Identity

1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you might declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” NIV

I was a pretty smart kid. I always made good grades, and I typically got awards, being recognized and rewarded for my academic achievements in my school. I was pretty confident too in my intellect, owning my identity as a smart kid and always being capable of catching on when others may have struggled. I was good at art too, and music, but there was one area where I didn’t excel....P. E. I loathed P. E. 

Looking back, I realize that P. E. must’ve not been much of a priority at our school because we only had to go once a month! Oh, but that dreaded once-a-month P. E. class was torture. With a fast heartbeat and a slow trickle of sweat, I stood on the sidelines, always hoping that today, this day, I wouldn’t be picked last. Kickball was always the sport of choice, mainly because, that’s all the equipment the school owned. But that once-a-month kickball session was enough for me to decide that sports just wasn’t my area of achievement. I wan’t good at it, I didn’t feel confident, and I certainly would never be picked as a team captain. That one 45-minute game was enough to ruin my entire day and my self-confidence. Just the thought in the morning before school that I would have to go to P. E. that day was enough for me to fake sick and beg to stay home. 

In our Scripture, Peter is encouraging Christians who are undergoing incredible persecution to remember whose they are. While they are enduring these times of insult and ridicule, they are tempted to retaliate, or worse, turn their backs on their Christianity. Peter knew that their frustrations were discouraging, so he encourages them to view their treatment as an opportunity to testify for Jesus Christ. Peter reminds them of their identity in Christ...chosen, royal, God’s possession. And because of their status in God’s sight, they can declare His praises, the one who has redeemed them from darkness to light. They have been set free from the old meaningless life, where they wandered day in and day out, just surviving. Now they thrive, knowing that this life on earth is only temporary, but given to us to prepare us for what’s to come.

As I look back on those times of embarrassment and nervousness in fifth grade P. E., I wish I could’ve talked my 10-year old self into understanding that this stage was only temporary and that my identity didn’t lie in my inabilities. I wish I could’ve assured that little girl that sometime in the future, that awkward stage would go away and that God could turn something of uncertainty into a testimony of what God can do. 

There are still times when I feel awkward, as I attempt new physical endeavors. Most of the time, new exercises don’t come naturally, and I have to work harder than other coordinated people. But the fact that I’m not naturally gifted in the physical exercise area only adds to my testimony of how God can work in a person’s life. He gives me strength, encourages me daily, and gives me the desire to honor Him with my body. Because of His work in my heart, my desire now is to please Him in every area. That’s my identity in Christ. I’m so glad that my identity isn’t wrapped up in my intellect, my lack of success on the kickball field, or my physical capabilities. It’s the fact that I am chosen, dearly loved, and a part of a royal priesthood. I have been called to declare His praises to has brought me from darkness into His truly marvelous light!

Encouragement for Today

Hosea 14:7 “My people will again live under my shade. They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines. They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon.” NLT

Romans 5:10-11 “For since our friendship wit God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” NLT

J-O-Y

John 15:11 “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” NLT

During this past Christmas season, I was tasked with creating a window display for our store. Part of that display included the letters “J-O-Y,” cascading down an old ladder. I bought the 9” paper mache letters and brought them home to spray paint them red. I didn’t want to just lay them in the grass to paint them because I just knew that dead grass sprigs would get caught in the wet paint. So I laid them on our concrete driveway, confident that any residual paint would wash away when the winter rains/ice came in the new year. 

That very day that I painted those letters, my husband came home to find “J-O-Y” outlined on the driveway. He said he knew instantly what I was doing but wished I might’ve used a cardboard box or something as a backdrop. I wished I had too. I was still optimistic about it eventually washing away, but to my dismay, it’s still there as bold as it was the day I painted it. 

But I have to say that what I once saw as something unsightly, I now see as a daily reminder. Every day when I leave for work, I see JOY, a reminder of what God has done in my life. And every day when I come home from work, I see JOY, a reminder that nothing can wash away my joy.

John records in his Gospel, the words of Christ about loving one another. Jesus states very plainly that if we simply love Him and one another, our joy will be full, overflowing to be exact. It’s interesting to me that Jesus basically says that our joy is dependent upon how we love Him and one another, and He even uses Himself as the example. Just as Christ has love us, and gave His life for us, we are also to love one another. Our love for one another is not dependent upon how others treat us. It’s dependent upon how we treat others, and how we share His love with them. And how we love Jesus...well, we must simply obey Him. How much easier could it be?

