Better to cut off a relationship than to sin together

 Matthew 18:8 “If your hand or your foot causes you to sin cut it off and throw it away.  It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.  9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away.  It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”

These have always been difficult verses for me to wrap my heart around.   I don’t think, I could ever cut off a limb or gouge out my eye.     Today, as I am reading them, I am thinking about relationships that lead me to sin.    People that when I am with them I end up in gossip, complaining…….  When I used to drink I had “friends” that were drinking buddies.  Those are the people, I had to cut out when I needed to stay clean.   It is hard to cut off relationships.  It is better to be alone with God than to be in bad company.

Procrastination is sin

 James 4:17 “Anyone then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it sins.”

Procrastination gets me every time.  I know what yo do, but sometimes I lack the fortitude to do it.   This is sin.   The more I know the word of God, the more I realize how much I need a Savior.   Thank you Lord, for the powerful gift of Jesus!!”

Better not Bitter

 Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, God, and know my heart;

    test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 

See if there is any offensive way in me,

    and lead me in the way everlasting.”   Dear God let me have a pure heart!!! Romans 5:3 “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character and character hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”   Hope floats!!  

If you are dealing with difficult right now, know God has a plan!!  His goal for each of us is to be more like Jesus. Often we become more introspective in adversity than in pleasure.    Let God do His good work in you today.   Don’t get bitter , get better!

Faith not Fear

 Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”   Yesterday, I was coaching snowboarding.  🏂.   One young man was afraid to go up the T-bar because the year before he  had a bad experience with it.   I told him, “You  have to be courageous!   Don’t let your fear ruin your fun.    He responded, “I hate snow boarding.”   I said, “I’d hate it too, if I had to walk up the hill every time taking my boots in and out of the bindings, while getting a really cold, wet butt.   I promise you, you’ll have a lot more fun if you use the T-bar.  He didn’t try the T-bar immediately.  I kept checking in with him and he eventually did try again.   He mastered the T bar!! He started having fun!    He was bale to board from the top of the mountain!!  He went from asking me, “When can leave?” How many more minutes do I have to stay?”  To one of the last kids on the hill for the night.   I am so proud of of that young man!!  He overcame his fear and was able to enjoy snowboarding.    Fear is paralyzing!!!   We are to be courageous, not afraid, not dismayed.   The Lord our God is with us wherever we go!!   Do you have a fear that is paralyzing you?    Be courageous today!! Choose faith not fear!  The Lord your God is with you wherever you go!!

With a whip or with love?

 1Corinthians 4:12 “We work hard with our own hands.  When we are cursed, we bless, when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly.  Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world. …21What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?

This was Pauls instructions to the Apostles of Christ.   How are you doing in this area?   Do you retaliate when someone wrongs you?   Do you take offense and lash out?   Or do you respond in love?   Hurting people hurt others.   This is a statement that helps me respond in love when someone treats me poorly.  When someone hurts me, I reason,  they must be hurting to treat me that way.  I try not to take their behavior personally.  Everything we go through in life takes us to who we are now. Many people have been treated very poorly. They may feel like they are “caged rats” and sometimes they just lash out.  Sometimes people need to be right, because they’re afraid that if they’re not, you won’t respect them.   They may hold onto being right,  even when they realize they may be wrong. These are the things I’m reminded of what I’m reading Paul’s instructions to the apostles.  Today, may we all bless when we are cursed.  Endure persecution and be kind when we are slandered.  It not worth the fight to hurt hurting people.

Brand new, white as snow! Live loved

 Isaiah 1:18 ““Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here!”

We are made brand new!!    We are forgiven for All our sins!   Jesus died once, for All sin!!   I remember the feeling I had the first time I sinned, after my “revelation”,  that I was forgiven.  I felt ashamed and dirty again.   I was identifying with my sin not with the righteousness of Jesus Christ.     I have to continually remind myself who I am in Jesus , so I don’t become self condemning.     When we get to Heaven we will be done with sin.  Praise God!  Until that time we will have to deal with our propensity to sin.    Shake it off!   Repent and try, try, try again.  Accept the forgiveness Jesus died to give you.  We are Made white as snow, we are new creations.   Live that  way!   Live loved!!  

No matter how unloveable you may “ feel”.  Know you are forgiven, made new and deeply loved!!

You look down you go down

 Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”   I take such comfort in this verse.   I have been, “burning the candle at both ends”again lately.   Therefore I am a bit extra tired.  When I get tired,  I  can feel a bit hopeless.     When I feel hopeless I look down.  Looking down never works well for me.  I teach skiing and snowboarding.   I tell my students, “when you look down, you go down!”  Today, let’s look up, get up and stay up.   Let’s trust God with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding, acknowledging Him in all our ways to keep looking up, He will make our paths straight!!