My Quiet Time

In my devotions yesterday I read about a missionary who is serving in China.  While serving there she had to learn the native language, and while she studied she made a surprising find.


The phrase ling xiu (leeng- SHE-oo) refers to a Christian's daily devotional time with the Lord.   


Ling means "spirit" or "soul".  Xiu means "to repair".  So it interprets:  Devotional= Spirit Repair.
How fitting it is!!

Our time with the Lord is to be spent learning and repairing what damage we have caused in His mold of our life.  The damage may come in the form of a harsh or impatient word; or it could be tolerating the worldly influence while being around your worldly friends.

During our quiet time with the King He attentively listens to our prayers and then fills in our damaged areas with forgiveness.  He then takes us with Him on a daily journey to teach us some of His ways and instruct us not to make the same mistake twice.  Put on the armor of God every morning, He can't help us if we insist on leaving parts of the armor off in order to follow some of sin's tempting ways.

Our quiet time with the Lord is so important, so precious!  It is a time that is set aside to simply talk and learn with our Lord.  How blessed we are to have this kind of access!!

I know for my part, if I do not have my devotional time in the morning - everyone in my family knows:)  My perspective, my focus, and my thoughts are not centered on Christ and how my every action is a reflection of Him.  I am focused on seeing only my way.
And it's amazing the different attitude that washes over me after I go back and spend time with Him!!

Before I start each day, 

there is a special place I love to go alone and seek my Savior's face:

I find wisdom in His word to instruct me in His will,

And I hear His gentle voice say, "My child, be still."

My quiet time alone gives me power to obey,

My quiet time alone with God each day.

I talk to Him in prayer; ev'ry day He meets me there,

My quiet time alone with God.

He's with me all the time, wherever I may go;

Each moment of the day,

He's always there I know.

But I need that special time when I bow before His throne,

Just to read His word and talk with my Lord alone.

My quiet time alone gives me power to obey,

My quiet time alone with God each day.

I talk to Him in prayer, ev'ry day He meets me there,

My quiet time alone with God.

Ron Hamilton

MAJESTY MUSIC 

Have a blessed day with Him!!!

Keep your eyes on the Prize

Acts 20:24 "I consider my life nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me."

In my devotions recently I read 2 Samuel 5:17 "When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him."

The instant we receive something from the Lord that is worth fighting for, you can guarantee that Satan will come and seek you out.

We have the comfort of knowing that when Satan does appear to challenge us; God has already equipped us with blessing, victory, and power.  I say "power" because power is made through resistance, resistance against Satan's blows and lying tongue.

A poem written by Ralph Waldo Emerson in the book "from Days of Heaven upon Earth" says:

"A hero is not fed on sweets,

Daily his own heart he eats;

Chambers of the great are jails,

And head winds right for royal sails."

Tribulation is the door to Triumph.

During the tribulation three major steps always have to be taken:

1. Seek the Lord.  Deuteronomy 4:29 "But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul."

2.  Put on the armor of God.  Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the Devil's schemes."

3.  Resist the flesh.  Romans 6:11 "In the same way count yourself dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."

In the storybooks the true hero wasn't the one who fought well; but was the one who believed well.  He had a mission, his objective to seek out his goal drove him on.  He would fight when necessary, but never took his eyes off the prize.

John Bunyan was the author of Pilgrim's Progress.  Some people are unaware that while John wrote this book he was inside an English jail cell.
However he never took his eyes off the prize.  Freedom wasn't the prize.  Christ was.

Christ commands us in 1 Corinthians 1:17 to preach the gospel "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel-not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power." 

John knew his service to the Master was to reach others and show them the pathway to salvation, this command was not lost to him even while he was enclosed in a prison.

When you receive a prize for a contest, where is your focus?  Is it on Christ, the one who gave you the ability and talent to accomplish the task?

In my church youth group we have many gifted musicians and singers.  Whenever one of us does the special music or offertory for the Sunday morning service we always want to encourage them afterward by telling that person that they did a good job.

