A lesson to learn...

In the movie, Amazing Grace, William Wilberforce is speaking with his friend, William Pitt, about England changing and Wilberforce says, “As it will change…” Pitt replies, “Only if we change it.”

Amazing Grace is the inspiring story of William Wilberforce, a politician in England in the late 17hundreds. After becoming a born again believer he struggled with the decision whether or not he should quit his political work and go into the church. In the movie, Pitt, the youngest man in England to become Prime Minister, asks Wilberforce if he intends to use his talents to praise God or to change the world. As a young Christian, he was unsure of what he should do. God put people into his life who showed him that he could do both the work of God and the work of a political activist through working to abolish the slave trade. Wilberforce said, "God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the Slave Trade and the Reformation of Manners." As Pitt had said, the world will change if we change it. God has given each one of us a purpose and we need to find that purpose and fulfill it, no matter what it takes. Wilberforce spent years and years trying to get his bill to abolish the slave trade passed and each year he was disappointed and his bill thrown out. On top of the fight to abolish the slave trade, he was also fighting through an illness that caused him to be in almost constant pain. But through it all he never stopped fighting.  The question of whether we should change the world or serve God isn’t an ultimatum, it isn’t an either or question. Rather, we need to be serving God by changing the world for His glory. Praising Him through our battles against the wrongs in our world.  Wilberforce never stopped fighting while his bill was in the house, even after it was passed he didn’t stop going. Once the bill to end the slave trade had been passed, he focused his attention on slavery itself. He didn’t rest until three days before his death the bill was passed that abolished slavery forever in Great Britain and throughout the British Isles. We too need to accomplish our goals one by one and never stop until God calls us home. And as you fight, never doubt that you are right. Always be passionate about the task God has called you to. Just as Wilberforce faced hatred, ridicule, and slander because of what he stood for, we also will face hatred, ridicule, and slander.  But just as he stood strong through it all, we also must stand strong through it all. Sometimes it may seem that you are the only voice in the crowd, but God will be with you! God has given you a great object, to change the world. What are you waiting for? Be a Wilberforce!

I love my family

Family will always be family, I know I can rely on my family to always be there for me. Friends come and go but family is forever. God has richly blessed me with an amazing family! I can't find the words to express just how blessed I am with my family! We can get frustrated with each other and fight, but we will always be looking out for each other! We understand each other, we say the same things and do things the same way. In a strange crowd I know that I won't be alone. This is especially true with my sisters. We occasionally say the same things at the same time and we understand each other with a glance. If I ever get married I know that I will have my sisters standing up with me, because those who stand up with you are the ones who keep you accountable in your marriage and I know that my sisters would do that.  My parents care about me, they notice how I dress and how I act, sometimes they might seem a little over protective, but I know they do it because they want to protect me and they want what is best for me! I have one brother, we are lucky if we see him for three weeks in a year! But when we talk or see each other, he goes out of his way to bless us. The best thing about my family is that we are Christ centered. I have been blessed with knowing that each member of my family will be in heaven, together for eternity!

I know that some can't say the same about their family, but I believe that God has given you your family for a special reason. I believe that there are three things we should do for our family, even if we aren't proud of them, can't stand them, or even if they don't deserve it. Never speak down about your family in front of others, always lift them up even if they don't deserve it. Never intentionally hurt your family, even if they have hurt you. And ALWAYS show them love, even if they don't show you love.

If it seems like you have no family on earth, maybe your family is gone or they left you or whatever the case may be, remember that God is your heavenly Father and is always with you. Also remember that as a christian you are a part of the body of Christ and therefore are part of a great family of believers, all children of God. That makes me your sister! I love belonging to this great family! And if you have never experienced a family reunion on earth, just wait for the huge family reunion we will have in Heaven one day when we will see our Father face to face! We should all thank the Lord for blessing us with this glorious family and for accepting us into His family!

