Revolution YOU.

Living Life with Purpose and Passion Every Day!

Being Like Jonah.

By: Sarah Leffcomment

So…my apologies for being MIA for the past couple weeks. I would tell you it’s been a crazy time with trying to figure out my new work schedule, along with a trip back to Michigan for a dear friends wedding, but those would just be excuses. And I’m really trying to adapt a new “no excuses” mindset, so I will just simply say sorry.

Anyways, the new job is going well, and the Michigan trip was AWESOME [can you tell I miss home, jut a little bit]. Even though I wasn’t in Grand Rapids [my homeland] for very long, it was still great to see family. I got to spend all of Wednesday last week with my mom going to our favorite places—Marie Catrib’s, downtown Holland, Hope College, Lemonjello’s, Lake Michigan, the cottage—needless to say, it was total awesomeness. And we even got a decent beach walk in despite the freezing, gale-force winds.

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No Excuses.

By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and happy Friday! Seriously, how is it Friday already? This week has flown…probably because I’m so excited to see my FAMILY tonight! My parents and brother are flying in for a visit tonight, and I can’t wait to see them. Yay!

Anyways, I don’t have too much time, but wanted to share something that I read this morning from Matthew. In Matthew 4, Jesus begins to call his disciples into fulltime ministry with him. Now these disciples had other jobs prior to Jesus. They had family commitments. They didn’t really know Jesus all that well. They were probably afraid. I’m sure they were at least a little nervous. They had a whole arsenal of excuses that could be used to get out of following Jesus, yet they chose not to sue any of them. They simply dropped what they were doing and followed him. They didn’t let fear of the unknown or the comfort found in their current position deter them from reaching their true destiny—to become Jesus’s disciples. To change the world.

How often do we become so comfortable with our current surroundings that we lose sight of our true callings in Christ? If God were to call us into a different profession or even a different region, how hard would it be for us to simply drop what we were previously doing and follow his lead? I’m going to guess it would be challenging to say the least. We need to be more like the disciples. We need to be willing to go wherever and whenever God calls us. Taking that leap of faith into the unknown may sound scary at first, but in the end it will all be worth it:)

Just something I was thinking about while reading this morning. Well, I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. I’ll be back on Tuesday, hopefully with some more updates:) God Bless!

Pure Joy.

By: Sarah Leffcomment

Good Morning! Hope you all are having a great Thursday so far. Did anyone else experience crazy windstorms last night?? It was seriously SO windy outside our apartment last night. I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t enjoy it—because I did. I love the wind—it reminds me of being out on a sailboat in the middle of Lake Michigan, and that is always a pleasant reminder. Needless to say, we survived the crazy wind, and none of our furniture blew away. However apparently there is a large tree down somewhere in our apartment complex, so it must have been windy enough to blow that down…
Anyways, let me share with you what I read this morning from the book of James.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:2-4
While this is a fairly popular and commonly known verse, it is full of importance. As Christians, we are guaranteed to face trials and challenges in our lives. There is always going to be someone who opposes us, or a situation that pushes us to our limits. The trials aren’t the important part. The important part is how we handle those trials in our lives. James says we are to consider our trials ‘pure joy’ because in the end they are what cause us to grow as Christians in our walk with the Lord. If we never had any challenges in our lives, do you really think we would grow? Definitely not. The trials, temptations and challenges are necessary in developing us into the people we are in Christ.
So, when you are faced with a challenging situation or a difficult person to love, remember that those trials are for your ultimate benefit. Embrace that fact, and allow God to work in and through every situation in your life-whether it be good or bad. In the end, all those trials you went through will mean something, and you’ll be glad for the lessons you learned along the way.
Well, I’m off to work. Hope you all have a fabulous rest of your day! God Bless:)

Finishing the Race.

By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend! Ours was pretty good…the weather was a little cooler, and things are starting to look mighty festive around here—yay for Thanksgiving and Christmas! I just love this time of year.
I was reading in Acts this morning, and came across this verse…
“However, I (Paul) consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”
Acts 21:24
Paul knew his time on Earth was coming to an end, and that he would more than likely not see the other disciples again this side of Heaven. In saying goodbye to them, he emphasized that the only thing of importance to him was to finish the task that the Lord had given him to do. His life meant nothing to him apart from completing his task.
Paul was whole-heartedly and completely dedicated to doing the work God had assigned for him while on Earth. He was determined not to let anything else get in the way of what he was called to do—which was preach the gospel of Christ. As I was reading this verse, I started thinking about my own life. Am I living like Paul lived? Am I so focused on completing the task and finishing the race that everything else I do seems to fade in comparison? As much as I’d like to say yes, I know that this wouldn’t be completely true. Often I find myself getting so distracted by daily life that I lose focus on what really matters—finishing the task God has assigned to me. This scripture was a good reality check for me in keeping my priorities straight, and in alignment with the priorities God has placed in my life.
Hope you all are having a great day so far! God Bless:)

Giving God the Glory First.

