Forgiven in Christ Means Forgiving Others

Forgiveness is something we so eagerly want for ourselves, but have a really hard time giving out to others. I think it's just human nature. When we mess up, we don't want it to be held against us, but oh boy! If someone else messes up we are right there to preserve it in a jar and set it on a shelf to remind them of it every chance we get..... right?

I think it's a way to make ourselves feel better about our own faults if we can say " well remember when you did this last week?" and justify the fact that we aren't perfect but we are better than "so-and-so."

But here is the TRUTH. YOU AREN'T PERFECT. And neither am I. And the fact is, we all desperately need forgiveness every single day. The Bible commands us to forgive, Ephesians 4:32 - "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

But I think that God knew it wouldn't be enough to just tell us to forgive, so He also gave us consequences if we don't. Mark 11:25 - "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." How can we expect God to forgive us when we aren't willing to forgive others?

When we choose not to forgive, we begin to harbor bitterness, anger, resentment, and even hate for that person. When those emotions are in our heart, God can't abide with us there. I know it for a fact because I've been there... as recently as yesterday. 

I had a battle in my heart that had lasted over a year! Someone in the church had treated me in a "not so Christ like " manner and I held on to that bitterness. I never received an apology. But God was dealing with my heart on the matter, so I finally gave in to Jesus and sent her a text apologizing for my negativity toward her. Because I knew if I didn't ask for forgiveness for my negative behavior, I couldn't expect the Lord to ever help me grow past this point. And it was like a burden was lifted off my shoulders, because I was right with my Savior.

 Asking for forgiveness can be a humbling experience, but it can also solidify that bond between Believers. God tells us in James 5:16- Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Confess, Forgive, and Pray for each other. It's the true cycle of a relationship. it builds a bond that can't be broken and promotes love instead of discord. (Because we all know women have more issues with that.) Love one another and openly forgive. Your heart will thank you for it!

Happy Tuesday, Lovelies!

Happy New Year!

I cannot believe we are already saying goodbye to 2015. Where has this year gone? Like so many others I have taken this past week and reflected on this year and all the many things that have happened. So many new things and changes have been made. Many trials were overcome. And many achievements were made. But looking back on 2015 there is one thing that I can say: Everything that God allowed to happen in 2015 was beneficial to me.  Not a single hard time, trial, struggle, or pain hurt me. In fact, every single thing that happened this year made my year and my life so much better. What a picture of what a loving and merciful God we serve. He never tells us or causes things to happen that will hurt us. I am amazed looking back that Joel and I have made it through this year. It's been a wonderful but very tough year. But God saw us through. 

As I focused on 2016 I decided that this year I will make it less about me and more about God. So instead of setting goals for what I want to achieve for my personal life, I have decided to set goals for what I want to achieve this year in my spiritual life. I have assigned each goal a verse or verses that I can memorize to help me stay on track and remind me of my goals for this year. So here they are!

1. To show more kindness, encouragement, and love to those around me.
     -Galations 5:22-26
     - Ephesians 4:32
     - Luke 6:35
     - Micah 6:8

2. To finish a study on Psalms, Hosea, and Galatians
     - Joshua 1:8

3. To be more confident in sharing the Gospel with others
     - 1 Peter 3:15
     - Romans 1:16
     - Matthew 5:16

4. To intentionally strive to know my Savior and create a bonding relationship with Him
     - James 4:6-10
     - John 15:5
     - Proverbs 1:1-33

I will be writing my verses down and putting them on display to remind me each day of my spiritual goals. I encourage each of you to do the same! I love each of you and hope you all have a very Happy and Blessed New Year!

Psalm 119 Study: My Delight

Today's Reading is Psalm 119: 169-176

Psalm 119: 174- " I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight."

This is the last day of the Psalm 119 Study, and it did not disappoint! I have enjoyed this study so much. Who would have thought you could find so many promises, blessings, and wonderful facts about Christ in one small chapter of the Bible?? I feel like so many times we overlook the book of Psalm because we associate it with poetry. But poetry is a love language and David, Solomon, and the other authors of Psalm definitely wrote about the deep, immense love of God. So here is my thoughts from the final day: 

God and His Word is my DELIGHT. When we cry out, the Lord gives us understanding. When we ask or beg God for something He delivers it. He gives us restitution, grace, mercy, a new life! We just have to ask!! He gives us knowledge, righteousness, help, and delight. And each and every one of these things can be found in and gotten from Scripture. All these things can be gained from a ritual study of God and His Word. 

