Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That’s the most sensible way to serve God. Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.

• be sincere in loving others
• hate EVERYTHING that is evil
• hold onto the good things
• love each other like family
• hono  r others above yourself
• never give up
• eagerly follow the Holy Spirit
• serve God
• let hope make you glad
• be patient in hard times
• never give up praying
• take care of those in need
• welcome everyone, even into your home and personal space
• live opposite – bless instead of curse when you are cursed
• joy with joy, weep with weeping – true caring and sharing life
• be friendly to everyone
• don't get a superiority complex

Okay...So on Sunday my pastor talked about trials and I have many of those in my life.  The sermon was about how Christians deal with these trials.  Trials shape our lives, right? Si why is it that Christians especially loathe them?  Its not like we sit here and ask for trials.  But why not?  All trials come at odd times in strange ways.  When we are in a trial we are either going to glorify God or make Him look bad.  We should ask God why we need to go through these trials, but why?  In a time of trial, we are faced with a decision of trust, who will we trust? Others? Ourselves? God?  Who shall we trust?  Do I make my life more of a tradition than faith lead?  Do I pray enough or do I make it all legalistic? 

Notes were given and they, I feel, benefit my life and this entry a lot.  The pieces of scripture are: James 1:2-4 and 1 John 2:15-17. 
1. If you are a Christian, trials are going to be ever present.
2. Every trial that we go through has the purpose of strengthening out witness to the world and out relationship with God.
3. We have the choice of living for the world or living for God always before us.
4. We must constantly remind ourselves through scripture that we are living for eternity and not for immediate pleasure.

My prayer: Lord, forgive me for whining and complaining.  I say bring on the trials on.  After all, "every difficulty could become a pile of stumbling blocks or a bunch of stepping stones"-Arthur Blessitt.  God, I just don't feel like praying.  Please remind me that there is more to live than this disease.  Give me strength to believe that you can heal me.  Give me something to laugh about.  Help me leave a legacy for my family.   

  http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"> name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12">I have been contemplating for some time this very question.  What is love?  And I'm not talking about 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

 "⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

 

Although, these are GREAT ways of looking at love, I have been wondering what it means to share love between a human and God. 

For me, love has been experience, letting things go, and trust.  In my relationship with Jarrett, we have had experience, let go of many things, and trusted one another to take care of our hearts.  Being through almost beak-ups and knowing your relationship is worth it in due time.  The key...patience. But above patience, you have to truly care about someone.  Love is like this:

Friendship love is modeled by Jesus Christ himself when he was human.  Being a friend means that you do not seek to understand others through the eyes of the world, but of the Lord; all of your decisions will be run through the filter of God’s word: the Bible.  True friendship encourages personal growth rather than limitations.  A true friend will stand by your side when all others fail to encourage and support you. Being a true friend, does not mean seeing others based on who they are today, but also as they change and evolve in their lives.  To be there through the changes, hard times, fun times, changes in hobbies, likes, and dislikes.  As people say, “A friend is there through thick and thin”.  Now…the most important, the spiritual aspect of the true friend.  True friendship requires us to gain attributes in which Christ himself had so that we do not look at the person in any other way than through the eyes of love.  Essentially, true friendship is based on mutual respect. J. Dillard once said this quote that made me want to write this entire blog.

“Learning to rise above life’s circumstances allows us the opportunity to gain the altitude and attitude to see life from God’s perspective enabling us to be Jesus hands and feet in the lives of others.”

Another thing that I have constantly been thinking about, and discussing with a close friend of mine, is how can Christian friends not be honest with one another.  I have this group of friends, right? Not only do I love them, but I can depend on them. Well, that is the way that it should be.  I should be able to depend on my friends, talk about my spiritual struggles freely, come to my friends and ask, “Am I being a good follower of Christ?” and get an honest answer.  Not only should I get an honest answer, but I should I want suggestions on how to make me a better follower because they are my true friend.  I want to do that for my friends, but it just isn’t happening.  Why? Why can’t my friends be honest with one another? Why are we holding back? What on earth are we waiting for?