10 Rules to a Happy Life

Here’s a few rules to have a happy and fulfilled life. They are not the only ones. You can find the rest in the Bible.

10. Don’t worry so much. Most of what we worry about never happens.

9. Remember failure is an event, not a person.

8. Simplify your life. Keep what you need and what makes your life run smoothly. Give away the rest.

7. Remember that the story of your life is not about you. It’s about God in you.

6. Our lives are remembered by how we bless others.

5. If we don’t have anything worth dying for, we don’t have anything worth living for.

4. Love others enough to tell the truth.

3. Stay true to your convictions, but disagree agreeably.

2. God’s opinion is the only one that counts.

1. A life without God at the center is a wasted life.

So, can you think of any I missed. Leave a comment.

 

Telling the Truth in Love

Christians have a dilemma in this politically correct world. If we adhere to Biblical truth, we are considered hate mongers and bullies. But if we water down the Gospel of Jesus Christ, are we really showing love? For instance, if I don’t want to offend somebody who believes all ways lead to God and don’t tell him the truth, that Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven, how much love am I showing. The truth will set him free. Telling him what he wants to hear will send him to Hell.

Nobody enjoys being cornered by a legalistic Christian who doesn’t care about others and want to prove everyone else is wrong. We have an obligation to show the love of Christ and build a report with those who don’t know or don’t care about the truth. The old adage is true. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

But if we really care about someone, we will tell her the truth of God’s Word. We will tell her the sexual fornication, adultery, homosexuality, perversion, gossip, and strife leads to death. But God has provided a way to life through Jesus Christ. Jesus, God’s only Son, is not one way of many to reconcile with God, it’s the only way to God.

We need to speak the truth in love, but we need to speak it. Our politically correct society sends the wrong message to this generation, a message that will condemn it to darkness. But we have the truth. Woe to us if we keep silent.

It’s not fun to be called hate mongers when we speak the truth in love. It’s hard to be called a bully when we want to help people. Being persecuted for standing up for the truth, the Word of God, is not easy. But if we really do love people, we will tell them the truth.

Psalm 86:11 Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in  your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.

John 8:31-32… So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the  truth, and the truth will set you free.

1 John 3:18Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed  and in truth.

My Favorite Life Verse

Life verses from the Bible aren’t just verses that are favorite verses you like to quote. They’re verses God brings to your attention time and time again. These are verses that define your walk with God and change you in a vital way.

I thought today I would share my life verses. At some point in the future, I might share why these verses are so important to me. But for today, I’m just sharing the verses.

Isaiah 43:1-7 (NKJV) 
But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you
shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.
For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life. 
Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west;
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth—
Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
Romans 12:1-2(NRSV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Psalms 37:4-5(NRSV) 
Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.
Psalms 18:1-3(NRSV) 
I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies.

Proverbs 3:5-6(NLT) 
Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Psalms 46:1-3(NRSV) 
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; 
though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah

Psalms 119:105(NRSV) 
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalms 91(NLT) 
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.
For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.
He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.
Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. 
Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. 
Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished.
If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter,
no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.
For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.
They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. 
You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.
When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. 
I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

These are my life verses, the ones I turn to often when I am going through trials or need encouragement. What are your? Leave a comment and share your life verses.

Praying for our Leaders

Check out my new blog post on Praying for our Leaders at Jewels of Encouragement here.

Our Labor For God

Monday is Labor Day, the day we celebrate all those who labor in the work force by taking the day off and having a picnic. I got to thinking about the Christian life and labor. Every other religion shows man how to work hard enough and be good enough to be accepted by God. But Christianity shows us that God did all the work. Jesus came to Earth and died on the cross so we can be forgiven and set free to follow Him.

Galatians 3:1-5 (NKJV) puts it this way.

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?  ² This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? ³ Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? ⁴ Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it wasin vain? ⁵ Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— ⁶ just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” ⁷ Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. ⁸ And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” ⁹ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

So all we have to do is believe in God and we’ll make it to Heaven no matter what we do. Right? Wrong! Even the demons believe in God.

James 2:19 (NKJV) You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

James also says in 2:14-19 (NKJV) ¹⁴ What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? ¹⁷ Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

So I am saved because I believe on Jesus Christ. But I believe on Him not only as my Savior, as a being who will get me to Heaven and keep me out of Hell. I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord. He reins in me. And because He is my Lord, I am being changed on the inside. And that causes me to change on the outside. I’m justified by my faith. But because I have faith, what I do will show it. I don’t have to work for it. But I do have to allow Jesus, my Lord, to work through me.

Happy Labor Day!

God Is My Agent

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

The closer I get to being a published author, the more anxious I get. Before I could always say things like when I finish my novel, when I edit my novel, when I write 2 or 3 novels, when I get to be a good enough writer, or when I get an agent, then I’ll be published. Then editors will knock at my door wanting to publish my manuscripts.

But it hasn’t worked that way. Even with a great agent representing me, people who know saying my story and writing are good, and four finished novels waiting for publication, that break hasn’t happened yet. I know it will happen soon. The doors will open soon. Soon.

It’s frustrating waiting. Then one day I read Jeremiah 29:11, and it’s as if God spoke to me. He’s already made His plans for me, and they’re good plans. He’s directed me to write, and He knows the right time and the right publisher. He’s already directed me to the right agent. I need to trust in God, my heavenly agent, to bring things to pass at the right time.

His plans are not delayed. Nothing has kept things from happening. God knows when it is supposed to happen, and He will bring it about. I believe God is working on my behalf, because, no matter what it looks like to me, God is my agent.

