Hey everyone!
Hope you all have had an amazing week like I have! God has been showing me so much lately and I'm excited to start sharing it all with you. I wanted to start of by reminding you that Romans 8:38-39 says "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." No matter what may be going on right now, there is nothing that can separate us from the Love of Christ, including ourselves. Psalms 139 says "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me." So remember that no matter what situation you're going through, God will always be there with you.
I believe with all my heart that you can't truly teach someone something effectively until you yourself have gone through it. For example: Would you take marriage counseling from someone who has never been married? Or would you take driving lessons from someone who hasn't gotten their license yet? It only seems appropriate that when someone is talking about something, they should have some sort of experience in that area. Next week, I am going to be starting a series called the Four Loves. Lately in my life, God has been revealing to me not only the expanse of His love for each and every one of us, but also what characteristics should be evident in our love for one another. I really hope that everyone is as excited for this as I am! God is going to be doing huge things through this and I can't wait to see His Work.
Remember that if you need to talk to me about anything, or need prayer for anything, you can text me or message me on Facebook
God Bless,
Bailey Carlton
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Sunday, June 15, 2014
The Size of Grace
Hey Everyone!
I want to start off with saying that I am so glad to be back doing what I love, which is being an instrument used by God to spread His Word and His love with everyone. I also want to formally apologize for my absence. God has been doing a work in my life, and just recently put it on my heart to start this blog back up. I hope you all have been doing well, and I continue to pray for you all.
In celebration of the new beginning of this blog, I felt that it was appropriate to talk about a basic, yet essential topic. Grace. Many times, we mix up and interchange mercy and grace, but in reality, they are two completely different concepts. Mercy, as you may have heard, is not getting what we deserve, which in this case is punishment for our sins. Titus 3:5 says "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." But the thing I want to talk about today is different than mercy. It's grace.
For those of you who don't already know, I'm currently in Mexico doing a Mission's internship. Already having been to Mexico before, I thought I was pretty decent at speaking Spanish. However, the very first time I tried speaking to someone who didn't speak an ounce of English, I quickly learned how wrong I was. As I sat there, trying to get my point across to this person, butchering their language in the process, I noticed that the man I was speaking to was intently trying to understand what I was saying. This man was giving me his full attention even though I was probably not making any sense at all, and was also trying to help me. This is grace.
Just recently we started working on building new stairs for the Training Center I'm staying at, and my job was to sand down and paint the steps. After the first day of work, I finished and went to my room to get a nap, forgetting to put anything away, and leaving the place looking like a mess. The next day, I woke up and the guy in charge of all the manual labor down here gently corrected me, but once again handed me the paintbrush and the paint. That night I made the same mistake, only to awaken to another gentle correction and once again was handed the brush and the paint. This is grace.
This last Friday, I got to lead a small youth group in worship, in Spanish, by myself, for the very first time. Instead of trying to memorize the lyrics of a song I didn't know, in a language I now knew I couldn't speak, I wrote the lyrics down. When the time came to start worship, I realized there was no place for me to put the paper I had written on besides the floor, where I couldn't read much of it. After once again butchering their language, I was given only applause at the end of our worship session. This is grace.
When I was 13 years old, I started down a slippery slope of sin. Despite being raised in the church and having plenty of head knowledge of God and what he had done for me, I spat in His face and turned my back on Him. I ran as far away as I could from God and wanted nothing to do with Him. Through this time I dealt with depression, and many other things. I cursed God's name, and pursued things that would only let me down and leave me feeling dissatisfied and worthless. Knowing I would do all this before it even came about, Jesus volunteered to be the One who would take the punishment for all my sin. From the beginning of eternity, The Father and The Son had been One, and in the moment that God poured His wrath out upon His own Son, the two were separated. Jesus the cried out "My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?" He was in that moment separated from the Father, not because of His own doing, but because my sin was enough to make God in Heaven punish His own Son. When He was in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was praying so intensely, that the Bible says His sweat was like drops of blood. He said "Father, if it is at all possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will be done, but yours." He said this with me in mind. With my sin in mind. He went to the cross, after living a perfect life and took upon Himself the full wrath of God, because of my sin. This is grace.
