Monday, February 17, 2014

What do you do with your F.R.E.E. time?

"I don't have time." How many times have we said this in our lifetime? No matter how old we are, we often use these words…I don't have time. Time is one of the most important things in life in which we have no control. Once a minute, an hour or a day passes we can never get it back. The best things in this life are frequently the things we overlook the most. The best things in life are "Free." A few of the the freedoms that we enjoy that we often take for granted consist of: the freedom of religion, the freedom to participate in healthy activities that we enjoy and the freedom of speech. What we do in our free time shapes who we are and helps us develop our identity.

F. First: Put God First!
In the Bible, Jesus tells us to seek first the kingdom of God. Without putting God first we become hostage to the the freedoms that God has granted to us through forgiveness. We wake up each morning fresh, alive and able to breathe this wonderful breath of life. When you wake up each morning He wants to be the first thing on your mind. Hit your knees and thank Him for the day, His beautiful creation and for the freedom we get to live this life that He has given us. So many times we forget just to breathe and enjoy this life!

R. Relationship with Him is the Most Important:
Relationships are an important part of our lives. Our friends, who we date, our co-workers and our families all shape us into the person we become. It is so important to find people in your life that bring out the best in you, that love and support you not only during the happy times, but when the storms hit as well. Sometimes we got caught up in trying to fit in, trying to be popular or trying to settle down with the right person. There should be no rush because if you don't have a relationship with God, I truly believe that many of your earthly relationships will never succeed. The ultimate companion that we have on this Earth is Him. He never lets us down, His love never fails and He knows the plans He has for our future. So don't be in a hurry....Make sure you have a Relationship with Him before you try to make anything else in your life work. There is no love like the love He has for each of us.

E. Encourage:
We are all human and like to be appreciated and encouraged. Encourage, don't discourage. We are all on the same team in this life. We are all here for a short time, so we need to help and encourage one another to live our life to the fullest. Help your teammates, help your neighbors, help a stranger. Our actions always speak louder than words. So our life speaks more than our sermon. Live your life as a encourager. Smile, give someone a compliment, write a little note to someone that needs a pick me up. Be a good teammate!!

E. Be Energetic:
Give this life your best every day. Life is about energy. God gives his best for us every day so we should return the favor. Have positive energy. Don't be a grumpy person that noone wants to around. Remember, we all have struggles and hardships. It's part of life. How we handle ourselves in times of struggle is who we are. Find something positive in every day. We have so much to be thankful for and most of all we are alive!! Let your spirit and your life be contagious. When people meet you, let them know that there is something different about you.

Remember you are all "Youniquely" made by Him. You are all gifted, skilled and talented in some way. We all have a purpose in this life. The gifts and relationship that God offers us are free of charge. don't ever think you are alone because His fellowship is free. So make time for your family, your friends, for a cause that you are passionate about, for a stranger and for Him. Your time is limited on this Earth so don't ever think you are too busy to enjoy this life in which God has blessed us. Get outside, think outisde the box and enjoy the freedoms that we are so fortunate to have.
Be F.R.E.E.!!!

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Rock-Paper-Scissors

One of the first silly games we learn as a child is Rock-Paper-Scissors. We all at some point have participated in this game. I was thinking today in church how this game relates to our daily walk. You see no one gesture is more dominant than the other. The simple little game can actually relate to different aspects of our life.

1. The Rock; We all know that there will be people in our lives that throw rocks at us. And yes, most of the time people throw rocks at things that shine. Don't get discouraged. The Devil is at work and there will always be evil people, darkness and pain in your life; but if God is your rock nothing can destroy His love for you and His work that He needs you to do.  Psalm 18:2 says this "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my mountain where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Let the Lord be your "Rock" and be your everything.  

2. Paper; We all read books, magazines, newspapers, our Kindles, we scroll through the Facebook news. The most important paper that we all fail to ready daily is His Word. Psalm 119:105 tell us that His word is a lamp for my feet and a light to His path. Practice what His word says. Be careful what you say, be careful how you react to things. Be "Real" not "Fake."  Ephesians 4:29 says that no rotten talk should come from your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need. Life's best lessons are learned from the best selling book of all the time…The Bible.

3. Scissors; We have all been cut by words and actions of other people. When you try to help people that have been scarred and need someone to talk to, your motives can be taken out of context. Yet, Mother Theresa reminds us to do good anyway. Remember in elementary school when the teacher gave you a blank piece of white paper. She gave you a pair of scissors and asked you to cut your piece of paper. It turned into a beautiful snowflake. If we let God, He can transform us and make us into a beautiful masterpiece for Him. So many times we let gossip, rumors and negative situations control us. Let not the gossip, slander, arrogance, pride, unloving, greedy and the wicked cut through you. Psalm 51:10 says to let God create in us a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within us. So let him create that Masterpiece that He is always continuously working on. Every snowflake that falls down is unique, just as God has created each of us in His own unique way and that's what makes us special.

So the next time you see little children playing Rock-Paper-Scissors, let it be a reminder of that we choose to Believe that God is our Rock, His paper has the best life lessons, and His scissors are continuously cutting and shaping us into who we are meant to be.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

When Life Hurts...

I can remember as a kid playing outside and falling down getting cuts, bruises or broken bones. Growing up in a neighborhood full of boys, there was never a dull moment. From backyard football games to grudge matches on the asphault, I would always come in with scrapes and cuts that usually required a Band-Aid.

Growing up I was very fortunate to have a dad as my dentist. Playing basketball with braces was never a good thing for me. I was always the one diving on the floor trying to out hustle the opponent. I'll never forget when my bracket went through my lip. I didn't come out, but after the game I was fortunate enough to have a dentist that fixed my problem.

We have all been blessed that when we are sick, when we break a bone, when we have a tooth ache, when we need a tutor for school or just when we fall down and need some ice, we all have someone that can fix those problems. We can have surgery, therapy or counseling for the things that need fixed in our life. These are the little rain storms that occur daily or once in a while that are pretty much easily put back together.

But what happens when Life really hurts. What happens when our heart breaks, when we lose someone we love, when we go through those dark times that we feel all alone. These are the severe thunderstorms that hit and sometimes we don't know how long they will last. When Life hurts, Jesus is the only one that can heal. A great portion of His time here on Earth was spent healing all different types of people. He didn't care how much money you had, what kind of job you had or what type of illness you had. He was there to help and lend His hand and never turned away anyone. He is the Great Physician. There are going to be times in our life when we hurt, when we are scared, when we are disappointed, when our prayers don't get answered, when we lose, when we fail and when we just don't feel like we are good enough. But He is there waiting on us to ask for His help. He is there to give us that band-aid, that ice or that transformation to change us. Pray and seek Him when the storms wreak havoc in your life. He will provide that peace and comfort that you need. He will put His healing hand on the situation. But you have to ask Him and seek Him. He can handle the perfect storms and the times when life really hurts....He can be the Band-aid, the Surgeon and the Healer!

Sometimes Life Hurts....But I know who my Healer is!