Seeking others approval

Seeking others approval, that is something that has been on my mind tonight.

 Do you live to please the world or God? In modern day language: Is God your

 bae? (before anyone else) Yes, yes I said bae. I hate that word with a passion but

 everyone seems to use it so thought it might work in this devotion :) Anyways, 

who do you strive to please? When you go to school, everyone is cussing out 

that one guy cause he just cheated on Amanda, should you join in or let the

 bandwagon take off without you? Yes, it would please your piers for you to cuss

 or gossip about Sam because he is so awful and he broke Amanda's heart, but would

 it please God? No. The girl is sitting all alone, but she is so uncool and if you sit next

 to her that would be social suicide. That is putting society's opinion in 

front of Gods opinion. God would want you to show her love by going out 

of your way and forgetting what others think. This world is only temporary.

 You could be gone tomorrow. You could be gone in 70 years. But who do you want

 to please during your lifespan. God or society? I struggle with this, pretty sure most

 people do. We are human, it is our nature to seek others approval. But 

honestly there approval is worthless, only God's matters. And seriously if we

 stop caring so much about what others think and more about what God thinks, we will become happier and more confident people. I want to strive to please God. You? 

Galatians 1:10

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Matthew 6:24

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

1 Thessalonians 2:4

On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.

2 Timothy 2:15

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Showing Love

"WOWWW..that person is so annoying. Do you really expect me to show them love?"

"That person bullies me, do you really want me to show them love?"

Ever have this conversation with God? You wonder how he expects you to love some

of the hardest people to get along with, people that hurt you, and people that hurt others

around you. Well, he does. He expects us to love the unlovable. There are a handful of 

people I would be okay with going my whole life never speaking to them. But how will

they know God's love if I never show it to them, when they hear that I am a christian

but see that my actions aren't matching up to what the bible says, do you think that

they will want to try out this whole Christianity thing. Christians can be the most

judgmental people ever, and who wants to listen to a judgmental person speak about 

following Jesus. A man who loved everyone and showed mercy and grace, a man who

ate with the sinners, and cast away demons out of wackadoos. He wasn't afraid to get 

messy, he wasn't judgmental, he loved and went out and showed love. No matter the 

circumstance Jesus showed love. Even to the people who put him to death and who 

persecuted him, the people who mocked him and spit on him. He showed them love. And 

in the bible it says that we are to be imitators of Jesus. Yes, maybe that person is 

annoying, but what if everyone thinks he/she is annoying and no one talks to them and 

they feel alone and are on the brink of suicide, what if your love could be the thing that 

saved them and changed them for the good. The person that bullies you is being abused 

at home and feels worthless, and they want others to feel that way too. Or maybe this

person has a million friends and is still a bully or annoying, and maybe they think their

life is perfect and they are just mean to you because they feel that they can do whatever

they want. Still, show them love. After a while they will wonder "why is this person I've

been mean to for years treating me with such love and kindness." And that may change

them for the good. It doesn't matter the circumstance, show love. Show love.






Ephesians 5:1

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.



John 13:34

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.


Romans 13:10

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.


John 15:12


“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Don't Be Ashamed

Are you ever scared that God won't except your flaws? Like you did something so 

horrible, you are ashamed to go to God with it, because you are sure he won't be able to 

forgive you this time. Or because you are to scared to admit what you have done, you 

want to keep it to yourself. Well, the only person that will ever benefit is the devil. When 

we keep things in the dark the devil will take advantage of it, he will use it to destroy us, 

he will use it to manipulate us. We need to learn to let things go, because no matter how 

awful it is God will forgive you! He will. David went and had sex with a women who he 

knew was already married and then he had that womens husband killed, and God still 

called David a man after his own heart. Why? Because David was open, he confessed his 

sins to the Lord and then meditated day and night on God. He did not keep it to himself 

and let himself be filled with guilt and condemnation. Paul, 

he killed and persecuted Christians and God still used him to do amazing things. Do not 

keep your sins in the dark, do not be ashamed of your sins. Because Jesus suffered to 

forgive you for those sins, he hung on the cross not so that God could forgive the sins he 

thought he should and then shun the sins that were too bad. No, he died on the cross so 

that God can forgive ALL of our sins! Isn't that amazing, confess your sins. Let them go. 

And that black heart will turn white as soon as you confess and say Amen.


1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

James 5:16 

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

This song is called Out of Hiding, and I think it related very well with our devotion today





Come out of hiding
You're safe here with Me
There's no need to cover
what I already see
You've got your reasons
But I hold your peace
You've been on lockdown
And I hold the key
'Cause I loved you before you knew it was love
And I saw it all, still I chose the cross
And you were the one that I was thinking of
When I rose from the grave
Now rid of the shackles, My victory's yours
I tore the veil for you to come close
There's no reason to stand at a distance anymore
You're not far from home
I'll be your lighthouse
When you're lost at sea
And I will illuminate
Everything
No need to be frightened 
By intimacy
No, just throw off your fear
And come running to Me
'Cause I loved you before you knew it was love
And I saw it all, still I chose the cross
And you were the one that I was thinking of
When I rose from the grave
Now rid of the shackles, My victory's yours
I tore the veil for you to come close
There's no reason to stand at a distance anymore
You're not far from home
Keep on coming
And oh as you run
What hindered love
Will only become
Part of the story
Baby, you're almost home now
Please don't quit now
You're almost home to Me

Selfies or Selfless

In these next four weeks we will cover a variety of topics. Today we will be talking about

something that affects the way I look at myself and others around me. Instagram,

facebook, tumblr. All these things have changed the way I view things. I have a high

expectation on the way I should look and how others should look. I find myself taking a

stupid amount of time trying to find the best lighting, the best angle, and the best filter

for my selfies. When they get to Instagram or Facebook I wait and check regularly to

see how many likes I get. This is the person I am. Not the person I want to be. The more

I focus on my self, the more I find flaws in how I look or how I act. The less I look at

myself, the more beautiful I feel when I get glimpses in the mirror. A few months ago I

went on a mission trip, I barely looked at myself while I was there (which I am very

 happy I didn't, I looked awful!)..but that's besides the point. The children loved me, they

did not care what I looked like. The selflessness I felt there, the love I felt there towards

those people, it made me feel beautiful, I am glad that I did not pay attention to the way

 I looked there because rather than focusing my attention on myself, I focused my

attention on something far more important. Sharing God's love. I am so pleased to

inform you that every child at the camp we put on in Nicaragua got saved. I am so

happy to have gotten out of my comfort zone and did something selfless. Feels much

better than keeping my eyes on myself.

Philippians 2:4 ESV 

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

1 Peter 3:8 ESV

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

Philippians 2:3 ESV 

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 ESV 

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

 2 Peter 1:5-7ESV

5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

Surrendering our lives.

Before we take off on our journey, we need to make sure we are ready to go. Are you

ready to start our trek up the mountain? Are you ready to give your all to Jesus? That is

our first step: to surrender this journey to Jesus. We will be persecuted and confused

during this journey. We will need to put our lives in Jesus' hands, we will need to trust

him with all of our heart. We will need to have times of silence to listen to God speak.

God's will-will unfold in front of our eyes when we learn to put our faith in him. And at

some point during this Journey, the fog will clear and we will see the mountain top. This

Devotional is about putting God first in our lives. I encourage you to fast or completely

give up the things that distract you from God. During this Journey we will learn to make

God our all, rather than idolizing worldly things.  Idol: A person or thing that is greatly

admired, loved, or revered.  This next four weeks, I will take any one who wants to come

with me, on the journey.  Let's go.