Now, the story doesn't end there. Three days later, Jesus defeated death once and for all, and rose from the dead. He is now sitting on the right hand of God in Heaven. God continues to show us grace every single day. It's impossible to deny this when you stand on the shoreline of the beach, or look up at the night sky and see an innumerable amount of stars. God continues to wake us all up every single day, so should we give Him anything else besides or lives?
I hope God speaks to all of you today, like I know He promises. If you have any prayer requests or anything you want to talk about, you can message me on Facebook or text me (:
God Bless,
Bailey
I want to start off with saying that I am so glad to be back doing what I love, which is being an instrument used by God to spread His Word and His love with everyone. I also want to formally apologize for my absence. God has been doing a work in my life, and just recently put it on my heart to start this blog back up. I hope you all have been doing well, and I continue to pray for you all.
In celebration of the new beginning of this blog, I felt that it was appropriate to talk about a basic, yet essential topic. Grace. Many times, we mix up and interchange mercy and grace, but in reality, they are two completely different concepts. Mercy, as you may have heard, is not getting what we deserve, which in this case is punishment for our sins. Titus 3:5 says "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." But the thing I want to talk about today is different than mercy. It's grace.
For those of you who don't already know, I'm currently in Mexico doing a Mission's internship. Already having been to Mexico before, I thought I was pretty decent at speaking Spanish. However, the very first time I tried speaking to someone who didn't speak an ounce of English, I quickly learned how wrong I was. As I sat there, trying to get my point across to this person, butchering their language in the process, I noticed that the man I was speaking to was intently trying to understand what I was saying. This man was giving me his full attention even though I was probably not making any sense at all, and was also trying to help me. This is grace.
Just recently we started working on building new stairs for the Training Center I'm staying at, and my job was to sand down and paint the steps. After the first day of work, I finished and went to my room to get a nap, forgetting to put anything away, and leaving the place looking like a mess. The next day, I woke up and the guy in charge of all the manual labor down here gently corrected me, but once again handed me the paintbrush and the paint. That night I made the same mistake, only to awaken to another gentle correction and once again was handed the brush and the paint. This is grace.
This last Friday, I got to lead a small youth group in worship, in Spanish, by myself, for the very first time. Instead of trying to memorize the lyrics of a song I didn't know, in a language I now knew I couldn't speak, I wrote the lyrics down. When the time came to start worship, I realized there was no place for me to put the paper I had written on besides the floor, where I couldn't read much of it. After once again butchering their language, I was given only applause at the end of our worship session. This is grace.
When I was 13 years old, I started down a slippery slope of sin. Despite being raised in the church and having plenty of head knowledge of God and what he had done for me, I spat in His face and turned my back on Him. I ran as far away as I could from God and wanted nothing to do with Him. Through this time I dealt with depression, and many other things. I cursed God's name, and pursued things that would only let me down and leave me feeling dissatisfied and worthless. Knowing I would do all this before it even came about, Jesus volunteered to be the One who would take the punishment for all my sin. From the beginning of eternity, The Father and The Son had been One, and in the moment that God poured His wrath out upon His own Son, the two were separated. Jesus the cried out "My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?" He was in that moment separated from the Father, not because of His own doing, but because my sin was enough to make God in Heaven punish His own Son. When He was in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was praying so intensely, that the Bible says His sweat was like drops of blood. He said "Father, if it is at all possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will be done, but yours." He said this with me in mind. With my sin in mind. He went to the cross, after living a perfect life and took upon Himself the full wrath of God, because of my sin. This is grace.
Now, the story doesn't end there. Three days later, Jesus defeated death once and for all, and rose from the dead. He is now sitting on the right hand of God in Heaven. God continues to show us grace every single day. It's impossible to deny this when you stand on the shoreline of the beach, or look up at the night sky and see an innumerable amount of stars. God continues to wake us all up every single day, so should we give Him anything else besides or lives?
