kellym40 General

Live Without Sin and Glorify God

In Romans, Paul tells us we don’t have to do what sin tells us to do. When we believe and put our trust in the Lord, we come to Christ on a spiritual level.

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with hi by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:3-4)

The chains of sin no longer affect us. Paul continues, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be untied with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.” (Romans 6:5-7)

Through this, we experience a spiritual death and resurrection that parallels Jesus’ death and resurrection. We have conquered sin, in a way, as Jesus conquered death. His resurrection is our saving grace. Our redeeming power over sin. Although we still might hav a desire to sin, we must turn ourselves to Christ so that we honor and glorify God.

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, or make you obey its passions. Do not present your members t sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:12-14)

God is to be glorified and loved above all things. Jesus tells his disciples this as he sends them out to do his work, if we follow Jesus we have already won power over sin. In Matthew, Chapter 10, he gives them instructions on what to do and also gives them a warning, that there would be some skepticism and resistance.

As Jesus says in verse 38, “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” We must bear all of our worries, doubts and fears to offer to Jesus and he will lift us up and forgive our transgressions so to live a life of everlasting love with Jesus.

By giving honor to the Maker and turning to Jesus when we stumble and fall, when we sin, we are glorfying his name and giving victory over those sinful ways.

kellym40 General

Happy Father’s Day

Today is Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there, including step-fathers or any type of father figure. Today we hoor you. In the same way mothers were honored last month. It is also the same as we honor our heavenly father, just as Jesus did.

Today’s verse comes from one of the Ten Commandments given in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God giving you.” This is the fifth commandment, with all of them listed in the book of Exodus, chapter 20. The commandments are simply not just a bunch of words given to Moses on stone tablets. The commandments are one of many covenants God had with his people, the Israelites. They were a list of rules of how God wanted his people to act.

In the fifth commandment, God was asking the children (mostly the adult children) to look out for their parents, provide for them in their older age when they may be incapable of providing for themselves.

Today, we use it for all children to respect and love their parents, and still provide for them as they get older.

With today being Father’s Day, we are reminded of that simple truth. We must come back to that truth in order to follow God’s commandments and honor those that brought us into this world. And even those who have helped form us and shape us through our own growing through the years.

I know there every father may not be the strongest role model or the best father, but I’m sure they try in their own way. There have been times of disconnect with my own father through the years, but he is still my father and love him and do the best I can.

Good fathers share positive upbringing to his children. That goes for mothers as well. But in Ephesians 6:4, it says, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” As I said earlier, the commandments were given as a guide of how God wanted his people to act. So this verse from Ephesians reminds us that we also must give reverence to our heavenly father, the Creator of all things, as it says in Matthew 10:37, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”

This simply follows God’s commandments. Giving reverence to those who raised us and supported us, even to those who helped form us and teach us, is important. But so is honoring the Father in heaven. It is the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3) It is a name above any other name. And all glory and honor is for him.

So today, let’s not forget our fathers, our parents, and those other parental figures in our lives. And let us not forget our Father in heaven. Here is a prayer to help with that. “Father, please show me how I can honor my parents – even if our relationship is difficult. I also than you for the special mentors ad parental figures you’ve give me. Amen.”

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Love and Be Blessed

Many times in our lives we may not feel blessed. Or we may not feel like we’re worthy of God’s love and blessings. We may go so far as to think, at times, that we don’t deserve His love and blessings.

In John 8, it begins with the scribes and the Pharisees who brought to Jesus, a woman who committed adultry. When he told those present that anyone without sin be the first to cast a stone upon her. No one did. And eventually, all of them went away. This represents God’s mercy and love. You can never be too far gone that you will not be able to receive God’s love.
This brings me to today’s verse.

Today’s verse I would like to share with you comes from Deuteronomy 30:16. It says, “For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.”

It seems you are never too far gone. No one is ever very far away from the Lord. That’s what this verse says. We are all special children of God. We are blessed. If we obey what He has set out for us and follow in His ways, we are blessed. The first verse of Psalm 112 says, “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in is commandments.”

There will be hardships and difficult times that we endure. But God is there. We may not fully understand the situations at the time, but know that He is there. Having faith is trusting in God. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

As I said last week, to be a light for others. When you are blessed, you can go forth and share that blessing with others. You can be a blessing to them.

