I’ll admit I’m not the biggest NBA fan. To be honest, I only tune in for the playoffs. I’ve heard of Steph Curry, but I didn’t really know a lot about him. Now that Golden State is making a deep run in the playoffs, I’ve definitely been seeing a lot more of Curry and his family and I’m liking what I’m finding out. Here’s what he said a few years ago in a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) article: “Personally I am just trying to use this stage to share how God has been a blessing to my life and how He can be the same in everyone else’s. God’s given me talents to play basketball for a living, but I still have to work hard to improve every day. I know that in the grand scheme of things, this is just a game that can be taken from me at any moment. But I love that basketball gives me the opportunities to do good things for people and to point them towards the Man who died for our sins on the cross. I know I have a place in heaven waiting for me because of Him, and that’s something no earthly prize or trophy could ever top. There’s more to me than just this jersey I wear, and that’s Christ living inside of me.” “Each man should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him.” (1 Corinthians 7: 20) Commentary for this verse says “Often we are so concerned about what we could be doing for God somewhere else that we miss great opportunities right where we are. Every job can become Christian work when you realize that the purpose of your life is to honor, serve, and speak out for Christ. Because God has placed you where you are, look carefully for opportunities to serve him there.” Here’s a snippet about Curry in a USA Today article from earlier this year: “As Curry sees it, his game is relatable—duplicable, even—because of both his skill set and stature. Whereas stars such as James (6-8, 250 pounds) and Durant (6-9, 240) have the kinds of measurements and athleticism that most people can never dream of, Curry dazzles in the kind of wonderful way that fools one into thinking this is just an extreme case of practice making perfect. ‘I'm 6-3 and 185 pounds on a good day, so I probably relate more to the casual fan who watches the game and is not super athletic, not this crazy monster of physical stature,’ says Curry.” I think that’s what makes Curry so great. He’s relatable and humble. He knows his talent comes from God. “God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him…Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29, 31) Definitely encouragement for us “average joes.” But is anyone really average? “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.” (Psalm 139:14-15) We’re all different and have different gifts and abilities. I think Curry is a great example of how you don’t have to be a pastor to reach people. “There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men…The body is a unit, though it is made of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12: 5-6, 12) Whether you shoot three-pointers for a living or work in a cubicle, God has you there for a reason. Don’t forget to use your natural abilities to turn your workplace or wherever you go into a ministry field.
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Recently I went to the Jazz Festival in New Orleans for the first time and it was amazing!!! One of the headliners and person I was most excited to see was John Legend. Seeing people live is nice because in between songs artists often share a bit about themselves and inspire the crowd. One of the things Legend mentioned was that he was living out his dreams right now. That was really nice to hear because it encourages the rest of us not to give up. Legend is really on top of his game right now with several Grammy’s under his belt and most recently an Oscar. He’s also a newlywed. But it hasn’t always been this way for Legend.
As he was rising to fame he worked with some famous people along the way and just knew his big break was just around the corner. He played piano on Lauryn Hill’s “Everything Is Everything” in 1999 but didn’t release his own album, Get Lifted, for another 5 years. But things weren’t always music 24/7 for John, he had to take a job in management after college while he was working to break into music full time. I’m sure a lot of us can relate to John in this aspect. You may not be in your dream job right now but keep plugging away and wait for God to open doors that only He can open for you to step into your destiny. “Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58) Going back to what Legend said about living his dreams, I think that’s what God wants us to achieve on Earth. I don’t know about you, but I’m not trying to wait until I get to Heaven to start enjoying life! “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9) So as always I write to encourage you (and myself) to stay in the good fight. We are just around the corner from our dreams. Not too long ago in church, the pastor was mentioning God doesn’t move until we move. “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (James 4:8) “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:10) I don’t know about you but I’m trusting God on His principles and moving now. “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19) I don’t consider myself a stubborn person but when I’m convinced of something and feel it’s right, I will not back down. Usually, the stuff that I know is right relates to God’s abilities and power. No one can convince me God doesn’t love us and have a purpose for every one of us because of what He did for me on May 19, 2008. With everything going on He spared me from a serious accident that I caused. While I suffered a traumatic brain injury because of that accident that’s not the end of the story. I also personally know the power of prayer because the doctors over my care projected 6-18 months for me to recover. I believe it was through the power of my mighty prayer warriors (my family, friends, church community, family and friends around the world) that I returned to school on time that fall less than 3 months after my accident. I graduated from high school a year to the day of my accident and started college on time in the fall. If my prayer warriors would have accepted the original diagnosis who knows where I’d be today?