I hope God speaks to all of you today, like I know He promises. If you have any prayer requests or anything you want to talk about, you can message me on Facebook or text me (:
God Bless,
Bailey
Monday, January 13, 2014
The Best Plan is the Unexpected One
Hey Everyone! It is so good to be back writing on my blog. For a short while, I had almost given up on this, but God is good and reminded me that even if there is only one person who is reading this, that one person may be the one He wants to reach today. I just got back from an amazing weekend up in Big Bear, California, where God did an amazing work in not only my life, but also the lives of the people in my youth group. I saw many get saved, and even more recommit their lives to Jesus. It was an amazing experience, and I encourage you all to get plugged into a group at a local church wherever you are, so that you can surround yourself with like minded believers who can encourage you daily. So with that, let's get started.
Today, God is really putting it on my heart to share with you what He has been convicting me of lately. Did you know that God has a perfect plan that He has laid out for you? At the time He put the Earth into motion, He was simultaneously putting into motion the plan that He has for your life. I have found from personal experience that following what God has for our live will ultimately leave us feeling so much more fulfilled and satisfied with life. When we listen to what He directs us to do, I have also found that God will provide for our needs in abundance if we just have the faith to step out of our comfort zones and do what He has commanded us to do. Jeremiah 29:11 promises us: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" God WANTS to give us what He knows is best for us. God WANTS to see us live joyful and fulfilled lives.
So as you go about your day today, remember that God has laid out a plan in which He wants to prosper you, and wants to grow you up into a mature believer. Remember, if you have any prayer requests, or anything you want to talk about, you can reach me on Facebook.
God Bless,
Bailey
Today, God is really putting it on my heart to share with you what He has been convicting me of lately. Did you know that God has a perfect plan that He has laid out for you? At the time He put the Earth into motion, He was simultaneously putting into motion the plan that He has for your life. I have found from personal experience that following what God has for our live will ultimately leave us feeling so much more fulfilled and satisfied with life. When we listen to what He directs us to do, I have also found that God will provide for our needs in abundance if we just have the faith to step out of our comfort zones and do what He has commanded us to do. Jeremiah 29:11 promises us: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" God WANTS to give us what He knows is best for us. God WANTS to see us live joyful and fulfilled lives.
So as you go about your day today, remember that God has laid out a plan in which He wants to prosper you, and wants to grow you up into a mature believer. Remember, if you have any prayer requests, or anything you want to talk about, you can reach me on Facebook.
God Bless,
Bailey
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Get to the Back of the Line
Good Morning Everyone! I hope you had a restful night and are ready for the day. I hope God encourages you today and gives you strength to finish off the week, like only he can. For those of us in school, it's almost Christmas break! Finish strong! I hope this Christmas season we all remember the true meaning of the season. I know it sounds cheesy, but often times we forget that the whole point of Christmas is to celebrate our Savior being manifested in human flesh to live a perfect life and ultimately die for us. Giving gifts and spending time with family is a great way to celebrate, and there is nothing wrong with that, but try to remember that God gave us the greatest gift ever 2000 years ago. So with that, let's get started.
Today I feel like God is really putting it on my heart to talk about a subject no one really likes to talk about. Serving others. Philippians 2:3-4 says "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." As I said in yesterdays post, a lot of people like to read the Bible only when it makes them comfortable, but skip over verses that say things like " count others more significant than yourselves. Most of us today spend so much time worrying about ourselves that we don't even have enough time in the day to take care of anybody else. In that verse, it also says to look not only at your own interest, but also to those of others. How often do we go about our day asking ourselves how we can help someone else out or how we could make someone else's day better? If we start serving as we should be, it can not only bless other people, but bless us even more.
