HEART OF THE MATTER

Author: sherrellwalton

  • THE BETTER ONE

    THE BETTER ONE

    I prayed to God one morning, something I had committed myself to doing since I resigned from my job. ] My only vehicle was totaled, and I was crying out God about some financial hardships that I was facing. I emptied the contents of my heart to the only one who would help me. As I lay in bed, my face was wet from tears. I asked God to hear my cry for a job. In that moment, He spoke to me. He reminded me of the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42.His presence is never bizarre and always pleasurable.

     The story is about one sister named Martha. She was distracted and worried about preparing dinner for her guest. She was also worried about many other things. The other sister, Mary, quietly sat at Jesus’s feet, taking in the peace of his presence.  Martha asked Jesus to tell Mary to help her with everything she had to do. Jesus replied, “There is only one thing to be concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

    God said to me, “You have chosen the better one, and it will not be taken away.” Spending time with God should be a priority in the life of a believer. He reminds us so often to pray without ceasing. Our Father in heaven knows all things and will supply our needs. We become distracted by the many things that go on in this world. God is often placed on the back-burner or omitted altogether. We can find many things to do, but time with God is rarely on the list. We become weighed down with the cares and worries of this world. This often leads us away from the Father. It leaves us farther from Him.

    God desires for us to spend time with Him. He wants us to get to know Him. He also wants us to come into an understanding of who we are in Him. God is a good Father who deeply cares for his children. After the revelation, God gave me an image of a child that had been missing for a long time. The parents’ yearning and longing for that child’s return are unbearable. But when that child finally returns home, the parent is ecstatic. They don’t want the child out of their sight. They want to be with with the child always. They want to spend as much time with the child as they can, maybe every waking moment.

    This is how God sees us. We have been apart from him for so long. He just wants to be with us. He wants to spend time with us when we return. We, as His children, have a special place in God’s heart, we are in the center of it. God has been growing me and showing me what it means to be a follower of Christ. I have learned that believers of Jesus Christ must condition themselves to the submission of the Word. They do not give in to the flesh of the world.

    Spending time with God helps us make the right decisions, helps us be peaceful, and remove stress. God is in charge and loves us. He works everything for the good of those that loves him who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) When we know him, it helps you rest better. We can rest in the peace that God provides( John 14:27) God got this! Many things cause us to become distracted, and wander off from God. Let’s be mindful to choose the better one.

     

  • IN THE NAME OF LOVE

    IN THE NAME OF LOVE

    Love is a powerful emotion that causes people to do crazy things. We indulge in a feeling that brings us acceptance, value, and the warmth that we feel inside. We become addicted to the feeling rather than the person. We say we love so and so, but we are actually attracted to the feelings that come from being loved. When those feelings no longer give us what we want, the relationship is over. We’re off to our next quick fix. I know because I’ve been there. Love and loyalty lie in the same bed together. Many of us play silly games all in the name of love. We commit crimes for love. Some have even killed because of it. True love lets you live. I used to think that love was my boyfriend acting out in rage because of his jealousy. I often heard friends say, “Girl, he loves you.” Why not just say something is wrong with him, and it’s not love? Many of us stay in abusive relationships, facing physical and verbal harm. We say it’s because I love them. But search a little deeper and discover the void you’re trying to avoid. We must understand what love is. If we don’t, we will imitate the behaviors of those who have settled for mistreatment. I watched and walked that same path because it was all I knew. I have grown to understand that love without Christ is sadistic and twisted. Love hurts. And many people no longer want any part of it. God will not take away the very being of your existence. God is love. “The greatest commandment, love the Lord with all thy heart, soul, and mind. And the second equally important, love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matthew 22:37-38). Since I found Christ, I learned something new, and I want to share it with you.

    Jesus Christ showed me what real love is, and love lets you live. God gave his only son to die on the cross because he loved us. God created us out of love (John 3:16) and is in love with us (Genesis 1:27). That’s why his patience is so long with our wrongs. “It is not his desire that his little ones shall perish but that they will all come to repentance.”(2nd Peter 3:9) God loves us.  Jesus Christ came to give us life, a real love life. I meditated on what love is. I drew on God’s Word and my interest in 1st Corinthians 13:4-8. This convinced and convicted me to change my understanding and actions. Love is not receiving; it is serving.

    “Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”(1st Corinthians 13:4-8). And I love God’s way better. With his way, I don’t have to be afraid of love.

    Love is powerful. Falling first in love with others rather than God will cause you a life of resentment. Love was intended to be the glue that holds us together to be better. It is not a feeling, it’s a focus. When we began to love the way the Lord intended us to, we began to see the value in ourselves. We also began to see the value in others. We are capable of loving without limits because there are no restrictions on love. And God’s love isn’t limited when it comes to loving us. LOVE. Give to others what you need more of.

