How Much?

Written By:Remaliah Evans

If you ever wondered who shops at midnight during the Christmas season- it’s me. The stores are peaceful, there are no lines, and the deals are great. But if the price is not clear then I have to know how much? I’ve gone to the register thinking, “oh this little cardigan can’t possibly be that much,” and ended up putting the cardigan back because it IS that much. I ask how much when I am shopping and I also ask myself how much when I am planning and making decisions. Jesus said, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it.” I count the cost by asking how much? I want to be a professional writer so I asked myself, what’s that going to take? Originally I told myself that I would do whatever it takes. The problem with “whatever it takes” is that this phrase does not clearly define a plan of action.

 Years passed and I gained writing experience but the book remains unwritten, and I am not a professional writer. So then I asked myself, why am I not writing? I was not writing because I did not make it a priority and I did not set aside time to write. I was too busy. I recently heard a story about a minister who knew that he was supposed to write a prophetic book about the coming decade. Well, he waited so long to write the book, that the decade passed! He was not twiddling his thumbs for ten years; he was raising his family, leading a church, counseling, and living life. Yet, the fact remains: he did not make time to write the book. The demands of family, work, ministry, school, and relationships never end, and there are often unexpected events that require our attention. Nonetheless, we make time for what is most important. We start work a few hours early so that we can go to our kid’s 3:00 game. We set aside time to spend with friends, and we make time for church.

So what about that dream in your heart? Have you counted the cost of that dream? Counting the cost will tell you what you value and how much that dream means to you.  How much time are you willing to invest? How much will you let go of? What will you say no to? How long will you prepare and train? Are you willing to make mistakes and be embarrassed during the learning process? Will you risk having your ideas or work rejected? Are you willing to leave your comfort zone?

 I love my comfort zone; it’s warm and cozy, safe, and less stressful. It’s also eerily idle. There is no growth there. As cozy as it is, it’s time to leave the comfort zone. A person can only sleep in for so long before they finally get out of bed and do something. When we begin to understand how much something will cost us, we can then make an informed decision and plan accordingly. Sometimes the cost is too high, and many times the cost is well worth it.

Do I Have True Peace?

Written By Judy Smith

2 Corinthians 5:18 CEV God…sent Christ to make peace between Himself and us, and He has given us the work of making peace between Himself and others. Peace starts with us receiving His forgiveness. An important truth is that God accepts you. This acceptance began in heaven with His desire to have a relationship with you. He provided the way to have that relationship through Jesus, and the communication that keeps the relationship healthy through His Holy Spirit. God made it possible for you to be united with Him in peace.2 Corinthians 5:19 CEV God was in Christ; offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And He has given us the work of sharing His message about peace.

We cannot have true peace without believing that He has truly forgiven us, and then the way to peace is making the decision to walk in love and forgiveness toward others. John 14:27 CEV My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.The world defines peace as an absence of troubles or conflict. The world says that we achieve peace by our abundance of strength. “Be tough, suck it up, calm down. “ These tactics are wrong because the absence of problems or being strong do not automatically bring you peace.

You don’t have to be tough or trouble-free in order to have peace. God gives you peace in the midst of the storm. God gives you peace during your troubles, sorrows, grief, and when you’re tired and weak; even when you fail.When we are stressed and troubled, we can call out to Him in faith, trust in Him, and He will send His peace. God gives us perfect unfaltering peace through the protective power of the Holy Spirit. Rest calmly in His presence. Lay your troubles and concerns at His feet, and He will keep you in perfect peace. Isaiah 26:3

Philippians  4:7 And the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Come on now; lay it all at His feet. Rest calmly in the strength of God. Let Him put His loving arms around you. Listen to His heartbeat. Peace peace, be still. Psalms 29:11NKV The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.

Dear Father God, thank you for the awesome peace you give to those who trust in you. I will not be afraid knowing you protect me and watch over me. You are Jehovah Jireh, my provider. You are Jehovah Shalom my peace, and so much more! Praise You Jesus! Thank you!

Now take a deep breath, and breathe in in your peace.

Making Changes

Written by: Lynn Waters

 On New Year’s we make decisions to lose weight and make changes in our lives. In Spring we make plans and clean our homes thoroughly. I always can’t wait to do my Spring Cleaning. I make lists of things I need to do for each room, and then check them off when I have accomplished them. Some of us go through our clothes and get rid of things we can’t wear any more or don’t like. Some even rearrange their closets. We all have things we do to change our surroundings.

 What if we did the same things with our lives? We can look at our lives and decide what we want to change. Do we like our job or do we dislike going there every day? If we don’t like it, what do we want to do to change it? Do we
need to take classes and get a degree? My nephew is doing that, online. He doesn’t even have to travel to attend class. He left the job that he no longer enjoyed because his wife was transferred, and he was happy to do this. Now that he is earning his degree, he is able to and then planning to look for a job in their new location. What other changes can we make to in our lives? Some of us have a lot of credit card debt because we spend more than we make. It would benefit us to look at why we spend this money and decide what we are going to do about it.

If we have bad habits that are not good for us we can look at them and decide which healthy habits we want develop, while we do away with the bad habits. Myself, I decided to eat healthier and to lose weight. Not just go on a diet, because most dieters regain the weight. I decided to change my eating habits. This is harder, but I know by doing this I will lose weight, probably slower, but I will keep off the weight because of these healthier eating habits. I also decided to a spend time reading the Bible daily, and to pray more. Maybe you have a lot of clothes, but nothing to wear. Look at what people around you are wearing. It used to be that you never wore black and brown together, but people are doing that today. Also, people wear things that don’t exactly match. I’ve noticed women that wear a big necklace that doesn’t match anything they have on. I have expanded my wardrobe by wearing different items and scarves, which are very in right now. If you go through your wardrobe you will find out that with 10 items of clothing you can create a month’s worth of wardrobe.

 I went on a trip and planned my clothes so that I could wear most of them with each other. I had the smallest suitcase of everyone on the trip and they didn’t see how I could do it.  But I had planned.  I had a pair of pants and a skirt that were the same color. Then I had tops that were different, but went with the skirt and the pants.  Plus I had some clothes that were not paired with these so I looked like I had more in my wardrobe. I spent three weeks wearing these clothes and felt quite well dressed. Many of us have a large wardrobe, but only wear a small part of it. Look at the items you don’t wear and decide what you can wear with it. If nothing works, get rid of it. We can look at our lives, just like we look at our closet, and decide what stays and what goes. It is good to look at our lives and make changes.