Tag: faith

Christian

You Were Born for Such a Time as This: The Story of Esther

Cindy Dawson

The story of Esther teaches us that God purposely guides His people’s steps even when we are not aware of it, even when things don’t make sense. But God has a purpose in what He does in the lives of those He loves. Every thread woven into the fabric of the Christian life is part of the ultimate tapestry that someday they will view in glory.”

Dr. david jeremiah

The book of Esther tells an amazing story of political intrigue along with the faith and courage of a young, Jewish woman named Esther. We can learn many things from reading it, but I want to focus on this: While deliverance from the enemy looked impossible, God already had a plan in action.

King Xerxes was searching for a new queen. He appointed commissioners to search his vast empire for the most beautiful women and bring them to his harem. Esther was one of those chosen.

The beautiful Esther dazzled King Xerxes more than any of the others, and he made her his queen. He was enthralled with her loveliness.

This story gets even more interesting when you know a little about King Xerxes and the Persian Empire. Although not in the Bible, history reveals the kind of man he was.

Xerxes was a king of war. He assembled the largest and most well equipped fighting force ever put into the field up to that time in history. He amassed an army of over two million men and four thousand ships. Known to be merciless, Xerxes was not a man to be trifled with.

One day, Mordecai overheard some men plotting to kill the King. He informed Esther and she warned the King, giving credit to Mordecai. Unknown to anyone, including the King, evil was about to encroach the palace and all 127 provinces of the Persian Empire.

This evil sprang from an egomaniacal man named Haman who was a high ranking official in the King’s court. Haman hated Mordecai because Mordecai would not bow down to him. The anti-Semitic Haman devised a sinister plan to annihilate all of the Jews in the Persian Empire.

Haman tricked the king into issuing a decree to all 127 provinces with the order to destroy and kill all the Jews – young and old, women and children.

When Mordecai uncovered Haman’s conspiracy, he urged Esther to approach the king and beg for mercy. He said,

“Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)

Esther knew the law commanded that if anyone approached the king without being summoned, they would be put to death. The only exception was if the king extended his scepter.

Esther understood this and knew she would be putting her life in imminent danger. She sent word to Mordecai and requested that all the Jews of the city fast and pray for three days and nights. She said,

“When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4: 16)

On the third day, Esther adorned herself in her royal robes and approached the king in his inner court. When he saw her, he was pleased and held out his golden scepter. He asked her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.”

Esther replied, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come to the banquet I have prepared.”

While they were at the banquet, the king asked her again, “What is your request?” Esther asked the king and Haman to come back for another banquet the next day.

On his way home Haman passed Mordecai, and again Mordecai would not bow down to him. Enraged, Haman went home and boasted to his friends about his vast wealth and all that he had. “And that’s not all,” bragged Haman. “I am the only one Queen Esther invited to attend the banquet tomorrow for the king. But this brings me no pleasure as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.”

At his friends’ urging, Haman built a gallows and conspired to hang Mordecai there. Haman didn’t know it, but his evil pride would soon bring him down.

That night, the King was reminded that nothing had ever been done to honor Mordecai for saving him from a murderous plot. Haman had entered the King’s palace to speak to the King about hanging Mordecai, but before Haman could speak, the king asked Haman, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?”

Haman thought to himself, “Who would the king possibly want to honor more than me?” So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. Let the princes robe the man and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!’ “

“Go at once,”the king commanded Haman. “Do just as you suggested for Mordecai the Jew!”

I wish I could have seen his face! Talk about shock! Things are looking bad for Haman, but they are going to get even worse!

At the second banquet for the king and Haman, the king asked Esther again what she desired.

She said, “Grant me my life and spare my people. For I and my people have been sold for destruction, slaughter, and annihilation.”

King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is the man who has dared to do such a thing?”

Esther said, “The adversary and enemy is this vile Haman.”

The king stormed out in a rage. Haman was terrified. He threw himself upon the Queen’s couch and begged for his life. Then, the king walked back in and found Haman falling on the couch where Esther was reclining.

“The king cried, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?” Haman was immediately taken away and hanged on the Gallows he had built for Mordecai.

King Xerxes gave Esther Haman’s estate. He also gave Mordecai his signet ring and told him to write a decree on behalf of all the Jews and seal it with his ring. The Jews got relief from their enemies and celebrated with joy and feasting. They called it the Feast of Purim and it is still celebrated today.

Perhaps, like Esther, you have also been brought to your position

for such a time as this!

With Love, 

Cindy

This Is My Journey Unscripted.

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¹Cartwright, Mark. “Persian Wars.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 06 Apr 2016. Web. 27 Oct 2018.

Christian

The Holiday Challenge You’ll Never Forget!

Cindy Dawson

Our extended family was all together for the holidays when something unusual happened. Pastor Mike challenged the congregation to go for a whole month without complaining.

Our family took on the challenge (all 8 of us). Christina had the idea that if you complained about something, you had to sing your words! Here are a couple of the “songs” that were sung at dinner that night:

“Is that kale in my salad?”

“I thought we were eating at 6:45!”

Naturally, these songs had everyone in hysterics!

Cousins, Christina and Patricia making dinner

Needless to say, it was a lot of fun! Not only that, it cut down on complaining because if anyone came even close to complaining, the others immediately made the guilty party sing it!

After I was caught complaining, I said, “But I’m just stating a fact!” Guess what? If the fact is negative, that’s complaining!

Our family kept this up for about 3 hours and I learned something. We complain and don’t even realize we’re doing it! (That is until you get caught!)

So why not take this family holiday challenge? God says,

“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.” Philippians 2:14-16 NIV (emphasis mine)

Have you ever been around someone who never complained? Nice, isn’t it? Have you ever been around anyone who complained constantly? Not so nice! It’s pretty straightforward. Complainers don’t make bright stars in the darkness.

God knows that complaining isn’t good for us. If only we would just obey Him! Science has proven that complaining is unhealthy. Consider this:

  1. Complaining changes the way people see you. “According to Travis Bradberry, PhD, “Repeated complaining rewires your brain to make future complaining more likely. Over time, you find it’s easier to be negative than to be positive, regardless of what’s happening around you. Complaining becomes your default behavior, which changes how people perceive you.”
  2. Complaining causes brain damage. Research from Stanford University has shown that complaining shrinks the hippocampus—an area of the brain that’s critical to problem-solving and intelligent thought. Damage to the hippocampus is scary, especially when you consider that it’s one of the primary brain areas destroyed by Alzheimer’s.
  3. Complaining has negative health effects. When you complain, your body releases the stress hormone cortisol. One effect of cortisol, for example, is to raise your blood pressure and blood sugar…  All the extra cortisol released by frequent complaining impairs your immune system and makes you more susceptible to high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. It even makes the brain more vulnerable to strokes.

So I challenge you to accept the “Don’t Complain Challenge”. For one month, you can’t complain about anything. See what happens. Pastor Mike guarantees that it will make you a happier, healthier, and more positive person. You will not only feel better, but you will become a person others like to be around.

You will be “seen as bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world, Holding out [to it] and offering [to all men] the Word of Life…” Philippians 2:15b-16a AMPC

Cover Photo by Sarah Kilian on Unsplash

Christian

Lord, Teach Me to Pray

Cindy Dawson

[Friends, Because I have been out of state for the last month, helping my dad with medical issues, I have had to repost several times. Today, as I searched for the right post, I was reminded how we often put pressure on ourselves to “pray right” as if answers depended on how good we pray. But, God reminds me that He knows our heart and what we need, regardless of how we might stumble along. I pray that you will be encouraged and know that God is working whether you see it or not.]

Two and a half  years ago, I had no idea I was going to write a blog. I had no idea my daughter would lead worship in my church. I had no idea God was getting ready to change my life and hers.

But God’s plan was working all along, even though I was completely unaware of what He was doing! He already knew these things would happen. 

