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