Change....Do We Really Want It?

With the year being almost over alot people sit and reflect what they want to change about themselves. In reality most people never really change anything about themselves when a new year begins. Some people say they want to lose weight and they half heartedly go into it and begin trying to exercise and eat right, but their drive to want to lose the weight fizzles out. They may start off strong and doing all the right things, but they find it difficult and uncomfortable to do. That's just an example of what many of us do because when it comes to bring about change in our lives we say we want it, but do we really? If most of us would be honest with ourselves and others we would admit that we do not like change we like things to remain the same. Its more comfortable to remain the same than to put forth the effort to bring about real change in our lives. We do the same thing in our relationship with Christ. We say we want a deeper more intimate walk with him and we start off trying to do that, but then the desire fizzles out of us. We start to pray more, read more, fast, and try to listen to what it is he wants from us, but then we get lazy and caught up in what we want to do and lose the desire to want it anymore. We get in a place of comfort and laziness. I have been guilty of this many times in my life and I'm not very proud of it, but I recognize it and ask God every day to help me not let my desire for you fizzle out. I want his help in keeping that desire burn for him, because I know that I cannot do it on my own. We should ask this daily of him and not just because a new year is getting ready to begin. Take a good look inside yourself and see what it is that is holding you back from a deeper place in him and ask him to help you keep that desire going for him in your life. Its not an easy thing to die to our selfish nature and I wish I could say it gets easier, but I do know one thing God will never stop helping you keep that desire burning inside you if you truly want it. We have to push self out of the way and let him take over.

Giving Is What Its All About

I have had the privilege for the last year to go to a church that knows how to give back to those who are in need. Its not just at Christmas time when they do it they give all year long. We partner with a ministry called River City Love Squad which feeds, clothes, and ministers to those who are homeless or they don't have much and need a little help. I was so blessed to have such a small part in helping this year for their Christmas dinner that was held at our church this year. They bused in lots of homeless and families that were in need. We all pitched in and helped prepare food for them, organize blankets, clothes, lunch bags, Christmas gifts for them. I was so moved by seeing how many people are in such need. God gave me a dream that I was to bring specific items with me that night to the dinner. I had this dream several nights in a row prior to that night. I was to bring a brand new coat that I had bought for myself, my favorite blue scarf, a blue necklace that a very good friend of mine gave me, and my bible which has a blue cover on it. I asked God why would he want me to give my bible away to someone. He said are you willing to give up everything for me and to help someone who doesn't know me and is in need. I said yes I am. When the day arrived I wasn't sure who I was to give it to or anything, but I knew God would show me when the time was right. There was little lady I saw being prayed for up at the front at the end of the service and God tugged on my heart and said that is her. I went up and found her and her name was Toni. Her husband had left her and she lost everything and was homeless. She only had the clothes on her back she came in with. I introduced myself to her and shared with her the dream God had given me. She cried and hugged me tight and said God sent you to me your my angel. I couldn't hold back the tears and just stood there and held her for a long time. I gave her the coat, the blue scarf, and blue necklace and she said God knew that blue was my favorite color. She put it on and said I will never forget you and she prayed for me that God would bless me as he had done for her. She was grateful for what he had blessed her with and wanted to share what she had just been blessed with as well. I couldn't hold back the tears for the rest of the night. Whether you believe in God or not I am sure you believe in helping others. I work for a great company and for those of you who are reading this if you take anything away from this I hope it is to look around you and see who it is in need and do what you can to help. We are all just a thread away from being homeless ourselves, but we don't think about it that way. We are a blessed country, but we complain when we have to sit in traffic, we complain because our food is too cold when we order it, we complain because we have to stand in line at walmart too long. Think of it this way. You are blessed to even have a car to drive to get to where you need to go. You are blessed to have the money to go to a restaurant and eat. You are blessed that you can go to walmart and get things that you need or just want. I have been humbled working with my church this past year with the River City Love Squad and seeing how my life could have been if I was in there place. Merry Christmas to everyone and God Bless you all.