What is the Deal with Priorities?

Something that I always tend to feel like I constantly struggle with are my priorities. Ever since I became a Christian, I've always been told to "put God first" in everything I do. I thought this meant reading my bible, saying a prayer before bed and meals, and just being a good person. As I grew spiritually, I soon found that although reading the bible and praying were great things to do, was that really "putting God first?" So now I ask, what does putting God first in our priorities truly look like?

I think that before we even try to make God our absolute number one priority, we need to realize we are human which means we are imperfect and we will make mistakes. With this mindset, the task can begin for all of us.

In Matthew 6 verse 33, Jesus explains, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be provided for you."

So clearly, we are meant to put God first, but did you catch the wording on that?It says, "...seek first the kingdom of God...." To me this is telling us that furthering the kingdom of God should be our priority. I think that "furthering" the kingdom of God can be brought about in a variety of ways. This could mean spreading the word about Jesus to others, giving God the glory in everything you do, or even furthering your relationship with Jesus Christ.

So, making God our number one priority seems a little more tangible for me when I view things this way. I feel like I can go to school and still have God as my number one priority by giving Him the glory in all the things I do there. I think we sometimes view making God our priority as a major sacrifice to our daily lives-which sometimes this may actually occur-but if we take a step back and analyze the opportunities we have for furthering God's kingdom, we can see that we can easily make God our priority. The opportunities we have each and everyday are how we make God our priority. We take the chances God gives to us and use them to further the kingdom. So remember, there are many ways to make God our priority in life, but if we do achieve this, "...His righteousness and all these things will be provided for you."

Mark 12:30

From Sodom and Gomorrah to a Righteous Ordeal(How Prayer Can Change Our Minds)

As I have been reading through Genesis, I found something that took me a couple reads to understand the full purpose behind. In chapter 18, we come across a conversation, prayer, between Abraham and God. God is preparing to destroy Sodom, a town full of "wickedness" at the time, but then God begins to test Abraham. Take a look at this scripture:

Genesis 18:16-33 (NLT)

16 Then the men got up from their meal and looked out toward Sodom. As they left, Abraham went with them to send them on their way.

17 “Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” the Lord asked.

18 “For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.

19 I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.”

20 So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant.

21 I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.”

22 The other men turned and headed toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham.

23 Abraham approached him and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked?

24 Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes?

25 Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”

26 And the Lord replied, “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.”

27 Then Abraham spoke again. “Since I have begun, let me speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes.

28 Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five righteous people there.”

29 Then Abraham pressed his request further. “Suppose there are only forty?” And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the forty.”

30 “Please don’t be angry, my Lord,” Abraham pleaded. “Let me speak—suppose only thirty righteous people are found?” And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it if I find thirty.”

31 Then Abraham said, “Since I have dared to speak to the Lord, let me continue—suppose there are only twenty?” And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”

32 Finally, Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?” And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”

33 When the Lord had finished his conversation with Abraham, he went on his way, and Abraham returned to his tent.

When I first read this, it sounded as though God had his mind set and then Abraham changed God's mind! Then I mused on that thought for a bit, and I quickly realized that God is omniscient, all knowing, which would make this scenario impossible. After thinking for a another few minutes and reading around, I picked out what this story could be saying about prayer. The entire conversation here is between God and Abraham. So first and foremost, we can tell prayer should be an actual interaction with God-not just a "wish list" of things we would like. Second, and something we can directly see from this story, we should not think something is "not important enough" for God. We can see in this conversation Abraham has with God, that all we have to do is ask and God , if his will permits it, will answer our prayers.

Also, I view this story as God testing Abraham. This is quite the opposite of my initial reaction of Abraham changing God's mind. If anything, God changed Abraham's mind! In all ways, Abraham respected God's decision , but we may not always know God's decision (his will for us). However, I believe that prayer can help us understand what God has planned for us.

Moreover, whatever your personal situation is, just pray about it. We can see that if we ask, God provides for us. Nothing is too small or insignificant for you to talk to him about. He loves us and wants to be with us! No matter what the circumstance, God can answer our prayers. My hope for you is that you can really pray to God about anything and everything.

