Mary of Bethany (Magdelene) transformation.

If there is one woman that i can relate and empathize with in the bible it's Mary Magdelene. The faithful Ruth  or Beautiful, brave Ester do nothing for me. Theirs is a story and a life that i cannot yet relate. But Mary, ah Mary now she is a woman after my own heart. Although history tries to peg her as merely a prostitute she was so much more, she was a misguided, misunderstood but exceptional woman. I think she was a woman that started off looking for love and acceptance and was let down enough that she became to not think she was worthy of such love and began to profit but the abuse she was already being subjected too.
Although her source of income  was questionable she was still self sustaining and independent. She was passionate, generous, unreserved, and devoted as shown when she bathed Jesus feet in perfume. She was a woman that gave it all. Luckily she found a man that in return gave something back to her, Salvation. She clinged to the only man that didn't leave her feeling more empty inside but instead filled her to the brim with life and truth. But even with the huge moral strides that she made she was still judged for her past. She was looked down on and despised. Even after her conversion she was still known as the prostitute that followed Jesus.
Let this be example, there will be people in your life that will always remember your sin, not your conversion. they will hold to their labels of you, of the past you. they will never seek to liberate your form the bondage  and shame that was your sin. Thankfully, we serve a Savior who frees us, and not only that but forgets our sins.  He doesn't judge us, he restores us. Do you understand that? the one person qualified to judge us chooses not to. That's a lesson within itself,  judging does nothing to restore a person, but forgiveness, acceptance, those are powerful tools. Secondly Jesus doesn't care what other people think about you, He knows its only His opinion that matters.

I think the one thing i admire about Mary is she didn't let the haters distract her or keep her from publically loving Jesus. I, myself do the exact opposite. When people hold me to my sins i either a) go into shameful seclusion or b)  live up to my bad reputation. I forget that my Savior has forgiven me, that I am not who i was yesterday. I am ever growing in grace, wisdom, and righteousness. and even if i screw up that between me and Him. I have to stop letting people make me feel ashamed of who i was, or even who i am in moments of weakness. I have been redeemed. No matter who you are or what you've done, Jesus wants you. He doesnt care about your past or your reputation, He sees who you can be. Fix your eyes on him and be transformed.

PRAYER
Father, thank you for taking me as a i am. Thank you for loving me, forgiving me and transforming me into your likeness. Help Yours to be the only approval i desire, and help me to not fall into the trap of judging others.
Amen.

OBEDIENCE

               

 i hate rules, I hate laws, I even hate codes of ethics, basically anything that tells me what to do and how to live. I mean I actively protest against it. So when i read the 10 commandments I had the same reaction that many of you 1st had, "what the heck, are you freaking kidding me?! I'm suppose to do all this?" It definiately  did not inspired  me to be a better person, and like usual i actively sought to protest them. But as time went on, and my knowledge of Christ increased I began to hate them less,given i wish still breaking every single rule but at least now it wasn't out of spite. I was kinda like "Jesus is pretty cool but His rules are retarded". I couldn't get why He was riding me so hard. I mean i was a good enough person. Then i hit rock bottom, my consequences finally caught up with my sins. I was in a bad place, losing the respect of my family and friends. Turns out lying, stealing,cheating.and jealousy aren't good traits in a friend. And after breaking the sabbath and putting any and everything above G-d i felt too ashamed  and too embarrassed to ask for forgiveness. My anti law crusade came to a disasterous end. I took all of that to make one simple fact sink in.. The laws are there because G-d loves me, because He loves everyone. He didn't want me to get to that point where i lost everything and he didn't want me running around hurting his other children. All his laws are centered around love, loving Him, loving yourself, and loving others. His rules aren't there for opression, in fact they save you from a heap of grief. That alone is a good enough reason to follow them, but theere's also other benefits of obedience..Blessings. As if a stress free life wasn't great enough G-d decided to make your life a zillion times better. Things i wanted, oppurtunites, they all opened up for me  when i was living  in a way that pleased G-d. The Man looooves to lavish His children with gifts. If your still not sold than think of this final point. G-d is nothing but good, he cant associate with evil, so when your out law breaking you are covering yourself in a sin filth and thus seperating yourself from G-d and His Favour..

