Ask your friends and family one simple question, “What do you think is important to me?” What will they say? Money? Friends? Being loved or appreciated by others? Looks? Your job? Your family? What’s important to you?

As the Holidays approach, don’t let the rush of Christmas overshadow the true meaning. Your importance doesn’t come from how many presents are under your tree or how much money you can spend on Cyber Monday, it comes from the One who created you. God created you and those around you with an important task, a task to love God and to love others.

The Bible says in Matthew 22:36-39 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

There are more ways to show love than there are to buy to love. Don’t let money consume you this holiday season. I think we all can agree that you can’t buy love. No matter how many presents I buy for my boys this Christmas, I can guarantee you that they’ll enjoy running around with their cousins more than the gifts. (and they’ll probably love the boxes more than the gifts)

Love is not a dollar sign, love is something as simple as a smile. This season, share love by showing the love of Jesus to others.

On Sunday at East Pickens Baptist Church, Pastor Jamie handed out envelopes to every person at the church. Each envelope had $30-$50 in it and a card from the church sharing the Gospel and showing God’s love. The greatest gift in each envelope is not the money, it’s the love of Christ.

He challenged us to take the envelope, pray over it, and give it to someone in the community.  I still have mine and I’m not sure who God will lead me to give it to, but I do know that through this act of kindness, we can reach people that may have never known the love of Christ.

When we are asked to give our own money…especially during the Holidays, it’s hard. But when someone sets the example, hands us the opportunity, all we have to do is follow through and share God’s love.

Giving is just one way to show God’s love. If you can’t give money, you can always share Christ in other ways. Jamie challenged us to give of our treasures, our testimony, and our talents. Each has their own place and each is a blessing to the Lord. I challenge you to do the same thing. Write a card, draw a picture, post an encouraging word, or just simply smile at someone at the store. You never know what a blessing you can be when you just smile.

This season may be the best season ever for you, but for some people, it can be very hard. There will be some people celebrating the season alone in a nursing home or sick in a hospital bed. Some people will be overseas far away from the ones they love most. Others may be home with family and friends but still feel completely alone. People everywhere are hurting and need the love of Christ and others to encourage them. Whatever your situation may be, remember those around you and remember to share Jesus and show His love wherever you go.

When you ask yourself what is important to you? Let it be Christ. Let Christ be most important in your life and others will see Him in you. When Christ is important you, your life will share His love and be a light to others.

May God Bless you and show you His Grace every day!

Love and prayers!

Kayla

***Don’t forget to sign up your group for Empowered Jesus Girl 2018 at WildernessGrace.org  This is a FREE EVENT on January 5^th 2018 at Potter’s Clay Fellowship in Easley, SC! Alicia Ivey will be our amazing guest speaker with music by Savannah McCollum and the Praise Band at PCF! We can’t wait to see what God has in store for 2018!***

For more information about the Love Loud Project at East Pickens Baptist Church visit:

SomeoneLoves.Me

Do you suffer from Nomophobia?

Do you suffer from nomophobia? Do you even know what that is? Nomophobia is the fear of being without a mobile device, or beyond mobile phone contact. According to statistics, 66% of adults feel extreme anxiety when they are without their phones. 77% of young adults 18-24 fear being without their phones for any amount of time. The same study showed that the majority of high school and college students sleep and shower with their phones and would rather lose their pinky finger than their cell phones! I’m not a psychiatrist but there’s something wrong with this picture. If you really shower with your phone…you may want to take a step back from your phone and disconnect for a few minutes.

Cellphones are great! I love the idea that I can be connected to anyone, anywhere, ANYTIME! But they also can be a HUGE distraction from the real world. Ask yourself these questions:

• Is your phone the last thing you look at before you go to bed?
• Is it the first thing you check when you wake up in the morning?
• Do you feel compelled to check your phone while waiting in line at the fast food drive through or checkout line at the store?
• Would you rather a mugger take your wallet than your phone?
• Do you feel lost without your phone nearby?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to take a break (even an hour or two) without your phone. Admit it, this world has a problem.

No, I’m not your Mother trying to get you to put your phone down at the dinner table, but I am speaking to  myself when I speak to you. Phones are addicting and if you’re not careful they will consume your life and distract you from what matters most.

Most of us, myself including, when we are bored, have a default, brain-off habit of picking up our phones and lazily clicking around. Whether you have a Facebook default, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, texting, snapchat, or whatever else you do…it’s all distracting you from the real world. To be honest, the real world can be stressful, and it is easier to focus on the “not so real” world of the internet than what’s going on real life. Because we are constantly allowing ourselves to be distracted, our thoughts become captive away from being obedient to Christ. Our minds are constantly racing and never shut down because the instant gratification of our phones so constantly distracts us. Our minds never rest because we never let them. God made us to be in a relationship with Him. Our hearts are restless until they find rest in Him.

