to being different?  You are probably thinking, "What?!  Be different?  No way!  I have spent the last three years of my life trying to fit in and now some crazy person wants me to be different again?"  Sorry to break it to you, but the answer to your question is, Yes, I am suggesting that you stop trying to fit in with the world.

Where on earth did I get this crazy idea?

The Bible!  Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing, and perfect will."

Did you catch that first part of the verse?  "Do not conform to the pattern of this world..."  This verse is telling us that as Christians we are not supposed to act like the rest of the world does.  Let me give you an example of what this might look like.  Your two friends begin saying hurtful things about an acquaintance of theirs.  They tear the girl to shreds verbally and tell each other about all of the girl's failings and flaws.  You have a choice.  You can either go with the flow and join your two friends in their gossip, or you can do what you know is right and put a stop to their unkind words.  Which would be the easiest to do?  I think that most of us would probably rather pick the first option and join in the girls' conversation even if it makes us feel a little guilty.  Here is another question for you:  What do you think Jesus would do in this situation?  We don't have to dye our hair pink or something like that to look different from the rest of the world.  It can be simple things like the way we talk about people or how we treat people.  

The Bible is our ultimate authority that tells us what is right and what is wrong.  Just because everyone else seems to be doing something doesn't make it right.  It is very hard to resist peer pressure, but 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that God will provide a way out when you are tempted so that you can stand up under the temptation.  Sometimes in order to do what is right you will have to do it alone.  While it may seem that no one else is going along with your resistance to the world's way of doing things, God is always there with you.  When you are acting in accordance with His Word, the Bible, He will always be on your side.

Christian author and speaker, Voddie Baucham, once said, "People won't know you are a Christian by the way you mow your lawn."

What did he mean by that?  You can't be a passive Christian.  Being a Christian is an active duty of standing up for the Truth.  Sometimes it isn't enough to just "be a nice person," sometimes you have to be willing to speak up and tell people why your life is different from theirs.  

I challenge you to quit conforming to who the world has decided that you should be and stand up for the truth of the Bible.  If you do this prayerfully with a mind and heart open to God's leading, I believe that He will completely transform you.  Are you willing to be different?  Are you willing to step out of the world's mold that you have squeezed yourself into?  Are you ready to stand up for Jesus and let your words and actions be a light shining for Him?

Trouble At The Inn

Merry Christmas!

I heard this story at a Christmas concert a few weeks ago, and thought it illustrated the meaning of Christmas really well.  Some of you may have already heard me tell this story since I used it in a devotion I gave last week, but I hope you enjoy it anyways!

For years now, whenever Christmas pageants are talked about in a certain little town in the Midwest, someone is sure to mention the name of Wallace Purling.

Wally's performance in one annual production of the Nativity play has slipped into the realm of legend. But the old-timers who were in the audience that night never tire of recalling exactly what happened.

Wally was nine that year and in the second grade, though he should have been in the fourth. Most people in town knew that he had difficulty keeping up. He was big and awkward, slow in movement and mind.

Still, Wally was well liked by the other children in his class, all of whom were smaller than he, though the boys had trouble hiding their irritation when Wally would ask to play ball with them or any game, for that matter, in which winning was important.

They'd find a way to keep him out, but Wally would hang around anyway—not sulking, just hoping. He was a helpful boy, always willing and smiling, and the protector, paradoxically, of the underdog. If the older boys chased the younger ones away, it would be Wally who'd say, "Can't they stay? They're no bother."

Wally fancied the idea of being a shepherd in the Christmas pageant, but the play's director, Miss Lumbard, assigned him a more important role. After all, she reasoned, the innkeeper did not have too many lines, and Wally's size would make his refusal of lodging to Joseph more forceful.

And so it happened that the usual large, partisan audience gathered for the town's yearly extravaganza of crooks and creches, of beards, crowns, halos and a whole stageful of squeaky voices.

No one on stage or off was more caught up in the magic of the night than Wallace Purling. They said later that he stood in the wings and watched the performance with such fascination that Miss Lumbard had to make sure he didn't wander onstage before his cue.

Then the time came when Joseph appeared, slowly, tenderly guiding Mary to the door of the inn. Joseph knocked hard on the wooden door set into the painted backdrop. Wally the innkeeper was there, waiting.

"What do you want?" Wally said, swinging the door open with a brusque gesture.

"We seek lodging."

"Seek it elsewhere." Wally spoke vigorously. "The inn is filled."

"Sir, we have asked everywhere in vain. We have traveled far and are very weary."

"There is no room in this inn for you." Wally looked properly stern.

"Please, good innkeeper, this is my wife, Mary. She is heavy with child and needs a place to rest. Surely you must have some small corner for her. She is so tired."