Breaking bad habits and developing good habits

We can make good habits and we can make bad habits. It takes time and perseverance to break bad habits and to develop good habits. I think bad habits could be classified as addictions, it has become something you can't live without doing. Habits can be anything you do constantly and on a regular basis, you can't not do it. For example, I braid my hair every night before going to bed, it has become a habit and I don't think I could ever sleep without it braided. I did it so regularly that it became part of my daily routine. I need to do the same thing with reading my Bible and make that a regular habit. I am sure we can all point out habits we have developed over the years, whether they are good or bad. We need to strive to get rid of the bad habits and develop more good habits. I know I struggle with watching too much TV, I know it has become a habit for me to watch something before going to bed. I know that I have to change that habit. I also know that it is possible for me to break a bad habit. When I was younger I would bit my finger nails, I considered that a bad habit and got myself to stop. I know I can do the same with my TV watching, I just need to work at it. I pray that God would help me see and break the bad habits in my life and that He would help me make Bible reading a habit. I need more of the good and less of the bad! And with God to help me, I know its possible!

putting feelings into words

Sometimes it is so hard to put feelings into words, right now is one of those times. I want others to appreciate me. I want people to take my help, I want to be able to help them by what I have or by what I can do for them. But sometimes it seems like no one needs me or appreciates me. Sometimes I feel as if everyone around me was taking me for granted. I am just me, I am not really special. Sometimes my desire to help people stems from my desire to be liked by people, which isn't the best reason to help. Have you ever been in that place where you feel as if everyone is taking you for granted and no one really cares what is going on inside you? Not caring what feelings you are hiding deep down? Like I said, its hard to put into words.

But if you ever do feel like this remember 1 Peter 5:7, "casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you." Remember that God will always care for you! He will never take you for granted because you are his special creation! He created you to be who you are and He has a special plan for you! So when you start to feel as if no one cares, remember that He cares! He cared enough the die for you! So I think its safe to say that He cares about every little part of you! It is amazing and comforting to know that He cares that much about me!

Learning from others through Bible studies

It is always good to learn from others and to grow through others testimonies. And it is always good to study the Bible together. Today I watched this live bible study and it helped me start my day off on the right track! It was live on Wednesday night, and then recorded so you can watch it at any time.The Bible study is on James 1. It taught me some things and reminded me of some things. First, be doers of the word and not just hearers. We have to act out what we believe for those around us. Second, we have to watch what we say and we can't be quick to get angry.

I am putting the link to the Bible study here and would encourage you to watch it! Also, you can look up Alan Powell on facebook for his latest live Bible Studies, he is on facebook as Alan Powell of Anthem Lights. 

Grave your Bibles and click on the link,
http://www.livestream.com/anthemlights/video?clipId=pla_2616bb25-b085-484c-b419-56f4e0b3feb8

My "love language"

My sister is always asking me what my love language is and telling me that I should read the book about the “five love languages” to find out what mine is. And I think I finally figured mine out last night. I don’t even know if this is a love language or if I am the only one on this earth with this kind of love language, and to be honest, it seems like of silly. My “love language” is people interested in what I am interested in, people wanting to like what I like, people making an effort to understand what I enjoy so that they can enjoy it with me. I call my love language “common interest.” 

I have lately been feeling that no one understands what I am interested in and no one desires to understand so that they can enjoy what I enjoy with me. I have been feeling that no one has the same interests or likes and dislikes as I do. It made me feel alone, as if no one understood me. I just want someone to share in what I love and enjoy and no one seems to do that. 

Two thoughts came out of this. First we need to be looking out for each other’s love language (I think this means I am going to have to pick up that book soon!), try to understand those around you and figure out how you can show them just how much you care and love them. Also, I may feel like no one understand me or shares a common interest with me, but God always understands me and will always know what makes me happy! Even if the world seems nothing like you, God is the One who created you and He made you special. He understands when no one else does! And He places people in our lives who learn to understand us, even if we can’t see them yet! 

I don’t know if I have this “love language” thing figured out, but that is what I think about the whole “thing”! And I am going to try and understand it more, which means reading the book!

He will never leave you

Someone close to me just recently went through a really hard time in their life. This someone was betrayed by a friend and felt like they had hurt another friend. I love this person and want to always be there for them, but we live far away and driving over to give them a hug isn't exactly possible. It was hard for me to know that they were going through such a tough time and knowing I couldn't be there beside them. But then I lifted them up to God in prayer and asked that He would be with them. I knew that I wasn't able to wrap my arms around them in a caring hug, but I knew that God would. That is one of the greatest things about God! He is always there beside us, He will never leave us, He will never forsake us! When we call out to Him on behalf of someone, He hears our cry and stays by their side. Hebrews 13:5b - 6 says, "For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear, What can man do to me?" Also, Jesus' last words to His disciples was, "...and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” He is with us, and He is with those we love! One of my favorite verses is 1 Peter 5:7 which says, "Casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you." This gives me a picture of two people walking alongside each other, one person offering to take the heavy load and the other handing it over to them. For me it is a picture of God walking alongside me, caring for me and wanting me to place my heavy burden on Him! So when we are in need of comfort or help, turn to God because He is right there beside you. And when you know someone in need of comfort or help, have them turn to God and ask that God would be with that person! He cares for us and will never leave us! Praise His name!

