Works of Darkness part 2

In continuation with my last post:

Another work of darkness is same-sex marriage.   I know some disagree, but to me, it is very obvious and clear in the Bible that God disapproves of this. 
There is the example of Sodom and Gomorrah. The sin of the inhabitants of these two cities was extremely great and offensive to God--and that sin included same-sex marriage.   In fact, gay-marriage is the only sin I found in the recorded story that is distinctly spoken of about the cities, though I am 99.9% sure that their sin included many other things. God destroyed the cities and their inhabitants and the entire plain around them, including the vegetation, by 'raining down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah--from the LORD out of the heavens', so that when Abraham looked out the next morning he saw 'dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace',  as the NIV says. 

Now here's a passage from Romans 1 that is a really tough one if you know people who live in this pattern of sin:  
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Now, I know this is a long passage, but I have posted the whole part so that you can better understand it and get the context. Isn't that a tough passage? Yet it makes it clear, to me anyway, that same-sex marriage is not a result of godliness, but rather a result of sinfulness, God giving them over to their own sinful desires, and is abominable to God, deserving of death. This is a work of darkness, yet it is becoming more and more accepted and even encouraged.  

Here is another verse in the first chapter of 1 Timothy that I came across a few days ago: "We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, ¹⁰ for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine ¹¹ that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me." 
Again, homosexuality is spoken of in the context of 'sinful, unholy, irreligious, lawbreaking, ungodly, rebels'. 

Guys, people who fall into this sin are in a dangerous place. They are deserving of death--just like you and I were! For the wages of sin is death, says Romans 6:23.   But, you know what, they are not too far gone, either, just like you and I. ...But the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Of course you will remember Paul's testimony. Paul was an avid hater and persecutor of God's followers. He was at the stoning of Stephen, in Acts 7. When Paul was on the road to Damascus, it was with the purpose of finding Christians, taking them and throwing them in prison. But on the way, he was stopped. Here is the passage from Acts 9: Meanwhile, Saul [Paul's other name--Acts 13:9] was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

So Saul was a pretty bad guy. God makes it clear that when Saul, or Paul as he is commonly called, persecutes the followers of God, he is actually persecuting God Himself--a pretty serious offense, and Saul's persecution of the church wasn't light, either.  Yet God in His mercy, chose to shine His light into Paul's dark heart, and save and change him.

There are countless testimonies throughout the Bible of wicked, wicked people who received God's merciful and gracious gift  of forgiveness--only obtained through Him, and were changed. Rahab the harlot, for example. Nothing is too hard for God, even though it may seem at times like the wall we've hit is too tall or someone has gone too far. "Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, 'Thus you have spoken, saying, "Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are rotting away in them; how then can we survive?"'  "Say to them, 'As I live!' declares the Lord GOD, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?' " This is what is said in Ezekiel 33:10-11.  God created the world and everything in it, and the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes, says Proverbs 21:1.   

My point is, if you know someone who has chosen the sinful pattern of same-sex marriage, know that they are in a dangerous place before God, pray with me for them, and believe that they are not too far gone for God to save and change them.  

I have posted about these two topics because they are heavy and they are assuredly works of darkness as far as I can tell from what the Bible says. This is a way that I can expose works of darkness. How can you?  Do you have any thoughts about this? 

May the Lord bless you as you go about your week.

Jewels <3

Works of darkness

Howdy folks!

My mom and I have been going through a devotional called Behold Your God. It is really good. Week seven discussed worship--acceptable worship versus unacceptable worship.
One of the days, we read Ephesians 5:8-12, 15-16, and were asked to summarize what God says about how the Christian is supposed to live a Godward life in the culture around him.   Here is what the verses say: 

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),¹⁰ finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. ¹¹ And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret...See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, ¹⁶ redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

Here is something that hit me as I was reading this passage and thinking about the question:  The verse says that we, as Christians living in our culture, need to walk as children of the light (the Light being God--1 John 1:5),  finding out, or proving as KJV says, what is acceptable to the Lord.  The way I take this is living as children of the light and setting the example of what is pleasing and acceptable to the Lord.   But then here's the contrast: We are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 

In summary, we are to live a life that shows what is acceptable to the Lord, and also exposes what is unacceptable to Him.

