1 Peter 3:3-4

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewellery or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. - 1 Peter 3:3,4

Monday, October 28, 2013

You are Loved.

You are Loved.
You are Precious.
You are Wanted.

EVERY WOMAN in your life needs to hear this message. So share it with them. And follow it up with a love speech of your own.

Follow this link and watch the movie clip. Let the words really wash over you. Believe it!

http://www.faithit.com/if-ever-woman-in-the-world-heard-this-message/#.Umjl7PrM8y4.facebook


~ Meggie

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

A Picture of Perfection

- Molly Gibson

In Wives and Daughters, when Molly Gibson goes to visit with the Hamleys, she fits in with the family well, and thinks of them as her own relations. She  gradually falls in love with Roger, the younger son of Mr and Mrs. Hamley, and he with her. But when her father decides to remarry to give Molly a mother again (though she objects), the daughter of her step-mother, her new step-sister, Miss Cynthia, comes upon the scene.
Cynthia is charming, extremely handsome, wild, and full of life. Molly is plain, but pretty in her own way, is quiet but loves deeply. They both love each other as sisters from the very first and enjoy each other’s company exceedingly.
But the moment Roger sees Cynthia any growing attachment he had for Molly seems to disappear.

- Mr Gibson and Cynthia

Like so many other good, decent men in the world, Roger gets led away by Cynthia’s beauty and charm. He remarks to his brother Osbourne one day that, ‘she is absolute perfection’.
But above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection. – Colossians 3:14
Cynthia tells Molly: ‘I never have loved as deeply as you do for your papa, or anyone else. I have never cared for any one, I think you are the dearest soul in the world to me- even above mama.”
But here is the thing I got thinking when God gave me Colossians 3:14, Roger thought he was in love, Roger thought that this was the real deal, he had found the one, he couldn’t stop thinking about her, and thought her perfection.
But love is the bond of perfection, love- this is the love talked of in 1 Corinthians 13:4, the true love that suffers long, does not hate or envy, does not boast. The real love, this real love is the bond of perfection, the bond. Perfection is measured by love. But did Cynthia love him? No, she said so herself.

- Roger and Molly

Of course in the end, after a broken engagement with Cynthia, Roger comes to his senses of how much he loves Molly, and they are married at long last. But I was provoked to think about how this idea of perfection, today’s perfection is outward, it is ruled by imperfect girls, hiding their blemishes with make-up, plastic surgery, and digitial touch ups.
But above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection. – Colossians 3:14
Perfection is not ruled by how low our top is, how tanned, how un-blemished, how skinny, how beautiful we are, real perfection is measured by love, true love. The only way to get that sort of love is through Jesus, and Jesus is the One who expels every sort of low-self esteem we have for ourselves. It’s not about loving yourself, its about loving others, loving God. He is the one that makes us beautiful, He is beautiful, and when He shines out through our lives in our actions and words, that’s what makes us ‘perfection’.

And if you thought of today’s hottest actress, would she measure up by Gods standard of love, the measurement and bond of perfection? Would she come out a jewel, or a piece of trash? A Cynthia or a Molly?
…for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7b
~ Meggie

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Go And Sin No More...

You are a sinner and I am a sinner. Each and every one of us is a sinner. I really want this post to be saturated in Scripture so people can see that this isn't just me saying something, but it's truth spoken in God's Word. So let the Bible verses begin! 

Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." When God created the world it was perfect. I can't even begin to imagine how marvelous and awesome it would have been. God created man to have an intimate relationship with Him, He even walked in the garden of Eden and had conversations with Adam! Adam had God literally walking by his side and could talk to God as easily as I can talk to my family. What a privilege it would have been! But what did we do? We sinned. We lied, murdered, cheated, stole, fornicated, hated, became our own masters and caused so much destruction around us. How God's heart must have broken when we did these things. Yet God still loves us? He still longs to be in a loving relationship with us. 'What?', you may say. 'He wants me, after all I've done?' He most certainly does! You. Sitting at the computer. God wants YOU! 

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
- Romans 6:23 

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." 
- Romans 5:8 

Even though we deserve to die, God sent His son as our Saviour. Jesus was God's gift to us, a way out of a life full of sin and the punishment that follows. Jesus said "I have come that you may have life and life to the full" (John 10:10). No matter what our sin, God is ready to forgive, all you have to do is ask. Jesus opened the way for us to talk directly to God, and He is waiting for you to come to Him.  

"Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
- Matthew 11:28 

"For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
- Matthew 11:30

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'" 
- John 14:6 

Christ was the one person who was not a sinner. He is the example God wishes for us to follow. He is perfect, but that doesn't mean He wasn't tempted. Sin was all around Him as well. It's such an easy trap to fall into, it's not sinning that's the difficult part. Jesus was an example of that. An example of how our hearts and lives should look. He was tempted in the desert by Satan, but each time he resisted. How? Because God was His strength. 

