All the Glory Goes to My Christ Jesus

Philippians 3: 7-14: "But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in^[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

    You're beautiful , you're beautiful... This sums up Philippians 3:7-17 very well. The other day, one of my friends asked me what fruit of the spirit do I have the most trouble with and that I would like to work on more. My reply was really all of them, because I am no where near being perfect. But if I had to pick one, I told her peace. Peace has always been a struggle through out my life and putting my trust in God. She told me to read Philippians chapter 3 and 4 , so as I was reading chapter 3, and before I could read onto chapter 4, tears began to stream down from my eyes. I just felt a sudden peace within my soul when I read verses 7-14. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. WOW! Whatever satisfies me in life is not worth the gain to Christ because its not about me, its about Christ. Everything that happens in my life, is because of God and not myself. My life is not about satisfying me, but satisfying my Christ Jesus and bringing all the glory to him alone. Do you know what that means? That I have no reason to fear and to not be at peace because of how great and all mighty my God is. My life is centered around him and everything I do is because of him, so why should I not have peace when I have an all powerful God that is living in my life. With a life with Christ I have lost all things, which are fear, anxiety, guilt, sorrow, etc. I can leave all these things behind because I have faith in God. My goal in life is to be more like Christ everyday and to continue to have faith in him through everything that happens in my life. Forget what was behind you and take a hold of God and continue to grow in your faith in him. Look ahead, which is an eternal life with God in heaven and before that time comes, enjoy what God is doing now in your life, but don't forget to bring all the glory to him alone. This life isn't about us, its about bringing glory to him and being more like him daily. Bringing God's word to others around us and keeping our faith in God. Its amazing how God speaks to us through his word, so I encourage you all to read his word. He is truly a beautiful God and I thank him for everything he is doing in my life. Thank you, God.

Promises of God

Trusting can be so hard at times. Trust, has always been a problem through the past couple years of my life, especially letting new people into my life. The fear of getting hurt and abandoned always circles my head. But the real question is, are we really abandoned when we have a God that cares so deeply for us? God has so many promises in store for us when we rely and trust in him. Joshua 23:14 says, "Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the Lord your God has come true. Not a single one has Failed!" As I was reading this verse this morning, I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit and a comfort that filled my heart. In times of loneliness and fear, I know my God understands exactly how I feel and understands what I am going through. He uses what you're going through for your future and our purpose here on earth. I know I can rely on God through the good days and the bad days, because he has so many promises in store for us. No matter the situation, God uses it for the good and for the will he wants for our life. The past month or two, God has opened my eyes like never before. He has tested my strength and abilities. He has shown me how great his love is through the struggles. He has pushed me to strive to know him more. He has pushed me to open up my heart to him, say everything I'm feeling, and giving it all to him. Giving it all to him. That's the first step of letting go... giving all the pain, trust, depression, heartache to him. Our loving God that cares for us  so deeply and who wants to change our hearts. Look at Job, who had everything taken away from him, but he still continued to trust God through those troubles. Even when people told him to curse God, he still continued to trust God. I want my life to be more like that. No matter what situation happens, to just praise God through the storm. When you do, you will be amazed to see how great our God is. The promises of God are unthinkable, unspeakable, fascinating, and incredible. You have a God that loves you, and wants you, all of you. Don't be afraid to let people into your lives, because they may have an impact on you, or you may have an impact on them. But also don't be afraid to let God in your life. A God that gave everything to have you, so give your whole self to him. Just watch and see the wonderful things he has in store for you, and just watch how much your life will transform. You will see a new life, a life full of love, grace, faith, something that is unspeakable. YOU ARE LOVED, by the ONE TRUE KING, JESUS.