30 Days of Thanksgiving.....

I am going to join my friend Denise in 30 days of Thanksgiving, here. If you would like to join, just click here and let me know if you are going to post on your blog so I can leave a comment!


Today, I am thankful first of all for our free gift of SALVATION!!!!!


Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Love to you all,

Julie

Quiet Time...

*This is a journal type post today. I have a lot on my heart right now and this is the best way to deal with it. I have been praying without ceasing all week and I feel like I have come to a break through. I hope this helps someone and that is why I feel that I must share it.

I don't know what God is trying to tell me but every time I open my Bible right now it falls to some passage about worshipping idols. So, I am trying to focus and really get what He is telling me. And, I am sharing it with you. Maybe it can help you in some way. So, please read along and focus on what He is saying in these verses:

Warning from the History of God’s People

1Brothers and sisters, I want you to know what happened to our ancestors F62 {that followed Moses F63 }. They were all under the cloud, and they all walked through the sea. 2Those people were all baptized F64 into Moses in the cloud F65 and in the sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual food. 4And they all drank the same spiritual drink. They drank from that spiritual rock that was with them. That rock was Christ. 5But God was not pleased with most of those people. They were killed in the desert.

6And these things that happened are examples for us. These examples should stop us from wanting evil things like those people did. 7Don’t worship idols F66 like some of those people did. Like the Scriptures F67 say, “The people sat down to eat and drink. The people stood up to dance.” F68 8We should not do sexual sins like some of those people did. In one day 23,000 of them died {because of their sin}. 9We should not test the Lord like some of those people did. They were killed by snakes {because they tested the Lord}. 10And don’t complain like some of those people did. Those people were killed by the angel that destroys.

11The things that happened to those people are examples. And those things were written to be warnings for us. We live in the time that all those past histories were pointing to. 12So the person that thinks he is standing strong should be careful that he doesn’t fall. 13The only temptations that you have are the same temptations that all people have. But you can trust God. He will not let you be tempted more than you can bear. But when you are tempted, God will also give you a way to escape that temptation. Then you will be able to endure it.

14So, my dear friends, stay away from worshiping idols. F69 15I am speaking to you like you are intelligent people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16The cup of blessing F70 that we give thanks for is a sharing in the blood (death) of Christ, isn’t it? And the bread that we break is a sharing in the body of Christ, isn’t it? 17(There is one loaf of bread. And we are many people. But we all share from that one loaf. So we are really one body.)
18And think about what happens when the people of Israel (the Jews) offer sacrifices. F71 When they eat the meat that is sacrificed, they are sharing their meal with {God at} the altar, F72 aren’t they? 19{So, what about food that is sacrificed to idols F73 ?} Am I saying that sacrifices to idols are the same as those Jewish sacrifices? No, because an idol is nothing, and the things offered to idols are worth nothing. 20But I am saying that when food is sacrificed to idols, it is an offering to demons, F74 not to God. And I don’t want you to share anything with demons. 21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and then go drink a cup with demons. You cannot share {a meal at} the Lord’s table and then go share a meal with demons. 22Doing that would make the Lord jealous F75 ! And we don’t want to do that, do we? No, because he is much stronger than we are.

Use Your Freedom for God’s Glory

23“All things are allowed.” Yes. But not all things are good. “All things are allowed.” Yes. But some things don’t help {others} grow stronger. 24No person should try to do the things that will help {only} himself. He should try to do what is good for other people.

25Eat any meat that is sold in the meat market. Don’t ask questions {about the meat} to see if it is something you think is wrong to eat. 26{You can eat it}, “because the earth and everything in it belong to the Lord.” F76
27A person that is not a believer might invite you to eat with him. If you want to go, then eat anything that is put before you. Don’t ask questions to see if it is something you think is wrong to eat. 28But if a person tells you, “That food was offered to idols, F77 ” then don’t eat it. Why? Because some people think it is wrong, and it might cause a problem for the person who told you that. 29I don’t mean that you think it is wrong. But the other person might think it is wrong. {That is the only reason I would not eat the meat.} My own freedom should not be judged by what another person thinks. 30I eat the meal with thankfulness. So I don’t want to be criticized because of something I thank God for.

*Right now I am working my way through a lot of hurt in my life. I am very sad and heavily burdened. I also worry about even posting that because I don't want anyone to be mad at me. But, that's just the truth. That's how I feel right now. I sometimes feel very overwhelmed with the pain in my life and with worrying about everyone else's pain. Sometimes I feel like it is choking me. Maybe that is what God is trying to show me. Maybe I am turning this pain into an idol. Maybe I am letting it control my life. After all, I can feel someone's pain without it shutting me down. Why do I let it cut me so deep? Because I love these people. But, do I love them more than God? That is the question I am asking myself today. Why do I not trust God to take care of these people; pain, issues & all? God loves them just as He loves me and it is time I let God handle the hurt and the anger that I feel. It is time that I give them up to Him completely and just pray. Stop dwelling. Just pray.

I am sorry if this makes absolutely no sense to you or if it offends you in some way. I do not intend for it to. I am just dealing with a lot right now and sometimes I just have to get it out and let it go. This is about some things that have happened this past week in my family and I am just having a hard time with processing it the way I need to right now. So, please pray for us.

I hope that this can help you in some way.

Love you all,
Julie

The Holy Inspired Word of God....

I have been reading and trying to comprehend what God is telling me in these verses last night and this morning. This is where God led me last night after a rough weekend. I am really struggling to understand some things that are going on right now and I am starting to make sense of what I need to do.

I just wanted to share with you what scriptures I am studying right now. Follow along if you like. I believe that we can learn something through all of God's word.

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Love,
Julie
About Food Offered to Idols

1Now {I will write} about meat that is sacrificed F46 to idols. F47 We know that “we all have knowledge.” “Knowledge” puffs you up full of pride. But love makes {you help} others grow stronger. 2The person who thinks he knows something does not yet know anything like he should. 3But the person who loves God is known by God.
4So {this is what I say} about eating meat: We know that an idol F48 is really nothing in the world. And we know that there is only one God. 5It’s really not important if there are things called gods, in heaven or on earth. (And there are many {things that people call} “gods” and “lords.”) 6But for us there is only one God. He is our Father. All things came from him and we live for him. And there is only one Lord. He is Jesus Christ. All things were made through Jesus, and we also have life through him.
7But not all people know this. Some people have had the habit of worshiping idols F49 until now. So now when those people eat meat, they still feel like it belongs to an idol. They are not sure that it is right to eat this meat. So when they eat it, they feel guilty. 8But food will not make us closer to God. Refusing to eat does not make us less {pleasing to God}. And eating does not make us better


9But be careful with your freedom. Your freedom to eat anything may make those people who have doubts about what they can eat fall into sin. 10You understand that it’s alright to eat anything, so you can eat in an idol’s temple. F50 But a person who has doubts might see you eating there, and this might encourage them to eat meat sacrificed F51 to idols too. But they really think it is wrong. 11So this weak brother or sister is ruined because of your better understanding. And Christ died for this person. 12When you sin against your brothers and sisters in Christ like this and you hurt them by causing them to do things they feel are wrong, then you are also sinning against Christ. 13So if the food I eat makes another believer fall into sin, then I will never eat meat again. I will stop eating meat, so that I will not make my brother or sister sin.
1I am a free man! I am an apostle F52 ! I have seen Jesus our Lord! You people are {an example of} my work in the Lord. 2Other people may not accept me as an apostle. But surely you accept me as an apostle. You people are proof that I am an apostle in the Lord.
3Some people want to judge me. So this is the answer I give them: 4We have the right to eat and drink, don’t we? 5We have the right to bring a believing wife with us when we travel, don’t we? The other apostles F53 and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas all do this. 6And are Barnabas and I the only ones that must work to earn our living? 7No soldier ever serves in the army and pays his own salary. No person ever plants a garden of grapes without eating some of the grapes himself. No person takes care of a flock of sheep without drinking some of the milk himself.
8These things are not only what men think. God’s law says the same things.