I was thinking about this. It's tough to expose works of darkness. Does that mean that we are to point out everyone's faults?  No. Because we all have faults and we can't expect anyone to be perfect. Of course, if a brother or sister in Christ is walking in sin, it might be out duty to confront them, bring their pattern of sin to their attention--lovingly--and, if they are willing, help them get back on the right track.    But exposing the works of darkness. What does this mean? This verse came up awhile ago in our sunday school.    We can expose the works of darkness by showing the world the truth. In our sunday school topic, we were talking about abortion. 

As Believers, (and I hope every true Believer in Jesus Christ is convinced of this) it is clear from the Bible that life is sacred and no one has the right to take it.  Including the life of an unborn child.  An unborn child is still made in the Image of God, and it is a direct assault on God if one deems that child unworthy to live life and kills it.  Life obviously begins from the womb, if you believe in the Bible.  

God tells Jeremiah in the first chapter of Jeremiah's book: 

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

It is said of John the Baptist in Luke chapter 1: He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

Later in the chapter when Mary, the mother of Jesus, came to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was 6 months pregnant with John the Baptist, it says,  "And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³ But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy." "

First of all, the fact that John was able to experience emotion at 6 months in the womb, and was able to recognize who Jesus was before either of them were even born, is a telling fact. Another interesting thing to point out in this last passage is that Elizabeth already referred to Mary as the mother of Jesus--when Jesus hadn't even been born yet. 

Then of course you have the whole 139th chapter of Psalms that describes God's sovereign hand in the formation of a child.    Guys, God has a plan for each child. He creates each child special and unique from their mother's womb--and in His Image! Each child bears the image of God and if we say that God's handiwork is not worth living life, or think that their life will be difficult and would be better for child and mother if that life was just not lived at all, we are putting ourselves in the place of God! That's a dangerous place to be, folks. 

Abortion is one 'work of darkness' that we can expose as being wrong. We need to be the voice for the voiceless, and we need the mothers of the precious children to know how precious their children really are--even if life might be difficult for both. 

I have made this into a two part post because it would be too long to fit into one, so be looking for part 2!

Any thoughts of yours on abortion, or Ephesians 5:8-12, 14-16? I'd like to hear!

Blessings,
Jewels <3

The qualities of a good friend--or the lack thereof in a bad friend

Wow, I'm doing good, ain't I?? I've posted now for 3 weeks in a row! :D ;)

So today, I'm talking about friends. This is another lesson from our Sunday School class, so I can't claim this all as my own, but I thought it would be a good post.

Jumping right in. Proverbs 13:20 says: Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

This verse clearly says that if we hang out with wise people, the result is that we will become wise. If we hang out with foolish people, we will suffer harm. There is no middle ground here, a friend is either one or the other.


Lets see what Proverbs 22:24-25 says: Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.

In this verse, there is a progression. First, you are just a companion of this man. Then you start to learn his ways. And then you become entangled in a snare.    If you think about it, a snare works by luring unsuspecting animals into them. So, most of the time, we might be unsuspecting of the effects of the person we are hanging out with. We need to be vigilant and watchful, and not choose our friends if they will have a negative effect on us.

It is obvious from these verses that our friends have an effect on us.

Where do we see some examples of this in the Bible? Samson and Delilah in Judges 14-16. Samson married Delilah--a Philistine. She influenced him negatively, and slowly but surely, caused him to disobey God and break the covenant he had made with God. He suffered greatly because of his poor choice.    There is the example of God telling Israel not to make a pact with a foreign nation, because God knew they would have a negative effect on His people. We are told in the Bible that Israel disobeyed God, made a pact with this nation, and learned idol worship from them. Countless times they did this, and they were given into the hands of their enemies as a result of their sinful actions and disobedient, rebellious, poor choices.    There is the example of Solomon, the wisest man in history. He married foreign women who influenced him for evil, causing him to reject the One true God and follow after the gods of his wives. You can read of this in 1 Kings 11.

Proverbs 27:9 : Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

Earnest--sincere, genuine, helpful in guidance and advice in the ways of God.  This is a quality of a good friend. One who is willing to genuinely point you back to God.

