A Christ-filled Christmas

Revelation 3:20, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."

As I sat reading this scripture at my church's Christmas Eve Eve service last night, I really thought about the "if's" of this passage. "If anyone hears my voice" and "If you open the door". Can you hear His voice? With the busyness of the Christmas time and all the things going on with school, at home, on the sports field, etc, can you hear Him? I came across a nice quote the other day,"Make time for the quiet moments as God whispers and the world is loud." I do not think it is ironic that Jesus came to earth not as a conquering king, but as a meek and quiet baby. Do you take time to escape from the world and just listen to His voice and read His word and bask in His glory? Also, will you open the door for Him? I once heard a story about the different rooms in our heart. It told about this person who was showing Jesus around the rooms of their heart and Jesus said to the person that he wanted to have their whole heart. Will you open the door of your heart to Him? It is up to you because he does not force His way in, instead he waits patiently for you. Can You hear Him calling out to you as he tries to get your attention and pull you away from the distractions of this world? This Christmas will it be different than the other ones? Will you appreciate the time spent with family more than the presents that will just waste away in closets as dust piles up on them in the years to come? Will you focus on the gift of baby Jesus and the love He shows us everyday by wanting a relationship with each and every one of us?

P.S. Sorry if you have already gone to service and this sounds exactly like it. I could not help, but write a post about it because I thought service was superb!

A Little Margin (more like a big one)

The latest series at good ol' Mountain Christian Church has been "I'm Dreaming of a White Space Christmas." We have been digesting the idea that every single one of us needs some down time in life. Our society encourages us to keep going and give it our all while having a jam-packed schedule. But in reality this intangible. Every one of us gets burnt out and tired and cranky when life gets a little too busy or exhausting. The idea that I need down time, is one I have thought about. I enjoy time alone in fact, even though I am a people person down to my very core. It gives me time to take a breath, think about things, and meditate on Him. I do this every morning which is a necessary part of my daily schedule, but I am starting to think that I should do it throughout the day if possible. When I get stressed I usually cry. I enjoy crying because it helps me get things out and usually I will journal about it or call up a friend. This happens more than I like it too. With the jam-packed schedule of an active teenager, things can get crazy. I am starting to realize that my moods really do affect other people. If I come home and I am upset about something, it affects my family. Who wants to come home to a cranky, emotional teenager? It needs to stop. I am done being so stressed that I break down and take it out on other people. I am done trying to carry the world on my shoulders. You can have it all Lord because I cannot handle it. Only You can.

Ephesians 5:15, "Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

I refuse to conform.

Freedom?!

The other day during devotions I stumbled across this passage: Romans 3:22-24, "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Christ Jesus to all who believe, There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Yes, the passage is a message for the Jews and Gentiles that righteousness and uprightness does not come from following the law, but from faith in Christ Jesus because of the sacrifice He made on the cross. This got me thinking.....am I free? I am free! Christ saved me from enslavement to sin and guilt and fear, but does that change how I live my life? I am constantly living in fear and entanglement. Yes, God gave us guidelines to live by and one might think, "That makes you enslaved to the rules of the Bible." Actually, no. It makes me even more free, because God shows us the things we should avoid in life so that we are further away from trials and pain. God shows us a way of life that has benefits and purpose and challenge and excitement, even though the world does not understand it. So, I am free. Are you? Have you recognized the gift of the Savior for YOU. Do not pass up this moment without thanking Him for all He has done.

