The Reason for the World

Learning to trust God

Dear friends,

I've been thinking, "Why is it so hard to trust God?"

I mean, I trust in so many simple things in life daily...I trust that when I flip the switch, the light will come on...I trust that when I walk into a building, it will not crumble (due to my confidence in its structure and the expertise of the architect)...I trust that when I sit in a chair, it will not break...I trust that the floor I stand on will not suddenly give way...and I trust that when I turn on the water, it will flow out into the sink effortlessly.

So why then, is it so hard to put my faith into practice and trust God on the bigger things in life?

God has promised that if He takes care of the sparrow (which He does, faithfully), surely He will take care of you!

So here's a song by Pastor Donnie McClurkin on this very subject of trust. May it inspire your hearts to draw close to God as He will draw close to You and help us all to learn how to trust Him for everything (simple or complex) in this life.

Love,

Alexis

P.S._ Here's the video:

There's Nobody Like Jesus

Dear friends,

Truly, there is nobody like JESUS!

My prayer for you is that if you do not know HIM already, you will come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord, Savior, Redeemer and Friend for life.

God bless you!

Love,

Alexis

P.S._Here's the beautiful gospel song to testify of our Faithful Friend (Jesus Christ):

A note to you

Dear friends,

Growing up, I remember singing a song on in Sabbath School at my church called, "Jesus Loves the Little Children."

The lyrics are simple and sweet:

Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world,
Brown and yellow,
Black and white,
All are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world!

We have a responsibility to help each other as we journey through life.

Please keep Japan, its people and its land in your prayers, thoughts and if you can donate to organizations like ADRA who are currently on the ground in Japan providing aide to the Japanese people, please do. For those of you who do not know, Japan suffered a massive earthquake a few days ago and they're not out of the dark yet. You can read the update on the crisis situation on here (article from CNN).

Meanwhile let's look at the bright side of the situation, these events point to the Truth-- JESUS is coming soon! Read about it in The Holy Bible. See the book of Mark, Chapter 13. You also may want to read a short article by Evangelist Shawn Boonstra on this very issue called "Stirred, But Not Shaken: A Reflection on the Japan Earthquake."

Praying for God's peace to live in your hearts and shine through your lives,

Alexis

Stronger

Forgiveness

Dear friends,

The Word of God (The Holy Bible) tells us to forgive one another "seventy-times seven".

And you thought that three times was more than enough! Well, don't worry, we've all been there. But God doesn't want for us to respond with our sinful nature. Our natural instinct when wronged is to "get even" or "payback." But JESUS tells us to forgive...not just once, not twice, not thrice, but 70 x 7.

I know, it's not easy. Trust me, I've been there.

Now, for the clever ones out there, I'm sure you're waiting to ask, "Well what happens after I've forgiven someone seventy-times seven? I mean I've met the Lord's requirements, now I can do what I want- right?"

Wrong.

More than doing the math and keeping score, it's important to see the purpose in forgiving someone of so many offenses...somewhere along the lines of you forgiving the person repeatedly, a heart change can take place. The forgiven offender will eventually wonder why you're being so patient and forgiving. They will want to know more about what's causing you to be so gracious. And then, a witnessing opportunity is born. A chance for you to tell them about the God who commands us to live by The Golden Rule which is to "do unto others as you would want done unto you" (Luke 6:31) is yours for the taking. Most beautiful is the fact that as you share God's love and mercy with humanity, it can cause a ripple effect because the person you forgave now wants to experience the joy and peace you have from knowing Jesus Christ! So they are motivated to be like Jesus and forgive others of their offenses seventy-times-seven and like a stone skipping on the surface of a lake, the ripple effect is endless!

All of a sudden, it's not about "paying it back," it's about paying it forward. :)

Here's a song, appropriately titled "7x70" by Christian artist Chris August to illustrate and the story-behind the song, in his words:

beautiful song, rock solid truth

Jeremiah 29:11

Dear friends,

A quote written by Holley Gerth really made me think and I'd like to share it with you:

"God had good plans for His Son-- but they still included a cross."

After reading this quote, I've realized the value of Jeremiah 29:11...Yes God loves us, Yes He has good plans for us but he's not promising that it's always going to be sunshine and roses. Sometimes, life throws you curveballs, sometimes you may have the rug pulled out from under you, sometimes you may wonder why God is allowing (name it) in your life. It's then, that you've got to remember the sacrifice of His Son. Jesus Christ is One with God the Father and Holy Spirit. Yet even He took serious mental, physical and spiritual hits (worse than curveballs or having the rug pulled out from under you) all throughout His time and ministry on this planet Earth. Now, most (if not all) of us mere mortals want to call it quits after enduring a trial-by-fire once. Imagine enduring trials-by-fire for all of your life and having the people you're trying to save (the reason for enduring the trials by fire) hate and do all sorts of cruel things to you-- that's only a little of what Jesus went through during His time on this Earth. 

Back to the quote-- when I read that the good Lord our God had good plans for his Son but did not leave out the years of pain and heartache that His Son would endure in order to save the world (quite literally) I am inspired and gain a healthier, more positive perspective on my own trails because it's then that I am reminded of the bigger picture, one that spans worldwide, one of which you and I are each an important detail, each needed to make the picture complete. God had a purpose for the cross in Jesus Christ's life-- to save the world from their sins and eternal death. God knew that with the sacrifice of His Son JESUS on the Cross of Calvary, the story of salvation would begin and the stage would be set for every human being to have a chance at eternity. 

I know, it's not easy to thank God for trials...but remember, God has a higher purpose for everything He allows to happen to us and His plans for us go past our lives on this Earth...The Bible says, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him"(1 Corinthians 2:9, King James Version). God has great things in store for all who believe in His Son Jesus Christ. Remember, God loves us with His life and He wants us all to be saved, that's why His good plans for His Son included a cross. :)

Be blessed!

Love,

Alexis

God is for you

Dear friends,

Thank God it's Friday! :)

Are you ready for the weekend?

Today, I'd like to share this beautiful message from Christian singer/songwriter Kari Jobe. It's called, "You Are for Me" and it's about how when you're at your loneliest, lowest point in life, look up to God because HE is still for you.

Enjoy!

Love,

Alexis

P.S._ Here's the video:

The Holy Bible says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Read more about it in Romans 8:28-31.

GOD's Love reaches out to YOU

Dear friends,

The song, "Your Love" by Christian artist Brandon Heath speaks volumes to my mind!

I know I've often sought love from everyone else before I realized that it's GOD's love that I need most! It's HIS approval that I seek. HE is the only One in the entire universe whose love is enough...to light up my life, to help me realize my true worth, to make me complete.

The proof is in God's Word! Read John 3:16. :)

As for the beautiful video to drive my point home: