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

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

Breaking The Silence

Good morning everyone! I hope you all had a good night's rest, and are ready to face the day.  Today, like every day, there will be many chances to share the Gospel with others, but it is up to you to follow through with what God has called you to share.  The Bible says "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."  If it's dark in your house, and you need to get things done, do you turn on a light, then cover it back up because you're afraid of people judging your light? The Bible calls us to be lights to the World, because it is filled with darkness.  Every time someone has turned on a light for me, I have thanked them and realized that I can see better, and I'm better off with the light on.  This is how we should be in the World.  Now with that, let's begin.

As we get into the winter season, it's getting a lot darker a lot faster in the evening, as I'm sure you've noticed.  Now, I can't even begin to get into all of the Spiritual similarities I found between the winter and the times we are now living in.  As we approach what many believe to be the end times, and get closer to Jesus' return, the World is getting darker and darker.  For us as Christians however, that just means that there is more need of a light! When all is going well, and it is light outside, there isn't much need of a lamp or a candle.  But when the moon comes out, and things go dark, people need to see!  Jesus calls us to be the "lights of the World" and to be an example to everyone around us.  During the day, it may be bright outside, but how often do we live our lives as if we are a light shining in the darkness? Too often I think we forget that we have a cure to the disease called sin, and we hide it to ourselves, but yet wonder why the World isn't changing.  I am reminded of the song which many call a children's song, when in reality, could teach us all a lesson or two called "This Little Light of Mine".  The last part of it goes "won't let Satan blow it out, I'm gonna let it shine" (talking about our spiritual lights) I think if we took this and truly applied it and said today, I won't let Satan or any of his demons quench my light, we could truly change the lives of those around us.

Even if someone chooses not to pay attention to a candle, it is almost impossible to ignore the effects of the light.  When you look away from it, you can still see that the room is lit up! When we say we are believers, and people turn away from us, trying to shove our light in their face won't help at all.  Instead, let them see the effects of our light, and let that bring them to a place where you can talk to them.  James says in his letter:

"You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?..." 

 "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

James knew that people would turn him away, and he knew they would turn their backs on him.  He also knew the importance of people seeing that he was made new through Christ, and they saw it changed him!  How much more, living closer to end times, should we urgently be seeking to share with the lost and give them a candle to share with others?

I pray that this was encouraging to everyone who reads it, and please, if you have any prayer requests you can message me on Facebook, and know that you have someone praying for you.

God Bless,

Bailey

Why I Hate Room Temperature Stuff

Hey guys! I apologize for not posting yesterday, I was having some technical difficulties and couldn't manage to get a post out.  But that's okay! Everything is back up and running.  Before I start today, God has laid it on my heart to let you all know that no matter what you are going through today, He is with you.  You can read this today, tomorrow, 5 years from now, yesterday, whenever, and yet the truth of that statement will never change.  Isaiah 41:10 says "fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  This is a promise directly from God, and we can bank on that promise every day.  So with that, let's begin.

This morning, my little brother Cody was just being himself, but unfortunately that meant he was being louder than anyone in the house, all while some people were trying to sleep.  I tried to get him to be quiet, and finally after some persuading, he shut up.  When my mom asked what was going on, I explained the situation and told her that Cody needs to learn how to listen better.  My mom, being the amazing guilt trip she is, turned this back on me and reminded me how many times she had asked me to clean my bathroom just in the last couple of weeks.  (I'm probably gonna have to do it when I'm done writing this, so I'll make sure to make today's extra long) But as I was mumbling to myself about how cleaning the bathroom was a different story, I finally lowered my pride and realized that she was right.  I was chastising my little brother for doing the very thing I had been doing all week long; not listening. Now, all that having been said, how often do we try to point out the things others are doing wrong, only to turn our backs and do that very thing?  There is a reason the Church has been labeled as "hypocritical" today.  Some of it may be that people don't understand the true meaning of grace, but most of it is just what they say it is.  So many of us say one thing and act one way in church, but when we leave the property, do the complete opposite.   I include myself in that number of people.  There are times when I go to church, hear a teaching, and say "amen", but when I leave I do the very thing I was just taught not to do.  I'm not saying that every time we leave church, we will be perfect in every way, but how often do we really mean what we say in church?  In Revelation, John writes to the church of Laodicea, saying that God will spit them from His mouth because they were doing one thing in church services, and doing the complete opposite outside of the church walls.  I don't know about you, but getting spit out of God's mouth doesn't really sound all that pleasing.  All of us are guilty of this, but if I only told you what I wrote above, there would be no point.  There is a solution to this problem.  