In modern times, we may sometimes confuse happiness with joy. Happiness is circumstantial, dependent upon the happenings in our lives. Joy is the knowledge of the abiding presence of God. I don’t know about you, but I choose joy over happiness any day. When hard days come, and it seems like there’s no end in sight, happiness fades, and washes away. Joy is still there. The assurance of knowing that He is with us is a comforting peace that supersedes anything we may be facing.

Do you have joy in your heart? The Scripture says to remain in Him, the true Vine, and He will cause you to bear fruit, His joy.

Encouragement for Today
James 1:2-4 “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” NLT

John 16:24 “Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.” NLT

Preparation

Matthew 24:43 “Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” NLT

Nothing to eat! I had just come home from work on a hot, humid summer day and was trying to make dinner plans. Nothing sounded good, and I was tired. Normally organized, I would at least make a mental plan for dinner earlier in the day so that things wouldn’t take so long once I’d arrived home. But today there was no mental plans happening outside of mortgage escrow, my current profession. There was no meat thawed, my lettuce was wilted, and I was tempted to just order pizza. That had been my go-to before...before I asked Jesus to help me, I thought. I had asked for Him to take control of this area of my life only a week before, and now here I was, considering pizza of all things. 

I had prayed prayers many times before over a pizza dinner. “Lord bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies, and our bodies to your service.” It’s laughable now that we pray those kind of prayers. If that’s the food that’s provided, then by all means be thankful for it. But in reality, we somehow spiritualize our bad eating choices and ask God to magically change the molecular structure! That night, there was a first prayer uttered that hasn’t gone unrepeated since. “Lord, please help me resist the temptation for pizza.” In that moment, I’m not kidding, God brought to mind a recipe I had read a few days before, and most of the ingredients were already on hand. I just had to run out to get a couple of things around the corner. 

I was thankful that God had delivered me from the temptation, but inside I was frustrated at myself for the huge struggle that had just occurred in my head. I realized that if I had only prepared ahead of time, the temptation wouldn’t have been so great. Don’t get me wrong; every time I open my mailbox and retrieve pizza coupons, there’s still a struggle there as to whether or not to throw them in the trash can. 

But preparation is truly the key. Every week before I go grocery shopping, I jot down a quick meal list so I at least have a rough plan in mind for things to buy. Having healthy ingredients on hand and readily at my disposal vastly cuts down on resorting to a quick fix in a drive-thru. Personally, every day, I make an eating plan for myself, calculating my nutrition and activity so I know how I’m doing and ensure that I’m able to stand against temptation. I even go so far as to cut up things like cantaloupe and watermelon and put them in a bowl in the refrigerator so they are quickly available when my sweet tooth takes over. I boil a few eggs every few days, peel them, and put them in a plastic baggie in the refrigerator. 

But things happen. Work takes longer than normal that day, traffic is backed-up, or someone gets sick, and we end up having to fill a need quickly. If we have yogurt cups, fruit, and almonds on hand, trust me, we can be ready for anything!

In our text today, we see Jesus speaking about His second coming. He speaks of the time when the Son of Man will come back for His church, and no one knows the time or the hour. The Scripture says that, unexpectedly, He will appear to claim those who have been faithful, and there are those who will be unprepared. Those who have not accepted Him as their Savior and have not lived a life pleasing to Him will be left. The Day of Judgment is coming, and no one knows the day or time. People who spend much time trying to figure out when/where He’s coming are only spinning their wheels and wasting valuable time. We must simply be prepared. That’s all He asks. Trust Him as your Savior and live a life pleasing to Him! Share Him with others so that they may be prepared too. When He comes, we’ll wish we had done more.

Are you prepared? Have you accepted Him as your Savior, or are you thinking that you’ve still got time? The Scripture is clear. “The Son of Man will come when least expected.”


Take some time today to read through Matthew chapters 24-25. He’s coming!

