Picture of Wisdom

 

Just the Pure

“[Two Kinds of Wisdom] Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” James 3:13 NIV


Follow the example of Christ and view His perfect life as the picture of wisdom we need to place in the frame of our lives. Remember its not about people knowing all the great things you do and have done and bragging about how great you are for helping others- IT IS- having Christ live in you and THAT show through in your actions just like Christ- with humility and loving kindness. Bless other people with your life because that is what Christ would want you to do!  God Bless You All and have a wonderfully fantastic day!!!! 

GIVE: 

                                                                             AND Some Good

 All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.

Slipping

“When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” Psalm 94:18-19 NIV

Wow, He is always there for us; reaching out for us and grabbing out hand when we fall. Love and joy, peace and hope, help and guidance, these things truly only come from the Lord. Grab His hand when you are slipping but remember you don't have to slip to reach out and grab His hand. Rely on Him in the good times as well as the tough times. Know God is Good and He loves you very much!!!! 

All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.

Be Real!

Be Real!

By: Amber Johnson

Can’t people just be real

And not just try to match everyone else’s ideal

Instead livin how Christ would want

They bring about attitudes and moods they flaunt

It all changes when they get home

But everyone outside thinks that they know ‘em

Can’t we just live for Christ

Remembering the price

He paid

The life that he laid

Down to raise it up

For us to drink from His cup

All this life should be

Is what we see

When we read His Word

How come that Truth gets blurred?

I am a Jesus Freak

Let it be heard

That all I want to do is follow His Word

I don’t want to be involved in others acting

In a show to bring on the reacting

I want to be

The way Christ would have me

Being truthful, loving, and reaching

Not for the approval of others but for His teaching

I am just saying what I feel

That I pray everyone sees that Christ is the real deal

In Him we should follow

Leaving the acting, so distracting, it’s hollow

Live for Christ and no other

Be real in Christ and let that be the stunner

All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material

Hope in the Rainbows

Hope in the Rainbows

By: Amber Johnson

God knows all my needs

He sees when I bleed

Christ is always there

Showing He cares

I cry out, my tears fall

I feel so small

Yet God Almighty still hears my call

There is no place too deep

No place Christ can’t see me weep

Jesus wraps His loving arms around

All the pieces in me that are down

His love, mercy, and grace surround me

Answering my pleas

Making me see

the best place to be

is on my knees

I have hope in the rainbows

Faith that my prayers make better tomorrows

Healing me and my loved one’s sorrows

I praise the Lord

With all my heart and soul on-board

He is the reason I am restored

He is the reason I am me

He provides my every need

Makes me secure

Holds me through trials while I mature

Is there as my friend

On whom I depend

My stable rock until the end

All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.

Reminders to Love Him Back

Just think today how much the Lord loves you. Look around you, look up at the sky, smell the gorgeous flowers and roses along your path, feel the wind on your face, take in the towering trees, relish in the grandeur of the mountains, and know that God did it all for you. Everything that takes your breath away was put there so when you can't breathe you remember who gives you that breath every second of every day and keeps that awestruck heart beating- God. He loves you enough to remind you He is there and loves you so don't forget to show Him you love Him back. 

All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.

I Pray to Be

I Pray to Be

By: Amber Johnson

Dedicated to: My Mom

Singing along

Creating moves to match the song

Rolling on the floor

Till I can’t breathe anymore

Every day with you

Is a jump into

The world of smiles

That last for miles

The world of joy

Which nothing can destroy

The world of you

Which gives me a view

Of whom I pray to be

A person my kids would delight to see

A person in Christ who is completely free

A person anyone would agree

Is the light of heaven

the joy and hope of earth

And the best Christ can call His own

Happy Mother's Day Mom!!! I love you with all my heart!!! You are the greatest gift the Lord has ever blessed me with and I thank God for you every second of every day!!! I love you!!!! 


All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.

I'm not a perfect person

I’m not a perfect person

By: Amber Johnson

I’m not a perfect person

I have my flaws I pray won’t worsen

I want to do what’s right

I want to be the warrior in Christ’s fight

My sin haunts me

Some days I think the lock has lost its key

That buried deep inside

Are all the things over which I’ve cried

All the things I tried to hide

That which I wish would purge

So my heart and wounds could continue to merge

Together from the brokenness, hurt, and disgust

I wish Christ never had to see

But the beauty of it all is that He still loves me!

My sin and all

To Jesus I crawl

His love protects me, calms me, and keeps me

Sin was defeated and Christ set me free

I remain on my knees

Never wanting to flee

The holy presence of my Savior

I continue to pray for His behavior

His character, Him imprinted onto my mind,

And I want Him to be all that anyone can find 

1 Timothy 1:15 (New International Version)
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

Acts 4:12 (New International Version)
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."



I am providing you all with a link to C28, an awesome Christian store, where you can use the sinner saved image as your background
http://www.c28.com/streetteam/images/wallpapers/SinnerSaved_1024x768.jpg


Enjoy

content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.

Shaken!

Acts 4:31 (New International Version)

 ³¹After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Wow! Shouldn't this be what it is like for all of us who receive the Lord Jesus Christ into our lives? We should have a deep desire to courageously go out and spread the good news, blessings, and message of Christ. We should want to do nothing but tell of the truths of God and the sacrifice and gift of His Son, Jesus. Accepting Jesus Christ into our lives should shake the core of who we are, our lives, and the place we are at in that moment. Our old lives and practices should be shaken off and our new holy righteous skin in Christ should come forth. The foundation of the world that we used to stand firm on should be cracked and useless to allow the new foundation of Christ, His Word, and His glory to be built and used as a solid rock for where we will stand. If you have accepted Christ into your life and your life looks the same as before you asked Christ into your life....examine your heart, ask yourself who are you truly living for...yourself or Christ?...read the Word of God, the Holy Bible and learn how Jesus wants you to live....pray every second of the day about anything and everything so you can build a unique and loving relationship with Christ....go to church consistently so you can learn more about His Word and fellowship with others who can encourage you and help you grow in Christ....if you have been living for yourself and for the ways of the world and want to live for Christ, tell Him, dedicate your life to live for and love Jesus. Jesus is waiting for you with open arms, so run to Him, and live in the joy, love, and unending goodness of the Lord.
May God Bless you all!!! 

All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.

Fuzzy Feelings into Sacrifice

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”- 1 John 3:18

It is not what we say but what we do that makes a difference. If you promise but never follow through, if you love but never sacrifice, if you say you will be there but never show up....there is no love. Love is what you do for others not the fuzzy feeling of butterflies and stomach turnings. Love is doing the hard thing, the thing you might not want to do or really don't want to do because it would be a blessing to that person. Act on your love and do something to bless those around you. Love is sacrifice. Love is hard. Love is what Christ did for us. The hard thing, the thing no one would want to do. He died on a cross for all of us, taking on Himself all our sin and shame, so we didn't have to suffer, die, and be defeated by our sin but could live victoriously in Him with the gift of eternal life in Him. Love....Jesus went above the standard above and beyond....He died so we could live, He sacrificed His perfect sinless heavenly divine self, He took all the pain, shame, sin, and defeat from everyone one and put it on His own shoulders, He loved us enough to act out His love on His way to the cross, on the cross, in the tomb, and ascending into heaven at the right hand of the Father. Can you even begin to imagine what it would have been like if Jesus only loved us with His words and never acted on it? Turn those fuzzy feelings and words into some real action and sacrifice. Model after the perfect role model of all time Jesus Christ.



Read this encouraging image and try to grasp as much of you can of the grand and eternal love of the Almighty Savior and Lord Christ Jesus.


God Bless and have a beautifully blessed weekend!!!


All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.

Scripture for the Soul

1 John 4: 7-21

God's Love and Ours

 ⁷Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.⁹This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son^[b] into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for^[c] our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. ¹³We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. ¹⁶And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
      God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. ¹⁷In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. ¹⁸There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
 ¹⁹We love because he first loved us. ²⁰If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. ²¹And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.




All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Wishing you all a blessed and beautiful Valentine's Day!!!! Remember Jesus loves you more than anything in this entire world!!!
God Bless,
Amber

Love: An Action

God is LOVE!!!  He is the perfect example we have of love. Remember love is not merely a feeling it is an action. It is what you do to show your love for another. It is not a mushy gushy butterfly feeling but a wash the dishes, take out the trash, be there when you are needed, and be like Christ kind of love. Love is Christ, dying on the cross for the sins He never committed, for the people who caused Him pain, anguish, and death, and all so we could have eternal life in the most perfect place every created next to the most loving perfect awesome God there ever was, is, and will be for all eternity! How is that for love?

1 Corinthians 13

Love

 ¹If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,^[b] but have not love, I gain nothing. ⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
 ⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. ¹¹When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. ¹²Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
 ¹³And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.





All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.

Beautiful Day

Enjoy the beauty the Lord has given us. Bask in the sun, take in the blue sky, listen to the birds singing their songs, and remember that the Lord loves you. He is always there, always ready to be your foundation, your rock, your strength, and your song. Always make Jesus's loving sacrifice the part that is the most beautiful about your every day.

All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.

How to Know God Personally

How to Know God Personally

What does it take to begin a relationship with God? Devote yourself to unselfish religious deeds? Become a better person so that God will accept you?

You may be surprised that none of those things will work. But God has made it very clear in the Bible how we can know Him.

The following principles will explain how you can personally begin a relationship with God, right now, through Jesus Christ...

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Principle 1:

God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.

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God's Love
"God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." ¹

God's Plan
[Christ speaking] "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and meaningful]. ²

Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life? Because...

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Principle 2:

All of us sin and our sin has separated us from God.

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We Are Sinful
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." ³

We were created to have fellowship with God; but, because of our stubborn self-will, we chose to go our own independent way, and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is evidence of what the Bible calls sin.

