Category: Tunes on Tuesday

Jesus Friend of Sinners

Jesus friend of sinner by Casting Crowns perfectly describes how we sometimes act towards non-believers and contrasts how we should actually act.

Jesus befriended sinners.

Think about it this way. Has someone pointing fingers at you, teasing you, being told you are wrong, or protesting ever convinced you that you are loved by God. Then why would we think that it would convey that to anyone else.

Did Jesus do any of those things? No.

When people met Jesus, they changed their ways by their own decision. The tax collector gave back the money he stole with interest and Jesus never asked him to. Jesus didn’t throw rocks at the woman who was going to be stoned for adultery, he defended her. He didn’t call them out on what they were doing. They knew what the were doing. He called up to who he made them to be.

Jesus causes people to change their ways just by being love. It’s the love of God that causes people to choose to change, not condemnation. Isn’t that what brought you to God? His love and forgiveness.

We are not meant to be judge and jury. We are meant to show God’s love.

Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

Never Alone in the Valley

It’s easy to feel alone in our struggles, but we never are when we have Jesus. He’s always there with us being all that we need even in our lowest lows God is with us. All we need is to turn to him.

He teaches us so much in our struggles. He shows us what is really important and the value or lack of value in the things of this world.

Jesus said we will have struggles but he has overcome them. Since he is always with us, we can always overcome them, because he has overcome them.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Jesus is all you need

The best part about Jesus is that he is what we are not. So when we say we don’t feel like it, that’s ok, we don’t have to, because he is what we are not. He is our strength, our peace and our joy. We have to stop trying to be what we think God wants us to be and let him be in us what he is.

When we surrender our lives over to him we need to fill that up with something but we often make the mistake of filling up on the things that got us to where we were in the first place before Jesus.

We need to fill up on him, to fix our eyes on what draws us closer to him not further from him. We have this problem of trying to imitate God instead of letting him be God in us. We need to get out of the way.

If his intentions was to have us fix ourselves, then why did he sacrifice his life for us. Don’t say we’ll that just the way I am. Because when you gave your life over to God you gave up that person, you died to self. So God can live through you so that you can be the person he created you to be. That person is loving, peaceful, fearless and joyful.

So stop saying less of me and more of him and say none of me and all of him.

We are never beyond God’s love

God’s love can change our worst moment, a bad mood or the direst of circumstances. Just by allowing him to shift our perspective. If the apostle Paul can worship in prison and Steven can forgive those that are stoning him. Shifting our focus to God can change the atmosphere, our perspective and our attitude. Fixing our eyes on Jesus isn’t always about changing where we are at rather its changing our focus onto him.

So when we feel lost or stuck, unwanted or unworthy we can always turn to Jesus. No matter how long its been, how bad we feel, regardless of what is around us, his perspective can change it all.

So ask Jesus: What do you want to be for me now? How do you see this?

These are some of my favorite questions to ask God. Because I know I can always turn to him; trust him.

It’s easy for us to get into moments where we think we aren’t worthy to talk to him or to go to him. But he always wants to talk to us. Always wants be there for us and love us. He sees us at our worst moments and stills says:

I love you, come to me.

We can’t earn his love, favor or grace, but he gives it to us freely. We just have to allow him in, allow his love to wash over us, to change our view, our attitude and our perspective.

with everything

Sometimes we can be worried about what we should do and what we shouldn’t do. So here’s my question. Whatever your doing or saying, can you do it with Jesus? Can you say it to Jesus?

I am not perfect and I can honestly say there are moments when I couldn’t say I would be proud to have Jesus with me when I’ve said somethings, or put my self first before others.

But the reality is that if we believe, then he is with us every moment. He’s with us when we brush our teeth, when we yell at the driver in front of us, and when we hold the door open for the next person.

He is always with us so why don’t we act like it.