John later writes in the very same letter to be zealous and repent.  He says repent, meaning that you need to ask God for His forgiveness, but more than that, turn away from that sin and start on a new path.  This goes for any sin, not just hypocrisy.  God offers us a new life in him.  I've been learning lately that although accepting Jesus into your heart is the best start you could get, you need to do something with that.  If you have never done, this, it is by far one of the easiest things you could possibly do.  All you need to do is admit that you are a sinner, because if you are honest with yourself, you'll soon find out that no matter how hard you try, or how many New Year's Resolutions you make, without God, those are pointless, and will get you nowhere.  The second step is you realizing that God did something about the first step.  You see, if we are sinners, then theres really nothing we can do about it on our own.  It would be like a blind man trying to lead another blind man to the grocery store.  You can go ahead and try to imagine that for a second if you want.  Anyways, God sent His only son Jesus to earth to fix this little problem of ours.  It may be hard to believe, and blow your mind, but Jesus lived a perfect life and didn't commit a single sin.  Not one.  However, the very people He created accused him of blasphemy and nailed him to a cross.  Jesus died, and was buried.  But there's good news! We don't serve a dead God, because 3 days later, Jesus rose from the grave and defeated death once and for all.  Jesus said "I am the way, the Truth, and the Life.  None come to the Father except through Me."  By dying, and rising again, Jesus made a way for us to be reunited with God.  The Bible also says that if you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you will be save.  Its as simple as that.

If you want to know more, please please please please, you can message me on Facebook.  I really hope this was encouraging for you today.

God Bless,

Bailey

Crucifying Flesh

Good morning everyone! It's starting to get kinda cold, but hey, that's Vegas weather for ya.  I just wanted to let you all know that after a year of being over seas on a mission trip my oldest sister is finally coming home on Saturday! We are so excited for her to finally get home.  I hope you all had a restful night, and just remember to pray that God would fill you up with His Holy Spirit today, and give you strength to seek His will.  So with that, let's get started.

This morning, God really put Galatians 2:20 on my heart.  It reads: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God. who loved me and gave himself for me."  There are three parts to this verse.  The first is "I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me."  After Paul became Paul on the road to Damascus, he considered his old self crucified on the cross with Christ.  His old ways were gone, and he was a new creation in Jesus.  I think we need to ask ourselves if we have truly crucified our old selves with Christ.  When he died on the cross, it wasn't just Jesus' arm that died, or his leg that died, but he entirely and fully died.  Have we "crucified" our old ways entirely, or have we just killed off the parts that were easy to kill off, or the ways that didn't really have a huge effect on our lives? After that, have we let CHRIST fill in those places we have killed off?  If you don't allow Him to, then it will be impossible to keep those old ways at bay.  

The second part of this verse is "And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God" This is one of the few times that when Paul mentions the "flesh" he is talking about literal flesh and blood.  He is saying that since he has considered his old ways crucified with Christ, the life He is now living on earth can only be lived by faith in Jesus, the Son of God.  Today, are we living completely by faith in Jesus?  I mentioned earlier about how my sister is coming back from a year long mission trip, and some of the stories she has shared with us are absolutely incredible.  Everyday, they were completely reliant on God.  It may be extremely hard to do, but this is how we need to be, constantly seeking God's will.

The last part of this verse, and if you get nothing else out of my babbling, then I hope you at least get this, and it is "I live by faith in the Son of God. who loved me and gave himself for me."  Paul got this.  He understood fully how great the love of God was for him.  So much to go as far as sending His only Son, lowering himself to a servant, and giving up His high place in Heaven, to become a man.  Not coming to judge His people, or to ridicule them for their mistakes, but He came in love, guiding His people back onto the right course.  Then He took it a step further.  He lived a perfect, spotless life, and yet was convicted and betrayed by the ones that he loved so perfectly.  They crucified him on a cross, but not before putting him through the worst torture one can imagine.  They put a crown of thorns on his head, and mocked Him.  He loved us so much that he took our punishment.  He lived the life we couldn't live, and took the punishment we should have taken, because He loves us so dearly.  But that's not the end.  We don't serve a dead God.  After 3 days, Jesus conquered death, defeating the grave once and for all.  Death could not hold our Lord.  Now we can rejoice like Paul when he writes to the Corinthians and says "“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”  THIS is how much He loved you and I.

