The Story of Love

Hello all! This is a video I saw a few years ago and stumbled across again recently. It's an amazing story of love and really helped me understand and comprehend what Christ did for us. Such a powerful message! It goes for about 20 minutes but it's totally worth it! Hope you enjoy :)

Click on the link below to watch the video:

John 3:16 - The Story Of Love

God bless! 

~ Taleisha 

Not Perfect

Has it ever hit you how sinful you are? Like a bit of a slap in the face, or a bucket of cold water dumped over you? I got hit by that a few weeks ago. Realizing the wrong I had done, realizing how much I messed up everyday. It was like the sin had been highlighted. I felt overwhelmed and sick at the thought of what (and who!) I had let myself become. God called me to come to Him. But I was so unclean, how can I go to a holy God? I had to be better before I could go back to God. I had to work all of this out. I couldnt go to Him with all this bad in me.

But the more I tried, the more I mucked up. The more I fell away. And I got to a point when I thought I would never be worthy of His love, and I would never be worthy of Him. I knew all I had to do was go to God and ask for forgiveness. But I knew I didnt deserve it. I knew God would forgive me, but I couldnt forgive myself. I thought I would be better at this whole 'perfect' thing. I thought that I could do it. I thought I was a good person. But I'm not.

I asked God to forgive me. And He did. He overwhelmed me with His forgiveness. But the next day, I still sinned. And I knew I had to ask again, and again. I guess I was humbled in the fact that I realized I would always have to ask, because I was always going to sin.

We all make mistakes. God has forgiven. But have you forgiven yourself? Give yourself a break, were human. Go after God, but dont beat yourself up over your sin. God has forgiven it, so consider it forgiven!

 

 

Humbling thought.  If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend?

 

~ Meggie

I WILL Try

A thought just hit me. I was rereading something my Mum and Dad wrote to me for my birthday a few days ago, and one line stuck out to me.

“...you’re maturing into an amazing young woman of God!... We love your heart after God...”

I really don’t feel like I’m doing exactly what He wants me to, because I have trouble hearing directly from Him. So how can I follow what He wants me to do if I don’t know what it is? An amazing woman of God? Me?

My depiction of an ‘amazing woman of God’ is someone who sincerely doesn’t care what others think of her because she only cares what God thinks, someone who prays night and day and spends hours in the presence of God hearing from Him, someone who knows what God wants her to do so she does it with passion, she is someone who is absolutely on fire for Him and what He’s doing in the world!!

When I look at myself and my life, I don’t really see that ‘amazing woman of God’. Yeah I believe in Him and I love Him, but how am I showing it to Him? I try to read my devotion every morning and pray when I remember. I don’t know every step God wants me to take; all I have at the moment is what the Bible teaches me. I try hard to do the right thing and I truly want Jesus to be my Best Friend. So why is it so hard? Why do people say they can see God shining through me, when I struggle to see it in myself? I feel honoured and I try to do what I think He wants me to do.But I don't see Him shining through me. Do you understand where I’m coming from here?

I needed to look beneath the surface and do you know what I realised? I’m not the woman that I want to be. There is so much growth that needs to take place before I will be even close! In 5 or even 10 years from now I want to be a woman who can hear from God directly, who is comfortable to just sit and chat to him without feeling like I look stupid talking to myself, a woman who has a heart for the broken hearted and the hurting, a woman who radiates Jesus, His love for me and isn’t scared to shout from the inside out about what He did for me. I know Jesus saved my life and I want to show Him who much I appreciate it. 

I also know that it is possible to be that woman. Yeah I won’t be her tomorrow but as each day brings new happiness and trials, I believe, and I pray, they will help me grow into that woman over time. The point is, right now I am trying. I’m trying to improve! I’m trying to love those who don’t love me back! I’m trying to spend time with God on a regular basis! I’m trying to listen to what He wants me to do! I’m trying to be patient and obedient! I’m trying to embrace His love for me! I’m trying to work on our relationship! I want Him to be my best friend. I want Him to be the Center of my life, the Light in my darkness, the Answer to my questions and the Strength in my weakness!  

I live life day by day, and every day is a blessing. As long as I am trying, and keep pursuing these things every day, trying will become doing and doing will become a way of life. I want Jesus to be my Way of Life. Because without Him, what would I be? Where would I be? One day I will be that woman that I’m striving to be. I'm determined. It’s a work in progress, but with God anything is possible (Philippians 4:13). It’s a race that we’re all running. Some are slower than others, but as members of the body of Christ we run together. If you’re trying, you have the ability to make it happen. I’m trying, are you?

When I had this thought I tried to just write it down as fast as I could. I’m sorry if it doesn’t make as much sense to you as it did to me. But I thought it was worth sharing :)

~ Taleisha 

Still He Walked

STILL HE WALKED

He could hear the crowds screaming "crucify" "crucify"...
He could hear the hatred in their voices,
These were His chosen people.
He loved them, And they were going to crucify Him.
He was beaten, bleeding and weakened...His heart was broken,
But still He walked.

He could see the crowd as He came from the palace.
He knew each of their faces so well.
He had created them.
He knew every smile, laugh, and shed tear,
But now they were contorted with rage and anger...His heart broke,
But still He walked.

Was he scared?
You and I would have been,
So His humanness would have mandated that He was. He felt alone.
His disciples had left, denied, and even betrayed Him.
He searched the crowd for a loving face and He saw very few.
Then He turned His eyes to the only one that mattered
And He knew that He would never be alone.
He looked back at the crowd, at the people who were spitting
At Him, throwing rocks at Him and mocking Him and He knew
That because of Him, they would never be alone.
So for them, He walked.