Paul says, “I have the right to do anything, but I will not be mastered by anything.” The power of Christ in you should be stronger than anything else in your life. When you go to bed, Christ should be the last thing you think of. When you wake up, you should think of Him and how you can honor Him with your life today. When you’re bored in line, who could you talk to that might need a little encouragement? You should feel lost without Christ and without Him as your main focus. If you don’t, then you may want to reconsider your life with Christ. Are you a true follower of Christ? Are you letting your phone distract you from Christ? Christ in you is stronger than any addiction in you. Don’t let your phone be your master.

May God Bless you and Show you His Grace every day!

Kayla Rampey

Want to dig deeper? I strongly recommend #Struggles by Craig Groeschel. This is a great book for anyone at any age! It really shows the social distractions that we all deal with each day!

Communication is key in any relationship. Without communication, a relationship will die. But sometimes the wrong type of communication can be the relationship killer.

Today, I want you to evaluate you communication skills. Where do you stand? Is your communication cruel or Christ-like?

The Bible tells us in Colossians 4:5-6, “Conduct yourselves with wisdom towards outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

When the Bible speaks of outsiders, It means all nonbelievers. In today’s society, we are surrounded by nonbelievers and some that may believe but not truly understand the meaning of Jesus Christ.

It’s important for us to conduct ourselves with wisdom, Christ-like, at all times. Our purpose in life is to shine the light of Christ to others. When you commit to God, you have to learn to have Christ-like responses in all situations.

One thing I pray for each day is that God will help me respond in a way that Christ would respond no matter the circumstance. Life is not always easy, and people are more often than not, difficult to deal with, but by the Grace of God we are able to overcome our human feelings and treat everyone like Christ intends us to.

To speak with Grace means to speak with a friendly disposition/attitude and to be kind.

Grace means “receiving what we don’t deserve.” The ultimate show of Grace is shown when God sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins. Our sins are great but God’s Grace is greater. We all deserve death on the cross, but Christ took our place by Grace.

Although you feel your enemy doesn’t deserve love and kindness, Grace says they do.

“You just don’t know how difficult people can be! She drives me crazy! I can’t even deal with her.”

I’ve heard it all. People are difficult. But the Bible calls Jesus a friend of sinners. Even Jesus dealt with difficult people, yet He didn’t give up and leave them behind or yell at them and make fun of them. Jesus dealt with people with Grace.

Romans 12:17-21 states, “Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all mean. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for is it written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink, for in doing so you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Feeding your enemy? Being nice to the one person that is the hardest to deal with? Those things seem impossible, but with God’s grace all things are possible. Pray for God’s intervention, grace, and Christ-like attitude to overcome you each day.

Always remember, everyone is created in the image of God. Despite what you think about someone, God loves them anyway. He created them and they deserve grace just like you.

You’ll never win anyone to Christ by arguing and fighting. When you put your focus on God and trust in Him, you’ll start to see a positive change in how you treat others.

Galatians 6:10 says, “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially those who are of the household of the faith.”

Wherever you are in life, take advantage of the opportunity you have set before you. If you are in school, be Christ-like to your teachers, peers, and everyone you come in contact with. At home, be Christ-like to your parents and brothers and sisters. Remind yourself every day to be like Christ in your communication. When you find yourself dealing with a difficult or rude person, ask yourself, “how would Christ respond?”

Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

Edify means to lift up or encourage one another. Do your words encourage others?

I challenge you today to take time to pause before you speak. As yourself, is your communication cruel or Christ-like?

It’s easy to evaluate others and point out what you think about their communication, but what about you? You are responsible for how you treat others.

Pray that God will correct your communication and help you be a light to those around you!

May God Bless you and show you His Grace every day!

**Don’t forget to remind your youth leaders about Empowered Jesus Girl 2018! This is a FREE event at Potter’s Clay Fellowship in Easley, SC January 5th 2018! Order your T’shirt and Register online at WildernessGrace.org

For more info, text or call me at 864-915-8094! I would love to tell you more about it!

Empowered Jesus Girl Shirts are ready to order! Order yours online at WildernessGrace.org

ONLY   $12

Deadline: 12/17/2017

If you haven’t already heard, #EmpoweredJesusGirl is coming to the Upstate January 5th, 2017! Join us at Potter’s Clay Fellowship 6pm – 8pm for a great time!

Did I mention this is a FREE EVENT? Sign up today and invite your friends!

More information/registration can be found at: http://wildernessgrace.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/NEWEmpowered-Jesus-Girl-2018Flyer.pdf

 

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

May God Bless you and Show you His Grace every day!