Encouragement for Today:

2 Timothy 2:15 “Work hard so that you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.” NLT

Matthew 7:13-14 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” NLT

1 Corinthians 2:9b “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” NLT

Ideas for Preparation

1. Search blogs like skinnytaste.com and Pinterest for healthy recipes. Print them off and have them readily available.
2. Chop vegetables ahead of time for recipes so that they come together quickly when you’re ready to prepare.
3. Brown ground turkey/lean ground beef and put in a sealable bowl.
4. Make individual salads ahead of time and put them in the refrigerator.
5. Cut up melons.
6. Make things like chicken salad and tuna salad and store in the refrigerator.
7. Make sure there are healthy snack options waiting in the cupboard before a craving hits.
8. Get rid of everything that is unhealthy in the house. 
9. Boil eggs and peel them.
10. When bananas are going bad, I peel them and freeze them. Frozen bananas work well in smoothies.
11. When I’m grilling chicken, I grill double the amount to have it available for chicken salad and maybe tomorrow night’s dinner.
12. When eating out, check the nutrition facts online beforehand. Make a plan of what you’re going to order before you get there so as not to cave to temptation when faced with a plethora of unhealthy delicacies.
13. When I make a big pot of soup or chili, I freeze half of it in individual freezer bags. That’s portion control at its finest!

Expensive

It’s too Expensive

Read Matthew 25:14-30

Matthew 25:29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. NLT

My co-worker was exasperated. She had just gone to the grocery store and was shocked at the price of fresh produce. She had recently become interested in a life-style change but was frustrated quickly after her first grocery shopping trip. “I can’t believe how much it costs to feed my family a healthy diet for just a week! My bill this week was 30% more than I normally spend, and I just don’t have that every week,” she said. She was discouraged. Desperately wanting to model better habits for her children, she had committed but was worried she just couldn’t keep it up.

Many people blame their poor food choices on the opinion that eating healthy just costs more. In reality, this isn’t always the case. Need a quick snack? A candy bar costs roughly $1.29 versus $0.50 for a lunchbox apple. Didn’t have time for breakfast? Forget the $3.00 you would normally spend at the donut shop and opt for a $2.25 bowl of steel-cut oatmeal at Starbucks. For dinner, try using ground turkey instead of ground beef and save $1.00/pound, as well as about 50 calories and several fat grams per serving. 

There are also other factors to consider when changing your eating habits. Eating at home is always healthier and certainly saves on the pocketbook over dining out. As you lose weight and gain muscle, clothing choices will explode and the price tag gets smaller! As you become healthier, doctor bills come less often and premiums for health and life insurance decrease. When looking at the bottom line, it all comes down to looking at the return on your investment.

Matthew’s Gospel records the Parable of the Three Servants who were entrusted with their master’s money. Two of the servants invested the money entrusted to them, and one dug a hole and just hid the money in the ground. In the end, the first two servants doubled their’s while the third merely held onto his initial endowment. The Master was quite pleased with the first two servants, but threw out the third servant, angry that the servant didn’t even make an attempt. 

God has given us gifts, in today’s case, our physical bodies to care for and nourish. When we fill them with unhealthy food, chemicals, and processed substances, we have not profitably invested in the body that God, our Creator, has entrusted to us. We will not see a profitable return on our investment if we continue to make unhealthy food decisions and refuse to burn the energy that our food provides. Like the master in the parable, our Master expects us to use our body to glorify Him, and that takes an investment. Remember also, not only has He created us, He has purchased us with His blood. 

How will you invest? Investing the time and treasure to living a more pleasing lifestyle to honor God with our body will ultimately pay off in the end. The investment in the temple that God has created you to be will earn great rewards.

Encouragement for Today:

Proverbs 28:26 Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe. NLT

Proverbs 21:20 In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has. NIV

Proverbs 21:5 Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. NLT



Here is a quick list of healthy foods under $1
Eggs
Yogurt
Apples
Bananas
Individual Portions of Nuts
Carrots
Onion
Sweet Potatoes
Garlic
Tea
Cabbage
Individual String Cheese Sticks
Beans
Lentils
Chicken Breast (Per Serving)
Canned Tuna
Canned Salmon
Milk (per Serving)
Wholegrain Pasta
Brown Rice
Quinoa
Popcorn (No Butter of course)
Kiwi
Cantaloupe
Watermelon (per Serving)
Pears
Oranges
Tomatoes
Lettuce (an entire head)
Squash
Broccoli
Water
Coffee

Just an Ordinary Day

Today will be just another ordinary day. Tomorrow probably will be too. Dishes, laundry, work-out, work, homeschooling...you get the point.