I really do pray that you were encouraged today.  If you have any prayer requests or just want to talk about something, you can message me on Facebook.

God Bless,
Bailey

Under One God

Good morning everyone! I hope you had a restful night, and are ready for the day.  Before I get started, I just wanted to remind you that God's mercies are new each and every day and he will never give up on you.  Lamentations 3:22-23 says:

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases

His mercies never come to an end;

They are new every morning

Great is Your faithfulness"

So, as you go about your day today, remember that The Lord will never leave your side and He has already forgiven you of past and future mistakes that you have made and will make.  With that being said, let's get started.

Today as I was doing my morning devotional, God lead me to read Romans 3.  In this chapter, Paul is telling the Romans that God's forgiveness is not only for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles.  Although this was written long ago, it can still apply to us, even today!  We need to remember that God's forgiveness is not only for those who try to be the best they can, but also for those who are in the deepest pits of their sin.  Paul writes in verses 29-30, "Or is He the God of the Jews only?  Is He not also the God of the Gentiles?  Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised by faith."  We also need to remember this as we minister to those around us.  We are not holier, or anything more than those who are still in their sin, for we were once in our own sin as well! It is only by God's grace that we are saved, and He is the same God that is living in every believer.  As you go about your day today, try to look at people through God's eyes.  See them as His children, and his beloved.  Do this, and it will make a difference not only in how you treat people, but also will increase your eagerness to share the Gospel with your friends and family.

I hope this was encouraging to everyone.  If you have prayer requests, you can message me on Facebook, and I'll make sure to be praying for you.

God Bless,

Bailey

Just Getting Started

So this is where it begins!  I am excited for this journey that God has been preparing me for and cannot wait to see what He is going to do through this blog.  But enough of the small talk, lets get down to business.  This being my first blog ever, I thought it only appropriate that I share a little bit about myself and some of my testimony so that you can see where I am coming from, and be encouraged.  So here it goes.

My name is Bailey and I live in Las Vegas (born and raised).  I began going to church at a very young age, and growing up, knew all the right answers to all the questions.  However, as time went on, this life began to wear on me, and I began to walk away from God and His plan for my life.  Things began to really pickup about the time I was in 7th grade.  I began to spit out lies with every word I spoke, steal from people who trusted me, and push away the people who really cared about me.  By the time I reached Freshman year in high school, I was a mess.  My parents couldn't trust me enough to even let me leave the house, and I had lost many people I considered friends because of the choices I made.  This continued on for a number of years until finally, FINALLY, God got my attention this last year.  An old friend of mine came to my youth group on October 13th, and gave his life to God, and it was a glorious day.  Unfortunately, Satan, the King of Lies already had planted a seed in my friend, and he committed suicide that night.  For about a month, after, I struggled to get out of bed in the morning, filled with grief over my lost friend.  It was at this time, that God reminded me nothing and no one can snatch us out of his hand, and that if my friend truly believed in his heart, and confessed with his mouth that Jesus is his Lord and Savior, when he pulled the trigger, he was welcomed into Heaven by his Father.

After a month of grieving, God opened my eyes to the hurt and pain of people around me.  He stirred my heart to become an example in my youth group and to reach out to everyone, regardless of their circumstance, and much less regarding my own circumstances.  It most definitely has not been a walk in the park since then, but we serve a great God, and His mercies are new every single morning.  Now, I say all this not to brag on my past, or to revel in my own strength, but to encourage you that it may seem dark right now, but you are a light in this dark world, and the dark cannot extinguish the light.  Remember what Jesus meant when he spoke about the man who built his house on the Rock, and even though the wind and the waves beat up against his house, it stood its ground only because it was built on the Rock.

I hope this was encouraging, and can't wait to see what God is going to do!

God Bless,
Bailey