I'm really excited about a new series we've started in my Sunday school class. We are going to be going through the book of Ecclesiastes. I'm excited because something I have struggled with for a long time is sense of purposelessness and bordem that comes with the every day tasks of life. I often get into these ruts where I feel like I do the same thing every day and I really start to wonder..."What is the point?!" It's hard to be motivated to do much when you don't feel like there's any meaning behind it. Now, the solution should be obvious and I knew in my mind what the problem was and even how to fix it but sometimes God has to hit me upside the head.
We just did a basic overview of the book this past week. Just trying to figure out what the book is about. The writer (I believe it was Solomon but apparently there is some debate about it) is frustrated with the age old question: "What is the meaning of life?" He wondered the same thing I often do: Is there any point to what I do every day? (Ecc. 1:2-3 "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?") We came to the conclusion in class that the reason he felt there was no purpose in his life and all the pleasures of the world couldn't fill this emptieness he felt inside was because he wasn't living with God at the center of his life. Everything on this earth is temporary. How can temporary things ever bring lasting joy or satisfaction? It seems as though all we ever do is work to eat, eat to live, and live to work. An endless, dull cycle. If all we live for are the temporary things of life (i.e- a job, a relationship, money, possessions, entertainment etc...) we will be left feeling empty and when those things disapear or get old we cease to have a reason for living. Thus the feeling of "What's the point?" comes over us and we are unmotivated to live the life we are supposed to.
We received a handout in class and at the bottom was the following evaluation:
Complete the self-evaluation privately to help determine whether or not you are living with God at the center of your life. One indicates the statement is not at all descriptive of you; five meaning the statement is very descriptive of you.
I respond to difficult circumstances by becoming depressed.
1 2 3 4 5
I find it difficult to motivate myself to do mundane tasks.
1 2 3 4 5
I only think of God's presence with me when I am at church or with other believers.
1 2 3 4 5
I seem to be living from thrill to thrill.
1 2 3 4 5
I delay dealing with problems by immersing myself in hobbies or interests.
1 2 3 4 5
I lay awake at night while anxious thoughts flood my mind.
1 2 3 4 5
I don't spend much time in prayer.
1 2 3 4 5
If I'm being honest (and if you've ever read my blog before, you know that's what I strive for), I have to answer at least a 3 on every single one of those. Most of them are a 4 and a few are right on the nose...a 5. When I read those, it was like a slap in the face. Ouch... Yeah, this is me. I never realized it before but this is absolutely who I am. It took me seeing it to realize it.
I am an emotional person anyway but when God is not the center of my life I definitely find myself more easily depressed. I put God on the back burner all too often. I forget about Him until I'm at church or around godlier people. I do feel like my life is only interesting or meaningful when there is something big happening or there is about to be a big change. I definitely immerse myself in tv and celebrity obsessions to avoid reality. Sometimes I have trouble falling asleep because I'm worrying over my future. Honestly, I fail when it comes to prayer. All those things are enough to tell me that God is not at the center of my life.
But the worst one for me was the motivation one. I am not a morning person....not even a little bit. But I realized recently that it goes beyond that for me. I find it hard to be motivated to get out of bed every morning. It comes from a mind set of "I don't have anything to look forward to today. I'm just gonna get up and do the same thing that I do every other day and what on earth is the point." What a horrible attitude for a christian to have. If God is at the center of my life and is the most important thing to me, then every day has meaning. I would realize that this day is a gift from him. While I really don't have any purpose on my own, He obviously has a plan and a purpose for me being alive today.
I would also realize that in order to live a meaningful life I need to focus on things that won't fade away. I need to invest my life in eternal things, instead of temporary. That's where true satisfaction lies. In living my life to bring glory to my God who saved me and loves me and takes care of me. Purpose is found in pointing others to my Savior. Whether it's by actually telling them or just living in a way that others will want the God that I portray. This gives a whole new meaning to going to that boring job again...while I'm there, I need to be shining the Light of Christ. God gives purpose to the mundane tasks of life and makes it worth it to get out of bed each morning.
He wants us to live an abundant life. Having fun and being entertained is not a bad thing in itself (unless your entertainment goes against God). But living to play is empty and vain as well. And while some temporary things are important, such as having a job to pay the bills, and fixing the car, and doing the laundry....if these things are all we live for life can get pointless and depressing. But God and His eternal purposes bring meaning to life. I hope this will help someone who is like me and struggles with these things. I will try my best to keep updating this site as we learn about Ecclesiasties in Sunday school each week.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Wonderful, Merciful Savior
I was reading today in Deuteronomy 4. Moses is telling the children of Israel to be sure to follow the commandments of the Lord. He tells them to keep themselves from corruption and not forget all the things the Lord had done. (4:9, 15-16, 23) He says that "the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God." (4:24) He goes on to say that the Lord will be angry if they corrupt themselves and make graven images. He says the Lord will "destroy" and "scatter" them who provoke him to anger by serving other gods. Then we come to verses 29-31..."But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them."
I am an epic failure at the Christian life. I really am. Only God knows the depths of my stupidity and wickedness. And I tell him over and over and over that I'm gonna do better; that I'm gonna stop _______. Or I'm gonna start _______. And it has come to my attention a lot recently how often I go back on the things I promise the Lord. I corrupt myself. I forget God. I serve myself and the world instead of truly serving him. So then I start to think "I can't pray...I have no right to talk to God. It feels wrong to even open my Bible after how I acted yesterday and the things I said today. After those wrong thoughts I had, why would God hear me?"
I could never ever deserve God's forgiveness, love, or attention. But there is no need to feel discouraged and give up. God says if I return and seek him with my whole heart and ask for forgiveness, he will hear and will take me back. I am SO thankful for his mercies. He is such a merciful, forgiving God. I don't deserve to even speak to him. I have so often pushed him to the side in order to serve myself, forgetting all the things he's done for me. And because of my unfaithfulness, I get myself into a mess. Then I realize I've slipped again and I call out to him. Each time with more guilt because of my continual failings. You would think God would just get tired of it. Tired of us ignoring him until we're in tribulation and then asking for help.
It is with tears that I write this:
"Nevertheless for Thy great mercies sake Thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them, for Thou art a gracious and merciful God."- Nehemiah 9:31
"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not." Lamentations 3:22
"To the LORD our God belong mercies and forgiveness though we have rebelled against him." Daniel 9:9
"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." Ephesians 1:7
God is so good. Why does this not drive me more to serve him whole heartedly. Instead I give him half efforts and a lazy attitude. I decide to do, say, listen to, and watch whatever I want instead of listening to him. He has saved me in so many ways. And I just keep sinning. It's sad. It breaks my heart.........
And then I have to smile through the tears and thank God for his mercy. He shows us through his word and through the blessings he gives us how great his mercies are. As Paul said, this grace and mercy should not be a pass to sin more but a push to sin less.
If you want a really beautiful picture of how forgiving God is to people who just keep sinning, check out a couple of my favorite Psalms... Psalm 78 and Psalm 89. When we are truly broken over our sin and ask for forgiveness, he is faithful to forgive. There is just nothing else to say but "What a good God."
"God's mercy is so great that you would sooner drain the sea of its water, deprive the sun of its light, or make space too narrow, than diminish the great mercy of God." C.H. Spurgeon
I am an epic failure at the Christian life. I really am. Only God knows the depths of my stupidity and wickedness. And I tell him over and over and over that I'm gonna do better; that I'm gonna stop _______. Or I'm gonna start _______. And it has come to my attention a lot recently how often I go back on the things I promise the Lord. I corrupt myself. I forget God. I serve myself and the world instead of truly serving him. So then I start to think "I can't pray...I have no right to talk to God. It feels wrong to even open my Bible after how I acted yesterday and the things I said today. After those wrong thoughts I had, why would God hear me?"
I could never ever deserve God's forgiveness, love, or attention. But there is no need to feel discouraged and give up. God says if I return and seek him with my whole heart and ask for forgiveness, he will hear and will take me back. I am SO thankful for his mercies. He is such a merciful, forgiving God. I don't deserve to even speak to him. I have so often pushed him to the side in order to serve myself, forgetting all the things he's done for me. And because of my unfaithfulness, I get myself into a mess. Then I realize I've slipped again and I call out to him. Each time with more guilt because of my continual failings. You would think God would just get tired of it. Tired of us ignoring him until we're in tribulation and then asking for help.
It is with tears that I write this:
"Nevertheless for Thy great mercies sake Thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them, for Thou art a gracious and merciful God."- Nehemiah 9:31
"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not." Lamentations 3:22
"To the LORD our God belong mercies and forgiveness though we have rebelled against him." Daniel 9:9
"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." Ephesians 1:7
God is so good. Why does this not drive me more to serve him whole heartedly. Instead I give him half efforts and a lazy attitude. I decide to do, say, listen to, and watch whatever I want instead of listening to him. He has saved me in so many ways. And I just keep sinning. It's sad. It breaks my heart.........
And then I have to smile through the tears and thank God for his mercy. He shows us through his word and through the blessings he gives us how great his mercies are. As Paul said, this grace and mercy should not be a pass to sin more but a push to sin less.
If you want a really beautiful picture of how forgiving God is to people who just keep sinning, check out a couple of my favorite Psalms... Psalm 78 and Psalm 89. When we are truly broken over our sin and ask for forgiveness, he is faithful to forgive. There is just nothing else to say but "What a good God."
"God's mercy is so great that you would sooner drain the sea of its water, deprive the sun of its light, or make space too narrow, than diminish the great mercy of God." C.H. Spurgeon
Friday, March 9, 2012
Betrayal of the worst kind
I was reading recently in Matthew, the account of Jesus being betrayed by Judas and eventually lead to the cross of Calvary. The thought crossed my mind- "How could Judas betray Jesus like that. Just turn his back on the One who had proven Himself to be God. I'm not really in danger of completely and totally turning my back on Him like that. So what can I learn from Judas?" This whole thought process was based on my definition of the word "betray". Then I got to thinking- "I wonder what the actual meaning of the word is." I don't know why I was curious about this other than maybe it was the Lord putting it on my heart. So I looked up the word and this is the actual definition: "To be disloyal to by acting in the interest of the enemy."
Well....this is applicable now isn't it? It was seriously like my blood almost ran cold. Wow... when you hear it like that, I do have something in common with Judas. I have often been disloyal to Jesus by acting in the interest of His enemy, Satan. Every time I choose my way over God's, every time I say something rude or hateful to someone, every time I wallow in self pity, every time I let the world into my music and into my mind through too much entertainment...every time I sin essentially, I am acting in the interest of God's enemy. I am doing what He wants me to do even though it is harmful to my King. This is what betrayal is. Maybe thinking of it this way will help me to sin less.
The encouraging part is, Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him and yet he still chose him. Jesus knows me and my short comings. He knows my idiocy. He knew that I would betray Him even after He so lovingly saved me. But He still saved me and continues to bless me. What a good God. What a loving, merciful, awesome God. This should drive me to thankful obedience to His every word.