The Lord provides each of our needs, right when we need them. He gives us a clean slate each and every day. He gives us every single tool we need to succeed in life so that we can succeed in eternity. 

The more we study the Bible, the more we learn about Christ, and in turn the more we desire to learn more and more about Him. And the more you know, the more you gain from a deep relationship and interaction with Christ. 

God is love. Everyday, He does things that prove that He loves us. He gave His only Son to prove how much He loves us, and He sent the Bible to show, throughout the pages, His steadfast and unyielding love for us. Unyielding love. It never stops, Never runs out. Never fails. All these things God has given a wretched sinner like me and you. 

When you stop and just dwell on this, God's Love should bring you the greatest delight in your life. It should be something you desire each and every day. Everything in the Bible points back to Christ and His love for us. Every day remember how much we need the Lord and His Word. And He gives it freely because he loves you.

HIS WORD IS OUR DELIGHT

Psalm 119 Study: Great Peace

Today's Passage is Psalm 119: 161-168

Psalm 119: 165: "Great peace have those who love your law; nothing shall make them stumble."

There will always be good and bad circumstances in life. Things that we can't control and some things that we can. But because we are Christians we can have a different outlook on life. When you consume yourself in the Lord and His promises it is easier to stand tall and fight through your daily battles than to turn tail and run. We have the promises, love, and encouragement of Christ in our hearts and lives. He promises us these things all through out the Bible! These promises are sweet treasures that we need to hide in our hearts to remind us when things get tough.

We have a peace in our lives that only God can give us; and because of that peace, we don't take to heart the challenges of life. This peace is ours no matter what we face in life and no one can take it from us. When we pursue God fervently and submerge ourselves in His Word, He in turn, uses His Word to bring us wisdom, knowledge, comfort, and strength each and every day. He gives us a peace beyond our understanding so that we can worship and praise Him in every step of life. 

HE IS OUR PEACE

Psalm 119 Study: Great Mercy

Today's Reading Passage: Psalm 119: 153-160

Psalm 119: 156- "Great is your mercy, O Lord; give me life according to your rules."

Deliver me! Deliver me! DELIVERANCE. Christ sees you suffering. He sees your trials and He promises you deliverance. His mercies are so great each day and they NEVER run out! They never fail! When you reach a dark season in life, you can cry out to Jesus for mercy. He is there to pick you up in His arms and guide you through every season and trial of your life. He promises to be there. You only have to trust and call on Him.

We find truth & love in who God is. When we understand these things about God, we are able to identify with Him and who He is and ultimately find ourselves in Him. He continuously shows us the way He wants us to be. He is the perfect picture of love & mercy. Unconditional. Knowing this, we can go to Christ in the good and bad times knowing that He will accept us as His child. We never have to fear rejection from God. He accepts us, loves us, shows us mercy, and gives us His strength to continue on our path! He never gives up on you. That is a promise you can hold on to for eternity.

HIS LOVE NEVER FAILS

Psalm 119 Study: ABIDE

Today's Reading is Psalm 119: 145-152

Psalm 119: 151- "But you are near, O Lord, and all your commandments are true."

"I cried out with my whole heart." I feel like sometimes in life we close ourselves off to those around us. We fear loneliness and rejection from others. I am so guilty of this! It's an insecurity that the Lord never wanted us to have. But I have found in this passage that it reminds us that God is not like that. 

When we cry out to God, He promises to save us! He saves us from fear, worry, rejection, loneliness, anxiety, sorrow. He gives us His Word as a way to communicate His will with us, and in return, we have prayer so that we have direct communication with God! Both of these things are mobile. We can take them with us wherever we go, in every circumstance we find ourselves in. We can talk with God no matter where we are. 

Verse 151 tells us that "Thou art near O Lord." He dwells in our hearts. We can cry out to Him at anytime and He hears us. He is our closest friend. With God you are never alone. God is eternal. He was here at the beginning and will be there with you through the end. His love for you is eternal and never fails. He never gives up on you. You must abide in Him.

HE IS ALWAYS NEAR

Letters of Encouragement

I am planning some pretty awesome things here on the blog for 2016! God's laying burdens on my heart about how important encouragement is to those around you.  Beginning in January 2016 I will be opening my heart to 20 people (to begin with). Each month I will send a letter of encouragement to each of these people filled with Jesus, Love, & Kindness! Our sign up sheet will be going live this evening. If you are interested in signing up please check back here tonight! 

Love to all!

Shelby xoxo

Psalm 119 Study: He is Righteous

Today's reading is from Psalm 119: 137-144

Psalm 119: 137 "Righteous are you, O Lord, and right are your rules."

