priorities

hey y'all!
today was good. i went to candaces and we hung out all day, and mitchell stuck ice on me whenever he got home from work & then splashed me with water...goodness that boy. haha. me & candace are pretty cool, i think, we so sat in that plastic fish pond thing that we filled up with water outside, hahaha. we're dorks, i know.
well i did my devotion on keeping your priorities in line with God's priorities. James 4:8 says, "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." we need to ask God to help us prioritize our lives. we need to ask for guidance and courage to do thinks we know need to be done. which means were asking God to reveal himself to us. we need to make God's priorities our priorities. he will give us his abundance & peace. he should be our partner in every aspect of our life so he can lead us along the proper path: his path. Gods will needs to be our ultimate priority. Gloria Gaither said, "With God, it's never 'plan b' or 'second best.' its always 'plan a.' And if we let him, he'll make something beautiful of our lives" and he really will. we just have to let him in, and let him rule our lives, and remember that what God wants for us, is best for us. we just have to remember when, prioritizing, put God first, above all things :] and we'll experiance things we'd never imagine!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

be thankful!

hey y'all!
today was greattttt!!! anna came over around 1:30 and i hadnt seen her in FOREVER and so we hung out for awhile and then she left & i got ready & went and picked up candace & then went to churchh. we just did prayer requests because mrs gale didnt have the fuel tape. i had a great time though :]] well up until i think it was kori it me in the head with a ball on accident, it hurt REALLYYY bad.
well anyway my devotion was on being thankful. Psalm 106:1 says, "Praise the Lord, Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endrues forever." we should be thankful for all the blessings that God has given us. we need to take time everyday and thank him for what he has done. sometimes life can be demanding and we have to rush from place to place, and we forget to thank God for how wonderful he is. its understandable, but wrong. so we need to take time out of our busy schduels to thank our Creator for everything he has done for us, and everything he has given to us. Mother Teresa said "The best way to show my gratitiude to God is to accept everything, even my problems, with joy." and the bible tells us that as well. we need not to overlook the gifts God has given us, we need to treasure everything he gives us and always thank him for it because can you imagine life with out him? no, of course not, b/c we wouldnt even be here! so, give thanks to God for everything!
i love y'all
God Bless!
- crystal jade

kindness

hey y'all!
today i didnt do much just layed around talked to mitchell this mornin & candace later on and thats about it haha. yeahh pretty boring but....church tomorrowww :]] so im excited. rickys been sitting at the computer allll day, he never sits at the computer this long i mean goodnesss. haha.
well my devotion was on the wisdom of kindness. Proverbs 11:17 says, "A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself." kindness is its own reward. and as Christians we need to show kindness to the people around us. God's commandments tell us this. kindness, compassion, and forgivness are hallmarks of the Christian faith, so everywhere we go we need to give honor to God and show everyone kindness and how happy Jesus can make us! Jesus showed compassion for us. now its time to glorify him and show compassion for others. we need not only to show kindness through our words, but also through our actions. St. Teresa said, "The nicest thing we can do for our heavenly father is to be kind to one of His children." and Ambrose of Milan said, "No one heals himself by wounding another" which is totally true, by wounding another we only further the wounds in ourselves. we need not to only think kind thoughts but to also do kind things, and show others that we care! kind talk is good, but we need to show kind action! so go out & do something kind for people :]
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

trust God's wisdom!!

hey y'all!
today was pretty much boring, i didnt really do anything. went to take my drivers test, and failed, yet again. and then i had dance tonight, which i totally forgot about until like an hour before it started. and then i talked to mitchell for a little while, but now hes off to bed.
my devotion was on trusting God's wisdom. Proverbs 16:22, "Understanding is a fountai nof life to those who have it..." the worlds wisdom is often wrong and dangerous but Gods wisdom can bring us closer to him. we need to place our trust in Gods wisdom instead of the wrong wisdom of the world. if we're tired, discouraged, fearful we dont have to be. we can be comforted in knowing that God will make everything okay. Gods power can help us through anything no matter how we're feeling. unlike the worlds wisdom, Gods wisdom will NEVER let us down. if we take Gods wisdom we dont have to be unsure about things because we know that God is always right. we need not to dwell on our troubles in this world but to trust in God and know that no matter what happens, hes always here, and we always have his wisdom to help us through things. we have to remember, God knows everything! and he most def. knows what is best for us :]
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

put God in his rightful place!