Honestly I think we forget sometimes, but what if we lived are lives like we were never alone, like he was always with us, not as this overwhelming presence, but as our constant companion, someone who is always here to help us, to uplift and encourage us, so that we are never alone. To protect when we’re scared or intimidated, to love us at our worst and celebrate with us at our best.

See your life different, as never before, as never alone. But with Jesus always.

God first

Putting God first can seem overwhelming, but if we put him first we will find that he’s essential to our lives, like that first cup of coffee. Putting God first sets our day off right. Just shifting our focus to him can change our whole, mood, demeanor and mindset about the day. Even if it’s just a moment, that shift can change our whole day if we let it.

He provides-

peace that surpasses understanding

love that trumps all love

joy that overflows our hopes

Who doesn’t need more love, joy and peace in their day.

So put Gd first and see how your day exceeds your expectations.

God Loves YOU

Yesterday I talked about having the faith in God to make the big sacrifices and that, that starts with conversation, with talking to God.

But there is so much more, it’s more then talking to him its about knowing him. I have trusted God when he has asked me to take big leaps of faith because I know him.

I know that he loves me and that he will not let harm come to me. I know that he has brought me through some crazy impossible situations and that he will continue to do so. Because I know him

I know that he is loving, kind and gentle, that he provides all my needs when I trust him and that he never leaves me.

Jesus made his sacrifice because he loves us and wants us to know him.

Take a chance and give him a chance to show you just how much he loves you.

Choose JOY

It’s easy to get bogged down by the responsibilities of life and to feel sad, anxious, worried overwhelmed by the pressures of life or just by the state of the world.

You can look at the media and think what is there to be thankful for or to rejoice over.

But our joy doesn’t come from the world it comes from Jesus.

Joy by For King and Country reminds us that we can CHOOSE JOY!

Joy because Jesus came to give us a better life that doesn’t always mean our circumstances change, sometime it just means he can be or joy in the storm.

So CHOOSE JOY!

God’s not done with you

It breaks my heart when I hear people say that God can’t use them, because they are too old, too young, too poor, too shy, too broken, too busy.

As long as there are people who don’t know Jesus, God can use you.

We all have something to share, God changed our lives some way some how and we can share that.

The old have years of experience to share, decades of how Jesus has impacted their lives, the young have faith that can move mountains, the broken can share how God healed them, the busy can invest in those that keep them busy and anyone can give.

We can all be used by God.

On your worst day he is there

Even on my worst days I know one thing is true.

Jesus is everything I need.

I can go to him and ball my eyes out in frustration, scream, yell and be completely open, honest and transparent with him because he already knows everything I’m going through.

There’s comfort in being able to talk to him about anything and everything whether good or bad, whether I’m encouraged or discouraged when I come to him.

I know that after I have spent time with him that I will come out loved and comforted. Because he is always there for me know matter what. Anytime anywhere he is there for me.

So give God your stuff, all your junk, your frustrations and let him give you the peace that surpasses understanding.

need you now

Everyone has a story to tell, everyone has a moment when they hit their rock bottom and cried out to God “I need you now.” 

My moment was in 2008. I was in a six year relationship that was going nowhere, when I had a pregnancy scare. This woke me up almost out of a slumber. I realized I didn’t want this man to be the father of my kids, but I knew I wanted to raise my kids in church.

So I decided to go back to church.

I was terrified and convinced that I would be met with glaring stares and rejection but I wasn’t. Instead I was welcomed with open arms. My friends from the church I grew up in, never gave up on me, they were always there for me during the years I intentionally choose to ignore God. But when I choose to come back to church they welcomed me back with open arms and no judgement.

That is how God is, when we choose to say “I need you now.” He leaps for joy and runs to embrace us. He throws a party in heaven rejoicing over His child returning home.

Who or what do you turn to when you hit your rock bottom?

Why not, give God a chance to show you how much He loves you.

Love without condition

We all want to be loved without conditions or expectations. So why would we assume God would want anything else?

