Tag Archives: worldly values

May14

I don’t want to be Paprika!

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I don’t want to be Paprika!

 

Review: Matthew 5:1-12

This week’s memory verses: Matthew 5:13-14 –

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

“You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”

Every Easter, our family makes deviled eggs from the morning hunt fodder. Cut andpaprika scoop, mash and mix….then the final stuffing of the egg carcass. The eggs are ready for the table…..but are they?  Some believe that to truly be a deviled egg, they need a light sprinkling of paprika on top.  Not me….does paprika even have a taste? I’ve never found that it made a difference one way or another. My mom thinks it looks pretty….and it does.  But personally, I think that paprika is a waste of money.  For me it has absolutely no value and I choose to leave it off all together.

I try to approach my relationship with God the same way. We are called to be the salt of the earth.  What does that mean exactly? I think it means our flavor should not blend in with that of the rest of the egg…I mean the world.  There are those who try to be like everyone else,  a chameleon in social situations so that they aren’t singled out or viewed as “different”. Personally I don’t think “different” is a bad thing. I’ve have spent much of my adult life running from the types of groups that encourage conformity, contrary to what I desired as a child.  When I was young, it was important to me to be like everyone else, now I see the wisdom in the inverse.

So, we are to give flavor to our world, to the little corner of our existence that we have been given by God to affect. Flavor to the relationships that we are privy to, flavor to the work day that we share with others, and flavor to our families who rely on our guidance. Just as salt brings out the flavor of food, so should we bring out the best in others, affect them positively by not conforming to the patterns of the world.

  • be compassionate
  • show love
  • listen instead of talk
  • put others before yourself
  • place value in the eternal, not the temporary

For if we are not salt and light….will we be thrown out to be trampled underfoot? Will we be considered of little value to God? I shudder to think!

Let’s not be paprika, instead be the salt that we are called to be!

Lord God, make me salty!  Help me to not conform to worldly values.  I don’t want to be of this world, I want to be of the next, and my desire is to point others to you and be your salt and light. Give me flavor so that I may accomplish your purpose. In Jesus’ name

Reflect His Light!

Lisa

Feb7

Life’s Blood ~ Part 2

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marrowIn my last post on Monday, we talked about the marrow (the center of our bones) being the very life source of our body. The marrow is where our blood is made and is directly responsible for feeding the systems in our body that regenerate and heal…this is how God made us.  This is how he intended our bodies to remain healthy….interesting how the marrow is the very center of the bone which are throughout our entire bodies….Marrow is the life source as is God….Am I the only one who is seeing a correlation here?  Marrow needs to be in its proper place and in proper working order to do what it was intended to do…God also needs to be in His proper place in our life, working in His perfect way, in order for us to have the life that He intended….that He planned for us, before we were even born. “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart.” Jeremiah 1:5

In order for us to have this life we have to accept it.

This can be easy, and difficult.gift

We simply have to reach out and open the gift from God ~ Jesus. Believe and accept him as Savior and Lord over our lives…this is where it gets difficult. Contrary to what you hear….it isn’t about just believing…even Satan believes that Jesus is who he says he is. There is a call to action here; a call to have a changed life and a new heart. This can be a daunting task if you really think about it, but Jesus is willing to help…if we simply ask.

Here are some practical steps to get you started:

  1. Accept Jesus (if you haven’t already) for who He is and what He has done for you…made Himself a sacrifice to God for you…in replacement of you. This is central.  Even if you have belonged to a church your whole life, it doesn’t mean that you have accepted His gift. I know many who have been leaders in their churches, but only recently truly accepted Jesus’ offer of salvation. Search your heart and ask God to reveal what is truly there.  And then when you hear His voice ~ Listen!  Don’t ignore His prodding to make a change, or to move forward. This is your chance to have the life that God intended. If you need help in this process go to this link and receive guidance: Do You Know Him?
  2. Commit to making God the center of your life. Ask for His guidance every step of the way. If you ask Him, He will guide you, but you need to recognize His voice in your life. This can be as simple as an impression on your heart – one that wouldn’t normally be there if you hadn’t asked for help. Or it could be a person or situation that presents itself to you that fills the need that you are having, or answers your question. The more you ask and are thankful for the guidance He provides, the more you will receive.
  3. Set up a Bible reading or Bible study plan. This can be hard if you are not a reader, but you don’t have to sit down and read the entire bible from cover to cover. I have read entire books of the bible, in order at times, but generally speaking, I just flip open to a page….any page….and low and behold there is always a lesson there for me. God will speak to you if you are listening. I use a life application study bible (NIV) which is helpful because the language is easier to understand and the commentaries below the scripture make it real for me and help me to apply its lesson. Choose a version that is easy for you to ingest so that you can take its message to heart. We need to have all the information available to us in order to
  4. Know the Lord. Know who Jesus is…not just who but how and what and where and when. Evaluate the way he acted, treated people, went about His day, and the things He said. We are called to be the image of God…to know the Father we must look at the Son, and if we look at the Son, we will know the Father. Jesus was an exact representation of His Father. And this is what we should be working towards. Jesus came also to be an example of right living ~ God’s way!

This is actually just the beginning steps towards your life’s blood. These 4 things are necessary before we can even start to make changes to the rest of your life.  If you don’t have this first, the rest won’t mean what it should and you will find yourself on the roller coaster ride of life, unable to keep things in check and worldly values begin to sound better to you. You have to keep yourself rooted in who God is, and why He is.

Monday: The next step….

My Prayer:  Lord, Reveal to me today what is truly within me so that I can make the changes that I need to make in order to have your greatest blessings. Show me who You are and reveal to me your plan for who You want me to be. Not my will but yours be done. Jesus be my center and lead me to a healthy marrow. In your great name only!

Reflect His Light!

Lisa