Why, why, why, why????????

Why, why, why, why????????

Have you ever heard anyone ask this question when faced with a difficulty in life? Perhaps that someone was or is you. I know I've ask myself this at times in the past.

There are times in our lives when things are not going the way we think they should. So we begin to ask the question, why.

Why am I sick?
Why am I broke?
Why did I have to get this ticket today?
Why is there a test tomorrow?
And so on...........

The problem with questions like these is they leave us powerless and week. Even if we were to get answers to these questions, there would still be no way out of the situation or help getting through it.

May I suggest that the problem is not the situation in our lives, but it's the question that we associate with it.

Jesus said that in this world we would endure trials. If you have been around longer than your 4th birthday I'm sure you can relate to the fact that this is not a perfect world that we live in. :) Stuff happens all the time that we are not happy with.

That being said, how do we get through the stuff in our lives that is hard?

We need to ask ourselves different question to get the empowering answers that will propel us through what we are in.

Yes, I'm sick. What can I learn about today that can help me through this next phase in my life? What does the bible say about the gift of healing that Jesus provided when dying on the cross and what does that mean for me?

Yes I'm broke. What one thing can I do today to make a little extra money? Jesus says that He became poor that we might become rich. What does that mean and how can I learn about where that fits into my life and my finances?

Can you see the difference in the questions now? They are harder questions, but with seeking out the answers to these we are left with more power to change the situations in our lives.

Rom 8:37 says that we are more than conquerors through Christ.

Life can throw some fast balls at us. With the help of Jesus we can turn it into a home run. :)

Mark V.

Thank You!!!!

Good day,

I've been doing some reading about Martyrs the last couple of days. When thinking about martyrs in the past, I would just think that this was something that they wanted to do and they felt great peace in doing it because they were choosing Jesus over life. I'm not sure why I thought that way. Maybe it was because I've never known anyone who became a martyr so it never hit home to me.

As I was reading, though, it hit me that these people were the same as me. They had great dreams for there lives, they wanted to get married, they wanted to be successful in life, etc. But they were willing to give it all that up to show the world that Jesus is real. This was very bold and must have been difficult for alot of people to do.

I then got thinking about our lives and the way we do things. Now, in North America, we are not at great risk of becoming martyrs because of the society that we live in. But when I think about the way we live our lives, I'm encouraged to see that so many Christians are willing to give up something for Jesus. Maybe it's not your whole life, but it's your time on a Sunday when you could be sleeping in or in the middle of the week when you volunteer somewhere to use the gifts the God has given you instead of hanging out with your friends. Or it's money that you could use for a new pair of shoes, but you choose to give it to the work of Jesus.

I am honored to be a part of a group of people that are willing to sacrifice for Jesus.

Thank you for all you do!!!!

You are truly blessed. :)

Mark V.

PS: We are going Mini Putting tonight and you are more than welcome to come along if you are able. :)

Loved by God!!!

After the baptism of Jesus we see a neat thing from God. He opens up the heavens and shouts down his love for his son.

Luke 3:22 says "You are my beloved son, and I am fully pleased with you."

After this we see Jesus begin to step into what he was put on this earth to do.

I wonder what would happen in our lives if we had a true understanding of how much God loved us and how he is pleased with us?

It reminds me of a typical dating relationship. You meet someone and then you put all your energy into wooing this other person. Why? Because you are not sure if they like you back or not. So you have to keep your game face on and push forward showing them that you care.

And then, the unthinkable happens.........

They let you know that they like you too. WOW!!!

Now what??? You are so excited that you begin doing things for them anyway because of the joy that is in your heart for the relationship you have together. :)

I feel sometimes the same way with God. Rom 3: 27-28 says:

"Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."

We have not done anything to be accepted by God, nor can we do anything. Jesus did the work for us. We, in turn, get the privileged of knowing that God loves us in the first place. With that knowledge we can begin to go out and live the life that God has planned for us with the strength and knowledge that He is with us in all we do.

I challenge you this week to spend time with Jesus and ask Him to help you to see the love He has for you.

God is awesome!!!!