Make me a Lighthouse!

I want to be the light that leads others to Gods love!

Isaiah 42:1-9

New International Version (NIV)

The Servant of the Lord

42 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
    and he will bring justice to the nations.
² He will not shout or cry out,
    or raise his voice in the streets.
³ A bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
⁴     he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
    In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”

⁵ This is what God the Lord says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
    who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
    who gives breath to its people,
    and life to those who walk on it:
⁶ “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;
    I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
    to be a covenant for the people
    and a light for the Gentiles,
⁷ to open eyes that are blind,
    to free captives from prison
    and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

⁸ “I am the Lord; that is my name!
    I will not yield my glory to another
    or my praise to idols.
⁹ See, the former things have taken place,
    and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
    I announce them to you.”




Song - Legacy

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about meAnd I enjoy an accolade like the restAnd you could take my picture and hang it in a galleryOf all the who's who's and so-and-soThat used to be the best at such and suchIt wouldn't matter much
I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lightsWe all need an 'Atta Boy' or 'Atta Girl'In the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besidesThe temporary trappings of this world
I want to leave a legacy, how will they remember me?Did I choose to love? Did I point to you enoughTo make a mark on things? I want to leave an offeringA child of mercy and grace who blessed your nameUnapologetically and leave that kind of legacy
I don't have to look too far or too long awhileTo make a lengthly list of all that I enjoyIt's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pileWhere moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy
I want to leave a legacy, how will they remember me?Did I choose to love? Did I point to you enoughTo make a mark on things? I want to leave an offeringA child of mercy and grace who blessed your nameUnapologetically and leave that kind of legacy
Not well traveled, not well readNot well-to-do or well bredI just want to hear instead"Well done good and faithful one"Yeah, yeah
I want to leave a legacy, how will they remember me?Did I choose to love? Did I point to you enoughTo make a mark on things? I want to leave an offeringA child of mercy and grace who blessed your nameUnapologetically and leave that kind of legacy
I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me

Read more: NICHOLE NORDEMAN - LEGACY LYRICS 

I hunger for you...

Amos 8:11-13

New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord,
    “when I will send a famine through the land—
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
    but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.
¹² People will stagger from sea to sea
    and wander from north to east,
searching for the word of the Lord,
    but they will not find it.

¹³ “In that day

“the lovely young women and strong young men
    will faint because of thirst.

Song that was sung - 

Based on Hebrews 10:22

vs.1
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,praising my Savior all the day long;this is my story, this is my song,praising my Savior all the day long.

vs.2
Perfect submission, perfect delight!
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

(Refrain)

vs.3
Perfect submission, all is at rest!
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with his goodness, lost in His love.
(Refrain)

Obedience is better than sacrifice

Has someone ever asked you to do something but because you were worried about what others would think or if you just really did not feel like doing it. And you end up doing what was asked in your own way but altering what was asked of you to suit yourself and you'd get mad at the person that asked you to do it because they are mad at you for not doing it they way they wanted it and so they decided to never ask for your help again! 

Then you feel bad cause you know you have let them and yourself down; but you can never take back what you did so you have lost favor with them! Do have an idea of what I am saying!

well if you don't that is OK too!

1 Samuel 15:19-26

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”

Could you imagine someone walking up to you saying that! Its like how did you know! But really could you imagine God having someone close to you telling you that what you have done is evil, not bad but EVIL in his sight!

²⁰ “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. ²¹ The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”

²² But Samuel replied:

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
    as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
    and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
²³ For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
    and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
    he has rejected you as king.”

²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. ²⁵ Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.”

²⁶ But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!”

I know I have done what Saul did, many times. I like doing things my way and unfortunately that also means I not doing what God has asked me to do. For like of a better phase I half-ass his request or flat our ignore him. So then why do I get upset when he ignores me! 

And God as our heavenly parent, what he did to Saul he does to us. He did not forsake Saul, he just took away something Saul wanted to keep; his kingdom. God has done that to me to and I know that the only person to blame for these sins is me and no one else. 

To God your obedience means more then you trying to sacrifice something in order to honor him. 

Perseverance, is Key to a Graceful Life!

As I walked to work today I was thinking with God what should I talk about in tonight's fellowship; and the word perseverance came to mind. 

It was funny that this is what came to mind, cause I did not know at the time how much I was going to need to persevere at work in order to keep myself in an somewhat upbeat mood when dealing with members and staff. Sometimes I think it is one of the hardest things to keep one self positive when the rest of the world says don't be!

I got home and I looked up some scriptures and James felt right and so this is what I shared. 

per·se·ver·ance

  [pur-suh-veer-uhns]  Show IPA

noun

1.

steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties,obstacles, or discouragement.

2.

Theology . continuance in a state of grace to the end, leading to eternal salvation.

James 1:2-18

New International Version (NIV)

Trials and Temptations

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
⁹ Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. ¹⁰ But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. ¹¹ For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.
¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
¹⁶ Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above,coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.

FanGirl for Christ!

When I read this passage, I started thinking about K-pop fans; who come from all over the world. They speak many different languages and cause that adore their artists so much that almost like worship them. As I read this I thought of them and how it would will be awesome to be a fan-girl for Jesus, not just in the after-world but in the here and now. 

We need to be like fan-boys and girls for God!

Revelation 7:9-17

New International Version (NIV)

The Great Multitude in White Robes

⁹ After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”

¹¹ All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures.They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying:

“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”

¹³ Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”

¹⁴ I answered, “Sir, you know.”
And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ Therefore,

“they are before the throne of God
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
    will shelter them with his presence.
¹⁶ ‘Never again will they hunger;
    never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’^[a]
    nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷ For the Lamb at the center of the throne
    will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’^[b]
    ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’^[c]”

His house, not mine!

Whom do I belong to? do I belong to myself? can I really do as I please? Will that make me truly happy? Here are some questions I ask myself as I read this chapter in Haggai. 

Haggai 1:2-6

New International Version (NIV)

² This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’”

To me the "house" here is me! That I go through my life as if I can put God to the side and fix my intimate relationship with him at a later time.  


³ Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai:

Sometimes it is necessary for god to send others to talk to you, cause clearly you are not listening to him!


 ⁴ “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”


Many times I get myself to thinking that I am doing pretty good and thinking life is a bed of roses. While forgetting that roses have thorns and need to be trimmed cause sooner rather then later i will cut pricked!



⁵ Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. ⁶ You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”



This portions really gets me, cause it really touches on, no matter how much we do in our lives. Without Christ it means and is nothing cause we gain nothing. 

It reminds me of the lyrics: 

I don't wanna go through the motionsI don't wanna go one more dayWithout Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life askingWhat if I had given everythingInstead of going through the motions?

Read more: MATTHEW WEST - THE MOTIONS LYRICS 

Love is...

My God to love like this! I want to be able to read this one day at my own wedding Lord willing. Love is the greatest gift that we can show and gave to ourselves and to others.

Can you even imagine to love this way. You can do many things to be good to people but if you don't love people sincerely, then whats the point.

You have to be honest about how you feel, you can't rush things and you can't act as you know everything cause you don't.

Faith to live by, hope to fuel your courage and love an everlasting love!

1 Corinthians 13

New International Version (NIV)

13 If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes,what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Strong Faith

The other day my mother was talking about my grandmother and the fact that her being catholic does not make her saved cause as a catholic she apparently can't read the bible.

I knowing my mother's biased to anyone especial her own mother, when it comes to anyone praying to anyone else other then GOD directly. Sure she knows that there are of faiths out there but if you are not a church going, bible reading, 12 hour a day praying christian; well then you're just not a christian!

But for me it doesn't start at the church going, or bible reading; it starts at FAITH. Do me you have to believe even when the world tells you not to!

When you can see something but know in your heart of hearts that there IS a being to believe in!

This is why I shared this passage listed below, it says the things I try to show daily!

Hebrews 11

New International Version (NIV)

Faith in Action

11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ² This is what the ancients were commended for.

³ By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
⁴ By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
⁵ By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”^[a] For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
⁷ By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. ¹¹ And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she^[b] considered him faithful who had made the promise. ¹² And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
¹³ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. ¹⁴ People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a cityfor them.
¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, ¹⁸ even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”^[c] 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
²⁰ By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
²¹ By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
²² By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.
²³ By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
²⁴ By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. ²⁵ He chose to be mistreatedalong with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶ He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christas of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. ²⁷ By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. ²⁸ By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
²⁹ By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
³¹ By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.^[d]
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms,administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. ³⁵ Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.³⁶ Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were put to death by stoning;^[e] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— ³⁸ the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
³⁹ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, ⁴⁰ since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.