 I can say from experience...after the service when everyone comes up to say good job- I never know what to say!  I could say, "Thank you."  But then the praise is reflected off onto me, or I could say "Praise the Lord."  Or, as my youth group shortened it to, "PTL.".  We chose PTL because its often hard to get the right voice level when saying something like that without sounding....pious?  Even when you don't mean to!!:)

It's so simple to gently direct the spotlight off of ourselves and onto our creator!  As long as we make the effort to do it.

There are very few hero's or heroine's in our culture today, you don't have to do something amazing to win man's favor and attention.  Rather, fight the battles Satan throws at you nobly, keeping your eyes focused on the King- your ultimate prize. 

Christ... the All in All

I want you to picture with me a small cozy bedroom, the walls are pastel pink, there are two beds in the room and on each one there is a parent with a child leaning against them.  The mother is reading the story of David and Goliath, her voice changes with each emotion and her energy and excitement of the true story leaps off the page.

It is family devotion time in 1996 at my house.  I was four years old and loved these evenings.  My sister and I would pick out a devotional story each night and my Mom would read them to us, then my Dad would ask us questions about what we had learned.  But at the end of this evening I remember being the one who chose David and Goliath as the devotional.
I love that story, the little guy being brave and empowered by God to defeat the most wicked foe at that time.  God knew everything that was going to happen, but David had to take that step of faith.

As the evening came to a close we all knelt on the floor and began to pray one by one, it was my evening to start the prayer circle and so as I knelt there my mouth began to move and my heart began to open up as I asked the Lord into my life.  No one had to lead me into this prayer, my heart was ready and prepared at four years of age.  It has been 14 years to this day that the Lord ushered me into His family.  I've never known the actual date of my salvation until the other day when I was going through some old photo albums and saw the date listed among the pictures.

Now the date is not too important, but I wanted to do something special anyway.:)  So this morning I packed up my devotional book, grabbed my prayer journal and headed out to spend my morning with God.  Since we live on a mountain I followed the stream up into the hills behind our house and settled down in a quiet spot.  Everything in creation was so serene, I felt so at peace and so excited to have God and me time- I can't believe I waited until today to actually spend this special time with Him!!  I have resolved that this trip is not going to be taken only once a year.:)

Jesus is so merciful and compassionate!!! His understanding and presence is so comforting, I always have the assurance that He is there, He is always watching out for me and seeking to bring me even closer to Himself!

The song I will be singing on Easter Sunday completes my thoughts on how great my Father's love is for me:

"Before the fall of man, God had a perfect plan.

To fellowship with us was His desire.

But Adam disobeyed,to sin became a slave.  

Now a perfect sacrifice would be required.

An offering must be made,

The sin debt must be paid, so God and man can reconciled be.

So Jesus said "I'll go", because He loved me so;

He shed His blood and paid sin's penalty!

He gave Himself to pay a debt I could not pay,

When I was lost He gave Himself to be my way.

Though I deserved to be upon the cross that day,

In love He took my place, and gave Himself.

No greater love is known, no greater love is shown,

Then when one lays his life down for a friend.

But Jesus died for me, when I was His enemy.

A love like this I cannot comprehend!

He gave Himself to pay a debt I could not pay,

When I was lost He gave Himself to be my way.

Though I deserved to be upon the cross that day,

In love He took my place, and gave Himself.

My nails were in His hands!

My crown of thorns He wore!

My stripes were on His back!

My heavy cross He bore!

And when God turned His back, He turned it on my sin.

Jesus won a victory that I could never win!

He gave Himself, to pay a debt I could not pay.

When I was lost, He gave Himself to be my way.

Though I deserved to be upon the cross that day,

In love He took my place, and gave Himself

He gave Himself....

By: The WILDS

God bless you! Have a good evening!!

Guard Your Heart...Keep Your Focus

Well, the results are in from the poll I took at the end of March up to Sunday the 17th!!!

70% wanted to know about Guarding your Heart in this society
30% wanted Spiritual Credentials
20% wanted Bible Study\Song Posts

So my first post will be on guarding your heart.  I must be completely honest with you though...this is probably one of the hardest subjects for me to write on.  God has given me so many tools and resources to tap into about this subject, but with the world's view of Biblical relationships, posting about changing the code that the world lives by is not easy.  It can hit some sore spots in some people's lives.  However, whenever I get convicted about something, that usually means I know it's a problem in my life, and I have to turn away from it.   Even when my flesh seems stronger- the Spirit is always ready to work if I would only allow it to control me!!

