Because this life isn't about me

Life is not about you. There. I said it. Life is about far more than that scratch on your car, that guy/girl that's being difficult, or that overtime you didn't get paid for. Life is about far more. In fact, if you step back (wayyy back) you'll see that the things that we get all hung up on don't mean much of anything at all. 

I don't know about you but this image makes me feel guilty about complaining that my clothes weren't in style anymore. Even more guilty about those times I had complained about being hungry and not liking the food my mother put in front of me. Guilty about saying that my life sucked and I wished for different; these children would do anything to have the life I seemed to hate so much. Should you feel guilty if you were born into a life that is so blessed? "Where I was born and where and how I have lived is unimportant. It is what I have done with where I have been that should be of interest.” ~ D.L. Moody "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." Matthew 5:42 
"Why in the world would I want to help them? It's not like they can do anything for me." "Because this life is not about me."

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 If you woke up tomorrow with only what you thanked God for yesterday, what would you have? 

My desire and sincere goal is to show how thankful I am for God's blessings by giving and loving everyone I meet, in every way I can, in every moment I am given. It can be difficult but I want to love not just my friends and those who can benefit me but everybody. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Matthew 5:43-47

National Prayer

On Thursday the third day of May, over some four hundred people gathered on the lawn of the Michigan capitol building for a National Day of Prayer. With the steps of the capitol building being their stage, many students read passages from the Bible relating to the songs sung, prayers said, and speeches recited by officials and pastors. They also offered things such as booths offering prayer and games for children.

Prayer has been a vital part of America’s heritage. The first official call to national prayer came from the Continental Congress in 1775 when they proclaimed a day of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer.” be held on June 20th. In 1992, congress voted (unanimously) to establish an annual day of prayer that was later amended to be on the first Thursday of every May.

 "Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees." ~ Corrie ten Boom

Ephesians 6:18 "Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints" 

James 1:6 "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a sea that is driven and tossed by the wind."


James 5:16 "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 


James 5:13-14 "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."

Prayer has proved its power in the Bible, in this country, and in other people's lives. Have you given prayer the chance to show its power in your life?

The picture is of me, photo credit to www.lansingstatejournal.com

He always answers

I've heard people say that God doesn't answer their prayers. That God has forgotten about them or thinks they are not important enough to bother with.

God died for you. On a cross. I promise that no matter who you are, He adores you.

And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. Matthew 21:22 I've misunderstood this verse many times to mean that if I were to ask God for a car He would have one in my driveway or that if I asked Him for a boyfriend I would have one the next day. Because God loves me so much, He won't give me something that will harm me, even if I beg Him for it. He has a plan bigger than what I can see and often my silly little human wants do not fit into that plan.

You have just taken a tray of cookies out of the oven and your four-year-old son Elijah gets excited and reaches for one. You would obviously tell Elijah no because you know he will get burned if you give him a cookie now. But he doesn't understand that the cookies are hot; he wants a cookie now. Little Elijah may cry and say that you don't love him. Maybe he'll say that you're a mean mommy or daddy but in truth, you told him no because you know more than he does. You didn't tell Elijah no because you want to keep all the cookies to yourself; you said no because you don't want him to get hurt. You told him no because you cared enough.

We, as children of God ask for "cookies" all the time. We think our prayers are being ignored or that maybe God doesn't love us. But that is not the case. God may not have dropped a new car in your driveway this morning, or transformed your ranch home into a colonial mansion-that doesn't mean He hasn't heard your prayers or that He doesn't love you. In fact it's exactly the opposite! He loves you so much that He sometimes tells you no. We, as children of God, have somebody to look out for us when we want things that will harm us. We, as children of God often mistake His love and lose faith in Him.

I and many others have done this but take heart for God has not abandoned you. Your prayers are being heard and whether the answer is that wonderful yes, or a no you don't want to hear... rest assured that as long as you earnestly seek Him, He is orchestrating something beautiful that will bless you and bring Him to greater glory in your life. He always answers prayers so rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Wait on Him and His timing...He could be waiting for the cookies to cool so He can give them to you next to a glass of milk-or in my case coffee.