Matthew 21:22

Forty Days and Forty Nights

The other evening, I was reading the story of Noah to look for some "deeper meaning." Granted to say, God blew my mind once again! We have all heard the story of the flood before-God tells Noah He is going to flood the Earth because he is displeased-its Noah's Job to build an ark and take two of each animal and his family to repopulate when the flood is over. Noah does as he is told and then the flood that will last forty days and forty nights begin. Then this verse comes:

"Finally, the water covered even the highest mountains on earth, rising more than twenty-two feet above the highest peaks."

Genesis 7:19-20

Did you get that?! Water flooded the earth more than twenty-two feet over the highest mountains! This only happened 4000-5000 years ago, which meant that Mt. Everest was probably the highest mountain on the earth. Mt. Everest is 29,029 feet high! There is not enough water on planet Earth to rise that high! Obviously God was involved in this one.

I always enjoying seeing God through his creation, but how cool is it that our Creator can put that much water on our planet and then take it all away just like that? Pretty cool I would say. Furthermore, God showed me through this scripture how powerful he truly is.We need to realize that God can do absolutely anything...no matter what the circumstance. If you are struggling with anything, just give it all to God.

Also, we need to have faith in God like Noah had. If God told me that He was going to flood the Earth and that it I was the one who needed to save humanity...I would consider myself insane. With Noah, however, he trusted God completely. If we can be faithful with God with everything we have, He can use it all to do the most incredible things. He is powerful enough to do anything and everything including using our lives for His loving purpose. There is no greater joy than trusting God with your life because you can stand affirm that He will do amazing things with it.

This week, I challenge you to trust God with every decision and action you make. Turn to him when times are good and bad. Have faith and pray He will grant you with opportunities to further His kingdom. I pray your week is peaceful and that you may give everything you do to the Lord.

Jeremiah 32:27

My Testimony and a Miracle

Today, I decided to share my personal testimony of coming to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and tell you about a miracle that has recently occurred in my life.

In 2001, my family and I were traveling up to Georgia where my grandparents live. Something me and my brother(Clay) always found fun was to ride down our grandparents driveway, which was rather steep, on skateboards and roller-blades. So, as soon as we pulled up to our grandparent's house, grabbed our skates, and made our way to the top of the hill.At this point, it was just me, Clay, and our excitement as we prepared to head down the hill.

I started down the hill on my skateboard, and quickly gained speed. I noticed I was going to fast, so i jumped off the board. As I turned around, I saw Clay making his way down the hill. Sadly, he was not wearing a helmet. All I could was watch Clay make his way down. He gained speed very quickly, and as he neared the bottom of the driveway, I noticed his feet slipping out from underneath him. From here, everything happened in slow motion for me. Clay, going way too fast, fell back and slapped his head on the concrete.

Immediately, blood started flowing from his head. I ran down the hill as fast I could to help Clay, but he couldn't tell me anything and just screamed. I was only eight years old so I thought my brother was about to die. I ran inside the house yelling for my parents to come help(i was the only one who actually saw Clay fall), and all I kept saying was, "Clay is dying!!! Help! Help!"

I will always remember the sheer terror on my Mom and Dad's face when they first saw Clay laying on the ground yelling and flailing his arms and legs. Seeing my parents worried like that made me know that something was really wrong. As I watched my parents, grandparents, and uncle try and get clay to be still and help him...all I could do was watch. I wanted to help so bad because he was my brother. I loved him and all I could do was watch him die. The only thought that ran through my head was that my brother is about to die and there is nothing I can do about it. I stood watching my brother bleed from his head and sobbed and yelled. I had never felt so low and angry before in my life. I started to question God at this point screaming out "Why would you do this to me God?!?!?! Clay never did anything wrong to you before!!!!" I could not bear to watch anymore so I hid behind our car, wailing at God.

So, my parents called an ambulance and it came and took Clay away to hospital. I thought this was going to be the last time I saw my brother. Shell-shocked, I waited on any news from my parents about Clay. Three days later, my parents called me and my grandmother(my Mom's mom- who I was staying with at this point) and told us that we could come see Clay. I was scared of this because I knew that he had brain damage and was probably going to be really different.

