God Report | Religious news and views

Mother's Day: A good reminder

This is a great time to remember what a mother is.

Mother’s Day weekend just occurred and it is always a great reminder for me about being a mother. There are numerous Bible verses that talk about characteristics of a wife and a mother. One of these is Proverbs 31.

Proverbs 31:10 says, “A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” This passage continues on to describe what a noble woman is and I find this very intriguing. Being a good mother and a good wife begins in the heart. I believe that it would be very hard to be the type of mother God wants me to be if I didn’t have God living in my heart.

Now don’t get me wrong. I do not believe that every non-Christian mother is a bad mother. That is not at all what I am saying. I do believe though that it is a mother’s responsibility to instill Christian values into the children. This simply is not possible if the mother is not a believer.

Mothers play a vital role in the lives of children. They serve their children, nurture them and teach them. Being a mother is one of the hardest jobs in this world, but it is one of the most rewarding at the same time. God gave us each a mother for many reasons, and who loves you more than your own mother?

As a mother, I don’t know how there could possibly be a deeper love than the type a mother has for her children. I know that I am wrong though because the love God has for us is much deeper than the love is that a mother has for her child.

Take a step of faith

Trusting God is difficult, but it is what God wants from you.

It can be extremely difficult to place your complete trust in God. I find this every day of my life, but I had an experience this weekend that helped me learn that I can trust God with everything in my life.

I was having a conversation with someone this weekend, and something slipped out of my mouth that I have no clue why I said it. It wasn’t anything bad, but it was me opening myself up to a situation that I have been scared of. Luckily, the conversation went the way I was hoping. What I learned from it was amazing, though. I learned that because I was willing to take a step in a direction that I was unsure of, God had my back. God was right there all of the time, and because of my willingness to trust him, he protected me.

This happens so many times in my life, but too many times I fail to take that step of faith. Instead, I stay in my own little world where I feel safe. This is not what God wants though. He wants us to step into the unknown and trust that he will be there for us. How many of us are good at this? I don’t think I am, but now that it has recently happened to me, I am hoping that I can trust him more.

Trusting God is extremely difficult. It is so hard to trust in something that you cannot see, even if you have great faith. This week, take a step that you feel led to do and trust God to have your back.

The Book of John

Different than the other three Gospels

My church just recently finished a sermon series entitled, “I Met Jesus.” This series was based on the Gospel of John. The Gospels in the New Testament consist of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; however, the Gospel of John is much different than the other three.

Each of the sermons in this series was about a different person that had met Jesus. The sermons described the people and the changes that were made in their lives after meeting Jesus. The book of John is filled with stories of people that had met Jesus, and this book is very different than the other three books. The first three Gospels all contain much of the same information, but the book of John has different stories.

I think one of the main things that the book of John can teach us is the difference that was made in the lives of those who met Jesus. Most people that met Jesus had lives that were changed for the better because of this. Only two people described in this book had negative consequences. These two were Pontius Pilate and Judas Iscariot.

As Christians, we should experience positive changes too from meeting Jesus. Jesus came to this world so that we could be different and have eternal life with Him. If you have not changed after meeting Jesus, it is time to examine your heart. God is the only one that knows your heart. If you feel like you are not changed, ask God to reveal to you changes that you need to make in your life.

Do not be anxious

Ask God to exchange your anxiety for his peace

Philippians 4:6-7 of the English Standard Version says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” These words were written by Paul, a servant of God and they are words that I cling to.

I am known to be an anxious person – a worrier. I know that worrying is a sin, but I have trouble stopping myself. These verses often help them though, and they can help you too. The Bible strictly says not to worry or be anxious about anything. But, how do we take these worries and get rid of them? These verses answer that question. We pray to God to accomplish this. We plead with God about them, and then we stick to the promises God makes us. If we can learn to trade our worries for the promises God gave us, we can live worry free.

One promise is listed in verse 7 of this passage where it says that, “the peace of God will guard your hearts.” This is what the feeling of anxiety lacks. It lacks peace, but people that feel anxious want peace. In fact that is the number one thing they are looking for.

Next time, you are feeling worried, remember this verse. When you pray to God about it, ask him to replace these feelings with feelings of peace. God is faithful, and he wants his people to be full of peace.

Start a prayer journal

A prayer journal can change your life

It can be hard to remember what to pray for each day, but by starting a prayer journal this task can be a lot easier. There is another key benefit of a prayer journal, and it is a great habit to get into.

You can create a prayer journal in any type of notebook, big or small. The key to a prayer journal is to keep track each day of what you are praying for. Include the names of people you know that are sick or injured, or those that are emotionally wounded. Make a list of people that you are praying for regarding their salvation too. Another thing to list is your own personal concerns and problems.

After listing all of these things, it is also important to make a list of praises each day. Every day, it is important to praise God for all of the good things that have happened. By starting a journal like this, you will have a more clear direction of what you need to pray for. This can help improve your prayer life tremendously.

One key reward you can get from doing this is that you have a written record of answered prayers. As you keep track of your prayers, you may notice that certain things you once prayed for out of concern have now turned into praises to God. A prayer journal is a great way to keep track of all of these things. You can literally turn back through the pages to see how God is working in your life.