  This third chapter on Guarding your Heart is going to be very important. In a book that I recently read, the author gave the illustration of looking at your heart like a an unopened white rose.

The white rose is pure, unblemished, and is still closed up, it's the beginning of spring, and it's not ready to bloom.  A father and his daughter walk by it and the father says to his daughter, "Will you open up this rose for me? I would like to see the beauty inside of it."   The daughter shakes her head seriously, "No, if I open it up it will be damaged and never bloom."  "Exactly,"  her father says gently; "It is the same with your heart.  If you awaken it and pry it open to new and uncharted paths before it's ready, you will ruin it's beauty and you will never be able to get it back."

Few treasures are so easily lost as purity-yet so few are as important to keep.

With emotional entanglements it's easy to loose sight of Christ when your focus is on the opposite gender.  There are some girls in the world who have one of the most destructive diseases I could ever name.  It's called "Love without Hope".  This means that they admire a young man, but know he isn't interested in them and so they stand aside and wait for him while giving their heart to him even though he has not asked for it.  In our culture it is a romantic gesture when you love long without hope- but it can it so destructive to the walls of your heart!!

When your thoughts are centered on the opposite gender, your focus is on your emotions, the other person, and then the rest of your heart is given to God.  This hurts your relationship with Jesus so much!! Christ commands us to give Him all of our heart, not just the leftover pieces!

God has been planning your love story for years.  He's been refining and molding you into the perfect help-meet for your future spouse.  You know He has enjoyed making your life one of His best masterpieces!  However, since we are Christians, Christ has given us a free will to make decisions.  With this knowledge He waits to see if we are going to wait for His romance story, or make one of our own.

Some young girls I know do not know what it means for them to guard their heart.  How on earth do you accomplish it??!! Well, first your heart must be surrendered to God.  Once He has your heart He's not going to lock it away and forget about it.  He's going to teach you and prepare you.  The process of surrendering your heart to God is not a one time deal, it's a daily commitment to remove your hands from the steering wheel and let God take control.  You always have the assurance that God knows what is ahead, He has walked the path already and will never give us something we can't handle (with His help).

The easiest way to avoid looking at the opposite gender as potential marriage candidates is to simply start praying for them...and their future spouse- which may or may not be you! It takes the focus off of your emotions and places your future firmly back in God's hands. 

Does your behavior cause the opposite gender to think of you in a different way other than a Godly young Christian serving Christ?  Does it cause them to betray a bit of themselves and not save those emotions strictly for their spouse?  We have to watch our behavior! Is our dress and speech pointing the way to Christ?  Is everything we allow to happen guarding our hearts- and theirs?

We are a Christian family, this means we protect each other.  I know I can count on my immediate family to protect me against anything, my brothers in Christ should also have the assurance that my actions and appearance is not going to cause them to stumble.  Making the effort to protect them not only helps them, but also encourages the other young women around me to be careful as well.

However, with a guarded heart some single people get the impression that they are not  allowed to have feelings of sincere care for the opposite gender to enter their heart.
This is not so, as brothers in Christ the men in my life I do sincerely care for.   The difference is that I don't view them as potential spouses.   God commands us to love everyone.
In the Christian circle nowadays love is a word that seems to only apply to romance.

Love is not the passionate definition that Hollywood gives us.  It has a self-sacrificial meaning.  It means that you care for someone more than yourself and you hold their best interests at heart. Look at them as Christ looks at them.

Now I am not encouraging you to walk up to the opposite gender and say "You know what, we're such great friends that I love you."     Not at all!!  I simply mean that you are to love in a way that does not cause God to have to hold up the walls of your heart.  As your emotions and desires try to push themselves up against the wall He runs to defend them.  But while He is doing that the gate is left unguarded, and with the gate unguarded anyone can walk in.

When you have an open heart to ministry, serving Christ in all things, learning constantly and improving the skills God has given you.  I believe you will find that these emotions alone fill any gaps you feel you might have in your heart.  God so richly blesses those who live their life glorifying Him every step of the way.

