putting things in the right order (let God be first in your life)

"The average woman today, I believe, would do well to appraise her interests, evaluate the activities in which she is engaged, and then take steps to simplify her life, putting things of first importance first, placing emphasis where the rewards will be greatest and most enduring, and ridding herself of the less rewarding activities."
Belle S. Spafford, the ninth Relief Society general president.


Right in the front cover of my bible I have a quote from Elder Neil A Maxwell it says....
If you have not chosen the kingdom of God first, it will in the end make no difference what you have chosen instead. It is a strong reminder to me to get things in order. We have been warned often about letting the things of the world get in the way of  us seeking the things of the Lord. It can often be difficult with so many voices and so many things pulling us in so many ways. I know from experience that Satan is very good at distracting us and keeping us from the things of most importance. We get weighed down by so many little things. One of the hardest things for many of us to say is "no". This can be troubling because often what happens is that we end up saying yes to so many good things that we inadvertently find ourselves saying no to things that matter most. We end up overwhelmed and thinking about the worldly things more often than the things of God.

 

Life is busy, there are many things that are to be done. It is easy to become worried, stressed and overwhelmed by the things we are doing. It becomes easy to get caught up and  forget our purpose and our creator.  Sometimes we need to just stop and look at the wonderful things around us and breathe in heaven for a moment, then make more opportunities to breathe life from the heavens.  Here is an excerpt from a book that I am writing that illustrates my point.     


" I remember one Sunday morning when my young daughter who was about four years old came into the bathroom while I was getting ready for church. She told me. "Mom you and I, we look so beautiful in our dresses; let's dance" The old worried, stressed out me would have pushed that aside and say, "Not now, I don't have the time, we are going to be late".  I was learning the power of those little moments. I swept up my daughter and took  ten or fifteen seconds to whisk her about the bathroom in a magical dance. In those few seconds we were swept up into a fantasy land,  a magical moment that could have easily been lost. The dance only lasted a few moments, but the feelings lasted most of the day, and the memory will last a lifetime." 

    
I pray that you will take this to heart and spend a moment to ponder on the things of God today. That you will breathe in life from him. That you will make thoughts of Heaven a regular part of your daily life. 
Blessings
Happy Momma

What do you seek?

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul- We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. (Article of faith #13 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)


Part of this comes from Philippians 4:8-9
8. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
9.  The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

How I love these words of inspiration.  Practice being good and God will be with you. What a great promise given to us.

Seek after the good things. There are so many good things out there, yet often they are overshadowed by the "Other things" The biggest challenge is keeping our eye on the main goal. One of the Devils greatest tools is distraction. He gets us to forget what it is that we really desire.

 

 

 

How can we keep from being distracted and caught in the Devils trap?  We can seek after the "good things" in life. By seeking out good music, books, friends, and so on we are surrounding ourselves with constant reminders of what we are striving for, constant reminders that we are choosing the things of the Kingdom of God thus keeping the Devil from permanently distracting us.   

 

Choose to surround yourself with goodness. Choose righteousness. Choose God.  Teach your children the same. 

 

God bless you all on your journey,

 

Happy Momma   

 

meekness is not weakness

 

 

 

Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the Earth. Matthew 5:5 

 

 

 

 

 

When I looked up the definition of meek or meekness I was surprised to see that nearly every definition was written in a manner that conjures up thoughts of cowardice, weakness and even laziness. I knew that this was not quite right. I am smart enough to know that this is not what the Lord would have for us. I knew that I needed to do some deeper study and get some new thoughts about what meekness really is.  

 

A bit of insight and awakening happened when I was looking at the Miriam Webster dictionary under the word meek and came up with a list of related words and near antonyms for meek. 

Related Words acquiescent, compliant, deferential, resigned, submissive, unaggressive, unassertive, yielding; cowering, cringing, shrinking; ingenuous, naive (or naïve), plain, simple, unaffected; bashful, diffident, introverted, mousy (or mousey), overmodest, passive, quiet, reserved, retiring, sheepish, shy, subdued, timid, unobtrusive; aw-shucks, self-deprecating, self-deprecatory, self-effacing

I read that list of words related to meek and thought to myself, "nobody really aspires to be those things, and many of them do not sound very God-like, Why would God ask me to be these things?"  I then read on to the next part the near antonyms (or opposite) of the word meek. The thought crossed my mind, "If you are not meek, then you must be these other things that are the opposite of meek."  
 