  • THE SEED, NOT THE DEED

    THE SEED, NOT THE DEED

    Many of us have thought: Why do bad things happen to good people? We view people by the way they live their lives and by the things that they do, which is not wrong from our point of view. We are basing their goodness on their deeds. And not the bare thought of their existence. Many of us strive to do the right things in life because we know in our hearts right from wrong. We have been taught by parents and others what to do and not to do. But our good deeds aren’t enough for us to enter into eternity with God. Our striving isn’t enough to satisfy God, the Father. In fact, it’s when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior that God becomes satisfied. The gift of salvation is given to anyone who will believe Jesus Christ died for our sins. (Romans 5:15-18)

    The other morning, I was preparing for work, and the Lord said to me,” Many ask why good things happen to bad people. There are no good people because it’s not based on deeds, but on the seed. When Adam and Eve sinned and disobeyed God, the bloodline of our lineage was sinful. When they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their eyes opened. We then make a conscious decision to obey God or not. We gained the ability to see and know. With that came the responsibility of right and wrong choices, because God said, “Let us make human beings in our own image.” Genesis 1:27 NLT)

    Our good deeds are not the key to our eternity; Jesus Christ is. “For everyone has sinned and we all have fallen short of God’s glorious standard. (Romans 3:23) NLT.

    When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, the human race’s bloodline became sinful. Jesus Christ came and paid for the sins of humanity because he wasn’t imparted by man but implanted by God. God implanted Jesus in the Virgin Mary, and not through Joseph. He became the innocent Lamb to pay for the sins of the world.

    In Mark 10:18, Jesus asked his disciple, “Why do you call me good?” Only God is good. Jesus didn’t consider himself to be good because he knew he would soon have to bear the sins of the world and die to recover what had been given away.

    It’s not about the good and the bad but the righteous and the unrighteous, the people who follow Christ and those who don’t. And the righteous are the ones who get the reward, because they believe in God. And without faith we know that it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6) God didn’t consider Abraham as righteous because of his deeds, but by his belief. His strong faith in God is what brought forth the blessing in Abraham’s life. Abraham believed in God, and God counted him as righteous, along with many others who trusted God.

    Many of us strive to be right in God’s eyes by the things that we do upon the earth, that our good deeds will get us the rewards of heaven, but it is not only our good deeds that help us to achieve. Our obedience to God helps us to encounter his favor. He is pleased by our belief in his son, Jesus Christ, in whom he is well pleased. It was never about the good deed; it was always about the seed. If you believe, you will receive what you achieve in Jesus’ name. When you believe in God, you walk in obedience to his way and in his will.

  • DISPLACED HOPE

    DISPLACED HOPE

                    One Sunday morning during worship, I asked the Lord what was wrong with the people as worship was dull and non-effective. The worship team worked hard to move the people’s hearts and to prepare a way for the Lord, but only to a little success and at times no avail. The room was dry, weary, and routine. Most of them waited for a song to move them instead of the praise for the Savior. Every person in the room could feel that the air in the room was cold and the hearts of the people were filled with desires to know the Lord but no hope to see him come. It was the atmosphere that drove me to ask the Lord what is wrong in this room?  The Lord answered and said, “displaced hope.” Displaced means to take over the place, position, or role of something or someone. To move from a proper position, taking the place of something else.

    Many of us have our hope in other things or other people except God. And because we have committed and submitted ourselves to these things and people, we find it hard to praise God. The pull for praise and worship to the Lord proves that our hope lies elsewhere. Many of us are disappointed by the displaced hope. We have placed our hope in our jobs, family, and friends, and when our expectations of them isn’t met we live with regret and often time blame God. Our hope in God is a sure thing. When we put our hope in God, we experience his goodness and his unfailing love.” “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5). Life can become complicated, and the garment of heaviness will weigh upon us when our hope is displaced. It is important to have our hope in the one that will not disappoint us and know exactly what we need and when we need it. Having hope in the Lord will cause you to walk in faith and we know that faith is what pleases God. It will cause those things that are unseen to be seen. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for but the evidence of things unseen. (Hebrews 11:1). We have allowed our hope to be placed in temporary things that are fading away instead of putting our hope in the King of kings and the Lord of lords that will never leave us nor forsaken us. And for us as people it is imperative that we put our hope in the one that is unchanging. (Hebrews 13:5-8) Times and circumstances are constantly changing mostly causing an imbalance in our lives because of our displaced hope. Hope outside of the very one that created us and sustains us will cause us breakdown, disappointment and discouragement every time. When we put our hope in Jesus Christ we have crossed over from death into life. A life that comes with promises and guarantees because he who called you is faithful, and he is not like man that he shall lie or the son of man that he shall repent. (Number 23:19).

    Today, let’s evaluate where we have placed our hope. Is your hope for something or someone that is not promising? Putting our hope in God will always leave us full and never empty. Everything else will dry up and fade away. And having false hope is like having no hope at all, wishful thinking is not hope. So let’s placed our hope in God and trust his Word. “The grass will wither and the flowers will fade but the word of the Lord shall stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8).

  • FIND TIME TO BE KIND

    FIND TIME TO BE KIND

    We awake to the demands of the day—the regular routines that keep our minds busy before our bodies move. We think about the tasks we need to fulfill in our day. Yet, many of these tasks do not bring fulfillment to our lives. We adhere to the schedules that demand our attention, as well as the other things we must make room for. We are rushed by daily tasks, scheduled meetings, and planned events, so we don’t have time to rest. Breathe.

    I was awakened to the command. We need to find time to be kind as we go about the busyness of our day. We see many people in distress, in need of essentials, and mostly in need of a shoulder to cry on. The Lord is prompting his people to find time to be kind. Make room for God to use you. We want to be used by God, but we don’t have time for it. We can be so focused on our own activities. As a result, we don’t allow God to work through us. This prevents us from helping another who is suffering far worse. Our lives have become so congested with survival that we miss the opportunity to save a life and share hope. Find time to be kind.

      As I was thinking about what the Lord was speaking to me. The event of Jesus hearing about the death of his cousin, John the Baptist, settled in my spirit. Matthew 14:13, when Jesus heard about what happened to John, he went to a private place to be alone. Maybe Jesus wanted to pray or spend some quiet time alone, away from all the noise and the people. But when the people found out where he was, they followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus stepped ashore and saw a large crowd, he had compassion for them. He paused from his solitary mission. He made time to be kind to the sick, the broken, and the lost. The kindness and the compassion of God freely flowed from him. He never lost sight of himself. He always remembered what God had set before him. This was true even in the sorrows of his life.

    Many of us see him as God, but he was all man at this time. He laid down his godly powers to work fully as a man to show us the way. Philippians 2:7-9, “But laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men.” His entire dependence upon God was essential to his performing the miracles he did. Scripture teaches us that he had no powers, only the presence of God. So, we can function like Christ did—healing the sick, raising the dead, and casting out demons. Christ has given us the authority to do these things. He also provided us the capability, all in the power of his name, if we believe. And sometimes, it’s not the belief that holds us back. It’s the time we value most that causes us not to see the opportunities.

    Finding time to be kind is a word for us in this hour. God wants to see people set free and dependent upon him. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness. He is long-suffering to us-ward. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2nd Peter 3:9). Our lives can become busy as we move throughout the earth. Let’s move with the intention of becoming great in the world. Let’s find time to be kind to those we pass and to ourselves. The Lord encouraged my heart to be kind to the blind. We don’t need permission to be kind; we need to do it.

  • Understanding God’s Greater Grace in Troubling Times

    Understanding God’s Greater Grace in Troubling Times

    God’s grace is greater. Where sin abounds, grace abounds more. (Romans 5:20). In a recent event that I experienced, I heard the Lord say that his grace is greater. Grace is the mercy and the love of God that all people are worth saving to him. “It is not my desire that any should perish but that they all will come to repentance.” (2nd Peter 3:9). God’s grace abounds more where sin is. We see the sin, but God sees the person suffering. The grace of God is gifted to every person, whether a believer or a non-believer. It is through the good grace of God that his love is shared with humanity. His grace is amazing. The people who we are ready to wash our hands of God’s hands are ready to hold them. God’s grace is greater. His grace is what drew sinners to Jesus Christ.” Jesus died for our sins, while we were still sinners.” God’s grace must be displayed through believers whom he has called to be the light. 

    God’s grace is what navigates us through the ups and downs of life. In our times of weakness, his grace is sufficient.” It is his grace that makes us stand under his power, which is greater than anything that comes against us or on the earth. His grace is not earned through the works that we do; his grace is given out of the love that he has for us. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son that we may not perish, but have eternal life.” It is the essence of God, pure love, pure motive, pure favor. “He rains on the just as well as the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45). Scripture reveals that God’s grace is greater. His saving grace is what led Jesus to the cross that tore the veil that separated us from God. Now, we have access to God through the righteousness of Jesus. He permitted us to enter in by God’s love, mercy, and grace. It’s not about what you have done, and it is about who God is. His grace is greater than anything that we can face along the way. 

