My church has just finished going through the book of Galatians.  I have really enjoyed this.  The book of Galatians covers a lot of the important pieces from the Gospel.  This book shows ways we as Christians can best follow the Gospel.  Christ created us, and He is also the only thing that can save us.  We can not save ourselves through our good works or through good thoughts, only through God’s salvation.    

One thing the very end of the 5th chapter of Galatians discussed was the idea of competition.  This is said in verse 29 with, “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”  We shouldn’t spend time in envy or in jealousness.  Sometimes we as people and as Christians can become competitive, even about things we should never be competitive about, including times when we are trying to discover who is the “strongest Christian?”  There are times we can start competing with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as opposed to helping them grow.  

Paul will continue looking at ways we should not compete.  This is when a brother or sister is in sin, or when a brother or sister is overburdened or when a brother or sister is succeeding and we may not be.  Paul will find he needs to tell the Galatians ways to love their brothers and sisters in Christ.  There needs to be this love and this care for them in all ways.  This is how we show Christ like love.  

There are many times we as people and as brothers and sisters in Christ need to encourage and love our other members of the body, even when they sin and we want to be competitive with them or judge them for their mistakes.  I know I can fall into doing this at times.  Sometimes when I feel someone is a better Christian than me, and then I see them struggle or sin, I start to feel a little better about myself as a whole.  However, we should not spend time comparing ourselves or trying to make ourselves feel better in this way, we need to be spending time restoring that brother or sister to Christ.  We need to be making a way for them to feel whole and a part of society once again.  

We can also feel this way when it comes to others being overburdened.  There are many times I can internally find myself competing with others about who is busier.  I try to make myself busy doing various projects and activities, for the church and sometimes for personal reasons, so there are times when I can feel overburdened.  Then sometimes I want to feel as though I am the most busy Christian, and maybe this is how I want to be perceived.  However, I shouldn’t make this my goal.  This isn’t going to bring me closer to the relationship with Christ I need.   However, just as I would feel comforted and loved if a fellow brother or sister helped me when I am overburdened, I need to do this for my brothers and sisters in Christ.  

Then lastly we can start to feel like comparing when either a brother or sister in Christ is really succeeding or when we are succeeding.  This can sometimes lead to either pride in our own work, or we can start to be jealous of the work the other person is doing.  Either way, we should not be focused on the roles and the jobs another Christian has.  We are called to do a certain work and job for Christ.  There is a plan and a desire He has for us as believers, and we need to find ways to follow him to the best of our ability. 

The challenge of this week is to think about whether or not you are very competitive in a non-healthy way.  Is there someone you are unhealthily competitive or jealous of?  What are some ways we can best get over these competitive thoughts? Why are you feeling this way?  This feeling of competitiveness is a heart issue.  After you do some reflection on whether or not you are competitive or jealous of someone, spend some good time in prayer and with the root of the issues with the heart. 

For my personal reading, I have just finished the book, “The House of My Mother,” by Shari Franke.  This woman grew up in a family vlogging channel which started out fairly normal, (as far as family vlogging channels go).  However, this was a woman who grew up with the camera in her face.  Her parents, specifically her mom, made money on the internet videoing both the public and the private parts of this child and her sibling’s life.  Shari talks about how her life became centered around social media.  

While this starts  negative enough, if you know the story about Ruby Franke, then you know she eventually falls into a group fronted by a woman named Jodi Hildebrant.  This group was called Connexions which centered around family relationships and self improvement.  However, now they (Ruby and Jodi) are both serving up to 30 years in prison for child abuse and neglect.  Somehow Ruby started believing through Jodi that her children had demons in them, and they needed to beat the demons out of them.  This is a horrific story, and it is hard to hear.  

After I read the book, I decided to watch the documentary which includes Kevin Franke (husband of Ruby) Chad Franke (oldest son of Ruby) and Shari.  At the very end of this documentary, Kevin Franke made a profound statement summing up in part this awful story,  He said, “If you put your faith in the wrong hands-you could lose everything. “ I loved this.  It stopped me dead in my tracks.  This is true.  The Franke family, specifically Ruby, started to find faith in the wrong things.  First, she fell into the faith of social media and family vlogging, and then later in the teachings of Jodi Hildebrant who believed herself to be a prophet of the Lord. 

