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We’re going to try an experiment this week. I want you to write down every sin you do. Whether it’s giving a hand gesture while stuck in traffic, or using foul language, or worse. On Sunday I want you to show it to one of your good church friends. No way, you say. That’s okay. I just wanted to prove a point. We have a habit of acting different in front of our church friends than in our private lives.
I’m a writer of inspirational fiction and I know other Christian writers. What surprises me are the ones who write not only inspirational, but erotica or “hot” fiction. They use a pseudonym so their church family isn’t aware of it. They’re hiding what they’re doing.
They might be fooling their church friends, but they’re not fooling God. He sees everything you do and knows everything in your heart.
Since the beginning people have been trying to hide their sins from God. In Genesis 3:9-10 it says, But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid”. Adam knew by eating the forbidden fruit, he’d done something wrong. It didn’t do any good for him to hide. God knew where to find him. God knows where to find you too. But you can also rely on God to give you the strength to not sin. Ask him to help you with your strongest weakness. He will.
If you have to change your name to write something you would be embarrassed for others to know about, then maybe you shouldn’t write it in the first place. And if you can’t tell your church friends about that man you spent the weekend with, maybe you shouldn’t be with him.
It doesn’t matter how far you try to run to hide your actions, there are two who always know about it. You and God. I’m just glad he offers us grace for the next time I get caught in traffic.
I saw boy riding his bike to school the other morning, swerving back and forth. He was having fun.
Fun is something some of us Christians have a hard time remembering. We think because God did some serious stuff, we should have a sourpuss look on our faces.
Remember as a kid, you’d spin around and around until you made yourself dizzy, and you’d laugh until you thought you would wet your pants? You should do that at least once a week, if not more. I mean laugh, not wet your pants. It’s good for you. It releases endorphins that are proven to heal and make your feel better.
God also wants us to have fun. Psalm 118:24 reads, “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” God wants us to smile and laugh. And why shouldn’t we be happy? He gives us his love and grace.
If that’s not something to make you smile, well then try this video. It should at the very least make you grin. http://www.youtube.com/user/billybobjr705. You might have to cut and paste it to get it to work, but it’s worth it.
Today is Valentine’s Day, and if you’re single, you feel left out. There’s no one to buy you chocolates or flowers. God doesn’t want us to be unhappy just because we don’t have that “special” someone. Psalm 68:3 reads: But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.
I got together with my Monday night Bible Study group, the Ladies of the Lord, and we came up with ten reasons why it’s great to be single. Send me some of your reasons, here are ours.
1. You can buy what you want and don’t have to explain it to anyone;
2. You don’t have to ask permission to do anything;
3. Smelling good becomes an option, not a requirement;
4. You don’t have to remind someone to get you a gift for those special days, like anniversaries and birthdays;
5. You don’t have to watch sports if you don’t want to;
6. The toilet seat is always down;
7. You get control of the remote;
8. You can wear your comfy flannel pajamas to bed;
9. You don’t have to worry about what your underwear looks like; and
10. You don’t have to shave your legs.
I want to thank my LOL sisters for all their help with this blog. I wish everyone a wonderful Valentine’s Day. Now, go eat some chocolate.
A couple of Sundays ago, my pastor mentioned how too many Christians were like manure. If manure stays in one place nothing grows, whereas if it’s spread around, it helps things to flourish. That’s not an exact quote, but close enough. What he didn’t say, but is true, is when manure sits in one spot for a long time, it also starts to smell bad.
Mark 16:15 reads He said to them,”Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” That doesn’t mean you have to stand on a box in front of the Landing in downtown Jacksonville and shout the gospels of Jesus. It does, however, say “go into the world”, not “stand in one spot and grow roots”.
How are some ways you can “go” and not put yourself at risk. When you eat out, pray in public. Also, be nice to the waitress and leave her a generous tip. When a store clerk looks like she’s had a bad day, find a way to make her laugh. And when you leave, tell her God loves her. Sometimes people just need to know they’re loved. Don’t cross the street when you see that young man with the tattoos and piercings where piercings shouldn’t be. Instead give him a smile and try to make a remark about how “God made it a beautiful day today”. Sometimes the little things work better than the big ones.
To go out into the world doesn’t mean stopping people on the street. It means making others feel better. Something as simple as a smile does that. So get out there and brighten up the world with your presence. Don’t stay stuck in one spot until you start to smell bad.
That last thing this world needs is more air pollution.
