How God Works Through Suffering

God...comforts us in all our afflictions so
that we may able to comfort those who are in any
affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are
comforted by God
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

In 2 Corinthians chapter 1, three reasons are given for suffering. Admittedly, there may be dozens of other reasons, but there are three specific reasons God allows suffering:

~That we might have the capacity to enter into others'sorrow and affliction

~That we might learn what it means to depend on Him

~ That we might learn to give thanks in everything

Specific pain enables us to comfort others specifically. If you lose your child. God uses you in the life of a mother as she endures the loss of her child. If you have struggled through the dark tunnel of divorce, no one understands as you do, when a friend tell you a spouse just walked out the door. I've never had cancer. I couldn't offer the depth of comforts you could if you've had that disease. That's how God works.

From: Encouragement for Life, Charles R. Swindoll

Groom/Bride Relationship with Jesus

A radiant bride greeted guests with a briliant smile as she entered the reception hall after the wedding ceremony. She gracefully moved about the room, the train of her white gown flowing along the floor behind her, her veil cascading down her button-adorned back. She conversed with each guest one by one, taking the time to mingle and soak up the compliments. "You look absolutely lovely." "Your dress is divine." The lavish praises rang on and on. The bride couldn't be more proud or more appreciative of the crowd's adoration. She could have listened to them swoon over all evening. As a matter of fact she did. But where was the groom? All the attention focused on the bride and never once did she call anyone's attention to her husband. She didn't even notice his absence at her side. Scanning the room, I searched for him wondering. Where he could be?. I finally found him, but not where I expected him to be. The groom stood alone over in the corner of the room with his head down. As he stared at his ring, twisting the gold band that his bride just placed on his finger, tears trickled down his cheeks and onto his hands. That is when I noticed the nail scars. The groom was Jesus. He waited, but the bride never once turned her face toward the groom. She never held His hand. She never introduced the guests to Him. She operated independently of Him. I awoke with a sick feeling in my stomach, realizing that I'd been dreaming. "Lord, this is how I made you feel when I was looking for love in all the wrong places?" I wept at the thought of hurting Him so deeply.

From: Every Young Woman's Battle, by Shannon Ethridge and Stephen Arterburn

Special to Me

One of my best friends wrote this awesome poem for me! <3>

Your Love brings a smile to people's faces
You are constantly showing God's love and grace
With just a couple words you can make people glad
And with you, no one is ever sad
I know have tough times
But remember God's love doesn't cost a dime
I know you worry about school,
But trust me, I know you are no fool
I know you get down And support a frown
But remember those who care for you
And we will be right here; encouragement for all that you do
By: Kendra Lee

Let Him be Your First Love

There is no one in this world who wants to grow old alone. Everyone needs someone. We are made to love one another. We are made to have a desire to be loved. The problem is, not everyone knows about the love of Christ. He is the ONLY one who can satisfied this desire. He is the one who can make us feel loved. One of the best things about the love that He offers is it will never fail. He loves each one of us the same. His love is new everyday. One thing that He wants from us is to make Him as our first love before we love others. God is Love; therefore, no one can offer his/her love to someone else without making God as his/her first love.


However, God can fill our heart to overflowing with the Love and intimacy that we crave (Every Young Woman's Battle). If we have a desire to seek His face first, then He will bless us with other desires in our heart.

Psalm 37:4~ Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Matthew 6:33~But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

God knows what's BEST for us, and He will give everything that our Heart desires at the right time.

Ecclesiastes 3:11~ He has made everything beautiful in its time.

God could be the perfect love in our life because His love never fails. He is patient, He is not selfish, He is a good listener, He is gentle, He knows what we need, He respects us, we can talk to Him whenever we want to because He always there for us, He protects us, He will never hurt us, He has the Greatest Love and there is nothing we can do to make Him love us less.

His Love is PERFECT!!

He is pursuing you everyday and He is thrilled by your beauty!!

Let Jesus fill your heart with His Love and you will never feel Empty!

Pure Mind

Our Heart is Christ's Home, there are different rooms in our heart and God likes to visit each room in our heart if you are willing to invite Him to come.

