Celebrate Life: Isn't Always Easy

 I get to celebrate the day God brought me into this world, but I am going to celebrate it today. Why you ask? My birthday wish is for YOU! I wish you a year of goodness and happiness and in your sadness that you will turn your eyes to heaven. I wish you will allow yourself the chance to be positive in the negative, and change from the inside out. Celebrate Life!
There was a day when I didn't want to celebrate life, but end my life. There were many times I was cold, lonely, and dark . Sometimes, I want to forget about those day, but I am reminded of it when I hear of others suffering and want to end their life too.
I use to think "it's only going to get worse instead of better." When I wanted to end my life I was without a job which meant no income, meant no payment to my rent, and other things I owed.
I would take a ride to our riverfront here and contemplate driving my car into the water or jumping in into the the water which looked like a black hole. I was in a black hole already, it just seamed logical to me, to stay in it and drown the world and my troubles out.  I also attempted to end my life by swallowing a bunch of pills and followed it with a whole bottle of wine.  I knew in any minute my life was going to be over.
I had the guts to finish my life, but (apparently) I was saved from it. I struggled between the good thoughts and the bad ones. I had friends in my life speaking good things to me, but I wasn't believing the good stuff of what I heard them say.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12

It takes believing the good comments people said about me that helped me to get out of my pit.
Also when I changed my stinking thinking to to the good comments and believing what God said about me; my life began to change for the better.

When someone gives you a card, a birthday card, a thank you card, a valentine's card, what do you do with it? I use to throw mine away. Now, I keep them up on a shelf to admire it for a while, then I put them in a card box and keep them.  When I feel lonely, frustrated, sad, or whatever emotion might try to take over, I will read a card or two and believe what it says about me. What they say about me. 

I hope you will begin to make a card box or an encouraging box; maybe even write down when people make nice comments to you and at the end of the day, read them out loud to yourself. It will help you to change that stinking thinking and you will one day be an encourager to someone else or at least know how to build yourself up.

I don't know if  you have some stinking thinking going on or you may know someone who does. I encourage you to stop by a floral shop and smell the flowers and think of a good place. I suggest, stopping by and seeing a friend, say to them "I am hurting" and let them talk to you and build you up.

 When a person breaks or sprangs their foot, they usually need crutches. Let someone else be your crutch when you feel like your broken or bruised; that's why you have friends, teachers, mates, pastors, deacons, and even dogs.

Let me know if I can help you. I want to help you or your friend.


** There are good people around us that are willing to help us change our stinking thinking for little to no cost to you. There are great recovery groups in the area that will help you with your hurt, habit, or hang up.
Get Connected Today; ask me how.**  Marjorie 386-325-3334

Do it Now

Recently I was given the opportunity to speak at a women's conference. I have a few friends who said they did not get to go, but wanted to know what  God gave me to talk about.
What I have shared is not all of what God gave me to say, but most of it. I hope you will read with attention, intensity, and perhaps share this with a friend. I did, you.
Seeking God's Face in Such a Time as This:

Matthew 6:33

But Seek First the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you

Matthew 6:10~Jesus prayed with these word:

Your Kingdom Come Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven

Jesus' Model prayer showed that He even seeked after God's heart and God’s plan

What does it mean to seek God's face?

Have you ever taken a mirror and looked at yourself in it? I mean really look at yourself?

 When you look in it what do you see?

What do others see?

 Do you forget what you see when you walk away from the mirror? Do you look at the person's eyes in the mirror? What do you see behind your eyes?  The eye is the window to the soul; if you look deep enough you can see this is true.

I did and I saw a mess! I saw ugliness, shame, guilt, worthlessness, a reject, I was a hopeless being.
 But with God’s eyes and accepting his love, I began to see worthiness, forgiveness, I worked on having a clean heart, a lighter heart, and love for myself and others.

 Sometimes it is difficult to look at our self because of the choices we have made or the choices  other people have made in our lives.

It's just too messy to look at.

But you see God wants you with your mess. You have a purpose for being here, you have been created so that God can just love you.

Make the choice today to make a change in your life.  Jesus came so that you can be free from the bondage of your bitterness and hurt.  Your life story will make a difference in someone else's life and  
one day they will need to hear your story, after you decide to surrender to meet Jesus where you are at.

Today, I look in the mirror and I see Jesus; I can't do anything apart from him. When I look in the mirror, if there is any mud on me, I have to go to him and ask him to wash it away. He's the only one who can.

Most of the time we want what we want and we want it now.

Give me, give me, give me, or I we say we deserve this thing and we will find

any reason or excuse to get what we want. 

The world says “The one with the bigger toys wins” or “I have all I need right here in my toys or things.”

for the things that are visible are temporal, but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

God's heart is people.  He gives us two commandments:  love Jesus and love others.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22: 37-39.

Jesus, tells us what he wants in his word. Take your time getting to know him and let him show you how much he loves you. Make his words personal to you.  The word will change you from the inside out. He says you are more worthy than rubies and diamonds.  God says he loves you so much he gave his only begotten son to die on the cross for you and to forgive you of all the things you’ve done wrong.  You have to do your part and ask him for that forgiveness; realize your ways are not working for you.

Jesus wants you to see what he sees when you look in the mirror. He sees a prince or a princess, a beautiful woman or a handsome man, clean and righteous like him when you accept his gift of love.

To seek God's Face is to seek his heart means to love, have compassion, seek truth, follow his commandments, statutes, and laws.

It is a lie from the pit of hell that he is strict and rules with an iron rod, or he wants to take the fun out of life so he created commandments and laws.

So what are you doing today to seek God's face?

Are you concerned more about how many toys you have today or where you will go when you die?

What kind word did you say today?

What investment have you made in someone else's life today?

What do you see in people?

Hate, anger, bitterness, or selfishness?  Or do you see love, kindness, gentleness?

Look at your neighbor, look at the people walking past you.

“Mary Kay Ash use to say “ Imagine everyone has an invisible sign around their neck that says  “make me feel important”

You may be the only bible they see,

The only walking, talking, living, breathing, smiling Jesus they may see.

If Jesus is in you, you are called to be a light in a dark world.

He loves you and can be the loving, warm, compassionate, and most understanding love of your life.

Jesus knew you before you were in your mother's womb .

Your frame was not hidden from me when you were being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery].

I saw your unformed substance, and in My book all the days [of  your life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.

 If you noticed, I didn’t quote the scripture but I made it personal. God wants a personal relationship with you.

My prayer for you today, is for you to choose God’s love and to seek him in all you do and for you choose to get to know this man named Jesus. There is nothing in your life that is hidden from him, that he doesn’t already know. All you have to do is make the choice to accept him today. He is easy to find.  Our time is running out and we need to accept Jesus today and to turn our eyes off of ourselves and onto Jesus and his plan for our lives.

Let us pray:

Father, I ask for myself and my friends here today.

Father, I ask you to forgive us for we sin against you and only against you. We recognize that we are not in control of our problems, our pain, and other people.

We confess, we have hurt others and ourselves by the choices we have made.

Papa, I ask you to protect us from keeping company with those who openly sin or think their way is the best way.

We choose to be guided by you and begin a personal relationship with you.

May we choose to seek after the desires of your heart and not our own.

Papa, you have told us in your word, that you have not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. May we choose today to accept you in our hearts and this truth to become a reality to us. 

Father, thank you that you are you who you say you are and you will do what you say you will do.

Thank you for forgiving us and loving us just as we are.

May we be kind and help the weak, living in your presence, and praising you.

For your name is above all names, majestic and mighty, holy and righteous. We ask in the name of Jesus Christ,  Amen.

*References

The Purpose Driven Life-Rick Warren

Life’s healing Choices by John Baker

Bible

Quotes from Mary Kay Ash from her Biography “Mary Kay Ash”