#obedience #waterwalkinggirls
“Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:3 NLT
This week as I have studied about Christian obedience and looked for uses of the word obey in the Bible I was drawn to the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 NLT “Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always even to the end of the age.”

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#christlike #waterwalkinggirls
Jesus embodied human perfection. He was compassionate, loving, forgiving, committed and prayerful. Jesus displayed gentleness, patience, self-control and humility all while modeling how to be a servant. Whew! What a list of characteristics! While Christ embodied all of these characteristics, you and I must strive daily to follow His example. Will we ever display all of these characteristics at once? No, not on this side of Heaven. However, we must try every day! Every day that we are granted here on earth is another chance to work toward being more Christ-like.

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#move #waterwalkinggirls
I have grown accustomed to sitting in the same place every Sunday at church. How about you? I am guessing you do too! Why do we do that? We like familiarity and predictability. Sitting in the same place every week is comfortable and easy. However last Sunday I sat in the balcony in our church and what a blessing it was for me. Not only was my view different but God blessed me with a new perspective. The picture on the cover of today’s blog is a picture of the cross in our church. When I am sitting downstairs at church I am looking up at the cross but in the balcony I had a straight view of the cross. I was able to have a new appreciation for how large and impressive it is. I especially noticed the light than emanates from behind the cross. Most importantly I was able to see firsthand the work of our dedicated media crew. These men consistently show up to serve our church by making sure the sound and video is working properly. They are such an asset and blessing to our church. I would not have had the opportunity to truly appreciate them or the beauty of the cross if I had stayed downstairs. My point is that moving helps change and shape our perspectives.

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#patienceandperseverance #waterwalkinggirls
When I was a little girl there was an older couple in our church that took my family under their wings. They became like family and my brother and I called them Aunt Helen and Uncle Archie. Uncle Archie was a wealth of knowledge and advice. As children do, I would sometimes become frustrated when having to wait on something. On those occasions Uncle Archie would encourage me and quietly say, “Patience and perseverance.” Needless to say, his advice would often frustrate me even more because in my heart I knew he was right.

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#impact #wordoftheyear #whatwillbeyourword #waterwalkinggirls
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 NIV

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#expectation #waterwalkinggirls
There are times in life when I just don’t know what to pray. Sometimes it is when I have prayed long and hard about a situation and it seems nothing has changed. Sometimes I am at a loss when a friend receives life-altering news about the health of a family member. Sometimes I search for the right words to pray when I am at the feet of Jesus on behalf of my children. What do I pray when I don’t know what to expect?

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#humble #waterwalkinggirls
Have you ever heard the expression “God has a way of humbling us?” I vividly remember one time that this happened to me. I was in college and loving life. This particular day I had to deliver a speech in my speech 101 class. I felt I had all my ducks in a row and that I was well prepared for the talk. I carefully picked out one of my cutest outfits to wear for the presentation. It was a warm spring day so I chose a white shorts set. On the top and shorts were splatters of bright paint. Ok stop laughing…it was in style at the time! I got dressed, fixed my hair and makeup and when I looked in the mirror I was mighty proud and how good I looked. I went to the cafeteria for lunch on my way to class. In the cafeteria several people commented on my cute outfit. Again I was feeling pretty proud as I walked to class. Finally the time came for me to deliver my speech. I did a great job! I was so proud! As I left class I was feeling great. I felt like I was walking on clouds. And then it happened. As I got into the sunlight and glanced down at my awesome outfit I saw a huge yellow stain on the front of my top. While my shirt had spattered paint on it there was not supposed to be any yellow on it. Apparently when I ate my hot dog at lunch I dropped some mustard on my shirt. My ego quickly deflated and I realized maybe I wasn’t as great as I thought I was. It was a great lesson in humility.

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