Being more Christ-like

Learning to be more like Christ takes intention

Living the Christian life is so difficult. I find that my walk with God varies all the time. Sometimes I am spending so much time with God, and involving him in every part of my life. Other times, I feel like I leave God behind and keep moving forward without him. I really despise this, and I know it is my own fault.

Part of the reason this happens is because I am so busy. When I am really busy, I tend to do the things I have to do first. Anything else comes after that. Too many times, I have no energy or motivation to do anything else. This can cause me to leave God behind. I am trying to figure out a way for me to be more consistent in my walk, but it is very hard.

The nice part about having a relationship with God is that even though we may stray, he is always there. He never leaves our side, and he is there whenever we seek him. This is because of his love for us. It is a love so strong that we cannot fathom it. It is a love that we on earth cannot even experience. It is a love that does not hold grudges, and a love that is unconditional. We can aim to be like this if we put our minds to it, but in order for it to work, we must be intentional about it and our lives. It is probably not possible to have this type of love, but as Christians we should always strive to be more Christ-like in everything that we do.

Easter is coming soon!

Easter is right around the corner; have you thought about what this day represents?

This coming Sunday is Easter, and this day is one of the most popular days for people to attend church. If you know someone that does not normally attend church, here’s your chance. Churches understand this and they often prepare their services to accommodate this group of people. Easter is a wonderful holiday and the perfect day to invite your friends and neighbors to church.

Easter is the time when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. It is also the time when we mourn his horrible death on the cross. This celebration gives us a chance to remember what Jesus did for us. Without this event happening, we could not have a way to heaven. Jesus shed his blood for each one of us. He died and three days later he rose from the grave. What a joyous thought this is! Imagine how Mary Magdalene and the others felt after seeing Jesus resurrected, and to think - he did this for us.

It is sometimes hard for us to think about this all through the year. Yes, the thought crosses our minds and we might thank God for this gift; but, how often do you really comprehend the facts and details of this event? I know that I don’t often enough, but when I do, I am utterly speechless. This was a beautiful gift that God has given to us. Through the death of his Son, we have eternal life. This gives us hope and strength to live our lives for Him.

Learning to be obedient

Train yourself to hear the Holy Spirit talking to you

One of the key aspects of being a Christian is obedience. Obedience seems like a simple word, but actually being obedient to God is very hard. This may be because most people feel like they can handle their life on their own. The truth is that we cannot handle life on our own. If we use our own judgment and make our own decisions, we may end up regretting them.

Learning to be obedient to God takes time and effort. The first step is realizing how to hear God speaking to us. Unfortunately God does not talk to us like our friends do, but He does speak to us. He speaks to us through the Bible and through the Holy Spirit. Have you ever felt the feeling of guilt? This feeling is often God speaking to us. He is telling us that we did something wrong and that we need to make it right. If you feel this, do you respond? Or do you push the feelings aside? God has given us the Holy Spirit as a way to communicate with Him. If we continuously push these feelings aside, we are actually pushing the Holy Spirit away. As we continue to do this, the Holy Spirit can no longer do its job.

Next time you feel God speaking to you, try to listen and be obedient. We do not always understand why God wants us to do something, but if we listen to Him we will not regret it. God wants what is best for us, and He will not steer you wrong.

Before Christ and After Christ

After meeting Jesus, your life offers positive changes

My minister at my church had a sermon yesterday on Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene is a well-known woman from the Bible, and there is a lot to learn about her life. She came from a town called Magdala, and that is where her name comes from. She was a very wealthy woman, but was possessed with 7 demons.

Before she met Jesus, her life was very rough. She was somewhat of an outcast and was stuck with demons living in her. The Bible doesn’t specially say what these were, but it does reveal that Jesus removed 7 from her. After these were removed, her entire life changed. She became a woman that admired Jesus and she followed Him everywhere. In fact, she was the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection.

I agree with my minister who gave a message about this. He talked about the changes that she had before Christ and after Christ and he explained that we too have stories of our before Christ lives and our after Christ lives. Do you have a story? After accepting Christ, we become new creations. We change. We develop into people that are more Christ-like. We drop old habits and we slowly morph into creatures that are in the likeness of Christ.

I know that I have several before and after changes that I can personally see in my life. Do you? If you don’t, I suggest that you look at your life and pray about it. Ask God to reveal to you any changes that you may still need to make.

The Love of Money

How to be responsible with money, yet not be in love with it?

It is so hard to define what the difference is between the love of money and being responsible. Does anyone else feel this way? The Bible is clear that we should not love money. The love of money is equal to placing something before God. The Bible also says that it is harder for a rich man to enter heaven, than it is for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle. Wow! So, how do you tell if this is happening in your life?

The answer to this question is very hard for me. I tend to think a lot about money. I don’t necessary think about what I want to buy with it, but I think more about if I will have enough to pay my bills on my modest income. I also think about if there will be enough left over to save for the vacation I am planning for my kids and me. The problem is that I think that I think about it too much. I think that I spend more time thinking and worrying about money than I do with God. This is where it becomes wrong I think.

If I can change this around and spend more time with God and less time worrying about money, I may not have money problems. But how do I know if I am worshiping money too much? This I don’t really know. I think it is all a matter of what it is my heart, and only God knows this.

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