That’s what faith is: being sure of things unseen. (I’m sure He is working, I just can’t see it now. )

I have frequently prayed and asked God to do many things, but I haven’t always seen the answers I hoped for when I hoped for. In frustration, I asked Jesus to teach me to pray.

I learned I was right to ask Jesus to teach me how to pray. He has already taught me something new! Jesus said,

“This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” Matthew 6:9-10 NIV

What does that have to do with effectual prayer? Everything! Because, I don’t need to go to God with a list of things for Him to do. What do the words mean “hallowed be your name”? Hallowed means: honored as holy, blessed, greatly revered, respected, honored and worshiped.

Let’s think about that for a minute. When we go to the Father in prayer, let us worship Him. Let us adore Him and recognize the character of our God. Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving and praise.

Then Jesus said,

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” 

God has shown me that the key to effectual prayer is not about me. It’s not about my ability to pray. It’s about Him! I’ve been too focused on myself instead of on Him!  

Let Jesus teach us to pray. Let us worship the Father. Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving and praise. Then, let us pray for His will to be done in our life, in our church, in our city, and all over the world. He has a plan that is better than all we can ask or imagine! 

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…” Ephesians 3:20 NIV

The words of the hymn are true, “What a friend we have in Jesus.” But, let us have a new and deeper revelation of His greatness and love. Let us revere and love Him as we should. We can find words to praise Him throughout the Psalms! Here are just a few key verses:

“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. You have set your glory above the heavens…. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him… that you care for him?” Psalm 8:1-4 NIV

“I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord who is worthy of praise….” Psalm 18:1-3a NIV

“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God.” Psalm 25:1-2a NIV

“Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep…. How priceless is your unfailing love!” Psalm 36:5-7 NIV

With Love, 

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This Is My Journey Unscripted.

Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?

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Christian

Integrity Isn’t For Cowards

Cindy Dawson

Integrity means doing what is right even when it hurts. It means being honest and dependable, all the time. It means people can always trust you to do the right thing. It’s the best reputation you could possibly have.

“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” C.S. Lewis

The Bible teaches us to have integrity in everything we do.

“Because of my integrity you uphold me
    and set me in your presence forever.” Psalm 41:12 NIV

“The integrity of the upright guides them,
    but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” Proverbs 11:3 NIV

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,  since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24 NIV

In May of 2005 American professional tennis player Andy Roddick was playing Fernando Verdasco, of Spain in the Masters tennis tournament in Rome, Italy.  Roddick was the number one seed in the tournament and a heavy favorite to win the match. 

Roddick dominated as expected and had triple match point when something extremely unusual happened.  Roddick couldn’t return Verdasco’s hard second serve but the linesman called the serve out and awarded Roddick the point and the match.

With the crowd cheering Verdasco ran to the net to shake Roddick’s hand and congratulate him on his victory.  However, Roddick knew something that the linesman, the umpire, the cheering crowd, and Verdasco himself didn’t know.  The serve had not been out, but had hit on the line, making it in. 

Roddick could have kept this information to himself and accepted the victory.  Instead he informed the umpire that the ball had been in and offered to show him the mark on the clay where the ball had hit.  The umpire reversed the call and awarded the point to Verdasco. 

Having been given a second chance Verdasco made the most of it.  He came back to win the game, the set, and the match giving him a highly improbable victory, especially considering not long before he had been standing at the net ready to concede.

Sportswriter Frank DeFord estimates Roddick’s honesty cost him “tens of thousands of dollars;” perhaps much more if he had gone on to win the tournament.  Integrity was clearly more important to Roddick than either winning or money. 

Do we do the right thing, even when it isn’t to our advantage?

It is imperative that we model integrity for our children. Mark Musser said, “Children who see parents model care, love, respect, generosity, self-control, integrity, and faith in Christ are much more likely to exhibit those traits in their own lives.”

It is amazing how much children copy their parents. This is nowhere more evident than in the school setting. I’m pretty sure a teacher must have thought up the saying: “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”!

