If you were Amish...

 What would be the hardest thing for you to NOT HAVE???

I like to randomly come up with thought provoking question and send them to my closest friends, just to hear their responses and how different or alike we are from each other!!! I don't always share them cuz well, sometimes their personal. Buuuuuuuut this one is interesting but I don't believe indulging anthing to personal!!! 

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If your not familiar with the Amish religion, they are a form of Baptist that have clung to not changing with modern change. While some of this is good, like modesty and virtue and hard-working values, some of it is pointless in living a holy life to God, like no electricity and using a horse and buggy instead of a car. 

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Obviously I full agree with living a Holy life unto God! I believe in separation from the world. Limiting our internet usage, guarding our eyes, our ears and our mouths. While I've live most of my life without a television in my home, I think most people, even people that have one, can understand that it is because there is so much trash on it and it can hinder and distract your walk with God, YET, turning on the lights has never distracted me from my walk with God, so it doesn't make sense to go with out! Technology, used PROPERLY can be a good thing! 

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Soooooooo in a list of things they don't have what would be the hardest???

No Car?

No Cell Phone?

Actually no house phone either?

No camera?

No Electricity?

No AC? (I havn't met any Amish that actually LIVE in AZ;)

No Mirrors?

No electronics?

No Wash Machine?

No store bought clothes? (Handmade and VERY homely clothing!)

As I was thinking about it, I thought it would be a toss up between a camera and mirror that would be hardest for me to give up. I take A LOT OF PICTURES annnnnnnnd weeeeeelllll...a mirror is WEEEEEEELLLL A MIRROR!!!! Jus sayin!!! LOL 

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BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT then I remembered another thing that they very often have to give up, TALENTS!!!! Talents like writing and art and music!!! Those talents are considered vain or whateverrrr and I can't imagine NOT being able to write!!!! To have to supress a God-given talent that when used correctly, glorifies God!!!! That would INDEED be the hardest to give up!!!!

BUUUUUUUUUUUUT THEN I remembered one thing that I absolutely COULD NOT tolerate, NO EVANGELISM!!! As a Christian, that is THE ONE thing that literally makes NO SENSE to me!!! After salvation, and a walk with God, HOW CAN WE NOT HAVE A DESIRE TO REACH LOST SOULS!!! That is our calling!!! That is our goal!!! Souls, souls, souls!!! Pointing souls to Jesus!!!! 

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:15-16)

Soooooo yeah, spiritually speaking, salvation and evangelism is the one thing I could not give up!!! Morally, I could NOT give up my God-given talent to write!!! And in monetary matters, Its a toss up between the camera and a mirror...BUUUUUUUUUUUUT THEN...cuuuuuuuuute clothes is right there too!!! After all, GOD CALLS US TO BE HOLY, NOT HOMELY!!! Hee, hee!!! I mean, imagine me NOT wear bright, vibrant colors! Imagine me without flowers and lace!!! Imagine me without hoodies and UGGS and fluff and fur and satin...Imagine me NOT SHOPPING!!!! 

Okaaaaaaaaaaaaay I think we all know I'd be shunned pretty quickly...buuuuuuut what about you guys??? Outside of evangelism, (AND THE TRUTH) what would be the hardest thing for you go without???? maryfranceswriting@gmail.com

♥Mary Frances :)

Giving God YOUR BACON!!!

I was reading this the other day and it totally cracked me up...

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[A pig and a chicken were walking by a church where a gala charity event was taking place. Getting caught up in the spirit, the pig suggested to the chicken that they each make a contribution.

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“Great idea!` the chicken cried. “Let’s offer them bacon and eggs!"

"Not so fast,” said the pig testily. “For you, that’s a contribution. For me, it’s a total commitment!!!"]

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It makes me think, how often do we just give God a CONTRIBUTION of ourselves. Yes, the chicken was giving of herself, but it wasn't her everything. It was what she had produced that she was giving of. When the chicken gives her eggs, she may miss them, but at the end of the day she's still there, she's still alive, she's still breathing. 

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On the other hand, for the pig to donate it's bacon, it was a total sacrifice. There was NOTHING else left once it gave the bacon. There is a difference between us giving God contribution of our self and really giving God OUR ALL!!!

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 So often we sing the song, ♪♪I will give you all, I will give you all, IF ALL is what you ask of me, THEN I will NOT withhold..."♪ Buuuuut soooo often we ARE withholding! There are parts of us that we have NOT really released to God. We haven't yet said I don't know what's going to happen, BUUUUUT I'm trusting IN YOU!!!! I'm going ALL THE WAY WITH YOU JESUS!!!

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ABRAHAM GAVE GOD HIS ALL!!! The Bible says, 

"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure." (Hebrews 11:17-19)

WHEN Abraham OBEYED God and gave him Isaac, it was MORE than just him giving up his son. You can say well it wasn't ABRAHAM sacrificing himself to God, it was his son! NO, you don't understand, Abraham had a promise from God that out of this son would come the many nations like the starts in the sky and the grains of sand. By obeying God and laying Isaac on the altar, he was willing to give God back His promise. He was laying his own dreams on the altar as a sacrifice to God. However, Abraham trusted God and laid it all down...

"And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. (Genesis 22:12)

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When you give God your ALL, there is NO GOING back!!! Its NOT just giving God what you've produced of yourself, its NOT just a contribution of you can produce from yourself. When  You give God your ALL and  I mean REALLY GIVE HIM YOUR ALL, there is NO GOING BACK, because there is NOTHING left for you to go back too, because you gave it ALL to God. God doesn't just want WHAT you can DO for Him. God wants YOU!!! ALL OF YOU!!! 

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♫♫♪And IF my sacrifice is LESS♪♫ than giving you my very best, help me remember Calvary's cost, and be willing to say yes♪♪♫♪

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God didn't just give us a contribution of himself, he gave us His ALL!!!! Think about it, when Jesus sacrificed himself for us; They beat Him! They spit on Him!!! The scourged him! He was whipped! He was mocked!!! He SUFFERED!!! He BLED!!! He DIED!!! HE GAVE US HIS ALL!!! And God did ALL THAT, HOPING that we would give him OUR ALL!!! He doesn't just want  your contribution...

 GOD WANTS YOUR BACON!!!

"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."

(1 John 3:16)

♥Mary Frances :)