But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations].
—1 John 1:7
I like the last part of this verse which speaks of the blood of Jesus cleansing us from sin and all of its forms and manifestations. Let me give you an example of how this works in our everyday lives. If there is something rotten in your refrigerator, you will know it is there every time you open the door because you will smell it. You may not know what it is or exactly where it is located, but you can be sure that it is in there somewhere.
I believe our lives are like that. If there is something rotten within us, those who come in close contact with us are going to perceive it, whether they know what it is or why it is there. They will "smell" it or sense it. In 2 Corinthians 2:15 the apostle Paul tells us that as believers "we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which exhales] unto God, [discernible alike] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." Unfortunately, it also works in the opposite way.
When there is something within us that has been shut away and become rotten and spoiled, it gives off a totally different aroma—detectable by everyone. That's why we must open up ourselves and allow the Holy Spirit to come in and cleanse our hearts and remove whatever is causing us to give off a foul stench. When we open ourselves to the Lord and let Him begin to cleanse and heal us from within, we will find ourselves coming into better and better fellowship with all those around us. It won't happen overnight, because it is a process. But it will begin to take place, one step at a time.
From the book New Day, New You: 365 Devotions for Enjoying Everyday Life by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2007 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.
http://www.joycemeyer.org/
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
well said
"Being a friend is messy. A real friend, a true n' blue friend is there no matter what. If I expect to be a friend, I have to be ready for the messy reality of what a deep friendship entails. It means I have to be ready to see them for all that they are and love them. It means I have to be ready to challenge them with tough love, which is a hard thing to do. And I have to be ready to receive tough love, which is an even harder thing to do. It is too easy to write someone off, to give up on them - but a true friend is ready to get down in the mud, be authentic and live the struggle together."
I got this from a blog that I read (http://kevinsthirdplace.blogspot.com/)
I think it is very well said and wanted to share it with those of you who may not read his blog. (Which I recommend reading his blog on a regular basis) Being a friend is messy, it takes work and dedication. When you find people who are truly your friends you find that in all of that it is so worth it. True friendship is irreplaceable. Even if you have to work hard and some of them fail, you appreciate true friendships that much more.
I got this from a blog that I read (http://kevinsthirdplace.blogspot.com/)
I think it is very well said and wanted to share it with those of you who may not read his blog. (Which I recommend reading his blog on a regular basis) Being a friend is messy, it takes work and dedication. When you find people who are truly your friends you find that in all of that it is so worth it. True friendship is irreplaceable. Even if you have to work hard and some of them fail, you appreciate true friendships that much more.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Last Week
Was so great! Denise stayed with Kolby and myself for a week and we had so much fun. We wanted things to be a little more normal than the last time she came out. Last time I took time off work to spend with everyone, but this time I worked the week that she was here. Her days were occupied with other fun things of course, but she got to see what real life in Illinois is like verses a vacation here. We did fun things on the weekend like City Museum, St. Louis Arch, and the Science Center. During the week it was a little more chill with eating out, watching T.V etc. The best part...we got snow and a lot of it. We were too cold and too chicken to go sledding so instead we built the best snowman ever. His name is...i mean was ICE and he was very tall. We used a human fork lift aka Kolby to lift his midsection on. I have some pictures that I will post in the near future.
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