Near Antonyms aggressive, assertive, audacious, bold, brash, brassy, cheeky, forward, impertinent, impudent, saucy; cocksure, cocky, confident, hubristic, overconfident, self-confident; egocentric, egoistic (also egoistical), narcissistic, prideful, self-affected, self-centered, self-complacent, self-conceited, self-congratulatory, self-contented, self-engrossed, self-important, self-obsessed, self-pleased, self-satisfied, smug, stuck-up, swelled-headed; boastful, bombastic, braggy, swaggering, vain, vainglorious; condescending, disdainful, dominant, dominating, domineering, magisterial, overbearing, patronizing, pontificating; flamboyant, ostentatious, showy; extroverted (also extraverted), immodest, outgoing, uninhibited, unreserved

Antonyms arrogant, bumptious, chesty, conceited, egotistic (or egotistical), fastuous, haughty, highfalutin (also hifalutin), high-and-mighty, high-handed, high-hat, hoity-toity, huffish, huffy, imperious, lordly, overweening, peremptory, pompous, presuming, presumptuous, pretentious, self-asserting, self-assertive, supercilious, superior, toplofty (also toploftical), uppish, uppity

 Where is your heart in this list? Do you find yourself  within the space of those antonym words?  It is eye opening isn't it? 

In first Timothy 6:10 we are warned that the love of money is the root of all evil. Take a look again at the list of near antonyms for meekness, do they not sound like the effects of a world obsessed with money and power for themselves?  Now the next little part is enlightening.  1 Timothy 6:11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12: fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called...... 

In 1 Corinthians chapter 1 Paul speaks to the saints at Corinth. He talks about how the wise, mighty, and noble are not always the ones called to his work. Verses 27 tells us who is called; But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.

God has chosen those that would be defined as weak to confound the mighty. He has chosen the meek  But are the meek really all that weak?  

Who are the meek?

One of the popular definitions of meek is tame. Many living in this world would say that being tame is not a great quality to have (along with many of the other qualities of a meek person), but let us look deeper. Let us take a look at the Clydesdale horses they are big and very powerful creatures. They are wonderful horses that can do great work. But, if they are not tamed and trained well, they cannot be the good work horses they are known for. It is the same with us. If we are not tame in our ways, we are not truly God's.  If our hearts and souls do not belong to God, we are of no good use to him in his kingdom.

Meekness is actually a very powerful character trait that you would be wise to pursue once you understand what it really is. It has been a journey as I have worked to truly understand meekness as the Lord sees it.  I finally came to Wikepedia, it had a definition that made sense. It opened up my mind to what real meekness is.  Meekness is the opposite of the natural man who gives into every whim and desire of the body. A man or woman that is meek is strong because his or her desires are under well under control (tame) and therefore he or she is in control of the body and mind and has overcome many of the wiles of the devil. Meekness is the ability to control our thoughts, and actions. Meekness is a strong internal attitude towards pure goodness and a love that is often shows itself as gentleness on the outside.

Because it is hard to describe and it shows itself as gentleness on the outside meekness has been labeled and defined as something very different than what it really is. It has been said that meekness is one of the hardest words to define and to translate from one language to another. Through my studies I can see why that it so. Meekness comes very close to the heart of God. Once pursued, it changes our hearts to be more like his. This change of heart is something that cannot be explained very well.  Meekness is a trait that can only be developed  and truly understood by those who choose to truly follow Christ.

 Meekness is not valued at all in any form in our modern world, in fact it is just the opposite, those who would show meekness would be defined by the world as weak. It is too bad that the world would give us that silly list of words that are near to the word meek and tell us that meekness is truly a weakness of character. True meekness is a strong character strength, it in fact is not weak at all, a person who is truly meek has worked hard to align his or her heart to God. The meek person has overcome the Devil and is very highly prized in God's kingdom. To be meek is to find strength in God and his ways. This is where I want to be. This is where I strive to be.  


For your continued study on this topic I have included some links below that may be of insight and understanding

The fruit of the spirit: meekness

Meekness a dimension of true discipleship

meekness; God's cure

 

Comfortable in your sins?

This is an excerpt from Jeffery R. Holland entitled "The cost--and blessings--of Discipleship."  It was given in April 5, 2014 at the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

It is as the Lord Himself lamented to the prophet Isaiah:

“[These] children … will not hear the law of the Lord:

“[They] say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:

“Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.”   (Isaiah 30:9-11)

 

Sadly enough, my young friends, it is a characteristic of our age that if people want any gods at all, they want them to be gods who do not demand much, comfortable gods, smooth gods who not only don’t rock the boat but don’t even row it, gods who pat us on the head, make us giggle, then tell us to run along and pick marigolds. Talk about man creating God in his own image! Sometimes—and this seems the greatest irony of all—these folks invoke the name of Jesus as one who was this kind of “comfortable” God. Really? He who said not only should we not break commandments, but we should not even think about breaking them. And if we do think about breaking them, we have already broken them in our heart. Does that sound like “comfortable” doctrine, easy on the ear and popular down at the village love-in?........... Be strong. Live the gospel faithfully even if others around you don’t live it at all. Defend your beliefs with courtesy and with compassion, but defend them. A long history of inspired voices, including those you will hear in this conference and the voice you just heard in the person of President Thomas S. Monson, point you toward the path of Christian discipleship. It is a strait path, and it is a narrow path without a great deal of latitude at some points, but it can be thrillingly and successfully traveled, “with … steadfastness in Christ, … a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.”  In courageously pursuing such a course, you will forge unshakable faith, you will find safety against ill winds that blow, even shafts in the whirlwind, and you will feel the rock-like strength of our Redeemer, upon whom if you build your unflagging discipleship, you cannot fall.

 

 

 

 

Has Christ consumed you heart and mind?

I have been reading a wonderful book Anchored: Pressing On by Pressing Into the Savior. It is an easy to read book about a young woman's true conversion to Christ.  Here is one of my favorite quotes from the book.

 

She writes in a way that really spoke to my heart. I would encourage you to pick it up and read it. It is worth reading.  

Anchored: Pressing On by Pressing Into the Savior



PS. I wrote this post of my own accord simply because I really liked the book.

The above links are affiliate links. This just means that I am referring you to Amazon to purchase the book. If you buy through Amazon you are supporting my work here, but more importantly you are helping a young woman (Teresa Blondo) share her conversion story and helping to spread the word of the Lord.





"Let it go" makes me Freeze in my tracks.

I have been amazed at how the movie "Frozen" has swept the country. The song "let it go" has been belted out and sung over and over so many times it makes one crazy. We hadn't even seen the movie and my kids were singing it everywhere we went. Even my five year old who stays home with me has been swept up with her older sister who learned the words at school. It is such a catchy little song. It gets going around and round in your head (I bet you are singing it right now).  I sometimes find myself singing it and it makes me crazy. Let me tell you why it is so annoying to this Christian Momma.

 

Over the weekend I finally broke down and went to Redbox and rented the movie "Frozen" for the family to see. It seemed like a great idea to have a family movie night.  My 8 year old had been begging me to see it. We went to our local Redbox and my son was so excited he could hardly contain himself. He made sure to announce to everyone in line that we were renting "Frozen". When one of the mothers asked him "How many times have you seen it?" She was shocked by his response that this was his first time to watch it. She went on telling about how her family has watched it dozens of times. "you'll love it!" she said.  There were about three mothers in line that also said, "you'll love it" with one mother adding, "Your Mom will love it too."

We sat down and watched the movie and I was surprised by what I saw. I had heard such great things about it and I was kind of disappointed. It was kind of lacking in storyline, and the dialogue is really cheesy. My husband was annoyed by the songs. But we had to find out what everyone was talking about. We sat and watched as a family. After it was over the son who was so excited to see it was asked how he liked it; he replied, "I haven't made up my mind yet." The only one who was real excited about it was his six year old sister who was in love with Elsa and her beautiful song "let it go"

There are a few things that I do not find appealing or right about the movie. First, is the way Anna is allowed to run rampant in the castle as she is growing up there. So many Disney movies make it seem like this is what princesses do, their home is their domain and they can do whatever the *#$@ they want. We have a generation of "little Disney princesses" growing up that have that same attitude. It makes me really sad. My youngest does not need motivation from the movies to encourage more of this behavior. I work hard to help her to know the rules and obey them. 

