Are you "...acceptable unto God..."???

Romans 12:1, "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is you reasonable service."
    So i looked up the word beseech to see what it really means. Here is the definition: "Ask someone urgently or fervently to do something; implore; entreat.." So here is Paul begging people to live a holy life that is acceptable unto God. I started thinking... What is acceptable unto God? I thought of Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brethren whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue and if there e any praise, think on these things." In the Bible the Lord gives us a list of things that we should think on, and I think that these are some guidelines for what is acceptable to God. I have to stop and think, what in my life doesn't measure up to these standards???? Hmmm.... Good thought. I think we all have things in our life which do not measure up to these guidelines the Lord has given us. Might be time to take a moment and step back to see our life, and what needs to be cleaned out... 
Now, I'm not talking about, "Ooooo, Time to clean out my Facebook Friend's list." *EyeRoll* I am so sick of hearing "Christians" proudly post, "Well if you are reading this then you have made it through my Facebook "purge"." It makes me SICK every time I read this. What kind of testimony are you being when you go and delete someone on FB that doesn't measure up to your "standards"??? After reading Romans 12:1 and Philippians 4:8 do you think YOU measure up??? I highly doubt it! I have only deleted 1 person on my Facebook.... Not because they didn't measure up to my standards, but because they were verbally attacking me, my family, my beliefs, and my God. I will NOT deal with that. But... When I see a Christian deleting others for cursing, pictures, or the "drama" the other person created (which is laughable if you think about it) I literally CRINGE! You are telling that person, "You are NOTHING to me." Is that what Jesus would do? No, instead of "defriending" people, He actually sought out the sinners to go and have lunch with them. GO FIGURE! Jesus had enough compassion on others that he was kind and caring, and He drew people closer to Him. By going on your deleting frenzy you are not being kind or compassionate, and you are NOT furthering the Kingdom of God. Instead you are emotionally AND spiritually wounding people. What if these people one day need someone, a christian, or someone to friend them and pray with them. They may remember, "Ohhh! Jane Doe was always posting about going to church, I'm going to look her up..." But sadly, they can't find you because, well, you DELETED them. Now they are left alone, floundering, and may turn to the wrong kind of counsel. You just harmed the furthering of the Lord's work. You single handily pushed this person further away from God. I know that everyone has their own free will and if they TRULY needed God they would continue to look, but you have harmed that person's views of Christianity and an all loving God. So, next time you decide to clean out your Facebook because you are tired of some one's posts, then do me a favor. STOP. Hover over the corner of their post or name... Click on the arrow down, and instead of deleting them, hide them or unsubscribe from their feeds. You are still Facebook friends, but now, they can still see your posts about what the Lord is doing in your life, and one day may feel compelled to call upon you. Now isn't that what Jesus would do???? 
Paul goes on to say in Romans, "which is your reasonable service." Meaning, God's not asking too much of us. This a reasonable request to live a holy and pure life that is acceptable unto God. I don't like to hear excuses, though we ALL have them, but God is saying here, "Hey! It's not too hard, I'm not asking too much of you." It is a reasonable request to live for Him. So why do we struggle so much with just doing it? Like Nike's slogan, we Christians should live by their motto, "Just Do It." So why don't we stop, reevaluate our lives and "just do" what the Lord has asked, "...present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

Love... You don't know a THING about it...

Do you REALLY know how to Love??? I don't think you do! I had a revelation this week... I reckon you could call it a "Jesus Slap" moment. You know, when the Lord takes His Word and just SMACKS you upside the head saying, "NOW do you get it?" Yep. Totally. Totally got it this time...
I, Tiffany Gail Cash, do not know how to love... Yes yes. I know the "feeling" of love, but I realized that I've not been TRULY loving anyone.... Not even God. Not like I should anyways. Love is more than singing someone's praises continuously, or wanting to spend time with them non-stop... Love is seeking out that person, not to spend time with, but to truly get to know. Now... Before you roll your eyes and say, "Yep. Typical Tiffany... The  Dreamer... The Hopeless Romantic..." Stop. Take a deep breath... Seriously... BREATHE. Now clear your mind of any preconceived ideas you have about love... Even if you are married. YES... I'm talking to you spouse who thinks I'm to inexperienced in love to write this blog.... And you too, teenager, who "thinks" they are in love... Now.... With an open mind go to 1 Corinthians 13. Read the chapter and then come back to me.....
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I said to READ IT! ;)
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Did you read EVERY verse? Go back and read it...
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Okay, since you probably aren't really going to stop scrolling down to read it, then here...

1 Corinthians 13

¹Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

 ²And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

 ³And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

 ⁴Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

 ⁵Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

 ⁶Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

 ⁷Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

 ⁸Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

 ⁹For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

 ¹⁰But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

 ¹¹When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

 ¹²For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

 ¹³And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Okay... Now that you've read it... Think about it. What does it really mean to you? Everyone refers to this as the "Love" chapter and we use it in weddings a ton. But this time I received something a little different. It wasn't about a romantic love... Nope. Just Love... Plain, old, unexciting love... 

What do I mean? Well we use the quote, "Love the sinner... Hate the sin." an awful lot in our circles these days. But you don't do it do you? Nope. Me neither. Because we don't know how to love. To love someone is to "suffereth long", to be "kind", "envieth not", "vaunteth not" (means to boast), and "is not puffed up." Yet when we use the phrase above to love a sinner, and hate the sin, we are saying, I am a better person, so I'm going to love them. But we are boasting, are we not? Boasting and puffing up our ego, because well, you don't have that sin problem or you walk with God every-- errr--- almost every day... You are boasting and making yourself look better. So do you know what you sound like? Verse 1- "Though I speak withthe tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." Remember in the kitchen? Or in band, when someone drops a TON of metal??? That annoying clash that grates your nerves? Yep... That is SO what we sound like... Annoying... Yuck!

So here is my take. This is my situation that I'm about to share with you. I realized I wasn't loving the sinner like I should. I was "tolerating" them. Isn't that what we as Christians were doing? Toleration is probably one of the biggest pitfalls in our Christian life. We smile at them and say, "I'm praying for you." But are we really? Do you REALLY pray for that person? Pray that God would truly speak to them? I don't. I just tolerate them... And everytime I open my mouth all they hear is *CRASH*SCREECH*BANG*

 The Lord started showing me a few things after this realization... He spoke to MY HEART. ( I love when he does that.... It makes me feel all warmWelll... Ummm... Isn't that what Jesus did? He seemed to prefer speaking to the sinner more so than His own disciples. Why? So he could draw them closer to him. His disciples were there. They followed him, He knew that. So why spend more time with them? He need to spend time with the ones He need to see the light and to draw them closer to Him. He does that with us, as Christians, because let's face it... According to this we are pretty sorry Christians aren't we? We judge.... We make fun... We actually POINT out other people's sins and downfalls... I know. I'm guilty of it myself. But then I came to this verse... 1 Cor. 13: 6, "Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth." When we take time to say, "Love the sinner, hate the sin.", I feel that we are rejoicing in their iniquity... Instead we should rejoice in truth with them, "Hey! Let me tell you what God showed me today in HIS WORD!" NOW THAT is REAL TRUTH y'all! :) Love them in a way that draws them closer to God... 

My next point is this... It's not just about loving sinners to bring them to Jesus... But it's about loving each other in a way that we each inspire and encourage each other to draw nearer to our Lord. I want to be that person! I want to be the person who someone can look at and say, "She makes me want to be more like Jesus."

 Now I know that we will never REALLY be like Him, but we can strive to become more of His likeness. Why can't we be like him? Well in our "Love" chapter it talks about in verse 12 that we are looking through a dark glass and we only see in part, or only see half of the story, and the verse ends like this, "...now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." To me it's like God is saying to me... "I KNOW YOU... You only think you know me, but you just wait..." Then in 1 John 3:2 "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him: for we shall see him as he is." We ARE children of God, but we are still in the "working" phase, we will never be truly like him, because we have never truly seen him. I think of great people I know and love who have gone on to be with the Lord. I really thought of them as a "Christ-like", but now I realize, they never were truly like Christ, only a dim dark glass image of Him... But now... Wow! Now they ARE like Christ for they "see him as he is." What an amazing truth.... 

I know I probably rambled too much, but this is what was on my heart, and my heart is overflowing... So I hope it "overflowed" onto this blog just a tiny bit. :) 

My First Christmas in Heaven

My Ethan Man's family read this for Christmas. Tears stream down my face as I
tell you that I feel like its a message from him to us.... He sends the memories down to me at the most perfect of times. 

I miss you my sweet Ethan!

 

My First Christmas in Heaven

I see the countless
Christmas trees
around the world below
With tiny lights, like Heaven's stars,
reflecting on the snow
 
The sight is so spectacular,
please wipe away the tear
For I am spending Christmas with
Jesus Christ this year.
 
I hear the many Christmas songs
that people hold so dear
But the sounds of music can't compare
with the Christmas choir up here. 
 
I have no words to tell you,
the joy their voices bring,
For it is beyond description,
to hear the angels sing. 
 
I know how much you miss me,
I see the pain inside your heart.
But I am not so far away,
We really aren't apart.
 
So be happy for me, dear ones,
You know I hold you dear.
And be glad I'm spending Christmas
with Jesus Christ this year.
 
I sent you each a special gift,
from my heavenly home above.
I sent you each a memory
of my undying love.
 
After all, love is a gift more precious
than pure gold.
was always most important
the stories Jesus told.
 
Please love and keep each other,
my Father said to do.
I can't count the blessing or love
has for each of you.
 
So have a Merry Christmas and
Wipe away that tear
Remember, I am spending Christmas with
Jesus Christ this year

*find time*

This is what I am having put on an 11x13 canvas after I graduate in May. I have neglected so much through this journey of Nursing School and I am SO READY to put it behind me and starting focusing on the things that matter the most... My God... My family... My friends...

Thanks God!

I can't believe it is here... The Holidays. This has always been my favorite time of year.... but I'm really struggling right now. Ethan's birthday was hard.... but we always had our family Christmas all together. We didn't get to always be "together" for birthdays, but for Christmas we had our own special time. I can't imgine it without him.... I even had the thought that I don't want to have it, but I know that's not right. We need to keep on, just as Ethan would want us to do... Pray for our family and his baby sisters and parents especially... I really don't know what we would do without God's unchanging grace.
So as we enter the Thanksgiving Holiday I am so very thankful for the constant hand of God in my life... How His arms never cease to hold me tight when I cry... How I always feel his presence when I doubt my purpose or how I can go on. I am so thankful that He touched my life and has and will ALWAYS be with me. Thanks God!

Togetherness

This is a poem my aunt, La Donna, found in the past few weeks amongst sympathy cards over Ethan's passing. I heard her talking about it and how it comforted her knowing that this is what Ethan wanted to tell us. My favorite parts are underlined.

Every day I pray that it gets easier... Every trip down to Mississippi should get better.... but I miss him more than words can say. They say the hurt won't ever heal, it will just get easier to bear...  I hope this is true. I never thought it was possible for you heart to physically hurt from grief and sadness. It does. The pains are daily, the tears are often, and my thoughts of him, and words to him are unending.

I miss you Ethan Man. We all do. Clarissa and I rode your 4-wheeler last week. We road it through the trails you and her always took her on. She laughed and talked of you a lot. Pretty sure you were laughing hysterically at us when we got stuck in reverse and had to literally *back out* of the woods. Ha-ha! She has your sense of adventure! She even went to the Horror House and didn't squeal or get scared like I did. She misses you....

I was giving Celeste and bath. She is so funny. She has your eyes... And her giggle/cackle is you made all over. I am comforted with these little reminders of you.... I'm going to make sure she doesn't forget you. Celeste and I were walking outside at the farm, she wanted to go down to "Ethan's grave"... I wish she didn't know how to say that phrase, or ever had to learn it.

Your Mama and Daddy miss you so much.... We all do, but them especially. You were their little boy. Almost 14 years ago now that they held you for the first time. This week is hard on us all, but they were the ones with those special intimate memories of your first cry, touching you and kissing you as they held you for the first time.... Shine down on them this week... okay, Ethan-Man?

I love you.... I can't way until we are all together again....

~Togetherness~

Death is nothing at all. I have only slipped away into the next room.  

Whatever we were to each other, we still are. Call me by my old familiar name. Speak to me in the same easy way you always have. Laugh as we always laughed at the times we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. 

Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it always was. There is absolute unbroken continuity. Why should I be out of your minds because I am out of your sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner.

All is well. Nothing is past. Nothing has been lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before- only better. Infinitely happier. We will be one, together forever.

~Unknown

The Elusive "Hot Dog" Button :P

OOOKAY! So.... Do any of you have those new HI TECH Microwaves? The ones that have the DUMBEST settings. Like "Marshmallow Melting" or "Pizza Reheat" buttons? I mean REALLY? Here lately I've just been slightly amused by all the settings and buttons we have on our microwave. It is just as amusing as my brothers trying to reheat something and http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifasking "How long do I put this in there for?" I mean REALLY? Is it so hard that you can't just pop it in there for a few minutes? Goodness Gracious! So tonight. I'm making a hot dog for my parents and myself, and I decide to see if we have a hot dog setting. We have a setting for EVERYTHING else. Why not a setting/button for a hot dog? Well... To my surprise there isn't one. So I made this little comment, "Huh. No hot dog setting." Well this was enough to send my dear parents into hysteria. *RollsEyes* It was JUST an observation. :P Anyways. So Dad goes and updates his FB status and makes it sound so stupid. Hhhhh... I lead such a HARD LIFE. ;) Just thought you might enjoy this bit of comic relief. So tell me.... Do you have a Hot Dog Button?????