Righteous.   Upright.   Faithful.   Pure.   Truth.   Everlasting.

These are the words used to describe who God is and His Word. These are all the reasons that we should love God. The Psalmist tells us that even though he is despised , he doesn't forget God's Words. How often do we get in a trial, or even a triumph, and forget about God? Trying to fix it. Focusing solely on our own capabilities instead of handing it over to the One who can actually fix it! 

The Psalmist then reminds us that God's righteousness is everlasting. All the things of God are everlasting: His love, His mercy, His compassion, His Word. It never ends! It never runs out! It is never failing and He is TRUTH! 

When we go through valleys in life we find joy and even delight in the things of God. Dwelling and submerging ourselves into His Word brings peace. It's a balm to our soul because it reminds us of His attributes: righteous, upright, faithful, pure, truth, everlasting. When we truly understand these things about God and His Word; that is when we truly begin to live. 

God's Word is: TRUE, TRUSTWORTHY, TIMELESS

Psalm 119 Study: Who God is Changes EVERYTHING!

Today's Reading is Psalm 119: 129-136

Psalm 119: 130- " The unfolding of your word gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple."

God's Word is a wonderful gift! It tells us all about the attributes of God and guides us to make decisions that will fill our lives with blessings. It gives us the knowledge of who God is. As Christians, we should be consumed with knowing God; and by studying Scripture we receive that understanding!

The Psalmist longed for God's will and understanding. He searched and devoured Scripture to learn about Him and so should we. In verse 132 he reminds us of how merciful God is to those who love Him! What a promise!! That means in hard times, God will give us rest in the midst of whatever storm we are going through. He gives us a path to follow day by day, step by step. In this path He will deliver you from the wrongs of this world. Long to learn about Christ. To be like Christ. To show the love of Christ to those around you. When you truly know Him and who He is, it changes who you are. 

I love what Kristin Schmucker wrote in the devotional book:

 "We do not read Scripture for knowledge alone, but we read it because it is life changing. It helps us to know who God is, and who He is, changes everything!"

Psalm 119 Study: Our Hiding Place

Today's reading: Psalm 119: 113-120

Psalm 119: 114- " You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word."

God is our Hiding Place. A place filled with comfort and rest when life gets too hard. He is the person we can go to, no matter what's happening in your life, and find the solace and peace that we need. He is our shield. He is ready to fight our battles for us if we can only have the courage to hand them over to Him. 

He is our hope in dark times. The light for our hearts. (Verse 116) Without God there is no life. and without Him our lives of unfulfilled and empty. When we give ourselves to Christ, He will hold us and keep us safe. Christ puts  away the wicked. They are torn down, but those that love the Lord are held safe in his arms.... AND THAT'S A PROMISE!

WE HAVE: A HIDING PLACE, A SHIELD, A HOPE

Psalm 119 Study: Lamp and Light

Today's reading: Psalm 119: 105-112

Psalm 119: 105- " Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

 He is guiding us. A lamp casts a glow only so far and after that you can't see anything. You find comfort in that glow of light because everything is clear and you can see it. But what about the darkness ahead? The things you can't see? That's when you have to have complete trust in Christ to guide you through. It's not always easy to give up that control. It's easy to grab the light and take off running in our own direction. But Christ asks us to wait until he reveals His path for our lives.

He promises to be with us every step of the way. We use His Word to direct us in how to respond and in what decisions to make. I am reminded of the words of a song, " When you don't know what to pray, just say Jesus. There is power in the name, the name of Jesus." Trust His guidance. Give it all to Him and let Him be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path. 

HE SHOWS US THE NEXT STEP

Psalm 119 Study: The Word of God is Sweeter than Honey

Today's reading passage is: Psalm 119: 97-104

Psalm 119: 103- " How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth."

When we devote our hearts and minds to studying the Word of God and learning about Him; the benefits are endless. You fall in love with the Words and ultimately with Christ. It fills your heart so that outside things can't lead you astray. It completes you.  We should meditate on the Words that we study all day; holding it in our hearts and carrying it with us through life.

Through meditation of the Scriptures we gain: wisdom over our enemies and understanding of those around us. We also gain a deeper understanding of who Christ is. Ultimately we gain knowledge of the characteristics of Christ and how to implement them into our daily lives.

The knowledge of God is sweet. It's something we should crave everyday. It's something that we will love and get joy from.  The more we meditate on His words, the more understanding we gain, and our time with Him each day gets sweeter and sweeter.

