11-25-13 “Represent”
Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

That’s who I am. I am Jesus’ representative. Dictionary definitions of “representative” include: “One that serves as an example, delegate, or agent for another.  Representing, depicting, or portraying and being able to do so... Authorized to act...”

It’s my job. As a Believer I should be an example, I must act on Jesus’ behalf showing kindness, forgiveness, and love like he would. I have to portray him accurately or no one will look for him. And the Holy Spirit helps me be able to do just that (Philippians 2:13). I am authorized to act. I just have to actually do.

Pastor Dean said yesterday at church while he was teaching that “if we trust in God for our salvation (everyone enjoys the idea of being forgiven from our sins!), we must also embrace what he says about how we should live.” And God wants us to live like Jesus. 

We don’t just ask forgiveness of our sins and then live however we please. That is insincere repentance. Accepting forgiveness, being saved, and receiving eternal life gives us a new mission in life... Ambassadorship.

2 Corinthians 5:20
So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

Ephesians 6:20
...As God’s ambassador.... (I) pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.

In our day and age we know full well what harm and frustration cruddy political representatives and ambassadors can accomplish. Many times I don’t feel like my Representatives are representing me and my best interests, and it’s infuriating. And I cringe at how some of our governmental officials roam other countries misrepresenting true American ideology. Can you imagine Jesus looking at me in the times I misrepresent him? “Janys, don’t do that! Aww! Why would you say that? Turn your cheek, girl!”

Good thing for me Jesus is kind and forgiving. He invites me to try again. He isn’t holding anything against me or over me, and that makes me very thankful. And THAT is what I want to duplicate, replicate, offer, portray, and represent to others on HIS behalf.

Dear God,
Thank you for your Son! Thank you for the opportunity and the ability to be like him. Help me to represent Jesus boldly, with authority, and accurately so that others will enjoy him too! I love you and praise you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

11-22-13 “Thankful For What Never Changes”
Colossians 3:15
And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.


I think peace and thankfulness goes together. It’s actually quite easy to be thankful when there’s peace in life. Not being distracted by conflict, envy, greed, or anger makes way for reflections in thankfulness. It’s nice.

Still, there are other passages of scripture encouraging the same thankful heart regardless of circumstances. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

I don’t have to be thankful FOR every circumstance. Cancer is horrible, bills are a drag, and don’t even get me started on politics! But because of Jesus, I can be thankful DURING those kinds of circumstances anyhow.

Here’s how... I can let. 

Jesus’ presence is with me all the time through his Holy Spirit. I have access to his peace all the time in my heart. All the time. It is never not there. What he has done for me can’t be taken away by cancer, bills, or political leadership. His peace is always there. Shame on me for the times I ignore this peace and let some other thing rule in my heart instead.

Jesus makes it possible for me to always have peace, therefore, I can always be thankful!

Dear Lord Jesus,
I like following on facebook this time of year and seeing everyone post something they’re thankful for all the way up till Thanksgiving. Help me to be mindful to have 365 thankful days this year! Your wide, deep, high, long, big, huge love and grace and peace is always with me, so I want to always be thankful regardless of what goes on moment to moment. Help me be thankful for what never changes and never fails. I love you and praise you and pray in your name. Amen.

11-20-13 “Come And Get It!”

John 14:21 Jesus said,
“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”


We all know that the unbelieving world would look at this verse and think that Christians are brainwashed, suckers, slaves, and completely un-free based on one little word in these amazing words from Jesus - “obey.” 

Since when is obedience a bad thing? Why is obedience considered restricting? You know, if you sell a bunch of illegal drugs, get in a drunken bar fight, or even get too many speeding tickets you could end up in the slammer. Being in jail is restricting, and I know that a huge population of the American people choose obedience every day over incarceration. Are they just trading one restriction for another? No. Obedience is a good thing.

When Rob was teaching on Sunday he said this about obedience, “Obedience is a comfort to my heart... Doing things God’s way isn’t earning something; it is CONSUMING” something. We are consuming “what he has provided for our strength, survival, belonging, and comfort.”

He used the example of parents providing food at the dinner table, warm beds to sleep in, and clean clothes to wear for their children. All these things are available to the children for their benefit. But a child could certainly refuse to eat dinner, wear clean clothes, or sleep in their own bed couldn’t they? Children don’t have to perform certain tasks to earn food, bedding, and clothes. But they do have to choose to partake in those things.

The things God wants me to do, aka: obeying him, is for me to be able to engage in what he’s providing for me for my benefit. Restricting me is not on his mind. He’s simply inviting me.

Jesus said, “(To) those who accept my commands... I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” That’s like mom saying, “Dinner’s ready; it’s at the table. Come and get it!” 

Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for being my friend! You are my brother, my example, my redeemer, and you have everything I need. You know everything I need. Thank you for simply showing me how to get what I need. I accept what you say and I love you because you love me and because of all you’ve done so that we could be together now through your Holy Spirit and for forever! I love you and praise you in your name, amen.