What G-d says

Jeremiah 11 : 4 – 5 -Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God. 5) Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey ” – the land you possess today. ”
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John 9 : 31 -We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.
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John 14 : 21 -Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.
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Acts 5 : 29 -Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!” (even yourself, His will before your own)
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Strength

Seriously, I could use some super powers right about now..
I am constantly feeling overwhelmed. I have so much on my plate: work, school, relationships. I dont know if i can handle it all and then to top it off this christianity thing is really hard somestimes. being the bigger person, forgiving my enemies, resisting temptations.. Im not strong enough for this.. I wish life was easier.

What G-d says

ISAIAH 40:31 - But those who hope in the L-RD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

PHILIPPIANS 4:13 - I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

PSALMS 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.


I can think of  million scenerios that I wouldn't wanna be in: Calculus class, employee reviews, a cage with a hungry tiger, having dinner with my ex's..( I'd take the tiger before the ex's dinner in a heartbeat) But its nice to know that if I were ever in situation that was beyond my power that Jesus would step in and take control. Maybe you can just about anything that life throw your way or maybe just getting out of bed is a challenge, either way G-d is there to be your strength. Being a human automatically means we have weaknesses, there's gonna be times when we have task greater than our ability. But this doesn't mean we have to feel discouraged, because these are the exact moments that G-d works best. He's great at doing the impossible.. its kinda His specialty. When you get to that point when your about to give up, better yet BEFORE you get to that point ask G-d to give you strength, than relax, fully trusting that through Him you cn handle any situation that comes your way.
Forgiving that girl who stole your boyfriend - Done.
Passing a test you didn't reaaaally study for - Done.
Impressing the boss in a hard job interview - Done.
You name it and G-d will help you handle it! Isn't it nice to have access to such POWER?

WONDERFUL

Im sure we could all think of tons of things we's like to change about ourselves. Personally I'd like to be taller and have Beyonce's measurements.. For some crazy reason we tend to slip into self hate mode, naming off all our flaws and imperfections. But is this self loathing sacrilegious?  If G-d made us, then dissing His handiwork..it's kinda like dissing Him right?

What G-d says

PSALMS 139:14 "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

GENESIS 1:27-"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."

1 PETER 3:3-4- "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. ⁴ Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight."

1 CORINTHIANS 6:19- "You should know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit who is in you."

Confidence is a huge deal, it effects the way we dress,act, the opportunities we chase, you name it. The way you view yourself plays a big role in how the world views you. Sadly there's a widespread epidemic of low self esteem going on. People can name off all the things that are wrong with them but are at a lost for words when it comes to naming their great traits. Media just caters to this insecurity, setting impossible standards of beauty and offering shallow solutions. "Buy this lipstick, it'll make you beautiful! Your not skinny enough, take this pill!" It's no wonder we feel like crap, were listening to the wrong people. Psalms 139 talks about how wodnerfully we  were made, how G-d took the time to make  us fabulous, then to top it off instilled in us talents and traits that make us uniquely beautiful. G-d who made  incredible sunsets simply by speaking made you by hand. Do you get how special that makes you? You are beautiful.  If we truely knew just how beautiful we were we could put maybelline out of business. We have the wrong idea of beauty.. its not all looks and glam. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says your beauty doesn't come from your adornments, hair, or clothes, but from your heart.. You could look like Giselle but if your ugly on the inside in G-d's eyes your hideous. He's not impressed by a pretty face. Idk about you  but it's nice to knw G-d cares more about my heart rather than the size of my thighs. G-d is perfection, the very definition of flawless, so his high opinion of you should mean something. The L-rd of the universe calling your body His temple, should mean something. Ladies, burn your " I hate" list && start loving yourself, G-d does.


You are  beatiful and wonderflly made. From the top of your head to the bottom f your feet you are the very spitting inage of G-d. You are his crowning piece in creation, handmade unlike anything else in creation.

HOMEWORK: Say G-d made me && by default that makes me (insert adjective), I used Fierce. Keep saying it till it really sinks in.

