Tired Of Coming Up Short?

²³ For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. ²⁴ Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
Romans 3:20-24 

 If you were anything like me, when I reached that age of "awareness" I wanted to be like everyone else.  Why? Because I wanted to fit in!  What 12 year old (and above) wants to be that kid that's "weird" or "different" or "odd"?  Not THIS kid!  But try though I might, I never really seemed to fit in.  I just wanted to be like everyone else (as I perceived them).

Well, here's a nugget of news I learned years later:  We are ALL alike!  We are ALL in the same clique, and there are NO outsiders!  Why? Because we are ALL sinners and have fallen short of God's standard! Yep....every last one of us.  We are all piled up along the track of life, never quite reaching God's standard.  How sad is that?

However, God loves us SO much that he has provided a way for us to meet His standard!  Through Jesus Christ, God freed us from the penalty of not being good enough!  Jesus paved the way for us to finally be good enough in God's eyes (the only eyes that matter).  God made this available free to us.  Such a free gift is beyond value, yet many simply refuse to accept it.  

But I will simply tell you this from my experience, once you have experienced the true love and forgiveness of God through Christ, you will crave it forever! 

Get Your DIFFERENT On!

And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.

Hebrews 13:16 

 Which are you likely to remember more...someone who is nice to you or someone who ignores you?  How about that person who nitpicks everything you do so that you feel scared to say or do anything?  How about that person who, for no reason in particular, does something for you that brings a smile?

God tells us that we are to be DIFFERENT!  We are to be the person who encourages and build up others!  We are to be the people who are so weird because we actually care about each other!  While the rest of the world is hung up on the negative, we are to be the example of positive.  

Just a thought to ponder today!

Dare To Be Unique

Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.

Romans 12:2

There's a song by Jimmy Buffett that I have always liked, it's called "Fruicake" and you can find it on YouTube. (Fruitcake)

You've seen them.  You may even know some of them.  And, quite honestly, you might even BE one of them.  You know the ones......they are wound up so tight that they could potentially spring over Mt. Everest.  These spring loaded folks tend to have health ailments resulting from their being so uptight all the time. And because they are uptight and not feeling completely well, they like to spread their "joy" far and wide to everyone they can.

But look at what the Apostle Paul is reminding us to do...."Do not be shaped by this world."  Now this doesn't mean we are to stop personal hygiene and run naked through the streets laughing hysterically like minions.  This means we are to remember that, while we are ON this world for a brief time, we are to BE DIFFERENT!  

Here are a few practical ways to be different:

• Say "Please" when you desire something and "Thank You" when you receive your answer.
• Realize that we will not always get our way, so be different by saying "Okay" and move on with your life.
• Be kind to others.
• Hold the door for others.
• Encourage someone you know needs it.
• Laugh
• Smile
• Help someone who has a burden they are having to carry (physically, emotionally, etc.)
• Make it a point to let someone else go first.
• Bring me coffee
• Give your time to a good cause.

You get the picture.  Be different by doing to others as you would want done to you.  And remember...happiness and contentment are DECISIONS!