Reading

I have been reading a book called Weird by Craig Groeschel and highly recommend it for all to read! As Christians we need to stand out and be weird, because, as he says in his book, "normal isn't working." Our world accepts the norm, we should stand out. Stop settling for the way the world does things and start standing out and living differently. 
There are three other very good books that I enjoyed and recommend about living our life as a God would want us to live! The Bible needs to be the center and main focus of our reading, but God has given us Christian books like these to help us grow stronger in our faith. Through these books we can learn from others mistakes and from others ideas and insights. 
The other three books are:
The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel
not a fan by Kyle Idleman
Radical by David Platt
Add them to your summer reading list! They are worth reading!

The message of the cross

The message of the cross, what does it mean to you? 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." When unbelievers look at the symbol of the cross they see foolishness, it doesn't mean anything to them. But to those of us who believe, we can look at the cross and see the power of God, His love toward us and His way of salvation for us. To us the cross is much more than just a symbol, it is a picture of God's grace and mercy, His love, and His forgiveness. When we look at the cross we see Christ's death and resurrection, and we know that because of the cross we have assurance of our salvation.The cross is empty because the message of the gospel didn't end with Christ's death, it continues to live today, just as Christ is living today! Our entire salvation is based on what Christ did for us on the cross. To me, the cross means life. To many in our world today it means death and foolishness. What does the cross mean to you?

A thought on Elijah and a thought on Elisha

Elijah

1 Kings 19:1-18

In 1 Kings 18 Elijah had seen the incredible power of God on Mount Carmel, God had defeated the prophets of Baal and had brought fire down from heaven to consume Elijah's sacrifice. It seems that Elijah would be on a spiritual high from the whole event. He had just witnessed God's great power. And yet, in chapter 19 when Queen Jezebel threatened his life, he runs. He asks that God would take his life because he can no longer live all alone, running from Jezebel. Elijah seems to be experiencing the opposite of a spiritual high right here. He seems to have forgotten about God's great power. I mean, if God just destroyed the prophets of Baal, I think He could protect Elijah from one women. Remember God is bigger than any death threats, and we are never alone.

Elisha

1 Kings 19:19-21

Elisha is plowing his field with twelve oxen when Elijah comes up to him. Elisha was in the middle of his work and Elijah came up to him and threw his coat on him. Elisha knew that this meant Elijah was telling him to follow him. Elisha not only stopped his work to follow Elijah, he also burned his farming equipment and cooked his oxen. He was not only leaving his old life behind him, but burning it so that he could never come back. I am sure his neighbors though he was crazy and I am sure he made an impression on them. He completely let go of his old life to follow Elijah. We have to do this too, it isn't enough to leave our old lives behind when God calls us to follow Him, we also have to make sure that we can never come back to it! And leave an impression on those around you in the process.

We think we have it all

Today I was lying out under the sun, enjoying its warmth and the bright blue sky. I had my sunglasses on, but it was so bright that it didn't even seem like there was a dark lens between my eye and what the world really looked like. To my eye, it seemed as if that was what it looked like. It was beautiful enough to be real, it looked real, and I could have accepted it as real. But if I had, I would have been settling for less. Taking off my sunglasses I could see just how much light I was missing. Through the dark lens the trees looked green, but without that lens they were even greener and brighter, with the sunlight shining off the branches. Sometimes our world settles for less, people see everything through darkness and they think they are getting the whole picture. God is light and He shows us His light. When we look through darkness we can't see His light. We need to take off the dark lenses and show people what they are missing out on! The darkness may look good enough, but God's light is so much better!

Not just #1

In Luke 14:26 Jesus says, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple." Here Jesus is telling us that if we don't hate everything in comparison to Him, we aren't following Him. Jesus isn't telling us to hate our family and friends, He is telling us that the difference between our love for them and our love for Him should be as great a gap as hate and love. I am reading a book called not a fan by Kyle Idleman, (a book you should all read!) and in the book he talks about how we shouldn't be "fans" of Jesus, we should be whole fully committed to following Jesus. Just loving Jesus and putting Him as #1 in our life isn't good enough, He wants to be, and should be, the ONLY thing in our life! Kyle Idleman compares this to a husband and wife relationship. Say a husband goes out on a date with a women other than his wife, and his wife finds out about it. She would of course be hurt, angry, and broken over his disloyalty. But what if the husband then tells her "I went on a date with that women, but you know you will always be #1 with me!" will that make things any better? Certainly not! His wife doesn't want to be the first of many, she wants to be the ONLY one. It is the same with us and God. God wants to be the only one in our life. We have to be careful about putting Him on the same list as anything else. There is no second place with God, there is only a first and He is that first. Make sure that He is the ONLY one in your life.