Second, is the fact that Anna falls in love and is engaged all within a day. Oh brother, our teenagers think that love is all like that. So many of our young adults are growing up, falling in love, then getting divorced several months later when they find out that life isn't always happily ever after.  I am seeing more and more of it, and it makes me sad that it is becoming acceptable to society.  I am trying to teach my children a different kind of love story, one of never ending love. One of real love such as is found in the Bible.  

Third, The song "let it go" Have you really looked and thought about the lyrics that are going round and round peoples heads?   I have highlighted a few phrases in the lyrics below.

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight,
not a footprint to be seen.
A kingdom of isolation and it looks like I'm the queen.
The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside.
Couldn't keep it in, Heaven knows I tried.
Don't let them in, don't let them see.
Be the good girl you always have to be.
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know.
Well, now they know!

Let it go, let it go!
Can't hold it back any more.
Let it go, let it go!
Turn away and slam the door.I don't care what they're going to say.
Let the storm rage on.
The cold never bothered me anyway.

It's funny how some distance,
makes everything seem small.
And the fears that once controlled me, can't get to me at all
It's time to see what I can do,
to test the limits and break through.
No right, no wrong, no rules for me.
I'm free!

Let it go, let it go.
I am one with the wind and sky.
Let it go, let it go.
You'll never see me cry.
Here I'll stand, and here I'll stay.

Let the storm rage on.

My power flurries through the air into the ground.
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around
And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
I'm never going back; the past is in the past!

Let it go, let it go.
And I'll rise like the break of dawn.
Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone
Here I stand, in the light of day.

Let the storm rage on!
The cold never bothered me anyway.

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These are just a few phrases that go through the kids heads. I even find myself humming "no right, no wrong, no rules for me. I'm free" I catch myself and it makes me so upset. This is NOT what I want going through my head. These words, and especially the attitude associated with this song will infiltrate us and eventually destroy us. Music has such a powerful impact. I listen to Christian music on the radio. The other music has no place in my life anymore.  K-love is about the only radio station we listen to. You can find K-love in most cities. Good music makes a huge difference in our lives, and I am saddened that a little song like this has pushed its way onto the stage leaving little room for anything else.

 There is something else about this song. Elsa was originally set to be the villain in the story. The song "let it go" was written for her character, and it seemed so great, they tweaked the movie and made Elsa more of the hero as opposed to a villain. Think about this, the villain is now the hero?  A warning was given about the last days and about such things. in Isaiah 5:20 "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"  I would say that this is a really good example of this and there are more examples all around us.

I was surprised to hear the young people in our congregation sing this song as part of a talent night.
I saw their faces and what I saw amazed me. I could see it in their faces that they were feeling a battle inside. They were seemingly gaining strength to fight the battle as they sang this song, but is this the strength that we want them to gain? I would suggest that this is not the strength of the Lord. Strength in isolation is not it. Strength in numbers, strength in the Lord's ways. (look back at the words again)  In 1 Chronicles 16:11 it says "seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually"  We do not need to do it alone, we cannot do it alone. We need not isolate ourselves, but turn to God and seek his ways. This is what I want my children to learn. Yes, we all have a battle to fight inside of us, but to let it go and give up the fight? Is this really what we want to teach our children, to give into the "natural/carnal minded man" In 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him. I want my children to understand and walk with the spirit of God. I want them to learn to use the gifts that God has given them, not hide them, and not to battle inside with the spiritual gifts they have been given.    
  
I know that not everyone would agree with me, but this is where I stand on this movie. It is not a movie that we are going to buy or entertain in our home. It does not teach anything worthwhile for my family in fact it teaches the opposite of what I want. There is the message of true love that melts Anna's frozen heart. It is there, along with some other great messages, but it is overshadowed by the other things. "Let it go" seems to be the overwhelming message of the movie and the part that people remember and relate to. The other messages get lost.

I wish that I could get the song "let it go" out of our lives completely, but that is nearly impossible. So until then, we can tame it, we can be aware, and when we find ourselves entertaining that song (or any other questionable song for that matter)  we can call it off the stage of our mind and replace it with a hymn or song of praise that will be more uplifting to the soul. 



I would urge you to look into your own life, your own soul. If these words have prompted you to take another look at your life, please do so. Make any changes that you find necessary so you  won't drown in the popular culture.  