I CANT AFFORD A TICKET TO HEAVEN

If it were up to me to earn G-d's love or a way into heaven i would be screwed. Even today i must have slipped up like a billion times. Sadly I'm human so till the day i die I am going to be inadequate compared to G-d's standards.

bad news:  It's impossible to win G-d's love

good news: I dont have to.

What G-d says

ROMANS 8:38-39-"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

1 JOHN 4:19-"We love, because He first loved us."

JEREMIAH 1:4-5- "The word of the LORD came to me, saying, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart"


Yeah, apparently G-d loves me for free and regardless of what i do. When I wake up in the morning cranky He loves me. When I cuss.. He still loves me. When I make mistakes.. He loves me. There is nothing i can do to make Him stop loving me.Trust me, I've tried. It's weird. We live in a world where love is dependent on how worthy of we are. We're conditioned to think that we have to earn love. Then here comes G-d who's  like "Screw that, I loved you before you were even born. Before time began I was madly in love with you. I must say it's nice knowing I'm loved. The fact that He loves a sinner like me makes me wanna be a better person. He sees something in me, in you something worthy of love. Yes, you may be a wreck, you may be bad girl, but you are loved.. so very loved.


P.S check out this awesome love letter from G-d http://www.fathersloveletter.com/text.html

YOU WERE MADE TO WORSHIP

PRAISE: to express approval or admiration of; commend; extol.

Will the whiney christians please shut up? There are a zillion reasons why I couldn't handle being G-d but at the top of the list is patience or maybe insensitivity.. ok a combination of both. I'd get so sick of hearing people complain about stupid things. "Like really your whining about some rain?! Oh my bad lemme just  stop that for ya and let the whole world dry and die all for your weather pleasure." You see? I'm getting pissed already, I''d make a horrible G-d. Althought i doubt G-d has the same sarcastic response to your prayers i so wonder if He ever gets annoyed. I mean He wakes up up in the morning, he gives us food,shelter,family, friends, and we cant break away from our "gimme more" attitude to say thanks for what we already have?! My goodness we are so spoiled.

What G-d says

Psalm 69:30-"I will praise the LORD God with a song and a thankful heart."

Psalm 103:1-2 "Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me."

Psalms 34:1 I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.


It's time to stop being such a brat. Think about how lucky you are and thank G-d for it. Every day, every minute, when your happy, when your pissed, no matter the circumstance, praise him at all times. G-d is so awesome, so worthy of awe and adoration and praise. More than our Heavenly Father and Friend He is our Creator and Saviour and that deserves some serious recognition and respect. Praise Him! Praise Him through music, through dance, through the way your speak to others, and how you live your life. Praise Him through your talents and simply praise Him in prayer.. He's more than worthy

SPIRITUAL HOMEWORK:

• when you feel like whining..shut up.
• when you feel like asking for more and more things..say thanks for what your already got first.

MIRACLES

Miracles are happening around us everyday. I mean like insane G-d controlled things are taking place right under our noses. I know your probably thinking "Uh well i've never seen a miracle". But i assure you, you have. a miracle is defined as something that goes against the laws of nature or a remarkable thing. Ever walked away from a car accident? Found a way to pay for college despite a recession or had your phone fall on the bathroom floor INSTEAD of the toilet? Better yet have you ever gotten Louboutins on discount? Miracle. Maybe you thing that miracles have to be things like raising people from the dead or spilitting seas. Maybe our ideas of miracles are limited to huge occurances. But It's not true, miracles come in all shapes and sizes. The fact that you are reading this , assuming you were a godless bad girl, ia a miracle. The changing of a heart and soul is deffinitaly a remarkable think and goes against the laws of our sinful nature. G-d adores us and blesses us with remarkable occurances everyday. Don't limit the value of your blessing because they aren't of cinematic proportions,because if you do your gonna miss out on the quiet miracles, the ones that really add up. Miracles are happening everyday, if you dont believe as the children of sudan, drinking clean water  for the first time thanks to selfless volunteers. Ask the ill who are healed by western medicine, or those who miraculously survived war. Miracles are happening all around us, open your eyes!