I suspect that if we really knew how true this was, we would be far more careful how we conducted our lives.

The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 NIV

Teach us Lord to have integrity in all that we do. Create in us the character of Christ. Renew our minds according to your Word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

With Love, 

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This Is My Journey Unscripted.

Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?

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 Featured Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

A Verse For Today, Christian

A Verse For Today, 11/7/19

Cindy Dawson

“Who is a God like you,
    who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
    of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
    but delight to show mercy.
19 You will again have compassion on us;
    you will tread our sins underfoot
    and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18-19 NIV

With Love, 

AA55AA1F-EA36-49A9-92BE-41FD67348618

This Is My Journey Unscripted.

Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?

realchristianwomen.blog  

Christian

Why Do Christians Drift Away?

Cindy Dawson

While at the beach one summer, my two sons insisted on renting a small boat. They were told to stay close, but eventually they began to drift. We started yelling at them and waving our arms, but they didn’t see us and kept drifting farther and farther away, unaware.

That’s the bad thing about drifting, you can end up far from where you started and unaware of how far you’ve drifted.

“… we must pay much closer attention than ever to the things that we have heard, so that we do not [in any way] drift away from truth.” Hebrews 2:1 AMP

Today we have the entire Bible to keep us on course, but do we neglect it? C.S. Lewis said,

As a matter of fact, if you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity, I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do not most people simply drift away?”

Mere christianity

We can so easily drift away from God and toward the ways of the world: thinking like the world, acting like the world, even speaking like the world. How? Compromise, open-mindedness, tolerance for what is evil in the eyes of the Lord, the desire to fit in.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 NIV

Thinking back on my past, I can see how drifting away from God was a result of drifting farther and farther away from God’s Word. Drifting happens so easily, not because of anything we do, as much as what we don’t do. We neglect Bible study, neglect church fellowship, neglect worship, neglect prayer.

My boys finally saw us waving wildly and came back in, but others have not been so lucky.

In his article, 9 Fortunate Souls Who Survived Being Lost at Sea, Avery Thompson said this,

“The sea is like a wet desert. There’s no food. There’s no shelter. Nothing to drink. In every direction, the view is the same: nothing. Plus, dangerous predators lurk just beneath the depths.  A shipwreck out on the open ocean can be a death sentence. If rescue doesn’t come in the first 48 hours, it probably never will.”

We can compare this to drifting spiritually. No spiritual food to eat, no living water to drink, demons lurking just beneath …

That’s why the writer of Hebrews says, “we must pay much closer attention than ever to the things that we have heard“. We must be reading our Bible and renewing our minds. These words are as true today as they were when first written.

The worse thing about being a drifter is that you probably won’t even notice what you’ve become or how far you have drifted. So in this time, as in the first century, Christians “must pay much closer attention than ever.”

Are you paying attention?

Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

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Christian

Why Should I Memorize Scripture?

Cindy Dawson

Memorizing Scripture may have more benefits than you think!

It renews your mind, enabling you to know God’s will.

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (NIV)

I had never connected this verse to memorizing Scripture until now. But, how better to renew our mind than by memorizing Scripture! That is filling our mind with God’s Word, not something we read once, but something we know by heart! Reading the Bible is important, but memorizing Scripture is important, too!

The Holy Spirit will bring to your remembrance the Scripture you need at a particular time.

Dallas Willard, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California wrote,

“Bible memorization is absolutely fundamental to spiritual formation. If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs.“

For example, when people have hurt my feelings by what they said or what they did, the Holy Spirit has brought to my remembrance a verse memorized long ago.

 “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” Proverbs 19:11 NIV*

it has practical advantages

Chuck Swindoll stated, “I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture. . . . No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends!”

Do you ever have trouble going to sleep because you can’t quiet your mind, and you can’t stop thinking about all you have to do? I still remember the 23rd Psalm from memorizing it in childhood, 60 years ago! Sometimes, when I can’t sleep, I recite it and meditate on the verses. Nothing is more calming and quiets your mind like reciting and meditating on the 23rd Psalm. I bet many of you learned it as a child, too.

