MeTV

What if I was the star of my own reality show? Life With Emma. What would the SUPER EXCITING Grand Premiere episode be like?
 
Interior- Dimly Lit
Woman puts dinner plate into dishwasher.  Walks to couch. Watches eight hour Mentalist marathon...
 
Okay- that sounds like a really boring reality show!  What about my job?  Dealing with all those shoppers, my day has to be broadcast worthy.
 
Grocery Store- Harsh Fluorescent Lighting
Woman waves cereal box over scanner. Beep. Coffee. Beep. Cheese. Beep. Small talk... 
 
Nope, my life would not make an entertaining reality show.  Big Surprise! :) But sometimes I'm so self-conscious I act like I'm live on national television.  How should I act?  How do I look?  What should I say? What will people think?
 
As ALWAYS, God has the perfect answers: 
 
Philippians 2:3 NLT "Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves."   - Should I be self-conscious? NO.

Why Not?:
Psalm 118:6 NLT "The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?" - Because compared to God's opinion, what other people think of me is SO not important!

And...
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."
Philippians 4:13 NKJV "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." 
- No matter what, God has my back.

When I mess up:
Romans 8:1 NLT  "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." - I have forgiveness through Jesus!!! :)
 
DON'T: Compare myself to other people -
2 Corinthians 10:12b NLT "But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!"
 
DO: Use God's Word to guide my actions -
2 Timothy 3:15-17 NLT "You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work."
 
So it looks like Life With Emma has a target audience of One.  And that One loves me unconditionally and forgives me completely.  Praise God!!! 

How Boring Would You're Reality Show Be?  Leave me a comment and make me laugh! :)

The One Who Lives And Sees Me.

Hey, guys!  I just wanted to drop you a little line to share my favorite event from the Old Testament.  This is so encouraging and I hope you love it too.

This is the background:

 God promised to give Abraham and Sarah a son.  A son who would become important and turn their family into a huge and important nation.  The nation that the Messiah (the Savior of Humanity, The Way to Heaven) would be someday born into.  But Sarah got impatient and decided God needed her help with this whole son thing.  So she and Abraham decided that Abraham should have a son with the maid, Hagar.  Hagar got pregnant and uppity and started being mean to her boss Sarah.  So Sarah whined to Abraham and Abraham basically said "do what you want, she's your maid".  So Sarah was harsh to Hagar.  So Hagar, the maid, ran away...

Genesis 16: 7-14

"The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur.  The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

“I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied.

The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.” Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.” And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress.   This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.”  

Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?”  So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means “well of the Living One who sees me”). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered."

 

God sees you.  He lives and He sees you. You are important to Him.  No matter what anyone else says, sees, hears or thinks.  God SEES you.  He HEARS you and He CARES about you. 

Hagar was unimportant.  A maid.  A mistake.  The other woman.  She wasn't part of God's plan to bring the Messiah.  But Hagar was important to God.  He heard her, He saw her and He cared.

 

1 Peter 5:6-11

"So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.  In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.  All power to him forever! Amen."



Be Encouraging!

As this musician struggles with her recorder, her classmates imitate

Jesus by clapping along to encourage her- WAY TO BE GODLY CLASS!!! Jesus wants us all to be ENCOURAGING!

1 Thessalonians 5:14-18

"Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy.

Encourage those who are timid.

Take tender care of those who are weak.

Be patient with everyone.

See that no one pays back evil for evil,

but always try to do good to each other and to all people. 
Always be joyful.  

Never stop praying.

Be thankful in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

 

 

Relief

     The part I treasure most in any high intensity action scene is the big moment of relief.  My eyes sparkle with excitement while the heroes gasp and laugh and cry as they look at the cliff's edge, exploded building, smoking crater, unconscious murderer or other huge source of peril that they have just survived.  They're okay, it's over, they're safe now.  "Let's go home."
     What could feel better than the moment you realize you're alive?
     I've never run out of a burning building or been reeled in from a crashing wave but I can imagine the overwhelming sense of well being and relief that must come when the worst doesn't happen.  The rush when, after thinking all was lost, the thing you hoped for the most appears before your eyes - rescue!
     I got the idea for an article about relief one morning when I was a sad, cranky mess.  I irrationally hated and questioned everything!  I knew that I shouldn't feel this way but it felt like there was nothing I could do to make myself feel better.  I struggle with this problem sometimes.  Contentment.  How do you get it?
     I tried to think about the things I should be grateful for.  And then I thought about how I've been... rescued.   I've been rescued from the worst and most terrifying thing anyone can face: separation from God.  I've been freed from Hell I'm bound for Heaven.  I'm friends with God.  Right now, this very instant!
     "For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins." Colossians 1:13-14 (NLT)
     "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."  1 John 4:10 (NIV)
     And then I thought about that moment of pure happiness when someone is rescued.  The laughter, tears and hugs.  I've seen it many times portrayed by actors or in real-life incidents caught on film.  When I accepted Jesus as my Savior, I was rescued from far worse than anything this world could ever dish out.  So my joy should be far more enthusiastic!
     God has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)!  So I'm going to keep that picture of salvation fresh in my mind.  I'm going to replace my cloudy moods with the laughter of pure relief!
     When I accepted Christ's rescue, I was reborn into God's family and I started my new life with Him.  What could feel better than the moment you realize you're alive?

"We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light."     Colossians 1:11-12 (NLT)