1 Corinthians 7:34  "...An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit..."

Titus 2:3  Teach the younger generation to:

Young women ~ "Be self-controlled and pure, busy at home, to be kind, and subject to their husbands (or fathers), so that no one will malign the word of God."

Young men ~ "Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.  In everything set an example by doing what is good.  In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us"  (Titus 2:6-8)
(Inserts and italics added)

Small Joys

Here is recent photo of Little Faith, God has given me so much- but one of my most strongest loves has to be for animals... Faith is my little miracle.  She and her mother were not supposed to survive- yet God showed His grace and mercy.  So Faith is now growing quickly and becoming more and more just like her mother:)   As we say "Spoiled Sweet"- not "rotten":)
She'll be 7 months old tomorrow- time flies!!!:) >>

3 Months Old

<Hours Old

Spiritual Battle...Attack Formation:

When Satan decides to attack a nation, he may start with the morality of the nation: the TV, movies, music or computer.
Or he might attack it's patriotism, so that no one has anything to be proud of and they are ungrateful for what they have and so seek after more immorality.  But Satan's most targeted subject is one that he has to use all of his power to break: The Family.

The family is the encourager, the solid rock for the next generation, the spiritual leaders, teachers of the young, they are the cornerstone to any nation.  And thus the most destructive in Satan's plan, but in God's plan they are so precious, so treasured.

Unfortunately the family is one of the world's biggest targets right now, the average family is supposed to have 2.5 kids- now how you get half a kid is beyond me!:)  You are to have both parents in the work force, or just the mother working and the father takes care of the kids.

God states specifically in the Bible that the headship in every family is supposed to go as follows: God, husband, wife, and children.

1 Corinthians 11:3   "Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God."

Ephesians 6:1-4   "Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother"-- which is the first commandment with a promise-- "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."  Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

The husband is to be in submission to God, but is commanded to love his wife and cherish her, not be authoritative and a dictator.  The wife is then to submit to her husband and respect him and care for her children.  The children are to submit to all three, and learn with a disciplined mind.

So...who is Satan going to attack first?  Well, he already tried to tempt God and got immediately shelved:) So who is next??? The husband (or in my case, my Dad).  The spiritual leader in the family is always targeted first, he is the adviser, decision maker, "tension alleviation master", the encourager, and leader of his home.  With him entrapped the rest of the family will quickly become easy prey.  The husband is not capable of cherishing, comforting, and appreciating his wife when he is under spiritual attack, and because of this the wife cannot teach her children and therefore the children do not have guidance and fall away from the truth.

The trickling effect is devastating, and Satan has this attack right down to perfection.  The biggest way to avoid this attack is to support and encourage your Dad.  He is under attack constantly.  By encouraging him in his walk, discussing with him your problems so that he is aware of other areas Satan is trying to get in, and always supporting him with the decisions he makes.

The next target Satan chooses will be the wife, if she is feeling pressured and absolutely exhausted she will be leaning heavily on her husband for support.  Her weakness needs to be strengthened by the help of her children!! Strengthen your Mom, encourage her as she encourages you!  The household chores and other responsibilities can become overwhelming sometimes, so quickly step in and alleviate some of the pressure building up on her.

I read a saying once that said: "Men have been given the ability to make decisions, they have a "gut feeling" that tells them what is right and wrong.  However, only through women come the diversity of possible answers to the solution.  Women enjoy (most of the time) figuring out ways to solve problems, but in the end they have too many solutions!!  This is where the men come in and chose wisely out of the 4 to 5 suggestions." :) This quote is not word for word, however it describes me exactly!!  I enjoy, for the most part, discussing issues and coming up with solutions, however I hate making decisions, so my Dad is the leader in this area and takes the burden off of me:)

It is very easy to become calloused to the world's influence, one of the easiest tools Satan uses in his daily rampage is that of music... it is all around us, you can walk and listen to it, play it on the radio, TV, computer, through your phone, i-Pod, you name it- it's everywhere! And it is the most easy distraction to succumb to.

Before Satan was thrown out of heaven, does anyone remember what his job was?  Well, if you guessed director of music then you were right.  Satan knows the influence music has on people, he has known about it since the beginning of time, it was how he spent his time even before he became evil!!  So he knows very well how to manipulate it in our society, the tool of music is one of his strongest powers.