Sometimes the KJV is easier to learn and easier to remember, too. I was just trying to remember Psalm 119:105 and realized that I remember it in the KJV, but not in the NIV. As soon as I said, “Thy word”, it all came back to me!

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 KJV

Another Scripture I rely on when I’m worried or afraid is Psalm 91. (It really isn’t that hard to memorize!)

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.” Psalm 91 NIV (1984 edition)

My Top 5 Tips for Memorizing Scripture

  1. Write it and doodle while you repeat it out loud several times. (I like this idea!)
  2. Learn one verse, and then add another verse to it. Keep adding on one more verse. Always go back to the beginning and recite everything you have learned so far. You can learn long passages this way. (This is how I memorized Psalm 91.)
  3. Play a memory game. Using dry-erase markers, write the verse on a dry-erase board. Read the verse a few times, then erase 2 words at a time. Keep saying the verse until all the words are erased. 
  4. Go for a walk and recite all the verses you have learned so far.
  5. Make the wallpaper on your phone the verse you are learning.

Well, I hope you’ve been motivated to start memorizing. I know I have!

Some passages to memorize:

  • Philippians 4:6-8
  • John 7:37-38
  • John 8:31
  • Romans 10:9-11
  • Psalm 56:3-4
  • Psalm 86:11

Do you have any memorization tips?

What passages do you recommend memorizing? Please share!

With Love, 

AA55AA1F-EA36-49A9-92BE-41FD67348618

This Is My Journey Unscripted.

Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?

realchristianwomen.blog  

Photo by Jenny Smith on Unsplash

*Some NIV references are from the 1985 edition and may read a little differently than the latest NIV edition.

Christian

Do Christians Today Have Idols?

Cindy Dawson

As I read through 1 Kings, I was stunned when I read these words about King Solomon:

 “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.  He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.” 1 Kings 11: 3-6

Notice that Solomon started doing what “everyone else” was doing. He probably thought, “All the kings have lots of wives and concubines. All the kings have idols. I’m just doing what all the kings do. Things are different now from when my father was king.”

We can do the same thing today by accepting what the world puts forth as truth rather than holding on to God’s Word, which is the real Truth.

Ashtoreth was the pagan goddess of war and sexual love. How is that any different from the sexual freedom found in today’s world?

Molek was an Ammonite god who required propitiatory child sacrifice. A couple sacrificed their firstborn by burning the child on a metal idol of Molech, believing that Molech would ensure financial prosperity for the family and future children. (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) How is that any different from the abortion industry, which is really all about money, not women’s rights?

Idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than God as if it were God.

So what do we worship as if it were God? It doesn’t have to be a pagan statue. The Apostle Paul tells us more.

“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.” Colossians 3:5-6

Here the Apostle Paul plainly states that idolatry doesn’t only refer to a golden calf.

“Idolatry starts in the heart: craving, wanting, enjoying, being satisfied by anything that you treasure more than God. That is an idol. If we find God to be so boring or so negligible that we must put other things in his place that really satisfy us more than he does, then we not only offend him, but we also destroy ourselves.” John Piper

“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.  In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.” Romans 1:25-27

“Since the fall, the hearts of humans have been inclined toward idolatry” Dr. Jeff Reynolds

Things like a job, money, a car, or any number of created things could become an idol. But don’t let the devil condemn you, saying this is your idol and that is your idol. Ask the Lord with a sincere heart to show you if you have any idols. The Holy Spirit will bring conviction, but not condemnation. Conviction makes you want to change, but condemnation makes you want to give up.

“Yet I am glad now, not because you were pained, but because you were pained into repentance [and so turned back to God]; for you felt a grief such as God meant you to feel . . . For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret;” 2 Corinthians 7:9-10 AMP

With Love, 

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This Is My Journey Unscripted.

Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?