A few weeks ago, I was having one of these typical ordinary days. I was at work, straightening shelves, checking out customers, dusting, bad attitude, listening to my boss gripe about yet another ordinary thing, and then I met Helen. I didn't know there was anything special about Helen either. She looked like an ordinary woman buying ordinary books in an ordinary Christian bookstore.

She looked confused and as though she couldn't find what she was looking for, so I approached her. I asked her if there was something I could help her find, and she said, "Missionary stories." Well, that's not so ordinary in our typical Bible-belt community here. Missionary stories should be read, but usually, people just want Christian Fiction, or the latest self-help book on how to get out of debt. So immediately, she grabbed my attention. She spoke with an accent that I couldn't quite catch in her two-word answer, so I asked more questions... "Do you have a particular missionary in mind? Is there a country you're interested in?" She shook her head no, so I led her to the Biography section. I showed her a few and she looked at them, but then I showed her Amy Carmichael. Her eyes lit up. She said, "Amy Carmichael changed my home country of India." India...that was it. I listened for a few moments as she shared about how Amy Carmichael's influence had led her to start her own ministry of rescuing abandoned children off the street. She introduced herself as Helen and told me the name of her ministry. She was in Tupelo for a special conference at a local church, and this was her first time to visit America. She was captivated, and so was I.

My missionary hunger had taken a back burner that day, as I was so engrossed in my ordinary day. But then she asked about my ministry. I told her a few surface details, embarrassed at my lack of enthusiasm compared to her's, and then Jesus spoke through her. She shared at how it was difficult for their ministry in India to gain any ground because people were allowed to loot and vandalize their property just because "Jesus" was in the name of their organization. The government looked the other way and was hesitant to give permits and permission when needs arose. She also stated that she wasn't allowed to continue the organization alone when her husband died simply because she was a woman. Thankfully, the Lord led her son to come back to India to help lead.

As she spoke that day, I was convicted once again that God did call me, and compared to her, my life had been relatively easy. I had to ask myself, "Would I continue if I faced that sort of opposition every single day?"

After she left, I looked down at the business card she handed me. We exchanged email addresses in order to keep in touch, but all I saw on that card was Jesus. In the midst of my typical, ordinary day, Jesus came. It wasn't ordinary at all...

Resurrection

So I have a new show. Resurrection on ABC caught my attention because it's a lot like Alcatraz that only ran for part of 1 season. In the show, these people, who were thought to be dead, actually reappear, some from 32 years ago. BUT they're the same age as they were when they died. It's like time has stood still for them, and they don't remember anything about where they've been for the missing years. It's quite captivating and intriguing because it's something we just don't see in every day life. The resurrection from the dead of our loved ones would be awesome to say the least!

However, I was thinking. Resurrections do and HAVE happened in everyday life. Recently, I heard about a man in Mississippi that woke up in a morgue in a body bag. He had been pronounced dead, and when the mortician went in to start the embalming process, the man was moving his legs inside the body bag. Imagine that...he got to leave the funeral home out the front door!

Stories like these are numerous, and it often brings questions about how often this happens. In fact, it has happened more often than not, but yet, we fail to believe. Jesus brought Lazarus back from the grave after three days! Jesus also raised a girl from the dead after her father just simply asked! But the greatest of all resurrections was when Jesus rose from the grave. He defeated death, erased the curse of sin from humanity, and made it so we could now approach the Father in the throne room.

So why is that we live in doubt? We live in fear? We live in hiding like that veil in the temple still separates us from the holy of holies? We don't walk in confidence knowing that God's Son became the ultimate sacrifice. Instead we settle for a life of trying to appease God and still make sacrifices that He doesn't need or want! We're rather sacrifice the blood of a Lamb, in today's terms, working ourself to the bone trying to appease some thought-up angry God, than allow Him to change our hearts and live in victory and freedom.

