Category: Uncategorized

Faith, Family, Jesus, Uncategorized

NOT Perfect!

meghanewhite

FE186EB1-15EB-435D-8E31-DE4B49AC82C8I live in a house full of men. I love these dudes with every ounce of me. I love how they view life, and love, and problems, and people, and God. I learn so much from them. My husband and sons give me fresh perspective on situations. I am so grateful for these wonderful men in my life. But, there are days when I ask myself, “Is this a frat house?”

Several weeks ago I was making dinner. I opened the oven and was about to put our dinner inside. To my shock there was old, burned up pizza waiting for me. I couldn’t help but laugh. Frat house living at times. OK, it’s not quite that bad. It did make me think of how perfect this burned pizza was not. Perfect. It doesn’t exist on this side of eternity.

We strive for perfection don’t we? We pursue something that we can’t even attain. Our social media pictures are perfect, or as close as we can achieve. Those selfies. We take about 100 to get the right ‘spontaneous’ one. We want to give a good impression. No one wants to see my messy house, or bad hair day with no make-up, or my burnt pizza. I’m right there with you trying to take the pretty picture.

There’s some danger in that perfect pic though. It’s not possible. We were made by a perfect God and He put imperfections in us. We all have issues and brokenness. The world is broken because of sin. We are holding so tightly to this world, but it’s passing away. Heaven is awaiting for those who have accepted the free gift of Jesus’ salvation. Heaven is perfect. Jesus is perfect, holy, blameless.

Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. (Hebrews 7:26, NIV)

I really want to hold loosely what I’ve got in this world. My husband, my children, money, house, car, and pretty much everything in between. They aren’t mine anyway and I’m leaving this temporary place. God blessed me, but I need to daily give my people and stuff back to the Lord. “They are yours Father. Help me to take excellent care of my family, and use the stuff you’ve given me to glorify you. I give it all back to you. Please forgive me when I hold on too tight and I don’t trust you.”

Jesus is perfect and we are not. So today I give Him my mess, and burnt pizza, and my frat house, and all my broken pieces. He opens His hand and says to me and you, “Give it all to me. I’ll make it beautiful.”

and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61:3, NIV)

It is incredible what God can do with all our imperfections. He will make beauty from our ashes. We just need to let go of them, and give them to Him. Give it all to Him.

My son, give me your heart
    and let your eyes delight in my ways, (Proverbs 23:26, NIV)

As we post our perfect pictures let us remember our perfect savior. He became sin on the cross for us. He was without sin. Perfect. Let us cling to a perfect, beautiful savior. Jesus. And the really good news is Jesus does not require perfection from us. He just wants us. Our hearts surrendered to Him. Imperfections, issues, and all. He’ll take care of fixing what is broken.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galations 2:20, NIV)

 

Love you all,

Meghan

Jesus, Obedience, Uncategorized

Take Up Your Cross

meghanewhite

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Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

Matthew 16:24 

 

The cross means freedom to me. Jesus paid my sin debt in full. It is finished. I am free. My home is in heaven, because of the cross. I have full access to God, because of the cross. I have hope, because of the cross. I am forgiven, because of the cross. Jesus’ perfect work on the cross brought the end to death, sin, and shame.

A Roman cross means one thing, death. When Jesus tells us to take up our cross we are to die to self. The NIV, NASB, HCB and several other translations say, “he must deny himself.” We must. That is not a suggestion. That implies it is required, shouldn’t be missed. I can ignore Jesus’ words and go my own way and never pick up my cross. Then it’s all about me. Jesus won’t let me stay there. Everything changed when Jesus became my Lord and Savior. He’s calling me to something different.

Jesus saving me was the easy part. I like the saved from Hell part. But what about the cost? There is a cost to following to Jesus. Do I let it cost me? Do I stay comfortable? Am I willing to lose family, friends, comfort, reputation, and security for the sake of following Jesus? What about my life?

25 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25, NASB)

Taking up our cross does not mean:

I am poverty stricken, that’s my cross.

I am stuck in a dreadful job, that’s my cross.

I am in a bad marriage, that’s my cross.

Taking up our cross daily means death to our own selfish desires. Following Jesus no matter the cost to us. It’s about obedience and surrender to the King of Kings.

26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26, NASB)

Nothing in this life is worth keeping if it means losing your soul for all eternity. The cost is great on this side of heaven to follow Jesus. Are you willing to pay the price? Some are not. They aren’t convinced. The price is too high. Jesus paid our sin debt in full with his shed blood. He asks for us to surrender fully to Him, no matter the cost. But, there are rewards waiting in heaven.

27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.” (Matthew 16:27, NIV)

What if you gained every single thing the world has to offer? Money, fame, houses, vacations, and any material object you could want. Yet when you die you go to Hell because you rejected Jesus. Our souls are at stake. Life is short. Eternity cannot be measured or even grasped. Let’s make our lives count.

We are to daily take up our cross. Every single day we are to die to self. We have a choice to make. For the Christian, to surrender fully to Jesus and follow Him. For the non-believer, it’s time to make a choice. Please don’t forfeit your soul for the temporary. You can choose Jesus today. He already chose you.

The cross was a humiliating, painful means to death. As Christ followers we must daily take up our cross and follow Jesus. The cost to us is everything. We give Jesus all of who we are and all that we have. I struggle with this. I want to get to full surrender. I have moments, but they are rare. I want my comfort. I want what I think is best. I don’t want to let go. Jesus is loving, and patient. He knows what I need and He knows what is best.

May we all take up our cross daily and follow Jesus.

Love you all,

Meghan

 

 

Lord,

Thank you Jesus for saving us on the cross. Please help all of us who follow you to take up our crosses daily. It is not easy and we need your help to live surrendered lives. Equip us to do your will. We want to serve you and make a difference for your Kingdom. I lift up any non-believers reading this. You love them so much Lord. Draw them to you.

Amen

 

 

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

 

 

Food, Uncategorized

Mexican Street Corn

meghanewhite

IMG_1608 (1)

It’s corn season and this recipe is so delicious. If you are looking for a fun side dish at your next barbecue give this one a try. Mexican street corn, or elote, is a common street food south of the border. It’s coated in a flavorful creamy sauce and topped with cotija cheese. You may have had this at local fairs or markets in the U.S. I love corn on the cob in the summer. Fresh, local, and so good with butter and a little salt and pepper. After trying this recipe I may never go back to plain butter.

You can do all of the prep the night before your cookout. Mix up the creamy sauce and have the corn husked and ready to go. I tied off the husks with some twine to create a pretty Pinterest-worthy handle. That’s not necessary though. If you don’t want to go through the trouble, just remove all the husks and grill. I cooked my corn on a grill plate on my stove top. It worked great if you’ve got one.

I highly recommend elote for corn lovers out there. It’s yummy, messy, and fun. Go ahead, mix things up at your next summer gathering. Your guests will thank you for it. The link to my column is below. Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy!

Love you all,

Meghan

 

https://www.mustardseedsentinel.com/post/meghan-s-corner-mexican-street-corn

 

 

Faith, Uncategorized

A Treasure in the Trash Pile

meghanewhite

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“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17, NIV)

On a typical Sunday morning, I sat in church and grabbed my purse digging through the cavernous interior for a pen. As I was placing my purse back on the floor, I noticed the broken zipper, worn spots on the exterior, and a few small tears. I said in my head, “Lord, this looks really bad. I need a new purse.” And that was it. I didn’t give it another thought.  

Two days later my boys had just arrived home after one of their many outings. Dylan let me know they found some stuff at the neighbors curbside “free” pile. This house had been vacant for years and the owner was there cleaning things out, and left a sign to take the free items. If you know my boys they don’t pass up opportunities like that. They grabbed some random potential treasures and came home.

Dylan said he wanted to show me a purse he found. I thought it would be disgusting, and would need thrown out. He hands me this large, black, nice looking handbag. Still skeptical, I tell him to bring it inside to get a better look. We start to look it over and see a designer name on it, and notice it looked brand new. I still doubted this handbag was an actual treasure and say, “It must be a fake.” But no, after a serious examination from both myself and Dylan, and some online research, we realized that the fancy black handbag was indeed a genuine designer, made in Italy creation.

After a few minutes, I was reminded of my tiny little comment to the Lord just two days before. “Lord, this looks really bad. I need a new purse.” It wasn’t even a prayer. Just me sharing a moment with God. He always hears and is full of surprises. I know it’s just a purse. And I know there are bigger, more important prayers. I have so many seemingly big prayers that I am still waiting for answers on. But in this unexpected moment the Lord said, “This is from me. I hear every one of your prayers. I have answers for those burdens you’ve got. Trust me. Keep praying. Keep asking. Enjoy this blessing.”

I would never spend this kind of money on myself, especially for a handbag that costs hundreds of dollars. That’s just not me. So it took me a while to accept this gift. At first I didn’t know what to do with it. I used it a few times then put it in my closet. About a month ago I decided to sell it, even though I knew God wanted me to keep it. I thought, “I don’t need it and could use the cash.” I put the handbag on one of those designer consignment sites and it sat there for about a week. Message received. I took it off the site and have accepted this gift from the Lord.

The other day I used my fancy lady handbag to meet a friend for lunch. On the drive there the handbag was on the passenger seat. The lord spoke to me, “Why do you have a hard time accepting gifts from me?” I felt so convicted. I’m supposed to enjoy this surprise blessing, but instead I’m telling God, “I don’t need it nor do I deserve it.” How many times have I done this with God? With practical blessings, material blessings, spiritual blessings. I have rejected His perfect gifts for me, thinking, “I don’t deserve this.”

