Jesus & Others

     God put this thought in my heart today: we're not here to serve ourselves. It's Jesus first. It's others second. There's a church song that I've taught to the kids: "Jesus and Others and You, what a wonderful way to spell joy!" If you want true joy, you have to put a few other things ahead of yourself.

     Jesus never put Himself first: His entire life was about others. Obviously, we cannot get to this level because we're not God, and we will never be perfect, but Jesus is our example.We should strive to put Him first and others before ourselves.

     Today, I could feel this ringing in my heart. It is something I need to work on, and I'm beginning to see that it isn't overnight. I'm not going to become less self-centered overnight. But if I continue to ask the Lord for His help, He is faithful and will continue to change me.

     So as you read this little piece of my heart today, be blessed and try to do something that would put someone else ahead of yourself. Maybe this quote from Oswald Chambers will help to inspire you: "Have you ever realized that you can give things to God that are of value to Him? Or are you just sitting around daydreaming about the greatness of His redemption, while neglecting all the things you could be doing for Him? I’m not referring to works which could be regarded as divine and miraculous, but ordinary, simple human things – things which would be evidence to God that you are totally surrendered to Him."

~ Abby

Do we do this?

     This thought keeps running through my head - "...encourage one another and build one another up..." How often are we actually encouraging each other? Do we build each other up? It is one thing to have an open ear and be a shoulder to cry on, but do we ever take it to the next step? Do we earnestly push each other to continue in our relationship with Christ?

     We're a family. If someone you love is hurting, we want them to feel better, to move forward. Why are we not always like that with our fellow Christians? You don't have to be this way for every person you come across - we cannot be that for everyone in our circles, but we can be that encouragement for a few. Pick a few. Be that builder-up. Text them that Bible verse. Call them up and check on their walk with God. Pray for them. Send a note of encouragement. You never know who needs that little extra push today.

~ Abby

Salt.

   Salt and Light. This thought has been in my head the last few days. We are not called to shine our light in this world, but rather, we are called to reflect His light. In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, Jesus talks about us being salt and light. As His followers, it is not about us, but rather about Him.

   Normally, I'm not a fan of the Message interpretation, but I liked how this passage was worded: "Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage." {Matthew 5:13, The Message}

   Salt enhances and brings out flavors in food. As Christians, we should enhance God's presence around us, bringing the focus to Him and His goodness. If we are not seeking God, we begin to lose our saltiness. If we lose our saltiness, we begin to lose our witness. We're still Christians and we still love God and we still love others, but when we stop searching for more of Jesus, other parts of our lives start overshadowing His light in our lives. The potency of the salt begins to fade. 

   In order for our salt and light to be effective, we have to look for the One who makes us salt and light.

   Strive to be more "salty and light-filled" for God today.
~ Abby

My God, My Shelter

I read this verse yesterday. It's actually my phone background and it just hit me when I saw it.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower;

The righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18:10

Two quick thoughts: I love that it's "The name of the Lord". Sometimes, we can get so caught up in the big fancy words of a prayer when all we need to remember is the name of our God. That does not mean that we should not pray those heartfelt cries of our hearts, but remember that sometimes, all we need to say is His name. Tagging along with this is the second thought: it's a strong tower, a refuge, a stronghold. As Christians, we can run to that place and hide when we need to. He keeps us safe when we turn to him.

Remember that. God is our haven, our cave of protection, our hiding place. He is there for us to turn to when we need it.

~Abby

Still Grateful.

Author's Note: I thought this had published back in December but it was still saved in my drafts. Enjoy it now as a reminder to continue to be thankful! 

   I know, it's December 1st and I did not finish my November grateful challenge! My only excuse is that I had finals, then a week off for Thanksgiving which was packed with craziness, then my next semester began. I sincerely apologize! I took the last thankfulness questions and answered them below and then I will share what December holds!

Day 14: What sight are you grateful for?
   A bit cliche, but definitely a sunset, especially when there are clouds in the sky that create shadows and shades across the sky.

Day 15: What season are you grateful for?
   Fall or Winter. I love fall because of the cooler air, crunchy, fallen leaves, Thanksgiving, etc., and I love winter because of long, cold nights cuddled on my couch with my little puppy, snow, snow, and snow (!), the hot drinks during the warm car rides, Christmas, etc.

Day 16: What about your body are you grateful for?
   This one is hard to answer without sounding a little conceited I think, but I like my smile.

Day 17: What knowledge are you grateful for?
   I am thankful that I can continually expand my knowledge of my Savior. Also since I love to learn about history and literature, I am thankful for that knowledge too.

Day 18: What piece of art are you grateful for?
   This is hard to choose one, but I'll go with one of the first ones that popped into my head: "View of Toledo" by El Greco. I've seen this painting several times at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the use of shadows, depth, and colors have always amazed me. I've seen several of his other paintings there and they are striking as well.

   There is one other painting that I remember seeing and it almost brought me to tears: Rembrandt's "Christ on the Cross." This is one of those paintings that needs no description.







Day 19: What touch are you grateful for?
   This one is a little weird: I love touching the cover on my steering wheel. It's soft and fuzzy and warms my hands.

Day 20: Who in your life are you grateful for?
   My pastor. He preaches with with heart, sharing the Word of God, guided by the Holy Spirit. I have come to realize just how important it is to have a minister like this and I am extremely grateful.

Day 21: What song are you most grateful for?
   Lately, it's been Natalie Grant's "King of the World." It seems to be extremely fitting over the last few weeks in our nation and in my life. Click here to watch the lyric video.

Day 22: What story are you grateful for?
     The Bible. Hands down.

Day 23: What tradition are you grateful for?
     Thanksgiving morning. My family. Pajamas. Cinnamon rolls. Thanksgiving parade.

Day 24: What challenge are you grateful for?
     To drink more water. I know that's weird but I've been feeling so much better since I've been drinking more water.

Day 25: What moment this week are you most grateful for?
     I realized that in less than a year, I will be done with my bachelor's degree. That was exciting for me.

Day 26: What form of expression are you most grateful for?
     Writing. Poetry. Music. Photography.


Day 27: What small thing that you use daily are you grateful for?
     My coffee maker! I drink way more coffee than I should but I'm thankful for it and all my mugs. I have a mug addiction.

Day 28: What small thing happened today that you are grateful for?
     I made it to work a little earlier than normal. Small I know.

Day 29: What friend/family member are you grateful for today?
     My parents. They have become such good friends to me and they're more than just parents now. I trust them with basically all my problems and they are right there with advice and support.

Day 30: What talent or skill do you have that you are grateful for?
   Definitely being able to play the piano. I don't get to play as often as I would like, but I love it. Playing in church every Sunday night is a good time to get in some practice. I know I mentioned this one already previously, but it's one I'm especially grateful for.


~Abby