Yes, we love God because of what he’s done for us, but we should love him for who he is.

When you are with the one you love you don’t need anything else, but just to be with them. Our love for God should be the same, because his love is the same for us.

He wants nothing more than to spend all eternity with us or he wouldn’t have given everything to make it possible.

Seek him for him and appreciate the joy of just his presence.

Temporary fixes and gripping chains

Why do we keep trying the same temporary fixes to fill the holes inside us and expect different results?

We all have times when we want to escape, from work, school, home, kids spouse. Everyone needs a break sometimes.

But is what we run to really helping? Or is it just a temporary fix, like putting tape on a busted pipe it may work for a moment but eventually the pipe is going to burst again, and if we keep using tape it’s never going to solve the issue.

The lyrics of the song Chain Breaker by Zach Williams describes the cycle we go through in life so often searching for the solution but never finding the answer in the same process.

But there is a better way, a better life.

God is a chain breaker he made a way for us to be free. To not feel tied down but to find joy and peace in our homes, in our work and in our families.

He is the way.

When we go to him, when we need rest, he lifts us up, he takes our fears our worries and our frustrations when we give them over to him.

If we grip onto the chains that our strangling us he can’t remove them. We have to surrender them over to him so he can remove them. 

Photo by Hanny Naibaho on Unsplash

Who will you choose to be?

It’s easy to define ourselves by our mistakes and failures. But that’s the beauty of finding our identity in Jesus. He gives us new life, a new beginning each and everyday. We don’t have to be who we were yesterday or even a moment ago. We can choose each moment to be who we used to be or be who God says we are.

We can’t earn God’s forgiveness, He gives it freely and it doesn’t matter how much we fail. He is always there to pick us back up and give us a fresh start.

But we have to make the choice to die to ourselves and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Finding our identity in Jesus is a daily choice. We can choose to be who we used to be or we can choose to let Jesus live through us.

So who will you choose to be?

O Come Let Us Adore Him

This song always makes me feel calm and at peace. It’s like when you see a sleeping baby, they are so peaceful and calm, it brings joy to your face.

When I hear this song I think of Jesus as an infant. He wasn’t born in grandeur but in humble beginning, yet his birth was celebrated by angels, shepherds, wise men, the rich, the poor and the heavenly hosts. What a joyous celebration for such a humble beginning. 

It goes to show that it doesn’t matter where you start from but how you live. Even if you were born in the poorest of circumstances that doesn’t mean you can’t do great things.

The Holy Spirit works in and through us just as he did in Jesus and anyone can have the Holy Spirt we just have to humble ourselves and allow him to work through us and he will do great things.

So adore him this Christmas and let his peace reign in you.

Mary Did You Know

The trust that Mary had in God to say ‘let it be done to me as you have said’ speaks volumes in her faith in God. To agree to carry and raise the son of God. The faith that took, is inspiring. She had to know that there would be questions from her parents and Joseph that her community would most likely stone her. But she trusted God anyway. 

So why don’t we trust God when he asks us to do something for him? Do we think that he’s going to hurt us or harm us? He won’t. But that doesn’t mean we won’t face doubt or hardship. But god will provide through it just as he did for Mary.

Trust God to guide your every step and take a leap of faith like Mary did. You never know what might happen.

Find JOY this Season

There’s something about Christmas that brings a sense of joy to our hearts all you have to say is the word and people get a little smirk on their face remembering fond memories of there childhood or times with family. It’s a time of joy.

When we all gather together with friends or with family and celebrate. Some celebrate with gifts, some with song, some with big meals, but always with joy.

But what if you are having a hard time being joyful this season whether it be distance or change or loss.

Jesus is our joy even in the bleakest of circumstances.

He has always given me joy when I seek it from him no matter what. It could be the worst day of my life but when I turn to him I know that I can find peace and rest and joy.

Find JOY in Jesus this Christmas. He is the reason for the season.