Romans 12:2 : Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern  what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Those who know Christ are transformed by His word and can discern what is good and bad.


So we see that our friends influence us, for evil or for good. But how do we choose a good friend? What are the qualities of a godly friend?  Well, lets see.

Romans 12:10 says this: Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.  

Quality #1. Love one another.

Romans 15:14: I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.

Quality #2. Instruct one another.

2 Corinthians 13:11: Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Quality #3. Comfort one another.  If you read the verse above in the context of the chapter, you will see that it is in the context of restoration. This friend is not a person who comforts you in your sin and only tells you what you want to hear. That is not a good friend, and is one to be warned against.

Galatians 5:13: For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Quality #4. Serve one another.   A good friend will look past themselves and their own gain. They will serve with a sincere heart that desires the best for the other.

Galatians 6:2: Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Quality #5. Bear one another's burdens.   To bear means to divide the load between you, to assist them in carrying their burden.

Ephesians 4:32: Be kind to one another, forgiving one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Quality #6. Be kind to one another, and forgive one another.    Again, this is not selfishness. This friend is not looking to their own interest.

Colossians 3:9: Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with it's practices.

Quality #7. Do not lie to one another.   If a friend is a good, sincere one, they will not be lying about others, lying about you, or trying to deceive you.

1 Thessalonians 5:11: Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Quality #8. Encourage and build up one another.    This doesn't mean that we agree with the foolish. We encourage one another and build one another up in Christ and His ways.

1 Thessalonians 5:15: See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.

Quality #9. Do good to one another.   How do we know what good is? If we are believers in Christ, we have the Holy Spirit in us, and He will help us know what good to do in a situation.  There are two good things that are always appropriate for any situation, however. That is 1). Point them to Christ, and 2). Pray for them.  

James 5:9: Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

Quality #10.  Do not grumble against one another.  You know what's in a friend's heart if they are continually grumbling about this or that.

James 5:16: Therefor, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Quality #11. Pray for one another.  This is one of the best things you can for a friend and they can do for you.

These are some of the Biblical qualities of a friend and brother or sister in Christ. Do the people that we hang out with and surround ourself with have these qualities? Are they influencing us for bad, or for good? Do we hang out with them because they are good influences on us and will do what they can to point us to Christ, or do we hang out with them just because they are fun to hang out with, even if they may have some really ungodly qualities--maybe no godly qualities at all?  

Secondarily, what kind of influence are you having on your friends?  Are you being a good, godly friend who does not look out for your own gain and interest, but rather for the good of others and the honoring of God?   It is easy to think, in this context, that we can hang out with people who have bad qualities--a person given to anger, a rebellious friend, etc.--because we can change them. It is true that we can have an influence on them, and we should be aware of that and seek to influence them for good. However, who we hang out with, also influences us.  The change is often subtle and we don't really realize it at first. So we also need to be aware of their influence on us. We may be able to befriend them to a degree and have a positive influence on them, but we need to be careful about how much time we spend with them.


What do you think about these things? What are some other qualities of a good friend that you can think of?

I hope you have a wonderful day!
Jewels 

Self-Esteem and the Bible

Hola mis amigos!   Well whadda ya know, I'm back within a week! Isn't that a surprise?

In Sunday school this morning, our teacher taught a really good lesson that I thought I would share with you.

Say you have two people. The first one looks in the mirror and says, "Oh, I'm so good-looking. I'm so athletic and talented, too. It's no wonder that everyone wants to be my friend; it's no wonder that I'm so popular. I'm just all around wonderful."

The second person looks in the mirror and says, "Oh, these braces make me look awful. It's no wonder that no one wants to be my friend. Even if I did have a friend I wouldn't know what to say to them. I never know what to say to people."

These two people have a few things in common, but I'll only mention one. Though their perceptions are different, they are both looking at themselves. There is a problem here, though. They are measuring based off of how they see themselves, and what they believe others think about them.  This is dealing with something called self-esteem.   Here's a formal definition: Self-esteem: confidence in one's own worth or abilities; self-respect.   
The person in our first example has a high self-esteem. The person in our second example has a low self-esteem.  Our world today tells us that we need to think highly of ourself, we need to have a high regard for our character and abilities. 'Our self-esteem comes from within,' they say, 'and is not dependent on others around us.' Even some so-called-pastors preach this fake gospel: that all we need to do is think highly of ourself and not let others determine what we think, we just need lots of confidence in ourself and then everything will go good and we will get what we want and be happy. It doesn't work that way, guys, just saying.