Phillipians 4:8: Keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holly, friendly, and proper. Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise.
This is a story about how God wants to clean our mind so it will be holly and pure. This story is from a book called "Living in Christ" by Billy Graham The first room we looked at together was the study--the library. Let us call it the study of the mind. Now in my home this room of the mind is a small room with thick walls. But it is an important room. In a sense, it is the control room of the house. He (God) entered with me and looked around at the books in the bookcase, the magazines on the table, the pictures on the walls. As I followed his gaze, I became uncomfortable. Strangely enough, I had not felt bad about this room before, but now that He was there with me looking at these things, I was embarassed. There were some books on the shelves His eyes were too pure to look at. On the table were a few magazines that a Christian has no business reading. As for the pictures on the walls, the imaginations and thoughts of my mind. Some of these were shameful. Red-faced, I turned to Him and said, "Master, I know this room really needs to be cleaned up and made over. Will you help me shape it up and change it the way it ought to be?" "Certainly", He replied. "I am glad to help you! I have come to handle things like this. First of all, take all the material you are reading and viewing which are not true, good, pure, and helpful, and throw them out! Now put on the empty shelves the books of the Bible. Fill the library with the Scriptures and meditate on them day and night. As for the pictures on the walls, you will have difficulty controlling these images, but I have something that will help." He gave me a full sized portrait of himself. "Hang this centrally," He said", on the wall of the mind." I did, and I have discovered through the years when my thoughts are centered on Christ, the awareness of His presence, purity and power causes wrong and impure thoughts to back away. So He has helped me to bring my thoughts under His control, but the struggle remains. If you have difficulty with this little room of the mind, let me encourage you to bring Christ there. Pack it full with the Word of God, study it, meditate on it and keep clearly before you the presence of the Lord Jesus.

God Loves Spending Time With You

This is a story from a book called "Living In Christ, Finding Peace With God"Billy Graham. It talks about how God loves to spend time with us and even though we're too busy, He is always waiting patiently :)
We moved next into the living room. This was a quiet, comfortable room with a warm atmosphere. I liked it. It has a fireplace, sofa, overstuffed chairs, a bookcase and an intimate atmosphere. He (God) also seemed pleased with it. He said. "Indeed, this is a delightful room. Let's come here often. It's scheduled and quiet, and we can have good talks and fellowship together." Well naturally, as a young Christian I was thrilled. I couldn't think of anything I would rather do than have a few minutes alone with Christ in close companionship. He promised, "I will be here every morning early." Meet me here and we will start the day together. So, morning after morning, I would go downstairs to the living room. He would take a book of the bible from the bookcase, open it, and we would read it together. He would unfold to me the wonder of God's saving truth recorded on its pages and make my heart sing as He shared all He had done for me and would be to me. Those times together were wonderful. Through the bible and His holly spirit, He would talk to me. In prayer I would respond. So our friendship deepened in these quiet times of personal conversation. However, under the pressure of many responsibilities, little by little, this time began to be shortened. Why, I'm not sure. Somehow I assumed I was just too busy to give special, regular time to be with Christ. This was not a deliberate decision, you undertand it; it just seemed to happen that way. Eventually not only was the period shortened, but I began to miss days now and then, such as during midterms or finals. Matters of urgency demanding my attention were continually crowding out the quiet times of conversation with Jesus. Often I would miss it two days in a row or more. One morning, I recall rushing down the steps in a hurry to be on my way to an important appointment. As I passed the living room, the door was open. Glancing in I saw a fire in the fireplace and Jesus sitting there. Suddenly, in dismay, it came to me. He is my guest. I invited Him into my heart! He has come as my savior and friend to live with me. Yet here I am neglecting Him. I stopped, turned and hesistantly went in. With downcast glance I said,"Master, I'm sorry! Have you been here every morning?" "Yes" He said, "I told you I would be here to meet with you." I was even more ashamed! He had been faithful in spite of my faithlessness. I asked Him to forgive me and He did, as He always does when we acknowledge our failures and want to do the right thing. He said, "The trouble is that you have been thinking of the quiet time, of Bible study and prayer, as means for your own spiritual growth. This is true, but you have forgotten that this time means something to me also. Remember, I love you. At a great cost I have redeemed you. I value your felowship. Just to have you look up into my face, warms my heart.
Don't neglect this hour if only for my sake. Whether or not you want to be with me, remember I want to be with you. I really LOVE you!" You know the truth that Christ wants my fellowship, that He loves me, wants me to be with Him and waits for me, has done more to transform my quiet time with God than any other single fact. Don't let Christ wait alone in the living room of your heart, but everyday find a time and place when, with the Word of God and in prayer, you may be together with Him.

Don't Be Afraid

Whenever you are afraid just remember that it is not from God but it's from the Devil. God doesn't give us the spirit of fear.

2 Timothy 1:7~ For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of Love, and of self discipline.

The Devil likes to give us the spirit of fear to disturb our own thoughts. He likes it when we are worried because He knew that God doesn't like it when we are worried. When we are afraid, we will feel desperate and don't know what to do, this is the perfect time for the Devil to whisper in our ears and to make us walk farther from God. When this thing happens to us, don't give up but keep PRAYING. We have to believe that our God is much BIGGER that our fears. Believe it or not, the Devil is a Loser!!

Phillipians 4:6-7~ Don't worry about anything but PRAY about everything. With Thankful hearts offer up your prayers and request to God. Because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with PEACE that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.

With the Peace from the Lord, we can control the way we think and feel, that's why we can do the right thing if our heart is peaceful. Therefore, if the Devil fulfilled our hearts with fear, that means we will act and make decisions according to his way, because there is no peace in our hearts, as a result will make the WRONG decisions and do the wrong thing. We are not able to control the way we think or feel because the Devil takes control of our thoughts and feelings.

Isaiah 41:13~ For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you: Don not Fear, I Will help you.

When we filled our cup with fears, then there is no room for God to fill our cup with His Love, Power, and Peace.

We should believe in greater things, everything happens for a reason and God is taking care of us. He knows where we stand and He understands what we feel. Anything that is important to us is also important to God! because He CARES!! That's why we don't have to be Afraid!

Don't let the Devil defeats us with FEARS! Fight the Devil with the word of God, because He is bigger and stronger than our fears.

Jesus Watches Over Me

I was lonely
You came waltzing over to me
And Your eyes they saw right through me
And You heard each one of my cries for help
And You came to rescue me
I was broken
Every prayer that I had spoken
Reached Your ears and all my tears weren’t cried in vain
You carried all my pain
And put me back together again
You watch over me in the darkest valleys
You watch over me when the night seems long
You help me to see the way before me
You watch over me; You watch over me
Always faithful
To be leading, at this moment
Interceding for Your children
Though I’ve wandered astray from Your infinite ways
You’ve never left me alone -[to chorus]
Take my frozen heart; awaken me
Never once have You forsaken me
Even though I walk through this shadow of death
You will guide and defend me
You’ll guard and protect me
Even though I walk through this shadow of death
You will lead me home

~Aaron Shust~

How to Build Biblical Friendships

Friendship is the best gift you can give someone. It is the most intimate bond humans can form between each other. The following tips are for male and female friendships.
Before we become friends with some people, we need to know the strategy how to make people to like us:

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.

• We cannot expect other people to like us, if we are not even interested in them. Or we only interested in them in certain things, like their physical, just because we knew that that person is smart, or rich. We have to be genuine, we have to like them because who they are.

2. SMILE

• Who wants to be friends with someone who always looks angry or in a bad mood all the time??. Smile is really important, other people will know that you are a friendly person.

3. Remember that a man's name is to him the sweetest sound in any language.

• Everybody likes to hear their name. When you called someone by their names, that person will know that you are trying to get to know them better and care about them.

4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

• Don't be a selfish person, who likes to talk about himself and his problems. Lots of people need someone to listen to them.
  

5. Talk in terms of the other man's interest 6. Make other person feel important and do it sincerely.
BE YOURSELF!

God does not intend that every friendship we attempt to initiate we should develop. Every one has a limited capacity for friendship and each person has a different capacity for numbers of friends.
BENEFITS OF FRIENDSHIPS:

1. Emotional Encouragement

• Proverbs 27:9: The sweet smell of incense can make you feel good, but true friendship is better still.

2. Help in trouble

• Proverbs 17:17: A friend is always a friend, and relatives born to share our troubles.

3. Personal Stability 4. Spiritual Help and counsel

• Proverbs 27:17: Just as iron sharpens iron, friends sharpen the minds of each other.

5. Freedom of expression 6. Protection from loneliness and isolation 7. Love and Acceptance

• Proverbs 27:6: You can trust a friend who corrects you, but kisses from enemies are nothing but lies.
  

8. Opportunities to give ourselves to others
INGREDIENTS OF LASTING FRIENDSHIP

1. Spiritual stimulation

• Hebrew 10:24-25: We should keep on encouraging one another to be thoughtful and to do helpful things.

2. Prayer. Intimate friends pray with and for one another 3. Accountability. A close Christian friend has the right and responsibility to hold us responsible for our actions. 4. Encouragement and Affirmation 5. Helping and Serving 6. Having FUN together. 7. Teamwork in spiritual battle
ALERT: Constant togetherness will ruin any friendship

The Basic for Marriage Friendship

1.Respect and Courtesy 2.Mutual Interest 3.Good Communication 4.Keeping confidences 5.Encouraging personal goals

Share His Blessings

Sometimes it is hard for us to depend ourselves on something that we cannot see [God]. We usually depend ourselves on our parents, friends, and money [of course]. In fact, none of those will last forever. We cannot live forever with our parents and friends. Sometimes we don't have enough money to buy what we need. People are going crazy to get lots of money. They will do everything to get rich and they think that their life will be so much better. The saddest part is, people are usually think about themselves instead of helping other people around them. They don't care about others. They don't care if other people are hungry, thirsty, need a place to sleep, need someone to encourage them, or need someone to listen to them. What if those people were actually the angels that God sent from heaven, to see whether you will pass the test or not.

