Looking past the "grey area." [Being Idle in Christianity]

When was the last time you thought about being in the "grey area?"

I spent 35 minuets trying to figure out what I should write today.

Today I want to talk about being Idle.

No NOT [idol] BUT Idle.


SO. What is Idle?
I looked Idle up in my Bible dictionary we have at the house.

Idle-[useless, inactive, lazy]

This is something that as Christians we face everyday.

Lets see what God has to say through His Word.

1 Thessalonians 5:14- "And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak."

So what does this verse say?

There are three things that we as Christians should do.
-warn those who are idle
-encourage the timid
-help the weak.

That is very important. But here's another question that comes to mind, "What about those Christians that have fallen away and won't return to Christ?"

2 Peter 2:20-21 "If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have kown it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them."

- Let us not get ourselves consumed with the world and lets be consumed with God!!! We should not take our salvation and what Jesus did for us for granted!!! He didn't HAVE TO DIE FOR US, but HE DID BECAUSE HE LOVED US SO MUCH!!!

Another question comes to mind...
"Should I continue to associate myself with the Christians that have fallen away and won't return to Christ?"

Let's see what God says in His word.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-"In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle, and does not live according to the teaching you received from us."

Wow. That is very hard to do. I know I have done that. We all struggle with that. In our minds we desperately want them to come back to Christ so we can have fellowship with [him or her] but if they choose to not come back then we should discontinue that friendship with that person. Last summer I talked to a friend who once was a Christian but then after his senior year in High School he decided to go back to his old way of life instead of living a faithful Christian. I asked him if he would ever choose to come back to Christ and he said, "No." That left me a sadness within me but I decided to not talk to him again because he and I were two completely different people. He wasn't the same person I knew 6 years ago. So we can't make them come back to Christ, and we can encourage them to choose to, but if they still won't change then we ought to just not associate with him or her.

So What if we continue to be Idle?

Thats one scary thought. I know we struggle with this from time to time, but what happens if we persistantly become this way?

Revelation 3:15-16- "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot, I wish you were either one or the other!" "So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold- I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

WOW. That is one of the scariest things to think about. If we are persistantly being unproductive in our Christian lives and not bringing others to Christ, we won't be able to stand with confidence on Judgement Day and we won't be able to enter into Heaven!

So lets evaluate ourselves and really ask the question, "Are we REALLY living the Christian life that God calls us to live?" Or are we just "playing church" when we come to worship Him on Sunday morning, night, and on Wednesday night? "Are we becoming lazy within our relationship with God?" I pray that you and I make the choice to repent of those sins we willfully commit, regain renewness of our faith and mind and allow God to use us and make us better servants for Him. We need to examine ourselves daily and to ask God to help us do the right things when we are tempted to do the wrong thing. Let's make it an effort to quit "jumping the fence."

I hope you are strengthened and encourged by this. We all have struggles, and we can overcome those struggles if we choose to allow God to be in our lives 24/7!! None of us are perfect, BUT we can follow the way Christ lived because HE IS PERFECT!!!

Take one day at a time and live this life faithfully in Christ!

Not only in speech, but also in action!

That is my prayer for everyone who reads this!!

I am also talking to myself as well. So this blog is for you and I!!!

God loves you!

Until I write again, Lauren :]

Goodnight.

You know the phrase "goodnight and sweet dreams" right?

I just came across to some verses that talk about feeling peaceful when going to sleep at night. :]

God is AWESOME!!!!

Psalm 3:5- "I lie down in sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me."

Psalm 4:8-"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in saftey."

How calming is this?

God is alive and evermore!!!

He loves you!

Lauren

In my weakness. He will help me. :)

Genesis 4:7- "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."



This is something that really made me think!!!


We gotta pray that God will help us to overcome sin that keeps knocking on the doors in our mind!!

It encourages me to know if we keep studying God's word then it will help us to overcome our weakenesses and things that hinder us from doing what is right.

Psalm 119:133" Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me."

Romans 6:12"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires"

Please pray for me as I strive to make good decisions and to do the right thing cause like anyone else I will mess up from time to time.

God loves you!

Until I write again, Lauren

Finding Love.

Have you had one of these days; Where you feel like you're left out of the dating game?

Don't worry. We ALL DO.

Ever get to thinking if you will find Mr. Right/Mrs. Right?