God wants nothing more than to love us. We are His children. We are His flock, Jesus is our shepherd. Set your hearts and mind to honor Him and keep His commandments, just as He told Abraham in Genesis 12:2, “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.”

Here is a little prayer to ask God to help you love and be blessed: “God, please teach me how love and obedience work toether. Please help me to love You through obedience. And please help me to obey You out of Love. Amen.”

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Be a light, make the world shine with light

Today I want to share with you a scripture passage that has as much meaning today as in any day. The scripture comes from Matthew 5:14 and reads as follows: “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.”

With all that is going on in the world, with its current state of affairs – and really for the last several years – some of humanity has lost its way it seems. We can all act too quickly to blame others or see fault in people, but cannot see our own shortcomings. Not everyone is like this, but it appears there are people that have this mentality, or thought.

In Matthew Chapter 7, Jesus says, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” I think today’s passage (Matthew Chapter 5) reflects those words, and it is what we should all be asking ourselves. “Can I be a light the world needs?” It is possible that many don’t turn that light on for fear of ridicule or prosecution. Perhaps if we took a step, be bold (like Jesus), and let the light shine for others to see and not be like that town that is hidden, then it might give others the courage and strength to be bold as well and let more light shine upon this world.

It can be difficult I know. I struggle with this myself at times. But it is in God’s word that gives us hope, strength and courage. It is my hope that you can see that and accept His word to be a light unto this world. There are three simple ways to effectively allow God’s light to emanate through us: 1) Be an effective witness; 2) Serve others; 3) Fellowship with Christians.

Here is a simple prayer to ask for help in being that light: “Father, please teach me how to represent Jesus well in the world. Please help me to follow His ways and not my own. Please let me reflect Jesus into this broken and dark world. Amen.”

May we all be encouraged to shed light unto this world, just as Jesus did, so that we may become a united people and close the divide between us.

kellym40 General

Long absence, much to process

So I made a post nearly a year and a half ago. After having moments of posting lapses (I post some, then I don’t, post some, then I don’t) a lot has happened during that time. I have been here in the state of Texas for more than two years, after moving in April 2018 from Missouri. It was a long year in 2019, and now here we are in 2020.

Recently, much has transpired in the past few months. I began to take another look at my life, and although I enjoy it and feel blessed for where I am now, (still the sports editor for the Moore County News-Press, a position which I have held since October 2018), I felt there was something missing.

I’ve wanted to get back to writing and creating blogs (even though I was writing nearly every day for the newspaper). I have had a shift in my creative desires. Especially since all this global pandemic has been going on.

A quick note on that is I’ve been well. I still kept my job, even though there hasn’t been any local sports to report on. I’ve been trying to keep busy and doing what I can to fill my sports pages with information.

Anyhoo, the something I have been missing was on my spiritual side. I was attending church and trying to be active there, but since the beginning of the shutdown back in March I have contemplated something else. I think it was brewing before the lockdown and just came to fruition since I had a little more time on my hands.

And now, more recent events have prompted me to pursue this even more.

In the beginning of March, I started connecting with a friend that I have known for a while. She shared a lot with me and the first weekend in March when I was visiting my hometown, we spent a lot of time together – and long story short – we became a couple. The last two plus months were amazing, but unfortunately it ended as quickly as it began.

Prior to this, I was contemplating a revamp on my blog, while getting back to my spiritual side. I have since moved on from my previous religion (something that I have known my entire life) and have been gravitating towards another. I am stil retaining my Christian faith, but on a slightly different path.

I decided I want to share that in my blog. Beginning this Sunday, June 7, I intend to do a weekly post, at least, and share some thoughts, encouraging words, and/or scripture through my blog posts. Especially in these trying times. And although, some things are beginning to open back up and return somewhat to normal, it all is still not quite there. Additionally, I will also attempt to revamp my YouTube channel and might post on there a little more frequently sharing some of the same things and other positive content.

I have been preparing myself and putting things in place to get this new chapter going, and I think I’m ready to go.

I hope everyone is well and stays focused on the positive so we can all get through this together.