9Yes, it is written in the law of Moses: “When a work animal is being used to separate grain, don’t cover its mouth {and stop it from eating the grain}.” F54 When God said this, was he thinking only about work animals? No. 10He was really talking about us. Yes, that Scripture F55 was written for us. The person that plows and the person that separates the grain should hope (expect) to get some of the grain for their work. 11We planted spiritual seed among you. So we should be able to harvest (get) from you some things for this life. Surely that is not asking too much. 12Other men have this right to get things from you. So surely we have this right too. But we don’t use this right. No, we endure everything ourselves so that we will not stop {anyone from obeying} the Good News F56 of Christ. 13Surely you know that people that work at the temple F57 get their food from the temple. And people that serve at the altar F58 get part of what is offered at the altar. 14It is the same with people that have the work of telling the Good News. The Lord has commanded that those people that tell the Good News should get their living from this work.

15But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not trying to get anything from you. That is not my purpose for writing this. I would rather die than to have my reason for boasting taken away. 16My work of telling the Good News F59 is not my reason for boasting. Telling the Good News is my duty—something I must do. It will be bad for me if I don’t tell people the Good News. 17If I do this work of telling the Good News because it is my own choice, then I deserve a reward. But I have no choice. I must tell the Good News. I am only doing the duty that was given to me. 18So what do I get for doing this work? This is my reward: that when I tell people the Good News I can offer it to them for free. This way, I don’t use the right {to be paid} that I have in {this work of telling} the Good News.

19I am free. I belong to no other person. But I make myself a slave to all people. I do this to help save as many people as I can. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew. I did this to help save the Jews. I myself am not ruled by the law. F60 But to people that are ruled by the law I became like a person who is ruled by the law. I did this to help save those people that are ruled by the law. 21To those that are without the law I became like a person that is without the law. I did this to help save those people that are without the law. (But really, I am not without God’s law—I am ruled by the law of Christ.) 22To the people that are weak, I became weak so that I could help save them. I have become all things to all people. I did this so that I could save people in any way possible. 23I do all these things because of the Good News. F61 I do these things so that I can share in {the blessings of} the Good News.

24You know that in a race all the runners run. But only one runner gets the prize. So run like that. Run to win! 25All people that compete in the games use strict training. They do this so that they can win a crown (reward). That crown is an earthly thing that lasts only a short time. But our crown (reward) will continue forever. 26So I run like a person that has a goal. I fight like a boxer that is hitting something—not just the air. 27It is my own body that I hit. I make it my slave. I do this so that I myself will not be thrown out {by God} after I have told other people {about his blessings).

Remembering.....

I found this today and thought it fitting for Memorial Day.

Please read and remember with respect those who died for our country.

MEMORIAL DAY

Memorial Day is not a day to be wrapped up in bunting and commemorated as if it were the Fourth of July although our national colors have had a prominent place in its observance since its origins at the close of the Civil War. The distinction has to do with what we are celebrating --not a glorious beginning but an honorable end--an end which, whether it were heroic or not, should be observed and remembered with solemnity and reverance. Memorial Day is a day we dedicate to the dead--to remember those who fell in defense of this country and the ideals which this country stands for. We may want, therefore, some drape of patriotism, some nod toward a higher motive more than mere circumstance, but not too much lest we trivilize the individual loss or somehow glorify the waste of youth and joy.
War should not be the occupation of humankind.To ensure that it is not, to ensure that it does not touch every household and every living being, some have forfeited their lives. They did not choose to die for us--no being chooses death who is sound of mind and spirit--even Jesus asked for the cup of death to be passed. Instead, they chose, or were sometimes required, to live in a manner which brought them in harm's way, and to that harm they fell.It is a paradox almost too vast for mind to comprehend.Thus, perhaps, we should leave the understanding of the sacrifice in God's hands--only He can know the full measure of what was lost and what was gained and whether the barter was fair met.
Our task is not to validate the sacrifice but to acknowledge it, to remember that it was made. We should do so, not out of guilt--what guilt should we own in surviving, in continuing as they laid down their lives to ensure. But we should do it with humility--most of us have done nothing to earn that continuing. And if any validation is necessary, it is for we the living to prove that we are worthy of the sacrifice through dedication toward the peace that was purchased by these honored dead.

BLESSINGS ON YOUR MEMORIAL DAY,

LOVE,
Julie