The Lord wants to make sure we don’t fall into the trap of believing people who we shouldn’t, which is why this was written throughout the Bible.  One of those verses is Matthew 7:15 which says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”  There were false prophets back in the time of Jesus.  This was the Pharisees and the Sadducees who did respect and honor the law which was a good thing, however, they really truly believed they needed to earn their salvation.  They then would also be incredibly harsh and judgemental to those who stepped one toe out of line in the law.  This was too harsh and unloving for church leaders, even back in this time.  Jesus would often call them out on their hypocrisy.  

Paul later in the Bible would fall into this issue with the Galatians.  He would get really frustrated with them because they were starting to follow false laws and prophets.  They started to believe circumcision was a requirement to be saved.  While this was in the law previously, this is not a way a person makes it into heaven.  The only way to make it to eternity in heaven is through the belief and the faith of Jesus and his death and resurrection on the cross.  Again, it is important to honor the Lord and it is important to care about the law, but no matter what we do, we will fall out of line of the law.  This is why we have Christ and we have the salvation he provided through the cross and through the life he lived.  

It can be very easy for a lot of people to start believing or having faith in a complete lie.  I think we like to think this only happens in cult-like situations.  However, I think having faith in the wrong thing is incredibly common.  We often see many people have addictions to certain substances or items, whether this be social media or their cell phones, alcohol, other drugs and substances, etc.  Then there are many who fall into the trap of believing in money.  They will believe their money can get them through any issue or problem.  There may be others who will have complete faith in their works or their job.  All of these are not something to believe in.  

Is there anything you are finding yourself believing in that could maybe be a lie? Is there anything you have maybe started following related to pop culture or accepted in normal society that is actually harmful, especially to our Christian way of life? If there is something you are finding you are a bit too invested in, what are some ways you can get out of this particular position?  What are some of the people who are spreading these lies to you who you could stop following or listening to?   Whatever it is, I encourage you to find faith in the right thing which is faith in Jesus Christ and his death for you on the cross.

I recently worked through “The Trust Journal,” by Lysa Terkeurst.  I had read her original book this journal goes with, “I want to Trust You, but I don’t.”  Lysa has been a Christian leader I have followed for a long time.  She has gone through some trials from her health to her first marriage.  However, she has stayed steady with her relationship with the Lord.  She has shown her learning and growth from her therapy and now she is sharing her learning with us. 

I enjoyed working in this journal.  I will be honest that I don’t necessarily struggle a lot with trust issues or have really struggled with people breaking my trust in a catastrophic way.  However, through my life, there have been some small issues and some people who have hurt me and have made me doubt certain things. 

There was a section recently I really enjoyed and it was all about words, especially the words we say to ourselves.  One quote was “My counselor loves to remind me that words do frame our reality.”  I love this because I have always tried to remind myself of the importance of words.  Words do really have power and are important for our progress, both our normal everyday progress, and our relationship with Christ. 

I have found words really do affect how I feel about something.  When I am optimistic and excited to either try something or am about ready to meet up with someone who I can’t wait to connect with again, I will use positive language.  There isn’t a lot that slows me down or makes me upset.  However, when there are things I am nervous about doing or participating in and there are people who I am about to see who I am not as excited to see, then I can sometimes fall into using negative language.  I will get more frustrated a lot easier or I am a lot more irritable to those who I am around.  

There are some important verses about using the correct words and using words as a way to build us up.  There are also a few verses about how important words are for building others up and making others see us as encouraging and loving.  The verse I want to highlight is, Ephesians 4:29 which says, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”  

The challenge for this week is to spend time thinking about how you speak or the words you are usually using.  How do you usually think about or talk about things?  Are there times you are really down on yourself and don’t understand how to get out of a negative headspace or consume negative thoughts?  If so, this can make it really hard to find ourselves out of a negative situation.  