"Over time You've healed so much in me
And I am living proof
That although my darkest hour had come
Your light could still shine through.
At times it's just enough to cast
A shadow on the wall
O, I am grateful that You shine
A light on me at all
Who am I?
That You should love me so gently
Who am I?
That You should recognize my name
Who am I?
That You should speak to me so softly
Conversation with a love most high
Who am I?
Amazing Grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now I'm found
Was blind but now I see.
And the more I sing that sweet old song
The more I understand
That I do not comprehend this love
That's coming from Your hand.
Who am I?
That You would love me so gently
Who am I?
That You would recognize my name
Who am I?
That You would speak to me so softly
Conversation with a love most high
Who am I?
Grace, Grace
God's Grace
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within
Grace, Grace
God's Grace
Grace that is greater than all my sin"
-Point of Grace
"Lord, You had the splendor of heaven
A crown a robe and a throne
So what kind of love would lead You to leave
The safety of that kind of home?
I know that You willingly suffered
But why would You suffer for me?
I know what I am and I don't understand
How I could be worth Calvary.
When You knew I was lost
And You knew that a cross
Was the price You'd have to pay
When we cried "Crucify"
Lord, You didn't have to die
But You did it anyway
Now I'll never see
What You saw in me
Cuz You knew I would never be perfect
But I'm just so glad
That somehow You thought I was worth it!
Lord, Sometimes I feel like a vessel
Just useless old pieces of clay
But somehow You saw more
Something worth dying for
You paid more than You should have paid
When You knew I was lost
And You knew that a cross
Was the price You'd have to pay
When we cried "Crucify"
Lord, You didn't have to die
But You did it anyway
Now, I'll never see what You saw in me
Cuz You knew I would never be perfect
But I'm just so glad
That somehow You thought I was worth it!"
-Brian Free and Assurance
Well....this is applicable now isn't it? It was seriously like my blood almost ran cold. Wow... when you hear it like that, I do have something in common with Judas. I have often been disloyal to Jesus by acting in the interest of His enemy, Satan. Every time I choose my way over God's, every time I say something rude or hateful to someone, every time I wallow in self pity, every time I let the world into my music and into my mind through too much entertainment...every time I sin essentially, I am acting in the interest of God's enemy. I am doing what He wants me to do even though it is harmful to my King. This is what betrayal is. Maybe thinking of it this way will help me to sin less.
The encouraging part is, Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him and yet he still chose him. Jesus knows me and my short comings. He knows my idiocy. He knew that I would betray Him even after He so lovingly saved me. But He still saved me and continues to bless me. What a good God. What a loving, merciful, awesome God. This should drive me to thankful obedience to His every word.
"Over time You've healed so much in me
And I am living proof
That although my darkest hour had come
Your light could still shine through.
At times it's just enough to cast
A shadow on the wall
O, I am grateful that You shine
A light on me at all
Who am I?
That You should love me so gently
Who am I?
That You should recognize my name
Who am I?
That You should speak to me so softly
Conversation with a love most high
Who am I?
Amazing Grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now I'm found
Was blind but now I see.
And the more I sing that sweet old song
The more I understand
That I do not comprehend this love
That's coming from Your hand.
Who am I?
That You would love me so gently
Who am I?
That You would recognize my name
Who am I?
That You would speak to me so softly
Conversation with a love most high
Who am I?
Grace, Grace
God's Grace
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within
Grace, Grace
God's Grace
Grace that is greater than all my sin"
-Point of Grace
"Lord, You had the splendor of heaven
A crown a robe and a throne
So what kind of love would lead You to leave
The safety of that kind of home?
I know that You willingly suffered
But why would You suffer for me?
I know what I am and I don't understand
How I could be worth Calvary.
When You knew I was lost
And You knew that a cross
Was the price You'd have to pay
When we cried "Crucify"
Lord, You didn't have to die
But You did it anyway
Now I'll never see
What You saw in me
Cuz You knew I would never be perfect
But I'm just so glad
That somehow You thought I was worth it!
Lord, Sometimes I feel like a vessel
Just useless old pieces of clay
But somehow You saw more
Something worth dying for
You paid more than You should have paid
When You knew I was lost
And You knew that a cross
Was the price You'd have to pay
When we cried "Crucify"
Lord, You didn't have to die
But You did it anyway
Now, I'll never see what You saw in me
Cuz You knew I would never be perfect
But I'm just so glad
That somehow You thought I was worth it!"
-Brian Free and Assurance
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The cure for discouragement
Well, Satan must be mad that I've made a commitment to draw closer to God with less tv and no "guy talk" over the next month. (See previous posts for more info on that) It's been pretty crazy for the past few days. Here's the low down: I was in a car accident on Saturday. It wasn't my fault and no one was hurt but my car is pretty much totalled. I still need to get it checked out to know for sure but it's pretty bad. The people who hit me are trying to blame me and even though there is absolutely NO WAY it was my fault, the police weren't called and we don't have a whole lot of proof of what happened. (Hey, cut me some slack. I was alone and scared and didn't know what to do.) There were issues first of all because they wouldn't give me their insurance info initially. (They said I didn't need it because it was my fault...which it wasn't. Have I mention that?) Then when I finally called the police later that evening, he told me my best bet was to go and find them (which was also an issue since they didn't give me any contact info. Thankfully they live at the apartment complex across the street), and get their info and take it up with their insurance company. So, by a miracle of God, I was able to find them and get their information. I called the insurance company the next day only to have them tell me that those people had cancelled their insurance and were, therefore, uninsured at the time of the accident. Great. So now it's small claims court time. I've never had to deal with this before and it's pretty scary for me. I have no idea how to go about this. SOO....this is stressful at the moment.
I also found out bad news about my taxes. It's way too complicated to explain but I'm going to be paying a whole lot more than I should be. Then just throw in the fact that I am still up in the air about what I'm doing next year. (Moving back to Missouri or staying in Washington...it all depends on the job situation) I've been filling out applications and sending out resumes like crazy. Plus my landlord just told me I can't get a dog. Yes, this does make me sad. So it may not sound like much but I've gotten bad news of some kind every day since Saturday. It was becoming a little heavy for me. It seemed like everyone around me just wanted to add to the stress a little.
All day yesterday, I had the song "I look to You" by Selah stuck in my head. It seemed random since I hadn't heard it in a while. When I got home from work, I received yet another piece of bad news and proceeded to have a tiny breakdown. Not the worst one I've ever had but there were definitely tears. My roommate did everything she could to cheer me up, including pretty flowers, a hilarious card, and Dr. Pepper. I felt a little better by the end of the night but still didn't know what to do about all the different situations. Right before bed, I opened my Bible. The marker was at Numbers 20. I read about all the bad things that were happening to Israel. They were, first of all, wandering in the desert. They were without water. The people of Edom wouldn't let them pass through their land. Aaron died. And king Arad of Canaan fought against them in the first verse of chapter 21. He even took some of them prisoners. Now, God helped them to defeat these Canaanites but according to 21:4, the people became very discouraged. They were having to go the long way around the land of Edom and with everything else they were dealing with, it just seemed too hard. Their discouragement caused them to speak against God and Moses. It caused them to be unthankful. This made God angry and he sent firey serpents to bite them and many Israelites died.
Moses handled things way differently than I would have...he prayed for the people and God made a way of salvation. Moses was to make a serpent of brass and put it on a pole and if the people but looked on the serpent they would live. This, as most are aware of, is a picture of Christ. The point here, as I heard explained once, is that the people got their eyes off of God and were instead looking at all their horrible circumstances. Everything was going wrong but they were still to keep their focus on God. He had proven time and again that He could handle anything. He hadn't left them. He knew about all of these things.
Lets bring it to today... We often get discouraged because of the circumstances of life. Jobs don't work out how we thought they would. Money is scarce. Health is failing. Relationships don't come when we think they should. People pass away..... We get in car wrecks. We have to pay taxes. We can't get a puppy. Life is just hard sometimes. In my case it's a bunch of issues that I can't really fix or I'm going to have a really difficult time fixing. The key to not letting them overwhelm me is looking to the One who is in control of it all.
"As I lay me down
Heaven hear me now
I'm lost without a cause
After giving it my all
Winter storms have come
And darkened my sun
After all that I've been through
Who on earth can I turn to?
I look to You, I look to You
After all my strength is gone
In You I can be strong.
I look to You, I look to You
And when melodies are gone
In You I hear a song
I look to You
About to lose my breath
There's no more fighting left
Sinking to rise no more
Searching for that open door
And every road that I've taken
lead to my regret
And I don't know if I'm gonna make it
Nothing to do but lift my head
I look to You, I look to You
After all my strength is gone
In You I can be strong
I look to You, I look to You
And when melodies are gone
In You I hear a song
I look to You...
And my levees are broken
My walls have come tumbling down on me
The rain is falling
Defeat is calling
I need You to set me free
Take me far away from the battle
I need You to shine on me....
I look to You..."
(Now, this song, I realized later was originally a Whitney Houston song. I'm not a fan of hers so this is the version I prefer.)
Conclusion: In Numbers 21:10 it says that Israel "set forward". That's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna look to the Lord to help me handle all these issues and problems and then I'm gonna move forward and do what I need to do. There is no time for moping about in self pity. God is in control. I must look to Him. This is my new motto... "Look to Him." It's so much more than cliche. Taking our problems and heavy hearts to God is a stress reliever and discouragement lessener. (If that's really a word :))
I also found out bad news about my taxes. It's way too complicated to explain but I'm going to be paying a whole lot more than I should be. Then just throw in the fact that I am still up in the air about what I'm doing next year. (Moving back to Missouri or staying in Washington...it all depends on the job situation) I've been filling out applications and sending out resumes like crazy. Plus my landlord just told me I can't get a dog. Yes, this does make me sad. So it may not sound like much but I've gotten bad news of some kind every day since Saturday. It was becoming a little heavy for me. It seemed like everyone around me just wanted to add to the stress a little.
All day yesterday, I had the song "I look to You" by Selah stuck in my head. It seemed random since I hadn't heard it in a while. When I got home from work, I received yet another piece of bad news and proceeded to have a tiny breakdown. Not the worst one I've ever had but there were definitely tears. My roommate did everything she could to cheer me up, including pretty flowers, a hilarious card, and Dr. Pepper. I felt a little better by the end of the night but still didn't know what to do about all the different situations. Right before bed, I opened my Bible. The marker was at Numbers 20. I read about all the bad things that were happening to Israel. They were, first of all, wandering in the desert. They were without water. The people of Edom wouldn't let them pass through their land. Aaron died. And king Arad of Canaan fought against them in the first verse of chapter 21. He even took some of them prisoners. Now, God helped them to defeat these Canaanites but according to 21:4, the people became very discouraged. They were having to go the long way around the land of Edom and with everything else they were dealing with, it just seemed too hard. Their discouragement caused them to speak against God and Moses. It caused them to be unthankful. This made God angry and he sent firey serpents to bite them and many Israelites died.
