First World Hazzard

"Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth."  1 Timothy 6:6

photo by Sarah Marie

In our world, we are always trying to make it further. Work our way up whether the corporate ladder or building our own small business and most of the time it's to be recognized for our successes and to add to our bank account.  Working hard is no sin.  God calls us to work hard.  He even honors those who work hard, yet he reminds us to do it in the name of the Lord. 

But here this verse reminds us that we need to be aware of the dangers. Many times we feel money will provide us the things we need, and honestly... It does.  It buys us security, less stress of paying bills, the ease of being able to go out and enjoy the fun, somewhat expensive nights.  BUT it will never bring us a truly godly contentment. Many of us think we have this figured out, but we mostly likely don't. We desire for something more every day. It's a first world hazard.  

I use this verse as a constant self check, a reminder.  Seeking to truly find contentment is a deep desire of mine.  I see it even as a spiritual growth. For when I truly honor God and set my desires on him, I can begin to see and feel contentment on what God is doing in my life. My desires become less of this world and more for the Lord.

Seeking true contentment today and always.

The Inspiration Behind our Be Still... Simply Beaming

Last December, I met Kate with Simply Beaming... through Instagram.  God amazes me how he can bring any two people together on any platform.  Kate told me her life verse at the moment was Psalm 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world"  

photos by Sarah Marie

I love this verse and the reassuring power it has for his people in times where we feel our life is about to fall completely apart, and our God whispers into our soul, be still... reverently honor me, be amazed at my power and majesty. For I am a God who will someday be honored by every nation throughout the world.

So when she said it was her life verse, I jumped at the opportunity to ask if Kate to be the inspiration behind our Be Still shirt, and let me tell you, her words do not disappoint.  Thank you Kate for sharing your soul...

---

On a daily basis, we all like to think that we have life pretty well under control. We would love to believe that when a situation in our life occurs that we will be able to respond the best way possible, because in the moment, we feel that we have the control to be able to design our own destiny. It isn’t until something major happens in your life that you really learn how to “Be Still.”

This is such a true statement for me as I had my life turned upside down over the past several months. I was so caught up in the everyday hustle and bustle that I became easily distracted by the bigger picture. In today’s society, we have so many places we have to be and so many things to accomplish that we lose sight of what is most important. The truth is, God has a purpose for everyone on earth, but he will only guide us as much as we allow him too. We can easily tune him out with our busy lives and our daily routines, but it seems that we only really listen to him when we are in “crisis mode.”  We have full control until we have absolutely lost all control.

If we could just take those few precious moments a day to really take the time to listen, we would have a better sense of where our true mapped out path is. He wants us to hear him not only for the fact to acknowledge him, but to know that he has been with us the whole time. His presence allows us to understand what direction will guide us to a place of wisdom and understanding. We can only grasp our true purpose when we take the time to “Be Still.” 

Shop our Be Still shirts here.

And make sure to follow Kate and her partner Kelli on Facebook and Instagram and bookmark Simply Beaming Blog as a favorite.

More Be Still photos to come on the blog of Kate and Kelli...  

Dig Deep - I AM Statements

 

"I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  - John 14:6

I'm taking a super intense bible study right now.  It's through Village Schools of the Bible, it's a cover-to-cover on the bible.  They help you understand it, see the threads, the purpose of each book and the correlation from old to new testaments.  I highly suggestion it to anyone.  It is absolutely fabulous.  

A few weeks ago, we studied the Gospel John.  John's gospel was impossible for me to read much less understand!  In fact many times I skipped over.  It wasn't until I was enlightened on his purpose and goal to write this gospel that things began to connect and click for me and once I had the framework, it has quickly become one of my favorite gospels.

John's goal in his gospel is to prove to us that Jesus is the Son of God.  He doesn't give us a chronological order of Jesus' life or even share many of the teachings and miracles that the other Gospels use.  He uses only events that help prove the holiness of Jesus.  His book is centered around who Jesus is.  He calls them the I AM statements.

• I AM the bread of life
• I AM the Light of the world
• I AM the gate for the sheep
• I AM the good shepherd
• I AM the resurrection and the life
• I AM the way, the truth and the life
• I AM the true grapevine

To understand who Jesus was/is, we need to understand these I AMs.  So I put my interpretation on what I found these I AMs to mean. It is pretty straight-to-the-point, so if there are questions to further understand, I'd love to answer them or at least try.  email carly@carlyddesign.com

 Bread of Life (John 6:35) -  as bread satisfies our physical hunger and as manna satisfied the Israelites as they wondered in the desert, Jesus will satisfy our spiritual hunger and give us life.  A life of direction, leading and hope.  A life with a heavenly purpose.

 Light of the world (John 8:12) - As God was the light to the Israelites during their exodus, lighting and guiding their way to freedom, so is Jesus Christ to us.  Guiding us on our path to eternal life with our Heavenly Father. 

