Everyday Blessed

Today's sermon at church was based on Matthew 5:13-15 Salt and Light Sermon- Watch Here Salt and Light 13  “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14  “You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.   16  In the same way, let your light shine before others,  that they may see your good deeds  and glorify  your Father in heaven. This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible and it is one that I think is very important to live by. God has called us to be His light in the world. He has called us to live in the world, but not to be corrupted by the world. This can be a challenge, and it is amazing how God gives us the messages that we need, right when we need them.

One thing that I have been working on is how to be a good friend, how to love others as Christ has loved us. But, I am still struggling. I try to be kind to everyone, but I have a difficult time knowing how to be kind to guys without giving the wrong impression, or how to put my all into a relationship when I am receiving nothing in return? How do I discern which relationships to let go of, and which ones to hold on tightly to? How many times do I have to attempt to initiate a conversation before giving up? Some of these questions may sound dumb, but they have all gone through my mind at one point or another, and have I come to any good conclusions? Not really. Right now, I am just praying that God will guide me and give me the discernment that I need. I pray that God will put people into my path with whom I should build relationships with, and He will help me to know when to let go of certain relationships. He will give me the courage that I need to have difficult conversations, and w

Mark 10:13-16 13  People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them.   14  When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them,  “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.   15  Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”   16  And he took the children in his arms,  placed his hands on them and blessed them. Last night at bible study, we were talking about belief. Someone mentioned childlike faith, and how children believe, undoubtedly, what they are told, as far as what they can make sense of. As we were talking about this, it made me think about VBS that night. The theme at VBS this year is Athens. I am guiding the preschoolers around as we hear Paul's story, and then after we play some games, we go to shops in Athens, where the shopkeepers are not Christians. Some of the shopkee

2 Corinthians 9:8  "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." What does it mean to be blessed? Some may think about all of the things that they have and how good they consider their life. But, I believe that blessings are so much more than this. Blessings are not necessarily the things that we have, but the things that we can use to glorify God. Blessings are those things that bring us and others closer to God.  As the verse above points out, God blesses us so that we can abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 is about generosity and how God calls us to be cheerful givers.  6  Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.   7  Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give,  not reluctantly or under compulsion,  for God loves a cheerful giver.   8  And God is able