If you do find yourself struggling to talk positively or encouragingly to yourself, then I would recommend doing some journaling or finding someone you can talk to when you feel as though you are not doing the best at giving yourself positive affirmations.  This can be a chance to write down the thoughts you are having and why you may be struggling to talk positively. 

My husband Cole has been really good about correcting this language for me.  There will be days I will come home from a run, and I will be really discouraged by my run.  I will be disappointed when I am slower than I would prefer.  I would be upset if I didn’t feel super great on my run.  I will overall be disappointed with myself.  Similarly I will get this way when I do a rough job at work and I feel as though I will never be good at my job or I am not the best mentor.  Whenever I fail, I find myself talking a bit harshly to myself.  I find myself giving myself negative thoughts for the future.  

Maybe also consider being the person in someone else’s life who reminds others to be positive.  Be the person who is uplifting the other in positivity and warmth, reminding them of God’s goodness and love.  Maybe you will be the person in the office who chooses not to gossip and be discouraging, but rather who chooses to be kind and encouraging.  Words do have a lot of power, and it is important to remember that for this following week. 

Today this blog post is being posted the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  It was hopefully for many of you a great time to celebrate with family and maybe some friends, have a break from work.  (Or maybe some of you may have received double pay working the Black Friday hours).  This means the next major holiday for many of us is Christmas. I know not everyone finds Thanksgiving or this upcoming season of Christmas the most joyful, but I would like to share some light on its importance separate from a worldly thinking we have often had in the past. 

I personally love this time of year.  I am a summer girl, but I do enjoy winter up to Christmas.  Then I struggle through the months of January and February (although my favorite holiday of Valentine’s Day is in February-so there is that to look forward to.).  When I think of Christmas I think of my grandparent’s house.  I used to wake up there on Christmas morning all ready to open the stockings, and ready to eat cinnamon rolls by the Christmas tree.  I also would usually enjoy a cup of coffee made by my grandma.  As I get older, some of the things I most admire out of the Christmas season are the blinking lights of the Christmas tree with all the ornaments, and the break and relaxation with friends and family.  

However, I often think we can get really distracted and stressed out about everything related to the Christmas season.  I know I start thinking about gifts and making sure I can get the most loved ones of mine a gift they will appreciate and love.  I also spend a lot of time working on the Christmas cards I want everyone to receive.  I can sometimes get stressed out about the time this takes.  Will I have enough time to make all the cards for those I want to make one for? Will they look nice?  Will this be worth it?  It takes up a lot of space in my brain during what should be very joyful season.  

Besides being the Sunday after Thanksgiving, it is also the first day of Advent season.  Advent is the four-week celebration before Christmas occurs.  It is the time of waiting and preparation for the coming Lord, Jesus Christ.  I also started this devotional from the Daily Grace Company in order to fully celebrate and honor this time. This book is called “Awakening Wonder, Experiencing the Nearness of Jesus.” by Katie Davidson, Alexa Hess, and Anteneshia Sanders.

I really wanted to celebrate and study Advent because as I just mentioned I and I believe many others often get stressed out when thinking about Christmas and the Christmas season.  I already loved the first couple of pages of how they would describe Advent.  They say, “The weeks leading up to Christmas are typically fast-paced and focused on going and doing.  But Advent is about slowing down, waiting, and preparing.”  (pg.26).  We sometimes forget the true reason for Advent.  We sometimes are so lost in all things leading up to Christmas and even the emotions attached to Christmas, which can be exciting and filled with joy or a time filled with sadness and grief that we forget the reason it is a holiday to begin with.  It is about Jesus as opposed to giving gifts and all the holiday traditions. 

 Regardless of your personal history and experiences with Christmas, there is one central joy we can all know.  Jesus came down to the world in order to save His people from our sins.  He was sent to be born as a baby, to experience the life we as other people experience.  Then he was later in his life willing to suffer and ultimately die on the cross for us all to offer salvation.  

There are many verses describing Jesus coming to the world. This is described throughout the first four Gospel books in the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  There are also many other verses including Galatians 4:4-5 which says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”  The Lord had a plan from the very beginning.  He knew he wanted us to be a part of his life from the start of creation.  He found a beautiful way and a path for us to have access to the Lord and everlasting life in heaven while still including us to have free will.  

There are two challenges for you this week.  The first one is to find your own Advent study.  There are passages to read online, and there are many books sold about Advent and studying the word that way, such as what I am doing.  This can be just 15 minutes of your time in the morning to prepare your heart and soul for the coming of Christ this season.  The second challenge is to spend time reflecting on the goodness of God this season.  This may mean slowing down.  This may mean finding a way to destress during the stress that can be preparation for Christmas.  I do truly hope you can all find great joy during this holiday season!

I love getting to be a mentor.  I am a mentor to an 8th grade girl who is also a student at my job in the Job Foundation.  A person doesn’t have to be an employee in order to mentor, but I have decided to be a mentor these last few years while working here.  I have really enjoyed getting to know my mentee for the past two and half years as both one of my students in the Job Foundation but also as my mentee. 

Some of my favorite opportunities with my mentee have been getting to teach her some fundamental and important life skills and especially getting an opportunity to give back.  There was a day in January when we went to the University of Northern Iowa’s MLK volunteer day and we packaged sack lunches for kids all across Iowa.  Then there have been twice when we have worked on doing the operation Christmas child.  This is when we have created Christmas boxes for kids all over the world.  I have personally great memories of being able to do this with my family, so I am glad my mentee and I had a chance to do this.  

There are many verses about giving throughout the Bible.  In fact, there are about 2,000 times the Bible mentions giving.  This is included in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.  Jesus loves to give to those who are in need, and he would often do this through his ministry on earth.  One of the verses in the Bible is 2 Corinthians 9:7 which says, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  The Lord loves when his people choose to give from their hearts just as He often does with his followers and those who are of the poor.  

I am very grateful my mentee has really enjoyed the opportunity to volunteer and to give charitably.  She appreciated the times we have volunteered as a group, and she loved picking out the gifts for those who are even less fortunate.  She was even helping me put my shoebox together.  There were a lot of gifts to fit in a smaller space, and she was good about getting it all organized within the box.  

Besides working with my mentor, I have also been blessed to organize events for my students to do volunteering at different nonprofits in our area.  For example, as a middle school group they have gone to Northeast Iowa Food Bank as well as the following year to the Salvation Army.  Both middle school lessons went well.  We are also going to be going back to the food bank the week after Thanksgiving for this year’s middle school lesson. There were a lot of kids who really enjoyed this lesson and appreciated getting out in the community to do something for a local nonprofit.  

The challenge for this week is to spend time thinking about how you can give back.  Is there a way you can find to give or to volunteer?  Is there a person or a group in your area who you know needs extra assistance?  Is there a nonprofit or a charity that you have been thinking about supporting recently? This is the start of the holiday season, and while it is again the most stressful for a lot of individuals, it is also a very hard time for a lot of those who are in need.  This even includes the nonprofits and the charity organizations we know in our community.  There are many who are asking for end of the year donations for this very reason.  

I think this is a reminder as we are in the season of the holidays, of Thanksgiving, of Christmas, of present shopping and with big meals, that we are finding time and some funds and love in our hearts to give to those who are less fortunate or who are in more need for certain foods. This also includes teaching our young people about the importance of charitable giving, and of volunteering and being out in the community.  I hope you have a blessed holiday season, and I hope you can be a blessing to many more in your community. 

These past few weeks of church have been the start of a new sermon series.  This series is going through the book of Galatians, which is a wonderful book including a lot of information about the Gospel and how to best be stewards of Christ.  This is also wonderful because this is the same book I have been studying with my Christian mentor, Stacy.  It has been really fruitful for me to get a lot of this wisdom out of this book of the Bible. 

