Monthly Archives: July 2012

{Post from the Past} Reflection

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As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man. (Proverbs 27:19 ESV)

What does the reflection of your heart look like? Do others see Christ in you? We call ourselves Christians but are we really reflecting the way of Jesus Christ in our lives? This is a question that we should constantly be asking ourselves. Do we look like Christ? Do we act like Him?

“Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
(Ephesians 4:17-24 ESV)

 

These verses are saying that we ought not live like the Gentiles, in other words… we are not to live like the unsaved! We have been taught about Christ’s righteousness and His holiness… Are we reflecting attributes of Christ or attributes of the world in our hearts’ desires and in turn our lives? Are we living worthy of the Lord?

{Post from the Past} Can They Tell? – By: Bethany Andrews

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“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

Can people tell you’re a Christian? This is a question that I often forget to ask myself, but I can’t run away from it; it needs to constantly be in my mind. CAN people tell?

Earlier this year, when I had an eye appointment, the assistant took me in to get my basic eye-checkup stuff done before seeing the optometrist. We made small talk for a few minutes, and then out of the blue, she said, “You’re a Christian, aren’t you?” My heart leaped. “Yes!” She said, “I could tell by your demeanor.” Well, you can imagine, when someone tells you that, you feel like jumping up and down, screaming, laughing, crying, and everything else. She later told my mom that my face radiated Christ. She was a Christian too.

So, can NON-Christians tell I’m a Christian, or at least that something’s different about me? Sometimes, I don’t feel like setting my light on a stand; I feel like putting it under a basket so I can “fit in”. But that’s not what God has called us to do. We have SUCH a privilege to be called His children, and we need to show others that they can share in that same, awesome privilege. That means, be like a city on a hill, be a LIGHT, live worthy of the walk (Eph.4:1) and set your mind on things above (Col. 3:2-4). Someone just might be watching.

 -By: Bethany Andrews

Hymn of the Day – Grace Alone

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Grace Alone – By: Scott Wesley Brown and Jess Nelson

Every promise we can make,
Every prayer and step of faith,
Every difference we can make
Is only by His grace.
Every mountain we will climb,
Every ray of hope we shine,
Eyery blessing left behind
Is only by His grace.

(Chorus)
Grace alone which God supplies,
Strengh unknown He will provide,
Christ in us, Our cornerstone,
We will go forth in grace alone.

Every soul we long to reach,
Every heart we hope to teach,
Everywhere we share His peace
Is only by His grace.
Every loving word we say,
Every tear we wipe away,
Every sorrow turned to praise
Is only by His grace.

Seventy Cents

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Seventy cents is such a strange amount – two quarters, two dimes – yet this number has taught me an amazing truth!

This past spring, I raised support for a short-term mission’s trip to France.  My church family was so incredibly supportive; I was blown away by God’s provision through them.  At one point, our church secretary wrote me a check for x dollars … and seventy cents.    $.70

I’m a “numbers person,” – keeping track of budgets, percentages and pennies – so I never rounded up to the nearest dollar.  In every budget-calculation I worked over the next 2 months (percentages, monthly totals, cash needed or received) this $.70-suffix kept popping up!

Every time I saw $ .70 on the end of a figure, I thought of the person (or people) who cared enough about me and were excited enough about what God could do to put seventy cents in the offering box – designated “Janaya’s Trip.”  In the midst of $1,000 checks and $100 bills, that small number reminded me that God delights to use any gift – no matter how small or insignificant – to advance His purposes.

Happy 4th of July!

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“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24 ESV)

“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.” (Ephesians 3:12 ESV)

May we remember who paid the price for our ultimate freedom.

“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.” (1 Peter 3:18 ESV)