"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable ~ if anything is excellent or praiseworthy ~ think about such things."
Philippians 4:8
True…Noble…Right…Pure…Lovely…Admirable…Excellent…Praiseworthy… Now THAT'S what I call a filter! This verse tells us to put the things we think about each day…or read, listen to or watch…through the filter of these questions:
Is it true?
Is it noble?
Is it right?
Etc, etc, etc. If we did this, our relationships would more than likely be deeper, our families would probably be stronger, and our lives would absolutely be richer. Do you want those things? Let us see what differences we can make in the world around us by using this filter regularly. Try it for just a day and see what happens…then another…and another….
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Micah 7: 18-19
"Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever, but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea."
Please read the scripture again. Let the amazing character of our Lord sink in and resonate in your soul.
Beautiful, isn't it? "...the remnant of His inheritance..." that's us! He forgives and pardons and hurls and treads, and He delights. Today, on Easter Sunday, I stand amazed at the confirmation that Jesus Christ ~ King of Kings and Lord of Lords ~ delights in me...the very one who nailed Him to a cross...whose sins were whipped across His back with threads of leather and bone chips meant to rip Him to shreds. The Lord's crucifixion...the torture and torment He endured right up to the final cry of, "It is finished!"...I think it's a very clear picture of what sin does to us in our lives. As a child of God I can say, however, that I am pure and clean before Him because He lives and because He delights.
We beat ourselves up and wear our faults like medals of honor and He wants to take them off and replace them with red badges of courage. Read it again...and again...and again. Read it until the lies being whispered in your ear meet nothing but the truth of God's Word and disappear.
Please read the scripture again. Let the amazing character of our Lord sink in and resonate in your soul.
Beautiful, isn't it? "...the remnant of His inheritance..." that's us! He forgives and pardons and hurls and treads, and He delights. Today, on Easter Sunday, I stand amazed at the confirmation that Jesus Christ ~ King of Kings and Lord of Lords ~ delights in me...the very one who nailed Him to a cross...whose sins were whipped across His back with threads of leather and bone chips meant to rip Him to shreds. The Lord's crucifixion...the torture and torment He endured right up to the final cry of, "It is finished!"...I think it's a very clear picture of what sin does to us in our lives. As a child of God I can say, however, that I am pure and clean before Him because He lives and because He delights.
We beat ourselves up and wear our faults like medals of honor and He wants to take them off and replace them with red badges of courage. Read it again...and again...and again. Read it until the lies being whispered in your ear meet nothing but the truth of God's Word and disappear.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Proverbs 5:21
"For a man's ways are in full view of the Lord, and He examines all his paths."
Proverbs 5:21
I remember watching a movie with my cousins when I was younger ~ it was a great movie, and we were really into it. That is, until one of the characters said a swear word and one of my cousins got up and shut the TV off!! I was shocked and asked, "WHY?!?!?" Their reply obviously had an impact on me since that was probably at least 30 years ago. They said, "Mom & Dad trust us to only watch movies we would be comfortable watching if they were watching with us. They don't swear, and don't want us to, and we'd be embarrassed by that language if they were here with us. So, we shut it off."
I don't do this very well on my own, but I am challenged as a Mother to live that kind of moral life not only in front of my children, friends and "people," but in my alone times, too. Although God isn't some Holy Judge watching us and just waiting to ZAP us when we mess up, He truly does go with us wherever we go. How would you feel looking back on your last few days through His eyes? Remember ~ He is just, but He also loves you more than you can ever imagine. Confess and move on...only better.
Proverbs 5:21
I remember watching a movie with my cousins when I was younger ~ it was a great movie, and we were really into it. That is, until one of the characters said a swear word and one of my cousins got up and shut the TV off!! I was shocked and asked, "WHY?!?!?" Their reply obviously had an impact on me since that was probably at least 30 years ago. They said, "Mom & Dad trust us to only watch movies we would be comfortable watching if they were watching with us. They don't swear, and don't want us to, and we'd be embarrassed by that language if they were here with us. So, we shut it off."
I don't do this very well on my own, but I am challenged as a Mother to live that kind of moral life not only in front of my children, friends and "people," but in my alone times, too. Although God isn't some Holy Judge watching us and just waiting to ZAP us when we mess up, He truly does go with us wherever we go. How would you feel looking back on your last few days through His eyes? Remember ~ He is just, but He also loves you more than you can ever imagine. Confess and move on...only better.
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