But when walking with Christ, His greatest desire is that we do not conform to the world, but be examples of Him.  So become "un-calloused" to the worldly influences you have allowed into you life, we are the clay and God is the Potter:  When a stone is removed from the clay it is sometimes painful and ruins parts of the mold, but once it is removed the clay becomes smooth and is better for it in the end.  So become a clay that is willing to be changed, step out of the worldly pattern and walk in a spiritual formation.  Rely entirely upon the Lord, encourage your Dad, support your Mom, and be obedient to all three headships.  God will richly bless you for following His law, so start to prepare for His blessing by following His directions!!!:)

25 Philosophy's

PHILOSOPHY

1) Words can't break bones, but they can break hearts.

2) Those who walk with God won't run from people's needs.

3) Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, but faith looks up.

4) We're richer when we give and poorer when we keep.

5) Because of the cross of Christ, we can become friends of Christ.

6) Amid the darkness of sin, the light of God's grace shines in.

7) Enthusiasm for Christ is contagious; has anyone caught it from you?

8) Be as patient with others as God has been with you.

9) It is better by far to die for something, than to live for nothing.

10) The God who sends you will also sustain you.

11) It is always darkest before the dawn.

12) To change your outlook, remember God's looking out for you.

13) Confession of sin is not an admission of weakness, but a sign of strength.

14) The harder you work at what you should be, the less you'll try to hide what you are.

15) Reading the Bible without meditating on it is like eating without chewing.

16) Work well done for Christ will receive a "well done" from Christ.

17) Don't complain over what the world is coming to; proclaim the one who is coming to the world.

18) We are not saved by good works, but for good works.

19) Spiritual victory comes only to those who are prepared for battle.

20) Apply yourself to the Scriptures and the Scriptures to yourself.

21) The Bible is not meant merely to inform, but to transform.

22) Grace is everything for nothing to those who don't deserve anything.

23) Courage is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of fear.

24) If you keep in step with God, you'll be out of step with the world.

25) Salvation is so simple we can overlook it, so profound we can never comprehend it.

 

These 25 steps couldn't stay with me- they had to be shared! I hope it blessed you the same way it blessed me!

Blog Give Away

Lauren is having a delightful giveaway at her blog A Corner Pillar 

She is giving away a book from her family's home run Geneva Bookstore, the book is:  "Large Family Logistics" By Kim Brenneman

This giveaway is in honor of her 200th post!! So head on over!!
God Bless!

The WILDS

This past weekend I had the joy of working at the WILDS by getting it ready for the summer camp season to start.  I had a vacuum strapped onto my back for most of the afternoon, but the buildings eventually began to show themselves under the dust and dirt of winter. :)

The weather was perfect: a brilliant sun that was warm with a slight breeze that didn't make it too hot to work hard.:)  God truly worked the weather out as earlier in the week it was reported that we were supposed to have showers.  But we had a clear sky and the warmth of the day made the joy of working with other Christians such a blessing!

I usually try and not do two posts in one day, but God had the blessing of this ministry on my heart, I strongly urge you to check out their site at "The Wilds" This camp is such a successful tool God is using to be instrumental in changing so many teens and adults lives.

The speakers that come during the summer challenge your walk with the Lord and enrich your life so deeply in His word.  My family loves attending the evening services during the week in the summer, its almost like drinking out of fire hose, but so rewarding and encouraging!

Have a good night!
God Bless!

Trust His Word

When I was young I enjoyed being tossed into the air by my Dad or one of my uncles, I knew they would catch me.  Unless we were in the water- then they just let me drop:)  But besides that, I had a sense of security, I knew I was safe and they would never let any harm come to me.

God created the earth, the heavens, and every living being.  He controls everything and is never unaware of what goes on.  So why do I doubt the Savior of my life, the one who put everything on the line: His place in Heaven to come as a man to earth, His self-respect as He humbled Himself in front of those who mocked and hated Him, He gave His very life for me!  So why do I still hesitate in trusting Him in the small and large situations that arise in my life?