Grace is unfair, and my awesome God is all about giving me and you what we don’t deserve. I will never be good enough or worthy on my own for His perfect gifts. But the gifts won’t stop. God is not a person. He’s not human. I’m looking for fairness, and worthiness. He’s looking out for you and me, no matter what. He will pursue us and our hearts until the end. Not because we are worthy, but because of Jesus, who is so worthy!

What gift from God have you rejected?

Do you accept His love?

Do you accept His forgiveness?

Have you accepted His free gift of salvation?

Maybe you’ve thought that you are not worthy for such extravagance. Guess what? You’re right. We are not worthy, but God is. Accept these beautiful gifts from Him! He loves you with an everlasting love!

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
    I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3, NIV)

Love you all,
Meghan

 

 

Faith, Uncategorized

Stinkin’ Thinkin’

meghanewhite

IMG_6411

Think happy thoughts and you can do amazing things, like fly. If only it were that easy. Could you imagine how simple life would be if we could just think good things, and good things would result?

Our thoughts matter. God gave us complex brains with the ability to think. Sometimes thoughts can be good, and happy, and positive. Or, thoughts can be negative, harmful, destructive, and painful.

Scientific research has revealed we have 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. I have no clue how such data is gathered. No matter the number, we think a lot. We are averaging 500 to 2,500 thoughts per hour. Wow!

This leads me to the question, “What are we thinking about?” There are plenty of mundane, every day things that need considered. What to eat, cook, clean, wear, watch, play, and so many other tiny decisions we make daily. These seemingly unimportant choices do matter, but we’ve got bigger fish to fry.

I’m wondering about the negative stuff that comes in our heads. The lies that we believe. We’ve lived with them for so long, we make room for them. The lies in our head are more comfortable than the truth. Especially the truth from God’s Word.

Lies can come from all sorts of places. Our own fears feed them. Lies have been spoken over us from parents, grandparents, and so many others in our lives. People we’ve trusted, looked up to, believed. We tucked those words away and told ourselves, “They’re right. I am ________”. The lies ultimately come from our enemy, Satan. Jesus calls the Devil, the Father of Lies.

“He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44b, NIV)

Satan knows he can’t take our riches away from us in Christ Jesus, but he can make us believe we have none. It’s sad that even our enemy knows what we have in Christ, and so many times we are walking around spiritually poor because we think we’ve got nothing. Those of us in Jesus have every single thing we need, and then some.

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32, ESV)

“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.” (1 Timothy 6:17, NLT)

How do you know if it’s a lie? Simple, lies do not line up with the Word of God.

God will never tell you to hurt yourself. NEVER!!

God will never call you stupid, ugly, or dumb. NEVER!!

God will never tell you to hurt someone else. NEVER!!

God will never tell you that you are worthless, useless, nothing. NEVER!!

God will never tell you something that goes against His word. NEVER!!

“Now this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him.” (1 John 1:5, HCSB)

God loves you!

God chose you!

God made you perfectly imperfect!

God wants you set free from the lies!

God has a beautiful plan for you!

Let’s fight back from the enemies lies. The word of God is our weapon, because it’s the truth. If you’ve never read a Bible, you’ve probably got one sitting in your home somewhere. If not, get a Bible App and start in The Word today. God’s word is alive!

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, NIV)

Jesus Christ is the only one who can truly set us free from lies. Sure, I can practice positive thinking, and meditation, and all kinds of things that may help temporarily, but I want freedom. Jesus came to set captive people free.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,” (Luke 4:18, NIV)

I was taught many years ago how to take my thoughts captive. There is freedom in Jesus, precious Jesus! He is so good! It’s time to tell the devil to take a hike. The next time the ugly thought comes in, tell it “No!” Picture Jesus holding a stop sign. I know it sounds strange but it really helped me, since I am a visual person. That thought has to come under Christ’s submission. You get all kinds of benefits as a Christ Follower, and one of them is He will fight for you, so let Him.

4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5, NIV)

This all sounds simple, and it is, but some battles in our mind are big ones. We need help. Get at least one person praying in agreement for your freedom. Stay in The Word every single day. Write down verses that speak specifically to your situation and place them all around your house. Pray those verses out loud. Play worship music and sing praises to God.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our savior we receive the Holy spirit, who will teach us, and remind us of everything Jesus has said (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit does a lot and you can ask for wisdom on your thoughts to know which are truth and which ones are lies. You can read more about the Holy Spirit here Living Water

Now that we know how to take our thoughts captive, let’s look at what we should be thinking on.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8, NIV)

We need to fill our mind with good things. It matters what we read, watch, and listen to. Let’s fill our minds with the truth of God’s Word.

Love you all,

Meghan

 

Dear Lord,

Help those who have believed the lies for far too long. Reveal the truth of your Word to them. That you love them and sent Jesus to set all of us free from sin and all bondage. I pray some chains of affliction are loosed today. Remind those of us in Christ you have richly given us everything we need. May we all think on excellent, praiseworthy things. You can do anything Lord, change mindsets. Bring healing.

In Jesus name,

Amen