Jesus Repairs Racial Division | Wednesday Bible Study

Black lives matter. That is a fact. That is not an opinion. That is not just a movement. That is a factual statement that demands a call to action. Asian lives matter. Hispanic lives matter. Yes, white lives matter. All lives matter. Why? Because God loves us. He created us and He loves us so much He has sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins and give us eternal life if we will simply believe.

JOHN 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Please understand something, racial division is prevalent in this world, but it is also prevalent in our churches. It is not white people against black people. It is not black people against white people. It is not about one nationality against another. Those are distractions from the enemy. It stems from not operating from a place of love.

I have friends who are not white; some are Hispanic, some are biracial, some are Italian, some are African American, some are Native American, some are Indian. I love my friends. We have found things in common that draw us to each other. One thing we should have in common with others in the Christian community is love for Jesus and love for one another. It is His commandment.

JOHN 13:34 A new commandment give I unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Let's look in the Bible at John chapter four and see how Jesus handled the situation with the Samaritan. For a little background, Jews did not associate with Samaritans. They did not like them, they did not speak to them, and a Jewish man would definitely not speak to a Samaritan woman. So, how did the Son of God handle this situation? There was racial tension. It was not neat and pretty and tied with a bow. Let's read what happens.

Jesus left Judaea to go to Galilee. In order to get where Jesus was going he had to travel through Samaria. He went to a city called Sychar, to Jacob's well. This is the well Jacob gave to his son Joseph. The disciples went to town to get something to eat and Jesus decided to stay at the well. Along came a Samaritan woman and Jesus speaks to her, "Give Me a drink." And this is her answer:

JOHN 4:9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto Him, How is it that Thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

She drew the racial line in the proverbial sand. She asks why He is speaking to her. She is a Samaritan. She reminds Him that Jews do not interact with the people of Samaria. Jesus knows she is a Samaritan. He knows she is a woman. That does not change the fact that she needs a Savior. He came to die for this woman just like any of the Jewish women. Jesus knows her worth. She does not deserve salvation, none of us do. God loves His creation so much He does not want any of us to die without Jesus as our Savior. So here is the Son of God loving this Samaritan woman out loud.

Their exchange does not seem loving. There is a request for a drink of water and immediately racial tension rears its ugly head to divide these two people. Let's look at Jesus's response to the woman.

JOHN 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and Who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water."

Instead of discussing how different they are, or how society says they should behave toward one another, the very picture of love is staring at her and essentially says to her, "I am so much more than a Jewish man. I am so much more than a thirsty person asking for a drink. If you knew the gift of God, and who I AM, then you would want Me to give you My living water."

Many people do not know who Jesus is. They grew up hearing stories and people's opinions of who He is, but they have yet to experience Him for themselves. This lady is having an encounter with the Man who will change her life and her future.

Like most of us, she looks at her situation. She is skeptical. "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with and the well is deep. Where do You have this living water?" She goes on to ask if He is greater than her father Jacob who gave the well and drank from it himself along with his children and cattle.

Jesus does not ever respond to the natural. He is supernatural and His answers are always about eternity and the condition of our souls. He tells her, "Whoever drinks this water will be thirsty again. The one who drinks the water I give will never thirst and in them will be a well of water springing into everlasting life."

This woman at the well is thirsty. She is intrigued that He can give her water that she will never thirst again. She asks Jesus to give her the water so she will never be thirsty and she will never need to go to the well again. She thinks in the natural and Jesus speaks to the supernatural. He says to her, "Go get your husband and come here."

What? She literally asked Jesus for the water that would forever quench her thirst. Why did he mention a husband? What has that got to do with anything? It has everything to do with it. Jesus loves her enough to point out her mess and her mistakes so He can cleanse her. She says, "I don't have a husband." 