The sermon this morning was really good about discussing the Holy Spirit and its role in our lives of Christians.  We are called to be followers of Christ and to be therefore changed by the Spirit.  We can not be justified by our own works.  We can not take credit for being saved because of who we are, but rather through who Christ is and what he has done for us.  

This also being said, My pastor Peter mentioned sometimes we as people and as Christians will claim, there will be nothing that can be changed about a particular personality trait we may have.  For example, “I am always going to have a temper.  It is just a part of who I am.”  Some may claim they won’t ever be gentle or kind.  They are too brash and harsh.  Others may claim they have no self-control ability.  They indulge in whatever is in front of them.  

Yes, while I do believe it is important to know there are certain people who will be different from others.  We are all created differently.  We have all been created by God who did want to make us a little different than everyone else.  He is a Creator.  He is creative, and he enjoyed making us all unique.  However, there are still important characteristics, such as the fruit of the spirit he wants us all to possess as believers.  These fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.  We shouldn’t get to choose or cherry pick which of these fruits we can possess as a person.  It is an all or nothing kind of change.   

For me, I know I am not very patient.  It is not my strength.  I am also not the best at keeping peace when it comes to my mind.  I have always struggled with my own peace. I am a very anxious person, and this can really start to affect the other areas in my life.  Through my anxiety, I can let it ruin my state of mind and my trust of the Lord.  However, in those times when I am struggling with my Christian walk or with certain fruits of the spirit, I know I can lean on the Holy Spirit. 

The Holy spirit is mentioned about 90 to 100 times throughout the Bible.  There are then many verses that reference the Holy Spirit and its great work in our lives.  One of the verses referencing the Holy Spirit is Romans 8:26 which says, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” The Holy Spirit can give us the words we need in order to better pray.  The Holy Spirit will help give us advice when we don’t know what we should best do, and how we should best pray. 

There are two challenges for you this week.  The first is, of course, to try to be reflective of whether or not there is anything that you believe you can’t change?  Is there a particular characteristic you believe won’t ever be something you will possess?  Are there negative beliefs you have about yourself?  Are you very convinced your sin is a part of your personality? Maybe, are there any sins that you are secretly proud of?

Then the second challenge is to spend a long time in prayer.  To spend this time in prayer and to really believe and think you can be changed is the best way to develop this particular characteristic and to therefore grow closer to God.  Through the prayer and belief in God and the Holy Spirit, we really can be changed and more sanctified.  I have often spent a lot of time in prayer, focusing on my patience.  I am constantly asking for help when it comes to my patience.  I know I can lose my temper and can become irritated and frustrated regularly, and I then ask the Holy Spirit to help me out.  

Let the Holy Spirit change you.  Let the Holy Spirit make you more brave, more bold, more patient, and more kind.  We are called to be conquerors of Christ.  We are called to be faithful followers.  Even when we don’t believe we can do this, we can remember, we have Christ and the Holy Spirit in our corner. 

My husband and I have been taking a few steps to get healthier and to focus more on the food we have been eating.  I have never participated in calorie counting before.  I have done a 30 day “clean eating food challenge.”  Essentially this was a month with no added sugars.  Apples or bananas weren’t even on the list because of the amount of their natural sugars.  Then for a month or two one summer, I did try Keto with my dad, until I realized I needed some more carbs to train for my first half marathon.  However, it has been roughly 60 days since I started calorie counting with Cole, and I have already lost 10 pounds!  I feel lighter and I don’t feel as bloated on a regular basis. I have really overall been very happy with this journey.  

I bring this up in my usual Christian blog, because the church does sometimes discuss gluttony.  There are times we as people, Christians included, can be very gluttonous or very addicted to certain things in this world, even things like food and sugar.  I know I personally can be addicted to these things some days.  There are days where I wouldn’t be able to stop eating the juice filled fruit snacks, starbursts, or gummy bears.  This was especially true if they were in my area or they were at the store where I was shopping, and I decided to pick them up before I left. 