The Necklace that Saved Our Lives

Have you ever had a moment in life that takes you completely off guard? I had a moment like that last night. Life has been completely wonderful lately, God has been blessing me and I have this wonderful joy. The past couple of days have been a bit rough with some of the relationships in my life, but I knew I could get through them and that the Lord was giving me strength. Anyways, last night my dad and I were driving to our church for some meetings, talking about going on a missions trip together and talking about life in general. My dad is my best friend. I have an extremely close relationship with my parents that I praise God for! Yes, it might sound ridiculous that a teenage girl would be close to her parents, but it is an immense blessing! We were coming up on a road right next to our church's cemetery, when traffic started to slow because a man had hit a deer in the lane on the other side of the road. A man had stepped out of his car, near the deer which was in the middle of the road, so that he could take it out of it's misery. As my dad and I slowly stopped, we sat in our car waiting for traffic to move. We were a minute away from our church, maybe less. My dad rolled down his window to speak to the man near the deer when all of a sudden BOOM! My dad described it as an explosion going off. I didn't understand, I knew we had been hit by another car, but we had been at a complete stop, I was so confused! I broke out into hysterics, just crying my eyes out. Dad kept asking me, "Are you alright? Does anything hurt?" I was luckily fine, only a bruise on my upper thigh from the seat belt, but my dad unfortunately was not so lucky. He complained of his neck and knee hurting. It was so awful to see my dad in pain, he was my sturdy foundation and now he was hurt, I had to be the strong one. I started to collect all of our belongings and I couldn't find my cellphone. It had been in my lap at the time of the accident and I had no idea where it had gone. It could have flown out of the window for all I knew. After probably fifteen minutes of searching I found my phone on the dashboard! Not only had it popped up, but it had also slid onto the exact opposite side of where I was sitting. I slowly started to take notice of all the damage. All of our windows had broken, my dad's chair had broken, our trunk was halfway hit in, it looked awful! I have always called my Dad's car Ruby and had been looking forward to driving her one day! Unfortunately, as my Mom said, Ruby is going to be cremated. The rest of the night passed in craziness between the ambulance coming and my mom and brother coming and going to the hospital and everything. I called close friends to say a prayer for my dad and somehow the word spread far and wide! My brother had posted it on Facebook, but so many people heard the news! Thank you so much to all who prayed for us! I believe in the power of prayer. With all of my heart. My dad had to have a ct scan and an x-ray done at the hospital, but only God could make it so that he was fine! He came home earlier than expected and is fine this morning. We are both a bit stiff, but that is such a relief knowing that either of us could have died last night! Right before we had left to go to the hospital, a witness saw my Dad's cross necklace wrapped around his rear view mirror and said to me, "You might need this." I will never take that necklace off. My dad wants to put it in the next car we get, but I refuse. Yes, the necklace did not save us, it was God. My Savior, Lord, Protector. Only He is the one that saved us. Anything much worse could have happened last night and I am praising Him for my life and also my Dad's. I know there was a reason why our lives were spared. It might just be the perfect timing to happen right before Thanksgiving, because I have never been this thankful for life.
Psalm 103:13-16 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass,they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone,and its place remembers it no more.

Ready

Last night, believe it or not, three hundred and fifty students gathered for FCA's Fields of Faith at C. Milton Wright's stadium. It was an amazing night of worship, student testimonies, and prayer. I'm not sure how anyone could have come last night without being deeply moved. What is more encoruaging than knowing that people you don't even know are struggling with the same things that you are? Knowing that they are willing to pray for you and encourage you and worship with you is an incredible feeling! To hear the souls of some of the speakers just poured out, encouraging us to have a REAL and PERSONAL relationship with Christ was amazing. As God moved in our heart's last night, I heard Him whisper in mine, "Don't let this become a routine. Don't let your faith become boring and mean nothing. It has to mean everything, Megan. It has to be the center of your world." Which got me thinking...is it? Really? Are there huge leaps of faith that I need to be taking every single day? Because that is what Christ would have done, in fact that is what Christ did! Do I need to dive deeper into scripture and live more passionatley and tell more people about His grace and love? Yes! There cannot be anything holding me back, no barriers, no distractions, just self-sacrifice and love for Him without any regrets or cares in the world. Complete focus on Him. What kind of impact would that make? What kind of blessing would that be? "And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us? And if our God is with us, then what could stand against? Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other. Our God is healer, awesome in power, our God, our God."

Glimpses of God in Every Season

As my dad and I drove to church this morning, we got to thinking about the different seasons and how they portray our relationship with Him. Winter is when all the leaves are dying and everything is dead and cold. The snow symbolizes Christ's death and how he was a pure sacrifice and as white as snow. He died for us so that we could have new life and live with Him one day in eternity. Spring rolls around and it shows new birth. How Christ gives us new life and changes our hearts just like the flowers springing up and the new animals being born. Summer comes and it makes one think of the deserts in life. Once your faith starts really happening you soon realize that being a Christian doesn't mean your life is fine and dandy. It's hard, it has it's ups and downs, it has it's trials, and has it's deserts. Then, Fall comes and its symbolizes the change that Christ brings to our lives. How He continues to make us different and more like Him at all times during our walk of faith. He uses different situations and people and resources and more to change our hearts. Through all of these seasons though, there are those trees that don't change. The evergreens. Their leaves don't change just like some people's hearts don't. They are not changed by Christ's love or power or mercy or sacrifice. They stay the same. There are a lot of people like that in the world. Are you one? Do you see His beauty all around you? In our chapel service this week for school, the pastor spoke about being renewed each and every day by Christ's holiness. By how much we need Him and how awful we are compared to Him. How set apart He is. Are you renewed each day by that reality? During this season of Fall, is He changing your heart? Who is He making you to be?