Jesus tells her, "You're right. You had five husbands and the man you are with now is not your husband either." He was acting like her husband but they were not married. They were sinning. That was the essence of what He said. That was all it took to get her attention. She perceived Him as a prophet. She said her forefathers worshiped in that mountain and questioned Jesus, "You say Jerusalem is the place men ought to worship."

Again, division in where to worship and who to worship. Jesus says, Woman, believe Me, the time is coming when the Father will not be worshiped in the mountain nor in Jerusalem. The true worshipers must worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth. God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth."

The woman tells Jesus the Messiah is coming and He is Christ. "When He comes, He will tell us all things." Jesus plainly tells her, "I that speak to you am He." He literally introduced Himself as Jesus the Messiah. She runs to the city to tell the others. The disciples are now back. They see the exchange Jesus was having with the woman and no one questioned Him, but they marveled. They could not believe it. Even the disciples knew the racial rules and not to cross them. Jesus came to tear down racial divides.

The Samaritans came to see Jesus and they urged Him to stay with them, so He did. Jesus stayed with them two days. Many more believed Jesus because of the things He said. They came to meet Jesus because of the woman's testimony but they believed in Him once they heard Jesus speak. We must continue to share our testimony with everyone because we never know who will hear and be converted as they experience Jesus for themselves. 

JOHN 4:41-42 (41)And many more believed because of His own Word; (42)And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

Second Corinthians 3:17 says "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." The woman at the well found freedom when she met Jesus. The Samaritan people who came to see Jesus and hear Him for themselves found liberty from the captivity they were in. For two days Jesus was able to set the captives free. 

GALATIANS 3:26-29 (26)For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (27)For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (28)There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (29)And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

You see when Jesus redeems us and frees us from the penalty of sin and reconciles us to Himself, we are no longer a white person, a black person, a male, a female in God's eyes. We are all one in Christ Jesus. We are all made in His image and we belong to our Heavenly Father.

This scripture does not imply we should forget who we are. We are still unique individuals. The things that are different about us should make our relationships richer not divide us. But we are no longer defined by our nationality or gender alone. Our identity is hidden in Christ Jesus. 

We are put on this earth to shine as beacons of light. We need to come together in unity and in love. Let's stop listening to the world's view that says we have to "stick to our kind." We have to stop the division. Cross the lines and find out what others think, how they feel, what they struggle with. We need to help one another Home.

The world is in division right now. The church is in division. We must come together and let Christ be the central focus of all we say and do.

PHILIPPIANS 1:9-11 (9)And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment (discernment): (10)That ye may approve things that are excellent, that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ: (11)Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

In conclusion of today's study, let's love one another. Let's use knowledge and discernment and approve excellent things. May we be sincere and not offensive to one another. We can do that when we are full of fruits of righteousness by Jesus so that all we say and do will honor and praise God. I hope something I have shared today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way.

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens 

 

 

 

Thankful For Who God Is | Thankful Thursday

ROMANS 11:33-36 (33)O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! (34)For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counselor? (35)Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? (36)For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things: to Whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Do you know the depth of the riches of God's knowledge and wisdom? Of course we don't. He knows everything. He never overthinks anything. He never misses anything. He is amazing! He knows everything about us, our future, our suffering... there is nothing He does not know. He knows our thoughts and motives. His judgments are beyond finding out. We can search all we want but we will never tap into the incredible mind of God. He does not need an advisor or counselor. He is the Great Counselor. He is the ONE source of advice and wise counsel to follow. He is a giver. He has given to us and we did not ever give anything to God that He has not turned around and multiplied and given back to us. You cannot out-give God.

I am so thankful for God. I am so grateful that He has so much knowledge and wisdom and understanding, yet He does not laugh at how little I understand compared to Him. I appreciate how generous and kind He is with advice and instruction on how to live my best life. I could not know the path to take if it were not for His Word teaching me and guiding me as I go.