Not by works, all by grace

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, " For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,  not of works, lest anyone should boast." Thank God we are not saved by our own works! We are saved by His grace, and by His grace alone! It we were saved by our works, we would never know if we had done enough good works, we would never be assured of our salvation, we wouldn't know for sure that we would go to heaven after we died. But God has saved us by His grace! We can't boast and say "I earned my way to heaven." or "I did so many good works God will have to let me into heaven." It is only because God chose to save us from our sin. He chose to send His one and only Son, the Son who He loved, so that He could die in our place on the cross. (John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4) He died for our sins and then He rose again, victorious over sin and death! He gave us a choice to believe on Him and be saved (Acts 16:31). Grace is getting something we don't deserve. We didn't deserve to be saved, but God saved us! His grace is what gets us into heaven! Today, praise the Lord that you don't have to work for your salvation, because if we had to work for our salvation, none of us would be going to heaven! (James 2:10, Isaiah 64:6) Have faith in His grace, not your works!

What are you spending your time on?

These last few days I really feel that God is teaching me a lesson about spending my time more wisely. Many times in the book of Proverbs there are warnings against laziness and idleness. God has given us the time we have and has a desire for us to spend it wisely. This lesson was added to when I saw a quote by Caleb Grimm (band member from Anthem Lights) which said, "If it isn't true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy... Don't waste your time. (See Philippians 4:8)." Also, Alan Powell (another band member from Anthem Lights) said, "How we spend our time is a direct reflection of our priorities." God showed me through these words that I need to be spending my time on what is true, right, noble, pure, lovely, excellent, praiseworthy, and if what I am doing doesn't agree with any of those things, I need to re-think what I am doing. I also need to make sure my priorities are right. Do my priorities, what I spend my time doing, line up with what God wants for me? I realized that some of the things I waste my time doing aren't worth doing. Its hard to admit that something I enjoy doing isn't what I should be doing. I want my priorities to be in the right place, and I want my actions to follow Philippians 4:8 and therefore, I am going to work harder this week to spend my time on what really matters and what God wants me to be doing.

No such thing as chance

Proverbs 16:33 says, "The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord." People say they leave things to chance. People gamble more and more thinking that the more they do it the bigger the chance of winning gets. People tell others "good luck". But, there is no such thing as chance or luck or increase the odds, rather everything that happens is decided on by God. We can't leave things to 'chance', we leave things to God. Everything that happens is in God's control. If a die is rolled, God has already determined what number will come up. It is all in His hands. It gives me a great sense of security knowing that I don't have to leave anything up to 'chance', God has it all under His control. Nothing will shift or shake, because God is holding it all down. We can cast a lot, but the decision is God's!

He will give you peace

When we are worried, scared, uncertain, hurting, God has promised to give us peace. Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." If we take our cares to Him in prayer with supplication and thanksgiving, He will give us peace that surpasses all understanding! Its not just a little peace, its a peace that passes all our understanding! I can't even begin to wrap my head around that! Wherever you are, whatever you need, God will give you the peace you need! Rest in Him! Be anxious for nothing! 
What amazing words! What a precious promise!

Thoughts on graduating high school

I believe there is a moment in everyone’s life when they realize that their childhood is gone. It’s not a gradual realization, but rather a sudden realization that causes you to look back. Perhaps it is while watching a movie and realizing just how old it is, or the day your acceptance letter arrives from a University, or the moment you see your childhood toys being stored away. It is no longer our parent’s responsibilities to buy the necessities, sign the applications, and figure out the schedule. It is now our responsibility. It is the stage where we reach the last of our childhood and fully take on the adult life. At 15, 16 we think we are so old and mature, but it isn’t until we reach a certain age that we look back and wish we could have known what we know now. I spent some of my high school years  wishing I was 18 years old, and it wasn’t until I had my 18th birthday that I realized I had wasted some of my best years wishing I was that old. We make mistakes, we fall, we think we have fully matured, and then we look back and realize just how immature we were. As we get older we gain experience, wisdom, and maturity. In another 18 years I am sure I will look back and wonder how I could have been so immature, just as I look back now and think.