11-19-13 “Not Perfect”
Galatians 2:19-20
For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

My husband taught from this passage on Sunday. I love these words; they express exactly how I feel... I’ve stopped trying to meet a bunch of requirements... For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me... That means I realize every day very quickly how hard it is for me have enough will power to always do everything right. It’s impossible to measure up to an impossible standard set by God, other housewives, society, or even myself. Ugh. God knows how weak I am in all areas of life. There’s no perfection here!

Instead, the freeing way to live is to “live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God.” Just live every day trusting Jesus. Would Jesus do that? Would Jesus think about that? Would Jesus waste time on that? Would Jesus say that? The times I trip up are the times I don’t consider these questions. Not that asking WWJD predicts any kind of perfection from me, but it at least puts me on the right track!

Dear God,
Thank you for not expecting me to be perfect and for seeing me as perfect simply because I believe in your Son (this is still sounds to good to be true, but it is)! I desire to live by being like him not by competing with him for perfection. I want to be like Jesus because he is good and he does what you say. He is good for my heart, he is good for the people I love, and you are so good for giving him to me. I love you and thank you and pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

11-15-13 “When Trouble Finds Me”
Psalm 119:143
Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight.

On days I’m not even looking for trouble, overloading my schedule, or trying to get my own way, stress can come find me and come upon me in the most unwelcoming way anyway. Not fair. Even when I’m trying to do things right and well, trouble comes looking for me? Just consequences of a sinful world, that’s all.

But your commands give me delight... How is that possible?

If I’m to allow God’s commands to lighten my burden, give me joy, and even delight my heart, then the practice is for me to keep doing what I’m doing. I shouldn’t stop obeying what I know is right just because trouble finds me anyhow. “It doesn’t make any difference, why try...” is not what God is expressing through this Psalm.

Trouble and distress don’t happen all the time. But God’s commands give me delight all the time. (I can even get encouragement by just imagining if the whole world obeyed God too!) So I believe I should stick with the sure thing and give more attention to the latter than to the former. So what if trouble finds me instead of the other way around; I’m going to obey God anyway.

My favorite words in all of Scripture are from Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When told to bow down to a giant golden statue and worship it by the king who held their lives in his will replied,  “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”  (From Daniel 3:16-18)

Trouble found these guys because they were obeying God. And they continued to obey God in spite of the circumstances.

Trouble is going to find me because I believe in Jesus. Jesus already warned all Believers in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.” 

Trouble, stress, unfortunate circumstances, and grief are going to find me. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow. But the one thing that stays the same every single day is God’s Word. The things he asks me to do are good and are always good. When I think about that, I do, indeed, have delight!

Dear God,
Thank you for your good Will that never changes. Help me not to get that confused with my circumstances that constantly change. Thank you for the courage of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego so long ago that encourages me to this day. Help me to be bold to always obey you, to never give up on your commands, and to find the delight that accompanies this kind of lifestyle. I love you and praise you and pray in your Son’s name, amen.

11-12-13 “That’s Just What Believers Do”
Colossians 1:9
So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.

I know Paul is speaking to a specific group of people in a specific situation in this letter, but these words remind me so much of my own prayers and the prayers of other Believers I know. Christians hear about other Christians in needy, dire, emergency, or even in joyous circumstances and we join one another in these things by our prayers. 

I have a friend that I’m praying for right now even as I’m typing who needs real justice from a real judge in court today, and I really hope she gets it. I want God to expose the liar, to give her the right words to say, and for the outcome to be in her favor. 

God hates injustice according to Isaiah 10:1-4, so I hate it; and I hate seeing it being done to my friend. It’s not happening to me, but I’ve never stopped praying for her since (I) first heard about the false accusations against her. 

I ask for God to give her complete knowledge of his will and the ability to see that he can work this out for her no matter if the humans in charge do the right thing or not because of his promise in Romans 8:28. God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God...

Spiritual wisdom and understanding comes only from the Lord. And it comes only when we ask God for it. And like Rob said on Sunday, “If we don’t feel like it took, ask for it again” because Jesus said to do just that.

Matt 7:7-8
Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

So even if my friend doesn’t receive justice today, I’m going to keep asking God for it. I’ll continue to go through this with her in my prayers because, like Paul, that’s just what Believers do.

Dear God,
I pray specifically for my friend, Lorraine, this morning while she’s waiting in court to be heard. I pray that she miraculously wouldn’t be nervous or anxious. And I pray justice for her case and I pray for a righteous judge because they are very rare to find.  I thank you that you do work bad situations out for the ones who love and trust you. No one else can do that for us. We usually have to suffer the consequences of other people’s sins, but you are our Fixer, Healer, Protector and Daddy who is always looking out for us. Thank you for that and for the family of Believers that serves to encourage one another in these truths about you. I love you and I thank you for this day: another opportunity to trust in you. And I pray in Jesus’ name, according to your good will, amen.

11-7-13 “At Just the Right Time”
Ephesians 1:9-10
God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.