Who Could Ask For Anything More?

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Afterlife, christianity, church, Encouragement, end times, family, God, gospel, Heaven, Holy Bible, Holy Spirit, home, Jesus, Love, music, peace, prosperity, salvation, wealth

Does this title ‘Who Could Ask For Anything More’, place the I Got Rhythm song in your head? I’m humming the tune as I type. I’m stuck on the ‘who could ask for anything more’ part. It makes me think about my life as a Christian. I am far from rich. I have bills galore. I don’t have the latest and the greatest of anything material in this world. Yet, I am happy. All three of my babies are in good general health, as am I. My family is the closest, sweetest bunch of weirdos. I wouldn’t trade them in for all of the silver and gold in the world. Thinking on these things makes me happy. I can say that I am content with my life and its direction. I know who I am in Christ. I know my calling. I know that if I walk outside and get hit by a semi-truck that I will wake up in Heaven.

Who could ask for anything more?

How about you? What more do you need in your life on this earth? We have already established that we are ambassadors, merely renting time and space here. Our real home and our real affections are on things that are above.

Colossians 3:2 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Do you have general health and strength? Do you have family and friends? Do you have a means to take care of yourself and the ones you love? Yes? What more do you need?

Who could ask for anything more?

So your health is not where it used to be. So your family and friends aren’t that close. You still have something around you to be thankful for. Right? Of course you do! Because even if every thing around you is crumbling, remember that you are a born again, precious saved member of the body of Christ, (Ephesians 2:8-9). You have something inside of you that can never compare to anything on this earth. That wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit, your salvation! Your salvation guarantees that you are not lost. It assures you that regardless of what this life on this earth is like for us, we have something to look forward to. We have a home to go to when our Father decides to crack the sky and take us to where we belong.

God has given us the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, to secure our salvation. He only asks that we believe and receive. The Lord Jesus has left us with the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us. No charge. God wrote the Holy Bible through his vessels (much like you and I) so that we may know Him (Matthew 24:35). No charge. So, my brothers and sisters, we have everything we need to get our job done here on earth. We have everything that we need to survive here on earth. Right?

Who could ask for anything more?

Everything else are just those things that the world tells us that we need. We do not need them. We want them. And there’s a distinctive difference between needing and wanting, as you know. The Bible clearly tells us that we don’t know what to pray for. Why is that? Because we already have it all.

Romans 8

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Now, do we really believe the Holy Spirit would make intercession for us to get a new car. How would that profit the gospel of the grace of God?

I take issue with people who claim that we can have it all right now! (A few may and that’s fine. But just because you do not have, it does not mean that you are not blessed with those spiritual blessings in heavenly places).

Ephesians 1:2-4

2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Some people, mostly those preaching the prosperity doctrine, claim that God wants us all to be rich with expensive cars, bank accounts etc. They use some convincing scriptures to support these claims, such as John 10:10. It is easy to misconstrue this verse because of the use of the words like “abundantly”. Some translations replace abundantly with richly making it even harder to see the true meaning. And, the truth is that this verse does not refer to material wealth, but instead internal peace.

Those of us who are studious enough to look into these verses and rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), we know that these verses are taken completely out of context.

Beloveth, God is not interested in you getting all of the material wealth in the world. Why would He even care about such things?

1 John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Apostle Paul tells us to set our mind on things which are above.

Colossians 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

The Lord God is only interested in what you believe. He only wants for us to share the gospel, the word of truth with others. Now, if you believe that God does not dwell on your sins when it comes to your salvation. Why would you believe that he cares about you getting a new Mercedes? If you are one of those who preach, God only looks at your heart, why do you seduce yourself into believing that God wants you to have material things that do absolutely nothing for your salvation?

We are the be content with ourselves, focusing on sharing the good news with others. I too struggle with this. Hey, I’m a girl! I love new things! And sometimes I really feel lost without my smart-phone! But when it’s all said and done, I’d trade nothing for my salvation. Nothing.

So, here’s what I plan to do. I hope you will join me. The next time something does not go my way or I do not get that new flat screen, car or even promotion I wanted, I intend to repeat this question:

Who could ask for anything more?

