So, I just wanna ask...is it really THAT bad?

- B.

This is just a rehearsal.

When people get ready for the opening night of a play, they rehearse ahead of time so they can be prepared for when the big day arrives. If they want opening night to be successful they’ll put in the time and effort, even sacrifice some things, to make sure the show is a huge success. When they don’t really care one way or the other, they’ll become lazy, do what they want, and not put in the work to learn their part.

Switch it over to life.

Each day we live is like a rehearsal; the way we live our lives showcases where we want to spend eternal life.
If we put in the time and effort it takes to work out our soul salvation, form a solid relationship with God, love others, and deprive ourselves of the things in this world that can stand in the way of us doing right, that just shows our dedication and how much we want to spend eternity in heaven.

But if we take things lightly, just slide by and not realize how important our soul is, do whatever comes into our mind and not take into consideration what God would have us to do, well, that just shows we’d rather spend eternity being tormented for not being obedient.

Life is just a rehearsal for the big show.

Will you be successful or will you flop?

Think about it…
-B.

Heard this last night at the city wide lectureship, and it really stuck out to me.
Thought i'd share it with you all:
 
The Christian life is like a game of tennis;
you'll never win a game unless you serve.




God bless ♥

Pick a side...
 
When you’re at war you pick a side; you’re either for the enemy or against the enemy.
When you’re having a debate you pick a side; you’re either for something or you’re against it.

This same general rule applies to our everyday lives.

You’re either with God or you’re against Him.

There’s no in-between.
No middle ground.
No bargaining.

He wants all or nothing at all.

Don’t we have the same attitude when we’re in relationships?
We expect all and nothing less.

God is the exact same way.

He created us, and gave us all that we have, so He has every right to want all.

But at the same time, He’s not gonna force you. That’s why He gave us free will; the right to choose.
He would love for us to give our all to Him, but if some of us don’t do it, He won’t come down and shake us until we do. The ultimate decision is on us.

If you’re not ready to give all, it’s better not to deal with Him at all. God is not to be played with.

But why wouldn’t you want to give your all?

God has so many blessings in store for us all if we give our lives to Him and do as He commands. Blessings beyond our wildest dreams, so many blessings they’ll be running over and we won’t know what to do with ‘em.

But we can’t get what God has for us if we’re up here playing around and doing what WE wanna do and completely disregarding what God has in store for our lives.

At some point in your life, you have to decide what you’re gonna do.

All or nothing at all.
The choice is yours.
Which will you choose?

Think about it…
-B.

Vultures are scavenging birds, feeding mostly on the carcasses of dead animals.

They only go after the dead and typically stay away from anything that's living.

When you really sit and think about it, the devil is the same way.

As long as you're alive in Christ, doing His will and living your life the way you're supposed to, the devil won't even bother to come in your direction because he knows he can't get to you; Christ is living in you.

But the moment you die to Christ and start living for self, not wanting to bother with what He wants you to do and live your life the right way, here comes the devil, ready to attack and feed off your carcass.



Don't want the devil picking at you?
Then live for Christ and avoid that "vulture" at all costs.

Think about it...
- B.

“What about your friends?”

When we’re on top of the world, and don’t have any problems, we’re surrounded by so many people that we don’t know what to do. When we pick up the phone to talk about whatever, they’re right there. When we just wanna kick it, they’re right there.

Why wouldn’t they be, they’re our “friends” right?

Okay. Let’s flip the script.

A change of season comes our way and we fall on hard times. We’re so burdened down we don’t know where to turn or what to do. We pick up the phone to call our friends, but they don’t answer. We go to our friends to see if they have time to hang out just so you can release the heavy load that’s on your heart, but they don’t have time to hear a word you have to say.

When you were up, they were there;
but now that you’re down they’re not around?

Why is that?

Well, we should never put our faith and trust in man because they’ll fail us every time.

Instead, we should put our total faith and trust in God; He said He’ll never leave us or forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:8 -> The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged)

Instead of surrounding ourselves with those fair-weather friends, we need to draw nearer to the friend who will forever stick closer to us than a brother through thick and thin. (Proverbs 18:24 -> A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.)

Think about it…
- B.

"Dang, that boy is a BEAST!"
I'm sure we've heard this term thrown around from time to time.

But do you know what it means?

Some may. Some may not. In any event, here's a simple definition of the term "beast" in this day and age, at this present time.

Being a "beast" at something doesn't necessarily mean you turn into a creature;
just simply means you do your best and give your all at what you do.

For example:

Beyonce' is a BEAST when it comes to performing and entertaining a crowd.
LeBron James is a BEAST when it comes to showing off his skill on the basketball court.

All that's well and good, but let's make it personal:

Are YOU a BEAST when it comes to serving the Lord?
If not, why aren't you?

If those in the secular world can give their all to things that have nothing to do with glorifying God and uplifting His kingdom, shouldn't we have that same zeal and put it towards the work of our Father?

Think about it.
- B.

"There are mountains, and then there are valleys..."

As long as we live we are going to encounter mountains and valleys.
How we react when faced with each is entirely up to us.

Mountains: These would be considered the high points of our lives. Things are going relatively well, in our eyes, and nothing can bring us down. Oftentimes we get so high up there we think that we don't have any problems because of our own doing, and sometimes as a result, we forget to thank God for bringing us to the top of that mountain; we even look down on those who haven't reached the point where we are.

Valleys: These would be considered the low points of our lives. Our trials. Our tribulations. So confused, heavy laden and down trodden we don't know which way to turn. At this point in our lives, there's nowhere to look but up.

Seasons are a frequent occurrence in our lives; we have good times, and bad times.

When God blesses us to be on top of our mountain, we shouldn't forget Him and should always thank Him for giving us the strength and the ability to be where we are at that present moment.

When we're going through our valleys, no matter how bad the situation is we should STILL remember to thank God, and have the faith to know that in HIS own time, and in HIS own way, He'll bring us to the top of our mountain once again.

Mountains and Valleys...when your time comes, how will you react?

- B. 

Don't just sing it; Believe it. 


 

"They hated Christ, so who am I?"

Throughout our life we're gonna cross paths with people and, for whatever the reason, they will not like us. Some will even go so far as to say they DESPISE us.

Doesn't mean we've done them anything.
They just won't like us.

Of course, our human side will wonder "why".
Oftentimes our human side will even want to react to those individuals who are bent on going out of their way to be mean to us when we haven't done them anything but good.

What should we do when our human side wants to take control and, possibly, get us in trouble?
Think back to the cross.

Look at what they did to Christ.

They spit upon him.
Put a crown of thorns on his head.
Mocked him.
And for what?
He didn't do anything wrong.

But how did he react to their negativity?
"Father forgive them for they know not what they do."

This should be our attitude today.

When people do us wrong, no matter how much we may want to "get even", let's take a second to think back to Christ and how he handled the worst treatment known to man.
Let's use his example and become the bigger person.

Look at what they did to him;
yet he didn't speak any evil to those that wronged him.

If Christ could forgive those who mistreated him,
surely we can forgive those who mistreat us.


Think about it...


- B.

God wants us to get to know Him – not because He needs our worship, but because we need His strength. It has nothing to do with satisfying His ego, but everything to do with our hope of making sense out of life today and finding eternal life in the future.

My Dearest Friends,

God will never give up on you
no matter what you may be going through

His word is always true
and He's promised to take care of you!

So when the trials & tribulations come,
never doubt nor fear for the Lord is the Only one.

Those trials are merely to make us strong,
for through our obedience we can never go wrong.

Now when you begin to murmur over what you're going through,
pause for a moment to remember, Christ died for me & also you!

In Christian Love,
Sis. Carol F. B. (God Bless)
12/10/09