You and I exist of God, through God, and for God. We exist to praise Him. We exist to magnify His great name. He gets all the honor and glory and praise both now and forever more. He is worthy! I am so thankful that I am able to have communion with God. I can walk with Him and talk with Him. I can feel His love. I can experience His presence, His glory, His favor, His healing virtue. He is so wonderful. I could never run out of enough things to praise God for. He is my friend.

I lean on God for everything. I tell Him everything. He knows anyway. He knows what I am thinking. If I am angry I tell Him why. He helps me so I can let it go and not grow bitter. If I am happy, He listens and rejoices with me. He sings over me with joy. He has laid up a crown of righteousness for me and not just for me, but for anyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus to be saved.

What are you thankful for? In November, I usually spend all 30 days sharing what I am thankful for on social media. I keep a traveler's notebook that I made with photos and stories of what I am thankful for. There are lots of people who do that and it's a wonderful exercise to prepare our hearts for celebrating Jesus' birth and why He came. However, I am not only quick to share my gratitude one month out of the whole year. This is why God prompted me to share what I am thankful for every Thursday. 

Look back over my blog and you will find that I don't do that perfectly. The point is, I am doing it today and I am being more intentional about disciplining myself to stay on track with posting on this blog. I want to be committed to the things God is asking me to do. Sometimes it feels overwhelming and I cannot do it. Sometimes it seems like I have nothing of value to share. The truth is if I stay focused and put in the effort, God will help me with the areas I cannot do alone. He is so good to help us all.

I hope you count your blessings every day. I am so glad you spent some time on the blog today reading about what has put gratitude in my heart. I would love to hear from you, too.

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Truth About Fear | Fuel For The Weekend

When was the last time you read in the Bible that God commanded us to live in fear? Not the reverent fear of God, but when did He ever tell us to be afraid of our circumstances, our health status, our bank balance, our world? Let me help you out. The answer is... NEVER! I have read the Bible all the way through every year, (this is my seventh year) and there is not ever, not even one single time where God ever tells us to be fearful.

I have read so many posts on Instagram today where people are talking about feeling depressed, oppressed, down, discouraged, losing hope, and feeling awful. For many people living in this day and age, they feel despair, desperate, and fearful. I want to share what the Bible says in Isaiah.

ISAIAH 43:1-2 (1)But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine. (2)When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

This is a beautiful passage, isn't it? Imagine God our Father who has created us and He made us, forming and fashioning us in our mothers' wombs (Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 119:73, Psalm 139:16). He calms us as He says, "Don't be afraid. I have won you back, bought you with a price and I have called you by name. You are Mine. You belong to Me and You have this promise that even though you may feel like You are drowning in your situation, you may feel like the rivers are too deep and too wide for you to cross, I will be with you and they will not take you under. When you walk through the fire in the heat of the battle and all hell comes against you, you will not be burned and the flames will not even touch you." What a promise! And He keeps that promise. As we put our hand in His, He keeps His Word. When the enemy comes in like a flood, He will raise up a standard against it (Isaiah 59:19). When we feel like we are in the fiery furnace of trials, He is walking in the midst of it with us.

The children of Israel saw God keep this promise as He parted the Red Sea and they walked across on dry land, but their enemies were drowned (Exodus 14:22, 28). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego experienced the truth of this passage when they found themselves walking around in the blazing hot furnace and they were not burned. The fourth Man was in the flames walking with them, it was the very Son of God (Daniel 3:17, 25). They did not even smell of smoke when the king ordered the men to come out of the flames (Daniel 3:27).

Keep reading this chapter in Isaiah. Do you see how much He loves us? We are precious in His sight. He created us for His glory (Isaiah 43:7). He is wooing us to Himself. He loves us (1 John 4:19). He redeemed us. He saved us and He keeps us. What more do we want Him to do?

ISAIAH 43:10-12 (10)Ye are My witnesses, saith the LORD, and My servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me. (11)I, even I, am the LORD; and beside Me there is no saviour. (12)I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are My witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God. 