    The woman caught in adultery was shown God’s grace. (John 8:1-11). The townspeople were ready to stone her for the sin of adultery that she had committed. And by the Jewish law, they had the right to cause her death. But Jesus, knowing the sins of all, challenged them by saying, “Let he without sin cast the first stone.” The crowd that stood ready to throw each dropped their stone one by one and walked away. Jesus looked at the woman and said, “Where are your accusers? and neither do I condemn you. He releases her with his grace as he cautions her to sin no more. That is a visible picture of what God’s grace displays. His grace and mercy are greater than any sin we can commit.  Then we begin to understand that the grace of God draws men to him and away from darkness.

    In the process of our growth with God, we are not graded; we are graced in the areas where we struggle. God loves us too much to leave us in despair. His grace for us led Jesus to the cross to pay for our sins and bring us into right standing with God. God doesn’t turn away from those who need him. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16). There is a greater grace that only God gives, which helps us to live.

  • ENOUGH TO OUR EMPTY

    ENOUGH TO OUR EMPTY

    In life, we are searching for something, whether that something is a house, a car, a job, school, or love. We spend the majority of our lives searching for the best thing available or the next best thing popular. We spend countless hours searching for those things that will appeal and appease us the most. People spend their entire life searching for those temporary things that will bring them temporary pleasure to fulfill a thirst. People say it’s not a thirst. They say it’s a want. When the satisfaction doesn’t come, they are after the next best thing.

                There are events in the Bible that, to some extent, still resonate with us today. The woman with the issue of blood for twelve years was on a search for healing. The Bible recorded her spending all of her money for a cure that never came to conquer her illness. Until a man from Galilee named Jesus showed up on the scene and set her free. She used all of her funds, but there was no cure. She had the faith to push her way through the crowd to touch the hem of Jesus’s robe. He was enough to her emptiness.

    The ten men with leprosy surely lived an empty, isolated life. No one wanted a diseased person around them, so they were often banned from gathering with others. The Jewish law required diseased people to keep their distance from others. The leaders were afraid of a breakout among the community. But when they saw Jesus, they called out, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us.” Jesus gave them instructions. Their faith ignited as they followed what was told to them. They received their healing. He was enough to their emptiness.

    The lady at the well had been looking for love in all the wrong faces. She had five husbands, and the one she was now involved with wasn’t her husband. When Jesus approached her, she was attending to her business of drawing water from a well. He asked her for a drink of water before giving her living water, where she would never thirst again. “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14.)

    I can share a story of my own. It is very much relatable to the events in the Bible. It involves my own search for love. I moved from relationship to relationship, looking and hoping to partner with the right one. When times of trouble arose, I was ready to get away. The Lord helped me understand that what I needed was Him, not them. I was empty until Jesus Christ became enough, and I will never thirst again. He showed me that he was the way, the truth, and the life. Only in Christ and through him are we made whole.

    Many people are looking for who they are, where they are going, and various ways to get there. They have many plans to make their dreams come true. They are searching for the very thing that will give them value. They obtain what they have chased all of their life. Then they find out it’s not as satisfying as they thought it would be. They find themselves on the road to the next best thing. Jesus Christ is enough. He gave all of himself so that we wouldn’t lack anything. He is enough for our emptiness.

  • GOD RESTORES WHAT THE ENEMY DESTROYS

                So often, we are caught off guard by daily attacks. We find ourselves battling challenges coming from here, there, and everywhere. It seems the struggles come, they come in like a wrecking ball, and it seems to be no end in sight. If there isn’t something going on with us, it’s something concerning our loved ones. I have experienced the weight of carrying others’ burdens as well as my own. And many times I found myself fighting their fight while they sat idly by and did nothing to help them to survive. These mind-changing blows can destroy all that we have built and tried to maintain if we don’t fight back. Our strength becomes weak in the struggle, and we want to give up because of weariness. Every day is filled with its share of trouble, and sometimes it doubles.  Many of us find other ways to cope with the challenges, and although there are many alternatives, none is as fulfilling as God’s healing.

                As I reminisce over my life, I am reminded of how devastated I used to be. I awoke to face the battles of taking care of children on my own, meeting demands of a job that barely and rarely paid the bills, and I won’t discuss those extracurricular relationships that I needed for myself. I was empty and scratching the surface to survive. Yes, I was ready to tap out because I was tired of the same longings and disappointments. I thought man could give me what I needed, but the sick can’t save the suffering, and settling for half will never make you whole. I found myself hopeless and lifeless, yet I was still breathing. I was barely holding on but ready to give up.  But God said to me, “Come see me.” I didn’t know what that was or what it looked like, but I heard it, and I agreed. I just wanted my life to get better, something to bring me comfort from the things I was experiencing. I went to church that Sunday and gave my life to Christ. It wasn’t easy, but I needed relief from the grief.