Now, for the first time, the innkeeper relaxed his stiff stance and looked down at Mary. With that, there was a long pause, long enough to make the audience a bit tense with embarrassment.

"No! Begone!" the prompter whispered.

"No!" Wally repeated automatically. "Begone!"

Joseph sadly placed his arm around Mary and Mary laid her head upon her husband's shoulder and the two of them started to move away. The innkeeper did not return inside his inn, however. Wally stood there in the doorway, watching the forlorn couple. His mouth was open, his brow creased with concern, his eyes filling unmistakably with tears.

And suddenly this Christmas pageant became different from all others.

"Don't go, Joseph," Wally called out. "Bring Mary back." And Wallace Purling's face grew into a bright smile. "You can have my room."

Some people in town thought that the pageant had been ruined. Yet there were others—many, many others—who considered it the most Christmas of all Christmas pageants they had ever seen.

Wally had room in his heart for Jesus, the King of Kings.  Do you?

Published originally in Guideposts.  http://www.guideposts.org/hope-and-faith/true-meaning-christmas-pageant

Captured By Giant Despair Part 2 of 2

A few days ago we left Christian and his friend Hopeful in the dungeon of Doubting Castle.  They had been tempted to commit suicide but decided to continue to live the life that they had been given.  Let's pick up the story where we left off.

Toward evening the giant came down again to see if they had submitted to his counsel.  He found them alive, but only barely alive, for they were perishing for food and water, and suffering miserably from their wounds.  Seeing them still alive, the giant flew into a terrific rage, storming out at them:  "You have disobeyed my counsel!  Now it shall be worse with you than if you had never been born."

At his terrible words, they shook with fear, and Christian went into a swoon.  When he had come to himself again, they remembered their discussion about taking their own lives.  Christian was now inclined to favor the idea.  But Hopeful made a second plea:  "My brother, remember how valiant you were with Apollyon [Satan].  He could not defeat you, nor were you defeated by all you saw and heard in the Valley of the Shadow of Death.  What hardships, terror, and amazement you have already come through!  And, you see, I'm in the dungeon too, a far weaker person by nature and experience than you, receiving the same punishment and suffering the same agony.  This giant has wounded me and has also cut off bread and water from my mouth.  And along with you, I mourn without the light.  But let us exercise a little more patience.  Remember how brave and strong you were at Vanity Fair.  You did not shrink from chains, or iron cage, or bloody death.  Then, let us (at least to avoid the shame of conduct unbecoming to Christians) bear up with patience as best we can.  Deliverance will come by and by."

That night the giant's wife asked him about the prisoners.  She wanted to know if they had taken his counsel.  "No," he said, "they are sturdy rogues.  They choose to bear all hardships rather than do away with themselves."

She replied:  "Tomorrow, take them into the castle yard and show them the bones and skulls of those you have disposed of and make them believe that before the week ends you will tear them in pieces, as you have done with all others."

So when morning came, he took them into the castle yard and showed them the skeletons of those he had murdered.  "Those," he said, "were once pilgrims like you.  They trespassed on my property, and when I saw fit I tore them to pieces, just as I will do to you within ten days if you remain alive on my premises.  Now go down to your dungeon and think it over."  With that he beat them all the way into the dungeon.  There they lay all day Saturday in a deplorable condition.

That night the giant remarked to his wife that he could not understand how his prisoners remained alive.  He had not been able by blows or threats or counseling to bring them to their end.

Then Gloom said, "I am afraid that they live in hopes that someone will come to their rescue; or they may have tools for picking a lock, thus hoping to get out."

"That is true," he said.  "In the morning I will search them."

About midnight Saturday night, Christian and Hopeful began to pray and continued until almost break of day.  Then Christian suddenly broke out in amazement, "What a fool!  What a fool I am to lie here in this stinking dungeon when I might walk free on the highway to glory!  I have a key in my bosom called Promise which I am sure will open any door in Doubting Castle."

Hopeful:  That is certainly good news, my brother.  Get out your key and try it.

Then Christian took the key of Promise and pushed it into the lock of the dungeon door.  The bolt fell back and the door came open.  They walked out into the castle.  Then they went to the door leading to the castle yard.  The key opened that door also.  Now they came to the great iron gate leading outside.  The lock to the gate was exceedingly difficult, yet they unlocked it and pushed the gate open to make their escape.  But the gate made such a creaking sound that it woke the giant, who jumped out of bed to pursue his prisoners.  Then he was seized by one of his fits and lost the use of his limbs.  The prisoners ran to the King's highway, where they were safely beyond Despair's jurisdiction.

From:  Pilgrim's Progress In Today's English
By John Bunyan
Retold by Jamesh. Thomas