Looking back we can see where we have come from, and who made us what we are today. God has so richly blessed me with the family I have and in the different things that He has placed in my path as I grew up.  First and foremost are our parents. Our parents taught us, trained us, and loved us. The reason I am where I am today is because of my parents. They inspired me to live for Christ, to grow in my walk with God, and to live to my full potential. I have decided that when I am a wife and mother I want to be like my mom and when I get married I want to marry a man like my dad. My parents also put extra time and energy in homeschooling my four siblings and I. For me, and I am sure all homeschooled students feel the same, being homeschooled gave me the foundation I needed to build the rest of my life. As a teacher, my mom showed me how to do my best in everything I do. When I was younger I sometimes did my school work quickly just to get it finished. I thought I was doing my best, but my mom knew I could do better, she knew I was just doing it to get it done. I had several assignments thrown into the trash before I realized I wasn’t doing my best, but now I know that I have to do my best in everything I do. My mom has also been my debate and speech coach for the past five years. Debate has been such a big part of my life and I am so thankful to her for putting in all the time and effort to allow us to have a debate team. Our Homeschool debate team has been such a big part of my high school years, I really couldn't imagine what I would have done without it.

I have one brother and three sisters who have grown up with me. I know that friends will come and go, but siblings will always be there for us. I know that if ever I am in a hard place I can trust my siblings to be there for me, helping me up. I have so many memories of the times I have spent with my family, the experiences we have had, and the things we have gone through.
One of the things I will always look forward to are the times when my family is together.

Another activity that has been instrumental to my maturity, as a person as well as a Christian, is the Awana program. Awana is a kids club which I have been a part of since I was 5 years old, the last three years as a leader. The name Awana comes from II Timothy 2:15 which says, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” I want to present myself as a worker who is not ashamed, and who can rightly understand and teach the word of God. I have learned this through the Awana program. I will never forget the people I have met and the kids I have led in Awana. My foundation on God’s word is also stronger because of it.

There have been countless people who have touched my life. Friends, relatives, and my heroes. Some of my heroes are Nate Saint, a missionary pilot who was killed by the Auca Indians in Ecuador; William Wilberforce, a man who dedicated his life to the fight against slavery; Betty Greene, a woman who wanted to serve God with her love for aviation; Ronald Reagan, one of the greatest leaders and speakers in the United States. All these people lived their life with a purpose. Their stories have inspired me to go out and do great things for God.

At this time we aren't just looking back, we are also looking forward. I am excited to see what God has in store for me in the future. In two and a half months I will be leaving for University to earn my degree in mission aviation. After that, I will be waiting for God to send me to the mission field where I can fly for Him. I want to change the world. Those of us who are graduating are the next generation, we have a responsibility to change the world. God said in Isaiah 6:8, “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” and like Isaiah we have to respond with, “Here am I, send me.” As we leave High school and go out into the world we have a responsibility. We are lights in the darkness. We have been called by God to stand out and speak up. Wherever we are, we can be the change. We are children of God and God has given each one of us a purpose and a goal, our task is to follow that goal and finish the work He has given us to finish. Opportunities are all around us, the question is, what will we do with them?

We can look back and we can look forward, but we need to live in the moment. People living in the past look like Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite, whose greatest wish was to go back in time and play for his High school football team. For anyone who has never seen the movie, you never ever want to end up like Uncle Rico. It’s living your life without direction, not being able to go back, but unwilling to go forward. And if you live in the future you will never accomplish anything. We will never be able to take hold of the future. The past is behind us, we can’t undo mistakes we made or re-live good times, and our future is uncertain, Christ is coming back and we don't know whether we will be here tomorrow. We have to live now, live in the moment. Accomplishing our goals today instead of tomorrow. We won't be able to stand before God in Heaven and say, “I was going to do that later, You just came back before I could do it.” It’s what we do today that counts. James 4:13-14 says, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”

In looking back I realized that I wasted a lot of time wishing I was older, and looking toward the future to resolve my problems, I have to resolve my problems here and now, I have to live right now. Stop wasting time. It is what we do right now that will count.

Those of you who are graduating from grade 8, and those who are still in High school, step out and make your high school years count. Some people may tell you that you are too young to change the world right now, that you should wait until you're older. But, we are never too young to stand up, as I Timothy 4:12 says, “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers, in word, in conduct, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” We are not only an example to believers, but also to the whole world. Those who are graduating from High School, and those who have already graduated, this is for you as well. Many times people see us as still immature and young even though we are out of High School. Show them that we can be an example, that we too can change the world. Some people may think that we can’t do things because we don’t have enough experience, but we gain experience by doing things. Don’t let anyone or anything hinder you from stepping out and changing the world.

Learn to step out of your comfort zones and do things you would never have thought to do. getting out of your comfort zone is one of the best things I have done during High School and one of the best things you could do, as Caleb Grimm said, “If you're not in your comfort zone, then you're probably growing. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

Is there a positive? Yes!

The positive side of things isn't always visible until later. Sometimes something happens to me and I just can't see a positive outcome from what happened. And then I get down and depressed. I know that God has a plan for everything He does, sometimes its just hard to see the good in the midst of all the bad. Today I took my drivers test, and failed it. The second time I have failed the same drivers test. And I can drive just fine! I do one mistake and fail. I feel depressed about the whole thing. I don't want to do it again because I am scared I will fail again. I don't know why God allowed me to fail, but I know that it was part of His plan. I just have to remember that! Funny moment in all the depression, I had to do banking afterwards and was so distraught that I put my drivers license into the banking machine instead of my banking card... what silly things we sometimes do! I also have to add that I am sure the only ones who will ever know about this is those of you who read this blog! So, in conclusion, God has a plan for everything we just have to lean on Him and ask Him to reveal His perfect plan to us! And remember, He cares about what makes us depressed! My favorite verse is 1 Peter 5:7 "Casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you."! What an amazing thing! He cares for me! He cares about anything I care about! Glad I have finally found a happy note to end on! And I thought there wasn't a happy note in all of this!! =) I am beginning to see the positive already! I will let you know when I find out why He let me fail twice!

Be still and know

Sometimes we get caught up in our busy lives and forget to stop and meet with God. He is the quiet and peace in our crazy world! It is when we leave behind the noise that we find peace with God. Psalms 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" To me this is a picture of a beautiful stillness, just me and God. A time to sit and look at God's creation, thank Him and exalt Him for all He has done and all He has promised to do in the future! Be still and know that He is God! 

Two things from Acts

Today while I was reading Acts I found two interesting things! I love it how you always find something new in what you read in the Bible! 

First, when Paul was arrested and taken before Festus, he appealed to Caesar. Paul had done nothing deserving of imprisonment but after they heard his testimony they had to send him to Caesar, because as King Agrippa told Festus, "This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar." (Acts 26:32) But this was all a part of God's plan! Nothing can be done outside of God's will! He had already appeared to Paul and said to him in Acts 23:11 “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” God had planned for Paul to go and take His word to Rome and so Paul went to Rome. Paul was able to witness to the people on Malta and in Rome because of this journey. We need to remember that there is a reason for all that God does. It may not seem like such a good plan at first, I am sure Paul didn't want to go as a prisoner to Rome,but God works out everything for good! So trust in Him! 

Also, Paul was not alone on his journey! The book of Acts was written by Luke and many times he reverts to "us" and "we" instead of "them" or "they". This shows us that Luke was with Paul on many of his travels, the trip to Rome included. All through Acts 27 and 28, the account of the trip to Rome, he speaks of "we" and "us". I love that Luke was with Paul during his difficult journey! Having a friend and a traveling companion makes things brighter, and I am sure that Paul was encouraged by Luke being with him. We need to stand by our friends and encourage them through their hard times just as Luke did!

Thought provoking

I found another quote that has set me thinking! Its more of a thought than a quote, and I don't know who first thought of it. It is this, if someone hid your Bible, how long would it take you to realize it was missing? How many times a week do we pick up our Bible? how many times a month do we pick up our Bible? For me this really hit home. I leave my Bible in a special place and can usually see it every morning. But some days, although I can see it, I don't open it up. I don't think that counts. Seeing is not reading. Someone could replace my Bible with a blank book and I may not notice for a few days. We (me most of all) need to be making a habit out of opening our Bible every day. We need to be continually in God's word. God can't reveal Himself to you if you aren't in His word! If someone hid your Bible, how long would it take you to notice? If someone replaced your Bible with a blank book how long would it take you to notice?

Jesus + nothing = everything

I saw this quote yesterday and it really got me thinking! The quote was, "the math is simple: Jesus + nothing = everything..." -Joseph Stamper (member of the Christian band Anthem Lights). I think the quote speaks for itself. It is so true! If we add something to the equation, say "Jesus + Money", We aren't going to get everything! We are going to fall short of what we could really have! When we try to add something to Jesus we aren't going to have a strong relationship with Him and therefore we will end up loosing out on His blessings. We should be so focused on Jesus that our life is everything in Him. We live the fullest when Jesus is first in our life. We begin lacking when we put Him on the same level as something else. Think about this. Are you adding something to Jesus? If so, ask Him to help you take that away and you will receive His bountiful blessings!

A few things from my morning reading!

Adding to the number of believers

Acts 9:31b, "And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied." This verse is speaking of the churches throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. If we want to grow, if we want others to believe, if we want our church to expand, its only by walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit that we can do that. We have to be in tune with God before we can add believers to our numbers. We need to get closer in our walk with the Lord and follow Him in a deeper relationship. It is only when we are close to God that we can draw others close to Him. It is only when we are walking in Him that we can be multiplied. 

Who are we to be known by God?

Psalm 144:3, "Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?" We are nothing compared with God, and yet He still cares about us and loves us. We are a passing shadow, a fading vapor, God is so much bigger and better than we are. He is forever, we are but a moment. But He desires to know us and to be mindful of us. He wants what is best for us and takes care of us. It is an amazing reminder of just how great God's love for us is! Praise His name!

God's greatness

A beautiful Psalm to end it off, Psalm 145. So many reasons to praise the Lord, we can't begin to fully understand all He has done for us! His greatness is unsearchable! Romans 11:33 also says, "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!" He is great! He is marvelous and greatly deserving of praise! He is awesome and His works are past finding out! Read this psalm through, read it with your heart, praise the Lord through it! It is a song of God's majesty and love! 

Psalm 145 

I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
² Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
³ Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.

⁴ One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
⁵ I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
And on Your wondrous works.
⁶ Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,
And I will declare Your greatness.
⁷ They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,
And shall sing of Your righteousness.

⁸ The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
⁹ The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.

¹⁰ All Your works shall praise You, O Lord,
And Your saints shall bless You.
¹¹ They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
¹² To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

¹⁴ The Lord upholds all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵ The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And You give them their food in due season.
¹⁶ You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

¹⁷ The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
¹⁹ He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
²⁰ The Lord preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
²¹ My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord,
And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever.

Thoughts on Jonah

At first glance, at least for me, it seemed that Jonah had run away from God and had fled towards Tarshish because he was scared of the people of Nineveh and his fear caused him to flee. However, when we get to chapter 4 we find the true reason Jonah ran away. In Jonah 4:2 he says to God, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.” The reason he fled in the first place was because he didn’t want the people of Nineveh to turn to God, he knew that if they did God would save them. He wanted Nineveh to be destroyed. Israel and Nineveh were enemies and Jonah resented the fact that God would save them. The entire last chapter of Jonah is him complaining about God not destroying Nineveh. In fact, Jonah was so angry that God wasn’t going to destroy Nineveh that he wanted to die. He hated the people in Nineveh so greatly that he would rather die than see them live.  

Jonah doesn’t seem such a great prophet. His life almost seems to be a “what not to do” for Christians. Some of the things Jonah did that Christians should not do:  Run from God (Jonah 1:3), wait until God brings you down to pray to Him (Jonah 2), have to have God tell you a second time to do something (Jonah 3:1), be angry with God (Jonah 4), hate someone so badly that you would rather die than see them live (Jonah 4).

In all of Jonah, there is only one thing he did right: he preached the gospel in Nineveh. We should preach the gospel as well, but after they become saved don’t ask God to destroy them.

Even the end of Jonah leaves you hanging. The last verse in the whole book is “And should I [God speaking] not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?” (Jonah 4:11) In this verse God is telling Jonah why He has compassion for Nineveh, they don’t know the difference between right and wrong, God had love for the people in Nineveh. The curtain falls on Jonah displeased, angry, and pouting on the hot beach. It leaves you hanging, you wonder if Jonah’s heart was softened toward the people in Nineveh by what God said, or if he continued to be angry.

A few things I learned from studying the story of Jonah, never run from God (He will find you and bring you back!), don’t wait until you are in the depths to pray to God, preach the gospel so that people may be saved, don’t hate someone so badly that you don’t want them to be saved by God, God loves everyone and desires us to love everyone as well.

What is it to you? You follow Me!