And while I’m grateful for what God did in 2008, He is still working today. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) Most recently I asked the Holy Spirit for clarity on a guy situation. I needed answers and wanted to make a sound decision and not be swayed by emotions. One of my love languages is words of affirmation. When this person was telling me nice things I thought for a second, “Oh yea I should give them a chance.” And while these words sounded nice I knew I couldn’t make a decision on emotions alone; so I sought God. “And if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2: 3-6) I wasn’t in a hurry to hear back but I knew within the day that that person was not for me. While I’m alone, I’m not lonely. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Corinthians 3-4) Here’s what some of my Bible’s commentary says on this verse: “We must understand being comforted can also mean receiving strength, encouragement, and hope to deal with our troubles.” The more we suffer; the more comfort God gives us. If you are feeling overwhelmed, allow God to comfort you. Remember that every trial you endure will help you comfort other people who are suffering similar troubles. Are you grateful right now? Or are you waiting for [insert action, thing, or event] to happen in your life? A topic I touch on a lot is being content and having patience. It’s something I deal with all the time. I would be doing fine, then I would see something online. I would see someone accomplishing something I hope to accomplish or reaching a life milestone earlier than me, then I get worried. God, is everything alright up there? Did you forget about me, my hopes, and my dreams? Something I’m constantly dealing with is being content in this moment; not waiting for [insert action, thing, or event] to happen in my life before I allow myself to be joyful. A good way to arrive at this place I think is to be thankful. It’s just like what my mom often says, “If God didn’t do one more thing for me, I’d be ok.” Furthermore, we all can be grateful for God’s ultimate gift. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5: 6-8) In addition to this gift, we can be grateful for our personal testimonies. I’ve seen God’s hand and protection in my life many times; most clearly on May 19, 2008. My brush with death always makes me so grateful for life. I use that gratitude to look ahead and trust in God’s promises. “This moment” may not be where we want to be, but we praise God in it and trust in His promises. We see several times in the Bible of people praising God when in that moment things didn’t look great. Paul got his praise on in jail!
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open and everybody’s chains came loose.” (Acts 16:25-26) Even through turmoil and hardships, Job praised God. “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. In all this Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” (Job 1: 21-22) We can learn so much from these spiritual heroes. And remember, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) How you doing? I’m doing great! Not much has changed since I started this blog over a year ago. I’m still working my crazy shift (11:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.). My job is still stressful and has a daily deadline. I don't have a ton of money after paying my bills. I’m currently #teamsingle, but through it all, I can’t complain! What has changed is my mindset and that has made all the difference. My whole life I’ve always wanted to escape circumstances. My prayers would be, “God remove this obstacle, person, or situation from my life.” Now, I’m accepting where I’m at, is no mistake, and God is using my circumstances to make and mold me. I’m constantly chanting, “He’ll never give you more than you can bear.” God knew the circumstances I would face right now in my life, before I was born. Nothing is a surprise to Him. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the lord.” (Lamentations 3: 22-26) Commentary: Trusting in God’s faithfulness day by day makes us confident in His great promises for the future. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger right? And while I’m changing my mindset on my current situation, I’m also changing my mindset about my future. I have big dreams and I know I can’t get there without God, in His time. “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27: 13-14) Commentary: Often God uses waiting to refresh, renew, and teach us. Make good use of your waiting times by discovering what God may be trying to teach you. I’m discovering there is comfort in the waiting and purpose. “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6) Fellow blogger Heather Lindsey put it well when she said, “Don’t waste your entire life chasing down people that don’t see your value and worth.” I was doing just that and have been guilty of doing that several times in my life; be it work relationships or romantic relationships. Hopefully the cycle ends now. Let’s make the decision today to stop chasing after the wrong people and their love and approval when we can accept God’s love that He offers to us so freely.