SCRIPTURE IS SWEET TO GOD'S CHILDREN

Psalm 119 Study: Always the Same

Today's reading passage: Psalm 119: 89-96

Psalm 119: 89 " Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens."

The Bible is a timeless book. It applies to every person, in every era, in every trial of life. Once spoken, the Word of God never changes; and neither does He.  It's easy to get stuck on our own roller coaster of emotions and changing trials and triumphs of life. We forget that God is immovable and unchangeable. But God never changes. He doesn't pick or choose the people He helps. Him and His Word are there for everyone. But it's up to us to allow the Word to change us. 

Verse 92 Says that unless you choose to find help, comfort, peace, and joy in His Word, you will continue in your affliction. But when we choose His words and allow them to root themselves in our lives the Lord saves us (verse 94). He carries our burdens. He holds our hands through trials. and He loves us in our sorrow. 

We must remember that He promises to be faithful in every season of our lives. He never changes, even when we do! We can fill ourselves with that promise and find comfort in His never changing Word; and ultimately allow the Word of God to change us. Change our reactions, outlook, and love for life and those around us. 

GOD'S WORD NEVER CHANGES, BUT IT DOES CHANGE US.

Psalm 119 Study: Our Hope

Today's Reading: Psalm 119:81-88

Psalm 119:81- "My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word."

Hope in Christ. We get into valleys in between our mountain tops of life and more often-than-not we don't understand why. We are confused, lost, and searching. But what are we searching for? If you're like me, your first response is "How can I fix this situation?" "What can I do?" "How did I get here?" But what is the common word in all of those phrases? "I" Unfortunately you can't do much.... without Christ. 

As Christians we don't have to rely on ourselves or other people to get through life. We have the One who knows it all! All we have to do is give ourselves, our lives, our trials, our troubles to Jesus Christ. Our hope is in Him! As we study through Scripture and hide His promises in our hearts; we are engraving His words into our minds. We can pull from these thoughts the strength we need to push on!

The Word of the Lord is faithful. Never Failing! We will be treated unjustly in life by others and by circumstances we find ourselves in; but in those times, don't forget His promises! We should use these trials to search for Christ. Long for His presence and comfort. Those around us aren't always going to be there, but God is. He is eternal. Look to Him. Run after Him. Hope in Him. He will never fail you.

WE KNOW HE IS FAITHFUL. WE KNOW HE IS GOOD.

Psalm 119 Bible Study: Day 8

Today's reading is Psalm 119: 57-64

Psalm 119:57 - "The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words."

He is enough! We should come to Jesus with our whole hearts. When we realize that He truly is all we need, we can easily give Him all of ourselves. When you give your life to Christ you turn from the path you're on and follow Him. You strive to learn about and love Jesus more and more each day. There is a hunger that never goes a way!

Even when trouble comes we have comfort in Christ because we know He is enough. "He's all I need, when I just need someone to talk to. He's always there to hear my prayers each time I call Him. He's my everything and He's all I need!"

As verse 62 says, we should rise and give thanks at all times because we know Him. God allows us to see His heart and His desires for our lives. It's all written down in the Bible for us. His goodness is shown each day of our lives. In each moment. We run to Him in prayer and praise and we are reminded of and consumed in His Greatness!

HE IS ALL I NEED

Psalm 119 Study: He is Faithful

Today's passage is from Psalm 119:73-80.

Psalm 119:75 "I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me."

God created you. And God created the path that is your life. And through this journey down the path of life, God is with you...ALWAYS. He is faithful. Even in the hard times He is still faithful. Verse 75, When we get into a valley we often don't think that God is being faithful. A lot of times we feel like He has left us and we are alone. We lose our joy and our hope. But we must always remember: our hope comes from Christ and true joy comes from your relationship with God.

Verses 76 and 77 remind us that God is merciful in our lives even when we lose sight of His presence. Run to Him.He is your comfort and your strength. Your journey with Him is what brings true Joy. 

The Psalmist finishes, but telling us how to respond to situations we feel are against us. Verse 78- "Meditate in thy [God's] precepts." Submerse yourself in Christ. Talk with Him. Cry out to Him. Pray until you feel His presence in your heart and life. When we strive to know and learn Christ, we also strive to respond like Christ. No matter what season of Life God has placed you in, He is Faithful!

IN ALL SEASONS, HE IS FAITHFUL

Psalm 119 Study: He is GOOD!

Today's Bible reading is Psalm 119: 65-72

Psalm 119: 66 " Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments."

