Love Matters

Love is a powerful word! Actually, it is the most powerful of all words. Love must never be jerked around as if it has no value or emotion or substance to it. Rather, love must be respected and taken seriously whenever it is felt or said.

Without love, there would be an emptiness in every relationship and a void that could never be filled by anything else. 

 

Love matters! It matters because it guides us in our disagreements, hurts, pain and relational troubles. Love matters because it helps us look at every angle of a situation in which we struggle to compromise. Love matters because it opens the door to conversations with people who are hurtful, mean and bullies. Love matters because it is constant, unwavering and never compromises its effectiveness for any other alternative. Love matters because it breaks down barriers, brings people to the table for conversations and stops hate in its tracks. 

 

Love is not a hoarder of past mistakes; rather, its shreds them and moves on. Love doesn't get all excited when someone fails; but rather, finds solutions to help pick the person up. Love does not bad mouth anyone; rather, it encourages everyone and demonstrates kindness, tenderness and goodness. 

 

We know how to love because God loved us first - 1st John 4:19. God showcased amazing love through demonstrations (Romans 5:8) and by gifting us with his one and only Son (John 3:16). We can learn a lot by the way God loved. He never stops loving us even when we are horribly difficult to deal with. 

 

Love will never allow anyone to hate, disrespect or demean anyone at anytime no matter what. When we love people more than anything else, we will live in a world of peace! Love Matters!

 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

 

Brian

How to STOP Anxiety in its Tracks

 

Matthew 5 records that Jesus nestled himself on the side of a mountain and began to teach the large crowd who had diseases, pain, demon-possession, seizures, and those who were paralyzed.

In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus is giving spiritual guidance to the thousands with the problem of a worried and stressed out life. 

 

Anxiousness is gripping and it keeps us in a whirlwind of uncertainty. The Greek word translated as "anxious" is "to be pulled in different directions." Our fearfulness pulls us in one direction and our hope pulls us in the other direction; thus, we are pulled apart!

 

Jesus lays out a stress reducer that will free anyone from the grip of anxiousness in Matthew 6:25-34

 

1. Don't fuss over food and clothes (Matthew 6:25) - While food, clothing, and water are important, the real substance in life is feasting upon the Word's of God. Matthew 4:1-11, "...not live by bread alone, but on every Word...." Life was not meant to primarily please ourselves, but rather, to bring glory and honor to God – Matthew 5:16.

 

2. Don’t forget who provides for you (Matthew 6:26) - If you ever watch birds, you will notice that they are not lazy. They are digging for worms and bugs and building nests out of scraps of tree leaves or other materials. Birds do not hoard a load of worms in their nest, nor are they concern if there will be any food tomorrow. They live as hard working creatures with no worries about the next meal.

Philippians 4:19 sums is up well, "You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus."

 

3. Don’t fight what you cannot change (Matthew 6:27) - Worry sabotages our joy, zaps our energy, and displaces our courage.  Proverbs 12:25, "A worried heart weighs a man down...." and Jesus give the ultimate remedy to a stressed out life when he said, “Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30

 

Trusting Jesus will loosen the grip of anxiety and open the door to calmness and peace. 

 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

 

Brian

Jesus Got a Pair of Pants Today

Today, we were approached by a man who was a bit desperate at about 1:30 p.m. 

 

He said, “sir, can you spare $10?” I said, “I don’t have any cash on me.” He said, “I have an interview at IHOP at 2 p.m and I need a pair of pants.” He continued, “If you can purchase the pants for me, I will give you the few dollars that I have!” 

 

I said, “we will get you the pants, but we don’t want your money.” 

 

We go into the store, he picks out his pants and we get in line to pay for it. 

 

A lady in front of us in the checkout line overheard our conversation and very kindly said, “You go in front of me.” We said, “thank you” and moved ahead of her! 

 

As we continued to talk while waiting for our turn to checkout, the man look straight in my eyes and said, “you believe in Jesus don’t you?” With a big smile I declared, “Yes I do!”

 

I paid for the pants and the man gave me a handshake, along with a BIG thank you and rushed out the door. 

 

I am praying he gets the job at IHOP and thankful that I was not only able to give the needy man a pair of pants, but I was able to give a pair to Jesus, too!

 

Jesus said, “…When did we give you something to eat or drink? When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear or visit you while you were sick or in jail?” The king will answer, “Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.”

Matthew 25:37-40 

 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

 

Brian

 

When it is Hard to Trust God

The heart is heavy with disappointments, bad news and broken by the strains of life. I want the weight of the pain to be lifted so I can breathe and feel a bit of relief. 

I want my faith in God to sustain me in the most trying moments, but it teeters on the brink of collapse. I hold on to a song. A friend's word. A hug. A hope. A photo. A promise that everything will be okay.

I do my best to keep focused on God's promise that he will never forsake me or that I can come to him for rest, but there are times that the promise seems fuzzy to God's memory or that his lap isn't available for me to climb on and rest.

 

Life storms are terrifying. They take a toll and it raises the anxiety level and getting out of bed is a chore and trusting God becomes harder as the storm rages on and on and on. 