Moses handled things way differently than I would have...he prayed for the people and God made a way of salvation. Moses was to make a serpent of brass and put it on a pole and if the people but looked on the serpent they would live. This, as most are aware of, is a picture of Christ. The point here, as I heard explained once, is that the people got their eyes off of God and were instead looking at all their horrible circumstances. Everything was going wrong but they were still to keep their focus on God. He had proven time and again that He could handle anything. He hadn't left them. He knew about all of these things.
Lets bring it to today... We often get discouraged because of the circumstances of life. Jobs don't work out how we thought they would. Money is scarce. Health is failing. Relationships don't come when we think they should. People pass away..... We get in car wrecks. We have to pay taxes. We can't get a puppy. Life is just hard sometimes. In my case it's a bunch of issues that I can't really fix or I'm going to have a really difficult time fixing. The key to not letting them overwhelm me is looking to the One who is in control of it all.
"As I lay me down
Heaven hear me now
I'm lost without a cause
After giving it my all
Winter storms have come
And darkened my sun
After all that I've been through
Who on earth can I turn to?
I look to You, I look to You
After all my strength is gone
In You I can be strong.
I look to You, I look to You
And when melodies are gone
In You I hear a song
I look to You
About to lose my breath
There's no more fighting left
Sinking to rise no more
Searching for that open door
And every road that I've taken
lead to my regret
And I don't know if I'm gonna make it
Nothing to do but lift my head
I look to You, I look to You
After all my strength is gone
In You I can be strong
I look to You, I look to You
And when melodies are gone
In You I hear a song
I look to You...
And my levees are broken
My walls have come tumbling down on me
The rain is falling
Defeat is calling
I need You to set me free
Take me far away from the battle
I need You to shine on me....
I look to You..."
(Now, this song, I realized later was originally a Whitney Houston song. I'm not a fan of hers so this is the version I prefer.)
Conclusion: In Numbers 21:10 it says that Israel "set forward". That's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna look to the Lord to help me handle all these issues and problems and then I'm gonna move forward and do what I need to do. There is no time for moping about in self pity. God is in control. I must look to Him. This is my new motto... "Look to Him." It's so much more than cliche. Taking our problems and heavy hearts to God is a stress reliever and discouragement lessener. (If that's really a word :))
Friday, February 24, 2012
How long til you believe?
My Bible reading for today was in Numbers 14. It's right after Moses had sent the 12 spies into the land of Canaan and 10 came back with an "evil report" and 2 came back saying "We can do this! God is on our side!" The people of Isael chose to listen to the 10 who were fearful and doubting. They lifted up their voice and cried. They murmured against Moses and Aaron. They started to wish that they had just stayed slaves in Egypt. Moses and Aaron tried to show them that the Lord was on their side and he could be trusted to take them into the promised land but the people wouldn't listen (14:10). Finally, God says to Moses in verse 11- "How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?" This verse stuck out to me. It was like it was written with my name in it... "How long will Jenny provoke me? and how long will it be ere she believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed her."
How many times has God come through for me? Too many to count. Many I don't even realize, I'm sure. How many times has he shown Himself mighty? How many times has He done something truely amazing and miraculous? How many times has He provided right on time?....and yet how many times have I taken matters into my own hands? Or, more often, worried myself literally sick over an issue and wondering if God was going to provide? Whether it be for a job, or whether or not I'll meet a guy, or where money will come from. Worry, while natural and easy to do, is essentially doubting God which makes it a sin. This isn't really news to me. No great new revelation. I've known that worry was a sin for a long time. But I still do it. Why is it so hard for me to trust God? "With all the many miracles, why don't you think it's possible?..." as a popular southern gospel song puts it.
Well in the case of the Israelites, I suppose it was just that they forgot about all the things God had done in the past. Perhaps (and this is just speculation) they forgot about them because they weren't thankful for them. Someone can correct me if I'm totally off base here but it seems to me if they were really thankful for all the ways God had caused them to stand in awe by providing for them in miraculous ways or protected them from their towering enemies etc...they would not so easily forget. Just a thought. Maybe they were just too used to it and therefore not appreciative enough to remember it.
I'm not harping on them at all either. That's me all the way. I'm so prone to forget what God has done for me. I've heard of people keeping a blessing journal. I tried this once and it was really helpful. Like many things in my life, I got lazy and was undisciplined and didn't keep up with it. (I really really can't stand that about myself.) Anyways... I think I will try to start one again. That way when I start to worry that God won't come through for me, I can go back and remember all the times He has.
Secondly (and lastly...I know this has been a long post), I have heard it said that if we don't know God it is because we don't know Him well enough. How do we get to know someone well enough to really trust them? By spending time with them. I doubt God's ability because I don't know it well enough. I don't spend enough time in prayer and Bible reading....that's what so many problems boil down to isn't it? I'm really thankful for verse 18 which says "The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression..." The verse goes on to say that God doesn't excuse sin. But He is so good in that He does forgive it when it's acknowledged. If you have not been believing God, confess it and be forgiven. Spend time with Him so that He can prove to you that He is so trustworthy. That's my plan.
So I would encourage anyone else struggling to believe that God is able to_________ (fill in the blank)...you should make a list of all the things God has done. From the every day little blessings and proof of Himself to the miraculous things that show off His power. Then spend time with Him. Maybe it would be good to do a study on the character of God or on the miracles of God.
"Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time." --Oswald Chambers
"God gave the bold command To cross the Jordan and take the land
Not to worry about the giants they would face
But when the spies returned To tell the others what they had learned
They said, “For us to win, there’s just no way.”
Still two of them trusted God, Caleb and Joshua
They said, “Children, don’t believe what you have heard.
We know we’re out manned by far, They’re much bigger than we are.
But let’s not forget just Who it is we serve.”
With all the many miracles
Why don’t you think it’s possible?
With all the many things we’ve seen
Why do you think it’s just a dream?
With all the things He’s done for us
Don’t you think it’s time we trust?
Remember what is possible
With all the many miracles.
Like when we were about to die, Manna fell from the sky.
Then water came from a dry old dusty rock.
And back when Pharaoh was closing in, God closed the sea again
But not before we all had safely crossed.
So here you are my friend
You face a battle you cannot win
You tell yourself, “There's just no need to try”
Consider how good God’s been
He’s been faithful time and again,
You must believe and here’s the reason why...
With all the many miracles
Why don’t you think it’s possible?
With all the many things we’ve seen
Why do you think it’s just a dream?
With all the things He’s done for us
Don’t you think it’s time we trust?
Remember what is possible
With all the many miracles."
By Rodney Griffin, Greater Vision
How many times has God come through for me? Too many to count. Many I don't even realize, I'm sure. How many times has he shown Himself mighty? How many times has He done something truely amazing and miraculous? How many times has He provided right on time?....and yet how many times have I taken matters into my own hands? Or, more often, worried myself literally sick over an issue and wondering if God was going to provide? Whether it be for a job, or whether or not I'll meet a guy, or where money will come from. Worry, while natural and easy to do, is essentially doubting God which makes it a sin. This isn't really news to me. No great new revelation. I've known that worry was a sin for a long time. But I still do it. Why is it so hard for me to trust God? "With all the many miracles, why don't you think it's possible?..." as a popular southern gospel song puts it.
Well in the case of the Israelites, I suppose it was just that they forgot about all the things God had done in the past. Perhaps (and this is just speculation) they forgot about them because they weren't thankful for them. Someone can correct me if I'm totally off base here but it seems to me if they were really thankful for all the ways God had caused them to stand in awe by providing for them in miraculous ways or protected them from their towering enemies etc...they would not so easily forget. Just a thought. Maybe they were just too used to it and therefore not appreciative enough to remember it.
I'm not harping on them at all either. That's me all the way. I'm so prone to forget what God has done for me. I've heard of people keeping a blessing journal. I tried this once and it was really helpful. Like many things in my life, I got lazy and was undisciplined and didn't keep up with it. (I really really can't stand that about myself.) Anyways... I think I will try to start one again. That way when I start to worry that God won't come through for me, I can go back and remember all the times He has.
Secondly (and lastly...I know this has been a long post), I have heard it said that if we don't know God it is because we don't know Him well enough. How do we get to know someone well enough to really trust them? By spending time with them. I doubt God's ability because I don't know it well enough. I don't spend enough time in prayer and Bible reading....that's what so many problems boil down to isn't it? I'm really thankful for verse 18 which says "The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression..." The verse goes on to say that God doesn't excuse sin. But He is so good in that He does forgive it when it's acknowledged. If you have not been believing God, confess it and be forgiven. Spend time with Him so that He can prove to you that He is so trustworthy. That's my plan.
So I would encourage anyone else struggling to believe that God is able to_________ (fill in the blank)...you should make a list of all the things God has done. From the every day little blessings and proof of Himself to the miraculous things that show off His power. Then spend time with Him. Maybe it would be good to do a study on the character of God or on the miracles of God.
"Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time." --Oswald Chambers
"God gave the bold command To cross the Jordan and take the land
Not to worry about the giants they would face
But when the spies returned To tell the others what they had learned
They said, “For us to win, there’s just no way.”
Still two of them trusted God, Caleb and Joshua
They said, “Children, don’t believe what you have heard.
We know we’re out manned by far, They’re much bigger than we are.
But let’s not forget just Who it is we serve.”
With all the many miracles
Why don’t you think it’s possible?
With all the many things we’ve seen
Why do you think it’s just a dream?
With all the things He’s done for us
Don’t you think it’s time we trust?
Remember what is possible
With all the many miracles.
Like when we were about to die, Manna fell from the sky.
Then water came from a dry old dusty rock.
And back when Pharaoh was closing in, God closed the sea again
But not before we all had safely crossed.
So here you are my friend
You face a battle you cannot win
You tell yourself, “There's just no need to try”
Consider how good God’s been
He’s been faithful time and again,
You must believe and here’s the reason why...
With all the many miracles
Why don’t you think it’s possible?
With all the many things we’ve seen
Why do you think it’s just a dream?
With all the things He’s done for us
Don’t you think it’s time we trust?
Remember what is possible
With all the many miracles."
By Rodney Griffin, Greater Vision
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Spring Cleaning
"Where am I today? I wish that I knew.
Cuz looking around, there's no sign of you.
I don't remember one jump or one leap
Just quiet steps away from your lead..."
Over the past couple of years, my focus has shifted...a lot. I'm not exactly sure where it started. I'm sure that's because it wasn't "one jump or one leap. Just quiet steps away..." from the Lord. It seems I am the most undisciplined, unfocused person I know. I'm so easily distracted. And every time I say "I'm gonna do better!" with great enthusiasm.... I end up right back where I was before...complacent. Well, through a series of conversations, my roommate and I decided we both needed to refocus our lives. We surmised: "It might be easier to be content with our lives if we stop focusing on what our lives could be or how we wish they would be and focus on the lives He's given us." (Makes sense right...Yeah...I'm a little slow sometimes.)
SO! To do this, I need to clean some things out of my life. I need to eliminate distractions. So heres the plan: For one month I will-
1. Not watch any romance movies....this is a big deal for me.
2. Not allow myself to dwell on the good looks of guys....I have major issues with developing these ridiculous crushes on actors. I know! I'm a child, right!?
3. I will saturate myself with Christian music....yes...even after Bible college, I still struggle with music.
4. Read my Bible every day. Sounds simple but I struggle with it. So before any tv or computer, I must have read my Bible for the day.
5. Put more effort into my job. I am a nanny at this point in my life. It is often hard for me to find motivation to do much with my kids. I have a hard time seeing the purpose in my job. BUT! God has a reason for me being there and I need to give it my all. So I am going to plan activities and really spend time nurturing and loving and teaching these two little cuties.
6. Do the little things....Like keeping on top of laundry and cleaning my house and my car. I will not just come home from work and fall on the couch and watch tv.
7. Exercise. I sincerely want to lose weight and get in shape. I've been doing Billy Blank's bootcamp pretty much every night...he kills me. But it's fun and I feel better about myself.
Anyways...there are more things that I plan to do and not do but that is the jist of it. I just want to focus on the things that are important and stop waiting around for my life to begin...This IS my life! I need to stop worrying about the future and start living this life that God's given me. I don't want to waste what time I've been given. If I ever get married...GREAT! But if not, I will trust that God has a plan and reason and I will do my best to be content. If I never have my perfect, dream job as a Christian school teacher...God still knows what He's doing and I will not spend my time moping around and being lazy. I will work with a passion and seek Him to find the purpose in my life, not a job.
So these are just my thoughts and sort of an update. Let the purging and cleansing begin. One of my other goals is to blog more since I am going to be watching a lot less tv. So I will try my hardest to keep you updated. :)
Cuz looking around, there's no sign of you.
I don't remember one jump or one leap
Just quiet steps away from your lead..."
Over the past couple of years, my focus has shifted...a lot. I'm not exactly sure where it started. I'm sure that's because it wasn't "one jump or one leap. Just quiet steps away..." from the Lord. It seems I am the most undisciplined, unfocused person I know. I'm so easily distracted. And every time I say "I'm gonna do better!" with great enthusiasm.... I end up right back where I was before...complacent. Well, through a series of conversations, my roommate and I decided we both needed to refocus our lives. We surmised: "It might be easier to be content with our lives if we stop focusing on what our lives could be or how we wish they would be and focus on the lives He's given us." (Makes sense right...Yeah...I'm a little slow sometimes.)
SO! To do this, I need to clean some things out of my life. I need to eliminate distractions. So heres the plan: For one month I will-
1. Not watch any romance movies....this is a big deal for me.
2. Not allow myself to dwell on the good looks of guys....I have major issues with developing these ridiculous crushes on actors. I know! I'm a child, right!?
3. I will saturate myself with Christian music....yes...even after Bible college, I still struggle with music.
4. Read my Bible every day. Sounds simple but I struggle with it. So before any tv or computer, I must have read my Bible for the day.
5. Put more effort into my job. I am a nanny at this point in my life. It is often hard for me to find motivation to do much with my kids. I have a hard time seeing the purpose in my job. BUT! God has a reason for me being there and I need to give it my all. So I am going to plan activities and really spend time nurturing and loving and teaching these two little cuties.
6. Do the little things....Like keeping on top of laundry and cleaning my house and my car. I will not just come home from work and fall on the couch and watch tv.
7. Exercise. I sincerely want to lose weight and get in shape. I've been doing Billy Blank's bootcamp pretty much every night...he kills me. But it's fun and I feel better about myself.
Anyways...there are more things that I plan to do and not do but that is the jist of it. I just want to focus on the things that are important and stop waiting around for my life to begin...This IS my life! I need to stop worrying about the future and start living this life that God's given me. I don't want to waste what time I've been given. If I ever get married...GREAT! But if not, I will trust that God has a plan and reason and I will do my best to be content. If I never have my perfect, dream job as a Christian school teacher...God still knows what He's doing and I will not spend my time moping around and being lazy. I will work with a passion and seek Him to find the purpose in my life, not a job.
So these are just my thoughts and sort of an update. Let the purging and cleansing begin. One of my other goals is to blog more since I am going to be watching a lot less tv. So I will try my hardest to keep you updated. :)
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Who do you think you're talking to?!
I heard an excellent sermon tonight at Bible study! Bro. Kyle (my pastor) has started a series on prayer and it is exactly what I need! Tonight he talked about Luke 11:2 where Jesus is teaching his followers how to pray. (Actually, what's interesting is that they didn't ask to be shown how to pray- anyone can word a prayer- but they asked for Jesus to teach them "TO pray". To REALLY pray. And part of doing that is knowing who you're talking to). So in verse 2 he tells them to pray after this manner- "Our Father which art in heaven...." That line was all he focused on tonight. Who knew so much could be said in 6 little words!
Jesus said that when we pray we should remember that we are speaking to our heavenly Father. What is a father? A father is the provider, protector, corrector, life giver, and loving teacher of a family and home. Our heavenly Father, as expressed later in the chapter is so much better even than the best earthly father. I am very thankful for my dad. He is a reliable, trustworthy, hardworking, loving provider for our family and he is so wise! He makes me feel safe. But as much as I love him, he cannot compare to my heavenly Father. He is the ultimate provider (since He owns everything) and protector (since He is the Almighty One). He loves me SO much! This is the Father I pray to.
So often we just utter the phrase "Dear heavenly Father" at the beginning of our prayer and we go on into a ritualistic, routine, dry, empty prayer mostly full of selfish requests. But if we were to truly dwell for just a moment on who we are talking to and why we are able to call Him our Father and what it means to have the King of kings as our Father, it would change the way we come before him.
The verse also says "which art in heaven...". This phrase may seem unimportant...like "Duh- where else would he be." But it helps us to remember that he is SOOOOOO much higher than we are. He is in heaven. Heaven, a perfect, holy place, is his dwelling place. He has to humble himself to even look at earth. This high and lofty One, this Mighty One with so much power and majesty is the one we pray to. The one that we are commanded to pray to. The one that tells us to cast our cares upon Him for He careth for us. WOW! That's humbling and empowering all at the same time. Remembering just the meaning behind that short phrase brings us to God on our knees in a sort of humble boldness. It brings us to him in the right attitude.
"Prayer should not be regarded as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed..."
Jesus said that when we pray we should remember that we are speaking to our heavenly Father. What is a father? A father is the provider, protector, corrector, life giver, and loving teacher of a family and home. Our heavenly Father, as expressed later in the chapter is so much better even than the best earthly father. I am very thankful for my dad. He is a reliable, trustworthy, hardworking, loving provider for our family and he is so wise! He makes me feel safe. But as much as I love him, he cannot compare to my heavenly Father. He is the ultimate provider (since He owns everything) and protector (since He is the Almighty One). He loves me SO much! This is the Father I pray to.
So often we just utter the phrase "Dear heavenly Father" at the beginning of our prayer and we go on into a ritualistic, routine, dry, empty prayer mostly full of selfish requests. But if we were to truly dwell for just a moment on who we are talking to and why we are able to call Him our Father and what it means to have the King of kings as our Father, it would change the way we come before him.
The verse also says "which art in heaven...". This phrase may seem unimportant...like "Duh- where else would he be." But it helps us to remember that he is SOOOOOO much higher than we are. He is in heaven. Heaven, a perfect, holy place, is his dwelling place. He has to humble himself to even look at earth. This high and lofty One, this Mighty One with so much power and majesty is the one we pray to. The one that we are commanded to pray to. The one that tells us to cast our cares upon Him for He careth for us. WOW! That's humbling and empowering all at the same time. Remembering just the meaning behind that short phrase brings us to God on our knees in a sort of humble boldness. It brings us to him in the right attitude.
"Prayer should not be regarded as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed..."
Saturday, August 6, 2011
O yeah! I forgot!...
Wow! It has been sooooooo long since I've written. 2 years! I don't even know if anyone still checks this site. Much has happened over the last couple years. I graduated from Heartland and worked for a year in Arkansas teaching in a Christian daycare and pre-k. It was a great learning experience for me and I learned a lot! But after much prayer I decided that it was not the place for me to stay. I moved to the state of Washington just a couple of months ago. I moved in with my best friend from college. We have a nice apartment and I am currently looking for a job.
I feel bad for not keeping up with this site. Over the past couple of years tho, I really haven't been in a position to write. And when I maybe was at a spiritual point where I could have written, I simply didn't make time to. There have been many ups and downs over the last 2 years...sadly- probably more downs. And in the past week or so I have really grown tired of all the down times. Times when I get discouraged or let sin into my life. Maybe I let the wrong music start to creep back in and let television take over reality. Maybe I start to let my emotions control my life (a constant struggle for me as I am a very emotional person) and therefore get easily discouraged and down in the dumps. When this happens I start questioning God and wondering why I do what I do....why I bother to live the Christian life at all. This was the point I was at a while back. So, as you can see, I didn't feel I had anything to say that would be a help to anyone. I still don't feel like I necessarily do.
But I did realize something this morning that I thought I might share. (Remembered it, is more what I did). Romans 6:11- "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Reckon means to remember. The reason that so many down times come in my life, the reason that I let sin back in, the reason I get discouraged and start questioning God is because I've forgotten! I have forgotten that I'm dead to those sins. I have forgotten that Jesus broke the power that those things had over my life when He saved me. I do not have to give in to those temptations and I do not have to let those things get me down! If I would just remember that I'm dead to those things and alive to God then I believe there would be a lot more up times. (And therefore, more posting on my blog! lol)
This is why it is so important for us to renew our minds daily with God's Word. It all makes so much sense. We become more forgetful of our redemption from sin when we get away from God's Word. And Psalm 119 tells us that hiding God's Word in our hearts keeps us from sin. It sounds so simple but it's so difficult for me to do. Just daily spend time with God. Lord, help me.
"Of all the things God wants for us, loving Him and focusing on Him are the most important."- Charles Stanley
"We can be tired, weary, and emotionally distraught but after spending time alone with God, we find that he injects into our bodies energry, power, and strength."- Charles Stanley
I feel bad for not keeping up with this site. Over the past couple of years tho, I really haven't been in a position to write. And when I maybe was at a spiritual point where I could have written, I simply didn't make time to. There have been many ups and downs over the last 2 years...sadly- probably more downs. And in the past week or so I have really grown tired of all the down times. Times when I get discouraged or let sin into my life. Maybe I let the wrong music start to creep back in and let television take over reality. Maybe I start to let my emotions control my life (a constant struggle for me as I am a very emotional person) and therefore get easily discouraged and down in the dumps. When this happens I start questioning God and wondering why I do what I do....why I bother to live the Christian life at all. This was the point I was at a while back. So, as you can see, I didn't feel I had anything to say that would be a help to anyone. I still don't feel like I necessarily do.
But I did realize something this morning that I thought I might share. (Remembered it, is more what I did). Romans 6:11- "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Reckon means to remember. The reason that so many down times come in my life, the reason that I let sin back in, the reason I get discouraged and start questioning God is because I've forgotten! I have forgotten that I'm dead to those sins. I have forgotten that Jesus broke the power that those things had over my life when He saved me. I do not have to give in to those temptations and I do not have to let those things get me down! If I would just remember that I'm dead to those things and alive to God then I believe there would be a lot more up times. (And therefore, more posting on my blog! lol)
This is why it is so important for us to renew our minds daily with God's Word. It all makes so much sense. We become more forgetful of our redemption from sin when we get away from God's Word. And Psalm 119 tells us that hiding God's Word in our hearts keeps us from sin. It sounds so simple but it's so difficult for me to do. Just daily spend time with God. Lord, help me.
"Of all the things God wants for us, loving Him and focusing on Him are the most important."- Charles Stanley
"We can be tired, weary, and emotionally distraught but after spending time alone with God, we find that he injects into our bodies energry, power, and strength."- Charles Stanley
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Hi mom!
Happy Mother's day! This is a special day. Or should be anyway... The role of a mom is often minimized. People want to glorify women who have made something of themselves and who have a career and who are "doing something with their life". When a stay at home mom is asked what she does, she is often given the response..."You're just a housewife?" What people don't realize is that God has always had a plan for women. His plan, from the beginning has been for her to be a help to her husband and to take care of the children He may give them together. To take care of the home and be 100% female! This post is not meant to offend a working woman or career mom. If that is what GOD has planned for your life then you are doing exactly what He meant for you to do. I think it's important though, to think less about what we want to do with our lives as ladies and consider what God, who created us, means for us to do with our lives.
I am so thankful that I have a godly mom who prays and reads her Bible and tries her hardest to please God. She has mostly been a "stay at home mom" since I was a kid. She had to have a few jobs here and there to help with some bills but mostly she was home, taking care of us kids, taking care of our house, and helping my dad- running errands for him and doing whatever he needed done. This was a full time job in itself. She worked and still works hard! A stay at home mom actually has one of the hardest and most crucial jobs in America! She is training the future. She is laying foundations that lives are built on. So I say YAY FOR MOMS! Devoted moms who put everything they had into their family!
"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."- Abraham Lincoln
"I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual, and physical education I received from my mother."- George Washington
I LOVE YOU, MOM! And I'm so thankful that you always put your family first! You're the best!
I am so thankful that I have a godly mom who prays and reads her Bible and tries her hardest to please God. She has mostly been a "stay at home mom" since I was a kid. She had to have a few jobs here and there to help with some bills but mostly she was home, taking care of us kids, taking care of our house, and helping my dad- running errands for him and doing whatever he needed done. This was a full time job in itself. She worked and still works hard! A stay at home mom actually has one of the hardest and most crucial jobs in America! She is training the future. She is laying foundations that lives are built on. So I say YAY FOR MOMS! Devoted moms who put everything they had into their family!
"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."- Abraham Lincoln
"I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual, and physical education I received from my mother."- George Washington
I LOVE YOU, MOM! And I'm so thankful that you always put your family first! You're the best!
Where is Jesus?
"On a journey from Jerusalem, returning to their home, Joseph and his family travelled all day long. They must have walked for many miles before they realized Jesus was not with them. Mary sadly cried 'Where is Jesus? Did we leave Him far behind? Did we take for granted He was here walking with us all the time? Where is Jesus? To find Him once again, we must return to the place where we left Him. Where is Jesus? Where is Jesus?'
I prayed for God to lead me way, and let His will for me be known. All He asked is that I wait for Him, still I stepped out on my own. Without Him here to guide my steps, I failed Him many times. I only had myself to blame. I bowed my head and cried 'Where is Jesus? Did I leave Him far behind? Did I take for granted He was here walking with me all the time? Where is Jesus? To find Him once again, I must return to the place where I left Him. Where is Jesus? Where is Jesus?'
You've made some bad decisions with a selfish thought in mind. You had the best intentions for the goals you set in life. Your relationship with God's secure but the fellowship is gone. You can choose to walk with Him again. You don't have to walk alone.........Where is Jesus? Did you leave Him far behind? Did you take for granted He was here walking with you all the time? Where is Jesus? To find Him once again, You must return to the place where you left Him. Where is Jesus? Where is Jesus?"- Pictures of Grace
Jesus told the church at Ephesus that they had left their first love. In order to fix it, He told them to "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works..." Examine your life.... If you realize that you have left Jesus out somewhere, Remember what He did for you, Turn back, and Get back to Him. You gotta go back to where you left Him!
I prayed for God to lead me way, and let His will for me be known. All He asked is that I wait for Him, still I stepped out on my own. Without Him here to guide my steps, I failed Him many times. I only had myself to blame. I bowed my head and cried 'Where is Jesus? Did I leave Him far behind? Did I take for granted He was here walking with me all the time? Where is Jesus? To find Him once again, I must return to the place where I left Him. Where is Jesus? Where is Jesus?'
You've made some bad decisions with a selfish thought in mind. You had the best intentions for the goals you set in life. Your relationship with God's secure but the fellowship is gone. You can choose to walk with Him again. You don't have to walk alone.........Where is Jesus? Did you leave Him far behind? Did you take for granted He was here walking with you all the time? Where is Jesus? To find Him once again, You must return to the place where you left Him. Where is Jesus? Where is Jesus?"- Pictures of Grace
Jesus told the church at Ephesus that they had left their first love. In order to fix it, He told them to "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works..." Examine your life.... If you realize that you have left Jesus out somewhere, Remember what He did for you, Turn back, and Get back to Him. You gotta go back to where you left Him!
Monday, March 15, 2010
I must decrease
I think I know what I'm going to do my dorm devo on in April. I am thinking about the subject of focusing. God showed me a verse the other day: Proverbs 14:14a- "The backslider in his heart shall be filled with his own ways..."
For some reason this verse popped out at me. Maybe because I know and have known in my heart that I'm backslidden. I have been for some time now. The things of God are not as exciting to me anymore. It's almost as if I've forgotten that God is even real. I know that seems impossible but really, if I honestly believed God was REALLY REAL I wouldn't do most of the things I do. Or if I believed that He really was SO holy and perfect, would I really decide that I don't care if what I'm doing is wrong? Really! I do that sometimes. I do something, KNOWING that it's wrong... I get that little twinge of conviction and I just shove it aside and say "Oh, it's ok this once and God probably won't even notice. It's not as bad as____________."
I KNOW! I'm awful right!
So knowing all this about myself, this verse popped out at me and I got to thinking, if I am backslidden, I'm filled with my own ways. If I'm filled with my own ways then how is God supposed to fill me with His spirit or His love for people or His Word? If I'm filled with my own ways, then how do I expect to have any ability to do anything for God, including get up out of bed and read my Bible?
So what's the solution? Get my focus off of myself and my own ways and my own wants and put them on the right place. Him!
A couple weeks ago I went to get my eyes checked for the first time. (They have been bothering me lately. They didn't really find anything wrong with them which is almost frustrating because that means I can't fix them. Anyways...) They had me read one of those charts: (I tried changing the size of font to make the top one the biggest and then gradually have them get smaller but I couldn't make it work... so pretend)
For some reason this verse popped out at me. Maybe because I know and have known in my heart that I'm backslidden. I have been for some time now. The things of God are not as exciting to me anymore. It's almost as if I've forgotten that God is even real. I know that seems impossible but really, if I honestly believed God was REALLY REAL I wouldn't do most of the things I do. Or if I believed that He really was SO holy and perfect, would I really decide that I don't care if what I'm doing is wrong? Really! I do that sometimes. I do something, KNOWING that it's wrong... I get that little twinge of conviction and I just shove it aside and say "Oh, it's ok this once and God probably won't even notice. It's not as bad as____________."
I KNOW! I'm awful right!
So knowing all this about myself, this verse popped out at me and I got to thinking, if I am backslidden, I'm filled with my own ways. If I'm filled with my own ways then how is God supposed to fill me with His spirit or His love for people or His Word? If I'm filled with my own ways, then how do I expect to have any ability to do anything for God, including get up out of bed and read my Bible?
So what's the solution? Get my focus off of myself and my own ways and my own wants and put them on the right place. Him!
A couple weeks ago I went to get my eyes checked for the first time. (They have been bothering me lately. They didn't really find anything wrong with them which is almost frustrating because that means I can't fix them. Anyways...) They had me read one of those charts: (I tried changing the size of font to make the top one the biggest and then gradually have them get smaller but I couldn't make it work... so pretend)
E
I L J T R E H I
K T M E R W
Z T L M E
I E L
And this came back to mind when I was thinking about this. It's like this... When we get backslidden and become full of our own ways, we get our focus off of God and off of where it needs to be and we get it on ourselves. .... (again, pretend that the top one is biggest and then they get smaller)
I
OTHERS
DEVOTIONS
PURPOSE
GOD
We become so focused on ourselves that soon, God is hardly visible. The more we focus on us, the smaller God's place gets. The harder it is to "see" Him.
This is how it should be: (Top one is biggest and the rest get smaller)
GOD/HIS PURPOSE/DEVOTIONS
OTHERS
MYSELF
MY NEEDS
MY WANTS
The more I focus on God and keep him in my sights, the smaller I get. My wants and desires become less important. So then, it doesn't matter that I want to sleep. My focus is so on God and His purpose for my life and what he wants to show me in my devotions that I can't even see my wants. It doesn't matter that I want to listen to this certain kind of music cuz it makes me happy. If my focus is on God, then my desire for that music will be out of sight.
That's how it should be... Unfortunately, it hasn't been. Not for a long while. But God has really spoken to me the last couple of days and I'm hoping to get things right. I've already started. I want to focus on him. I think it's about time to grow up and get my eyes off of me and myself. It's time to give up my own ways and let Him lead my life.
I hope this made sense to someone....
"He must increase but I must decrease"
Saturday, January 16, 2010
God is able!
We just got done with our home missions conference at Heartland. Lots of good preaching! My favorite was preached Wednesday night. I feel bad because I can't even remember what the man's name was but he preached on the verse (I forget the reference but it's in Ephesians I believe) that says that God is "able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think." I have come to love that verse!
He talked about how the Israelites came out of Egypt after God did such amazing things and yet when they came to the edge of the red sea, with the Egyptian army closing in behind, and no where to go, suddenly they didn't think God was able to deliver them. He said that so often God comes through for us in such an amazing way and our faith in Him grows and we think, "WOW, God can do anything!" And then the very next time we get to a spot where we aren't too sure how God is going to come through, just because WE don't understand how, we start thinking God is not big enough to take care of this. He challenged us to remember that verse about how "GOD IS ABLE!" And just march ourselves down to the edge of the red sea in our lives and trust God to do whatever he knows is best even though we can't see how.
I can't see how God is going to use my life. I can't see how God is going to bring a husband into my life...it's not looking too promising at the moment. ;) I can't see how he is going to provide a teaching job after graduation. But I decided, I am just going to trust and obey. I'm going to do my best to keep heading toward the edge of the red sea of uncertainty and trust that God will provide a job and husband and all that I NEED and that is part of HIS will, even if I can't see how. Because even when it looks impossible to me... God IS able! He is able to do even more than I can ever imagine.
What's the red sea in your life. Some situation that looks uncertain? Some instance where you don't know how God is going to provide or come through? Just stand still at the edge and have faith that God is going to part the waters in His time and remember that He is ABLE!
He talked about how the Israelites came out of Egypt after God did such amazing things and yet when they came to the edge of the red sea, with the Egyptian army closing in behind, and no where to go, suddenly they didn't think God was able to deliver them. He said that so often God comes through for us in such an amazing way and our faith in Him grows and we think, "WOW, God can do anything!" And then the very next time we get to a spot where we aren't too sure how God is going to come through, just because WE don't understand how, we start thinking God is not big enough to take care of this. He challenged us to remember that verse about how "GOD IS ABLE!" And just march ourselves down to the edge of the red sea in our lives and trust God to do whatever he knows is best even though we can't see how.
I can't see how God is going to use my life. I can't see how God is going to bring a husband into my life...it's not looking too promising at the moment. ;) I can't see how he is going to provide a teaching job after graduation. But I decided, I am just going to trust and obey. I'm going to do my best to keep heading toward the edge of the red sea of uncertainty and trust that God will provide a job and husband and all that I NEED and that is part of HIS will, even if I can't see how. Because even when it looks impossible to me... God IS able! He is able to do even more than I can ever imagine.
What's the red sea in your life. Some situation that looks uncertain? Some instance where you don't know how God is going to provide or come through? Just stand still at the edge and have faith that God is going to part the waters in His time and remember that He is ABLE!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
The "WOW" factor
I heard a preacher say recently that while history is a great subject to study and can teach us a lot, it often takes away the "wow" factor. See when we know how a story ends because it happened in the past, we don't take time to consider how those people might have felt not already knowing how things were going to turn out. Take, for instance, the signing of the Declaration of Independence. That was a very dangerous move for the early Americans to make. They were technically committing treason. (I got that from National Treasure...:)) They would have suffered great consequences had they lost the Revolutionary war. Obviously, things turned out in our favor but they didn't know that it would back then. How brave they must have been! They knew what needed to be done and they did it. (Our country could use some more people like that instead of a bunch of pansies who are too comfortable and apathetic to do anything!....anyways...)
Knowing how a Bible "story" turns out, too often robs us of the "wow" as well. We know how the story of Noah turns out... they get on the boat, it rained, everyone died, Noah was saved. But can you imagine being Noah... God tells you to build this huge boat. It has never rained before but water is going to fall from the sky... so much water that the entire earth is going to be covered and everyone else on earth will die! WOW! That's just all there is to say. Can you imagine seeing the first rainbow?!
Put yourself in the shoes of Adam and Eve, being thrown out of the garden. Life changed forever that day. Imagine that you are Daniel, sitting in a pit filled with lions. I don't even like to go near a growling dog, I can't imagine being surrounded by hungry lions. He didn't know, like we do that God would shut up their mouths. Think of Mary as she heard the angel tell her that she was with child when she was a virgin, and that this child was God's son... the savior of the world! She was a real person. She had to tell her friends and family she was pregnant. She had to deal with what people may have thought of her. She had to wonder what Joseph would think. And yet, she said some amazing words..."Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to THY will". She didn't know all the details of what God's will would be for her and for her son, but she still surrendered. WOW!
Paul and Silas really existed too. They were beaten and bloody and sat in a cold dark dungeon and what would you hear coming from the prison cell? Was it complaining? No. Singing and praising God. Could I do that? I'm not sure I could, knowing myself. I grumble rather than glorify over less than being beaten and thrown in jail. But those men really did that! I think we forget sometimes that these things really happened.
Moses must have been awe struck at a voice coming out of a burning bush.
One story that is really amazing is of Elijah calling down the fire on Mt.Carmel. If you really think about what it would be like to be one of those standing around when that fire fell...WOW! It helped me to understand how amazing this was and how big of a God we have when I taught this lesson to kids. It is amazing to them and it should be to us too.
This concept has changed the way I read the Bible. It really brings things into perspective and helps me realize just how amazing God is. It also makes the examples in the Bible even greater because they didn't know all the details that I do but they still obeyed God. I know how God came through in all those amazing ways and I still have trouble trusting Him.
So keep the "wow" factor when you read about history or the Bible.
Knowing how a Bible "story" turns out, too often robs us of the "wow" as well. We know how the story of Noah turns out... they get on the boat, it rained, everyone died, Noah was saved. But can you imagine being Noah... God tells you to build this huge boat. It has never rained before but water is going to fall from the sky... so much water that the entire earth is going to be covered and everyone else on earth will die! WOW! That's just all there is to say. Can you imagine seeing the first rainbow?!
Put yourself in the shoes of Adam and Eve, being thrown out of the garden. Life changed forever that day. Imagine that you are Daniel, sitting in a pit filled with lions. I don't even like to go near a growling dog, I can't imagine being surrounded by hungry lions. He didn't know, like we do that God would shut up their mouths. Think of Mary as she heard the angel tell her that she was with child when she was a virgin, and that this child was God's son... the savior of the world! She was a real person. She had to tell her friends and family she was pregnant. She had to deal with what people may have thought of her. She had to wonder what Joseph would think. And yet, she said some amazing words..."Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to THY will". She didn't know all the details of what God's will would be for her and for her son, but she still surrendered. WOW!
Paul and Silas really existed too. They were beaten and bloody and sat in a cold dark dungeon and what would you hear coming from the prison cell? Was it complaining? No. Singing and praising God. Could I do that? I'm not sure I could, knowing myself. I grumble rather than glorify over less than being beaten and thrown in jail. But those men really did that! I think we forget sometimes that these things really happened.
Moses must have been awe struck at a voice coming out of a burning bush.
One story that is really amazing is of Elijah calling down the fire on Mt.Carmel. If you really think about what it would be like to be one of those standing around when that fire fell...WOW! It helped me to understand how amazing this was and how big of a God we have when I taught this lesson to kids. It is amazing to them and it should be to us too.
This concept has changed the way I read the Bible. It really brings things into perspective and helps me realize just how amazing God is. It also makes the examples in the Bible even greater because they didn't know all the details that I do but they still obeyed God. I know how God came through in all those amazing ways and I still have trouble trusting Him.
So keep the "wow" factor when you read about history or the Bible.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Thankful for more in 2010
So much happened in 2009. It was sort of a hard year. I learned a lot about myself. There are many things I want to work on. One of them is being thankful. A preacher challenged us on Wednesday to be more thankful instead of always asking for more. He said that instead of his first prayer in the morning being "Lord, be with my wife." he changed it to "Lord, thank you for my wife." Then he proceeds to pray for her. One thing that he said that stuck out to me was when he said "If God took from you everything that you are not thankful for what would you have left." This has stuck in my head for the past few days. I've found myself making sure I thank God for more. Here are some of the things I have been thankful for:
My salvation
My family
My school
America
Friends
God is in control
God has a purpose for my life
God saved me from so many mistakes
The sunshine
The rain
Grace and Mercy
My car
My computer
My job
So much more!
So before we ask for too much this new year, first, we should try to be thankful for all the things (even the little things) that God has done for us.
My salvation
My family
My school
America
Friends
God is in control
God has a purpose for my life
God saved me from so many mistakes
The sunshine
The rain
Grace and Mercy
My car
My computer
My job
So much more!
So before we ask for too much this new year, first, we should try to be thankful for all the things (even the little things) that God has done for us.
Friday, December 11, 2009
I just took my last final EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!! Today begins the Christmas break and ends the first semester of my senior year here at Heartland. I haven't blogged in a while.... Honestly, I've been kinda backslidden. I have just been caught up in the things I have to do and the end of the year. But God has a way of bringing us back to our knees and reminding us of our dependence on him. He has certainly done that. Lots of things are going on right now and it's going to be a little stressful. Thankfully, it all happened at the end of the year so I have time to get things straightened out and work extra hours at work. I'm just praying for God's grace and mercy.
In Hebrews, it says "We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities..... therefore let us come boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
I don't deserve help from God right now but all I can do is confess sin and come before him asking for grace and mercy for my time of need.
Well, this was just kind of an explanation of why I haven't written and a transparent post but I do have some things I want to post about soon so check back!
In Hebrews, it says "We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities..... therefore let us come boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
I don't deserve help from God right now but all I can do is confess sin and come before him asking for grace and mercy for my time of need.
Well, this was just kind of an explanation of why I haven't written and a transparent post but I do have some things I want to post about soon so check back!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
He is working
"There are all kinds of circumstances on the road of life
I've had some sorrow, some trouble and strife
On my own I can't find my way to the Father's will
That's why I've learned to stand still
While I'm waiting God is working
He is working over time
While I'm hiding in the bushes
He is on the firing line
When I think the battle's over
When my back's against the wall
While I'm waiting God is working
He is working through it all
He's an ever present help in time of trouble in my life
He is my shelter my song in the night
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer
I know that he's always there"
-Legacy five
God is so merciful. Even when we are running from the storm, He is faithful and no matter what the circumstance, He is never removed from His throne. He is working in everything.... EVERYTHING, for our good and for His glory.
"When we worship the Lord, let’s remember that He is in control. Nothing alarms Him, or takes Him by surprise. Nothing is too big for Him to handle, or so small it escapes His attention. When the winds of my world begin to blow, He remains seated. When raging waves surround me, He governs their temper…I need not be moved … Because the Lord is seated and sovereign…He alone is sovereign."
- Ronald James -
"Take comfort, and recollect however little you and I may know,God knows; He knows Himself and you and me and all things; andHis mercy is over all His works." -- Charles Kingsley
I just need to wait on Him and keep serving Him and let Him work. He is always there. He is always working. He is faithful, even when we are not. Stop trying to find your own way through circumstances. Stand Still. Wait. Let Him work!
I've had some sorrow, some trouble and strife
On my own I can't find my way to the Father's will
That's why I've learned to stand still
While I'm waiting God is working
He is working over time
While I'm hiding in the bushes
He is on the firing line
When I think the battle's over
When my back's against the wall
While I'm waiting God is working
He is working through it all
He's an ever present help in time of trouble in my life
He is my shelter my song in the night
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer
I know that he's always there"
-Legacy five
God is so merciful. Even when we are running from the storm, He is faithful and no matter what the circumstance, He is never removed from His throne. He is working in everything.... EVERYTHING, for our good and for His glory.
