Tag: good

A New and Different Way

Jennifred Jones

I believe God has called us to a different way. Jesus said I will show you a better way.

In Moses day,  God distinguished Himself and His people by the way they dressed, what they wore, what they ate… that was how others knew they belonged to God. It was also one way God’s people would remember who they belonged to. It was part of their identity.
Since Jesus came, God said he was showing us a new way. He says people will know we are Christians by our love. No, it’s not by our address or how we wear our hair, or how much jewelry we do or don’t wear, or if we can or can’t wear fingernail polish, short sleeves, hats or beards. Those are not to be our identifiers. Our identifiers are that we show love to the world in the way that Jesus did. We overcome evil with good…we give a soft answer to turn away wrath… we become peacemakers instead of fault finders.

‘Why should I do something good for that person? They don’t deserve it, in fact they did something bad to me and they should pay for it.’ That’s returning evil for evil and will cause more hard feelings and nothing will be changed except the walls of hate and bitterness grow higher.

Jesus is the great reconciler who made us and wants us to be at peace with each other. Return good for evil even when it is not deserved. One quick look at how much we ‘really deserve’ helps us keep things in perspective.
Actually we’re all the same, seeking love, forgiveness, help; we want reconciliation, but we’re stuck hiding behind fears of abandonment, isolation, rejection- thinking if we can only get even it will fix their (our) problem. But it doesn’t work that way in God’s economy.
Jesus went about doing good, and He hopes we’ll do the same.
When we do good, were tapping into a higher strength than our own. We’re tapping into God’s power and He will do the work that needs to be done.

The interesting thing about doing good is: when you do something good for someone else, you always feel good too.

Who in your life today needs you to shower some good upon?

Trials

Jennifred Jones

God allows trials to bring us closer to Him. It’s so easy to ‘forget’ God in the daily events of our busy lives.

Today is 9/11/14, the anniversary of a horrible event 13 years ago; yet America rallied together in a way not seen in years. Flags were flying everywhere, not just on public flagpoles, but people’s homes, people’s cars, motorcycles, clothing… People began to talk openly about God and church again. Prayer was needed and done—not pushed aside as incorrect behavior. We took that awful event and began to pull together with God’s help to be a better, whole nation again.

Our trials show us we cannot make it on our own. We need our great big wonderful God. He is a gentleman and will not force himself upon us, but allows things to happen until we figure it out that we really do need Him and then He says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble and I will be found”, Psalm 50:15.

Time after time, Israel in the Old Testament left God to go other ways and got themselves into all kinds of trouble…and God allowed it… not to destroy them but to help them realize that He was the way.  And all they had to do was follow Him and everything would be OK. So after things got unbearable, they would turn back to God in total regret for what they’d done and God would instantly hear, forgive, restore and bless them again.

He was willing and watching and waiting for them to come. This cycle was repeated over and over.

And this pattern is happening today with God’s people! We, all of God’s people, who are children of Abraham because of our faith in Jesus, have to guard against leaving God when the trials come. God said He wouldn’t always deliver us from trials, but He would bring us through them. And He said all of Abraham’s blessings would come upon us if we follow Him. Deuteronomy 28:1, 2

He is the one who gives the promises to us, ‘Return to Me that I may return to you!’ Zechariah 1:3

God looks to bless His people. He is not out to do His people harm. John 3:16, 17 says God didn’t send Jesus into this world to condemn us, but that through Him we might be saved from what we’ll do to ourselves if we don’t follow Him.

God is for us!

Be for Him!

FREEDOM

Jennifred Jones

Today I was privileged to watch part of  the ceremony for Hungary’s National Day in Budapest. Hungary was founded August 20th 1000AD by St. Stephen. As they sang their national anthem the guardsmen slowly, reverently raised their flag up the tall gray pole. The rain was coming down steadily, but that stopped no one from joining in the celebration of their freedom. The band played and the people sang while the guards watched as the flag was unfurled. Umbrellas of every size and color dotted the crowds who watched from the grounds. The verdant grass contrasted its green life against the red, white and green color stripes of Hungary’s flag.

Freedom. What a privilege. What a responsibility.

As I thought about their freedom and the freedom sought in many lands around the world today that freedom is available to anyone, anywhere, anytime. God said, “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed!”

Yes, we can have that freedom if we choose and if we cultivate it. Freedom begins not in a certain land or place; it begins first in our heart. It begins with a simple choice. “I believe.” Our greatest bondages are in our mind and Jesus came to free us of everyone of them—big or small. God said He would give us a new mind and a new heart when we come to Him, but now we must keep it renewed daily, sometimes minute by minute, as our greatest enemy, the devil, tries to take over our thoughts and bring us back into his bondage. Jesus gives us freedom no matter where we live and no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in. He is our great deliverer. This is our privilege in Christ.

It is also our responsibility, because we and we alone have control over our minds. God will not force us to think a certain way and the devil is constantly barraging our minds with thoughts of hate, anger, destruction, doubt, fear, guilt, inferiority, unworthiness, but God said we are to bring those thoughts to Him and cast them down. In other words, flatly refuse to think on them. Yes we do have a choice, to think on the bad and the negative, or to think on the good and the positive. We choose. God wants to help us. We tend to think we’re helpless and too far gone. No, that too is a lie. Jesus is there to help us and gives us His power to overcome those thoughts.

If we are free in our minds we can be free in our bodies. Freedom does begin first on the inside. I believe all men and women really do want to be free, but there is a cost. True freedom is found only in Jesus Christ, and He paid the cost that we couldn’t. All He says we need to do is believe and follow Him.

And His truth shall make you free!