Easier Said Then Done

Ephesians 4:15-16, "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."
I'm not sure if it's just me, but love seems to be a huge thing these days. The world around us is telling us we need to fall in love or be nice to everyone and have world peace, etc, etc, blah blah blah. I think love is huge. I'm not talking about love as in the mushy gushy kind, I'm talking about the love that helps others and is accepting, etc. In the above verse, I feel like love is very crucial! It says that the body "grows and builds itself up in love". If we are the body (yes, the Casting Crowns song just started to play in my head), then we need love. Love is a part of everything in our lives. The way we treat people is extremely important since we are around people almost all the time. The way we love others influences our relationship with them. If we loved every single person the way Christ loved people, man, would the world be wonderful. In reality, it is the exact oppoosite. It is HARD to love people! I am constantly worrying about my relationships with people and what they think of me and trying to make sure I act the right way around them. Our relationships with people are messy, but how big of a blessing would it be if we incorporated the amazing love Jesus had into them. So how will you live your life today? Loving everyone is easier said then done. Will you choose to love every single person the way Christ did. To essentially see them through the cross...and to be a blessing.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
"(Insert you name in every blank)_ is patient, _ is kind. _ does not envy, _ does not boast, _ is not proud. _ is not rude, _ is not self-seeking, _ is not easily angered. _ keeps no record of wrongs. _ does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. _ always protects. always trusts, always hopes, always perserveres."

Piercing like a Sword

Proverbs 12:18, "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." I never really thought about how my words can pierce like a sword. Now I don't know about you, but I would definitely not be able to handle a sword. 1. I'm clumsy. 2. I'm not very coordinated. 3. I'm a blonde and I just don't think a combination of those three would work out very well. But really, our words are like a sword. If I can't handle an actual sword, I really don't think I can handle my words. They can cut someone down or build them up in two seconds flat. What would our lives look like if we spent every opportunity of our day building others up? Would there be less gossipping? Better days in general? James writes in James 3:9-10, "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be." What a convicting verse. In the matter of one day, we can gossip about friends and then go and sing a worship song praising our Lord. What a blessing our lives would be if we used our words to bless and build others up. What will you say today?

Daily Renewal

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are acheiving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Life is crazy. As a teenager there is so much to do and too little time to do it. Yes, some teenagers are lazy bums and sit on the couch all day (which is great for those that do that), but I am the complete opposite. I'm a busy-body. Always finding something to do and not having much down time. This can make life very stressful at times, which is not very good, but I love staying busy. There is always something to do, places that can have improvement, more activities to get involved in, and new areas to explore. Yes, I love almost everything. But in a life and country consumed with busyness, what can one do to stay energized? In verse 16 of the passage above, Paul writes about being "renewed day by day." What does that look like for you and me? For me, it means that I need to make sure to continue every day to spend time with my Lord, away from distractions and focused on Him so that I can be reenergized for the coming day. For you, it might mean you need to make time to do devotions. Maybe you need to find a special time in your day to just stop and take a deep breath and remember Him. For some, it might mean spending every morning in the shower in prayer or playing a peaceful worship song before bed. Whatever way spiritually renews you, do it! Being peaceful and calm can be a blessing to others in a world with frazzled and stressed people. Today, in what way will you find spiritual renewal and be a blessing?

The Beginning

Have you ever had a moment in life that catches you off guard? Something that has a random impact on your life? It happened just a month ago for me, when a friend of so many people in our community died tragically. He was only a freshmen, loved by many, and said to have so many possibilities and potential in front of him. I didn't personally know him, some of my friends did, but it struck me hard. It could have been any one of us that died that night. I had been going through a bit of depression at that time. Life was catching up to me and I was beyond stressed. With the beginning of a new school year and even more responsibilities, the pressure was closing in. When I heard the news of the tragic accident, I was first in shock and overwhelmed with sadness. It really made me think about my life and the people in it. Who was I living for? Easy-myself. Everyone has to die eventually, but what did I want to be remembered for? I came across a verse only a couple weeks after the incident that described my wishes perfectly. Proverbs 10:7 says, "The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot." I decided I wanted to be remembered as a blessing. It didn't matter how many people were at my funeral or how rich I had become in my lifetime-all I wanted to be known as was a blessing.The reason I created this blog is to share my ideas and hopefully receive some in return. Above all else, I want to grow in my relationship with the Creator and my Lord. I want this blog to be full of encouragement and hopefully a blessing to people's lives. I want to be able to reflect on my journey with Christ and the lessons He is teaching me every single day. I want to share the absolute bliss that comes from being a blessing. Welcome to the beginning.