So this is what the world is telling us. As Christians, is this the way we should view ourselves?    No. We need to look at the truth of the Bible. We need to see ourselves through God's eyes, with His perception.

Genesis 1:26-27 says this: 'Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image ['our' meaning the Trinity--God, three in one], in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female, he created them.'
Truth number one: I have been created by God in His Image.    Because of this, you are more valuable than rocks, than animals, than galaxies--humans are of more value than anything else God has created, because He created us alone in His Image, and nothing else.  This also says that we do not determine our worth. Neither do the people around us.  It is God who has determined our worth by creating us in His Image. This also tells us that our worth is not based on our physical abilities or appearances. Because every human being has been created in the Image of God, that means that our worth is in God, and the fastest runner in the world is just as valuable as the person who cannot run at all. This means that the little baby inside a mothers womb, is of equal value as you and I despite their size and form, because they are made in the Image of God, and no one has a right to destroy them, any more than they do to kill the human being that is walking in front of them.

With this truth revealed, it is easy to think that, because we are His Image bearers, we are on an equal plane with God. Is this your thought process? Read on.

Acts 17:24-25 says: 'The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.'
Truth number two: I am totally dependent on God for everything.   For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? This is what 1 Corinthians 4:7 says. All we have is given to us by God. Therefore, even though we are made in His Image, we are not God.  There is no ground for boasting, here. There is no room for confidence in ourselves, or thinking highly of ourselves, as if we could give ourselves anything. Here is a quote from A.W. Pink: He who cannot do what he will and perform all his pleasure cannot be God.

Lets see what 1 Corinthians 10:31 says: 'So wether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.'
Truth number three: I have been created to glorify God.    This is my purpose in life: to point back to Him.  Glorify means to assign to God due honor and respect. To demonstrate His greatness and worth and point it back to Him. To make much of Him. To honor Him.  We exist for God, not God, for us. He should be the center of our universe.

Romans 3:23 says this: 'For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.'
Truth number four: I have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.    Our purpose in life is to glorify God, yet we fall short of that glory. We are totally imperfect. We, as God's Image bearers, are supposed to reflect Him, yet most often we reflect ourself. We think about ourselves the most. We are supposed to put God at the center of our universe, yet most of the time we put ourself at the center of our universe.    We fall short of God's glory.

Romans 6:23: 'For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.'
Truth number five: I deserve God's condemnation.     It's simple. The wages of sin is death, it says that right here. The online definition of sin is this: Sin: An immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. We just saw a moment ago in 1 Corinthians 10:31, that God commands us to glorify Him in everything that we do. Have you been successful in that? I sure haven't, and I'm pretty sure you've 'transgressed against that Divine Law', too. By definition, we deserve God's condemnation--spiritual death.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That's what Romans 5:6-8 says. This is the Good News, guys. We deserve condemnation. But Jesus Christ, our only hope, died for us to take the penalty for sin from us, and rose from the dead to declare that it was complete and justice satisfied. Our value is in Christ.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation. Old things have passed away, behold all things have become new-1 Corinthians 5:17.  A new self is the reality of anyone who is in Christ. Our value is in the person of Christ.

What were the two people in our beginning examples missing? In three letters: God. More specifically, they were measuring themselves based on their own perception, and the perception of those around them, rather than measuring themselves through God's eyes and through the truths that His word tells us. They are both of equal value because each of them were made in the Image of God, and have been so loved that God left His throne above and came to earth to die for each of them. One of them is not more valued because he/she is is more popular and good-looking and talented, and the other not less valuable because he/she has braces and is socially awkward.

