Image Bearers Of God

The other day, I had a afternoon with a couple of my dear friends. We had a awesome time. We wrote a hit song (in my opinion), we had a pillow fight, and best of all we had a Bible study. The study was given by my pastor's wife, Kimberly Wagner. It was about labels. We all have labels, and we can all remember the labels that we have been given. I know that I have had labels put on me. I know (now) that they don't mean anything, but at the time... they meant everything. 

During our Bible study, Mrs. Kim taught us that we are image bearers of God... so it doesn't matter what people may call us, but it does matter how we react. We are created to show others who God is. Jesus knew pain from hurtful words and actions toward Him...and He always reacted with forgiveness. 

Genesis 1:26- And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness...

So... the next time that I am called a name... I will have to remember that I am an image bearer of God,  and there are people watching me that need to get a glimpse of what God is really like. 

Walking In Grace,
Abby

Hobo

My dog has been missing for 4 days, and yesterday my sister found him. It looks like he was run over by a car not too far from our driveway.  Hobo was my best friend. I have never had a better friend. My dad brought him to me 6 years ago when I was 7. If you read my blog posts regularly, you've read about me and my family moving a lot over the past several years.  Hobo has been with me ever since that started. He moved with me to every new place, and made me laugh even though hard things were going on. God gave me Hobo to help me through those tough times.  God will always send us what we need when we need it.

James 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

God knew that I needed a friend during those particularly
hard times. He gave me one, and now... even though Hobo is gone.....I will always think of God's faithfulness and His amazing gifts when I think of Hobo.



Walking In Grace,
Abby
 
 
 

Anger Management...

Last week in my youth bible study class we were talking about anger. We began discussing what the Bible says about anger, and we studied this verse:

Ephesians 4:26- Be angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath. 

Woah... Be angry and sin not. That confused me.  I couldn't figure out what God was saying.  It seemed like anger itself was a bad thing...a sin.  Me and mom looked up the passage in a study book we have by John McArthur. John McArthur explained that the anger in this passage is a determined and settled conviction.  It's anger Jesus showed when in Mark 3:5 when He was healing a man with a withered hand.. and the Pharisees were upset that He was healing on the Sabbath.  He looked around at them in anger, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts.  It was anger He showed when  He overturned the tables of the money changers in the temple.  Matthew 21:12-13 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. 
 

It's good and right to be angry about certain things.  Jesus was angry when His Father's name or reputation was at stake...or when other's were hurt or treated wrongly.  He, on the other hand, never got angry about what was done against Himself. 

I am generally opposite that.  I do get angry about when other's are treated wrongly, but I am much quicker to get angry about wrongs done to me.  That's where I learned that it becomes sin.  John McArthur explains that it is a self defensive, self serving, resentful anger that is sin.  It is selfish, undisciplined, and vindictive.  It's results are never good. 

The Bible gives us a hint on how to handle anger.  It says to  not let the sun go  down our anger.  Anger can get out of hand if it isn't handled the right way.  Bitterness can sneak in...or a lot of other things that will harm us... and our relationship with God and others. So... anger is not  a bad thing, but the results of anger that can get bad.  We should get angry about certain things.  As a big sister, a little sister, a daughter and a student,  I have to work at this... but it is possible!


 

Walking In Grace,

Abby

 

Procrastinator...

I am learning to play the piano.  In order to be awesome at anything, practicing is a must.  The problem is that when it comes to piano, I am a procrastinator.  I know that I need to practice, but I always wait until my mom actually tells me to practice.  I do then because I know I have to. My piano teacher also knows when I haven't practiced.  She can tell by my progress.  I disappoint her and myself when I'm slack in doing what I know I need to do.  I want to play the piano like Harry Connick Jr ....but putting in the time and effort to do that is a challenge.

I realized it's the same in the Christian life.  If we don't put time and effort into our relationship with Christ, the results are the same. I want to honor Christ,  know His Word, and be a knowledgeable child of the one true King.  Doing that takes spending time with Him and in His Word. Even though not playing piano or not being in God's Word doesn't seem like it is a big problem... in the long run it can really hurt me. I am a procrastinator... and I am not proud of it, but with God's help,  and some genuine effort on my part....I can change that. 

Walking in Grace,

Abby

Happy Easter!!!

Today is Easter... the time of the year that we celebrate what Christ did on the cross. Now I have known about what Easter means since I was a "wee one", but every year as I read in Matthew, this story never ceases to amaze me.

Matthew 27:33-48
33-And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
34-They gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
35-And they crucified Him and parted His garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
36-And sitting down they watched Him there;
37-And set up over His head His accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38-Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.
45-Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
46-And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Matthew 28:6
He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

He rose from the dead!!! How amazing is this?!?! He died, was buried, and rose again for us!! I'm so glad that even though He knew that we would mess up (a lot!) that He still chose to save us!

Happy Easter!!!

Walking In Grace,
Abby

Friends Are A Gift From God:)

Last night, I got to watch Ben Seewald and Jessa Duggar's wedding with a couple of my best friends. It was so much fun to see if we made the BIG SCREEN. We went to their wedding in November, and were excited to see if we made it on tv. LOL! Last night was just one of the many times that I have loved hanging with my friends.  I love my friends, and I don't know what I would do without them. Scripture has a lot to say about friendship.  While Jesus was here on Earth, he had good friends, and He also experienced the devastation from friendships gone bad.  Friendship can be the best thing ever, but it can also be the worst thing ever! One of the things that my Mom tells me all the time is that in order to have a friend... you have to be a friend. That is WAY harder than it sounds. Being a friend is difficult sometimes because it requires time, trust, love, energy, kindness, forgiveness, patience, faithfulness, gentleness... and we have only struck the tip of the iceberg. Being a friend is a huge responsibility, but it is also a huge blessing.

Like in Matthew 7:12- So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Proverbs 18:24- A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Proverbs 17:17- A friend loveth at all times...

Proverbs 27:17- Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

John 15:12- This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.



I love my friends... they encourage me in my walk with Christ, their always there to help me, and I can always count on them to be there.  The question is... what kind of friend am I?

Walking In Grace,
Abby