 

I want to believe that everything will be fine, I really do. I want to know that a healing is possible for me. I want to trust that God will keep his promises. I want fear to leave me, along with doubt and hopelessness.

When I ask, "where do I find help?" I really mean, God, I need you. Like the Psalmist of 121, I will open my eyes and declare that my help comes from the Lord! I know that the Lord will help me even when my faith is shattered by doubt and when fear has taken control and when I don't trust him very much. 

 

I know that God is my protector. He will not doze off when I am talking him; nor will he dim the lights when I am walking through the most difficult storms of life. God will shine his light brightly to light the path and he will cover me with his hand to reassure me that I do not have to fear the storm. 

 

No matter when God answers or when God calms the storm, I will keep looking to the Lord. He is my hope and reassurance that everything will be okay.

Remember, Be God Controlled!

Brian

Will God Always Heal Us?

Praying for a healing miracle can be a challenging task for one's faith. I have prayed countless times for someone to get well, but it seemed as if the prayer went unanswered! There were times that I chose not to pray because I thought it would not do any good! 

 

I have often thought that God was too busy or didn't care or was more concerned about the "more important" people. 

 

The spiritual mature me knows that God cares. He listens. And, no one is more important than anyone else. God has the ability to be engaged with everyone at anytime no matter what need is being requested.

God's timing is solely at his discretion. God does not cater to the elitists, the loud mouths or the "holier-than-thou" people first. God is fair!

 

My stepmom has been praying for a healing ever since she found out there was a tumor on her brain. She was faithful to talking to God out loud. She prayed Scriptures. She was honest with God about her feelings. She was prayer-focused and saturated her mind with the Scriptures that gave her comfort and reassurance that God was on the scene doing big things in her life. She wanted and healing. A healing she got!! The tumor has been resolved according to the doctor. The doctor had no explanation as to why it is gone, but I can emphatically declare that God resolved it! 

 

God does not always directly remove the tumor; nor does he fix the heart valve or liver disease, but he does provide solutions and resources that aid us in getting better. And, sometimes, he does not mend our hearts or cancers or diabetes on this side of life, but he does a complete eternal healing on the eternal side of life. 

 

So... 

 

Don't allow yourself to feel down and out; rather, trust God. Jesus said, "Come to him and he will give us rest. King David said, "The Lord is my shepherd, there is no one I want more than him...."

No matter what you are facing in your life, God is bigger, stronger and he has all the answers to take care of you! Trust!

 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

 

Brian

 

Why I Follow Jesus

 Being a follower of Jesus is not the easiest, nor hardest way to live life; but, it is the most rewarding!

Being a follower of Jesus isn't for the complacent or the not-so-sure or the "ride the fence" person or the uncommitted; rather, it's for the one who is willing to sacrifice their own desires for the desires of Jesus.

 

We can't engage is worldly living and still be a Jesus follower. Either we are fully in or not at all. I get what I am saying doesn't sound like a 2022 type of thinking. But, that has been the problem, we have sugarcoated commitment so much that we have lost the reality of living out the Jesus life full time.

 

So, why do I follow Jesus...

 

I follow Jesus because I believe that he is truth. I believe that he is the Son of God. I follow Jesus because he is salvation and hope. I follow Jesus because his cross experience has forgiven me of my sins and because he showcases love for everyone and through him, I have eternal life. 

 

I follow Jesus because he is tender, grace, mercy and peace. He is calmness, helpful and insightful. He is caring, gentle and kind. He is generous and patient. He listens. He guides. He provides. I follow Jesus because he loved me so much that he sacrificed himself so that I can experience a one-on-one relationship with God. 

 

So, why do you follow Jesus?

 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

 

Brian

How to Raise Children to Live Out the Jesus Life

 

Raising children is not easy. It is hard work. 24 hours a day work. We want the best for our kids. Parents want their children to be happy and to be involved in sports, theater, school bands, social clubs, debate teams, or whatever they set their mind to do. Our children also need our support and guidance on how to live out the Jesus life. The following are key principles for helping our children to live the best spiritual life possible. 

 

Character Building: Abraham Lincoln said, “Reputation is the shadow. Character is the tree.” As one of my Drill Sergeants once said while allowing us an on-post pass for a few hours during basic training, “Right character is doing the right thing when no one is watching.” Our character defines us in every circumstance of life. Teaching godly character in our children will help them to always tell the truth, do the right thing with others are not looking and never compromise truth to be accepted by others. 

 

Relationship Building: I Peter 3:8 "You should be like one big happy family ... loving on another with tender hearts..." Relationships that have a deep commitment attached to it will grow stronger and last longer both with people and Jesus. Jesus showcased relationship building by seeing past the “dislikes” of what others saw and accepted people no matter the flaws or past or struggles they were having in their lives. 

 

Jesus Building: Knowing Jesus is discovering how to live, speak, love, or show kindness. The best way to teach our children about Jesus is to share with them what Jesus said in Scripture, take them to children’s bible classes and camps and activities with the church group and model Jesus’ life so your children will see firsthand how to be the best spiritual person they can be. Modeling truth, kindness, love and grace will speak loudly to your children. Praying with your children will teach them how to talk to God and being generous with your time will teach your children that they matter. 

 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

 

Brian