Author: Camille Langley

Giving as Worship

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When we hear the word “give,” especially in the church it seems, the first thing that comes to mind is MONEY with a waterfall of thoughts… How much money do I need to give?  Why do I need to give money? Where is my money going? Am I not giving enough money? I can only give this much money. Sorry, I don’t have any money to give. Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (NLT) Jesus says in Matthew 6:21, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” (NLT) Christ has given us the ultimate gift by making the ultimate sacrifice.  We have received eternal life!  Knowing this, we should seeing giving as a privilege.  Are you viewing your giving in the shadow of the cross?  Give with the right motives. Give because God has given us …

Surrender to a Holy God

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Stop and think for a moment: Am I concerned with what God thinks about my moment to moment living? In Israel, back in the day of Hosea, the people were unfaithful: lying, stealing, committing adultery and murder.  The country had turned its back on God. They were unrepentant, crying out to God with their voices, but not with their hearts. When things get difficult for us, we often choose to do what makes us feel good and what is easy, even though it isn’t what God desires.  We never take a breath and ask God, “Would you be pleased with what I am doing right now?”   When we do what makes us feel good, rather than what would be good in the eyes of the Lord, we are selfish and put a barrier between ourselves and Him.  We reject God. We see in the story of Hosea that God is holy and faithful and still loves the people he created even when they reject Him. In every thing that you do, God is there, …

Knowing the Word

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This past weekend our family took a quick camping trip to Indian Springs State Park.  For several weeks we had been planning and preparing, making sure we had all the essentials for a couple nights in the outdoors.  I was looking forward to enjoying God’s creation with no technology (except a small transistor radio). I woke up early Saturday morning when it was beginning to get light and I fixed a cup of instant (ugggh) coffee.  Then I realized… I forgot my Bible! How could I forget the most valuable and important piece to help with my meditation?  As I sat with my coffee in one hand, my head in the other, I tried to relax.  As I looked up at the trees, John 15:5 came to mind, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (NIV) My thoughts then shifted to, ‘How many verses do I actually have memorized?’  After about an hour of reciting scripture already …

Living in Forgiveness

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“Lord, why do I continue to struggle?  Is it because of all the wrong things I have done?  Please Lord tell me how to get past this low feeling.  How can I have the abundant life that Jesus talks about in John 10:10?   What am I doing wrong? I cannot stop crying and I feel like I am never going to be good enough, and I will never get out of this eddy that I am in.“ I was not the adulterous women described in John 8.  In fact, I believed I was much.  The things that I have done were unspeakable.  Surely there was nothing that could ever undo the ungodly things that were part of my history.  Through my tears, my heart cried out to the Lord.  Then the Holy Spirit whispered, “Read about Paul.” As I poured through the scriptures, I read how Paul persecuted believers and made it his mission to end a new movement by putting to death followers of Christ.  The, while traveling, he had an encounter with Jesus.  After all that he …

Seeking Heaven Daily

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Every day is filled with things to do: jobs, projects, parenting, school, chores, etc.  My life is not the same as yours and yours is not like the person beside you.  We all have different agendas, thoughts, and desires for our lives.  We each have different goals we hope to accomplish on a daily basis. This past Sunday Keith talked about what Heaven will look like.  As Christ-followers, we look forward to Heaven someday, but have you ever considered Heaven as a daily goal? No matter what our individual daily routines look like, our true ultimate goal needs to be Heaven.  If Heaven is our goal we should: Sacrificially give  to others our love, time, money, possessions, etc.  (Hebrews 13:16) Love others like Christ loves the Church. (John 15:12) Submit fully to Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit (Proverbs 3:6) I am sure you have heard the phrase, “No pain, no gain” and “Nothing worth having comes easy.” Heaven is going to be the most glorious place, beyond our imaginations!  Certainly a place like this would not have easy access.  Jesus said, “You …