Unworthy

So this year I made a resolution to read the entire New Testament and the other night I was reading Luke and I came across a really cool verse (side note: is it awesome when your reading and you stumble upon this super wonderful verse and it just opens your eyes? this was one of those times), it was Luke 17:10 "So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty'.". Woah man, that is so humbling, the fact that even if we do everything God asks and follow every commandment to the letter we are still unworthy. I am so guilty of doing good things and expected something in return. It is always a good reminder that we are so unworthy of God's everlasting love and not to forget the power of his mercy and grace. Even though it sounds discouraging to think we can never please God, use this to keep you humble and reminded of the sacrifice and love of God.

P.S. Sorry for not posting last week I was out of town and not able to access a computer.

Much Love,

MLH

Sinners to Repentance

Luke 5:32 states, "I [Jesus] have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" I believe a lot of times we feel inclined to be perfect. That we must follow each rule to the letter to gain favor in Gods eyes, but we don't! God came for the sinners and the oppressed to save them from Hell. The beauty of God's love is that it is everlasting, infinite and never changing. Nothing we ever do can make us look better or worse in God's sight, but because of this freedom we desire to serve and live out the guidelines he has set in place for us. This verse speaks to us believers that we are here to share with the sinners and not only the righteous, we are here to witness to the people who may not have the same beliefs or moral code. We must love on them and be compassionate to everyone. Do unto other as they do unto you! As always thanks for stopping by and taking your time to read!

Much Love,

MLH

Joy

I never realized the difference with joy and happiness until a couple weeks ago when I began to study the different fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22). The thing is that joy is not letting the circumstances around you determine your attitude. Joy is remembering the price God paid on the cross and letting that excitement over flow into every aspect of your life.  Philemon 1:7 says, "Your love has given me great joy and encouragement". Also after reading about Joy and how it differs from happiness I was reminded about the verse, John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." I find it so reassuring that God has overcome the world and all of it's problems. When truly considering how much control God has and how incomparable this world is to his power it helps me realize how irrelevant all my worries are in the eyes of God. How can I complain and worry and fret about things that God has overcome? I am trying to learn to overcome this problem of getting wrapped up in worldly fears and worries and replacing them with the joy that God gives me. I have learned though that joy isn't something you can just say you have and thats that, it takes time and lots of prayer and I am not quite there yet, but I am working on it day by day to overcome my attitude with joy. I hope you all are encouraged to do the same.

Much Love,

MLH

Hey Guys! This probably won't be the most interesting post ever, but I think it is an important reminder for myself and hopefully someone reading this. It's about reading your bible. I know that this may seem like a concept that is well known to growing and strengthening ones walk, but I know that I often forget the importance of the bible because it is so accessible. I was flipping through my bible and looking at old verses I had highlighted and one seemed to jump off the page. It was Matthew 24:35, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." wow, that kinda makes us step back and realize the importance and just how precious it is. I know the times I was closest to God was when I was diligently reading my bible. I started with just reading one psalm a day and it was nice to focus one earth passage one at a time. So later this week I will try to post some devotional plans to follow, but I hope this encourages you to read more and to learn more about God's word!

Much Love,

MLH

2 Corinthians 5:16 says, "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view." As Christians it is important to remember how God has forgiven us of our sin. So then how can we not do the same to others? Just as we became a new creation, our out look on life needs to be renewed so that we see people as God sees them.  Lots of times we want to retaliate, return evil for evil, but we must resist the worldly temptations and remember that we might be the only representation of Christ for these people. If Christians act the same as the rest of the world what sets us apart? How will people separate us from the rest of the population? the answer is by our actions and how we treat them. It isn't easy though; so pray to God and tell him to teach you to see people the way he sees them and slowly your out look on people will shift to how God sees everyone. I often fall into the temptation of judging people and their actions, but that is so hypocritical of me because if God judged me according to my sins I would deserve death. Just as it says in James 4:12, "There is only one lawgiver and judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you- who are you to judge your neighbor?". God is the ultimate judge because he knows everyones heart and their true intentions. So if someone is bothering you pray about it and ask God to give you forgiving and loving heart so that you can see them as he does.

Thanks for stopping by!

MLH

This post is going to be short and sweet. I want to touch on Colossians 4:5,6. It talks about the importance of our influence and the way we conduct ourselves around non-believers. As christians it simply isn't enough for us to just survive and live our lives the same as we were before Christ. We should have an unspeakable joy that encompasses who we are because of the grace that God provides through his son. We should also have a sudden urge to share and tell people the good news. For example if there is a really awesome sale going on you make sure to tell your friends about it and share the good news! (Little ashamed I just compared Christianity to shopping, but it is really late). I challenge whoever reads this to consider your actions and the things you do and say, when we publicly proclaim the faith we take on a responsibility to be the examples for Christ. Also never forget how great of an impact you can have on someone's walk with Christ or to Christ. We never know where people are in their journey with Christ, maybe a kind word or act of kindness plants a seed for Christ or motivates someone else to do the same. Never forget your importance and impact on everyone you meet.
Till Next Time,
Morgan

Falling In Love

       

        Love is something we all desire. We see it in movies, books, Tv shows, pictures etc. and one of the best feelings in the world is loving someone and receive love from them. If this hasn't occurred yet do not lose hope for there is a God that desires you more than any human being could. When reading the bible it is easy to see that God is the perfect person to be in a relationship with i.e. he ALWAYS has your best interest (Romans 8:28), He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you (Joshua 1:5), he is a great listener (Psalm 19:3-4) (joke partially intended), he will provide us with peace (Psalm 29:11) and is over all just pretty awesome (The whole bible). The thing that discourages many of people is that when growing a relationship with God it isn't instant. It is like any other relationship, you have to put in the time, you have to pray to God and tell him your plans, worries, fears, passions etc. The more you can talk to God and read his word the closer you can become. It is just like meeting someone new, you want to talk to them and learn more about them. You'll end up putting a lot of time into the relationship, but it isn't a problem because you want to. The best part of God's love is that it is the only thing that can truly fill that void or emptiness and will provide you with joy unlike any other. So maybe if you keep praying for someone to love you and it seems to be taking God sometime to answer the prayer it is because God is longing for a stronger relationship between the two of you first, before he gives you someone on earth to love; and there is a chance that he might not, but once you develop that relationship with him you can rely and trust in his most wonderful plan and that what he has in store is the best option for you right now wherever you are.

Much Love,

Morgan

P.S. New year, so I am actually creating a schedule! Yay!! So from now on I will (hopefully) post regular devotions on Wednesday night! So make sure to stop by and check them out!