Blessings to you all,
 Happy Christian Momma
 

Come unto him and be healed

It all began Sunday with one of the lesser known hymns of our church Come, Ye Disconsolate   I am singing this hymn and realize that I am not sure what this hymn is saying. I can  hardly pronounce disconsolate let alone know what it means.

Come, ye Disconsolate, wher-e're ye languish; Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel. Here bring your wounded hearts; here tell your anguish. Earth has no sorrow that heav'n cannot heal.

Joy of the desolate, Light of the straying, Hope of the penitent fadeless and pure! Here speaks the comforter, tenderly saying, Earth has no sorrow that heav'n cannot cure.

Here see the Bread of life; see waters flowing forth from the throne of God, pure from above. Come to the feast of love; come ever knowing Earth has no sorrow but heav'n can remove.

Text by Thomas Moore 1779-1852
Verse three, Thomas Hastings 1784-1872

I began a study of the meaning of disconsolate and of this hymn. It was a beautiful hymn with a message that God wanted me to understand and live, I could feel it. I wanted to know what the message was and what I was to do with it. I began with a definition of disconsolate. Disconsolate is defined as being beyond consolation. A synonym of the word is discontent which is to long for better things, or a restless desire for something better. Now I was beginning to get somewhere. God was telling me that; When thing get rough and I feel the need for something more, He has the answer I can come to him and he will heal me. 

 

"Come to the mercy seat and fervently kneel". During the month of march I had the opportunity to research the mercy seat while teaching the children of our church the hymn I Stand All Amazed. The mercy seat is the gold covering for the Ark and the covenant. It holds the tablets containing the Law of God, the ten commandments that Moses brought off the mountain. I was beginning to see what God was saying through this beautiful hymn. He is saying, come,  learn of me, live by my word and let me heal you,  In other words; let the Atonement be felt in your life.

He has been teaching me to rely on him as the Bread of life. Rely on him for everything, and quit trying to do it all myself. He is teaching me of his ways and teaching me to work along with him. I am truly learning that his yoke is easy, and his burden is light. (see Matthew 11:28-30). He is teaching me to be a committed, covenant member of his church.

Over the last few weeks a change has taken place. I have truly become hungry with a desire for his word. A desire to be on his side. A desire to know him, A desire that only he can fill.  I am truly feasting upon the words of Christ. He is filling my soul in ways I never even imagined. He is opening my eyes to the changes that are to come as the world prepares for his second coming. It is truly a joy to be a part of the work of God. The time is short, there is much to do to prepare the world and the churches for his coming, I am glad to stand as one who loves the Lord and share my witness of  his love, grace and truth and be a part of this great work.


Blessing to you all as you find your place with God.

P.S.  Since I began this post I have been singing the chorus of a little song by the group Pocket full of rocks; it is a song that I find myself often singing. It had often brought hope when it seemed hopeless.

 

You can come as you are with all your broken pieces
And all your shameful scars
The pain you hold in your heart, you bring it all to Jesus
You can Come As You Are
 

I have included some Amazon links below so you can download some of these wonderful songs and hymns and bring the wonderful message of Christ into your life.


,,,,



Note the links above are Amazon affiliate links. This means that when you click on them you are allowing me to refer you to Amazon. I get a small proceed from Amazon by referring you to them. This helps keep the work going here at disciple walk.  You can read the full disclosure by clicking on the privacy policy tab at the top of the page.  

Is it OK to challenge your beliefs?

I had a friend who grew up in a community and a home where religion was a mainstay. In her home there were many rules and everyone was expected to adhere to those rules. This is how it was. As she grew older she became aware that there were others who did not share in her beliefs nor live by those same rules. She began to question her faith, and to her parents dismay, she has strayed far away from those rules and traditions that she was taught, even to the point of publicly mocking her family, close friends, and others who follow any religion.

It is a pattern that we see so often in life. There are many who follow the rules, regulations, and religion taught to them, and then.... when exposed to something different, get swayed by popular opinions and begin to believe something different than what they have been traditionally taught. I have heard it said that any belief is nothing more than a thought or opinion that you have come to treat as automatically correct. Once we label it as a "belief" we convince ourselves that it is different and must not be questioned.  I would ask, is this true?


