G3 "GOD GETS THE GLORY" BLOG

09/11/2017

"And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you MUST continue to follow Him.  Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him.  Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness." - Colossians 2:6-7. Have you ever tried to uproot a tree?  It is NOT an easy task.  Most people get an axe and chop it down near the ground.  Why?  Why not pull it up out of the ground?  Because underneath the ground, the tree has

09/10/2017

Today follows yesterday.  Yesterday, I talked about how we are no longer condemned by our sins.  God has forgiven us of our sins.  But that doesn't mean that we turn around and start sinning again.  If we read Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, in chapter 5, he tells us that when we accept Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit  enters us.  Once that occurs, we are a new creation in Christ.  "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.  The old life is gone; a new

09/09/2017

Did you ever use a whiteboard?  As a teacher, I used them quite frequently.  My favorite part, and this will sound nerdy as all get out, was when I erased what was written on there.  I have a slight bit of OCD and it always bugged me when there was any left over.  You know... If I missed a small snippet of marker.  There was something inherently pleasing about looking at that whiteboard and it being completely cleaned, white as snow. The awesome thing about God is when we sincerely ask Jesus to

09/08/2017

We've heard it time and time again.  It's better to give than to receive.  As kids, we didn't get that.  To us, receiving meant getting things that we wanted.  There's no way that it is better to give stuff away than to get stuff from other people.  It just didn't make sense.   But as adults, we get it.  It feels good to give.  Especially if you know that the person or people to whom you are giving is in need.  As God's children, we are called to give.  It's not something we do to feel good.

09/07/2017

You know, growing up, I can remember having such big dreams!  But they were selfish dreams.  I wanted to live in a big house and make lots of money and drive a nice car.  As I got older, those dreams changed somewhat.  I still wanted the house, the car, and the money, but then I desired a relationship as well.  A woman to whom I could give my heart...  Well, I didn't achieve the big house or the lots of money.  I've had nice cars over the years.  I did find a relationship as well.  And I gave

09/06/2017

What is faith?  Dictionary.com gives several definitions.  The one that seems to fit the best in this context is "belief that is not based on proof."  When I started my spiritual search back in 1999, I did the scholarly thing.  I researched.  I studied.  I read and I learned.  I looked at the major religions of the world... Hinduism... Buddhism... Islam...  I even looked at some of the not-so-major spiritualities, such as the Native American beliefs.   When I finally started studying

09/05/2017

This entire past week, we've watched our televisions, enthralled with Hurricane Harvey and what it did to the Texas and Louisiana coasts.  We were saddened by the devastation... Inspired by the stories of hope... Many of us donated money or volunteered our time.  People opened their homes to evacuees.  Churches opened their doors to house evacuees.  It was a week of tragedy and a week of hope restored. What inspired us was watching men and women saving lives, putting their own lives at risk to

09/04/2017

Ever get told you're ugly?  You're stupid?  You're too fat?  You're too skinny?  You look funny?  People can say some harsh things, can't they?  And if we hear it enough, we start to believe it.  I actually had a girl laugh in my face when I asked her out.  Talk about a blow to your ego.  *laughing*   The truth is you're NOT ugly!  You're NOT stupid!  You're NOT too fat!  You're NOT too skinny!  You DON'T look funny!  And the first thought you're having is how can you say that?  You don't know

09/03/2017

If you could choose a life of love or a life of hate, which would you choose?  What about a life of like or a life of dislike?  I claimed to know what love was.  I told my parents that I loved them.  I told my sister that I loved her.  I told girlfriends that I loved them.  But it was a selfish love.  I would become disgruntled or angry when my needs weren't met by them.  I would get frustrated that they didn't "love" me as much as I "loved" them.   Then I accepted Christ as my Savior.  I

09/02/2017

Once I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, things changed for me.  But it wasn't a lightning strike moment.  The work that the Holy Spirit has done in my life did not occur instantaneously.  It took time and work on my part.  I had to start trusting God and I had to build my relationship with Him.  That took time because I still tried to maintain control over my own life.   See, I have struggled with addiction and with rage throughout most of my life.  But here's the kicker... Once I allowed