Are You Without Sin?

Has somebody ever brought something to your attention about your behavior and immediately you were convicted that what they were saying was true? I recently had that happen to me. Sometimes we get so caught up in what we feel God wants us to do and leads us do that we forget the purpose of why He sent us to do the task in the first place. If I say that I'm a friend of God then I need to set Jesus as my example and love people no matter the situation. It's easy to be judgmental when we get caught up in what we think people "should" or "should not" be doing instead of how we can love them with the grace God gave us. 

My Sunday school teacher said, "We shouldn't compare ourselves to other Christians. We should compare ourselves to Christ." Jesus was perfect, not only in the way He lived, but in the way He loved. He looked past the sin and saw the heart of the person. What if we could aspire to love the heart of a person like Jesus loves us? Romans 12:9-18 says "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.  Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.  If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men." 

I would like to break down a few parts of this verse. First, "Loving without hypocrisy." Remember the woman that was accused of adultery that everybody wanted to stone? Remember how everybody wanted to stone her but the man she had supposedly had the affair with couldn't be found? And Jesus said "Let those that are without sin, cast the first stone. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last."I find it interesting that they were convicted at His statement. I was convicted that I was being judgmental and so were they!! I have to put my stone down because I am not without sin.

Look at what comes next: "Abhor (hate, detest, loathe) what is evil." We can hate the sin, not approve of it, and even detest it, but the truth is it is not our job to judge it, it's our job to love the person and "Cling to what is good." And the only thing "good" is God! Then as the list goes on check out what our job is: be affectionate (hug, kiss, love on each other) with brotherly/sisterly love, giving preference (loving others before yourself), being dilligent (never stopping our love, pursuing them),fervent in spirit & serving the Lord (all excited that the love He showed us is evident in our love towards others),  rejoicing in hope (knowing God will do His will not ours), patient in tribulation (waiting for God even if you want to fix it yourself, I'm so guilty of this!), continuing steadfastly in prayer (always raising people up in prayer for God to show them His way), distributing to the needs of the saints (that's me and you spreading Jesus' love to others, especially other Christians and giving to each what they need), bless & do not curse (Whoa now! Remember, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Be a blessing. Don't let the sin be the focus. Focus on Jesus and let love guide you.)

The last part of that is just like it says. Be happy for others when they are happy, mourn with them when they mourn. Don't think that you are so much wiser than everybody. Focus on being humble and associating with those that are humble as well. Love things that are good and get along with people. It's pretty simple really!

Think about it!

Is there something that you feel like God is leading you to do, but your focus is not love? Are you able to cast the first stone? Who is your example? Others or Jesus? Open your Bible today and read about God's love and forgiving grace then decide today how you will love.

Tears of the Granny

As I laid in the floor that night watching my grandmother taking every labored breath, I started to reminisce about my own mother. When Courtney was a baby she wrote her a letter and at the end she drew a little picture with tears dropping down and a note that said, "Tears of the Granny". I thought it was sweet but kind of silly because I didn't understand. Then, as if a light bulb were turned on, it occurred to me-this is how she felt about Courtney and how my granny felt about me.

We often get wrapped up in the outward appearances of love and we forget that our hearts hold more love than can be expressed. My grandmother wasn't a very clingy or outwardly affectionate woman-don't get me wrong, she was a hugger- but she always made me feel more than loved by the way she spoke to me. Her wisdom far exceeded her years. She gave me tips on make-up, on being an independent woman, and of course, men. I followed her advice on most things, but let's face it, I was a teenager and most things went right in my ears and out my big bubble head!

My mom was the other kind of granny-wanting to be near you, hugging and kissing, and making my kids smile. She passed away in 2000 but her memory lives on in me and my family. These two women possessed many loving qualities that I will in turn pass on to my grandbaby, for now I understand the tears of the granny.

My grandmother passed away on November 18, 2011 and has gone home to be with the Lord. Once again, God in His infinite wisdom, helped her to invite Jesus into her heart less than a week before her passing! How glorious it must be for her right now to be praising the one true King. Completely free from pain, from death, and from tears. Walking the streets of gold, talking and walking to the One that gave her life. God is so faithful!

I will be home soon granny and momma! I love you both.

“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world." John 17:24

A Snapshot of Jesus

Say Cheese!! We've all heard those famous words right before somebody snapped our beautiful picture, right? Most of the time when somebody takes a picture of me I hate it! My hair's not right, I look too old, too fat, or my eyes or closed or something. It usually doesn't end up with me being happy needless to say.

I was thinking about my picture being taken the other day and it made me think of something. If somebody were to take a picture of me right now what would it look like. In our Christian walk we encounter many opportunities to be Jesus to somebody and show His love, but what if somebody could take a picture of us and actually capture the image of Jesus himself. The image would not reflect our outward appearance but Jesus who lives in us.

A while back, after posting something on my Facebook that wasn't very Christian like, if somebody would have taken my picture they would have seen something that looked nothing like Jesus. It would have looked like a black hole full of anger, resentment, and just plain old the devil! That doesn't sound or look like to Jesus to me. Galatians 5:22-26 states, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.  And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." This convicts me to be in the Spirit more so that I can be a reflection of Jesus even on those occasions where I feel I may have been wronged.