hey y'all!
today was great. sundays are always great. church was amazing as always! great sermon pastor chad. and barry! you did a greattt job preaching at youth tonight! i went and hung out with ashley & candace after i took a nap after church & then we went to church and then i went out to eat with mitchell and megan and mrs rhonda & lyle at zaxbys. it was fun :]
well my devotion last night was on putting God in his rightful place. Exodus 20:3 says, "You shall have no other gods before me." if we really want to know God we should start by putting him first! we need to give him our heart, soul, talents, and our time. we dont need to be just "sunday" Christians. we need to worship God everday and glorify him in all that we do! God needs to rule our hearts, not wordly things. something barry said tonight that i want to share with y'all, Jesus gave his life for us. he DIED for us. and he asks for very little in return. we should want to gloryify him in everthing because of what he did for us! he willingly went through torment and ultimately died so that we could spend eternity with him. he loves us that much. we dont need to let anything get in the way of our relationship with God. so, think about it, how much of your life do you give to your creator? have you given him your heart and soul?? and are you using the talents he blessed you with to glorify him??
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

follow your conscience

hey y'all!
today was good! i went out this morning with ashley & rachel to the flea market in greer to look at mrs beths bags & stuff for school & then i talked to mitchell for a little while, he got his fourwheeler, thank goodness. he talked about that thing so much yesterday i ended up dreaming about it. haha. and then i went to sonic with my mom & ricky to support the hhs jv cheerleaders since my moms best friend's daughter is one. and then we went to poinsettia pool & went swimming with my moms best friend & her family. i got to see my booger man! haha [moms best friends 6 year old son, evan] hes getting soo big.
anyway, i did my devotion last night on following your conscience. Hebrews 10:22 says, "let us draw nearo God with a sincere heart in full assurance f faith, hving our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." God gave us a conscience for a reason, so we can conform our paths to his will. Billy Graham said, "Most of us follow our conscience as we follow a wheelbarrow. We push it infront of us in the direction we want to go." which is wrong to do. we really need to listen to that voice God planted into our hearts to keep us from doing the wrong timg. as Christians, we need to make it a practice to carefully listen to our conscience. when it speaks, we should listen to it, and learn from it. God is trying to speak to us, so we def. need to hear it :] we need to treat our conscience like a trusted advisor, after all, God put it there, and we are to trust him above all things because he only wants what is best for us! so next time you hear that little voice in your heart telling you something, listen and learn!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

finding the courage to follow God!

hey y'all!
i didnt do much today. i was gunna go to candaces but her gma didnt get up in time. so i kindah just hung aroudn the house all day and then i was talkin to mitchell on the phone, haha hes such a dork. but thats okay :]
anyway, my devotion was on finding the courage to follow God! 1 Chronicles 28:20 says, "...Be strong and corageous, and do the work. Do not be afrad or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you..." no matter how desperate our circumstances are, we can have hope for the future, because we are saved by Jesus!! God promised we are his all of enternity. we must place our hopes in him. we need to have the courage to follow God even if the path seems difficult, and even if our heart is fearful. we need to trust in God and with everything we do. we should do his work and share his word. we need to look to God to guide our steps, because he will never lead us astray. my devotion book says: we should cling to Gods promises and always pray. he will give us the strength to meet any challenge and that is exactly what we should ask him to do. so have courage and follow Gods path for you! because through God, we can accomplish anything for his glory!! i think thats pretty amazing!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade