"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, they are plans for good and not for disaster." Jeremiah 29:11
You know I have read that verse over and over again, and honestly sometimes I read it not really paying attention to what God is telling me. How crazy and absolutely amazing is it to know that God knows everything that will happen to you. On top of that He knows, when it will happen too. God has a plan. A perfect plan, that completely glorifies Him, that fulfills His every promise. Sometimes I feel like I am just screwing that plan up because I let myself get in the way of so many things I feel God is trying to do with me. I am in that place right now. I am struggling with where I am suppose to be (college wise). In case you didn't know, my dream was to go to the University of Alabama. I had my mind set that if I got accepted, I was going. Well I did get accepted and my mind was made up. Well one morning God just completely got a hold of my attention and basically told me I wasn't suppose to go there. I was very confused. I didn't know where else I would go. That is the thing, my dreams were completely different from what God had planned for me. But the amazing thing about being a follower of Christ is that prayer is powerful. God will show you the way, you just have to be willing. So I ended up coming to Anderson University. I was so excited about the college experience and what God was going to do. I had this plan of meeting all these new friends and having memories that I will never forget. Don't get me wrong, the college experience has been great so far, I have met some amazing people and I have seen God move around the campus and in the people here. But for the past few weeks, well months now, I have had this uneasy feeling that this isn't where I am suppose to be. I have no clue to where I would go if I left Anderson, but I honestly cannot see myself finishing school here. I love Anderson though, it is an amazing school, with awesome professors and wonderful students. I just feel like I am limiting myself to what I feel I need to do, and what God is wanting to do with me.
Through the stress and uncertainty, I have peace and comfort because of the promise I read in Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 8:28. While I wait for God to show me which way to go, I will serve Him and I will give Him my all. I have found that once you experience God's amazing Grace, and His sweet, tender mercy, and limitless forgiveness, there is no turning back. God has been so good to me, and He has given me more than I could ever ask for. I truly want to serve and glorify Him with my life, and I do not want to take that challenge lightly, because God deserves my all. He deserves every part of my life and my college life will not be excluded from that. So I ask that you pray for guidance in my life and for God to use me in ways that only He can.
I read earlier today in Acts 7 about Stephen. He delivered food to widows. Stephen didn't hold anything back in what he did. He was faithful in every situation. Being "full" is not measured by how long we live or how many awards we get. It is about being obedient and faithful to the Lord, and that is exactly what Stephen did. He was bold and completely "on board" with what God was doing through him. When God shows you your purpose on this earth, fullness is given when we are completely sold out to Christ and our purpose He has set before us.
I thought reading this passage is just another reminder that limiting my life to only what I can dream of is completely ridiculous. Why should there be a limit to my life? I serve a God full of wonder, and promise and true Hope. So in the new chapter of my life, I will not follow Christ half-way. Even though I am unsure of my future, my hope is in Christ. It is all or nothing and I am all in!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Past Faithfulness and Future Provision
So I have mentioned before that some girls on my hall do a Bible study on Wednesday nights. Last night while we were digging deep into the Word, God revealed Himself to us, in an amazing way. He pointed verses out in the Bible that spoke directly to me about what is going on in and around me right now.
This semester we are studying through the book of James. Now if you don't know about James, he was Jesus's brother and a leader in one of the Jerusalem churches. I have read through James before, and honestly it is tough to read sometimes. It is very blunt, and will certainly catch your attention and step on your toes a little bit. James is all about instruction for living the Christian life.
Last night we studied James 1:1-12. James opens this book up with describing who he is, and he describes himself as "a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ". If you know about the history of James and his other brothers, you know that Jesus' brothers not always believed that He was the Lord and Savior (John 7:5). But as soon as you start to read in James, you see that there was a drastic change of heart in James. Now James was looked to for guidance in this faith that Jesus left them with.
Beginning in verse 2, James doesn't beat around the bush at all. He knows what he wants to say to all believers. Verses 2-4 talk about trials. We each face different trials in our lives. And reading this passage, we are told that each trial is an opportunity to glorify God. That is very weird to think about, because a trial seems like something God would give us as punishment for something we've done, but it is the complete opposite. God doesn't lead us into anything we cannot handle. But trials come in our path because it causes us to become broken, in need of someone who can help us and lead us through the struggle. That person is Jesus Christ.
The purpose for trials is to grow and become sanctified (becoming more like Christ). As we're told in verse 4, the ultimate goal is to be perfected. There is a difference in being perfect and becoming perfected. Perfection is a process. Perfection can be looked at as a constant maturation of becoming more like Christ. That should be our goal. With each trial that we face, we should see it as a chance to learn from it and grow and become more like Christ. It is an opportunity for joy (vs. 2).
In 2 Corinthians 4, we are reminded of the reason that Jesus came and died. "We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies."- 4:8-10
I love these verses. This is saying that even though we face trials, we are still victorious through Christ Jesus. The Bible is alive and completely connects with our feelings as human beings. We do feel these things James is talking about, but it is immediately followed by the truth. We do feel pressed on, but Jesus was crushed. We are perplexed, but Jesus was driven to despair. We do feel hunted down, and Jesus had every sin of man placed upon his shoulders. We do feel knocked down, but Jesus was destroyed. See this is why we are victorious, because Jesus came and took on all of our struggles and sins, and died because of it. But the power of God raised Jesus up from the dead, and He overcame death so we can have a God-breathed life!
God never sends trials that are unnecessary, He never sends trials that we are not meant to learn something from. But God also never holds back any trials that we can learn from. His desire is for us to strive and become more like Jesus. He will send the trials, we make the decision whether or not we will be broken and beaten by them, or if we will have joy in the fact that Jesus has already overcome all of the struggles, and we have Him to lean on.
God's past faithfulness in the Bible and in our lives proves future provision for His continual faithfulness.
I am so excited to study the book of James more and to be broken by God and shown instruction on how to live this Christian life.
So I am faced with this question, and I challenge you to ask yourself, am I wasting the trials God puts before me? Am I really giving the glory to God, or am I letting "self" take over and ruin something God has a bigger plan for.
Here are some more verses we read through last night that just deal with trials and what the Bible says about it:
1 Peter 1:7, 2 Corinthians 4:17, Romans 8:18
This semester we are studying through the book of James. Now if you don't know about James, he was Jesus's brother and a leader in one of the Jerusalem churches. I have read through James before, and honestly it is tough to read sometimes. It is very blunt, and will certainly catch your attention and step on your toes a little bit. James is all about instruction for living the Christian life.
Last night we studied James 1:1-12. James opens this book up with describing who he is, and he describes himself as "a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ". If you know about the history of James and his other brothers, you know that Jesus' brothers not always believed that He was the Lord and Savior (John 7:5). But as soon as you start to read in James, you see that there was a drastic change of heart in James. Now James was looked to for guidance in this faith that Jesus left them with.
Beginning in verse 2, James doesn't beat around the bush at all. He knows what he wants to say to all believers. Verses 2-4 talk about trials. We each face different trials in our lives. And reading this passage, we are told that each trial is an opportunity to glorify God. That is very weird to think about, because a trial seems like something God would give us as punishment for something we've done, but it is the complete opposite. God doesn't lead us into anything we cannot handle. But trials come in our path because it causes us to become broken, in need of someone who can help us and lead us through the struggle. That person is Jesus Christ.
The purpose for trials is to grow and become sanctified (becoming more like Christ). As we're told in verse 4, the ultimate goal is to be perfected. There is a difference in being perfect and becoming perfected. Perfection is a process. Perfection can be looked at as a constant maturation of becoming more like Christ. That should be our goal. With each trial that we face, we should see it as a chance to learn from it and grow and become more like Christ. It is an opportunity for joy (vs. 2).
In 2 Corinthians 4, we are reminded of the reason that Jesus came and died. "We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies."- 4:8-10
I love these verses. This is saying that even though we face trials, we are still victorious through Christ Jesus. The Bible is alive and completely connects with our feelings as human beings. We do feel these things James is talking about, but it is immediately followed by the truth. We do feel pressed on, but Jesus was crushed. We are perplexed, but Jesus was driven to despair. We do feel hunted down, and Jesus had every sin of man placed upon his shoulders. We do feel knocked down, but Jesus was destroyed. See this is why we are victorious, because Jesus came and took on all of our struggles and sins, and died because of it. But the power of God raised Jesus up from the dead, and He overcame death so we can have a God-breathed life!
God never sends trials that are unnecessary, He never sends trials that we are not meant to learn something from. But God also never holds back any trials that we can learn from. His desire is for us to strive and become more like Jesus. He will send the trials, we make the decision whether or not we will be broken and beaten by them, or if we will have joy in the fact that Jesus has already overcome all of the struggles, and we have Him to lean on.
God's past faithfulness in the Bible and in our lives proves future provision for His continual faithfulness.
I am so excited to study the book of James more and to be broken by God and shown instruction on how to live this Christian life.
So I am faced with this question, and I challenge you to ask yourself, am I wasting the trials God puts before me? Am I really giving the glory to God, or am I letting "self" take over and ruin something God has a bigger plan for.
Here are some more verses we read through last night that just deal with trials and what the Bible says about it:
1 Peter 1:7, 2 Corinthians 4:17, Romans 8:18
Monday, January 23, 2012
Let go and let God!
Well it has been a couple of days since my last blog, I am not getting slack I promise!
God has been doing a work in me these past few days. I am learning all about patience, and waiting on God's timing. As I have mentioned before, there are some decisions that will change my life no matter what the choice is. My faith has been fully placed in God, that He will provide, because He will. My God never leaves me and He will always take care of me. He is my Heavenly Father who adores me and wants an intimate relationship with me that is beyond understanding.
I find myself constantly talking to God throughout the day, just asking Him to lead me and to continue to remind me that He is in control of my life.
After truly following Christ for 6 years, I have come to understand that being a believer of Jesus Christ doesn't make life "easier". It brings its own challenges. The difference in challenges as a believer and challenges that are of the world, I have Jesus, the One who will guide me when I am faced with these struggles. I believe each of us has our own weakness, something that the devil tries to use against us. I am quite aware of my weakness, the Lord has pointed it out to me in various ways within the past year. I have a problem with putting up walls between me and other people. When something happens that doesn't go the way I want it to go, or the way I think it should go, I have a hard time letting that go. It honestly takes true happiness away from me because I am suddenly overcome with anger and resentment.
College has brought new experiences and a whole new world of independence. Independence of self, money, studies, and most of all my relationship with Christ. I have always thought I "understood" what the Bible says and what I was suppose to do as a Christian. But being put in completely different situations in this new chapter of my life, made me lean towards Christ more than I ever have before. It has brought new struggles and new challenges. Some good and some bad. I have been put in situations where it is very easy for me to just throw that wall up and just walk away from whatever didn't go my way. That is the biggest lesson God has shown me. It isn't suppose to go my way. My purpose on earth is to be used by God. To show His love, His mercy, and to share what He has done for us all.
I am learning to just be happy. To not let little things get to me, and get in the way of being used by God. When I let the devil use circumstances to get to my heart and emotions, I am hindering God from doing what He wants and what He has planned to do with me. After understanding that, I am willing to really let go and let God do His will.
This morning I read a verse that screamed out loud to me. It is 1 Peter 3:4 and it says, "You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God."
This is the spirit I pray to have. I have so many godly women in my life that are radiant with joy and gentleness. I pray I will have that. I want to give off the love and compassion of the Lord, that will draw in unbelievers to ask questions.
This is what God is doing in me right now and I am so thankful because this is something I have struggled with my whole life. Praise God for having new mercies every morning, and for the Word of God being alive! It is so amazing to be able to read the same verse over and over again and still learning something new every time.
God is so Good!
God has been doing a work in me these past few days. I am learning all about patience, and waiting on God's timing. As I have mentioned before, there are some decisions that will change my life no matter what the choice is. My faith has been fully placed in God, that He will provide, because He will. My God never leaves me and He will always take care of me. He is my Heavenly Father who adores me and wants an intimate relationship with me that is beyond understanding.
I find myself constantly talking to God throughout the day, just asking Him to lead me and to continue to remind me that He is in control of my life.
After truly following Christ for 6 years, I have come to understand that being a believer of Jesus Christ doesn't make life "easier". It brings its own challenges. The difference in challenges as a believer and challenges that are of the world, I have Jesus, the One who will guide me when I am faced with these struggles. I believe each of us has our own weakness, something that the devil tries to use against us. I am quite aware of my weakness, the Lord has pointed it out to me in various ways within the past year. I have a problem with putting up walls between me and other people. When something happens that doesn't go the way I want it to go, or the way I think it should go, I have a hard time letting that go. It honestly takes true happiness away from me because I am suddenly overcome with anger and resentment.
College has brought new experiences and a whole new world of independence. Independence of self, money, studies, and most of all my relationship with Christ. I have always thought I "understood" what the Bible says and what I was suppose to do as a Christian. But being put in completely different situations in this new chapter of my life, made me lean towards Christ more than I ever have before. It has brought new struggles and new challenges. Some good and some bad. I have been put in situations where it is very easy for me to just throw that wall up and just walk away from whatever didn't go my way. That is the biggest lesson God has shown me. It isn't suppose to go my way. My purpose on earth is to be used by God. To show His love, His mercy, and to share what He has done for us all.
I am learning to just be happy. To not let little things get to me, and get in the way of being used by God. When I let the devil use circumstances to get to my heart and emotions, I am hindering God from doing what He wants and what He has planned to do with me. After understanding that, I am willing to really let go and let God do His will.
This morning I read a verse that screamed out loud to me. It is 1 Peter 3:4 and it says, "You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God."
This is the spirit I pray to have. I have so many godly women in my life that are radiant with joy and gentleness. I pray I will have that. I want to give off the love and compassion of the Lord, that will draw in unbelievers to ask questions.
This is what God is doing in me right now and I am so thankful because this is something I have struggled with my whole life. Praise God for having new mercies every morning, and for the Word of God being alive! It is so amazing to be able to read the same verse over and over again and still learning something new every time.
God is so Good!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Hello, God!
Well today was even more of a struggle than yesterday. Now not to sound pessimistic, because I do try to stay positive, but today has been one of "those" days. But I want to talk about what I read tonight for my devotion.
Yesterday I told you about how I am really struggling with faith in what God is leading me to do. Well tonight's devo was even more of a conviction. I read Acts 3. This passage is about the lame man that begged outside of the door which they called the Beautiful Gate. But I don't think "beautiful" is the right term to use for what went on at this temple. See this temple was meant for healing, but instead those who were sick were unwelcome. For many years this man begged for healing outside of the gate. Peter and John stumbled upon him. The man looked to them for money but Peter wanted to show him much more than that. He showed the power of God by instantly healing his legs. The man got up and walked, proclaiming Christ as his healer.
A lot of times, people who read this story think of the main idea as "which character are you?" Are you the beggar, who is broken? Or are you the ones walking past the beggar, just looking at what needs to be done, but doesn't do it.
Tonight, what spoke to me was the faith. I feel like we make our faith so small. We think since Jesus isn't physically here on earth anymore, the miracles that occurred in the Bible cannot happen today. I am guilty of thinking that. It seems very weird (for lack of a better word) to think of what it would be like if we did have the faith like Peter and John did. Peter didn't think twice about healing the beggar. He knew the God he served, and he knew He was able.
So as I am struggling with these decisions, I am going to pray to have that kind of faith. The kind of faith that helps me believe that God can and will do things in my life that I could never possibly do myself. I want that kind of faith. I need it.
God is able. He is showing up in my life right now and really getting my attention. And I am loving it. Because right now I feel like I have no control, and I am finding it easier to lean towards God. It is so amazing to serve Christ. Because even after I have had days like today, I can sit down and read His Word and still give Him praise for what He is doing. I know He will take care of me and I know He will never leave me. That is His promise.
On a side note, a lot of girls that live in my dorm are starting up our Wednesday night Bible study again for this new semester. We will be studying the book of James. As we were reading through it tonight, I became very excited about what we will be studying. I have read about half of the book of James, but I am so excited to be diving deep into it with some of the sweetest, godly women on campus.
Please keep our bible study in your prayers a long with these decisions I need to make.
Until tomorrow,
"Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed-and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus' name has healed him before your very eyes." Acts 3:16
Yesterday I told you about how I am really struggling with faith in what God is leading me to do. Well tonight's devo was even more of a conviction. I read Acts 3. This passage is about the lame man that begged outside of the door which they called the Beautiful Gate. But I don't think "beautiful" is the right term to use for what went on at this temple. See this temple was meant for healing, but instead those who were sick were unwelcome. For many years this man begged for healing outside of the gate. Peter and John stumbled upon him. The man looked to them for money but Peter wanted to show him much more than that. He showed the power of God by instantly healing his legs. The man got up and walked, proclaiming Christ as his healer.
A lot of times, people who read this story think of the main idea as "which character are you?" Are you the beggar, who is broken? Or are you the ones walking past the beggar, just looking at what needs to be done, but doesn't do it.
Tonight, what spoke to me was the faith. I feel like we make our faith so small. We think since Jesus isn't physically here on earth anymore, the miracles that occurred in the Bible cannot happen today. I am guilty of thinking that. It seems very weird (for lack of a better word) to think of what it would be like if we did have the faith like Peter and John did. Peter didn't think twice about healing the beggar. He knew the God he served, and he knew He was able.
So as I am struggling with these decisions, I am going to pray to have that kind of faith. The kind of faith that helps me believe that God can and will do things in my life that I could never possibly do myself. I want that kind of faith. I need it.
God is able. He is showing up in my life right now and really getting my attention. And I am loving it. Because right now I feel like I have no control, and I am finding it easier to lean towards God. It is so amazing to serve Christ. Because even after I have had days like today, I can sit down and read His Word and still give Him praise for what He is doing. I know He will take care of me and I know He will never leave me. That is His promise.
On a side note, a lot of girls that live in my dorm are starting up our Wednesday night Bible study again for this new semester. We will be studying the book of James. As we were reading through it tonight, I became very excited about what we will be studying. I have read about half of the book of James, but I am so excited to be diving deep into it with some of the sweetest, godly women on campus.
Please keep our bible study in your prayers a long with these decisions I need to make.
Until tomorrow,
"Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed-and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus' name has healed him before your very eyes." Acts 3:16
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Faith Is All I Need
It being Tuesday means my classes were done at 10:45 (a.m.) today. It is kind of tough getting up for my 8 o'clock class, but it feels good not sleeping my day away. For some odd reason over the past year, I have turned into more of a morning person and less of a night person. Weird. I guess that is a real sign of me getting older ha-ha! One thing I find very helpful for putting a positive mood on my day is by diving into the Word. I usually read a devotion book by Sarah Young called Jesus Calling. It is basically personal letters to you from Christ. It is a constant reminder that when you stay in close contact with Jesus throughout the day, you can't help but have joy and peace.
One thing I am struggling with right now is faith in what I feel God is leading me to do. As of right now, I am planning to study abroad next semester in Sydney, Australia (hopefully I will still be into blogging so I can keep you updated while I am there). I know, 19 year old girl across the world, it's crazy to think about but I feel like it is where I need to go. I was honestly questioning whether I was going to even be at AU next year. But by doing my best to trust in God to lead me where I need to be, I really feel Anderson is the place for me. I am a big dreamer. I love to travel. And getting the opportunity to study abroad, I could never ever pass that up. The only thing is the plane ticket will cost me my arm and leg ha-ha! But I have my mind set to come up with the money on my own. Now I am just praying God will send a job my way, unless He creates a money tree first! Now wouldn't that be nice! But faith is my biggest struggle. I mean saying you have faith that God is going to do something in your life is one thing, but actually really believing it is 100x harder. It really is. But I am doing my best to put complete trust and FAITH in my God.
I also have the opportunity to go on a mission trip over spring break to Panama City, FL with the BCM here at Anderson. So if you could keep that in your prayers that would be greatly appreciated.
As you can tell, I am very unsure of what I am suppose to be doing or where I am suppose to be. But God never leaves and I know He is doing something spectacular. I read something a few days ago that says remember, "the teacher is always silent during the test." And I'm not sure how I feel about putting God in the same category as a teacher, but I know He wants complete trust from me. So I will wait for His answer.
I am getting ready to go have some quality time with some great friends! So until my next blog, remember that even when you have no idea what God is doing in your life, expect great things to happen. All good things in your life come from Him!
It feels so good to share this verse because it is basically my life verse. Every time I have an uncertainty in my life, God always reminds me of this promise.
"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. Lean not on your own understandings, in all ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."
Proverbs 3:5-6
One thing I am struggling with right now is faith in what I feel God is leading me to do. As of right now, I am planning to study abroad next semester in Sydney, Australia (hopefully I will still be into blogging so I can keep you updated while I am there). I know, 19 year old girl across the world, it's crazy to think about but I feel like it is where I need to go. I was honestly questioning whether I was going to even be at AU next year. But by doing my best to trust in God to lead me where I need to be, I really feel Anderson is the place for me. I am a big dreamer. I love to travel. And getting the opportunity to study abroad, I could never ever pass that up. The only thing is the plane ticket will cost me my arm and leg ha-ha! But I have my mind set to come up with the money on my own. Now I am just praying God will send a job my way, unless He creates a money tree first! Now wouldn't that be nice! But faith is my biggest struggle. I mean saying you have faith that God is going to do something in your life is one thing, but actually really believing it is 100x harder. It really is. But I am doing my best to put complete trust and FAITH in my God.
I also have the opportunity to go on a mission trip over spring break to Panama City, FL with the BCM here at Anderson. So if you could keep that in your prayers that would be greatly appreciated.
As you can tell, I am very unsure of what I am suppose to be doing or where I am suppose to be. But God never leaves and I know He is doing something spectacular. I read something a few days ago that says remember, "the teacher is always silent during the test." And I'm not sure how I feel about putting God in the same category as a teacher, but I know He wants complete trust from me. So I will wait for His answer.
I am getting ready to go have some quality time with some great friends! So until my next blog, remember that even when you have no idea what God is doing in your life, expect great things to happen. All good things in your life come from Him!
It feels so good to share this verse because it is basically my life verse. Every time I have an uncertainty in my life, God always reminds me of this promise.
"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. Lean not on your own understandings, in all ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."
Proverbs 3:5-6
Monday, January 16, 2012
Gotta Love Monday's
I started a new devotional today (the one I was talking about yesterday). The title for today's devotion was "Let's Go!" It was based off of Acts 1. This chapter is about the promise of the Holy Spirit and the ascension of Jesus after His Resurrection. It is amazing what you find out when you read passages you wouldn't normally read. The craziest thing I learned from tonight is that Judas actually died in the same field he bought with the money he received for the arresting of Jesus. The field was renamed "The Field of Blood" because Judas's insides erupted out of him in the middle of the field.
The main point of tonight's reading is that we are not called to sit around and just think about what Jesus did for us. We are called to go and tell others so that they may receive salvation and be able to live eternally with Jesus Christ.
One of my favorite quotes says this, "Religion says 'do this', but Jesus Christ says 'it has already been done'". Christianity is not a religion. It is not a ticket out of Hell. It is a belief that Jesus Christ truly came and died for each and every one of us so that we may have life in Him. It is understanding that we are not created to dwell among these temporary, earthly pleasures, but to be a light for Jesus, and His tool to use for bringing others to the Truth. And in this life of discipleship, we experience God's goodness and His wonderful mercies and His unfailing love.
I am so excited about these devotions and about all of the new things I am going to learn about stories I have already heard before. Thank the Lord the Bible is still alive!
Until tomorrow,
EXPECT BIG THINGS
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Day of Rest
Well today is Sunday, which means it is the day of rest, and I have been taking advantage of that for sure. This morning I went to church with a couple of friends of mine at Newspring. The message was about how your life can change if you not only read the Bible but also apply it. And as a Christian, I know how intimidating that can be. But I learned today it isn't made to be intimidating at all, it is actually the complete opposite. God knows we are human, and He knows this world is broken. That is why we are encouraged to dive into the Word because of these three reasons:
1. To know God's Will- when we read the Bible we begin to understand God and His ways which will ultimately lead to understanding His will for our lives.
2. To be successful (long term)- when we surrender to the scripture we understand that everything God gives us is received and not achieved.
3. To experience breakthroughs- at some point in our lives we get in a rut, and feel as if we can't get out. When we dive into the Word we can experience a breakthrough from the rut and receive freedom from whatever is keeping us from truly experiencing the life God has planned for us.
So to wrap all of that up, God wants to do something in our lives that is good, pleasing and perfect. The Bible was not written to ridicule you, it was written as a map to show you and lead you to a life full of God's goodness, it gives us clarity. Christianity is emotional AND intellectual. To grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ, a desire is needed and also discipline.
Reading the Bible isn't easy... it is difficult and can be very confusing. One thing I struggle with is figuring out what I need to read each day. I usually read devotion books, or do the devotions that are inserted in my Bible. Today at Newspring, they gave us a 28 day devotion challenge, and that is an answered prayer. I have been praying for guidance in my devotions and I got it... Thank the Lord!
After church I had lunch with my wonderful boyfriend, celebrating 17 months together! We searched and searched for a meat and three restaurant for some good ole southern cookin', and after a couple of Google searches and U-turns, we arrived at Carlee's and Tony's Southern Cooking and Italian. I wasn't too sure of how well southern food and Italian went together. Turns out the food was AMAZING; completely surrounded by elderly men and women, they all knew each other some way or another. We found a new favorite restaurant that is different than the campus cafeteria (it is always nice to have something other than baked chicken). After lunch we made our way to the local park, where we sat on the swing and witnessed ducks attacking each other (I am also pretty sure they were planning a sneak attack on us too). I returned to the dorm room and crashed for the day (after working on a couple of calculus problems of course). I had dinner with one of my hall mates and now writing this before I head to a bonfire hosted by Newspring!
Today has been such an amazing day and I am so thankful for the ways God continues to show up in my life. I have some decisions I need to make and prayer is the only way I know how to make them. So I am waiting on God to show me what to do, but until them I am going to continue and strive to learn more about Him so that I may know the will He has for my life.
"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." - Philippians 1:6
1. To know God's Will- when we read the Bible we begin to understand God and His ways which will ultimately lead to understanding His will for our lives.
2. To be successful (long term)- when we surrender to the scripture we understand that everything God gives us is received and not achieved.
3. To experience breakthroughs- at some point in our lives we get in a rut, and feel as if we can't get out. When we dive into the Word we can experience a breakthrough from the rut and receive freedom from whatever is keeping us from truly experiencing the life God has planned for us.
So to wrap all of that up, God wants to do something in our lives that is good, pleasing and perfect. The Bible was not written to ridicule you, it was written as a map to show you and lead you to a life full of God's goodness, it gives us clarity. Christianity is emotional AND intellectual. To grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ, a desire is needed and also discipline.
Reading the Bible isn't easy... it is difficult and can be very confusing. One thing I struggle with is figuring out what I need to read each day. I usually read devotion books, or do the devotions that are inserted in my Bible. Today at Newspring, they gave us a 28 day devotion challenge, and that is an answered prayer. I have been praying for guidance in my devotions and I got it... Thank the Lord!
After church I had lunch with my wonderful boyfriend, celebrating 17 months together! We searched and searched for a meat and three restaurant for some good ole southern cookin', and after a couple of Google searches and U-turns, we arrived at Carlee's and Tony's Southern Cooking and Italian. I wasn't too sure of how well southern food and Italian went together. Turns out the food was AMAZING; completely surrounded by elderly men and women, they all knew each other some way or another. We found a new favorite restaurant that is different than the campus cafeteria (it is always nice to have something other than baked chicken). After lunch we made our way to the local park, where we sat on the swing and witnessed ducks attacking each other (I am also pretty sure they were planning a sneak attack on us too). I returned to the dorm room and crashed for the day (after working on a couple of calculus problems of course). I had dinner with one of my hall mates and now writing this before I head to a bonfire hosted by Newspring!
Today has been such an amazing day and I am so thankful for the ways God continues to show up in my life. I have some decisions I need to make and prayer is the only way I know how to make them. So I am waiting on God to show me what to do, but until them I am going to continue and strive to learn more about Him so that I may know the will He has for my life.
"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." - Philippians 1:6
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