In Him,

Tiffany Raye

Talents

If you choose to hide your talents rather than work and refine them, don’t be surprised when you are in the same place in twenty years as you are right now. I have been pondering a certain parable Jesus tells and how it relates to me, my future, and my unique talents-this got me doing some serious thinking. God gifted us each with special talents uniquely our own. God gave me talents unique to me just like He gave you talents unique to you. Now I would like to tell you a story…*

“A man, who was going on a journey, called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.” We are not all gifted equally but we are all accountable for how we use the talents we have. “The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.” I am personally guilty of burying my talents because I am worried about getting hurt or I allow my shortcomings to cloud my view of all the things I COULD do. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” Wonderful things happen when we work hard and use the gifts we have been given! Likewise bad things happen when we fail to have faith and give into laziness. “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest” And if that weren’t bad enough, the master goes on to say, “‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have in abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”

It hardly needs to be said that we each have unique talents. I have heard it said that I make an awful imitation of others but I am the only one who can be Tiffany Raye as well as I can. The same goes with every single other human being God breathed life into. Are you breathing? Guess what… you are talented too!

A wise man I know once told me this: “If you want something you’ve never had before you must do something you’ve never done before because everything you already have is result of what you’ve already done.” I need to stop burying my talents, hoping to leave my mark on the world. Instead I must start putting them to better use.

Changing gears a bit, I want to point out that because of a thing called inflation, that original talent of money decreased in value. You may think that not using your talent isn’t that bad. Think again. Hiding that talent deep down is like robbing God of what was His. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be that third guy who lost everything.

Let us not forget that we live in a country that still remains free. Freedom of speech would be wasted if those gifted in writing neglected to take advantage of it. You may be musical, academic, athletic, giving, thoughtful, good with cooking, or friendly. All the parts of the body are important-so are all the different talents important.

I beseech thee, (yep. I really wanted to sneak that in someplace) reflect upon your life and see what talents you might have hidden. God bestowed upon you, talents. Talents to be used for purposes only you can truly fulfill.

Blessings,

Tiffany Raye

*The parable above is found in Matthew 25.

THANKSGIVING

With all the baking of desserts, prepping the turkey, mashing potatoes, and worrying a out which relatives you have to deal with for Thanksgiving we forget the reason we are doing this at all.

Autumn 1621 the Native Americans and the Pilgrims put aside their prejudices, came to the same table, and feasted together.

Let us take their example this Thanksgiving, put aside all our prejudices, and focus on the real reason we have this day of feasting.

God has richly blessed us. Today, I will focus only on the things God has blessed me with; selfishness and grumbling absolutely not allowed.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

"Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift." 2 Corinthians 9:15

Life or Fire?

With words God spoke this earth into existence. With words He filled the depths with water and peppered the sky with stars. Words I say in passing could come to replay in someone's mind giving them the motivation to persevere. But they could also replay in their head daunting them. This doesn't only apply to me; this applies to every man that has breath.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue" Proverbs 18:21. With the words “Get up and walk” Christ healed a paralyzed man. With words I can give people the boost they need to keep going through the day, the determination to pursue a certain goal with vigor, and remind them they are loved. On the other hand, my words have the potential to destroy. Just as it takes only one spark to start a blazing inferno, it takes only one callous phrase to wound someone at the heart.

People also say that it doesn't matter what you say or do as long as your heart is right. This may be true however, only God sees your heart while men only see your actions and hear your words. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

The tongue can start a fire of destruction. James 3:6, 8, "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell... no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." So, if our tongues are so destructive and cannot be tamed why bother at all? Because God is more powerful than our out-of-control mouths: “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3.

That said, out words are powerful but it is up to you whether you let them be heinously destructive or beautifully life giving. Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

In Him,

Tiffany Raye

You Have Filled my Heart with Greater Joy

Serving has become a huge part of my life and is one of the most enjoyable and spiritually rewarding things I have ever done. When People say, "Blessed is the giver more than the receiver" they aren't kidding!

I began volunteering [at Woodside] with singing in the choir at age eleven and have since done anything from packing shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, to leading groups of first graders through Kreative Kids Day Camp. Whatever the occasion I love volunteering. God has filled my heart with greater joy through volunteering and, though it seems backwards, I have become more outgoing through meeting people who share the same goal as I have; to reach out to the world as the hands and feet of Christ. Christ not only commands us to be His hands and feet but He came to set an example.* It is this example that makes me rush to AWANA every Wednesday to greet the precious faces of my Cubbies. I have learned more from their innocent hearts than I ever imagined and they never fail to make my day with smiles and laughter.

The friends I have made while serving have become some of the best. I would not be who I am today without these friends, or the experiences we’ve had together while serving. God calls us each to serve and there is a place for everybody. He wants to fill your heart with greater joy!

*Matthew 20:26-28 "...whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

John 13:14-15 "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."