Me: God, I’ve been praying for this new BMW. Why didn’t I get it? Why didn’t you answer me?

The Holy Spirit in me: God gave you His son’s blood. What more do you want? Who could ask for anything more?

Me: Lord, I want to win this lottery. I can do so much for the ministry if I could just win a little bit of money.

The Holy Spirit in Me: God gave you the Blood, the Bible and hey, me! Who could ask for anything more?

Me: God please bless me with a new Iphone. Mine is so out of date. I can’t afford it but I believe you can do it.

Who could ask for anything more?

Grace and peace and so much love!

Think Like A Man?

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Bible, christianity, lifestyle, men, music, pop culture, relationship, religion, women

Since Jennifer Hudson’s Think Like A Man song was released earlier this year, I have been singing along and dancing to the beat. I like the melody. I adore Ne-Yo’s voice. But I am a bit skeptical about the lyrics. Sure, I am the girl who has mostly male friends. I am the girl who likes guns, action movies, football and “trash talk”. But these are a few of the characteristics that define me. I’m not trying to be a man or act like one. I’m a woman who happens to like these things.

So, here’s my dilemma.

In the song, Jennifer and Ne-Yo are basically having a “where has this relationship gone” conversation. Apparently, they had been “friends with benefits” but decided to test a real relationship. The shift from just friends to boyfriend/girlfriend didn’t work out so well. The song implies that Ne-Yo’s character wanted to keep the relationship as is but agreed to try it the woman’s (Jennifer’s) way. The end result? Because Jennifer could not think like Ne-Yo and leave well enough alone, they both wound up with nothing.

(From Think Like A Man by Jennifer Hudson, featuring Ne-Yo, Rick Ross, Epic/RCA Records)

(Ne-Yo)

Now I’m gonna keep it realer with you now than I ever been
We should of never been, girl we was better friends
You didn’t have to tell me what, where, why or when
Um why I didn’t need it,
Cause you wasn’t my girlfriend, we had a good thing
You were a come by and kick it, ooh give me that good thang
Then after we were finished,
You go your way, I go my way, it was whatever
Tell me what ever happens
Think this wanna gonna be better
And now i’m telling you lies,
All because I hate to see the tears in your eyes
Of course I want my cake, and eat it too, i’m a guy
And of course, you don’t understand,
But you would if you thought like a man in love

In love? Hmmm…

Don’t get it ladies? I know. I know. If he’s in love, how could he…?

The “friends with benefits” conversation is a whole separate blog and I assure you I will address it. In the meantime, let’s stay on task. Shall we?

Is it Biblical for a woman to actually try to think like a man? Are we meant to understand each other? If we were all completely in sync, who would we be, really?

As I stated before, I happen to love some things that are considered to be guy things. I also like to dress up and wear make-up. I cook a lot but you will never hear me say that I love it. All of us have a preference. Yours may be the opposite. But when it comes to my thinking, I have a genetic make-up and the mental capacity to think like a female typically thinks.

We will come to understand some things and from that predict and assume to know what’s on a man’s mind. But let’s be honest with ourselves. Women may try but we can never fully comprehend a man and vice versa. It is the way we are made.

In a perfect Christian world, there is an order to things.
God. Jesus Christ. Man. Woman.

1 Corinthians 11:3
But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

We are made beautifully different because we fit together like a puzzle, mentally and physically (if you know what I mean).

Can you imagine kind of world we would have if we all thought alike? Ladies, do you really want to have your man’s idea of a clean house? Most of us would say no. What guy wants their woman to think they he thinks? With a few exceptions, most guys I know ask a female for advice about clothes and grooming. Because they want a different perspective.

Are matters of the heart or lack their of, any different? No. You think and feel the way you were made to think and feel. Women are from Mars,men are from Venus. It’s merely a metaphor but has some truth.

Grace does not void nature. It does not cancel God’s plan. The Lord gave us all a body and mind unique to each other but joined perfectly together. We are created to have different roles.

Ephesians 5:21-25

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Again, it is all a part of God’s plan, His holy order to things. We all know what happens when we stray from His will. Look around.