Is this the way you see yourself? Perhaps you are guilty of all or part of what the person in each scenario was thinking about themselves. I am guilty of it. It was a challenge to me, today, to hear these truths, to see myself as having worth because of the fact that God created me in His Image, and yet be shown the side that leaves no room for my ugly pride in the facts that I am dependent on God for everything, my purpose is to glorify Him, yet I fall short of that purpose and deserve God's condemnation. But, that, again, Christ has died for me, releasing me from His just condemnation.
You see, it's all God.  Everything points back to Him. I can't go around boasting about myself, because I am of equal value as everyone else--no more valuable--and at the same time, I can't go around getting down on myself and saying I am worthless, because I was created in God's Image, and am just as valuable as everyone else--no less. I can't go around boasting about my goodness and righteousness or talents, because first of all, I have failed my purpose in life, and second of all, because everything I am able to do, is given to me by God Himself.  I have failed my purpose in life, but, glory to God! He has redeemed me and given me a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.  You see, all glory has to go back to Him. I can take no credit, and I can't live my life in pride. Hopefully this mindset would lead to a life of sincere service to Him.

It still amazes me every time I can see an individual snowflake like this. I mean, the things are SO tiny, and yet God created each of them so distinct and unique from each other!

Tomorrow when we wake up, lets start our day by looking to the Creator, not the creation.

Blessings,
Jewels <3

Open your eyes, the harvest is ripe!

Well, hello there!  Thought I ditched the blog? Nope, not quite :D

"Don't you have a saying, 'It's four months until harvest'?  I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." This is what Jesus said to His disciples just after His encounter with the Woman at the Well. You know, where He, a Jew, met a Samaritan outcast woman at a well in Samaria, and told her 'all that ever she did.'  While she was gone, telling the townspeople about this Man who called Himself the Christ who was now at the well, the disciples urged Jesus to eat, and He told them that He had food that His disciples didn't know about.  "My food," Jesus says, "Is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work." That's when he asks them about their saying and tells them that the fields are already ripe for harvest. Of course, we interpret this to not mean a physical harvest of crops, as in Jesus saying, "Open your eyes and look! That wheat field over there is ready for harvest!" Or "The olives in that grove can be harvested today!" But rather a 'harvest of the souls', you might say. That sounds kind of strange; I just made it up. But I mean, as far as I understand it, Jesus is talking about a spiritual harvest.    

He says later, (this recorded in Matthew 9:37-38) "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest."   You see, He's talking about the spiritual harvest, the bringing of souls into His Kingdom.  He is saying that there are plenty of souls around us, ready to hear His glorious gospel, and be saved. But there is not enough workers to harvest those souls and every day, people are dying without hearing about Him.    

Of course, this is a lesson to us, a reminder that we should be doing what we can now, by God's grace, to advance His Kingdom--that there are opportunities, and people longing, needing, waiting to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we need to take those opportunities to share the gospel as God directs us.   

Now, here's a different thought, though. This is something that hit me some time ago as I was reading this verse.  Think about this: As young people (and maybe you're not young; that's fine),  sometimes we tend to think, 'Oh, I'll get serious about my faith when I'm older.' Or, 'I'll be so faithful to God when I grow up, but now...well, it's okay to be a little slack now,' or 'I'll follow God's lead when I get older.'    Do you ever, even subtly, think like this?  I have before.  It's kind of what our culture tells us, too.  Nowadays, people don't expect the younger generations to be responsible or leaders or mature. And they brush off that disturbing fact with the thought, 'Oh, they're just young. Let them enjoy the pleasures of youth while they can.'    But what if we took John 4:35, the "Don't you have a saying?" verse, and thought about it like this: 'Don't you say you don't need to do it until you get older? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest-the time to do it is now.'   

 What if we said, "Yes, the world says, and Satan tells me, that I can wait until I'm older to be serious about what God tells me to do--after all, I am just a youngin. But Jesus says that the time to live and be serious is now, so I'm going to follow Him now."    God's commands are not just for adults. His commands are for all Christians, young and old alike. We do not need to wait to do what He says, or draw close to Him, or be a leader, or serve His Body. We do not need to wait until we are older to be an example through our words and deeds. We do not need to wait until we are older to proclaim His gospel.  The harvest is ready now. It may be too late later.

Jewels

Haaappy New Year!!

Hey everyone! I'm back! (I just thought I'd sneak in another post here before 2017).