Just recently, I served at my church in this thing we do called the "Ladies Christmas Tea". It's a night when the women can have tea, socialize, eat, and just have a good time. However, with the massive amounts and women that show up, someone has to be there to serve them, so we men get the awesome opportunity to serve them their tea and food. When my mom first volunteered me for this, I wasn't so sure about it. Finally, she convinced me it was a good idea, and I decided it might be worth a shot. The thing that really got me on board was the fact that you could sign up to serve a specific table, so of course I asked if I could serve the High School girl's table. After being told I was assigned to that table, I figured this whole serving thing couldn't be all that bad. When I arrived to the tea however, someone else had already been given my table and although I wasn't devastated, I was a little bummed out. But at that moment, I realized that even in serving, I had somehow managed to make it all about me again. God reminded me that this was a night to serve and not be served. Oh, how desperately I needed that. In that night, I was given the opportunity to bless so many women, but in the end, I was blessed just as much as they were! This is what serving can do for you. When you get off your pedestal and lower yourself to the position of a humble servant, you will be blessed in so many ways.
In the end, Jesus tells us "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” By serving, you can see first-hand the joy you can bring to people, and I promise it will blow you away.
I really hope this was encouraging to everyone, and made you realize that we need to be serving instead of expecting to be served, as much as it did for me. If you have any prayer requests, or anything you want to talk about, you can always message me on Facebook.
God Bless,
Bailey
Today I feel like God is really putting it on my heart to talk about a subject no one really likes to talk about. Serving others. Philippians 2:3-4 says "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." As I said in yesterdays post, a lot of people like to read the Bible only when it makes them comfortable, but skip over verses that say things like " count others more significant than yourselves. Most of us today spend so much time worrying about ourselves that we don't even have enough time in the day to take care of anybody else. In that verse, it also says to look not only at your own interest, but also to those of others. How often do we go about our day asking ourselves how we can help someone else out or how we could make someone else's day better? If we start serving as we should be, it can not only bless other people, but bless us even more.
Just recently, I served at my church in this thing we do called the "Ladies Christmas Tea". It's a night when the women can have tea, socialize, eat, and just have a good time. However, with the massive amounts and women that show up, someone has to be there to serve them, so we men get the awesome opportunity to serve them their tea and food. When my mom first volunteered me for this, I wasn't so sure about it. Finally, she convinced me it was a good idea, and I decided it might be worth a shot. The thing that really got me on board was the fact that you could sign up to serve a specific table, so of course I asked if I could serve the High School girl's table. After being told I was assigned to that table, I figured this whole serving thing couldn't be all that bad. When I arrived to the tea however, someone else had already been given my table and although I wasn't devastated, I was a little bummed out. But at that moment, I realized that even in serving, I had somehow managed to make it all about me again. God reminded me that this was a night to serve and not be served. Oh, how desperately I needed that. In that night, I was given the opportunity to bless so many women, but in the end, I was blessed just as much as they were! This is what serving can do for you. When you get off your pedestal and lower yourself to the position of a humble servant, you will be blessed in so many ways.
In the end, Jesus tells us "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” By serving, you can see first-hand the joy you can bring to people, and I promise it will blow you away.
I really hope this was encouraging to everyone, and made you realize that we need to be serving instead of expecting to be served, as much as it did for me. If you have any prayer requests, or anything you want to talk about, you can always message me on Facebook.
God Bless,
Bailey
Monday, December 16, 2013
Forgiven to Forgive
Good morning everyone! I hope you had a refreshing weekend and got to church sometime. If not, you should! Going to church is a great way to be refilled and refreshed for the week. I feel today, before we get started, God really wants me to remind everyone that YOU are His child, and He loves you so much. Romans 5:8 says "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." While we were still rebelling against God, spitting in His face, he loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. How crazy is that? Throughout the day, think about this and know that God's love for you is so crazy that You are all He thinks about. Anyways, with that, let's get started.