"When we worship the Lord, let’s remember that He is in control. Nothing alarms Him, or takes Him by surprise. Nothing is too big for Him to handle, or so small it escapes His attention. When the winds of my world begin to blow, He remains seated. When raging waves surround me, He governs their temper…I need not be moved … Because the Lord is seated and sovereign…He alone is sovereign."
- Ronald James -
"Take comfort, and recollect however little you and I may know,God knows; He knows Himself and you and me and all things; andHis mercy is over all His works." -- Charles Kingsley
I just need to wait on Him and keep serving Him and let Him work. He is always there. He is always working. He is faithful, even when we are not. Stop trying to find your own way through circumstances. Stand Still. Wait. Let Him work!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Sweetness, Strength, and Satisfaction
I read this verse in my Bible reading the other day- Psalms 81:16- I don't have my Bible handy in front of me cuz I'm in the library but it says something like "...I would have given them honey out of the rock and I would have satisfied them..." I encourage you to go ahead and look it up.
This Psalm talks about how Israel wanted their own way. So God finally gave them what they wanted and let them have their own way only to their hurt. Then God says (not word for word) "If only my people had listened to me. If only they had walked in MY ways. If only they had looked to ME for direction. If only they would have trusted MY plans. I would have delivered them out of the hand of their enemy and I would have led them and I would have taken care of them." And then the last verse in the chapter is verse 16. I really like the verse so I stopped and asked God to show me what it meant.
It is important for me to say first that, the night before, I had been praying (and even asked my Tuesday night prayer partner to pray) that my devos in the morning wouldn't just be routine and dull. That God would really speak to me and that I would understand what I'm reading and take it to heart. That I wouldn't just forget it after about 10 minutes. AND HE DID DO THAT FOR ME! God is so good. :)
Anyways....
I thought about what that might mean... "I would have given them honey out of the rock..." Well, when I think about honey, I think about something sweet. So maybe God is trying to tell His people that He has so much "sweet" stuff for them. If they would only choose His way instead of their own. God is so so good. He is a loving Father and a true Friend. He is our protector and defender. Our refuge and provider. He leads us and knows every step that we take and every tear we cry. He knows our burdens and heartaches. The Bible says that He cares for us. The Bible also says that He sent His son to die for us because He "delights" in us. See... He is SO good. Why would we ever want to leave His side? He wants to give His people "Honey" :) But we have to choose to follow Him and let Him have His way. He has nothing but good in mind.
When I think of the rock, I think of something strong and sturdy and solid. God is our strength. O man, do I ever need His strength. I am so weak in so many areas. I don't have the strength to get out of bed in the morning or to discipline myself enough to do my devos every day. I'm not strong enough to be a good testimony or to handle problems with other people, like at work or fights with friends. I'm not only weak but I'm fragile and frail.... meaning easily broken. I have no strength to withstand the trials that come my way. I have no ability to overcome heartache and pain. I break under pressure and I'm emotional and I fall apart every time.... if I'm not leaning on my Rock. He designed us to be weak and fragile so that we would "Learn to lean" on Him. He wants us to give Him our burdens and not try to handle everything ourselves. See, when we give our problems to Him and lean on His strength and not our own, He gets the glory. And that's how He wants it since He is the only one who deserves it anyways.
And finally, the last one is pretty simply stated... God is our satisfaction. I know I talk about satisfaction a lot. It's just a burden on my heart. Every one looks for satisfaction somewhere, and too many people are looking in the wrong places. We look to friends, a girl/guy, work, money, acceptance, popularity, good grades, physical beauty, drugs, alcohol, sex etc.... And none of these things will bring that peace and fulfilment inside that we have to admit we are looking for. It's a God-shaped hole. He gave it to us so we would seek Him to fill it. We have to realize that there is so much satisfaction to be found in going His way. We may get what we want by going our own way but it will never satisfy for long.
"If only ___Jenny____ would choose my way and seek me. I would give her sweetness, strength and satisfaction like she couldn't imagine."
Put your name in the blank. :)
This Psalm talks about how Israel wanted their own way. So God finally gave them what they wanted and let them have their own way only to their hurt. Then God says (not word for word) "If only my people had listened to me. If only they had walked in MY ways. If only they had looked to ME for direction. If only they would have trusted MY plans. I would have delivered them out of the hand of their enemy and I would have led them and I would have taken care of them." And then the last verse in the chapter is verse 16. I really like the verse so I stopped and asked God to show me what it meant.
It is important for me to say first that, the night before, I had been praying (and even asked my Tuesday night prayer partner to pray) that my devos in the morning wouldn't just be routine and dull. That God would really speak to me and that I would understand what I'm reading and take it to heart. That I wouldn't just forget it after about 10 minutes. AND HE DID DO THAT FOR ME! God is so good. :)
Anyways....
I thought about what that might mean... "I would have given them honey out of the rock..." Well, when I think about honey, I think about something sweet. So maybe God is trying to tell His people that He has so much "sweet" stuff for them. If they would only choose His way instead of their own. God is so so good. He is a loving Father and a true Friend. He is our protector and defender. Our refuge and provider. He leads us and knows every step that we take and every tear we cry. He knows our burdens and heartaches. The Bible says that He cares for us. The Bible also says that He sent His son to die for us because He "delights" in us. See... He is SO good. Why would we ever want to leave His side? He wants to give His people "Honey" :) But we have to choose to follow Him and let Him have His way. He has nothing but good in mind.
When I think of the rock, I think of something strong and sturdy and solid. God is our strength. O man, do I ever need His strength. I am so weak in so many areas. I don't have the strength to get out of bed in the morning or to discipline myself enough to do my devos every day. I'm not strong enough to be a good testimony or to handle problems with other people, like at work or fights with friends. I'm not only weak but I'm fragile and frail.... meaning easily broken. I have no strength to withstand the trials that come my way. I have no ability to overcome heartache and pain. I break under pressure and I'm emotional and I fall apart every time.... if I'm not leaning on my Rock. He designed us to be weak and fragile so that we would "Learn to lean" on Him. He wants us to give Him our burdens and not try to handle everything ourselves. See, when we give our problems to Him and lean on His strength and not our own, He gets the glory. And that's how He wants it since He is the only one who deserves it anyways.
And finally, the last one is pretty simply stated... God is our satisfaction. I know I talk about satisfaction a lot. It's just a burden on my heart. Every one looks for satisfaction somewhere, and too many people are looking in the wrong places. We look to friends, a girl/guy, work, money, acceptance, popularity, good grades, physical beauty, drugs, alcohol, sex etc.... And none of these things will bring that peace and fulfilment inside that we have to admit we are looking for. It's a God-shaped hole. He gave it to us so we would seek Him to fill it. We have to realize that there is so much satisfaction to be found in going His way. We may get what we want by going our own way but it will never satisfy for long.
"If only ___Jenny____ would choose my way and seek me. I would give her sweetness, strength and satisfaction like she couldn't imagine."
Put your name in the blank. :)
Monday, September 14, 2009
Devo- Be quiet
(This was the devo I gave this past weekend in the dorm... Something the Lord is working on me a lot lately)
I Thessalonians 4:11-12- And that ye study to be quiet and to do your own business and to work with your own hands as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without and that ye may have lack of nothing.
Has anyone else ever told themselves to shut up before? I do it all the time. I can be in the middle of a sentence and realize it's going to come out wrong or that I should not have said that. Sometimes I look back on conversations I have had with people in the heat of an argument or sometimes even just a normal conversation and I think "Wow, you dumby, you shouldn't have said that." lol
In this verse:
Study means- labor or strive
Quiet- refrain from meddling or speech, cease, hold peace, be quiet, rest, properly keep one's seat, be still, undisturbing, peaceable.
Words have so much power. God made the worlds with His words. While we may not be able to speak something into existence, we are made in God's image so our words do have power. They have the power to build up or tear down. Proverbs 18:21- "Life and death are in the power of the tongue"
The book of James has a lot to say about the tongue. If you are having trouble controlling your mouth, I highly recommend reading that book. In chapter 3 verse 2 James says that if you can control your tongue, you are a mature Christian because it is very hard to do. In fact it says no man can tame it. (Thankfully we know someone who has the power)
Charles Spurgeon said "If all men's sins were bound into two equal bundles, one entire bundle would be sins of the tongue."
Some of the sins of the tongue (bold ones are the ones I struggle with a LOT)- Gossip, slander, criticism, complaint, angry outbursts, lying, pessimism, flattery, and sowing discord. (List taken from "Heart of a Handmaiden" - I forget who the author is)
Our tongue can do SO much evil! So I want to talk about Why and How to control your tongue.
I. Why-
A. Testimony (vs 12 of text verse)
1. If your mouth is constantly pouring our complaints then the lost world around you will see a God who does not satisfy. Not to mention you are just no fun to be around.
2. When we react to something in anger or speak without thinking first, we bring heartache on ourselves and on others and we bring no glory to God.
B. For the sake of others
1. Illustration- There was little boy with a bad temper, His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad a physical one."
Our words have the power to hurt and scar others and our own testimony.
C. Once words are out of your mouth, you can't take them back. It's like trying to fit toothpaste back into the tube after you have squeezed it out all over the place.
The book "Heart of a Handmaiden" states- "A sharp tongue does nothing for your Christian testimony but cut it into little pieces." I know of girls who pride themselves on being "mouthy". For some weird reason they think it's a good thing. But it is not lady like or Christ like and really hinders your testimony with others.
How-
1. James 1:19- Listen Before you speak!!!!!!!!!!!! That's all I need to say for that verse.
2. Remember that you don't always have to be right nor understood. Proverbs 17:27-28
a. Jesus is our prime example- He was mocked and ridiculed and beaten and falsely accused but he "opened not His mouth".
b. Just because you know something doesn't mean you have to say it. You don't always have to get your point across. (This is a big point for me) Sometimes it's better just to let things go. After all, it is sinful pride that makes us want to make sure the other person knows we are right, right?
c. It's not enough just to keep those critical, pessimistic, complaining, angry words to ourselves. I have learned recently that that is very tiring. By the end of the day I am just drained from fighting myself and the urge to open my mouth all day. It wears me out. So I have found that it is better to get RID of the thoughts that way you don't have to worry about saying them.
- Matthew 15:18 tells us that our words start in our heart. If I am having a problem saying things I shouldn't, then rather than just trying to keep my thoughts to myself (which is good if those thoughts do come, and they will) it's better to just keep my heart clean and not think those wrong thoughts in the first place. If it's wrong to say, there is a good chance it's probably wrong to think too.
d. Ask God to help you. Ps 141:3- A watchman was someone who inspected everyone who came in to see if it was allowed in the city or not. If we would pray the prayer found in this verse, and makes sure every word that wants to come out of our mouth is approved by God, we would save ourselves a lot of heartache!
"Lord, please keep your hand over my mouth and help me to be quiet"
I Thessalonians 4:11-12- And that ye study to be quiet and to do your own business and to work with your own hands as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without and that ye may have lack of nothing.