We have indeed seen resurrections. And we still see them today. God is the same miracle-working God that He was over 2000 years ago. He hasn't changed. His powers haven't diminished. I still believe He can and will resurrect physical bodies, but I just believe that maybe He's more interested in resurrecting spiritual lives. He longs to give us new life and purpose and hope. He longs to make strong our spiritual muscles and strengthen us to run the course of life through His strength instead to trying to do it on our own. When we live life attempting to assert our own plans and wills, settling for asking Him to bless OUR plans, we limit Him, and we limit ourselves.

As spring has (hopefully) sprung, our attentions are turned toward Easter and the never-ending aisles of peeps and jelly beans. Countless posts on Pinterest remind us of the cute bunny cakes that we believe we can make only to find a crumbled mass of cake crumbs and lime green coconut littering our kitchen counters and floors. Jesus is speaking to me this Easter of the power of the resurrection and the new life He came to bring. I want fresh new growth in my heart this spring. I love to open the windows in the spring and just allow the fresh air to flow through. Aren't you hungry for that in your soul too? He can and WILL bring the Resurrection.

The Beginning of the End

Let me first start by saying that I do not believe for one moment that the end of the world will be happening tomorrow. But I do believe it could be today.

I don't think the Mayans had any sort of information aside from the information that we have today. We read in Matthew chapter 24 that no one knows the day or the hour that Christ is coming for His church, not even the angels OR Christ Himself...only the Father knows. That tells me one thing...we KNOW it will not be Friday.

I've heard a few reports from families in our area that are stockpiling water, ammunition, food, batteries, and emergency supplies just in case the Mayans were let in on a secret that we weren't privy to. That's all fine and good. I think we should all be prepared in an emergency.

What I'm wondering about though is this: Why aren't they concerned with what really matters? I haven't heard ANYONE talking about how we should be trying to point these people to Jesus. If they're so panicked about the world ending, don't we think they could be ripe for the harvest? There's obviously a need that's yet to be fulfilled in their lives. Why haven't we met it?

There were even news stories this morning about certain mountains in the United States that are believed to be gateways to time travel. There are people camping on those mountains this week just because they think they will be the first to enter. My husband personally took a plane ride a few months ago and sat next to a woman that watched out the window the whole time, expecting to see aliens appearing. It just amazes me what people believe in...but the fact that there was a Messiah sent by God Himself to die for our sins...that's too far-fetched?!?!

Heath and I didn't buy any extra water, but we have been buying a little ammunition here and there...but that's a whole other post entirely....

I'm asking myself though...what if TODAY is the end of the world? Are we prepared? I could care less about water, money that'll probably be useless, or other "emergency" items. In the end, all that matters is my relationship with Jesus. Have I prepared my family for the utmost urgent need?

A Little Boy's Lunch

This morning I awoke with a migraine. Today is NOT the day to have a migraine.

This summer, I have the unique privilege of watching a 6 year old boy while his parents work during the day. In addition to my own 2 kids and Nolan, I was to be joined this morning by a couple of other kids for our Backyard Bible School. BBS meets at my house this week, and today's craft was especially physically taxing for me. Paint was involved...enough said.

When I came downstairs, I immediately took some Aleve, hoping that the pain would subside enough for me to function. Aleve didn't really seem to interested in helping me out, but I trudged through the morning anyway, hoping I could just get through BBS.

The time came.

I started the lesson which was centered around the Scriptures where Jesus feeds the multitude, by blessing the boy's lunch of fish and bread. The point I tried to make to the kids was two-fold. The same God who performed the miracle of making the food stretch enough to feed 5000 with some left over, is the same God we still serve today. If he can make a boy's lunch stretch, He can do miracles with what we have to offer as well.

The second point I made to the kids is that God cares about every little detail of our lives...even right down to the lunch menu. Nothing is too insignificant for God to care about and respond.

As I tried to keep my head from splitting open, I realized that right then and there, God was doing just those miracles in me. He took what little I had to offer this morning and stretched it, and He blessed it! Not only that, God cares that my head hurts! There's really no reason for the heaches. They just come and go as they please. I really don't have any control over them, but He does!

Back to the blessing of the lesson part...   A 6 year old girl responded! The pressures that kids face to today are tremendous. She apparently was having a hard time and accepted the promise today of a loving God who cares, understands, and responds to our needs.

God is faithful! And I praise His Name!

P. S. My headache is almost all gone!