I grew up in that very same religion this friend mentioned above but, I was taught in a different manner. We were given many of those same rules to live by, but we were not forced and coerced into living them. We were taught that these rules were there to guide, protect and help us. We were given the opportunity to live by the rules. We were given the opportunity to choose to live in righteousness, for righteousness is chosen and cannot be forced. We were taught to govern ourselves within the boundaries that God has set for they will never change. We were taught in the same manner as the Savior taught when he invited the those who would be his apostles to "come follow me"  He did not force them to come and be a disciple but called out to them who would hear and follow.


Jesus Christ himself challenged the popular beliefs of those in Jerusalem and surrounding areas. He challenged those who "professed to believe."  He set the pattern for us to follow. We cannot fall prey to the idea that something must be true because that’s what lots of people believe. The number of believers has no bearing on how correct it is. There was a time when just about everyone believed, in fact they knew for an obvious fact that the world was flat. That didn’t make them right. How can we tell if our beliefs and actions are correct?  How do we know we are on the correct path? I would suggest asking questions? If we do not question, if we do not challenge our beliefs we are easily swayed by popular opinion.

 
From my friend Caleb Warnock's blog

Two years ago, I was at a local university to hear a speech by New York Times editor and writer Tom Zeller Jr. While taking questions from the audience, he was asked about how the media is doing when it comes to helping the people understand complex issues.

His answer jolted me.

Media has changed, he said -- and so have we, the consumers of media.

"It is easier than ever now for individuals seeking information to find only information that affirms their preconceived notions of an idea," Zeller said. "It is very difficult to be exposed to information that challenges your point of view."

This answer was interesting to me. We live in a world of information that is mind boggling. It is easy to find people that believe the same way you do. It is also very easy to let that be a way to excuse ourselves into thinking that what we are doing is right. It makes it easier to let sin creep into our lives. It is easy to find someone who will stand with you in the wrong. I would suggest that the time is now to question some of your beliefs and habits to examine where you stand with God and Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore, if in man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new. Have you become changed through your belief in Christ? Are you following Christ, or the things of the world? Are you becoming a new creature in Christ, or are you an old creature of habit?

In the United states it used to be that the Christian ideals were upheld in society itself. It was easier to live a Christian life because it was popular to believe and uphold those values. It was a part of everyday life and society. Things have changed. We have come to a point that upholding Christian faith takes much more strength. It is not popular to be a Christian anymore, but as a Christian I still stand. Who is standing with me? If you have not decided for sure, I would suggest that now is the time to decide and show whether you are on the Lord's side.  You cannot stand with the world and Christ too.  They are not compatible, society does not uphold the things of Christ anymore. The time has come to choose sides.  "Choose ye this day, whom you will serve....... but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord"

May the Lord bless each of you as you examine your own lives and strive to come closer to him.

Is there a place for Christ in your life?

Jesus invites us in the scriptures to "come, follow me" We are invited to walk with Jesus and learn from him. We are invited to learn from his words as we walk daily with him.

Walking daily with Christ, what does that mean for you? Does it include prayer, devotion, scripture study and your time and attention? For far to many it means read a verse or two of scriptures, and make sure to check in with a prayer at the end of the day. It is something that we have put on our "to do list". It is something that is a part of our routine along with everything else in life. The trouble is that this is not quite what Jesus had in mind for us.

When our attitude is "I have said my prayer, I read in the scriptures today, I checked in with Jesus"  We are really missing out on what the Savior has to say. It too often looks something like this; Jesus is walking down the path with some of his disciples and everyday we jog by and say to him things like, "hey, I read about Daniel and the lions den today, good thing you saved him from those hungry lions."  The next day it is like, "Hey Jesus, today I read about Job, I am glad you gave him strength to keep going when things got rough. Speaking of thing getting rough, I got to get going on my way, it's going to be a busy, rough day today." This goes on every day, we are jogging by, checking in and telling Jesus what we did and what we read. Then one day, we come to a crossroad, Jesus and his disciples take a turn, We holler down the path at him, "Hey Jesus, today I read about your birth, such a great story" The next day we look down that path he went down and can't really see him but tell the person going down that path "Hey, when you see Jesus tell him......" 

Walking daily with Christ is more than just Checking in every day. It is more than just talking at him as we pass by him. It is taking the time to walk with him, talk with him, spend time observing and learning his ways. It is being on that path with him. It is being aware. It is being engaged with him. 