Me and my grandmother made our way hospital and arrived at the floor where Clay was. As we walked along the floor, I saw my Mom. She was yelling out for a doctor to come help. Clay was having a seizure. That same sense of "feeling like I should help but I can't" came across my heart. Seeing my Mom yell for help was worse than seeing her worried, and i began to cry again. I didn't know what to do. Then, my grandmother took me by the hand and looked at me and said, "Logan. Let's go pray." the previous summer at Vacation Bible School, I had prayed "The Prayer" and called myself a Christian. I knew a thing or two about God, but I had no clue what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. So when my grandmother said this, I was kinda confused. I prayed before I slept or ate, but praying at a time like this just seemed irreconcilable.

Nevertheless, we went and sat out in the hallway and we started to pray. I went into that prayer crying, confused, cold, felling un-loved, and angry. My grandmother started to pray out loud and I closed my eyes. Then, I stopped sobbing. My breathing became easy. I started then, to pray for my brother. All of the sudden, an overwhelming peace came about me. Its hard for me to describe the exact feeling that I experienced during the prayer. It was warm and loving and it filled my heart with confidence. Confidence that my brother was going to pull through this and live to tell the tell. God came and talked to me on that day at the hospital. He let me know that Clay was going to be okay and he wiped my tears away. After an hour of praying, I felt at rest in my heart and I felt God's love radiating through my body.

So, Clay had just had a seizure, the odds given by the doctor were not on our side, but God was with us. Miraculously, over the next few days, Clay made a full recovery. As I witnessed this miracle happen, I understood what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Its trusting in Him in everything-good or bad. Today, Clay is as healthy as can be and plays the most significant part in my life when it come to my Christian walk. I could not be more thankful for him being in my life.

The story does not end here though. As i continue to grow closer to God daily, I witness more and more of His miracles. In the middle of December of 2009(this past year), my Mom called and told me my grandmother(the same one who prayed with me that day at the hospital) had to have open heart surgery. That hit me hard. My mom said all my grandmother wanted was from me to pray for her. With her surgery the next morning, I called my grandmother trying to sound happy. She picked up the phone and we talked and she asked if I would pray for her. Willingly, I started to pray for her. Immediately, God broke me down and I began to cry. I wasn't sad though. Instead, was overwhelmed by peace. My rears were tears of Joy. As I prayed for my grandmother on the phone, that same feeling I had when I knew Clay was going to be okay came over me. I knew that even though my grandmother was having a vary risky surgery, God was in control and it was going to be okay.

The next morning, my grandmother had the surgery and everything went great. Today, she left for her own home. I witnessed God create another miracle right in front of me, and it is the coolest thing that has happened to me. Knowing and trusting God is so awesome, because you don't have to worry about it and you can be at peace.

Thank you for reading my story. I hope it was inspiring to you in every way possible. Now, if you would like, I wan to hear your story of coming to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. You can email me stories, question, comments, and criticisms at logstar5@gmail.com Or you can comment on my story. Thanks for listening.

Jeremiah 29:11 My Life verse

A Gift the World Cannot Give...Peace

It seems as though we are always in a constant effort trying to achieve peace. I think we tend to associate our lack of peace with worry. As a student, I can honestly say that school and the work it entitles restrains us from gaining peace. I can say from observation of my parents, that having a job inhibits us from gaining peace as well. I typically find myself asking, "Why is it so hard to find peace for 5 minutes in my day?" I tend to come with a lame excuse-blaming it on my teachers-my homework-etc. So is it possible to have peace at all? Of course it is.

After a bit of reading, I found this incredible verse that pretty much sums up how much peace we actually have:

"I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid."John 14:27

This verse comes up as Jesus is talking to his disciples prior to his crucifixion. Jesus tells his disciples how he will be leaving the Earth, but he will be leaving a "gift." Jesus says the world cannot give this gift. This gift is the Holy Spirit and is described as "peace of mind and heart." Did you hear that? The gift of the Holy Spirit offers us peace of mind and heart!

As christians, we might say something like, "Well, wait a minute! I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, but I hardly have any peace in my life! What's the deal?" This is when we should look in the middle of that verse above. "And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. " The world cannot offer the gift of peace. To me this reminded me of Romans 12:2 which explains, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...." If we live by the world's "standards" it's difficult, almost impossible, to focus on the Holy Spirit. If we cannot focus on the Holy Spirit, how can we be at peace? We can't.

If we want peace, we must really commit and focus on God so that we can understand that the Holy Spirit is in us waiting to provide us with peace- we just have to take it.

