Short & Sweet Archives - Page 2 of 19

Frenemy

August 7, 2017 by MaryK 2 Comments

fren·e·my: frenemi/ noun, informal noun:

frenemy; plural noun: frenemies

a person with whom one is friendly despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry (online dictionary).

Do you have a frenemy in your life, someone whom you can’t seem to live with but can’t live without? You love and you hate. You laugh and you cry. Are frenemy relationships sustainable let alone healthy? The Bible says not.

“Anyone who wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other You cannot serve God and wealth.” Matthew 6:24

“Decide this day whom you shall serve.”Joshua 24:15

Being a frenemy of God is marked by trying to be in two places at once, in the world and in the kingdom. It’s also marked by trying to be two people at once, a believer and an unbeliever. Torn in two. Standing on the fence.

I used to be that Christian.

When I became a brand new believer, my old friends were less than thrilled. I thought they would at least be happy for me, but my good news about the Good News was met by blank stares and nervous laughter. Confusion followed. I decided I could be the one person who could bridge the gap between the world and the Gospel, the cool Christian who could laugh with the sinners and cry with the saints. Not so. I ended up crying with the sinners.

God clearly states it is impossible to be His frenemy. We must choose. Friend of the world or friend of God. We can love both, but can’t be both. Only One can be our friend. So how do we solve this problem?

The Bible has the answer.

“But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

⁷Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4: 6-10

Humility.

We humble ourselves before God, whether we feel like it or not, and tell Him that our plan to cozy up to the world while following Him just doesn’t work. Humbling ourselves will be hard. It will seem like a huge sacrifice. But He is our great reward.

Humbly ask Him to help you want Him more than the treasures of the world. Stop fighting. Stop posing. Stop faking. Be what you were created to be.

A friend of God.

by Mary Kay Kane

13 Reasons Why … We Need Jesus

July 31, 2017 by MaryK 1 Comment

There’s a movie/book out right now that is causing quite a stir.

Lots of people are talking about it; some are for, and some are against. Either way, the movie is a great conversation starter. Let’s start our own conversation about 13 Reasons Why … we need Jesus.

He is the only way to God. No matter what anyone says, Jesus is the only way to God. He is the way the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father accept through Him. If you believe the wrong thing, you are still wrong. If you sincerely believe the wrong thing, you are still sincerely wrong.
He is the only way to heaven. We cannot be good enough, strong enough, work enough, or sacrifice enough to earn our way to heaven. It is only by accepting the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we will be with Him forever.
He is the only way we can be saved. All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory on God. It is by the death of Jesus Christ that we are saved from the consequences of our sin. We are saved by the power of His blood.
He is the only way we are forgiven. 1 John 1:9 states if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We cannot do enough good to “tip the scale” in our favor. Jesus is the only one who can forgive our sins.
He is the only way we become what we were created to be. Before I was a Christian, I thought I had a plan of how I wanted my life to turn out. It included fame, fortune, and a high school boyfriend. THANKFULLY, God had a much better plan. It is only through Jesus that we will become the best version of ourselves. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Jesus is the only one who can restore all we’ve lost. Jesus is the ultimate lost and found. Whether we’ve lost things because of our sin or the sin of others, Jesus can restore it all. Time, health, wounds, joy, sin, shame, suffering, and strongholds can all be restored by Jesus. Whether it’s been stolen, given, or wasted, Jesus can restore it. “God, your God, will restore everything you lost; he’ll have compassion on you; he’ll come back and pick up the pieces from all the places where you were scattered.” Deuteronomy 3:30. Shattered or slivered. Shards or fragments. He restores them all.
He is the only one who heals: All of us are the walking wounded, playing hurt in the game of life. We carry our scars and lesions. So does Jesus. But His wounds are different; they heal. Only God can do that. Life from death. Healing from wounding. Health from hurt.
Jesus is the only one who gives us purpose: In Christ Jesus every person has a purpose, not just your pastor, or the radio preacher, or the evangelist on the speaking circuit. God has specifically gifted and called you to be highly effective wherever he has placed you in life. Every job, vocation, or career is important to His kingdom. In Christ Jesus, you have purpose.
Jesus is the only one who loves us! No one loves you like Jesus. Not your hubby, your wife or your mama. There is no end to His love for you. It can’t be measured, counted, contained, or restrained. You can’t make him love you more or less no matter what you do.

¹⁷that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— ¹⁹to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19
He is the only one who can recycle all things for our good. God uses all things for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. All things sinful, shameful, frightful, blissful, disgraceful, graceful, beautiful, awful. He uses all things –ful to fill use with His goodness.
Jesus is the only one who will never leave you nor forsake you. Never. No matter how deep, how wide, how long the sin, the separation, the rebellion, God will NEVER leave you. Cross His heart and hope to die.
He is the only way to receive joy. There is no joy without Jesus. Fleeting happiness or momentary pleasures are all that is possible apart from Christ
Jesus is the only way we can be different. Apart from salvation, this is my top reason why we need Jesus. We. Can. Be. Different. Weak can be strong. The fearful can be courageous. The sinful can be made pure.

13 important reasons why we need Jesus.

Which one is your favorite? Leave me a message below. I’d love to hear from you!

By Mary Kay Kane

Words

June 5, 2017 by MaryK 2 Comments

in the beginning

my Father who art in heaven

we hold these truths to be self evident

I have a dream

I do

i pledge allegiance

never, never, never, never give up

Words are important.

[Read more…]

Spiritual Growth Mindset

May 3, 2017 by MaryK 3 Comments

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

We have a lot to learn from the Little Engine that Could. The Little Engine could because the Little Engine had a growth mindset. A growth mindset is when, “… people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. “(Carol Dweck).

Just like the Little Engine.

Big things didn’t scare her. She was up for the challenge. She had grit. She had drive. Blood. Sweat. Tears. The secret to her success? Thoughts. True thoughts lead to courageous words, which lead to bold actions. Success does not depend on talent, resources or smarts. Success is determined by mindset. [Read more…]

5 Ways to Wreck Fear

April 5, 2017 by MaryK 2 Comments

Fear has left its mark on me.

It was how I did life. Most of my decisions were based on fear—not fear of God— but fear of everything. Will anyone be upset if I do this? Will so-and-so be mad at me if I do that? What will my neighbors/friends/relatives think if I do this? Worse yet, what will THEY think? THEY is a very powerful group. THEY have been making life miserable for the rest of us for many years. We need to vote THEY out of power. Why? Because THEY will keep us from following HIM.

Peter did it.

He finally beat THEY and took back his power.

I’ve been thinking about Peter.

How did he go from a three-Pete denier to the man who stood and preached like his heart was a-fire? Poured-out, filled-up, all-in man of God. I want that. [Read more…]