There is a big difference between making time for Christ in our lives, and taking time to let Christ into our lives.

This is illustrated in the Bible with the story of two sisters, Martha and Mary.
Luke 10:38-42  KJV

³⁸ Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
⁴⁰ But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
⁴¹ And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
⁴² But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

In these short simple verses a great lesson is learned. Martha was busy, she thought she was serving the Lord well. She had great desires to serve him. She would sit and listen to him; just as soon as she got done with all the other things she had going on. She was working hard, she asked for help from her sister to get the work done so that she could make the time to squeeze in a short visit with Christ while he was there. Mary on the other hand, was taking time with Christ while he was there with them. See the difference? 


There is a song that is popular among many Christians. 

He Walks With Me (In The Garden)"

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The son of God discloses.

And he walks with me and he talks with me
And he tells me I am his own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known.

He speaks and the sound of his voice is so sweet
The birds hush their singing
And the melody that he gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

And he walks with me and he talks with me
And he tells me I am his own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known.

I'd stay in the garden with him
Though the night around me is falling
But He bids me go through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling...

 
In this beautiful song it talks about taking the time to go to the garden and be with Christ. This is what a disciple does. A true disciple of Christ does not schedule in time for Jesus. A true disciple takes the time and allows themselves to be taught at the feet of the master.

My prayer for each of you today is that you will take a moment to re-evaluate where you are in your discipleship walk with Christ. If you can only take a moment today with Christ, then do that; But put it into your sights to walk, talk, and tarry a while with Christ tomorrow, and the day after that and so on.  

Thoughts on discipleship

I am a disciple of Christ, although I did not live on the earth at the same time that he did, I can walk in his ways.


What is a disciple?  What does being a disciple mean for me? Why choose this path? What do I hope to gain from this experience?

                                                                ... Bannister - Edward Mitchell Bannister Woman Walking down Path Painting

First we have to define discipleship. As taken from Dictionary.com

di·ci·ple /dɪˈsaɪpəl/ Show Spelled [dih-sahy-puhl]  

noun

1. Religion .

a. one of the 12 personal followers of Christ.

b. one of the 70 followers sent forth by Christ. Luke 10:1.

c. any other professed follower of Christ in His lifetime.

2. any follower of Christ.

3. ( initial capital letter ) a member of the Disciples of Christ.

4. a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another; follower: a disciple of Freud. 

verb (used with object), dis·ci·pled, dis·ci·pling.

5. Archaic. to convert into a disciple.

6. Obsolete . to teach; train.

 

 

 

 

A Christian disciple is a lifelong learner, or student studying in the ways of Christ; choosing to walk a path that leads to eternal life with him.

 

Being a disciple means that I choose a different life than that which is popular in society. It means that I choose the better way, even when that way seems a bit hard and goes against popular belief. It means that I make choices that others may not understand. Being a disciple means that I follow that piece of my heart that belongs to Jesus Christ; for he has given me the breath of life.

Why choose this path? Why choose to shy away from popular culture? Why choose that which would seem to be restrictive? I choose this because I see the hope that it gives to those who have and are walking the path. I choose this because it gives me a bright hope for the future. This is the only path gets me to where I ultimately want to be which is; eternal life in the kingdom of God.

 

Being a disciple of Christ gives me a real purpose. It gives me direction. It gives me what I need to have real success. It gives me hope when I feel hopeless. It gives me true comfort and peace. I truly can feel the peace that only he can give. As he says in the scriptures: John 14:27 King James Version (KJV)

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.


This passage of scripture speaks to my inner heart. I have felt that peace that only he can give. I choose to live my life in a manner that allows me to feel these feelings often. I choose to feel it now as well as in the eternities. It is my desire. I am not afraid to speak of Christ, I have a desire to share with people my discipleship, and to help them in their own quest for discipleship. I am a learner, I am a student of the Master teacher the one who gives me life; Jesus Christ.
 
I am a God in training.  I will become as he is. This path is not always easy and I will struggle to understand some of the obstacles in my way. I will get tired and feel defeated at times. It is part of the training, pushing me to be more than I ever imagined. I will be his servant, and student.  I will watch and learn. I will help and serve while here upon earth. I look forward to the day when I meet him face to face and he shall say  "well done, thou good and faithful servant"