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19 Commentary: When you feel shutout or isolated, remember that you can never be lost to God’s love. As far as romantic love goes I’m sure we’ll know it when it comes along. “Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.” Song of Songs 7: 6-7 Sounds nice! Haven’t found that yet but all in God’s time. “…I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” Song of Songs 2:7 Can I be real for a second? Life has gotten a whole lot better once I started to utilize my phone’s block list! If I would have known how much peace would have come from this, I would have started using it a long time ago! The blocklist represents moving forward and trusting God; utilizing faith and trusting that what He has for me is better than what I’m trying to cling to from my past. “Therefore come out from them and be separate, touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a father to you and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6: 17-18) While I’m excited about “my future,” I’m relishing in my present. Patience is a daily struggle for me but I’m feeling really peaceful these days. I’m letting go and letting God, especially with my personal relationships. For a few months, I had tried to take the reins and the end result was disastrous, to say the least! While it sucks learning lessons the hard way, God always restores us.
“Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back…the Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous just as he delighted in your fathers, if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this book of the law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 30:4, 9-10) To me, one of the keywords in that scripture is obey. God loves and needs obedience from us. “This is love for God: to obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.” (1 John 5:3-4) Yay, how exciting! And we can do it! “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life…” (2 Peter 1:3) “Speak only if it improves upon the silence.” ― Mahatma Gandhi “An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk, but a righteous man escapes trouble.” Proverbs 12:13 I think both these quotes illustrate that we don’t have to say much but when we do it should be the truth and fruitful. As much as I wouldn’t seem like a person to “pop off” or “snap” on anyone, recently I’ve been confronted with the lesson of holding my tongue. In work settings this may mean an “ok” instead of a long rebuttal. I think there is victory in not always having to have the last word; strength in humility. Where’s the victory in winning battles that won’t matter in a month or even a week? Another area I’ve been holding my tongue involves patience. Prime example: a few weeks ago I had a hair appointment at 10 am and my stylist didn’t come until 10:40am. As the clock ticked I was getting my speech together about how my time is valuable and I had things to do. I should get a discount because she was late. But I decided not to say anything when she arrived and I’m glad I didn’t. My hair stylist has diabetes and she was running late because her husband insisted she take the time to eat breakfast; an actual breakfast that he cooked. It was selfishness that made we want to snap. But I’m glad I didn’t. There is joy in that peace when you don’t snap. You save yourself the embarrassment of looking crazy. When we don’t speak or pause to think before we speak God could be saving and protecting us from so much. You can’t take words back but you can celebrate in the joy of never saying them.
I’ve been running since middle school, and I think it’s a great analogy for our spiritual life. Running takes mental and physical strength; it’s difficult to stop your usual routine, pick it back up and fall back into place. (Those practices after holiday breaks were BRUTAL.) Not impossible to get back where you were but it will take some hard work and pain. When I ran track and cross country in high school our team used to wear shirts that said: “our sport is your sports punishment.” We considered ourselves an elite, hard-working group. “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” 1 Cor. 9:25-27
We’re all running in this race of life, but are you going anywhere? Are you using the tools that God gave you and your time wisely? The race may seem daunting and never ending but don’t give up. “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.” Psalm 31:24 “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen [rain, what’s that?!?] in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” Hebrews 11:7 Commentary: As you obey God, don’t be surprised if other regard you as “different.” Your obedience makes their disobedience stand out. Remember, if God asks you to do something, he will give you necessary strength to carry out the task. Let the enemy ridicule, scorn, and mock, but God will have the last laugh! I don’t know what God is leading you to do (or stop doing) but I have faith He will guide you. “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3 This race of life gets tiring sometimes but God always supplies us with a second wind, a cool breeze, and people to encourage us along the way! Don’t give up, you can make it to the finishline with God’s help. I heard a sermon not too long ago and a part that stood out to me was a line that said God loves us all as if we were His favorite. Not going to lie I feel like that all the time and then I think about how God has the capabilities to have intimate relationships with billions of people at the same time. Doesn’t that just blow your mind??! God can intimately know the thoughts, desires, hopes, and dreams of billions of people all at the same time! Sometimes I like to consider the greatness of God and all His creation to remind myself just how small I am and my problems are. “How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out…Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion?” (Job 36: 26, 29) A God this big loves us, how encouraging. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10: 29-31)
That worth part is really resonating with me, we’re valuable. Even if people on this Earth don’t appreciate it; life is so short I think we should spend it with people that appreciate us and our value. You can’t pick your co-workers or family but you can pick your friends and significant others; make sure they value you ;) **image courtesy: multiplythemessage.com |
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