Jesus Choose his Birth Place

When I think about Jesus birth I’m humbled. He could of been born in a palace or to the leader of the temple. But he choose based on people hearts, not their status or wealth.

Jesus could of had thousands of people worship him from the moment of his birth. Instead he choose to be born in humble surroundings with the very animals he created and honored by those who sought him.

Jesus doesn’t demand our worship. He accepts it freely when its given freely. So this season choose to worship him because he choose to save you.

Even Louder

No matter what we’re facing in our lives be it internal, external, physical, emotional, mental, spiritual or relational.

Regardless of each of our struggles we can all cling to the same thing, that no matter what our God is good and he loves us and its because of that love that we know that we can depend on him to lift us up and bring us through any and everything.

So no matter how tired or frustrated we may be we can scream EVEN LOUDER that Jesus is our everything.

Lead like Jesus

Leadership can be daunting, overwhelming and a lot of pressure depending on how you do it.

Jesus lead as a servant, counting himself above nothing. He looked to Father God for every step of His path. If even He was humble enough to let God lead, how can we do anything else?

God designed each and everyone of us. He knows what He created us for and how to achieve His plan.

We need to stop trying to figure our how we are going to do everything and let God lead.

Rest in a crumbling world

Even when it feels like the world is crumbling down around us. God is still God and God is still good. He is the one thing that we can count on to always be there for us. To always be all we ever need.

So when you feel like your world is crumbling, retreat into his presence. Seek him and let him be your all and your everything. Let him bear all the burden and find rest and peace in him.

Because he will never disappoint us if we seek him and he will never let us fall when we put our trust in him.

Jesus is All We Need

The best part about Jesus is that he is what we are not. So when we say we don’t it feel like, that’s ok, we don’t have to, because he is what we are not. He is our strength, our peace, our joy he is all need.

We have to stop trying to be what we think God wants us to be and let him be in us what he is.

When we surrender our lives over to him we need to fill that up with something but we often make the mistake of filling up on the things that got us to where we were in the first place before Jesus.

We need to fill up on Jesus, to fix our eyes on what draws us closer to him, not further from him. We all have this problem of trying to imitate God instead of letting him be God in us.

We need to get out of the way.

If his intention was to have us fix ourselves, then why did he sacrifice his life for us.

Don’t say well that’s just the way I am. Because when you gave your life over to God you gave up that person, to be the person he created you to be.

That person is loving and peaceful and fearless and joyful.

So stop saying less of me and more of him and say none of me and all of him.

Is it well with your soul?

It is well with my soul, is all any of us want. We want to have peace in us to have freedom from guilt and shame, to stop fighting against everything and everyone and to truly find peace.

Jesus is that peace, because he is peace.

He came to give us his peace in our very souls.

That we would no longer walk in fear or worry, but in confidence and strength, that we would draw that from him. Because no matter how alone we feel when we have him in our lives we are never really alone, he is with us always.

life giving

God gives us everything we need, no matter how dry, how tired, how exhausted we are he give us what we need and more.

He gives us strength, wisdom, energy and love beyond anything we could ever do ourselves, but we must go to him and let him fill us up.

Time with Jesus is what gives us what we need for the day. He is the life giving water that fuels us, invigorates us and makes us flourish.

When we are in his presence he restores us and refills us.

If we don’t do well without food, water and rest, then how can we expect to do well without the one who created those things.

He knows us, he knows what we need and when we need it. Let him be your everything and he will provide everything.

God first

Seek God first.

In all things, seek him.

When your having a rough day, ask yourself did I put God first , did I talk to him this morning, did I start my day out right? Is he part of what I’m doing right now.

And if he isn’t. STOP. put him first above everything else and let him be your peace, your guidance, all you need.

Restart your day the right way, by putting God first.

We all just need more Jesus

So often we focus on the problem instead of the solution. Jesus is always the solution.

We all always just need more Jesus.