Hot of Cold

Jewels of Encouragement featured a blog post written by me about being hot or cold. Check it out.

http://www.jewelsofencouragement.com/2012/08/hot-or-cold.html

Persecution In America

Persecution of Christians has come to the United States of America. It’s subtle and behind the scenes, but it’s there. This country that has had over two hundred year of religious freedom written into its Constitution is slowly eroding those freedoms, and because of the cultural climate, government, the court system, and the educational system are not just allowing it; in many cases, they’re the ones encouraging it.

I’m not one to go on about conspiracy theories or to spread alarmist rumors that don’t bear fact checking. So let me give you a few examples.

Home Bible Studies: Our right to assemble and worship is being attacked through zoning laws. Here’s a few news stories that show this.

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

Violation of Conscience: New laws such as the ones requiring Christian owned hospitals to violate their consciences by provide contraception and abortion in their health care packages are surfacing more often now. Here’s an example.

Bullying Christians: In education, it’s unacceptable to bully anyone except those who believe in the Bible. Here’s a link to a video that’s supposedly anti-bullying that was shown to a group of high schoolers. I won’t post the video on my site because it’s too offensive.

http://youtu.be/alXxsKLVofM

These are only a few examples. What concerns me is not that we will be persecuted. The Bible promised that believers would be persecuted. I’m concerned about Christians who follow Jesus because they believe life here on Earth will be better if they follow Jesus. But that’s not always true.

Here are some things to remember when persecution comes:

Never waver about what the Word of God says. Never. Ever.

Don’t be offensive. Jesus was a friend of sinners. If people are offended because of the message of Christ, that’s one thing. But if we act obnoxious and unloving, it’s not persecution that we’re suffering. We’re reaping what we sow.

Don’t blame persecution for your own faults or for circumstances. You’re not being persecuted because you didn’t work hard enough, talked about Jesus when you should have been working, and have a holier than thou attitude toward co-workers. You deserve to be fired. Also when people can’t accommodate you, it’s not always because you’re a Christian.

Don’t do anything to bring shame to the name of Christ.

If you do make a stand for Christ by breaking the law, expect to pay the consequences, and let God be glorified through you.

Remember the heroes of faith. You’re not the first to experience trials, and you won’t be the last. Do as the saints of old did, and praise God that you’ve been counted worthy to suffer for Christ.

Here’s a few Scriptures to remember when persecution comes whether through the government, education, work, friends, or even through the organized church:

Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

John 15:18-20  If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

Romans 8:35-39  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

1 Peter 4:12-14  Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

1 Peter 4:16  Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

Adventures in the Christian Life

Check out my new devotional blog post at the Jewels of Encouragement Blog. It’s called Adventures in the Christian Life.

Are We On God’s Side?

Joshua 5:13-14(ICB) Joshua was near Jericho. He looked up and saw a man standing in front of him. The man had a sword in his hand. Joshua went to him and asked, “Are you a friend or an enemy?”  The man answered, “I am neither one. I have come as the commander of the Lord’s army.” Then Joshua bowed facedown on the ground. He asked, “Does my master have a command for me, his servant?”

In Joshua 1-5, God commanded Joshua to take the promised land. He set about doing just that by sending spies into Jericho, crossing the Jordan River, and preparing for battle. Israel was God’s nation, and they were doing what God wanted, yet the night before the battle, an angel appeared and said he wasn’t on Joshua’s side. He was on God’s side. That meant if Joshua followed God and was on God’s side, he would all right. But if he didn’t follow God, it wouldn’t matter if God had been for Israel in the past.

We’re celebrating the birthday of our nation next week. The United States of America started as a nation under God. Most of the founding fathers served God. The concept of American exceptionalism was born. American exceptionalism basically means that as long as we follow God – are on God’s side – God will bless and use the United States for His glory. That doesn’t mean we’ve always done right. We’ve made horrible mistakes. But we have always considered God as the center of our nation’s history.

If you want to read more about this, check out the blog posts at this link.

Even though our nation has been founded on God, that doesn’t mean God is for the United States. God will bless the United States as our country does right and follows after Him. No nation can claim that God is on our side. As a nation, we should be on God’s side.

Lately I’m not sure we are on God’s side anymore. I’m not just talking about some of the immoral decisions made by politians. There have always been politicians who didn’t act wisely or justly. But we’ve always had US presidents who claimed to be Christians and wanted what was best for America.

Just as Israel had forgotten it’s spiritual heritage in the past, we’ve made the mistake of believing God is on our side as a nation. God is not on our side – never has been. Either we are on His side or we’re not. I fear, at this point in time, we’re not.

But that’s true of people as well. Just because you are a Christian and go to church doesn’t mean God is on your side. But if you are on God’s side, He will fight for you and bless you. Here’s how to be on God’s side as a nation, as a church, and as a Christian.

Joshua 1:7-9(ICB)  Be strong and brave. Be sure to obey all the teachings my servant Moses gave you. If you follow them exactly, you will be successful in everything you do.  Always remember what is written in the Book of the Teachings. Study it day and night. Then you will be sure to obey everything that is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything.  Remember that I commanded you to be strong and brave. So don’t be afraid. The Lord your God will be with you everywhere you go.”

Be strong and brave. Sometimes it’s hard to do the right thing. Politicians, celebrities, and the media tell us that what is right is wrong and what is wrong is right. It’s to the place where Christians are bullied by the politically correct for doing what’s right. But if you want to be on God’s side, be brave and do the right thing anyway.

Obey God. It’s sometimes easier to do what we want than to do what God wants. But if we want to be on God’s side, we will obey Him.

Learn what God’s Word says. What other people say, even what Christian preachers say, isn’t as important as what God says. His Word, the Bible, is truth. To be on God’s side, learn what it says, and make a stand for it even if it’s politically incorrect.

Remember God is with you. When you’re on God’s side, you don’t have to be afraid because God is always with you. He will never leave you.

I want to be on God’s side. How about you?