The sounds of the hammer striking the spikes echoed through
The crowd. The sounds of His cries echoed even louder,
The cheers of the crowd, as His hands and feet
Were nailed to the cross, intensified with each blow.
Loudest of all was the still small voice inside His
Heart that whispered "I am with you, my Son",
And God's heart broke.
He had let His Son walk.

Jesus could have asked God to end His suffering,
But instead He asked God to forgive.
Not to forgive Him, but to forgive the ones who were persecuting Him.
As He hung on that cross, dying an unimaginable death,
He looked out and saw, not only the faces in the crowd,
But also, the face of every person yet to be,
And His heart filled with love.
As His body was dying, His heart was alive.
Alive with the limitless, unconditional love He feels for each of us.
That is why He walked.

When I forget how much My God loves me,
I remember His walk.
When I wonder if I can be forgiven,
I remember His walk.
When I need reminding of how to live like Christ,
I think of His walk.
And to show Him how much I love Him,
I wake up each morning, turn my eyes to Jesus,
And I walk.

Author Unknown

The Lord Jesus Christ is alive and well. He did die for the sins of the 

Focusing on what really matters

What really matters to you? Its kinda a hard question to answer. How would I know what is the biggest thing that truly matters to me? I would like to think Christ, but in reality what does really matter to me?

Think of it this way. What do you do with most of your time? What do you think about when your bored, or just before you are going to sleep? What do you talk about the most? Most of the time, Ive found, these questions show me what I am actually focusing on. And I am always embarassed at what has been stealing me from Jesus. Such petty little things! Surely I would know better?

Well, this Friday is Good Friday, easter is on our doorstep. The time to remember, to focus on what truly matters. Christ, and what He has done for us. When reading in John about Jesus dying on the cross, something fresh literally splashed over me.

In the garden, Jesus wept tears of blood. I mean, I have some depressed moments, but I have never felt so scared and so hurting that I have wept tears of actual blood. It made me realized how much agony Christ went through, both physical and mental pain, and how alone He was. Everyone had deserted Him. But what did He do?

He sat in the garden and prayed His heart out, weeping that this all would not happen, but in the same breath of asking for God to take it away, He also said 'but let Your will be done'.
And then, He went, knowing the pain He would face, and He walked straight into it.

And in His darkest moment, hanging there on the cross, He didnt focus on just trying to breath. He didnt think about how much pain He was in. He didnt even feel sorry for Himself.

In His darkest moment, Jesus thought of His mum.

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,”  and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. - John 19:26-27

Christ really had no thoughts for Himself, or His pain. He loved, and He thought of others, way before He thought for Himself, even though we would all admit that He had the right to close His eyes, shut out the crowd tormenting Him and wait for death. But He didnt. He focused on what truly mattered, others.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ here is no commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12:30-31

Girls, this weekend is about focusing on God and praising Him for the sacrifices He made that day. Put your priorities straight and put all your attention on Christ, love Him with everything you've got.

~ Meggie

The Worries of Worrying!

Why do we worry? Does it change what will happen or what has already happened? Does it make us feel good? Do you like to worry? I'm assuming your answer to these questions is no.

What is worrying good for? It just gets all our emotions tangled up inside and takes our focus off what is Good! Matthew 6 says that worrying won't add a cubit to our stature, so why do it? It goes on to say in verse 34 that God doesn't forget to feed the birds of the air, so what makes us think, even for a second!, that our Father will forget about us. Worrying about a situation does NOT change the outcome. Anna Monnar said, “Whatever is going to happen will happen, whether we worry or not.”  

The Bible talks a lot about worrying. A little article in mine says worry paralyses our active faith - and it's TRUE! It continues... Worry is always wrong, When you worry you assume responsibility for things you were never intended to handle. Jesus repeatedly taught: "Do not worry", even about the basic essentials in life (Matt.6:25-34). Worrying divides your mind between useful and hurtful thinking. Worrying does not change anything (Matt. 6:27) except draw your focus away from God and His faithfulness and righteousness to concerns about the things of life, such as possessions and material goods (Matt. 6:31). Worrying is a choking, harmful emotion that saps your energy and elevates human strength and ingenuity about God;s strength and His purposeful plan. 

A few quotes from famous leaders and authors:

“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.” 

― Leo Buscaglia

“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them have never happened.” 

― Mark Twain 

“Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” 

― Corrie ten Boom  

Try not to worry about what today will bring. Instead, keep your full focus on the God that has always provided for you and enjoy His presence in the day He has given you.


God bless and keep in the Faith!
~ Taleisha

Choose to be Happy

This morning as I sat watching the rain patter down, I thought, why am I unhappy? Why do I feel so down in the dumps? I looked back on the week, and I thought, there is no reason for me to feel like this.

Well, no real reasons.

Heaps of little things had dragged me down. Kicking my toes. A careless comment spoken by a friend. Dropping things. Just little stuff that get me annoyed. Stuff that drives me crazy.

And, over the last few days, all that little stuff had slowly dragged me down in the dumps. I let little things like that take away my happiness?

I wasnt going to settle for that. I am not going to let that drag me down. No ones gonna steal my happiness. So I smiled, and said:

"I choose to be happy."

And I decided- not matter what happens today I am gonna smile, and not let the devil steal my joy. Because no matter what happens, God loves me, and He is with me. Nothing can change that.

And I only need to walk out in my garden to see how many flowers God has given me today. :) Who needs a boyfriend?

~ Meggie