We are His witnesses, too. He has chosen us to serve Him, that we may know and believe in Him. We understand who He is. He is God alone. There was no God made before Him and there will never be a God made after Him. He alone is the LORD and He is the Savior of the world. Jesus is the Savior. No other name given among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). He has declared and saved and shown His power. He proved Himself to us over and over. He is powerful and wonderful and mighty to save and there is no other God. We are His witnesses.

Keep reading and you will see that He makes a way in the sea and mighty waters. He causes mighty armies to become extinct. We must look back, reflect on all the times He came through for us, all the times He heard and answered prayers, the miracles He performed, the healing He gave, the times He mended our broken hearts and gave us beauty for ashes. Now He is going to do something new. He is going to take the dry, deserted areas of our life and cause fresh water to flow. He is about to bring healing, hydration, and satisfaction to every burned up, dusty dream He has ever given us. We will show His praise among the nations because of the wonderful ways He has blessed our lives.

Will we do it? Will be live in the freedom and liberty He has given us? Will we turn away from the free gifts He is handing us? Will we ignore His call? Will we try to keep doing life on our own terms? Will we keep sinning and expect Him to turn the other way, to give us a free pass because we are His children? In verse 25 He said, "I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." Are we sorry? Do we have a heart of repentance? Are we ready to turn back to Him?

We do not have to live in fear. In fact, He tells us not to live that way. We are to put our footsteps in His and walk with the Master all of the time (Luke 9:23). When life gets too hard and we do not see clearly the path in front of us, we must walk by faith and trust Him (2 Corinthians 5:7). We have to stop leaning on our own understanding and just trust Him to meet our needs and help us face every difficulty with grace and mercy and peace (Proverbs 3:5-6). Are you ready?

I hope something I have shared this weekend has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you.

~Bridgett Owens

Thankful For My BFF | Thankful Thursday

Meet my beautiful blue eyed, brown haired best friend for ever and always! Her name is Heather Rose and she is my very closest friend. She knows way too much! Today is her birthday and I hope it is the most fantastic day ever. I thank God for her mother Cindy choosing life for this amazing woman of God. She is a threat to the enemy and she is the apple of God's eye.

Heather and I have been friends since we were kids. We grew up together. We went to Youth Group together. We studied the Bible together. We worked together. We went to Taco Bell together.... a lot! We enjoyed pie together....lots of delicious pie. It's our thing.

I love Heather's laugh. It is contagious and it seriously brings me joy even if she is laughing at me!! We laugh until we can hardly understand each other and then we laugh harder at that and when we see others staring at us, well it gets real. Tears are flowing and it is the best belly laughter ever. She makes me want to be better.

Heather has amazing handwriting. We wrote lots of letters back and forth. She sends me cards and she sends me SnapChat messages. We always have so much to share and why we think SnapChat is the best way to do that is beyond me, but we like it and it works, so who cares if we send tons of snaps at one time. There really needs to be longer allowances for what we have to share.

Heather gets me. She knows what has broken my heart, what has disappointed me. She has been there when my relatives died and she still prays for me when I tell her that I miss my dad. I wish she had a good dad to miss. Her mom is an amazing mother and father because she had to be both as a single momma and she rocked it! Her sister is so funny and I love their little family like I am another sister.

Proverbs 27:9 says Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. She is like sweet perfume to my soul. She gives me sound advice. We have had similar struggles in marriage, parenting, life, as Christians... and it is so good to hear her share Bible verses as she lovingly points me back to the cross. She is a great prayer warrior and she loves Jesus so I trust what she tells me and she gives me the encouragement I need to keep going. She takes 1 Thessalonians 5:11 seriously when we are told Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. She lives that out loud!

Psalms 133:1 says Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. It's true. She and I seldom argued. Even if we disagreed we heard each other out and we never let things come between us. She is miles and miles and states away from me but I can call or text her anytime and she is there for me and the distance never matters.

Heather is a hearer of the word and a doer. Romans 12:10 says Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. I love Heather to pieces and I know she loves me. We do want to show honor for each other. We cherish our friendship. Others come and go in our lives for a reason or a season but I am so glad God gave me Heather for a lifetime!

Ecclesiastes 4:9 says Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. I love doing life with Heather. She is the best friend anyone can have. I can share her with others a little but remember she is my friend first. Maybe I need to work on not being greedy....

I hope you all have a friend like Heather. In Galatians 6:2 it says Carry each other's burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ. I know that we don't do this perfectly, but I know that God has blessed me with a friend who helps me carry my burdens. Sometimes in the hardest seasons of our lives we were not able to be there in person for each other. God told me it was so we wouldn't make idols out of one another. He was training us to lean on Him and He allows us to help each other, too. 

Heather, I appreciate you so much. You are a treasure and I adore you. Happy birthday!!!! Love you bunches girlfriend. And many more......

Love,

Bridgett 

S.O.A.P. | Wednesday Bible Study

 

For those who may not know, S.O.A.P. is an acronym. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. I have not done a S.O.A.P. Bible study in a while, but I recently read a comment on a process video I made and it made me think I would like to do that again. You can see my first S.O.A.P. video here and my S.O.A.P. process video here on YouTube. They were really popular and for good reason.

S.O.A.P. is a great way to study Scripture. It is good for most age groups, even the very young can study with this technique. Most often people who watch my videos tell me how much this method helps them learn more about the Bible. So, let's begin.

SCRIPTURE: Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

OBSERVATION: This is instruction for Christian behavior for self, behavior for others, and behavior toward God. To admonish means to caution, advise, counsel against something, urge to a duty, remind.

APPLICATION: Stay in the Word of God. Read the Bible. Study the Bible. By learning what the Bible tells us to do, think, and how to behave; we can then teach and advise others how to serve Jesus well. I must remain in the joy of the Lord. When I sing at church, I sing Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs which others then tell me blesses and encourages them. I sing to Jesus and not to people but as they join me in my worship it encourages me and them.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for free access to the Holy Bible. Help me hide Your Word in my heart so I will not sin against You. Help me to not only teach and admonish others, but receive the teaching and admonishing others give me, and to do so with gladness in my heart. Please continue to guide me when I sing for You. Tell me what to sing and when so I can bless and help others around me. Thank You for those who sing and bless me too. May I glorify and honor You King Jesus in everything I say and do. I ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen!

If you do a S.O.A.P. study, please let me know. I would love to hear from you! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Appreciation | Thankful Thursday

Sometimes the ones we love the most do not know how we truly feel about them until we tell them. It seems simple enough. Saying things like please, thank you, and you're welcome are good manners. Telling someone you love them is kind and can be reassuring. But, lately it has occurred to me that I do not tell my husband how important he is to me and our family. This week I found out how powerful verbally expressing my appreciation for my husband is.

Paul is my best friend. He is the strength in our marriage. He has muscles and he can lift heavy things. He knows how to fix almost anything. He thinks through things much quicker than I and he has really good ideas. He gets up very early every single morning Monday through Friday and goes to work. He does not ever complain about having to work so hard and drive so far to and from work (1 hour and 15 minutes one way). He is steady, dependable, reliable, and that makes me comfortable. Being a Christian husband is far harder than being a husband in general. He has the responsibility of leading our family in a way that pleases God. I rely on Paul to lead our family. He appreciates my feedback and we discuss things. He is no dictator, but he truly has the final say. In our marriage it is God first, then Paul, then me, and then our children. That is not a popular chain of command but God created it and you know what? It actually works! I tried the other way and it goes left real quick! Not a fun way to live.

Since moving back to Indiana, we have had a lot of fun times, happy times, joyful times. We made new friends, found our HOME church, and witnessed the power of God move so many times. It is incredible the amount of spiritual growth we have all encountered in this season of our life. We have also had a lot of disappointments, grief over loved ones who passed on. We have had people let us down, turn their backs on us, and hurt us in ways they could never know. This can take a toll on us, especially my husband. He is often quiet about things he feels. He hates to see his wife or children hurting and especially when that pain came from another person. So he does his best to keep pointing us back to Jesus and I will be honest here, he has his work cut out for him on this one. Sometimes I just want to be like Peter when he cut off the soldier's ear in an effort to protect Jesus. Paul, like Jesus did in the garden, reminds me we do not war against flesh and blood. He is right.

We had hoped to have our own home by now. That has been the single one thing that we have battled the most. Trusting God's timing when our own calendar flips month after month and nothing happens that we can see, it is frustrating. Stress at work for Kadesia and for Paul and for myself can really add to that frustration. Sickness that won't leave Kadesia's body since June can literally take parents to the brink when we have done all the things and she still has fevers that are above 103 and a heart rate that scares physicians! This is real life and these things can take a toll. And who do I share these feelings with? I tell my husband. I need him. I need his prayers. I need him to hold me and reassure me that someday soon our lives will not feel so out of control and awful! But who holds Paul?

Of course we know God holds us all in the palm of His hands and that will never change. Remember the scripture in Romans 8:35-39 that reads, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, no powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

But in the natural, when we need a hug, or an outlet, a safe place to vent and yell and cry, where can Paul go? If he has to be the pillar in our family: strong, steadfast, and immovable, where can he go? He goes to God first and then he comes to me. He lets me knows what areas he feels weak in. He knows it's a safe place to tell me his insecurities. And it is my duty not only as his wife, but as a Christian, a servant of Jesus, to build my husband up. I am to encourage him and uplift him. I am to pray for him and empower him to continue to lead well.

Ladies, please, make that safe place available to your husbands. I have not always done this and there were times I did not do it well. But do not stop trying to be the help meet you were created to be for that man in your life. Instead of listening to other women complain about their husbands, we must honor ours. Instead of finding fault with the spiritual leaders of our homes, we need to show them respect and love and appreciation. The world will not do this for them. Other women can stroke their ego, but they will not do this for them. It is up to us, to be the women of God we are called to be. God handpicked us for these men to be the helper and friend and companion they need. Let us make a safe haven of rest for our husbands because they need it, too.

I have seen a woman spend a great deal of time on an elaborate meal for their family and then criticize everyone and everything the entire time. It was so bad at one point, my husband and I just looked at one another and exchanged disappointed glances. The atmosphere was uncomfortable to say the least. She continued to point out her husband's flaws and shortcomings and he was getting embarrassed and upset. We need to honor our husbands and lift them up every chance we get.

You may think, "Bridgett you don't know my husband. You don't know his bad habits and his attitude. How can I honor a man like that?" I understand it can be a challenge. I truly do. But, we are to love others more than ourselves. Pray for your husband to see where he is not lining up to God and ask God to work in his heart. But don't say amen and go on with your day. While you are having a conversation with God, ask Him to change your heart, too. Ask Him to show you how to be more loving, more kind, more respectful. Maybe the moment he walks through the door is not the best time to start unloading about your day. Ask how his day was. Talk to him and listen. Take the time to be present in the moment.

Friends we have to stop looking at everything through the lens of "How Does This Make Me Feel" and we need to prefer others above ourselves. Look to the needs of others. Read the book of Romans, chapter 12 and see how we should treat one another. We should never treat total strangers kinder than we do our own flesh and blood. We are the children of God and He told us to love one another and that is how the world will know we belong to Him.

1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-8a (4)Charity [love] suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, (5)Doth not behave itself unseemly [rudely], seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; (6)Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; (7)Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. (8a) Charity [love] never faileth:

1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-8a {ESV} (4)Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant (5)or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; (6)it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. (7)Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (8a)Love never fails. 

The Bible is very clear what love is. We know God is love and these verses in 1 Corinthians tell us the character of God's love. It is the same way He wants us to operate in love when we engage with others including our spouses. So let's take a quiz. How patient and kind are we? Do we envy other women who we think have better husbands? Are we bragging on ourselves and become arrogant and prideful? Are we rude? Come on now ladies. You know some of this hurts! Do we insist on our own way? Why do we just assume our way is better? And even if his way is not better it can still be good. If it is not good, then can we please give grace and mercy for times our husbands fail? We all need room to make mistakes. It is how we become better. Are we irritable or resentful? A friend of mine would complain about how much work she had to do around the house but she did not want to confront the issue of no one helping. She had set the standard so high that her kids said, "If we did do something to help, it would not be right and she would just do it over anyway." We have to let others help us or we have no reason to resent that they are not helping. What do we rejoice in? Are we encouraging bad behaviors or are we rejoicing in the right choices they make? Or do we ever tell them how proud we are that they are making good choices for the family? We cannot tell them they are wrong and never praise them for being right. Would we want to be talked to like that? Love endures all things and never fails. God loves us like this and we want our husbands to love us like this. So, let's make an effort to love them back like this.

I have never met a happily married couple who said, "Our marriage is awesome and it takes 0% from us!" Paul and I have been married for 21 years and it's tough sometimes. It is hard! Life is hard and so is marriage. There is more responsibility, more accountability, more to navigate and work through, but I love Paul more now than I did 21 years ago. I love Paul more now when I see him on his face at the altar at church asking God how he can be more like Him! I love Paul more when I see him pray about something before he moves on it. It was not always like that. He is more in tune with God now and that translates to everything he does.

I thank God for my husband. I am so thankful that Paul and I made it when others said it would never last. I am thankful that God gave me a wonderful husband and I tell him a lot, but not as much as I should. What are you thankful for this THANKFUL THURSDAY?

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

How To Act In The Presence Of Jesus | Fuel For The Weekend

John the Baptist was the herald for Jesus. He preached about Jesus. He taught about Jesus. He saw Jesus! He said, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." This is recorded in John 1:29. Jesus walks up to John in the book of Matthew and I just imagine the men look into one another's eyes and there is an exchange much like when they were in their mother's wombs. The Bible says John leaped in his mother's womb when Mary walked in with Jesus in hers. The exchange must have been powerful.

John thought so much of Jesus, in John 1:26-27, he answered the Pharisees, "I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose." Do you understand that John recognized Jesus was the Son of the Living God? He told the Pharisees that they were standing in a crowd of people and one of the people in that crowd is the Lamb of God! John said I am not even worthy to loosen His sandals. He did not feel that he was worthy of touching the feet of Jesus because of what John knew about Jesus. What do we think about Jesus?

How many times do we rush to ask God for a need? We pray God I need You to do X, Y, and Z. Do we stop first to honor Him? Do we acknowledge Him in reverence? When we enter His courts and into His gates we are to do so with praise and thanksgiving. We should not rush to demand something from the Messiah, our King. Jesus taught us to pray, "Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be Thy name." Hallow it, revere it. He is the Most High God and we must not just rush into prayer, "God do this! God You've gotta move! Do this... do that.... no, take a moment to honor the King. We must humble ourselves before Him. Respect Him!

Jesus approaches John and there is this exchange that we don't read about it, but we know it had to have happened. When we encounter Jesus, there is an exchange that happens. Jesus wants John to baptize Him. Can you believe that? John almost couldn't. He said, "You should baptize me!" I love that Jesus tells him, "Allow it to be. It is appropriate for us to fulfill all righteousness." Matthew 3:15 You see, Jesus did not cut corners. He did not take liberties or partake of special privileges, even though He could have because He is God! No, He fulfilled all of the law. He did it all perfectly to the letter because we never could get it right. He was made righteousness for us. Jesus did not need baptism but He always led by example.

Time has passed and we move to Matthew chapter 14. John has beheaded by Herod because he made a stupid promise to a young girl while he was drunk and full of himself. The wicked wife of Herod's, who was originally his brother's wife, wanted John the Baptist's head on a charger. He had to keep his promise and so it was. Jesus heard about it and he left in a ship to a remote area over the see of Galilee. Jesus wanted to be alone, no doubt, but when the multitude of people heard about it, they followed Him. They walked along and in our natural state, we might have told the people to go away. We may have said, "I just need to be alone. I need to get my thoughts together. I need to grieve in my own way. Please give me some time." But Jesus did not do that. In verse 14 Jesus saw the great multitude and was moved with compassion for them. He healed the sick among them. And I just wonder what it would be like if we move forward like Jesus did, and we see the multitude of people who are dying and going to hell, lost and in need of a Savior, and what if we just put our own feelings aside for a moment, our own problems, our own trials, and what if we pushed past all that to have compassion and pray for the sick to be healed of Jesus. What would that look like in our churches? What would that look like in our schools? What would that look like in our neighborhoods? What would that look like in society?

Reading on in this chapter, we see that Jesus tells His disciples to feed the people and He performs the miracle we know today as the Loaves and the Fishes. After the people had been healed and fed Jesus lovingly sends them all away and then we pick up reading in verse 23, "And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, He was there alone. He finally gets the quiet time He desired. He finally gets to be alone with His Father. That tells me that when we are hurting ourselves, troubled, or upset we must press on to keep working for the Master. We must not let our flesh take a vote. We need to tend to the needs of those He has entrusted into our care. And after we have met their needs and lovingly sent them away, then we can be alone to pray and rest in His presence.

The last point I want to make about this passage, though there are so many more points I could make, is what happened next. Let's read:

MATTHEW 14:24-27 (24)But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. (25)And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. (26)And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. (27)But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

These men are in a ship in the middle of the sea. It is in the night and the waves are crashing against their vessel. The wind is whipping up the waves and their ship starts rocking and they are in a situation they feel is out of their control. We have all been there. We get the call with the unexpected news on the other end of the line. We hear the doctor's report and we never saw it coming. We, like the disciples, are in a dark situation and we feel helpless to dictate the outcome. What do we do?

It is dark. It is in the middle of the night and the men see something walking on the water. They thought they saw a ghost and they began to cry out in fear. Their experience just went from bad to worse. They do not know what is coming next.

Immediately Jesus reassures them. "It is I; be not afraid." Jesus did not leave them in the dark, fearful circumstances. He immediately calmed their fears. He announced His presence and we see that it so motivated Peter that he asks Jesus to let him walk on the water too. And so Jesus lets Him. And then like all of us do, Peter took his eyes off Jesus and started looking at his circumstances. He noticed the violent wind, he felt the waves chopping against his legs, and he cried out in fear, "Lord, save me!"

We can get upset with Peter for doing that, but it is a natural thing. Jesus tells us He is with us and we feel better and we even get excited about doing something supernatural, or miraculous, for God, and then we start looking at our situation again, and we begin to sink like Peter did. But, look how Jesus responds. He IMMEDIATELY  stretched forth His hand and caught Him!

Let that sink in! He immediately stretches out His nail scarred hands and catches us! He does not let us go under. He does not let us sink. He does not tell us we are on our own. He catches us! He asks why did you doubt?

Why do we doubt? It truly is that in some situations we simply lack the faith that God will do what He said He will do. The good news is that we can say, "Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief." That was what the man said to Jesus in Mark 9:24. He was the father of a child with a dumb and deaf spirit. Jesus will give us help to believe! He continues to work on our behalf all the time. Let's not give up hope when HOPE is what Jesus gives!

The beautiful end of this story is in verse 32, "And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased." Jesus brought Peter back to the ship and the wind stopped. The winds obey Jesus. The trials will rock us off course, leave us turned upside down and inside out, but when Jesus puts us back where we belong, the storm stops. Sometimes He calms the storm, others times He calms His children.

Think on these things this weekend, friends. This is Fuel For The Weekend. I hope something I shared today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens