Crazy Love

Today I started reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Some of the verses that Francis points out are from Psalm 19:1-4 (KJV): "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world..."

Part of the first chapter of this book is basically talking about all of the things that make God so glorious. Everything around us declares His glory, and gives us more reasons to serve Him than we should need. However, I'm very thankful for these reasons in His creation.

Tonight, on my way to a friend's house, a small deer ran out in front of my car. It was a little scary, but it was so beautiful. On the way home, I saw a coyote on the side of the road just standing, waiting to cross or just looking at all the cars go by. It was beautiful as well. All of God's creation- from the gentle deer to the fierce coyote, have a place in this world. He put them here on Earth. He also put us on Earth. Why did He do this? To glorify Him. So today, my challenge for you is to fulfill God's purpose for your life- please Him in all you do and give the glory to Him because He is worthy.

Being Courageous (again)

So, last Wednesday night, I was in the teen class, and we were talking about courage. I believe I posted something about it on Thursday, but it may have just been really late Wednesday night... I don't really remember. However, I did get to use this on Thursday morning in one of my classes. I sit at a table with a group of people, and it turns out that we all have completely different values in life, but we all get along and have fun together.

However, something was said that struck me as odd. I don't think it was something that I really should have read into, but it really did seem off to me. Someone mentioned how they couldn't stand Sarah Palin and that she was a disgrace to women.

I'll admit that yes, Sarah Palin has made some blunders here and there in the public eye. Yes, she can seem a little nutty sometimes, but that's who she is. She stands up for what she believes in. How is that being a disgrace to women?

At the time, I didn't really defend her or anything because I really didn't feel like talking, but I thought about it more as the day went on. I, for one, can say that I admire Sarah Palin because she does stand up for what she believes in. She lives out the verses in Matthew 5:10-12(KJV)- "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

I honestly hope that I can be more like Sarah Palin. She is who she is, and she doesn't apologize for it. She loves her family, her God, and her country, and I don't see any problem with that at all. I also want to be like her when dealing with what people may say about me and my beliefs. From what I've seen, she's never been one to let what people say get to her. I'm the complete opposite. I let what people say and how they act get to me. I just need to remember to stand firm, because God is in control.

Being Courageous

It's been a LONG time since I've posted. I'm going to go on ahead and ask for your prayers... My mom quit her job last week, and is currently looking for a new one. Also, pray for me to keep God as the center of my focus, and at the tip-top of my priorities, as that has NOT been happening lately.

Tonight's lesson at church was an eye-opener for me. God gave me the opportunity to go with the teen class tonight (one of the teachers had a migraine, so I was the stand-in adult), and even though we only had one teen in the class, it was still good. I felt like the kid had the chance to speak up. He's usually very quiet, and I think God put him in there by himself tonight so he could have a night where he shares what he thinks. Also, I firmly believe that God put me in that class tonight for a reason. I have no idea what was preached downstairs, but I know that with the teen class, I was basically being told by God's word what I need to do.

I need to make sure my relationship with Christ is for the right reasons. It shouldn't be because of what my friends, family, or others think about me. My relationship with Christ is just that- it's only between me and Him. That's the way it should be.

I also need to stand out. I don't want to be one of those people who just sits on the sidelines. I need to be one of the people that others know they can go to if they have a problem, the one that people just KNOW is a Christian.

I understand there's a fine line between standing out and having my relationship with Christ being for just Him and me. It is doable, however. We can all stand out in our schools, workplaces, and even churches as faithful people without being motivated by attention.

I also need to think about my heavenly rewards, not the earthly ones. The things on Earth will pass away, just like we will one day.

Lastly, I just need to be courageous. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7, KJV) God has given me His power, His love, and self-control in order to be courageous. I am beyond thankful for everything that God has done for me. I am also thankful that God put this lesson in my life tonight. I really needed it.

Beautiful Day

Today was one of the most beautiful days in awhile. I thank God for this beautiful day. It was cloudy at times, and kinda windy, but it was still an amazing day.

Psalm 118:24 says, "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

I should be able to do this every day. God gives us another day every day. I hope you were able to spend some time outside today. I spent some time loving the breeze when I was working out on the elliptical inside my dorm. I was so thankful for that breeze when I was sweating away.

Miracles

Tonight at church, the subject we talked about was that of Miracles. Firstly, our pastor defined miracles as something supernatural- something that is out of the norm. Then, he proceeded to ask us if we still believed that God performs miracles. I think just about anyone that's a Christian can agree, that yes, God performs miracles. In Exodus 17, God performed a miracle by making water come out of a rock when Moses smote it. God may not do something like this in front of millions of people, but He still performs miracles today. I can think of times where things are completely unexplainable, and I know it just has to be God.

The problem with today's society is that we don't always look for miracles from God. We look to explanations for everything and we try to figure out exactly how things happen. Sometimes we don't understand them, and that's a mystery in itself, but God works in mysterious ways. It's cliche, I know, but completely true. We may not always know how God's going to work, but He does. He's never failed me. He may have done some things that I didn't expect, but in the long run, knowing it's God's will makes it right.

I Hate Valentine's Day... Kinda

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, it's been a weird week. I went home on Friday night for a Pacer's game with my friend, came back Saturday morning, and I've been busy or sleeping ever since. As many of you know, yesterday was Valentine's Day. I was dreading it a little bit, seeing as I didn't have a valentine or sweetheart, but I should have been thinking about things other than myself. Not only did I make myself miserable on Valentine's Day (for no reason), but I neglected to make others happy and joyful on Valentine's Day.

This is how the day SHOULD have gone- I should've woken up, read my Bible, thanked God for the WONDERFUL day, and gone to spread the joy of the Gospel to everyone. Did I do this? No, of course I didn't, because I tend to be the "bitter single girl" on Valentine's Day. I'll admit it, too, and I think that's about halfway there to becoming the "happy single girl" on Valentine's Day. I'm working on it, I promise.

God's blessed me a LOT more than He should have. This is the verse that I would choose for Valentine's Day- John 3:16- "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." On this day that celebrates love, we should remember first God's love. God's love is the truest, strongest, purest love that any of us will know. You know how I know that? Because I know we're all human. Love is a choice, and sometimes we choose to be hateful, spiteful, or just indifferent to those around us. What we really need to be doing is trying to love others like Jesus did- unconditionally. We need to show the lonely, the sad and the weak a love that's unchanging. My challenge (which is always first to myself, then to others) is to go on ahead and SHOW THAT LOVE! Other people need to know about Jesus, they need to know that He cares for them, even when you can't. We can't all like everyone, but we need to be loving. <3

God's Will

Last night, I took a break from my computer because I had lots of homework. It was a welcomed break because I didn't need to worry about getting distracted while I was reading parts of my textbooks and reflecting on them for my classes.

After that little note, I want to point out Ephesians 5:17 (KJV), "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." This verse to me applies to the whole no distractions thing. Wise men don't waste their time. That's just common sense. I find myself wasting lots of time, being unwise with it, and letting other things occupy my mind that have nothing to do with Christ. It's pretty shameful, and we all let it happen. My prayer today is that I can always be focused on God's will for my life, knowing that what he purposed to happen WILL happen, and let Him carry out His good work in me. I hope that you will do the same today. Keep studying your Bible, praying, spending time with God, and obeying Him. It's what will get you closer to Him and closer to His will.

Taking a Breather

This week's been really busy so far. I went home last night, and I really think God wanted me to just step back and take a breather. Sometimes we need to do just that. In Proverbs 3:5, it says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding." When taking a breather, this is key.

God gave us Sundays so we could dedicate a day of worship to Him and also use it as a day of rest. (Correct me if I'm wrong...) Sometimes Sundays are NOT a day of rest for me, and sometimes the time I spend at church isn't focused on God at all. This needs to happen less and less frequently. The whole reason I go to church should be because God sent His Son to save me, so now I'm designating a time to worship, spend time in fellowship, and more importantly, to study what He has for me.

The picture at the top of the page is of my ring that I wear on a daily basis. It's a constant reminder to me to trust what God has for me. I may not get what His plan is for me a this second, but He already knows, so I should just trust Him.

I'm Too Young

I've found myself saying this sometimes- "I'm too young." Out of all my friends, I'm the youngest... not by much, but in some cases, we're at totally different places in life. Sometimes I feel like I have no influence on them or that we're so different that we can't be better friends than we are. Then I remember the following verse: 1 Timothy 4:12 (KJV) says, "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."

This means to me that even as a young woman, I can still set an example for others by the things I say, the way I live, by loving others, with my attitude (spirit), with my faith, and by staying pure. I find this to be especially true with some of my friends. They see that I, a 20-year old student at a big state university, can live my life a certain way that is unexpected from other college students in the area. They see that I am different, but happy to be different. I don't want to make this sound like I'm tooting my own horn- it's only by the grace of God that I can stay pure and be an example to others. One thing I hope is that I can be looked to as an example and that I can look to my friends as examples as well. None of us are perfect, so where there are shortcomings, we can pray to God for guidance and look for the examples of others of we all try to be the example for someone else.

Danger!

Psalm 57:1 (KJV) says, "Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast."

These past few days have been pretty treacherous outside. It's so cold and icy and just downright disgusting outside. God's been faithful, though, protecting me from falling on the ice and protecting me as I've made it to the school I had to go to for my class tonight and back. I'm thankful for God's constant protection, and I try to remember to pray for His protection daily. God is so merciful, and I'm so thankful that He has protected me, my family and friends from the crazy ice storm. Yes, it was messy outside. However, no one I know went without power for long. :)

Thank you, God, for your protection on me always!

Putting It Away

One of the things in life that I've had to deal with a lot recently is people bringing up the past. I'll agree that yes, the past is usually a good indicator of things in the present or the future. However, completely relying on people's past mistakes to see what they're like currently and assuming they haven't changed or learned from their mistake. Here's the thing about people- WE MAKE MISTAKES! Here's another thing- we're complex creatures. We can learn things and with God's help, we can change. One verse in Isaiah reminds me that we need to look forward rather than backward... Isaiah 43:18 (KJV) says, "Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old."

I think we should keep this in mind when we remember people. Yes, we need to be cautious and not too reliant upon them, but we do need to give them a chance. So many people don't give one another second chances, but God gives us so many more chances than we can count. We need to be able to show the love of Jesus to others by giving them another chance when they've wronged us.