By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello! Happy Monday…hope you all had a great weekend! Ours was pretty good. We were both pretty tired, so ours was quite low key, but still great:) In other news, it was 37degrees when I woke up this morning! Now I know most normal people would think this is freezing and horrible, but I was SO excited to see that number on my weather app this morning. I guess you could say I’m more of a cold weather type of gal, and I already know this winter is going to be tough for me—no snow, no skiing, no cold weather—bah. I think the closet ski area is about 500 mile away. Boo. Maybe I can convince James to make the trip at least once in the upcoming months…we will see. Ha.
Anyways, in other other news, I started reading Acts this morning. I’ve been really excited to get to the book of Acts, mainly because I’ve never actually read the whole thing through. The parts I have read though have been great, so I’m looking forward to reading it through start to finish.
One story in particular that I read was about Peter healing a crippled man who was sitting in front of the temple gate, called Beautiful. After the healing took place, Peter said this…
“By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can see.”
Acts 3:16
When Peter healed the crippled man in Jesus’ name, the people were in awe. Peter had to explain to them that it wasn’t by his power that the healing had occurred, but by the power of God working through him. The miraculous signs and healings that the disciples would perform weren’t about what they could do, but about what God could do through them.
Likewise, anything we do is ultimately not by our own power, but by God’s power working through us. No matter what the situation, we need to remember to always point the glory to God first and foremost. Without his power, we would be unable to accomplish anything—but through him, we can do ALL things.
Hope you all are having a great day so far! God Bless:)

A Fisherman’s Faith.

By: Sarah Leffcomment

It’s Wednesday! Half way through this wonderful week…can you believe that next week is already November?!? I have come to the conclusion that time goes by exceedingly faster the older you get. Seriously. But, on the plus side, November 1st is a special day in my family. No it’s not a birthday, or a memorial, or any sort of holiday in particular. Every year on November 1st, my mom and I have always busted out the Christmas music for the first time! Ha. This may seem crazy to some of you, but seriously my mom and I are obsessed with Christmas music. Even though we are states apart this year, I can guarantee that we will both be following through with the tradition on both of our ends:) Anyways…on to what I read this morning!
“Then Jesus said to Simon (aka Peter), “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”
Luke 5:10b-11
At this point, Simon decided to leave everything he had in order to follow Jesus. Let me give you a little bit of background information on how this came about. Right before this, Jesus had gone in to Simon’s fishing boat and told him to cast his nets out again into the sea. Simon was skeptical—he had been at it for hours, and hadn’t caught a thing. But, seeing as it was Jesus, he decided to do what Jesus asked. When he cast out his nets, they became so full of fish that he had to signal another boat to come and help him bring the catch into shore. Even then the boats were so laden with fish that they began to sag a bit in the water due to the excess weight.
Simon was so awestruck and moved by this that he fell to his knees saying, “Go away from me Lord; I am a sinful man.” At this point, Simon realized something about the nature of Jesus. Not only did Jesus care about the miracles and healings of the masses, but he also cared deeply about the everyday activities of some local fisherman. He came down to their level, and assisted them in their work, showing Simon his true character and nature—one of kindness and love.
In the same way, God cares about the day-to-day activities of our daily lives. He cares about every detail, and wants to be a part of everything we do. Our response to that kind of love should be similar to Simon’s—drop everything and follow him. It’s not enough just to simply acknowledge that Jesus as our Savior and then move on with our lives. NO. We need to allow ourselves to be changed through an encounter with him, leaving behind our past and fully devoting our future to him—no matter where he may lead us.
 
This is something that God has really been speaking to me about lately. Am I really willing to give him everything? Am I willing to follow him no matter where he may lead? Something to think about.
Hope you all are having a great day! God Bless:) 

The Desert.

By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello Friends! Hope you all are having an excellent Tuesday so far. I woke up this morning with a swollen eyelid, so it’s been an interesting morning, but the swelling is starting to go down—I think at least! Still kind of looks like I got punched in the eye, but oh well I guess.
I was reading in Luke this morning, and this verse really stuck out to me…
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.”
Luke 4:1-2a
What really stuck out to me today was the “led by the Spirit into the desert” part of the verse. For some reason, when I think of the Holy Spirit leading and guiding me I only ever picture myself being led into beautiful, nice and welcoming places. The word ‘desert’ doesn’t generally come to mind. But, that is exactly where the Holy Spirit led Jesus. And he didn’t lead him there to go on a vacation. No. Luke tells us that he led Jesus into the desert to be TEMPTED. He led him there to be tested and tried—not to be comfortable.
In the same way, sometimes the Holy Spirit may lead us into our own ‘desert’ situations, where our purpose in being led there is to be tested and tried. Living the Christian life does not come without its trials, and definitely not without temptations from the devil. Although difficult, we don’t need to be afraid of facing tests and trials.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:2-4
According to James, the testing of our faith develops perseverance, which in turn leads to spiritual maturity. If we never had to face any trials or challenges, then we would never have the opportunity to grow in our faith. God has a plan and a purpose for every trial or test that we face in this life. It may seem difficult at the time, but once its over, you’ll be able to look back on that time in your life and see how much you’ve grown because of it. When times are tough, remember these scriptures, and know that God has a plan and a purpose—far bigger than we could ever imagine!
Hope you all are having a great week so far! God bless:)

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