When were having ‘bad day’ and cant get out of our own funky mood, we need more Jesus.

When someone is getting on our nerves and we don’t know why, we need more Jesus.

When were in a circumstance and don’t know what to do we need more Jesus.

Jesus is the solution.

He can bring us joy and peace on the ‘bad days’, he can show us what is really bothering us and helps us find he root cause, and he can change circumstances.

We all always just need more Jesus.

He’s our attitude adjustment, our perspective changer and he can move mountains.

Because we all just need more JESUS!

Stop rushing

What do you do when you feel worried and overwhelmed, like the world is spinning faster and faster?

I wonder how Mary felt when she was carrying Jesus. She had all the reason in the world to feel like she wasn’t enough or that she couldn’t do it.

But she didn’t, she surrendered her life to bear Jesus in her womb and raise him.

God has a plan for our lives, he has chosen each of us for a specific task, a calling specific to be who he made us to be.

He knit us together in our mothers womb.

He made us to bear Jesus in us, to shine his light an his love.

Stop rushing around trying to do all that the world expects and take a moment listen to this song and ask God what he has for you.

An honest moment

Its easy to give up and feel discouraged. To feel like no one is listening. No one is reading, no one cares. I haven’t written as much as I would like lately, some do to moving across the country and some due to discouragement, wondering if any one is actually reading, am I really making a difference.

Honestly I started this blog because I knew I needed a platform for the books I know God’s given me to write, not because God told me to start a blog. But God has used it to teach me so much and how to share His love, even if it reaches one person, that one person matters. His love for us is not performance based. We don’t have to do anything for God to love us.

So whatever God has asked you to do. Know that it’s never conditional on His love but if we love Him, what He’s asked of us will deepen our love for Him and help us know His love more.

Happy Fourth of July

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,  for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,  who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1 Timothy 2:1-4

Regardless of your opinion of our leaders, we are called to pray for them. Whether we agree with them or not.

As I said in a on previous post the best way to change someone, is to pray for them.

So take a moment today and pray for our leaders.

Share Peace and Joy

This Christmas season is a time to celebrate Jesus and what he has done for us.

We should be proud and joyous about how he changed our lives and be elated to share it with others so they can find the ame joy and peace.

During this season we sing about his joy and peace the most. Why not share it with others and ask if they want to know his peace and joy too?

Do you have firm foundation?

“Build My Life” by Pat Barrett, sung by Allison L’Ecuyer @allisonlecuyermusic

What we build our life on matters. Any builder will tell you the foundation is crucial. If it’s not firm and level the building will not last. 

Our foundation is Jesus. He’s rock solid but when we mix other things in with him as our foundation we degrade the quality of our foundation. Making it easier to falter in storms and sink or lean over time.

But if Jesus is our only foundation then we will stand through the storm and time will show just how unchanging He is. His love for us is the same for all eternity and for every moment of every day.

He doesn’t change, our dependence and trust in Him is what changes. When He is not our focus and we allow other things in instead of Him we will falter.

That’s the power of free will that He gave us. We choose just how much or how little of Him that we want in our lives. If we want to stand firm on Him as our foundation then He must be the start, middle and end of our day. Our focus must be on Him and He will guide us through our day.

You may think I don’t have all day to spend in prayer. But that’s the beautiful thing about the Holy Spirit He is with us everywhere, all day, wherever we go. So start your day with a quick devotion, listen to songs, sermons, or podcasts that fix your mind on Him while getting ready for your day. Talk with Jesus as your drive to work or ask your kids what Jesus is teaching them as you take them to school. Rest in God’s presence on your lunch break. When you’re stressed ask God’s advice on how to fix it. Ask Him what to make or pick up for dinner. Ask whoever you live with what God taught them today. Read a Bible story to your kids at night, pray over them and have them pray over you too. Make your life all about Jesus in and through your daily life.

We don’t have to stop life to spend time with Jesus, we just need to include Him in it.