If you are a christian trying to find peace, I urge you to take a few minutes to focus on the Holy Spirit who lives inside of you. Make it a daily habit to start each morning with a simple prayer asking for peace and to remember the Holy Spirit is with you. I pray that you can have peace always and in all things.

If you are not a christian, I personally thank you for reading this. It means the world to me. If you would like peace, I pray that you would consider developing a relationship with Jesus Christ. He offers love and peace to you, and all you have to do is accept him into your life.

I thank everyone for keeping up with this blog. I hope it is helping everyone.

2 Corinthians 13:11

Worry, Worry, Worry...Can We Stop?

I looked up on a bible search program for verses that pertained to "worry", and the search came up with 165 verses! I thought that was an enormous number of verses for worry. Obviously God has quite a bit to say about worrying!

As I scrolled down reading all these verses, the word "don't" almost always appears before the word "worry." So even at first glance, it seems we really should not be worrying. Yet whenever somebody says, "Don't worry about it," how many times do we stop worrying? Almost never.

Sometimes I think that we, as humans, feel like we have to worry in order to get things done, which is sort of disappointing. But why do we worry anyways? I think it's because when we feel we are dealt too much to handle, we feel overwhelmed and don't have anybody to help us. Then, we turn to God and ask for help, but since we tend to view God as a supernatural impersonal being, we don't think he can or will actually help us out physically. Once we give our 30 second to praying to God for peace or for him to take away the worry and not seeing immediate results, we get right back into the worrying game.

So how do we stop worrying? This is a tough question to answer, but here are my thoughts:

Proverbs 1:33 says, "But whoever listens to me will live without worry and will be free from the dread of disaster."

This verse tell us a variety of things that will help us all stop worrying. First of all, we have to realize that we need to turn to God in all situations, whether they are good or bad. This verse tells us that we need to listen to God. And we listen to God through prayer and reading his word in an attempt to get closer and learn more about him. Sometimes we have to wait on God to speak us, so we have to be patient in listening to God. Next, the verse says if we do listen, we will live without worry! How cool is that?! By simply listening to God, we can live our lives worry-free. Lastly, the verse says if we listen to God, we will be free from the dread of disaster. Thats a pretty awesome bonus prize if you ask me.

The cure for worrying is not a simple task. It can be difficult to turn to God, and wait for a response from him. However patience is rewarded greatly by God(Proverbs 20:22). I challenge and pray that you will make a noble to listen to God so that you may live your life worry free.

2 Peter 1:2

A New Year-A New Challenge

Happy New Year to All! I hope everyone is enjoying the start of a new year and that you feel refreshed. Today, I wanted to share and expand upon yesterday's post- "The Creator." If you have note read that post, please take the time to scroll down and take a gander at it.

Towards the end of "The Creator" post, I mentioned how God created all the stars billions of miles away, but also made us with great detail. As I was falling asleep last night, I thought about how God created everything including the things billions of miles away. From here, it is quite easy to see that God is a pretty big guy and must be pretty powerful in looking at everything he created out of nothing.

God is massive! Right now, our universe is calculated to be over 93 billion light years wide! That's pretty big, but God is bigger than that. We, as humans, cannot fathom how big God actually is. In the same way, we cannot comprehend how great God's love for us really is. Sometimes, its easy to think that God is so huge that there is no way he could know us personally. However, Luke 12:6-7 states,"...But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail-even numbering the hairs on you head!"Isn't that cool! God knows us greater than we know ourselves. He knows us personally. To have a God powerful enough to create our universe, but also know everything about us is truly special. We don't have to feel alone or unwanted because God is always with us and always loves us.

Our mission in life, is to bring God praise and to spread the love he has to offer to everyone(Matthew 22:36). But how often do we actually try to do this? How often do we live our lives trying to bring God praise in everything that we do? I know that I never live like this enough. I get caught up in other things that I view as "more important." But in God's eyes, there is not anything more important than loving God with all of our hear, mind, and soul.

With a New Year, we have a chance to sort of "start over" or renew our goal and mindsets. I want to challenge you to live in a way that brings God praise and love. I challenge you to make God a "massive" part of your life because he is massive. Our lives should be completely focused on him at all times. Have a great New Year!

Psalm 115:1