Category: Amanda

2 Negative and 3 Positive Commands for Holy Living

5/23/2025

Holy Living
from 1 Thessalonians 5
(Part 2)

Here we are back in 1 Thessalonians 5 with the Apostle Paul looking at these commands for holy living in the lives of believers. Remember, Paul is addressing the church at Thessalonica and helping them to know how to relate to other believers with these short commands. The first three we looked at last month (3 Rapid-Fired Commands for Holy Living) were found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, where Paul speaks specifically to some personal commands:

“Rejoice evermore.”
“Pray without ceasing.”
“In every thing give thanks…”

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3 Rapid-Fired Commands for Holy Living

4/25/2025

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The Apostle Paul gives us 3 Rapid-Fired Commands for Holy Living in 1 #Thessalonians 5. They are a clear and powerful call: #Rejoice always. #Pray without ceasing. #GiveThanks in everything. These aren't just suggestions--they're a #Christian lifestyle for believers walking in hope and holiness! Let’s choose joy, stay in #prayer, and live #thankful--because this is the will of #God in #Christ #Jesus (1 Thess. 5:18). #Read the full post and be #encouraged to live holy in this unholy world. #faith

Holy Living
from 1 Thessalonians 5
(Part 1)

Paul is one of my favorite writers the Holy Spirit used in the New Testament. There are so many ways that I relate to what he struggled with and how he shares those struggles in such a transparent way.

I Thessalonians is one of the first books of the New Testament written about 52-53 AD. Paul wrote this letter to the church at Thessalonica probably a few months after leaving them on his second missionary journey. He had heard a good report from Timothy about what was going on there and decided to write to encourage the believers there.

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The Greatest Gift

12/20/2024

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Christmas is almost here! Are you ready? Whether your #gifts are wrapped or last-minute, the #joy is in the #giving. But have you considered the greatest #gift of all? #Isaiah 9:6 says,

Christmas is almost here! Have you got all the gifts you need to purchase? Are you one of those amazing people who have them all wrapped and ready for Christmas already? Maybe you are one of those people who will wait until the last few days before Christmas to get out and get all the things you need and then stay up all night on Christmas Eve to get them wrapped. The only sad thing is that ready early or just finished on Christmas Eve, most will watch the kids demolish the amazing wrapping in seconds, but that’s the fun of the act of giving the gift, right? In the moment when you give the gift, do you think about the cost of the gift? In the moment of receiving the gift and all the excitement that goes along with it, maybe the cost isn’t on our minds, but after reflection, we must recognize that the giver freely gives his gift to the receiver out of a heart of love. The gift is given without any strings attached even though it costs the giver personally to give it.

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Thankful IN Everything

11/22/2024

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Paul tells us in 1 Thess. 5:18, “In every thing #givethanks: for this is the will of #God in #Christ #Jesus concerning you.” Easy to #read--tough to live out, right? Dive into what it means to be #grateful in every #season, even when life gets complicated. Through real-life challenges, explore how #thankfulness can go beyond circumstances finding a foundation in God’s will. If you’re navigating #trials--big or small--this one’s for you! Embracing #gratitude--no matter what’s going on around you.

It’s that time of year! Has your social media feed been filled with people talking about what they are thankful for? It is a good practice to purposefully be thankful! I am often reminded, especially at this time of year, just how important this attitude of thanksgiving really is for us as Christians. 1 Thessalonians 5 includes a series of commands that Paul uses to admonish the believers in the church at Thessalonica. There are some “famous” commands in this passage such as “See that none render evil for evil” (5:15), or “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing” (5:16-17). Remember the command to “Quench not the Spirit” (5:19), or what about “Abstain from all appearance of evil” (5:22)? Nestled right in the middle of these familiar commands is a simple one that I purposely skipped over that ties into that one about constantly being in an attitude of prayer. It is a simple statement, but it takes a lot to obey it.

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My Weakness His Strength

10/18/2024

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Weakness is something that no one likes to claim. I don’t find it easy to admit when I am weak in any way. I remember when I first made my big international move to start my journey as a missionary in England. There were so many areas of my life that were the epitome of weakness!

I all but cried in the grocery store when I couldn’t find the things that I was searching for. Everything looked so foreign, literally! And it wasn’t even in a different language. (Although I do contend that there are two very different languages called English!) I had to learn to drive on the other side of the road and the other side of the car. And the signs were all different! I felt like at every turn or even every moment I was just so very weak. Thankfully with the help of good friends and time, what used to be foreign to me has become familiar and even welcoming.

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How to Rear a Missionary in Your Home

9/20/2024

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Ever wondered how to #plant the seeds of #missions in your #child's heart? As #parents we have an incredible #opportunity to shape the next #generation of #missionaries--right at home! In this latest #blogpost, you'll @discover 5 #practical and heartfelt ways to nurture a love for missions in your #children. You don't have to be an expert, you just have to have a willing heart. Head to the #blog now for #parenting !insights on how you can begin #fostering a spirit of missions in your home today!

Since the advent of YouTube and Google, I feel like some of the most asked questions in internet search engines probably begin with two words – “How to…” I know that is the case for my internet searches. Sometimes it is something simple like how to check the tire pressure on a bike or maybe how to make banana bread. Sometimes it’s something that I need for a spreadsheet formula or some other computer need well beyond my personal expertise. I don’t remember a time that I had internet access that when I searched for a “how to” that the results didn’t come back with some kind of answer. Now we have the AI responses to add to the actual websites or videos to help us or maybe to confuse us even further. Today, I want to share some personal experiences along with some helpful hints for those of you who have influence over a child or young person in your life. I know this may, on the surface, seem a little out of my depth.

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What to do When You Feel Overwhelmed

8/23/2024

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Are you feeling overwhelmed? Whether it's your schedule, responsibilities, or unexpected challenges, we all have moments when we feel like we can't carry the weight of this season. But there’s hope! Dive into Psalm 61 and explore how King David, despite his overwhelming circumstances, found strength, security, and peace in God’s presence. David didn’t rely on his own abilities--he cried out to God and sought refuge in Him. And you can do the same! Let's walk through this powerful psalm together!

“Overwhelmed” is a word we hear a lot in our culture today. As I write this post, I can honestly tell you that my schedule and all that is going on looms like an overwhelming cloud. It’s just part of life, it seems, to walk in and out of overwhelming circumstances sometimes daily. I have even heard children use this term while they are playing. What is it that causes us to be so overwhelmed in life? I wish I had an answer and a cure for that part of life, but I am not attempting to give great insight into that question in this post. My purpose in this post is to encourage your heart if it is overwhelmed today. Maybe you are not at that point today, but you know that it can happen at any point of any day in the future. So, let this post be a point of reference for you in your moments of feeling overwhelmed. What are we, as believers, supposed to do when we are overwhelmed? I believe that the Psalmist explains this very clearly in several passages in the Psalms. Let’s look at my favorite one today – Psalm 61!

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