We Are Separated
"The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God]. ⁴

This diagram illustrates that God is holy and people are sinful. A great gulf separates us. The arrows illustrate that we are continually trying to reach God and the abundant life through our own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy, or religion -- but we inevitably fail.

The third law explains the only way to bridge this gulf...

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Principle 3:

Jesus Christ is God's only provision for our sin. Through Him we can know and experience God's love and plan for our life.

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He Died in Our Place
"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." ⁵

He Rose From the Dead
"Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred..." ⁶

He Is the Only Way to God
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.'"⁷

This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf which separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.

It is not enough just to know these three principles...

---

Principle 4:

We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives.

---

We Must Receive Christ
"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." ⁸

We Receive Christ Through Faith
"By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast." ⁹

When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth

We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation
[Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him." ¹⁰

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for your sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. You receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.

These two circles represent two kinds of lives:

Which circle best describes your life?

Which circle would you like to have represent your life?

The following explains how you can receive Christ:

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer

Prayer is talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, then you can pray this prayer right now and Christ will come into your life, as He promised.

From: http://www.ccci.org/wij/index.aspx

Happy New Year with the Lord Almighty!!!

Happy New Year!!! I can't believe it is 2010, isn't that crazy!!! I wish you all a blessed year! If you haven't made Jesus Christ your Savior yet maybe this new year, this new day is the day! If you have fallen away from Christ maybe this new year, this new day is the day to walk hand in hand with Him! If you need more time with Christ, more time to work on a personal relationship with Him maybe this new year, this new day is the day to be aligned mind, heart, and soul with Christ! Don't wait another second to get the state of your heart, you life, your eternity settled!!! Choose Christ, run to Him, draw close to Him, live for Him, and learn from Him. 2009 is the past, 2010 is our present live for Him in this moment, this day, this year. Remember Jesus loves you!!! God bless and good night!!!

Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version)

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

God already knows the plans and days of your life. He has great things in store for you!


All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.

Choices

Every day is a choice we make. Do we follow Christ or do we follow the world and its ways? What choice did you make today? What choice will you make tomorrow? Every morning when we put our feet on the floor we have the freewill to live a life of sin, breaking Christ's heart, or we can live a life for Him. Surrender, Scripture, and the Spirit gets us disgusted with the sin, through the darkness of the world, and moves us on towards Christ. Remember every temptation is a choice- will you fall to sin or stand with Him? Choose Christ, surrender to the Spirit, cast off all sin that entangles you, and remember His redemption, love, and forgiveness. Jesus is there with open arms so run to Him instead of that sin and that temptation. Make the choice that will save you in more ways than one.

1. We are separated from God. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9 Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?" says the Lord; "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" says the Lord.Jeremiah 23:24
2. Our sins separate us from God But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. Isaiah 59:2 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one... For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God"  Romans 3:10,23.
3. Our sin brings Judgment and Death Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned Romans 5:12 "Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die. Ezekiel 18:4 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  Romans 3:23
4. Jesus Christ came to pay for our sins "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 5. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:5-6
5. Those who receive Jesus are forgiven of sin For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 6:23 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word (Jesus) and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. John 5:24
6. We must choose to accept Jesus Christ "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" Romans 10:13 How does someone accept Jesus as Savior? A simple sincere prayer, with a willing heart is all that is required. "Dear Lord, I know that I am a sinner and cannot save myself. Right now I turn from my sin and accept You alone for my salvation. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus Name, Amen."

All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.

Transform

The holidays always get us thinking of resolutions, of changes we need to make, and of things we need to or should do. Today the Lord has especially laid it on my heart to continue to change. We are all sinners, we all have fallen short of the glory of God, and we all make mistakes. We are not perfect, we do not have life down, and we do not know what is in store for us in the future. Although, we can trust the Lord for the perfection, for the control, and for the future. Striving to be like the Lord completes us as people, it draws us near to God, and it praises Him as well. I pray that we all long to change to be like our Lord and to serve Him in every way stated in His Word. I pray that we all have a deep desire to read His love letter to us, the Bible. I pray that we are not satisfied with who we are but unceasingly climb to new heights of loving and living for Christ. I am a sinner, I have and will sin, and I am beyond blessed to know that my Lord will forgive me and set me straight. He will love me, teach me, and turn me around. I pray that the Lord continue to change us, transform us, and make us more like Himself with our every breath and our every heart beat. Remember who we are celebrating- Jesus- so do what would honor Him and give Him the present of your obedience, your faithfulness, and your Christ-likeness.

All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.

The Life of An Angel

The Life of An Angel

By:  Amber Johnson

Dedicated to: My Angel Kerry

To care

And to give

In Prayer

She lives

A life filled with God

Is her daily song

A smile you see

And we all agree

This is the life of an angel

Her heart beats for right

All near becomes bright

Eyes see Christ’s light

In her smile and life

This is surely the life of an angel

Sent from above

She is nothing but love

Her caring transcends

Surpassing the earth’s ends

This is the life of an angel!

All content copyright © 2009 Amber Johnson. All rights reserved. You MUST GET WRITTEN PERMISSION to reprint or republish any of this material.