This morning as I was praying about what I should post, God really surprised me by not specifically telling me what to write like He usually does, but instead bringing people to mind who I had a grudge against. I immediately was reminded of Matthew 5:23-24 which says "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift." God reminded me that I needed to be reconciled with a few people before I even started the day. As I talked to these people, I realized I had said in my heart I forgave them, but still held something against them. So many times, I think we say we forgive people in word, but later forget that we've forgiven them! When God says that He has cast our sins as far as the East is from the West, He has set the standard on how we should forgive; casting each other's wrongs just as far. Matthew 6:15 says "But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Many people like to read the Bible only when they read verses that make them comfortable, but skip over verses like this one. The truth is, we need to be forgiving our brothers and sisters in Christ, if we want to truly be living the life God wants us to live.
I just recently finished reading a book by Andy Andrews called The Heart Mender and something one of the main characters said stuck out to me. He said "We begin to forgive by choosing to forgive . . . by deciding, not by feeling. Our feelings don't lead us to forgive. Most times, our feelings lead us the other way. That's why a person has to decide to forgive first. Our feelings always follow along behind our decisions.” When someone wrongs me, I don't know if I'm just weird or something, but 10 out of 10 times, I usually don't want to forgive them right then. True forgiveness is not a feeling, but a decision that we have to make. When we choose to forgive someone and let go of what they have done to us, it can free up our lives to where God can work through us. If you hold onto what they have done, it can build up bitterness and hate towards not only that person, but towards everyone around you. It was once said that hating someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. If you choose to forgive someone, it will allow so much more joy to enter your life and free you from a burden that none can carry by themselves.
Ultimately, we need to be living in the light that if you have made Jesus the Lord of your life, He has already taken the punishment for every one of your sins. God has already forgiven every wrong you have committed, and will commit, so therefore we should be acting the same towards those who wrong us If you ask God to free you of this burden, He won't always take it from you, but I know for a fact that He will give you the strength to forgive others.
I really pray that this was a heart check for everyone like it was for me. If you have any prayer requests, or anything you want to talk about, you can message me on Facebook.
God Bless,
Bailey
This morning as I was praying about what I should post, God really surprised me by not specifically telling me what to write like He usually does, but instead bringing people to mind who I had a grudge against. I immediately was reminded of Matthew 5:23-24 which says "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift." God reminded me that I needed to be reconciled with a few people before I even started the day. As I talked to these people, I realized I had said in my heart I forgave them, but still held something against them. So many times, I think we say we forgive people in word, but later forget that we've forgiven them! When God says that He has cast our sins as far as the East is from the West, He has set the standard on how we should forgive; casting each other's wrongs just as far. Matthew 6:15 says "But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Many people like to read the Bible only when they read verses that make them comfortable, but skip over verses like this one. The truth is, we need to be forgiving our brothers and sisters in Christ, if we want to truly be living the life God wants us to live.
I just recently finished reading a book by Andy Andrews called The Heart Mender and something one of the main characters said stuck out to me. He said "We begin to forgive by choosing to forgive . . . by deciding, not by feeling. Our feelings don't lead us to forgive. Most times, our feelings lead us the other way. That's why a person has to decide to forgive first. Our feelings always follow along behind our decisions.” When someone wrongs me, I don't know if I'm just weird or something, but 10 out of 10 times, I usually don't want to forgive them right then. True forgiveness is not a feeling, but a decision that we have to make. When we choose to forgive someone and let go of what they have done to us, it can free up our lives to where God can work through us. If you hold onto what they have done, it can build up bitterness and hate towards not only that person, but towards everyone around you. It was once said that hating someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. If you choose to forgive someone, it will allow so much more joy to enter your life and free you from a burden that none can carry by themselves.
Ultimately, we need to be living in the light that if you have made Jesus the Lord of your life, He has already taken the punishment for every one of your sins. God has already forgiven every wrong you have committed, and will commit, so therefore we should be acting the same towards those who wrong us If you ask God to free you of this burden, He won't always take it from you, but I know for a fact that He will give you the strength to forgive others.
I really pray that this was a heart check for everyone like it was for me. If you have any prayer requests, or anything you want to talk about, you can message me on Facebook.
God Bless,
Bailey
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