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." 
- Psalm 46:1 (NJKV)

Times will continue to come in our lives when we are presented with temptations in all kinds of forms. We can find hope in knowing when we are truly repentant, God forgives. Our slates are wiped clean. We can lessen the temptations around us by being wise and staying close to our Heavenly Father. Reading the Bible gives us wisdom (Proverbs is 'the book of wisdom') and also allows God to speak to us. Prayer is another way. It won't necessarily eliminate the temptation but will allow God to give you the strength you need to overcome it. All we need is God and when we fall back on Him, He becomes our strength. 

"For whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
- Romans 10:13 

"... and Jesus said 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.'" 
- John 8:11 

God bless! 
~ Taleisha 

Monday, October 7, 2013

Laptops dont go to Heaven

Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you." So we can say with confidence, “The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear.  What can mere people do to me?” ~ Hebrews 13:4-7 NLT

a calm sea in the midst of storms
The devil is out to get us, always tempting us to give in and sin. He is very good at tempting us to be unsatisfied with what we own. Think about it. No matter where we are, advertising surrounds us: “Life is just not worth living unless you have this product, you will be cool if you buy this, look at your old, daggy stuff- how could you keep that old thing, when you could buy this?” Ads don’t really encourage us to be content with what we own, and to remain satisfied with our own stuff. Dictionary.com describes ‘content’ as: satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else. Are you ok with the stuff you have, or do you wish you had more? Is there anything that you really really want, that has become a ‘need’ in your life? As I was writing this, I found myself on a website that sells books, and I started surfing it, wishing I had a little bit more money so that I could buy all that I want. Just a little bit more, and I would be content. I mean, I would be so happy- no one would be more satisfied than me, if I only had more money.
‘Come on, Meggie’, I thought, ‘Look at you, writing an article about being content, and yet still learning to be content yourself!’ The scary thing is, I didn’t realise I was thinking it. The devil has planted it into our society, the thoughts come so naturally, the desire to have more comes up and we don’t even notice it.

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. ~ 1 Timothy 6: 6-10 NLT

Why would we bother with being content? Ads are yelling at us: ‘Stuff being content, you can have all you want, all you dream of having - if you just sign on the dotted line’. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Well, it is too good to be true. The more you get, the more you want, the more unsatisfied you become. People who long to have everything are plunged into ruin and destruction, and pierce themselves with many sorrows. Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean you have to sit in a corner and never buy anything or never enjoy anything; it’s about having the right outlook, and keeping your eyes completely on Jesus. We brought nothing into this world, and we can bring nothing out. Think about everything you wish you had; IPad? Music? Movies? Books? When you are in heaven, kneeling before the Lord, by the sound of angels worshipping Him, is it going to matter if you have the most recent technology? We cannot take anything to heaven - it is not going to last. Everything in this world is going to pass away. It’s gonna turn to dust; yet how much time do we take up buying things and wishing for things that we just don’t need? Catch yourself before you start listing off the things you wish you had next time, and remember, all of that is nothing compared with the riches of Heaven, and the riches of God.

“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like.” – Will Rogers

At the end of the day, God will be with us throughout this life, and the life to come. He is the only thing that is unchanging and will always be. In Him, we have everything we need. He has promised to provide for what we actually need, and He blesses us with so much more. He is our protector and provider.

  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength. ~ Philippians 4:10-13 NIV

Paul learnt that in Christ, he can be content no matter what situation he is in. Whether he was poor and hungry, or whether he was rich with a full stomach. I think it is time we changed our thinking and our outlook. We can be content in Christ if we see Christ as our everything. God is the thing of most value in our lives, not what we own. Make Him the top priority in your life - you are dead and buried, and now Jesus Christ lives His life through you. Tell Him, ‘You God are the only thing that will never leave me, and I decide to be content, because I know that I cannot take anything out of this world. I cannot bring my laptop to Heaven, and so I will regard it as nothing compared to You’. God will help you. At the end of those verses, Paul said that God was His strength. If you have no muscle, are you capable of lifting anything? Anything at all? Nope! Paul had no strength, but God gave him the muscle to be able to be content. Ask God to help you, ask God to give you the muscle, and He will. We need to have the proper attitude towards the stuff of this world. It will just become dust in the light of eternity, and that’s what we need to remember. It doesn’t matter if we have all the stuff we have ever wanted, it doesn’t matter if we are starved or if we’re full, it matters that God’s name is lifted high and that His name is preached. Don’t throw your life away wishing you had more. Be thankful for what you have today; and remember- God is the greatest treasure you could ever wish to have, and you already have Him!

  He has the most who is most content with the least. ~ Diogenes

 .content

- Meggie