Even if this is not something we commonly think of, the Bible does do some referencing when it comes to food.  Some verses reference eating, and how to be smart with eating food, as we should be wise with all things.  One verse is Proverbs 25:16 which says, “”If you find honey, eat just what you need, and do not have an excess of it, or you will vomit it up”.  Sorry to have the word vomit in the middle of my blog post.  It is not something usually included in my messaging.  However, it is important to realize we don’t need to eat food in excess.  The minute we start to eat an unhealthy amount, or even eating certain unhealthy foods in too much excess, we as people will get sick.  We may throw up, or we may lose energy, have our immune system compromised, and it can affect our mood and mental health.  Eating wise helps us in all senses of health.

This is why I am happy I am starting to look more at the food I am putting into my body.  However, I do want to make sure we don’t go too far the other way.  One reason I was always nervous to try calorie counting was because I didn’t want to be so obsessed with food in either direction.  I was nervous to be so preoccupied with how many calories are in food that I would then have a bad relationship with food, where I wouldn’t be looking at food in a healthy way.  However, so far, I have still kept a healthy relationship with foods, just watching the caloric intake. 

The challenge for this week is to think about how you eat.  First, what is your relationship to food?  Are you a person who tends to be a bit compulsive or gluttonous with food at times?  Are there moments where you are on the other end of the spectrum and you are constantly looking at food in a good way or a bad way?  Or do you see food as a stresser?  Are there times you are not eating to the best of your ability? Are there times when you are eating too much or eating too little?  

Then after spending some time in reflection, it can be good to make a few goals of eating healthier.  Is this eating less sugar or less fried foods?  For me, it was definitely needing to eat less sugar while also taking in less food or calories.  I needed to consume a little less.  This is of course not saying I can’t have a sweet treat here and there or I can’t enjoy a bigger meal from time to time, but I also didn’t have to spend a lot of time snacking or taking in just mindless candy.  

Reminder that God has created our bodies to do a lot of good works for Him.  Because of this, our body is a temple for the Lord.  We need to treat these temples like they were meant to be treated.  It is important that we feed and nutrient ourselves, so we can function and do all things we are meant to do for the Lord.  It is important to fuel our body with vitamins, protein, carbohydrates, etc.  We need our food, but we need to be mindful and wise, just as we need to be with all things.

Recently I finished a book called “Daring to Hope,” by Katie Davis Majors.  I have made a few blog posts about the quotes and the insight Katie brought to the table.  I highly recommend this book for her wonderful God insight and inspiration into ministry.  It is important to read books about missionaries with their stories and their work they are doing all over the world. 

Katie would often talk about God’s faithfulness.  God is faithful and He shows up in all things everyday.  Every morning, we can see God’s faithfulness.  Every morning we make up and we can feel his forgiveness, his mercy and his grace.  Think of all the times we as people can step away from God.  We can start to sin and we can follow the worldly inspiration.  Yet, even when we are not continuously faithful to God, he is faithful to us and our relationship.  

One quote I loved was all about this kind of faithfulness.  This says, “Friend, faithfulness is what we repeatedly do, whether or not we see the results. Faithfulness is when we pour into hard people over and over, when we continue to serve in difficult situations, when we intentionally choose to lean into Him in our troubles as well as our joys.  Faithfulness is a habit formed in our hearts when no one is looking, when the day is done and the stars creep out and our call isn’t easy but we don’t turn away.” (pg. 140). 

I love this quote.  It is important to remember that faithfulness is when we continue to show up, even in the moments when it is hard.  I will be honest when I say, there are a few individuals in my life who have made it more difficult in recent months.  They have had a lot of struggles and personal strife which can make it hard to love them at times.  However, being faithful to God is being faithful to those people and being a Godly example, even when it is incredibly taxing.  I have definitely not done the best job, but I also know God is continuing his faithfulness in me, so I can continue my faithfulness in Him. 

The Bible talks about Faithfulness a lot. Faithful as a word is referenced roughly 130 times throughout scripture. This is clearly a message God wants to show his followers.  He wants us to know that He will be faithful with us, and He asks us to be faithful with him.  One of those verses is Proverbs 3:3-4 which says, “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.  Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” But how is it, we as Christians can stay faithful?  How can we be described as faithful?  What will it mean to hear a well done, good and faithful servant when we enter the gates of heaven?   

Some of the best ways we can be faithful is through reading our Bibles and really understanding what it says in its entirety.  We cannot be a faithful servant if we do not know the commands we have been given by God.  We need to know all the commands and the promises God has given us.  We are so impacted by the things we watch, the things we listen to, or even the people or influences we seek out.  This is why it is so important to seek influence from the Bible and God’s written word. 

Then we also need to pray.  We need to spend time in prayer.  Prayer is how we best communicate with God.  To really understand all his commands and all his promises is through prayer and communicating with Him.  This is taking time to listen to doing the thing God most wants us to do.   What is God calling us to?  What is his goal for our lives?  How can we best serve God with the lives we have?  Then we can go to Him when the work is troubling and we need the Holy Spirit to give us strength. 

However, we also have to be willing to follow his commands, even when they are maybe not what we had originally thought we would do.  This is being willing to do the things He has called us to, and we may have to be willing to give up some of the things we would most want in this world, whether this be relationships or friendships, certain job promotions, leadership positions, money, or comfort.  This will mean speaking God’s truth to people who don’t want to hear it, but knowing if we don’t tell them, they may never know. 

The challenge for this week is to be reflective over whether or not we as people are faithful.  Are you as a Christian a person who is also faithful?  Are there times or places where you are not as faithful.  This can even be with the simple places in life such as driving.  When I am driving, I can very easily get frustrated but when there are people who are a bit slower on the road than I would prefer. I also can be like this when there are moments of gossip or times to vent around the individuals who I enjoy speaking to about life issues.  This can also be during the hard times of my life, such as when I am struggling through an illness or a major injury.  When there are simple or harder times in lives, we still need to remain faithful. 

As I have mentioned throughout some time, my church has currently been working through the ten commandments as a sermon series.  They finished it up this last week with the last three of the ten commandments, “thou shall not steal,” “thou shall not give false testimony,” and “thou shall not covet.”  This was a great sermon to cover the sins that sometimes we don’t give a lot of weight to as Christians.  These are all the three commands we often don’t follow to the best of our ability and maybe don’t even think they hold much weight in our Christian walk.  

If we are completely honest, many of us have lied and have stolen before.  Even if we are not stealing from a store or another business, we may have taken things that are not ours if we find it, or we steal time from our job, etc.  We also have lied, even if this is lying to ourselves.  Sometimes we lie in order to make ourselves feel better or we lie to look more impressive to other individuals.  While they may not seem like major lies, they are lies nonetheless.  

And all of us have definitely coveted, maybe even multiple, multiple times a day.  It can be really easy to fall into the trap of wanting what others have, or being able to do the things others can do.  Then we are spending a lot of our time being concerned and focused on others, while our own mental health and good thoughts start to go down.  We start to only focus on what others have as opposed to what we have and the opportunities we have from God.  

My pastor brought up a very good point about coveting.  When we covet, it is a sin of the heart.  Most of the time besides moments of bitterness, there aren’t many outward signs of coveting.  However, there are a lot of inward signs of coveting, and our heart is definitely impacted by us when we are coveting or are jealous of someone else.  Once we start to covet, it can be easier to lie to others about the money we don’t have, or to even steal the items we have most desired.  These coveting thoughts are what lead us to sin more and more.  

There are many verses about coveting and being aware of the love of possessions.  One of those verses is Luke 12:15 which says, “And he said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of all covetousness, for a person’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions’” It is important to remember that we can have possessions.  God blesses us with these multiple possessions for a reason.  However, we can never make these possessions more important than Christ and the love he has for us.  

This reminds us all that Jesus looks at the heart in all things.  He wants our love and our attention.  He wants us to be fully devoted to Him, and we can’t be fully connected or fully devoted to God when we are coveting the things or the skills other individuals have.  This means we can’t put it above others and we certainly can’t put it above Christ.  One of the times we show when we are putting other things above Christ is when we show we are coveting others and their stuff, or others and their skills, or others and their opportunities.  God has given us exactly what he has planned for us individually.  

The challenge for the week is to spend time thinking about what you could be coveting.  Is there anything in particular you covet on a regular basis?  Is there something you are desiring and hoping for consistently?  Is there someone you wish you were more like?  Are they hard to be around because of your jealousy?  If so, what are some ways this can be changed?

Then the second challenge is to spend time in gratefulness, even on the days and the times we find the most challenging or when we are really filled with feelings of covetousness.  This is the time we need to make sure to reflect on the good things we have in our lives and the good Christ has done in us. For example, I recently was a bit jealous of my fellow runners who just finished a full marathon this last weekend.  However, I then remembered the many opportunities I have had to run this year.  God has blessed me, and I can’t be overly concerned where others are at with their blessings.  That won’t help me become a better runner or a better Christian.  I pray all of you lose the shackle feeling of covetousness these next few days.

I have continued my reading of “Daring to Hope,” by Katie Davis Majors.  This book has really been inspiring.  I have really enjoyed getting to know about her ministry and her work with the women and children in Uganda.  She is very vulnerable and open about all she has been learning and growing in as well, even with her struggles. 

One of her recent struggles and feelings of inadequacy as she decided to take more time at home with taking care of her kids and household.  She felt as though she should be doing more, especially when compared to what she had years prior.  However, she was really getting to know the kids and even her visitors who would come to her house. Her taking a step back and spending more time at home, helped her make more connections with the individuals near her. 

One quote she mentioned and did put in her book was from Zach Eswine who wrote in his book, “Sensing Jesus,” which says, “God will give you a place to inhabit, which means that you get to become attentive to what is there where you are.  This means that to dwell knowledgeably and hospitality in and toward the place God gives you is to glorify him.  God will give you a few things that he intends for you to do in your inhabited place and with those people.  To do what God gives you to do is to strengthen the common good and to glorify Him.” (pg. 97-98)

In the past few years I have really developed a better relationship with where I am at in society.  There was a time I was very insecure about where I was in life.  I would often see many other Christians who were doing so much.  I would see people on their mission trips and I feel I am not doing enough for the Christian faith.  However, in the last few years, I have really gotten to see where the need is exactly where I am at. 

Waterloo, IA is not a huge city.  It is about 60,000 or so people.  However, amidst this city is a lot of pain, a lot of poverty, and a lot of other issues not everyone has to experience or what we feel most people should experience.  There is a lot of success and good things happening.  The schools are continuing to develop new ways to reach the students and the youth of Waterloo.  There are many organizations, such as the Job Foundation who are finding ways to encourage and empower the community of Waterloo. I am not ever planning on going into Waterloo believing I will change it all.  I do want to be a part of the community, a part of the empowering community. It is important I do not have the mindset that I can be a sole person who can bring the community some joy and some peace.  However, I can do my part, and I can help serve this community and those involved in my program to the best of my ability. 

One important verse to remember for this topic is Acts 1:8 which says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”  For the people who this was being written to, their home area was Jerusalem.  It was close to them.  They could easily go and preach the word there.  This is because God wants us to share His Word with everyone, not just when we are mission trips through the church, not just when we are doing retreats, but when we are living our day to day life.  There will be some called to travel, such as to Judea and Samaria, but this isn’t everyone’s reality at every place they are in life. 

The challenge for you this week is to spend some time thinking about how you feel about the job and position that you have.  The challenge for this week is to spend considering how you can be a light to Jesus, no matter the position you are currently in or the place you are living.  This is important to realize we can’t just spend time wasted, wishing we could be somewhere else.  Yes, it is good to make goals for our future.  It is important to make sure to still spend as much time as we possibly can in being content with where we are and what can be done locally.