I am going to start off by saying, so far this is the day that has spoken to me the most. I read through the verses slowly this morning trying to absorb every word. But before I get into my thoughts on the passage let me quote to you what Kristin Schmucker wrote as her thoughts. 

"God is always good, and everything He does is good. I think this is a  concept that we know is true, but that doesn't always FEEL true. We don't understand how the difficulties and hard times in life line up with the perfect goodness of God. We can be confident that God's nature and everything about Him is GOOD, and that He can only do good."

Well, that grabbed my attention. because we as humans sometimes rely more on our emotions and how we feel than on facts. God promises hundreds of blessings in the Bible. We experience God's gifts every single day: food on our table, a job, a car, family, health, clothes, waking up in the morning...., But often times we forget these things in the valley. But as the Psalmist says: God "deals well" with us! Even when life seems to be falling apart around us, God says "it is good" and He is using those times for your good!  

When God created the Earth, He created it one thing at a time. Now we as little earthlings know what the Earth is supposed to look like. and we would have not understood when on day one, God only created light and darkness. It would seem unfinished to us. We would be confused. Some of us distraught that there were no plants, animals, or waters. But that's because we can't see tomorrow. But God can. It may seem incomplete to us, But God sees the finished product. What's coming next.

Verse 71 says: "It is good for me that I have been afflicted,,,"  Without struggles and trials we would  never grow, or learn to fully depend on Christ. The goodness of God is greater than riches. We learn good judgment and knowledge in every trial. We can use these hard times to become more like Christ and to trust His Wisdom! But in all times of life remember:

HE IS GOOD, AND HE DOES GOOD.

Psalm 119 Bible Study: Day 7

Today's reading is from Psalm 119: 49-56

Psalm 119:49 - "Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope."

This passage begins with a reminder that we have hope in His Word. It is important to remember that the Word is a double reference for God Himself! John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, & the Word was with God, and the Word was God!"

The presence of God can be found in every word of the Bible. We are torn down by others for many different reasons, but when we are meditating on the Word, whether through prayer, Bible reading, or reminding ourselves of the attributes of God, we can find comfort. A peace that passeth all understanding.

When we study and memorize Scripture, we are able to carry that through our entire journey of life pulling it from our hearts and minds when we need the comfort of Christ.

WE FIND COMFORT IN WHO HE IS.

Psalm 119 Bible Study: Day 6

Today's reading passage is Psalm 119:41-48

Psalm 119:41 "Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise."

When we cry out the Lord is there. It doesn't matter what time of the day or night we need Him. He is there. The Lord promises salvation and love to those who ask for it. All we have to do is accept this precious gift. After salvation, our focus becomes following God's commandments every day.

We are to tell everyone about Jesus (vs.44). Praising His name wherever we go should become an automatic reaction. We should not be ashamed to show our relationship with Christ and to tell others how to have that same relationship with a loving Savior (vs.46).

We should delight (have great joy) in the Lord and in the keeping of His laws. The Psalmist says "My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments." This is a picture of complete submission and surrender to God and His will for our lives. We must learn to let go and let God. Once we learn to submit to God, we open all kinds of doors to a life full of blessings!

ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER

Psalm 119 Bible Study : Day 5

Day 5 of the study begins with a reading of Psalm 119: 33-40

Psalm 119:37 - "Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.

Psalm 119:34 asks for understanding so that we can keep the commands of the Lord. Without understanding we cannot fully devote our minds and attentions on what the Lord asks of us. Once we serve God, we must do it with our whole  hearts. 24/7. 365 days a year.

Verse 35 Goes on to tell us how the Psalmist delights in serving the Lord. Sometimes we think that our walk with Christ is a bunch of do this, don't do that, do this; when really, it is an opportunity to live a life full of God's richest blessings! With all the promises Christ gives us in the Bible, shouldn't we delight and have joy in serving Him? Those blessings are reserved for us!

We should be focused on heavenly treasures not the things of this earth. This earth will pass away and along with it our nice cars, big houses, beach homes, expensive clothes, and our precious things.  But they are just things. They aren't going to be with you for eternity. We should focus on Christ because He will be there by your side today, tomorrow, and forever.

Fear of the Lord. Verses 38 & 39 discuss how the fear of the Lord is GOOD! He is love, grace, & mercy, but also the judgment of the world. We should eagerly strive to please Him above all else and obtain the righteousness of God.

TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS

AND THE THINGS OF EARTH WILL GROW STRANGELY DIM

IN THE LIGHT OF HIS GLORY AND GRACE