Billy and I were talking the other night about a few experiences that got us "in the flesh" (as my Pastor likes to say) this week . We get so angry and we don't understand why people act the way they do and then we get convicted because we remember, Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Jesus was crucified for our sins, for your sins, and for my sins. There is no little or big sin in the eyes of God, it is all SIN.

Think about it!

What would your snapshot look like right now? Would it resemble Jesus? Do you categorize sin and think that your sin fails in comparison to others sins? Are you crucifying Jesus with your fleshly lifestyle? What changes can you make to be in the Spirit?

Circle of Friends

Several times in the Bible it mentions weeping without restraint over the loss of the friend or over the troubles of a friend. In Job 2:12 it says, "And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven." In Acts 20:36-38 it says, "And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship." And probably the most memorable weeping of all was Jesus weeping for Lazarus in John 11:35-36, "Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”

I have a circle of friends that make me feel this way and help me stay grounded and Godly. It's strange but it wasn't until after God saved me that I understood what true friendship really was. Don't get me wrong, I loved my friends before, but I didn't understand what it meant to be a friend. 

This circle of friends is a small group of beautiful ladies, each with a heart for God and loving people to Jesus. I don't have to mention their names because they know who they are. They will pray for me, take my hand and go with me to the altar, and call me out if I try and head up the "Samantha" show! They look at me through God's eyes and they know my heart. When I think of how Job's friends must have felt when they saw him my heart breaks. They were looking at him from a distance and because of Job's deep mourning they didn't recognize him. Then they mourned for their friend and they didn't even know what the trouble was. They mourned his pain and they felt it with him. That's the meaning of friendship!

In the second passage, Paul is travelling to Jerusalem knowing that he will be imprisoned for preaching the Good News but the Holy Spirit is calling him to go anyways. He has to tell his friends and fellow believers of Christ that this will be the last time that he will see them and get this-they knelt and prayed! They knew that they would never see Paul again. I love the part where it says they "wept freely". They wept without inhibition, without concern of onlookers, and with hearts full of Christ's love for their friend. Many times when me and my circle of friends are together we cry, or "leak" as one of them says. As a circle of believers, we know that there is no issue that is too small and no problem that is too big for our God and if we pray together He listens.

The last passage is talking about Jesus going to see Lazarus after he had died. I've never lost a friend, except my mom (who was my bestest friend in the whole world) but I can picture Jesus, in human form with human emotions, going to visit his friend and feeling the pain of loss. "Jesus wept." What could make Jesus weep? He had the Father at his beck and call, why was He weeping. I think it was because He felt loss even though He knew what was about to happen to Lazarus. Seeing the mourners, hearing the wailing, and speaking to Lazarus' sisters, Mary and Martha and seeing their pain probably didn't help the situation either. Jesus was a friend that loved His friend so much that the Jews took notice when He cried for His friend.

The deeper I get into God's word, the more I realize my need for Christian friends. Christian friends will encourage you and keep you on track. 

Think about it!

Have you ever mourned for a friend? Their pain? Their loss? Their sorrows? Is there a friend that needs your prayers and tears? What kind of friends are you surrounding yourself with? Where do your friends take you? Is their advice Godly or worldly? Do they speak Truth to you when you are struggling or just tell you what you want to hear? Take time today to call a friend and thank them for their friendship.

Time with Lacey Quin

If you haven't had grandchildren yet, it's hard to explain to you the feeling that you get when you see their sweet faces for the first time! Lacey is my first grandbaby. She was born on October 11,2011. I get to see her about once a month; that's a hundred years in granny time! She is almost 16 months old now and I think about her everyday.

Last year, Courtney and Kyle let me take her and keep her all night at my sister's house and I got to spend some real quality time with her. She was only a month or so old then and as I looked at her, I just prayed that God would hold her in His hands and that He would lead and guide her life. That He would place a wonderful husband in her life one day that would love the Lord as much as her and treat her like a Princess. This sweet little baby is my descendant, and as I prayed over her, it occurred to me: I am a descendant too. A descendant of a King! That makes me and Lacey princesses!

I have the ability to start all over with this baby and do things the right way; with God at the center. My kids got to see too much of the old Sam and old Billy.(Nobody liked them and we are glad that they are gone! Hehe!) Now it is time for redemption. A second chance to raise this child up in the ways of the Lord. An opportunity to say thank you to God for all He has done for me and my family.

Deuteronomy 6:6-8 says, "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads." This is the kind of granny, mom, wife, & friend I want to be! I want to use God's word to make an impression on everybody I meet, especially the ones closest to me.

Think about it?

Do you carry His commandments on your heart and impress them on your children? Do you walk and talk and think about them at all times? Would you tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads?

Let Your Little Light Shine

Devin shared a story with us last night that made us all listen. He has several close friends that he's told us like to cuss and he said that he's asked them not to do it around him anymore. So the friends told him a week or so that they wanted to stop cussing too and asked him to help. Being boys and teenage boys at that, the method they came up with to help them was kind of, well, teenage boy-ish! So hears the deal: if any of the boys hears the other one cuss they can slap that person in the face as hard as they can! See, I told you, it is teenage boy-ish!