Have no fear. God is alive and evermore!

Are you hungry?

Lets look at the Bible and see what spiritual food God has in store for us today!

Whats the topic for today?

1) I am talking about finding that guy for me. I don't know who he is or where he is at this moment....Only God knows and I am waiting for him. So I'm not saying I am soo sad cause I am not with anyone right now so please don't get me wrong.. thats NOT what I am saying. I am happy with being single. Although at times; yes i do have my moments of thinking about what it feels like to be with someone you love and they love you for who you are.

So right now... My main focus is falling in Love with God FIRST and doing my best to live for Him and to not worry about such things. He is the Only one who REALLY LOVES ME and YOU.

Matthew 6:25-33
Philippians 4:8-9
Philippians 4:19
2 Thessalonians 3:5
1 Timothy 1:5
2 Peter 1:3-10
1 John 4:7-18

So what is love? Where can I find love?

The world is constantly asking this question.

The song "Where is the Love" by the Black Eyed Peas comes to mind.

Let's see what God's answer is. :)

2John verse 6- "And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love."

1John 4:16-"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him."

I wish the world could understand that all you need is God because He IS LOVE.

Thats WHERE LOVE IS!!! :)

How long does this LOVE last?

Psalms 106:1- "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."

This is not love thats temporary AT ALL. God will ALWAYS LOVE YOU :)

Another song came to mind: "Faithfully" by Journey
There's a line in that song at the end of the chorus where it says,

"I'm FOREVER YOURS.... FAITHFULLY."

If we can sing that at weddings.... we can certainly sing that to God!!!

Not the whole song, but if we just give our love to God and let Him be our #1 and let Him know that we choose to give our lives to Him after we become Christians, and that we are in this relationship forever FAITHFULLY; I think God would enjoy hearing us sing that one line to Him. He gaves us Jesus who took the ultimate punishment for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD!!

So we should act in a way that is pleasing to Him and yes it is hard at times, but we should strive to NEVER GIVE UP; because He did not GIVE UP on us!!!!

Romans 5:5-"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

Romans 5:8-"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."


Another thought comes to mind...
2) I will NOT pursue dating just anyone either.

I want God to lead me to that great Christian guy that would like to get to know me and hang out and most importantly help me grow more and more spiritually cause most days I feel like I don't give enough effort to God and anyone else and that scares me the most. I will not make myself literally fall in love with anyone.

So I am just waiting and asking God for the strength and patience to help me fall in love with Him first and then when God sees it fit for me.. He will lead me to that guy that I can love NOT with worldly love... But love that comes from God. I believe that is the most beautiful kind of love EVER KNOWN :)

Song of Soloman 2:7-"Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field:Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires."
1 Corinthians 7:34; 7:32;

1 Corinthians 7:17-"Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him."

Psalm 130:7-"O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption."

These verses encourage me not to dwell on this matter, but just be patient and wait on God's time and NOT on my time. :)I hope this encourages you as well!

Let us enjoy life and I pray that you and I will both find encouragement and strength from God.

I don't know about you but I feeel completely renewed spiritualy!! :]

It feels like a 360 degree turnaround from what I kept worrying about and was not putting my whole trust in God like I should be doing.

Pray that you and I rely on God's love and NOT rely on what the world's definition of love is.

Until I write again, Lauren

Trust

Do you have trust in God to help you with anything?

I really mean it.


Do we trust our friends more than our family?

Or do we not fully put our trust in God like we should?

Sometimes I do feel like this.

I am by NO MEANS PERFECT. Only Jesus IS PERFECT!!! :)

Proverbs 3:5-7- "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." "Do not be wise in your own eyes;fear the Lord and shun evil."

So what does this verse mean to me?

I think it most certainly explains itself. We need to have confidence but first and foremost we must trust in God that He will help us and guide us in the way He wants us to go. Yes i agree, we should have confidence in ourselves because we are Christians, but let us not forget the one who gave HIS LIFE for us. That my friend is Jesus. He loved us so much, we should always put OUR TRUST in HIM!!! Also if we think we are making the right choices, let us think again. If you aren't used to asking God to help you the best choices in life, right now is the best time to start! He will make sure you are protected and you live a happy and successful life! When we are going through hardships, let us ask God for guidence in our situations and He will help us smooth everything out along the way. :)

I'm praying for you.

God loves you!

Until I write again, Lauren