 The Gate for the sheep (John 10:7) – Jesus is our only way of access to God.  We no longer have to keep all 613 of the laws that Moses gave the Israelites (yes 613 which include ceremonial, feasts, moral, etc, crazy right?!)  Jesus is now our way to our heavenly father.  For it is by faith, not by works.

The Good Shepherd (John 10:11) – Jesus, like shepherd to his sheep, is so committed in his love for us that he laid down his life for us.  He will lead us in our walk.  He is our Psalm 23

The Resurrection and the life (John 11:25) – the creator of life who restores life.  Jesus covered our sins, so sin no longer weights us down.  We are reconciled in him and have life only in him.  I lay my sin at the cross.

 The way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) – The only way to God is through Jesus.  The truth is that he is God’s promised Messiah.  Only Jesus can give us an eternal life.

The true grapevine (John 15:1) – a grapevine has one vine that supports all its branches.  Christ is that one vine and from him come the branches or the believers who claim to follow Christ.  This reminds me to be a true believer in Christ, always following his ways and producing fruit for his kingdom.

Sometimes we simplify Jesus and other times we complicate him.  I found this study to really challenge me to seek and understand who Jesus really is because when we understand who is and all that he is,  we can begin to truly develop a strong and everlasting relationship with our Savior.  

So I challenge you to read each passage and draw deeper understanding in your words.  It won't take you long.  I promise. And I promise it will be well worth it.

A Peace that Transcends Our Understanding

Do not be anxious about anything, but in prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus.  -  Philippians 4:6-7

God has been working on my heart.  He's been preparing me.  Preparing me for a trial. 

My husband and I have two beautiful children, and several months ago we talked about embarking on the journey for number three.  It wasn't long after, God placed on my heart that this time around would be a little harder.  I didn't know what "harder" meant, but I soon found out. Steve and I had a miscarriage.  But this blog is less about our miscarriage,  and more about the peace and understanding God gave us.  How he opened His arms when we cried out and welcomed us in. How he gave us that peace found in Philippians 4:7 that transcends all understanding.  The peace that guards our hearts and minds.

Over the last year, Steve and I (separately) have been in bible studies that have deepened our faith tremendously.  God used these two studies to strengthen our foundation found in Christ. And oh man, are we so full of joy that we had that foundation because those few days during our miscarriage were hard. So hard.  I closet cried more and harder than I ever had. But the joy and peace is found here.  I wasn't crying out to God.  "Why?" or "how could you?"  I cried out for God to protect me. To keep me strong. To allow me to feel the hurt while staying strong in my faith.  To consume me with his loving peace. He then gave me the hope that we all hold onto.  The hope of eternal life and to be rejoined with those we love.  

As Jesus followers, we are all going to suffer for the Lord in one way or another. We should expect it.  Over and over in the bible it tells us how suffering connects us to Christ, how it builds character and a confident hope in our salvation.  We need to be prepared for these times of suffering so we don't fall away from God but grasp on stronger and harder to his promises than ever before. 

The Philippians passage above gives us tools to prepare for these times.  Prayer and His word.  A constant connection with God to help fill your soul and mind. So when these inevitable trials come, we can fill our hearts with peace and our minds only with Christ Jesus and all that he is.  A God that gave up His own son so we may have life.  A just God who allowed us, sinners, to come before him as righteous people adopted as his children. 

Many year ago before I truly accepted Christ, I had trials in my life and I fell deeper and deeper into sin and a trap of despair.  But now with Christ as the center and letting God lead, I feel hope.  I have a peace that transcends all understanding.  I pray you find that too.

Grabbing hold of Him, 

Defending Your Faith

Have you ever thought about what is the basis for your faith? The true foundation?

If someone came up to you and asked what you believed in, would you have an answer for them?

Do you have an answer beyond; I am a Christian?

Being a Christian labels you but doesn't share your belief.  We need to be prepared as Christ's ambassadors, his representatives, for moments like these.

Let's think about the basis of our faith.  It's easier than you think.  We know the Gospels share the stories of Jesus Christ, they show who he was and all that he is so we need to look there.  All four gospels were written with different audiences in mind, all have some but many different healings, historical facts, sermons and parables.  But there are two things that each gospel tells and devotes a significant amount of time and detail towards.

You guessed it: The crucifixion and resurrection.

These two events are the basis for our faith.  I love the 1 Corinthians 5:21 verse.  It summarizes down to one little verse the foundation of our faith.

"For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."

You see God sent us a gift, his son,  the perfect lamb who never sinned, to become the ultimate sacrifice to cover our sins.   His death took our sins and his resurrection defeated the source of all sin.  And all God asks of us is to trust in Christ.  A "simple" exchange of his righteousness for our sin.  We are completely justified through this exchange.

So when asked what you believe in....  Have this verse, or a verse like this, in you back pocket.  I guarantee it will spark a wonderful conversation on the purpose, grace and love of Jesus Christ.  For God sent his Son to save us so we can be his ambassadors to change the world.

Living in the hope of the resurrection,

Carly