A beam of light - Light up the night

"Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him" (1 John 1:5, HCSB). 

A couple weekends ago, I got to go camping with a group of friends in the Texas Hill Country. It was beautiful and a fun trip. One night, some of us walked away from our campsite to find an open space to look at stars. Sure enough, we found a great space where we found so many shining brightly. When we left to go back to our campsite, I was relieved that a few of us had bright flashlights to help us find our way. The stars had light of their own, but the flashlights were closer to us and beamed to guide us through the trees and back to our tents.

Kelli Martin

Do you remember a time you were lost in darkness? Maybe you can recall a time you were outside late one night, or maybe spiritually you remember being lost when God was not your guide.

God, our Creator wishes to draw us close to Him and to help us navigate through life. That's why Jesus, the light of the world, came to earth, to die in our place so we wouldn't have to live and remain in darkness. Sin separates us from God, but God is faithful to forgive our sins against Him out of His lovingkindness. He offers a beam of light, because He is light.

I pray we look to Him as our guide today. Let's share this light that brings hope with others, this light that can shine in the darkest of places.

Photo by Murfy Kristiadi. You can find it here: http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/photos/1198727/

A few songs to YouTube music video links:
Light of the World / Here I Am to Worship - Tim Hughes .
Fuego - Lecrae feat. KB and Suzy Rock

More verses:
1 John 1:5-10, Psalm 119:105, Proverbs 20:27, John 8:12, John 12:46, 2 Corinthians 4:5-6

Gifted2Go Forgive!

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:14-15

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:13

Christmas, The Season of Giving, represents one of the greatest times of the year as we celebrate the greatest GIFT that was ever given by God ~JESUS~ HIS ONE AND ONLY SON. Jesus was born to die so that we could be FORGIVEN and experience ETERNAL LIFE here on earth and forever some day in heaven! Forgiveness is a gift from God. A gift to receive and a gift to give. Is there someone or some life experience that God has brought to your mind and heart to extend fresh forgiveness? When we do not forgive over and over this could cause bitter feelings or thoughts.

Some of the best definitions and truths of forgiveness that I heard and learned years ago when I was in a Bible Study about making peace with the past was shared from Focus on the Family and it goes like this "Forgiveness means giving up my right to hurt others that have hurt me! Forgiveness doesn't mean that what someone did to me is OK, it means that God will take care of everything as I put it all in His Hands! Forgiveness doesn't mean that I am suppose to have a close relationship with those that do not have your best interest at heart, I just need make sure that I am not holding any grudges that end up choking the life out of me!"

Usually forgiveness is not a one time action, it is an ongoing healthy habit!! If the enemy fails at causing Christians to turn their back on and/or be bitter at God, he will try over and over to get them to turn their back on/or be bitter at people!!

As a first-generation Christian that was NOT raised in a Christian home and that has suffered deeply from the sins of others projected onto my life. As a Christian, some of the most difficult times in my walk with God has been when other Christian's have betrayed me, but, God has allowed me to learn how to supernaturally FORGIVE the many many offenses of others (as I never forget all that He has forgiven me from) 70 x 7 and much more!! How?

Here are some simple steps, that I pray encourage you, that you can take that I have taken over and over and over to be BETTER instead of BITTER!!!

1. Never forget the many things that God has forgiven you for! (1 Tim.1:15)

2. Never stop praying for others that have offended or hurt you! (Matt. 5:44)

3. Never let the sun go down on your offense or anger! Confession keeps our hearts free from bitterness! God will take care of the offender! (Eph.4:26, 2 Tim. 4:14)

4. Never get confused with who is behind all the offenses and hurts of this world, it is NOT people, that the enemy wants you to hold a grudge against, it is THE ENEMY himself that deserves ALL blame...this is his purpose, let's not give him any purpose in our lives! (Eph.6:10-12)

5. Never forget the many ways, some of these ways will cause others to become believers, when we walk in forgiveness this will cause others to become one step closer to the CROSS, the GREATEST example of FORGIVENESS for us all!! (Gen.50:20!!, 2 Cor.1:4)

For Further Study: The life of Joseph written about in Gen. 37-50 is a great study, Joseph is a great role model, and his life is a great example of forgiveness as we all strive to be Better instead of Bitter!!

"Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. "See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." Hebrews 12:14-15

When, not if, life gives you lemons, add the sweetness of forgiveness and let God turn lemons into lemonade:-)!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUGXtfsEzeU (Seventy Times Seven by David Meece)

where do you run?

"The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing."
-Zephaniah 3:17, ESV

Making new goals for the year really makes me sit and think. In reflecting on the past year, I can see how I need some "rehab" in areas of my life. Someone once told me that if computers were just repaired, then we would not have to buy new ones every few years. I do not know much about computers, but I do believe that God does not wish to throw us out, and He has the unique ability to "repair" us.

It baffles me how God is not only is pure and just, but also forgiving. In Zephaniah, I see how God is just. In chapter 3, verse 17, we can see how God has this joyful love for us. He:

• is with us
• saves us
• takes delight in us

So, God, ruler over all, loves us. He wants us to know Him, follow Him, rest in Him.

Where will we run this year?  How can we help others see how He loves?

Some songs, with links to youtube.com, that stand out to me:

• "Tremble" by Nichole Nordeman – "Face down on the floor/Do I dare to take the liberty to stare at you?/Oh, let me/Oh, let me not forget to tremble."
• "What a Miracle" by David Crowder Band – "O King of Kings/Our Sacred Joy/What a miracle/You come for all."
• "Okay" by Flyleaf – "It's too important for us to forget/...God will hear and save/God will hear and save us."