Has anyone else ever told themselves to shut up before? I do it all the time. I can be in the middle of a sentence and realize it's going to come out wrong or that I should not have said that. Sometimes I look back on conversations I have had with people in the heat of an argument or sometimes even just a normal conversation and I think "Wow, you dumby, you shouldn't have said that." lol
In this verse:
Study means- labor or strive
Quiet- refrain from meddling or speech, cease, hold peace, be quiet, rest, properly keep one's seat, be still, undisturbing, peaceable.
Words have so much power. God made the worlds with His words. While we may not be able to speak something into existence, we are made in God's image so our words do have power. They have the power to build up or tear down. Proverbs 18:21- "Life and death are in the power of the tongue"
The book of James has a lot to say about the tongue. If you are having trouble controlling your mouth, I highly recommend reading that book. In chapter 3 verse 2 James says that if you can control your tongue, you are a mature Christian because it is very hard to do. In fact it says no man can tame it. (Thankfully we know someone who has the power)
Charles Spurgeon said "If all men's sins were bound into two equal bundles, one entire bundle would be sins of the tongue."
Some of the sins of the tongue (bold ones are the ones I struggle with a LOT)- Gossip, slander, criticism, complaint, angry outbursts, lying, pessimism, flattery, and sowing discord. (List taken from "Heart of a Handmaiden" - I forget who the author is)
Our tongue can do SO much evil! So I want to talk about Why and How to control your tongue.
I. Why-
A. Testimony (vs 12 of text verse)
1. If your mouth is constantly pouring our complaints then the lost world around you will see a God who does not satisfy. Not to mention you are just no fun to be around.
2. When we react to something in anger or speak without thinking first, we bring heartache on ourselves and on others and we bring no glory to God.
B. For the sake of others
1. Illustration- There was little boy with a bad temper, His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Then it gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad a physical one."
Our words have the power to hurt and scar others and our own testimony.
C. Once words are out of your mouth, you can't take them back. It's like trying to fit toothpaste back into the tube after you have squeezed it out all over the place.
The book "Heart of a Handmaiden" states- "A sharp tongue does nothing for your Christian testimony but cut it into little pieces." I know of girls who pride themselves on being "mouthy". For some weird reason they think it's a good thing. But it is not lady like or Christ like and really hinders your testimony with others.
How-
1. James 1:19- Listen Before you speak!!!!!!!!!!!! That's all I need to say for that verse.
2. Remember that you don't always have to be right nor understood. Proverbs 17:27-28
a. Jesus is our prime example- He was mocked and ridiculed and beaten and falsely accused but he "opened not His mouth".
b. Just because you know something doesn't mean you have to say it. You don't always have to get your point across. (This is a big point for me) Sometimes it's better just to let things go. After all, it is sinful pride that makes us want to make sure the other person knows we are right, right?
c. It's not enough just to keep those critical, pessimistic, complaining, angry words to ourselves. I have learned recently that that is very tiring. By the end of the day I am just drained from fighting myself and the urge to open my mouth all day. It wears me out. So I have found that it is better to get RID of the thoughts that way you don't have to worry about saying them.
- Matthew 15:18 tells us that our words start in our heart. If I am having a problem saying things I shouldn't, then rather than just trying to keep my thoughts to myself (which is good if those thoughts do come, and they will) it's better to just keep my heart clean and not think those wrong thoughts in the first place. If it's wrong to say, there is a good chance it's probably wrong to think too.
d. Ask God to help you. Ps 141:3- A watchman was someone who inspected everyone who came in to see if it was allowed in the city or not. If we would pray the prayer found in this verse, and makes sure every word that wants to come out of our mouth is approved by God, we would save ourselves a lot of heartache!
"Lord, please keep your hand over my mouth and help me to be quiet"
Saturday, September 12, 2009
He is enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am taking a Ladies Biblical Counseling class in school this year. One of the things we have to do in the class is called a "stroke file". We have to write down 3 things we are thankful to God for 3 times a day. So that's 9 blessings a day. Then on the other side we have to write down 3 things a day that we are thankful for about someone who kind of annoys us or that we don't get along with. We have to do it until like mid-October I think! But I think it will be good for me.
We are also reading a book called "Lies women believe, and the truth that sets them free". I think that's the name of it. It has been good so far. I have read 2 chapters and then looked ahead to the rest of the book. I can't wait to finish it. I think it will be a lot of help.
This past chapter was about the lies women believe about God. I discovered that one lie I believe about God (or at least portray that I believe it through the way I live) is that "God is not always enough". Sometimes I start thinking that God is not really all I need. I need a husband and lots of friends and support from those around me and plenty of money to where I don't have to go with out anything. I get to thinking that I need God plus this or that. The book took me to the Bible, to Psalm 23 and Colossians (I can't remember the reference and don't have a Bible handy) and showed me that I am only complete in Him! If I have Christ, I have need of nothing else. Hebrews 13:5- "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee..... be content with such things as ye have." If we have Christ and he has promised to never leave us, we have every reason to be content! He IS enough! ALWAYS!
This truth brings to light this point-
If God is all I need and I am complete in Him, then what point is there in looking for satisfaction anywhere else?! What point is there for me to look for some sort of completion in a guy or in lots of friends? Do I really need to be supported by those around me in order to have everything I need and be content? Is there any need to worry when I don't have enough money? God is all I need and I have Him! If I have nothing else in this world... no ONE else... I still have all I need. He will never leave me nor forsake me. All I have to worry about is ME leaving HIM.
I have someone on my heart (actually a couple of people) who I know are looking for satisfaction in things like money, cars, partying, friends, someone of the opposite gender, possibly even alcohol and other things.... I pray that they wake up and realize where that is leading to.... more emptiness! God is ALL you need. You are not going to be complete outside of Him. If you are not doing what he created you to do, if you are not in His will that he made you for, how do you expect to feel whole and like your life has purpose?!?!?!?! He designed you to be dependent on Him. All those other things (while not all are bad) will not bring lasting satisfaction.
We are also reading a book called "Lies women believe, and the truth that sets them free". I think that's the name of it. It has been good so far. I have read 2 chapters and then looked ahead to the rest of the book. I can't wait to finish it. I think it will be a lot of help.
This past chapter was about the lies women believe about God. I discovered that one lie I believe about God (or at least portray that I believe it through the way I live) is that "God is not always enough". Sometimes I start thinking that God is not really all I need. I need a husband and lots of friends and support from those around me and plenty of money to where I don't have to go with out anything. I get to thinking that I need God plus this or that. The book took me to the Bible, to Psalm 23 and Colossians (I can't remember the reference and don't have a Bible handy) and showed me that I am only complete in Him! If I have Christ, I have need of nothing else. Hebrews 13:5- "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee..... be content with such things as ye have." If we have Christ and he has promised to never leave us, we have every reason to be content! He IS enough! ALWAYS!
This truth brings to light this point-
If God is all I need and I am complete in Him, then what point is there in looking for satisfaction anywhere else?! What point is there for me to look for some sort of completion in a guy or in lots of friends? Do I really need to be supported by those around me in order to have everything I need and be content? Is there any need to worry when I don't have enough money? God is all I need and I have Him! If I have nothing else in this world... no ONE else... I still have all I need. He will never leave me nor forsake me. All I have to worry about is ME leaving HIM.
I have someone on my heart (actually a couple of people) who I know are looking for satisfaction in things like money, cars, partying, friends, someone of the opposite gender, possibly even alcohol and other things.... I pray that they wake up and realize where that is leading to.... more emptiness! God is ALL you need. You are not going to be complete outside of Him. If you are not doing what he created you to do, if you are not in His will that he made you for, how do you expect to feel whole and like your life has purpose?!?!?!?! He designed you to be dependent on Him. All those other things (while not all are bad) will not bring lasting satisfaction.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Don't waste time!
Well, I'm back at Heartland. Things are going good so far. I'm starting to get a bit tired already but I'm very excited about this year. This week has been opening days preaching. It's been so amazing. I have gained so much from the sermons already! Today, Bro. Troy Derrell (not sure if that's how you spell it) from Tulsa preached and it was so perfect. He preaching on being prepared. He talked about the 10 virgins in the parable Jesus told and how 5 of them were foolish and unprepared. He applied it to salvation but then he also applied it to Christians who need to be prepared for meeting Jesus someday, prepared for opportunities that come our way and prepared for tempting situations or trials that could cause us to show a bad reaction. We need to be prepared for these things by staying close to God and staying in His Word.
He also talked about not wasting the time God has given us. He said that every day is a gift from God... You don't want to look back later and cry because it's over but rather smile because it happened. Meaning you don't want to look back with regrets that you wasted the time God gave you but you want to look back fondly because you used it wisely and took the opportunities He gave you.
Some opportunities never come back again. There are things in this life that can't be borrowed. Two of them are character and preparation. The 5 foolish ladies could not borrow oil from the wise. They should have had their own. When you get into a bad situation, you cannot borrow from someone else's preparation or from their character. You will have had to build these things yourself.... "What you do today determines what you will be able to do tomorrow." "Those who fail to prepare, prepare to fail." Don't waste the time God gave you. This was so what I needed to hear at the beginning of this year. It's my senior year. After this year, my college experience will be past. I don't want to look back on it with regrets that I didn't take every opportunity God gave me or that I wasted my time on things that didn't matter and I don't want to get out of school and, having wasted all that time, not be prepared to do what God has for me.
So remember- This day is a gift from God. It will never come back again. There will be opportunities that may never come back. Don't waste time and be prepared.
I hope this all made sense. It was a really great sermon. I will post something later about the sermon that Bro. Sam preached. It was SO good...... tune in next time.... :)
He also talked about not wasting the time God has given us. He said that every day is a gift from God... You don't want to look back later and cry because it's over but rather smile because it happened. Meaning you don't want to look back with regrets that you wasted the time God gave you but you want to look back fondly because you used it wisely and took the opportunities He gave you.
Some opportunities never come back again. There are things in this life that can't be borrowed. Two of them are character and preparation. The 5 foolish ladies could not borrow oil from the wise. They should have had their own. When you get into a bad situation, you cannot borrow from someone else's preparation or from their character. You will have had to build these things yourself.... "What you do today determines what you will be able to do tomorrow." "Those who fail to prepare, prepare to fail." Don't waste the time God gave you. This was so what I needed to hear at the beginning of this year. It's my senior year. After this year, my college experience will be past. I don't want to look back on it with regrets that I didn't take every opportunity God gave me or that I wasted my time on things that didn't matter and I don't want to get out of school and, having wasted all that time, not be prepared to do what God has for me.
So remember- This day is a gift from God. It will never come back again. There will be opportunities that may never come back. Don't waste time and be prepared.
I hope this all made sense. It was a really great sermon. I will post something later about the sermon that Bro. Sam preached. It was SO good...... tune in next time.... :)
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