HAAAPPPY NEW YEAR!!
I hope your 2016 was filled with plenty of growth, memories, adventures and blessings, and that your 2017 will be even more so--in fact I hope it's your best year yet <3
I hope that you can look back on this year and see God's hand at work, see His faithfulness, see His blessings and love poured upon you even when you didn't see it then, and I hope you can go into this next year with confidence that He will do it again, and look forward to the new adventure He will take you on--or a new chapter of your current adventure, anyway :D

Thanks for reading my blog even though I seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth for a few months :D (actually, I didn't, I was just really busy.)

I know I say this every time, but I hope to get some more posts out there soon if possible. Did you realize that while I was gone, this blog had it's one year anniversary? Like, whaaaat?

Anyway, again, Happy 2016 past and Happy 2017 current! May the Lord's blessings be poured on you this year <3

Jewels <3

Allison's Giveaway

Hello everyone!
I just discovered Allison's blog, a farm girl's life. And I just saw that she is having a giveaway to celebrate 1190 followers! [that's a lot, ain't it? :) ]
Here it is:

I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE IT, GUYSSSS! 1,000 FOLLOWERS! EXCEPT BECAUSE I TOOK SO LONG TO POST THIS, NOW IT’S 1,190 FOLLOWERS!!! OH MY GOODNESSSSSSSS! Just think… before being featured on WordPress Discover, I had
150 followers. That’s really pretty great! And now…. *GASP* It’s simply amazing.

Thank you all soooooo, so much! You guys are one of my top favorite parts of blogging. ♥ I’ve met Clara, Grace, Hayley, K. A., Misty, Rebekah, Josie and so many more lovely girls through blogging. I love you! ♥

In celebration of this momentous moment in my blog’s life, I’m hosting a giveaway (in case you haven’t noticed).

» The Prize «

 The prize will include two things:

1. A miniature garden kit to make a garden similar to this one. This includes the following:

• 1 glass terrarium globe
• A mini-bag of soft, green, dried moss
• A mini-bag of blue glass pebbles
• 3 clay succulents (made by me)
• 1 clay mushroom (made by me)
• 1 shiny, marbled clay stone (made by me)
• Plus a few other tidbits I might throw in

2. Your choice of one of the following coupons for my Etsy shop:

• 30% off any item
• Free shipping on any item

» How to Enter «

• If you are under 18, please get a parent’s permission before entering this giveaway.
• I will need your email address and/or your address so I can notify you and give you the prizes. But of course I will NOT share either of those – they’re safe with me.
• To enter, comment saying you would like to enter (well duh), and include a bible verse, quote, or riddle (or all of the above) that you like.
• NOTE: This giveaway is only open to my readers living in the United States. I’m so sorry about that, but shipping gets complicated (not to mention expensive) otherwise.

» To Collect Extra Entries… «

• Take my survey to collect one extra entry – but please take it only if you actually read my blog or it won’t help me much. (By the way, this is a new survey, so none of you have taken it yet as far as I know.)
• Share this post on Pinterest or social media to collect one extra entry. (NOTE: You may share this post as many times as you like, but you still will only get one extra entry.)
• Share any other post from my blog on Pinterest or social media to get one extra entry. Please pick a post you actually like instead of randomly sharing any post. (Again, only the first share will give you an extra entry, but I’m ecstatic if you want to share more! )

»When Will This Giveaway Close?«

• This giveaway will close October 28th at 12:00 am, ET. You have only two weeks!
• On October the 29th I will announce the winner. I’ll also add the bible verse, quote, or riddle they included with their entry, as well as my favorites from the rest of the participants – just to add a little extra fun.

AAAAHHH THIS IS SO EXCITING! Thank you guys once again for reading my blog. ♥

What do you think? I say, go check it out! Of course the entering happens on Allison's blog, so go check it out:   https://afarmgirlslife.wordpress.com/2016/10/14/1000-followers-giveaway/comment-page-1/#comment-8562 And hurry up because the giveaway ends soon!

Guys, I'm SOOO close to being done with another real post! (Why does it take me so long to finish and publish one? Procrastination! Okay, it's also attributed to busy life. But also procrastination.) Anyway, hopefully you'll be seeing another post soon and very soon!

Blessings,

Jewels <3