I was listening to a song by Brad Paisley called What If She is an Angel, for me this song is really touchy, so I would like to share the lyrics:

Here's a man standing on the corner With a sign sayin "will work for food"
You know the man You see him every morning
The one you never give your money to
You can sit there with your window rolled up
Wondering when the lights going to turn green
Never knowing what a couple more bucks In his pocket might mean
What if he's an angel sent here from heaven
And he's making certain that you're doing your best to take the time to help one another. Brother are you going to pass that test
You can go on with your day to day trying to forget what you saw in his face Knowing deep down it could have been his saving grace.
What if he's an angel

A little girl on daddy's lap Hiding her disease with a baseball cap.
You can turn the channel. Most people do.
But what if you were sitting in her daddy's shoes. Maybe she's an angel.
Sent here from Heaven. And she's making certain you're doing your best to take the time to help one another. Brother are you going to pass that test
You can go on with your day to day trying to forget what you saw in her face Knowing deep down it could have been her saving grace
What if she's an angel

From my experienced, the reason why it is hard for me to give what I have to other people is because I am afraid that I won't have enough for myself. It's my selfishness that always stopped me from doing what God wants me to do.

In fact, in Matthew 6:25-27 God taught us that we don't have to worry about anything.

God says: So I tell you, don't worry about the food or drink you need to live, or about the clothes you need for your body. Life is more than food and the body is more important than clothes. Look at the birds in the air. They don't plant or harvest or store food in the barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. And you know that you worth much more than the birds. You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it.

From this verse I learned that I don't need to worry to share what I have with others, because God is taking care of me everyday. He is adding everything that I need, I don't have to worry that I won't have enough for myself. God is providing everything. When we are helping other people, God will doubled His blessings for us.

The MOST Important point is: You should depend on God and share His blessings!

The Lord will blessed you physically, emotionally, and financially if you depend yourself on Him. Give your life to Him and don't worry about anything. God is a provider and He is never late. He will give everything you need at the right time.

Isaiah 26:3-4: You Lord, give true peace to those who depend on you, because they trust you. So trust the Lord always, because He is our Rock FOREVER!

Psalm 116:5-9
The Lord is Kind and does what is right: Our God is Merciful. The Lord watches over the foolish; When I was helpless He saved me. I said to myself; "Relax, because the Lord takes care of you." Lord, you saved me from death. You stopped my eyes from crying; you kept me from being defeated So I walk with the Lord in the land of the living.

Try to walk with Christ and trust Him. Share the blessings that He gave you, don't keep them for yourself. If you always do your best to give other people what they need, then God will do the same thing to you. He sees all the good things that you did to other people; therefore, He will make sure that you will get everything that you need. DON'T BE AFRAID TO SHARE!

Understand His Teachings

I've been reading a devotion book that my friend (Lezlie) gave me for Christmas. In one of the devotions it talks about how some people are reading the bible and go to church but they never understand the messages from God. That's why they usually refused to obey God's commandments. They are too stubborn to listen to what God has to say. They never know that God has so many blessings for them if they are willing to take the chances and obeying His words.

God has promised us in Matthew 6:33:

"But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything will be added to you"

If we understand God's words, then we will know what He wants us to do. We are seeking His face and His Kingdom by reading our bible, praying, worshipping Him, be a witness, and helping others. If we can make a commitment to God and seek Him with our heart, then He will give everything we need, and sometimes we don't even have to ask for it because He will provide every single thing that we need.

I read a really cool verse while I was reading my devotion book

How I love your teachings!
I think about them all day long.
I have avoided every evil way, so I could obey your word.
Your promises are sweet to me, sweeter than honey in my mouth!
Your orders give me understanding.
So I hate lying ways.

Your Word is like a lamp for my feet and a light for my path
I will do what I have promised and obey your fair laws.

Psalm 119:97, 101, 103-106

God will NEVER dissapoint you, your life will be so much brighter if you walk with Jesus and obeying His teachings. Don't be stubborn. Our God is a sweet God. He will appreciate it, if you give your time to obey His teachings and understand His messages for you. Try to understand His teachings NOW! and be a blessing to others. Make God proud of you in whatever you're doing.