     I was baptized and raised to a new life, but where was it? I returned home to fight the same battles, with the same people, and my normal self. I was given a Bible and a baptism certificate, but no one ever stressed to me that I needed to read it. It seemed that the attacks of life grew worse, and I began to think what all that was for. So, I set out to find Jesus so I could ask some questions, and I travelled through the pages of the Bible in search of his whereabouts. And I came to know him, now my life has a new meaning, and my hope is anchored in Jesus Christ.

    BUT GOD HAS SO MUCH MORE IN STORE. My favorite scriptures that captured my attention and heart were “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28) and “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

    What the inner me and the enemy destroyed, God restored. I was being reborn to be transformed into a new creature in Christ. God was actively chiseling away those things that meant me no good and replacing them with things of his likeness. Those things I wanted to keep that were destroying me or distracting me from his greatest were being illuminated and eliminated. I have a new life with Christ, and I love being in his company. I write to share that I’ve been there, but also to give you hope to journey to the place of being in his company. I write to share that I’ve been there, but also to encourage you to journey this life with Jesus.

    HIS LOVE IS AMAZING!  

  • WHERE ARE YOU?

    WHERE ARE YOU?

                   When God created the world, everything was good. Adam was given dominion over the land. He was to rule over the animals, birds of the air, and fish of the sea. God created a helper for him, and Eve was born. But they sinned by disobeying God by eating from the tree of good and evil, which they had been forbidden to eat from. Sin entered into the earth by Adam’s and Eve’s disobedience, and separation from God was created. God walked among them before sin entered. God was looking for Adam one day and asked, “Where are you?’ Physically, he could see him, and God knew that he was hiding, but spiritually, he had wandered from God because of the sinful nature that he wore. His eyes opened to his nakedness, and he sewed fig leaves together to cover his bareness, but it wasn’t enough to clothe his sin. God, having love and compassion for them, provided much better clothing for Adam and Eve. But still, he punished them for their disobedience. They were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, and Adam had to toil the ground to produce food, Eve had to bear painful childbirth, and the snake had to crawl on his belly for his part in the deception.

    Jesus Christ paid for our sins to bring us back into a relationship with God. He was sacrificed for our sins. We can now go before God because Christ, who was without sin (disobedience) on the cross, paid for our sins. (Colossians 2 :13-14). There is no more separation when you accept the gift of salvation for your damnation. You can walk in the freedom that Christ provides and approach the throne of God through his mercy and grace. Yayy!!!

    Many of us have wandered from God because of our sins. We have found ourselves covering up with makeup and other beliefs that don’t offer relief, but somehow, we believe it does. Many of us have sat in our hiding places while God is calling us each by name_____, “Where are you? But because we have traveled so far from him, it is harder to hear his calls. And just like Adam, physically, he knows where we are, but spiritually, we are distanced. So, we sit in our pride until we decide to come out of hiding and head home. Sin will always cause separation between us and a holy God. And because he was Holy, we can also be holy. (1st Peter 15-17). The deception is real back then, and it still is because the enemy will always make us think that we are missing something or that God is keeping something from us. And where we lack trust in God, we eat dust just like the snake (Satan) who we choose to follow. Jesus said, “I came that you may have life and life more abundantly, and the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy.” (John 10:10).

     “Adam, where are you is a call that God rings out every day to his creation, that he loves so much that he gave his only son. (John 3:16).  His heart longs for the return of the lost souls wandering in the earth. His love for people is something that I can’t fathom. I asked God, why are you mindful of man and he said because I made them in my image. To be made in someone’s image is to connect to them in a way that the human eyes cannot see. ‘How long will you wait while God is calling out to you before you respond and say, “Lord, here I am.

  • JESUS KNOWS YOUR NAME


    I set out to find Jesus, to see if he knew my name.
    I had to ask him why my life had encountered so much pain.
    As I traveled through the Book of Life looking for the place,
    I learned Jesus endured some pains in life; I may never have to face.
    They hammered him to a rugged cross, beat him and called him 
    hurtful names.
    I thought to myself, how does one stand so much pain?
    And a still voice spoke to me, “you’re the reason why I came.”
    Right then, I felt ashamed because I set out to find Jesus so that I 
    could complain,
    But when I found him, there was no reason because my life began 
    to change.
    And Jesus answered me and said, “I always knew your name.”

    Jesus knows your name.