Standing Strong

"My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy clothes also comes in. If you pay special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand there' or 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?" -James 2:2-4 The Lord has been speaking to me lately about cliques and showing favoritism. Frequently I find myself talking, walking, and sitting with the same people at college. Just recently, I asked myself, "What is it like for the people who don't have very many friends to see me hanging out with the same people over and over again?" Just the other day, I was eating at the cafeteria with my brother and a few friends. A girl who knew everyone sitting at t

God puts people in your life for a reason. Instead of trying to glean something off of others, why don't you give to them and encourage them? Please listen to this song, "Today," by Kirk Franklin. So good!

I have been thinking a lot lately about the words that I am speaking. Are they words that encourage others or hurt them? Am I complaining about the bad things, or am I grateful for the good things? Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." I have made many mistakes with my words. I have either chosen the wrong ones or made the mistake by not keeping my mouth shut. Everyone goes through this everyday with family, friends, co-workers, or bosses. When we say something that we know deep down isn't right, we are not only hurting the people around us, but we are also hurting our relationship with God. God doesn't want us to speak death. If you take some time to read the first chapter in Genesis, you would notice how many "And God said...and it was so," verses there are. God spoke life to create the earth. I looked up some verses about the tongue. I found that there are many more than I thou