Our Speech has Consequences

What fruit does your mouth produce? Here is a scripture I came to today. The tongue has been an issue with me for years. But after much learning and more yeeeaaarrsss of learning and obeying, trusting, falling, getting back up again, relearning....It is getting EASIER, yes I said easier, to hold my tongue. If there is hope for me, there is hope for you! (In Jesus!) Jennifer Dukes Lee, author of The Love Idol talks about how the cure is in the process.

con·se·quence
\ˈkän(t)-sə-ˌkwen(t)s, -kwən(t)s\
noun
: something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions
: importance or value

Proverbs 18:20
New Life Version (NLV)

20 A man’s stomach will be filled with the fruit of his mouth. He will be filled with what his lips speak.

(This next one helps see the positive side of the coin; having a healthy conversation about things with a trusted friend can really help sometimes, but a reminder if it helps that much when speaking GOOD things, how bad it can be when speaking negative/false things)

Proverbs 18:20
The Message (MSG)

20 Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach; good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest.

Have a good day folksies!
Meghan W.

Good & Evil Don't Jive, The Lord's Ways are Polar Opposite than the World's

EDIT* This just came to mind and I couldn't not add it in. Because I don't want to send the wrong message that those who are followers of Jesus need to go hide in a hole to stay away from the evil world. No, no...

Jesus did not avoid the evil, the dark, the unwanted....but He walked in such a way that those around Him were introduced to the Light. (And a choice was then up to them whether to follow or not) He did not go to the sinners to participate in sin, instead He wanted to show a different way. Even a different way than what the temple-goers, the religious folks thought to be "the only way." He lived with us for 33 years on this earth to show that change ultimately comes through a willing vessel and who is obedient to the Lord. He came not to hang out with sin, but to live alongside the sinners to show US how we should be living alongside sinners (who is US!)
Ultimate Love!!!!!

Today I was led back to a chapter in Psalm that I glanced at yesterday. There are some things I read that don't hit me in the gut quite as hard as others. This scripture isn't necessarily an easy read, but it is Truth and is just one of many verses that tell us that God can not tango with evil because He is a Holy God. The Bible does highlight God's main theme: unwavering, undaunted, unconditional love for humanity! As we read His Word we see that what He seems to be saying is, "I work differently than you all. You take the easy path, I took the road less traveled. You get upset with people and talk about them, but I show them love and pray blessings over them instead. You won't help even your own friends sometimes, but I DIED for the ones who were killing me." Now this is just my paraphrase on what I believe Jesus has shown in the Word to be the way to true life. It is completely and utterly backwards from what most of us have been taught,  whether at home or the church. It is time for believers to stop going to everyone and everything else to "learn" their behavior and way to excel in life and start going to the Word, the God who is perfect and just, righteous and holy, the Loving Shepherd! He wants intimacy with us. Intimacy requires spending time with Him, learning who He IS. So without further a do,  here is the verse in various versions so you can get a broader perspective on it if one has a term that is not so familiar.

Psalm 101:1-8
The Message (MSG)
A David Psalm
My theme song is God’s love and justice,
And I’m singing it right to you, God.
I’m finding my way down the road of right living, but how long before you show up?
I’m doing the very best I can,
and I’m doing it at home, where it counts.
I refuse to take a second look
at corrupting people and degrading things.
I reject made-in-Canaan gods, stay clear of contamination.
The crooked in heart keep their distance;
I refuse to shake hands with those who plan evil. I put a gag on the gossip who bad-mouths his neighbor; I can’t stand arrogance. But I have my eye on salt-of-the-earth people—they’re the ones I want working with me; Men and women on the straight and narrow—these are the ones I want at my side.
But no one who traffics in lies gets a job with me; I have no patience with liars. I’ve rounded up all the wicked like cattle
and herded them right out of the country.
I purged God’s city of all who make a business of evil.

Psalm 101:2-6
New Life Version (NLV)

2 I will be careful to live a life without blame. When will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a right and good heart. 3 I will set no sinful thing in front of my eyes. I hate the work of those who are not faithful. It will not get hold of me. 4 A sinful heart will be far from me. I will have nothing to do with sin. 5 I will stop whoever talks against his neighbor in secret. I will not listen to anyone who has a proud look and a proud heart.

6 My eyes will look with favor on the faithful in the land, so they may serve me. He who walks without blame will help me.

Psalm 101:2-6The Voice (VOICE)

2 I will seek to live a life of integrity; when will You come to me?
I will walk in my house with an honest and true heart.
3 I will refuse to look on any sordid thing;
I detest the worthless deeds of those who stray; evil will not get a hold on me.
4 I will rid my heart of all perversion; I will not flirt with any evil.
5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, I will silence; I will not tolerate a condescending smirk, an arrogant heart.
6 I will look for those who are loyal in the land so that they may live with me and know my pleasure. Whoever walks with integrity
will enter my service.

I hope we will read this and be willing to be offended by the Truth if that is what it takes to wake us up. I pray we will let God have His way in our hearts and lives, letting Him slowly transform us from the inside out so we CAN begin to walk in a way that will speak to those around us without us even having to speak. That is how Jesus presented himself as they made him endure the ridicules and persecution up to the cross. Out of everyone He had a the most right to stand up and defend himself, but He willingly laid down His rights to be obedient to His Father. Obedience was louder than anything.

Meghan W.

Weakness Does Not Mean Defeat

In my devotion today I did what I almost always do, which is look up the scriptures that go with it - comparing about 4 different versions. I do this to get a fuller understanding. I pray of course for the Lord to help me understand His Word and for Him to allow the Holy Spirit to move in me, so I can apply it to my own life. So here are the scriptures that I felt compelled to share today.

2 Corinthians 12:9
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

9 But the Lord said, “My grace is all you need. Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by my power.” So I will gladly boast about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can stay in me.

2 Corinthians 12:9
Living Bible (TLB)

9 Each time he said, “No. But I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people.” Now I am glad to boast about how weak I am; I am glad to be a living demonstration of Christ’s power, instead of showing off my own power and abilities.

2 Corinthians 12:9
New Life Version (NLV)

9 He answered me, “I am all you need. I give you My loving-favor. My power works best in weak people.” I am happy to be weak and have troubles so I can have Christ’s power in me.

2 Corinthians 12:9
The Message (MSG)

7-10 Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

My grace is enough; it’s all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

So there you have them. Have a blessed day!
Meghan

I Begin, Again

 

 

 A glimpse of my faith-meets-action journey

  

It just so happens that the day I decide to start blogging again is July 4th, 2014.  Independence Day for North American's.  Yes indeed, I am free.  Timely too, since I just finished up the study some of us ladies did based on the book called, Love Idol.  I am free from the things that previously kept me bound up, thinking idle thoughts, and kept me just plain annoyed & annoying!  My intent in blogging again is not to write a novel each time necessarily, but just quickly share what the Lord has brought me to in scripture each day, and how I believe it applies to us today.  My heart is to share the Gospel, and this is only one of many ways to do it.  And might I add, out of all the ways, it might be the least.  Face to face building of relationships, being a servant to one another in our daily walk, is what is probably most fruitful. Nonetheless, this is where I am right now, sitting outside with my books everywhere and laptop plugged into the outlet on the outside of the duplex we reside in.  So if you have just a bit of time to read, I will be sharing Scriptural encouragement, things I have learned on my faith walk so far, and any other thing the Holy Spirit happens to lay on my heart to share.  I hope someone, even just one person can be uplifted by this blog.  And even if the only person ends up being myself, then I am okay with that - because God uses different strokes for different folks.

-Meghan Weyerbacher