Let Me Introduce Myself!

God not only ask us to identify ourselves with Him, but throughout the entire Holy Bible, God tells us who He is. Some of those are: "I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward (Genesis 15:1 NKJV); I am the God of your father Abraham (Genesis 26:24); I AM WHO I AM (Exodus 3:14);
I am the LORD (Exodus 6:8); I am gentle and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29); I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever (John 6:51); I am from above...I am not of this world (John 8:23); I am the light of the world (John 9:5); I am the door, the good shepherd (John 10: 9, 14); I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. (John 11:25) The list goes on. God is many things to many people, but the main thing is that God is our saviour and redeemer, a father who loves us more than life itself, and God wants us to walk with Him and live with Him for all eternity. Love, Beau

Who Do YOU Say That I Am?

"Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times." (John 13:38 NKJV) When it mattered most, those of whom had been closest to Jesus turned their backs on Him, and denied they even knew Him. And, when He was taunted, persecuted, tortured, and then hung on a cross to die a slow, painful, agonizing death they did nothing. In fact, most of them left before He died on the cross. Yet, Jesus forgave them...and even loved them so much that when He came back to life (as some of us believe), some of the first people He revealed Himself to were those that had betrayed Him. Can we say that we would follow Jesus' example in this? Would we be willing to risk our lives to align ourselves with God? Would we be willing to forgive someone, and go on unconditionally loving them if they betrayed us, and or left us alone to suffer, die, and be in extreme pain (of all kinds)? Yet, God says that we are to follow the example of Jesus. That means doing ALL of these things. And, even more importantly this shows us that no matter what we do, no matter how much we ignore or deny God, He is ALWAYS going to still be there for us. All we have to do is stop and look around. God is always, and for eternity, there! Love, Beau

Taking Up Your Cross

"Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” (Mark 10:21 NKJV) God says we are to get rid of all our possesions first, then take up our cross and follow Him. At first glance it sounds like he wants us to be poor, take upon a lot of burdens, and then follow Him. But, that's not totally correct. What God wants us to do is for us to let go of all our worldly ways and ties to them, so that we can be totally free of our past. By doing so, this opens us to concentrate on completely following God and receiving our Heavenly rewards. In addition, when we give to others we get back more in return than we gave...joy, feelings of contribution, etc., to name a few. As for taking up the cross, most importantly it means that when we choose to follow God, we take upon the pain and suffering Jesus felt when He was hung on the cross and died for our sins. We become a part of Him, and therefore part of what He went through. It also means He wants us to take up HIS causes and what's important to Him, and not that of the world. God does want us to have wonderful and beautiful things, but in order to make room room for them, we must first rid ourselves of all our old ways and things. We must first "clean house!" Love, Beau

Being Disciplined

"For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights." (Proverbs 3:12 NKJV) Just like our parents when we were growing up, God disciplines us when we are "bad" and or make mistakes. He does this so we can get back on the right track and be led in the way that is best and most helpful, and healthful, for us. There are some parents that do not know how to discipline, and or think that is how to show one's love. But, the truth of the matter is that discipline builds character, teaches one right from wrong, and leads us in a more helpful, healthful way. It is a very loving thing to do. God wants the best for us, wants us to reach our full potential, and does NOT want us running ourselves off into a ditch somewhere. Therefore, He disciplines us and directs us in the way He wants us to go. This in turn brings us closer to Him, and to our eternal reward. God loves us and wants the best for us...and He wants to be with us for all eternity. So, the next time God disciplines you don't think of it as punishment, but as being refined, blessed, and how much God loves you. Love, Beau

Paying It Forward

"So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit." (John 19:30 NKJV) For some, the religious season of Lent is upon us. This is the time that we give up something as a reminder that Jesus gave up His life for us, so that we might live. A lot of people give something up grudgingly thinking of it as a burden. If one is to give up anything, it should be done with great joy and thanksgiving for what Jesus has done for us. We should also take this one step farther. Giving up something should be about more than just giving up something. It should be about giving back as well. For example, we should give up some of our leisure time to volunteer at our local churches/synogogues/temples, community centers, working with the elderly, and or with children, etc. Lent should be a time when we feel renewed, blessed, and fulfilled...not burdened and like we "have to" do something. So, for the next 39 days, as you think about the meaning of Lent, also think about how you can pay that gift forward...not just through Lent...but every day from this point on. Love, Beau