 There are two types of people in this world – the type that, when something bad happens to them, they say ‘It could always get worse!’ and the type that say ‘It could always get better…’
What type are you? When life gives you lemons, do you make lemonade, or do you rub it in your wounds and pout about? The worst time to pout about when things aren’t going your way, is when people want EVERYONE to know they’re having a bad day, too. Always sighing, being irritable on purpose, or leaving intentionally depressing MySpace/Facebook/Whatever statuses – anything for attention. Really, all complaining is is a form of selfishness.
What does the bible say about this?
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Philippians 2:3-5
11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. Philippians 4:11-12
“9 Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!” James 5:9
…plus many, many more verses on this very subject. Friends – I urge you to stop complaining, and get over yourself! To live in Christ is to die to the self and to sin. If you’re still at the center of YOUR life, then you’re not living for Jesus.
Here’s some more bits of scripture on Complaining and Whining:
Exodus 15:24
1 Peter 5:7
Proverbs 19:3
Thanks for reading,
-Matt
written by Matt
\\ tags: Bible, Christ, church, Complaining, God, Help, Jesus, Letting Go, life, Selfishness, Sin, stress, Struggle, Whining, Who God Is
“It’s time for healing. Time to move on. It’s time to fix what’s been broken too long. Time to make right what has been wrong. It’s time to find my way to where I belong. There’s a wave that’s crashing over me, and all I can do is surrender.
Whatever you’re doing inside of me… it feels like chaos, but somehow there’s peace. And it’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see, but I’m giving in to something Heavenly…”
Those are lyrics to my favorite song by Sanctus Real, ‘Whatever you’re doing – Something Heavenly.’ It speaks about putting what we want aside, and focusing on what God wants. In the life of a Christian, we need to strive to MAKE what God wants we WE want. Sometimes it’s not easy, and it’s painful.
God will often call us away from something hindering us from growing in him. It can be confusing, hard, and painful, and ‘it feels like chaos,’ but I promise, there will be peace with it.
“This is something bigger then me. Larger then life… something Heavenly.”
Whatever your struggle is, the good news is that YOU don’t have to handle it by yourself! Back in Old Testament days, a Rabbi, that is, a religious leader in the Jewish community, would have students study under them. They’d say the students would ‘take up their master’s yoke,’ and in, they’d carry the burden of studying every last teaching and following EVERY LAST rule of Jewish law. Heavy burden to bear for such a little one, right? Jesus says this in Matthew 11:30,
“My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
He takes care of us. His yoke is easy. His burden is light, if existent at all. We don’t have to worry about what comes out way, or what seems to be constant attacks against us from the enemy. Jesus took away all our troubles, and they’re nailed to his cross. This doesn’t mean the life of a believer is going to be an easy one, but when times come when you need to carry your own cross, Jesus will be there carrying it with you.
So give into something heavenly today.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO
Thanks for Reading,
Lots of Love,
-Matt
written by Matt
\\ tags: Freedom, God, Jesus, Letting Go, life, Lyrics, Matthew, Music, Sin, Struggle, Worry
 All of us have good days – you know, one of those days where everything goes right and it just feels too good to be true. Whether they’re days of relaxation, enjoyment, or whatever it may be, all of us have those occasional blue-moon great days.
All of us, unfortunately, also have bad days. There are some days where nothing seems to go right – all the odds are stacked against you every which way. Your car broke down. You can’t find a baby sitter. You forgot to pay your mortgage. You were late for work. You fought with your spouse. The list can go on and on.
And then, there are these days that are in between the two I mentioned above – the “average” days. Some things go good, and some things go bad. You may have gotten a promotion at work, but forgot to pick up your son at football practice. Maybe you went grocery shopping, but forgot to balance your checkbook before hand. Again, this list of examples can go on and on.
When we’re going through a hard time (i.e. a “bad day”), many of us, especially Christians, will (hopefully) turn to God. And that’s great – whenever we’re going through a big struggle or the like, He wants us to turn to Him. However, for some folks, this is the only time they turn to the Lord.
There is no problem too big or too small to hand over to God. He wants us to give our problems to Him, and he’s not picky about what they are, either. If you have an infection in your finger and it starts to spread to the rest of your hand, shouldn’t you get help before it overtakes your whole arm?
God wants us to trust in Him from the beginning.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Philippians 4:6
Is there something you want to surrender to God today before it grows out of control?
written by Josh
\\ tags: God, grace, Letting Go, Problems, Worry
It doesn’t take a genius to realize how many problems there are in the world. Hunger. Disease. Poverty. Tyranny. Oppression. Violence. Greed. Have I gotten you depressed yet? It can be pretty overwhelming and really darn depressing when you think about it.
And I’m sure you’ve got your own share of problems, too. Mortgage. Grocery bill. Relationships. School. Your Job. There are a lot of problems, and they can just seem like too much at times, can’t they!? I mean, really, how can you – how can I – deal with all the nasty stuff that goes on around us each and every day?
The answer: God. Clichéd, I know, but just think about it. God, the one who simply said ‘Let it be,’ and the Universe existed, the one who created you DNA strand by DNA strand (1. Psalm 139:13-14) and made you unique, the one the stepped down out of the most glorious place in existence, just so he could become like you and die a horrible death, to pay the price you owed him still says ‘Give me your problems.’
Proverbs 3:5-6 is one of the most popular bits of scripture, but, I think, it’s often one of of the most overlooked.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and He will show you which path to take.”
God is saying ‘Don’t worry about it! I’ve got this! Let me handle it!’ But really, how often to we let him do that? Why would we stress out about how we’re going to make ends meet this week when God is telling us ‘Let me handle it?’ Why would we worry about the Government, the Economy, or the State of the Union when God is saying “Trust in me; don’t depend on your own understanding.” Why do we make such big deals out of our problems?
We tend to make all of our issues and problems huge, but, no matter what, God is bigger then any of our problems. If we only give them to him, and let him handle it, then really we have nothing to worry about it. Imagine a life without fear, regret, worry, or anxiousness! It’s all promised to you, and it’s as easy as just letting go.
If you want to make that decision to let go and trust Jesus Christ today, let Josh, Amy, or I know! It’s the most important decision of your life, and one of us would be happy to walk you through it; it’s as easy as believing.
Thanks for reading!
Lots of Love,
-Matt Walker
(1. Psalms 139:13-14: 13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.)
written by Matt
\\ tags: God, Jesus, Letting Go, Problems, Proverbs, World, Worry
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