Derrick
I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.
That is acts 13:47
I'm still struggling on how to bring Christ to my Jewish friend, I'm going to plan another meeting with him soon, I just find it really hard to bring up Christ how to turn the conversation to Him. I don't want to offend him and I don't know that much about the traditions of the Jews, but I do know that there will be a place for the Jews and that God is not done with them...
If you have any books I should read please let me know...
Short today....
Vaya con Dios
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
I need that daily renewal, coming back to Christ daily.
Derrick
In Job 12 we see Job talking to his 3 friends, who are adamant that Job committed sin. Job here says that this has been done by God, but he never sinned.... i find it beautiful in verses 13-following,
"With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding. If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open. If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land. With him are strength and sound wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are his."
We have a God that is all knowing and all powerful, he loves me so much that he sent his Son to die on the cross for me! CHRIST DIED FOR ME! My past sins my future sins, the sins I don't even know that I commit on a daily basis... He knew what was going to be my choice in this life... He knew I would choose sin over him for the first part of my life it took me 26 years to realize that the only hope for my life was Christ and his shed blood. His blood that washes me whiter than snow (side note... snow is dirty it starts with a spec of dust that is frozen over,) HE WASHES me cleaner than the beautiful snow. I push him away, even now. I don't do it on purpose. It happens with a thought here and a lustful look there. But it still happens, I push my God away on a daily basis... well my conviction is to do as Job did in the beginning of his book...to offer up my sins to Christ on a continual basis thus bringing me back into a continual habitual relationship with Christ.
I need prayers for this, I need accountability too...
Vaya Con Dios
In Job 12 we see Job talking to his 3 friends, who are adamant that Job committed sin. Job here says that this has been done by God, but he never sinned.... i find it beautiful in verses 13-following,
"With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding. If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open. If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land. With him are strength and sound wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are his."
We have a God that is all knowing and all powerful, he loves me so much that he sent his Son to die on the cross for me! CHRIST DIED FOR ME! My past sins my future sins, the sins I don't even know that I commit on a daily basis... He knew what was going to be my choice in this life... He knew I would choose sin over him for the first part of my life it took me 26 years to realize that the only hope for my life was Christ and his shed blood. His blood that washes me whiter than snow (side note... snow is dirty it starts with a spec of dust that is frozen over,) HE WASHES me cleaner than the beautiful snow. I push him away, even now. I don't do it on purpose. It happens with a thought here and a lustful look there. But it still happens, I push my God away on a daily basis... well my conviction is to do as Job did in the beginning of his book...to offer up my sins to Christ on a continual basis thus bringing me back into a continual habitual relationship with Christ.
I need prayers for this, I need accountability too...
Vaya Con Dios
Monday, January 30, 2012
Let me catch my breath
In chapter 7 of Job in verse 19, Job says to God, "How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit...". In reading through the Bible I find a lot of words used that I don't think we would use some of the phrasing they did, like here in verse 19. Ok moving on...
I think we have all been in that spot where we ask God, when do I get a break? I need just a moment of peace to catch my breath. Not too long ago, I felt like I was in at place where I just couldn't catch my breath, I just couldn't get up for air. And you wonder what you did that caused you so much pain. And unlike Job, most of us know the reason we have hurt. Where Job was innocent and wasn't going through these things because of something bad that he did, the struggles and hurt we often face, for the most part, come as a result of us being disobedient to God's loving will for our lives. Or so it was in my case. I let myself be hurt and used and convinced myself that the things that happened prior where what God wanted, but in my heart I knew I was wrong. It took complete brokenness and surrender to be pulled out of it, out of the hurt, where you feel like it's never ending and you can't catch your breath. But God does pull you out, He is faithful, and I can say that even with all of the things I have been through in life I still am not strong at all, but He is strong in me.
Blessings.
Kayla
I think we have all been in that spot where we ask God, when do I get a break? I need just a moment of peace to catch my breath. Not too long ago, I felt like I was in at place where I just couldn't catch my breath, I just couldn't get up for air. And you wonder what you did that caused you so much pain. And unlike Job, most of us know the reason we have hurt. Where Job was innocent and wasn't going through these things because of something bad that he did, the struggles and hurt we often face, for the most part, come as a result of us being disobedient to God's loving will for our lives. Or so it was in my case. I let myself be hurt and used and convinced myself that the things that happened prior where what God wanted, but in my heart I knew I was wrong. It took complete brokenness and surrender to be pulled out of it, out of the hurt, where you feel like it's never ending and you can't catch your breath. But God does pull you out, He is faithful, and I can say that even with all of the things I have been through in life I still am not strong at all, but He is strong in me.
Blessings.
Kayla
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Even when Everything goes wrong God is still there.
Derrick
Satan. Comes to God in chapters 1 & 2 of Job and God says “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none
like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” and then satan goes and (with permission) first takes away all Job'spossessions and children,and then still doesn't curse God, Satan then is given permission to do anything but kill Job, and still Job doesn't curse God, even though his wife tells him to.
Another thing that stuck out to me was that he prayed and offered sacrifices for his children CONTINUALLY, just in case they could have accidentally sinned... What a good Godly Father, with the birth of my nephew Wesley Ramirez yesterday, I really see that there is an importance to be this kind of person, father,friend, and even uncle.
I remember growing up and asking for prayer for my uncle chuck, I loved uncle chuck, I prayed for his salvation many many times, well uncle chuck died about 10 years ago and to my knowledge he never accepted Christ as his savior, I hope that I can be a Godly man of prayer, a good honest God fearing husband, uncle, father, grandfather, friend, brother, brother in law. I want to be a prayer warrior.
Job was tested by Satan, Job even goes to say that we are given so much by God and why would I curse God if these gifts are take away(paraphrase)
Please pray along side of me...
Vaya con Dios
Satan. Comes to God in chapters 1 & 2 of Job and God says “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none
like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” and then satan goes and (with permission) first takes away all Job'spossessions and children,and then still doesn't curse God, Satan then is given permission to do anything but kill Job, and still Job doesn't curse God, even though his wife tells him to.
Another thing that stuck out to me was that he prayed and offered sacrifices for his children CONTINUALLY, just in case they could have accidentally sinned... What a good Godly Father, with the birth of my nephew Wesley Ramirez yesterday, I really see that there is an importance to be this kind of person, father,friend, and even uncle.
I remember growing up and asking for prayer for my uncle chuck, I loved uncle chuck, I prayed for his salvation many many times, well uncle chuck died about 10 years ago and to my knowledge he never accepted Christ as his savior, I hope that I can be a Godly man of prayer, a good honest God fearing husband, uncle, father, grandfather, friend, brother, brother in law. I want to be a prayer warrior.
Job was tested by Satan, Job even goes to say that we are given so much by God and why would I curse God if these gifts are take away(paraphrase)
Please pray along side of me...
Vaya con Dios
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Tuesday January 24th 2012
Derrick
In matthew we read about the parable of the ten virgins, 5 smart, 5 foolish... 5 were ready 5 weren't...
I feel like this is important because in my head I think about the rapture of the church' (I know that the word is not in the Bible) but the concept is... Since this talks about being ready why shouldn't we be, we need to be trimming our lamps , here's a metaphor that I want to put out there, what is this lamp, I'm thinking that the lamp is our study time in the word, we need to trim our minds and memorize, meditate, and live out this word of God... The Holy piercing scripture that shines a "lamp" on all our darkness... Again this is a metaphor so it could be wrong... But one thing is true, we need to be wise and ready, what better way than to live out the word of God.
Vaya con Dios
In matthew we read about the parable of the ten virgins, 5 smart, 5 foolish... 5 were ready 5 weren't...
I feel like this is important because in my head I think about the rapture of the church' (I know that the word is not in the Bible) but the concept is... Since this talks about being ready why shouldn't we be, we need to be trimming our lamps , here's a metaphor that I want to put out there, what is this lamp, I'm thinking that the lamp is our study time in the word, we need to trim our minds and memorize, meditate, and live out this word of God... The Holy piercing scripture that shines a "lamp" on all our darkness... Again this is a metaphor so it could be wrong... But one thing is true, we need to be wise and ready, what better way than to live out the word of God.
Vaya con Dios
Monday, January 9, 2012
Monday January 9, 2012
Kayla-
I feel like that I can speak for myself and Derrick when I say, that we are both really enjoying the book of Ecclesiastes. It's wording really speaks to me and is beautiful. I haven't posted in a while, so I want to go ahead and share some of my favorites from this book.
2:11: "Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after the wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun."
To use the gifts and talents and resources that God has blessed us with to profit the things of this world, is like chasing the wind. We won't ever catch it and it has no purpose. There is nothing in this world for us, but we live in this world to further the Kingdom, and we use our gifts, talents, and resources, to be the hands and feet of Christ, we can shine Christ through ourselves and our things, to lead them to a place where there is hope for those without it, and a place where we can find purpose, not just toiling for things that will be destroyed one day.
3:11: "He has made everything beautiful in its time." We have all been at that point in our-lives where we are thinking this part is definitely NOT beautiful. Definitely not. Those broken moments where you wonder how you got there and how in the world God is ever going to make something of it. But then He does, and you cannot even begin to grasp His wonderfulness, and you end up being so thankful that He got you through it, with His strength, not yours. Those things were made beautiful in time. :)
4:9-10, 12: Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up. ... Two will withstand him-- a threefold cord is not quickly broken." We were made for relationship, for community. God for the beginning never intended for us to do any of this alone. It's so important that we keep those strong Christian relationships and ties, and accountability so that when we fall under persecution or temptation or just hard times in general, that there is someone else we can lean on a little bit. Also in service, it's all about teamwork and doing your part as a functioning part of the body of Christ. And I also think about this with my relationship with Derrick, when it says two will withstand, but a threefold cord is not quickly broken, and the third cord in my thoughts represents God, there is no way we could do this with out Him, and I wouldn't even want to. I've said for a few years now that when you feel like you are barely holding on by a thread, God is the one thread that is actually a chain, strong, and what holds it all together when other things might be weak.
Okay...there is more I could share, but I will leave it at that....it's almost 8:00pm....and I could so go to bed right now :)
Blessings.
I feel like that I can speak for myself and Derrick when I say, that we are both really enjoying the book of Ecclesiastes. It's wording really speaks to me and is beautiful. I haven't posted in a while, so I want to go ahead and share some of my favorites from this book.
2:11: "Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after the wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun."
To use the gifts and talents and resources that God has blessed us with to profit the things of this world, is like chasing the wind. We won't ever catch it and it has no purpose. There is nothing in this world for us, but we live in this world to further the Kingdom, and we use our gifts, talents, and resources, to be the hands and feet of Christ, we can shine Christ through ourselves and our things, to lead them to a place where there is hope for those without it, and a place where we can find purpose, not just toiling for things that will be destroyed one day.
3:11: "He has made everything beautiful in its time." We have all been at that point in our-lives where we are thinking this part is definitely NOT beautiful. Definitely not. Those broken moments where you wonder how you got there and how in the world God is ever going to make something of it. But then He does, and you cannot even begin to grasp His wonderfulness, and you end up being so thankful that He got you through it, with His strength, not yours. Those things were made beautiful in time. :)
4:9-10, 12: Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up. ... Two will withstand him-- a threefold cord is not quickly broken." We were made for relationship, for community. God for the beginning never intended for us to do any of this alone. It's so important that we keep those strong Christian relationships and ties, and accountability so that when we fall under persecution or temptation or just hard times in general, that there is someone else we can lean on a little bit. Also in service, it's all about teamwork and doing your part as a functioning part of the body of Christ. And I also think about this with my relationship with Derrick, when it says two will withstand, but a threefold cord is not quickly broken, and the third cord in my thoughts represents God, there is no way we could do this with out Him, and I wouldn't even want to. I've said for a few years now that when you feel like you are barely holding on by a thread, God is the one thread that is actually a chain, strong, and what holds it all together when other things might be weak.
Okay...there is more I could share, but I will leave it at that....it's almost 8:00pm....and I could so go to bed right now :)
Blessings.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Thurs, 1/5/12
(i still have problems writing 2011 instead of 2012)
Derrick
Proverbs 31 talks about the woman who fears the Lord, "An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm all the days of her life."
I really like verse 30 "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain but a woman who fears the lord is to be praised."
I have been blessed with a girlfriend who not only is beautiful but has a heart for God. which in turn makes her even more beautiful.
Vaya con Dios
Derrick
Proverbs 31 talks about the woman who fears the Lord, "An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm all the days of her life."
I really like verse 30 "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain but a woman who fears the lord is to be praised."
I have been blessed with a girlfriend who not only is beautiful but has a heart for God. which in turn makes her even more beautiful.
Vaya con Dios
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Wed. January 4, 2012
Kayla-
Proverbs 30:7-9, talks about two things that are being asked for from the Lord, from a person who is truely seeking wisdom. 1. Remove from me falsehood and lying. 2. Give me neither poverty nor riches, feed with me the food of that is needful for me.
We hear so many people preaching the prosperity gospel, and it just isn't true. We shouldn't be praying for riches and happiness. We shouldn't be praying for acceptance of ourselves and for our pockets to be full. We should be praying that God strengthen us in the ways that He calls us to live, and seek that with an honest heart, free from our own desires, so we don't try to distort what God is really calling us to. And we should pray only for God to meet our basic needs to serve Him and His people. We have so much and want so much, and we turn to those places and fill ourselves with all kinds of things (food, money, empty/shallow relationships) to try to satisfy ourselves. But we aren't here for ourselves, we are here ultimately to glorify and serve God, and to further His kingdom, to be His hands and feet, and to Love. We don't need great and glorious things to do that, so we can't use that as an excuse. It's a great task that doesn't require "things" to accomplish. We have to stop searching out material things and excess, and simply pray for our needs to be met, not our wants. Sometimes I feel like all the things I have distract me from the Lord and end up with me relying on myself for provisions, instead of God. But we need to remember that everything, in abundance or in poverty comes from God, and should go back to Him in some shape or form. I am trying to be very conscious that everything I have is God's and He has allowed me to have it to use it in some form to glorify Him. Pray for God to meet your needs, and pray that with the abundance you have that He leads you to somehow glorify Him with that and not the things of this world.
Blessings.
Proverbs 30:7-9, talks about two things that are being asked for from the Lord, from a person who is truely seeking wisdom. 1. Remove from me falsehood and lying. 2. Give me neither poverty nor riches, feed with me the food of that is needful for me.
We hear so many people preaching the prosperity gospel, and it just isn't true. We shouldn't be praying for riches and happiness. We shouldn't be praying for acceptance of ourselves and for our pockets to be full. We should be praying that God strengthen us in the ways that He calls us to live, and seek that with an honest heart, free from our own desires, so we don't try to distort what God is really calling us to. And we should pray only for God to meet our basic needs to serve Him and His people. We have so much and want so much, and we turn to those places and fill ourselves with all kinds of things (food, money, empty/shallow relationships) to try to satisfy ourselves. But we aren't here for ourselves, we are here ultimately to glorify and serve God, and to further His kingdom, to be His hands and feet, and to Love. We don't need great and glorious things to do that, so we can't use that as an excuse. It's a great task that doesn't require "things" to accomplish. We have to stop searching out material things and excess, and simply pray for our needs to be met, not our wants. Sometimes I feel like all the things I have distract me from the Lord and end up with me relying on myself for provisions, instead of God. But we need to remember that everything, in abundance or in poverty comes from God, and should go back to Him in some shape or form. I am trying to be very conscious that everything I have is God's and He has allowed me to have it to use it in some form to glorify Him. Pray for God to meet your needs, and pray that with the abundance you have that He leads you to somehow glorify Him with that and not the things of this world.
Blessings.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Monday January 2, 2012
Kayla-
This is my first post of 2012! I hope that I can get back to posting more now that I'm back on my regular schedule from being on vacation for the holidays. I'm looking forward to 2012, I'm not going to say that it's going to be easy and always great, but I'm really looking forward to growing and building, personally, with Derrick, and with my family and friends (new and old). Today in Proverbs 28:27, we read "Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse." I think about all the things we "want" and all the things we just go get, and I am guilty of it too, most things we want only just temporarily fill us, but giving to someone else in their need provides more than just something material for them, it provides an emotional connection that so many people need, we all long to know that someone cares and that someone in this big world is looking out for us. We as Christians know that God is always for us, but those who don't know Christ, can know him through our actions and come to live for him also. "He who hides his eyes...." We are hesitant to give to those who need, because of our selfishness, because sometimes it really hard to tell if they are really in need or just con-ing us, or maybe because we are afraid that if we give to the point where it hurts us, then we will be in the same boat. But the thing we have to realize most is that God has put us here 1. to live and serve Him. and 2. to love eachother as we love ourselves. Really think about that. Think about all that we do for ourselves just daily living wise, we clean our homes, make ourselves smell nice, wash, wear decent clothing, then there are the material things we provide ourselves with, nice homes, cars, clothes, special food, hosting gatherings, we really take good care of ourselves and love ourselves. I'm not saying that you have to go out and buy all of these things for someone, but we should be showing love to others in the same amount, or more, that we love ourselves. And that is hard. I don't think we really realize how much we actually love ourselves haha, and it's definitely harder to love people sometimes, let alone to love them as we love ourselves, or even harder to love them as God loves them. It's a challenge. But this year, I hope we can do that. I hope I can love God first, and also love the people around me as much as possible, striving to love as He loves us, whether that be emotionally, spiritually, or in financial ways, or all of the above.
"His eye is on the sparrow...and I know He watches me."
Blessings.
Derrick
In Matthew we read about the parable of the sower, its a commonly used parable talking about the people who accept Christ or say they do, i want to focus on something that is commonly over looked in the parable because it stuck out to me...
i want to focus on the good soil
"other seeds fell on good soil, and produced grain, some 100 fold, some 60 and some 30, he who has ears let him hear."
It stuck out to me that not everyone will be 100% producing for christ, not sure if im taking this out of context or not but this is what i see, that there will be some who produce abundantly and some that produce considerably less, and some even less than that...
but each to the measure God has given him...
I pray i live up to Christs standard, whatever that may be...
Vaya con Dios
This is my first post of 2012! I hope that I can get back to posting more now that I'm back on my regular schedule from being on vacation for the holidays. I'm looking forward to 2012, I'm not going to say that it's going to be easy and always great, but I'm really looking forward to growing and building, personally, with Derrick, and with my family and friends (new and old). Today in Proverbs 28:27, we read "Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse." I think about all the things we "want" and all the things we just go get, and I am guilty of it too, most things we want only just temporarily fill us, but giving to someone else in their need provides more than just something material for them, it provides an emotional connection that so many people need, we all long to know that someone cares and that someone in this big world is looking out for us. We as Christians know that God is always for us, but those who don't know Christ, can know him through our actions and come to live for him also. "He who hides his eyes...." We are hesitant to give to those who need, because of our selfishness, because sometimes it really hard to tell if they are really in need or just con-ing us, or maybe because we are afraid that if we give to the point where it hurts us, then we will be in the same boat. But the thing we have to realize most is that God has put us here 1. to live and serve Him. and 2. to love eachother as we love ourselves. Really think about that. Think about all that we do for ourselves just daily living wise, we clean our homes, make ourselves smell nice, wash, wear decent clothing, then there are the material things we provide ourselves with, nice homes, cars, clothes, special food, hosting gatherings, we really take good care of ourselves and love ourselves. I'm not saying that you have to go out and buy all of these things for someone, but we should be showing love to others in the same amount, or more, that we love ourselves. And that is hard. I don't think we really realize how much we actually love ourselves haha, and it's definitely harder to love people sometimes, let alone to love them as we love ourselves, or even harder to love them as God loves them. It's a challenge. But this year, I hope we can do that. I hope I can love God first, and also love the people around me as much as possible, striving to love as He loves us, whether that be emotionally, spiritually, or in financial ways, or all of the above.
"His eye is on the sparrow...and I know He watches me."
Blessings.
Derrick
In Matthew we read about the parable of the sower, its a commonly used parable talking about the people who accept Christ or say they do, i want to focus on something that is commonly over looked in the parable because it stuck out to me...
i want to focus on the good soil
"other seeds fell on good soil, and produced grain, some 100 fold, some 60 and some 30, he who has ears let him hear."
It stuck out to me that not everyone will be 100% producing for christ, not sure if im taking this out of context or not but this is what i see, that there will be some who produce abundantly and some that produce considerably less, and some even less than that...
but each to the measure God has given him...
I pray i live up to Christs standard, whatever that may be...
Vaya con Dios
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