As far as we know nobody has gotten the dreaded slap.While their method is drastic, to say the least, it just proves once again that even the smallest of changes in one person can change an entire environment. Here is my 15 year old son trying to stand up for what he believes in and because of that his friends want to be like him! As a mother, I was overwhelmed with emotions, one of love (he's a teenager, do I need to say more?! LOL!), one of fear (for the kid getting slapped), one of warning (I wouldn't want my kid coming home with a big slap mark on his face and I definitely wouldn't want to have to explain to my parents why I got slapped in the first place), and of course, one of conviction (to change my actions to reflect Jesus even in the smallest of things).

My Sunday school teacher told us a story about tea the other morning. He asked, "If you take a cup of hot water and you add a tea bag, what happens? It changes the color of it's surroundings, right?" Think of it this way, if the hot water is the world, then as a Christian we are the tea bag that affects the world and changes it not the other way around. The world shouldn't change us. We are supposed to be the light of the world. Our smallest gestures of obedience could allow others to see Jesus and the light he has put in us and come to know Him as a result. Jesus said in  Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

We have seen so many teenagers at our church that stand up and are bold for Jesus and I wonder,"What am I afraid of?" How is it teenagers can go to the altar and most of the adults, including myself, never visit it? It is definitely pride and fear that keep me from giving it all to God. Watch the youth at your church. If they don't go the altar, maybe you need to set the example and go first. I will give up my pride and join you.

Think about it!
Are there small things in your life that feel like they are not important that really are making a difference to somebody? What are some new things you could do to make a difference? I want to give God what is God's. That includes my time, my treasures, and my life. Let's lay our life on His altar today!

What do people see when they look at me?

I was at a friend's house one Sunday afternoon with my niece & nephew, Sherry and Chaz and we were playing this game called Headbands. First you have to put on your little plastic headband then you pick a card and put it in the little slot on the front so you can't see it. The object of the game is to try and guess what your card says you are (I am a pig, I am a snake, etc) in an allotted amount of time. You have an opportunity to ask questions to help you figure it out. If you guess what it is and you still have time left you can try another card and keep going until your time runs out. Needless to say the game is a whole lot of fun to play and we had a blast!

I was thinking about this game on the way to work and it made me wonder, if I wore a headband all the time with a little card on it what would it say? An array of thoughts ran through my mind as I tried to picture how people perceived me. I want people who meet me and people who know me to see: I am a friend, I am a follower of Christ, I am a wife, I am a mother, I am a giver, I am a lover of the Word of God. But the truth is, sometimes I show off these character traits instead: I am a whiner, I am a complainer, I am a lover of my self, I am a grouch, I am a fool. Ever feel that way? The good news is we don't have to be perfect for God to love us but we do need to ask for His forgiveness when we complain, whine, are selfish, are grouchy, or are acting like a fool. 1 Peter 2 says this, "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,  now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

I always find it comical that God takes even the smallest of events and turns them to His glory! A simple game, a visit to the grocery store, or even reading a school handbook can make us relate something in our life to something in His word.

Think about it!
Is there an event that you've participated in that God has revealed a life lesson in? Do you crave God and His Word? Are your thoughts geared towards pleasing Him so that you can grow up in your salvation? Are you ready to rid yourself all kinds of yucky stuff? 

Where do I fit in?

Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a crowd of people or hanging out somewhere, and thought "I do not fit in here!" A few years ago, all I needed was a drink in my hand and I was an instant party machine. Now I find myself steering away from the places I used to go, the people I used to hang around with, and the conversations I used to participate in. It's not that I don't still love those people or places, but the environment doesn't encourage me and it definitely doesn't point me to Jesus. But I still wonder, "Where do I fit in?"

As if struck by lightning, it occurred to me: You were never meant to fit into this world! Jesus said in John 15:18-19 [ The World Hates the Disciples ] “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."

Would you look at that! I'm not supposed to feel comfortable or blend in, I'm supposed to stand out! When I look back at my life and the years I wasted belonging to the world, I cringe! So many years that I allowed sin to whisper in it's raspy sultry voice "Come join the fun! You are too far gone for God to love you anyways!" What an idiot I was. I believed the lies for so long, for too long, and why? Because I wasn't ready to give up my sin and allow God to love me out of it. I am chosen, I am redeemed, and I am set apart from this world that desires all things fleshly. I want my testimony to be strong, sturdy, reliable, genuine, and without a doubt acceptable to Jesus, not to the people of this world. This life is fleeting and all things in this world have no eternal value. I want to count for God so I'm choosing not to fit in!

If you haven't read your Bible in a while, get it out and read it today. Start with the book of Matthew and read through John. Experience what it was like being a true disciple and what real persecution of faith means, then choose to be a disciple for Jesus today.

Think about it!
What sin are you choosing to participate in today? Are you struggling with a sin that the world condones even though the Bible doesn't condone it? Maybe you need to turn your back on the creator of lies and lay those sins down at the feet of the one who created the Truth.