Who Needs An Advocate In The New Year

I know I will mess up alot this year. Hopefully less than last year. But what encourages me the most about the new year is the following truth:

I have an advocate, someone pleading in my behalf.

As believers, we all have Christ as our advocate.

In 1 John chapter 2, John writes, "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

I believe John wants us to know sin is not a necessary component of the Christ life. Yet, because we live in a broken world and struggle daily here, he knows we will. So his very next sentence, gently reminds us,

"Hey, even though you don't have to sin, I know it will happen. But here's the good news: Christ is already pleading on your behalf....that sin is already taken care of by me...Christ."

Furthermore, as a woman of God, I believe the apostle John is telling me, just like Christ told the woman at the well, now because you have experienced me.... go and sin no more.

I am blown away personally by how God wants me to know Him. How available He is to speak to me intimately at any time I quiet my soul and seek Him through His word.

Will 2013 be a time when you get to know God more..

experience Him advocating for you

and respond to Him as advocate by going and

sinning no more

Sin is a hard word to write about. No one likes to be called out on their sin. In my world, as well as the apostle John's, belief was paramount to experiencing God. In other words, might our lack of experiencing God be a result of some form of unbelief, known also as sin.

Even today I wrestled with unbelief regarding living my single mom life. 

Gently, the Father reminded me that although my life may be filled with good deeds and righteous acts, I struggle with belief that He will give me the desires of my heart regarding a mate.  The struggle to believe that He really is big enough to solve the dilemma of a single mom with five children is ongoing.

 Yeah, I know, it even sounds kinda lame here as I write. I mean He did part the Red Sea.

But I do struggle and my unbelief is sin. 

The beautiful reality though is that He has that sin covered and pleads on my behalf as my advocate in spite of my unbelief.

 He loves me enough to show me my sin, allowing me to confess and experience Him more fully.

My prayer  is that 2013 will be full of such times for you as well as me. And I would love to hear about them here.

Love,

Pam

The Danger of Comparison

The use of comparison can be helpful often when making big decisions....like purchasing a car, deciding on a college, or even what stereo system you want for Christmas.

However, as women, I know we often use comparison of ourselves to other women to measure how we are doing? This is especially true if someone comes upon some success. It is easy to wonder, "what am I doing wrong?"

Or on the other end of the spectrum, we see someone struggling and in comparison end up feeling pretty puffed up about ourselves who are making it fine in that arena.

I heard this advice once about comparing ourselves to others:

"When we compare ourselves to others we either end up with feelings of inadequacy or an air of superiority."

Here at Christmas we talk and hear about Jesus being the light of the world.

In 1 John 1:5-10, we find a healthy comparison of light and darkness, which indicates who God is.

Light

God is light...

when we walk in light we have fellowship with God

and we have fellowship with one another

and the blood of Jesus cleanses me from sin

Darkness

God is not darkness

When we walk in darkness we have no fellowship with God or one another

and we are in deception

and His word is not in this person

and we are in denial of sin

 we say they have no sin so truth is not in them

Won't you this Christmas season realize who God is..That truly He is the light of the world. 

And should you find yourself in a comparison mindset this holiday season, make sure you are comparing those things that make an eternal diference.

Blessings,

Pam

Complete Joy...How to have it!

The disciple John was passionate for those around him to walk in truth. We share that same passion. In the wake of a time when senseless tragedy occurs, we ask the question "why?"

I believe I will finish my life with the answer, "because someone did not the truth." This is not a post about Friday's tragedy, or mental illness, or guns, but about sharing the truth with others.

I do have opinions about all three areas, but I want to remain intentional about the truth of God's word.

I have found that knowing the nature and character of God as revealed through His word equips me to remain steady in the wake of tragedy or simply a hard place in life.

 In 1st John, chapter one, the disciple Jesus loved went even further to say, knowing truth would yield

COMPLETE JOY

Isn't that what we all want? Joy?

From verses 1-4 of chapter one:

As the disciples walked and learned from Jesus by spending time with Him and determining the truth...he is the WORD OF LIFE, we too can know Him better by spending time with Him.

As the disciples proclaimed Christ to others, we too can proclaim Christ to others.

Then the equation presents itself from the passage:

Spending time in God's word + Proclaiming God = 

Complete Joy

Tonight we will celebrate at Lacey's Spring United Methodist Church in Lacey's Spring, Alabama the giving out of God's word and the proclaiming of God through a sweet Christmas story and song.

I suspect we will all have complete joy by the time the night is over.

Each week Mom Heart Lacey meets to equip moms and children to know God through biblical storytelling, great children's literature, and practical life skills.

It is the desire of Mom Heart that no mother or child in our community ever feel alone or not know the truth of God's love.

Our gift tonight to the church is a way of saying "thank you" for opening your doors to our families for the giving out of truth each week.

If your life lacks joy, what changes will you make to spend more time with God and to proclaim Him through the gifts and abilities He has already given you.

Rather than wait for a New Year's resolution, decide to today to have more joy and take the steps to find complete joy.

Struggling with apathy, grace to you...ask God for a willingness to know Him more.

He has a wonderful way of coming to us as we are...come Lord Jesus.

Love and JOY,

Pam