Last night during the evening service at my church the congregation sang this song, I really felt like the words were speaking right to my heart, so I wanted to share it.
No matter what the situation, no matter what thoughts may plague me with doubt- my life belongs to my King, He will never fail me, He always walks beside me, and when Satan tries to get under the hedge with deceit and lies, my faith can always draw strength from His word.

"Jesus made each star in heaven; He created earth and sea;

He's the keeper of all knowledge, What is past and what will be.

Yet He offers His great wisdom, so you will not lose your way.

Like a lamp it glows; every step it shows.

You know His will each day.

Trust His Word! Trust His Word!

All God's promises are true.  Trust His Word!

When your pathway disappears, when your joy gives way to tears,

When you're plagued with doubts and fears, Trust His Word!

He is not a distant stranger, He can be your closest friend.

And He'll always listen closely when you share your heart with Him.

Jesus walks the path beside you; He has been there all along.

And He'll guide your feet when your step is weak,

And your strength is almost gone.

Trust His Word! Trust His Word!

All God's promises are true!  Trust His Word!

When your pathway disappears, when your joy gives way to tears,

When you're plagued with doubts and fears, Trust His Word!

By Ron Hamilton and Majesty Music

Worship...What is it?

Worship... what does this word mean to you?  Does it mean going to church?  Opening your Bible?  Having fellowship with like-minded believers?

My pastor has recently been preaching on the subject of Worship each Sunday night.  When you worship you have an audience of One, when you sing during the service- are you concentrating on the words and realizing their importance?  Do you sing to be heard and glorify God or barely under your breath in fear that others will hear you?  Are are you looking at the words and applying them to your life?

On Wednesday nights during our weekday Bible study our teen leader and the pastor will ask for volunteers to pray for all the prayer requests given.  When I first started going to teen group I was terrified to pray aloud, would I mix up?  Say everything too fast and put "um", "uh", and "so" in every third word??  But then I began to put things in perspective, I wasn't praying to the people in the room, I didn't need my words rehearsed and perfect.  I was talking to God, He was sitting right next to me, He didn't care if I mixed up- He knew exactly what I meant!

When I sit in the service and listen to the pastor preach, am I there at church to be fed, or to give something back to God?  I certainly am fed at church, but if my mind wanders, if I suddenly begin to be more interested in doodling on my paper than on the message, how am I treating God?

Since I am in God's house, don't you think the Master of the house is also present?  He knows my every thought, He knows when my focus is no longer on Him.  What a rebuke it is to me when I think about it!  When you are in someone's home and the host is talking to you, if you zone out and begin scribbling or thinking on other things while he is speaking, it hurts the host and make him believe you don't care about his conversation, you only care about what you are doing.

God gives us every day to live for Him, how are we measuring up?  God has promised to feed, clothe, and shelter us, anything and everything else that is provided is a luxury.  He has promised to listen to our requests, but He is not obligated to fulfill them.

Worship is a time that we learn and soak up God's word, only to give it all back to Him in service.  As we sit in church our praise is directed upwards towards the King of Kings, only He is worthy of our praise.   When a person is praying at the end of the service and you hear several people echo the "amen" at the end of the prayer.  This means that even though they didn't pray aloud, they were listening to what the person praying was saying to the Lord and they were in agreement with him.  Do we concentrate on the  Lord constantly while in church?  Or are we looking around the room to see who is there and who we'll be talking with after the service is over?

God calls us to worship with others one day a week (or for some two days because of Bible studies).  When you walk into church, what is your heart attitude?  Are you prepared to give God everything as you sing and praise Him in all things?  Only one day a week does God command us to gather together and worship Him... are we obeying this order?  Not only by attending church, but by participating in the service, by making our every thought and action a reflection of what is necessary to be in communion with Christ.

I encourage you to prepare your hearts for worship, we come to church not for our own gratification, but to give glory to God.  Participate in the service, don't only read the words in the hymnal, apply them personally and realize their importance.  Remember, you are in an audience of One, all you do and say is a reflection of what you believe Christ is like, are you living up to this standard?  I know I personally have a lot of ground to cover in this area, but I hope you'll join me as I seek to accomplish this command Christ has given us.

God Bless!