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Christian

We Are The Temple of God

Cindy Dawson

We don’t have to visit a temple made by man to be in the presence of God, as the Israelites did. As a Christ Follower, we are the temple of God and He dwells within us. Isn’t that an amazing thought? As I read about the building of the Temple, I was struck by the great wealth and incredible planning that went into it. It took Solomon seven years to build the temple. (See 1 Kings 5-8)

Solomon used 8,100,187.5 pounds of gold and 76,275,000 pounds of silver. The gold and silver alone was worth $216,603,576,000. This does not include all the precious metals, bronze, iron, ivory, or cedar wood used in the temple. Extrapolating from the number, the total cost of Solomon’s temple including the labor costs (153,000 forced laborers) would have been well over half a billion dollars! Pure gold was everywhere! Even the wick trimmers were made of pure gold! No detail was overlooked.

The Living God doesn’t live in a building. If you are a Christ Follower, He is literally living in your body! Take a moment to let that soak in.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;  you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV

You may think the temple that Solomon built came at an incredible price, and it did. But God purchased you at an even greater cost, the precious, priceless blood of Jesus Christ. So what does that mean to us today?

We must recognize that we are the temple of God and that we belong to God. He has a plan for us. We have been commissioned to go out and make disciples. We are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. This is obedience to the One who owns us, to love one another. We must examine ourselves to see if we are honoring the price He paid.

Just as the Lord paid careful attention to how His people treated His temple, so He takes note of the choices we make, our priorities, and the directions we pursue. Our bodies are no longer “our own” because we no longer belong to ourselves but wholly and completely to God. This is the single most important truth about our lives.”

dr. David Jeremiah

“. . . the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27 NIV

“Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.” 2 Timothy 1:14 NLT

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Ephesians 3: 14-17 NIV

We may look around at our world and blame our problems on the culture, drugs, TV, violent video games, and any number of evils in the world. But we must remember that revival doesn’t start in the world, it starts in the hearts of God’s people, the Church.

What would happen in our world today if all Christ followers in this generation chose to be Christ-centered instead of self-centered?

With Love, 

Cindy

This Is My Journey Unscripted.

Do you want to become a Christian? Click this link to learn more: Who Is Jesus?

realchristianwomen.blog  

Jeremiah Study Bible

Photos by Center for Online Judaic Studies

Rdchamberlain.com (cost of temple)

Christian

My Bible, My Life

Cindy Dawson

Thy Word

Thy Word I love, O Lord. 
Tis my greatest delight.  
Early I rise to seek you 
And wait for the morning light. 

Thy Word I receive, O Lord.
Tis my daily bread.  
It feeds my broken heart  
And prepares for the day ahead.  

Thy Word I will keep, O Lord.
Tis my strength for each day,   
You are the solid rock.
I will follow all your ways.  
  
Thy Word I need, O Lord.
Tis the joy of my heart. 
You draw me closer to You, 
To teach and Thy Truth to impart .  

I give thanks for this wonderful gift.
More precious than silver and gold
A treasure of promise and love, 
My Bible, whose worth is untold.

How shall I know my own heart, if I do not read God’s Word?

“For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. . . . exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 AMP

How shall I learn, if I do not read God’s Word?

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4 ESV

How shall I have faith, if I do not read God’s Word?

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17 ESV

How shall I be obedient, if I do not read God’s Word?

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.” Joshua 1:8 ESV

How shall I find my way, if I do not read God’s Word?

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 ESV

How shall I fight the devil, if I do not read God’s Word?

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”  But he answered, “It is written . . . Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:1-4 ESV

How shall I keep myself from sin, if I do not read God’s Word?

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11

How shall I have peace, if I do not read God’s Word?

“Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” Psalm 119:165

My Prayer

Lord, Give us a love for your Word. May we hunger for it more every day, that we may serve our family and answer our calling in truth and love.

“I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” Psalm 119:16

With Love, 

Cindy

This Is My Journey Unscripted.

realchristianwomen.blog  

Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?

Photo by Rachel Lynette French on Unsplash