Billys Beans

Why are we so obsessed with ourselves? We go to seminars and receive counseling. We go the the dentist and orthodontist to get a pearly white smile filled with straight teeth. We get facials, go tanning and  get our hair dyed to follow the hottest trends. We spend hours in a gym and take supplements or pills when we are not happy with the reflection staring back at us in the mirror. Ultimately, we have convinced ourselves that if we try hard enough, we can perfect our selves. We wear ourselves out trying to reach the humanly impossible standards we set only to find out that all our efforts bring are frustration and exhaustion. Jesus came to bring us rest. He came so we didn't have to tear ourselves apart in the process of striving to be perfect. He came so we could stop focusing on us, and start focusing on Him. Jesus is the perfect picture of righteousness that we could not, and will not be. All we have to do is stop looking at ourselves and start looking to Jesus. ...

Who did Jesus surround himself with?  The thieves of the town, the prostitutes, the poor, the beggars, the sick, the outcasts, the unrighteous, the sinners...you and me. What? I'm not a thief. I don't beg (well maybe in high school for my parents to grant me an extended curfew). I am surely not a prostitute. I am in good health. I hope I'm not an outcast.  I am UNRIGHTEOUS.  I am a SINNER.  We sure are all in the same boat now.  So why would we think that church is for the healthy, the righteous, the wealthy, those accepted in society, the rule followers and those who seem to be "good" by the standards we some how created if that was not whom Jesus came for? Some where along the ride we forgot that WE are going to church because WE need help. Church is not a training session for us to sit on our pedestals and learn how to help those who aren't faithfully seated besides us.  It's not for us to look upon our modestly dressed self'...

How many days do we feel drained, worthless, and insignificant? Many days I struggle with the thought of how insignificant I am. I feel purposeless and feel as though I don't measure up to what the world may expect me to be. I, for way to many years, was putting my identity into the things of this world. What I failed to realize many times over, is who I am. And I am in Christ. Now, we have all heard that we are a creation of God, and that we are made in his image. But I don't think we really take that to heart, I know I didn't. God, The Lord of this universe created the heavens and the Earth, the oceans, and the stars; and He created it perfectly. So perfectly that if the sun was just a few more feet away from the Earth, we would all freeze, and life would not be possible. His creation IS flawless.  And all of His creation is beautiful, just look around you! Its amazing. If he can create all that, I think He is highly capable of creating you and I, perfectly. God made yo...

"I never knew you." Imagine standing before The Lord, and the God whom you thought you had worshiped your entire life claims to have never known you. Is this possible? Yes, and Jesus even says it is probable. Jesus reminds us of this in Matthew 7:13, " Enter through the NARROW gate."  He then goes onto say " for WIDE is the gate that leads to destruction".  Not everyone who cries "Lord, Lord," will enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 7:21). These are, in reality, some of the most frightening words in the bible. We can go to church every Sunday, and yet we face the reality of  never being a true follower of Jesus. Let that sink in for a minute. It's frightening isn't it? Because in these bible verses, Jesus isn't talking to the atheists and nonbelievers, He's is talking to the good, religious people who associate themselves with Jesus and yet are shocked to find that Jesus claims to have never known them. Spiritual ...

You are loved more than you will ever know, by someone who died to know you. Through His death, He demonstrated His love for you. And when Christ died, He died for you individually. It was as if you were the only person in the world. He died, and He thought of you. He knew that through His blood, you would be redeemed from a world you could not survive on your own. Through His blood, every wrong you have ever and will ever do is wiped away; your sins taken as far as the East is from the West. He knew that through His blood you would find power and hope, and witness the greatest demonstration of love that man has ever seen. His love is enough. And there is nothing you could ever do to lose that love. His love is enough. He will protect you until you die, and even after death He will still protect you. So why are we still acting like He is not enough? He is stronger than depression, He is braver than loneliness, He is greater than your fears. He said to me, "My grace ...

How many times do we not do something, simply because of our fears? People say its part of our  “Human Nature” to have fears, and to some extent, that is true. But we weren't created to be fearful, to live in fear, or to have a fearful spirit. Timothy 1:7- “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind.” Now try and argue that its apart of our nature. I'm not talking about the fear of spiders, or snakes or even heights; I'm talking about the fear that causes us to be held back from what God calls us to do. When we have a fearful spirit, that only shows us that we are lacking in faith. God tells us that if we ask anything in his name, he will answer our prayer!! Maybe it may not be right away, or in the way that we intended, but i can promise you that it will be much grander than what you had in mind. When we doubt God's love, power, grace and mercy, we join along side satan in questioning God's truthfulness,...