After Jesus had risen from the dead and had been seen twice by His disciples, He met with them on the beach. He ate breakfast with them and then took Peter aside. He told Peter that if he truly loved Him, he would feed His sheep (John 21:15-19). He gave Peter a commission to serve Him and make disciples for Him. When He had given Peter this commission, He took Peter from the rest of the disciples and walked down the beach alone with him. As they walked down Peter looked back and saw Jesus’ beloved disciples, John, following them and he asked Jesus “But Lord, what about this man?” (John 21:21) Jesus replied, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” (John 21:22) Jesus wasn’t saying that this disciple would live forever (John 21:23), He was telling Peter not to worry about what other people were going to be doing, but rather to do what he was told to do, which was to follow Jesus.

Often times we have the same mindset as Peter. We wonder what everyone else has been given to do for Jesus, not what we have been given to do. Like Peter we ask God, “What about them?” Jesus will always reply, “Don’t worry about them, you follow Me.” Don’t look at the actions of others; look at your own actions. Are you following God and living your life for Him? It doesn’t matter what task your brother or sister was given to do, but what you were given to do.

This passage reminds me of what Aslan tells many of the characters in the books “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis. If you have ever read “The Chronicles of Narnia” you would know that the Lion, Aslan, represents Jesus Christ. Several times in the books we see someone ask Aslan to tell them about someone else, what will happen to them, what they should be doing, etc., and Alsan always replies, “I am not telling you their story, I am telling you your story.” God doesn’t tell us what other people were created to do; He tells us what we were created to do. He gives us a special commission and doesn’t want us to worry about what everyone else is doing.

Next time you wonder if your brother or sister is doing the right thing, or serving God in the right way, remember that God gave you a commission, and you shouldn’t worry about everyone else’s job. What is it to us what they are doing? We follow God.

Good Christian music!

My favorite music is always Christian! Christian songs have depth and meaning! At the moment one of my favorite bands is Anthem Lights! A great group of Christian guys! Their music means so much in following God and living for Him and searching and longing for Him! Here is their music video for the song "Can't Shut up"! An amazing music video! Watch and enjoy!

Why memorize?

Why memorize the Bible when we have it all right at our fingertips? We can search bible verses on the internet, in concordances, online, using our cell phones, laptops, ipods, bible apps, and the list goes on! If you want to read the bible, the same applies! The bible is readily available to us. And because it is, does that mean we should still memorize it? Yes!
One reason we should memorize scripture is it helps us understand and know our bible better which in turn bring us closer in our relationship with God. A close walk with God is the most important part of our lives. And memorizing scripture is what helps us walk closer with Him!
The second reason is, how do we know that the bible will always be available for us? I recently read a book for school called Fahrenheit 451, it is a futuristic book written by Ray Bradbury. As a futuristic book it is a picture of what could happen in our future. In this future, books have been banned and are being burned. Those who knew how important books were began memorizing them and then burning them so that they could always have the books with them. They saved these books in their memories in case there would be a need for them later on. We also should be doing this with the Bible. We don't know how long we will have God's word available to us, so we need to store up the Bible in our hearts just in case we need them later on.
I am going to make it my goal to memorize a book of the Bible this year and have decided to start with 1 John. What book are you going to start with?

His mercy endures forever

          I love this Psalm! I love that the same phrase is repeated in each verse! It declares why the psalm was written, to praise God for His enduring mercy to His people! Praise the Lord, for His mercy does indeed endure forever! His mercy is everlasting! Thank Him and praise Him! Read it through and read it with conviction! In different translations mercy is changed to love. God's mercy is love! His mercy He shows toward us is a demonstration of the love He has for us!

 Psalm 136
1Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
    For His mercy endures forever.
² Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!
    For His mercy endures forever.
³ Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!
    For His mercy endures forever:

⁴ To Him who alone does great wonders,
    For His mercy endures forever;
⁵ To Him who by wisdom made the heavens,
    For His mercy endures forever;
⁶ To Him who laid out the earth above the waters,
    For His mercy endures forever;
⁷ To Him who made great lights,
    For His mercy endures forever—
⁸ The sun to rule by day,
    For His mercy endures forever;
⁹ The moon and stars to rule by night,
    For His mercy endures forever.

¹⁰ To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn,
    For His mercy endures forever;
¹¹ And brought out Israel from among them,
    For His mercy endures forever;
¹² With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm,
    For His mercy endures forever;
¹³ To Him who divided the Red Sea in two,
    For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁴ And made Israel pass through the midst of it,

For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁵ But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,
    For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁶ To Him who led His people through the wilderness,
    For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁷ To Him who struck down great kings,
    For His mercy endures forever;
¹⁸ And slew famous kings,
    For His mercy endures forever—
¹⁹ Sihon king of the Amorites,
    For His mercy endures forever;
²⁰ And Og king of Bashan,
    For His mercy endures forever—
²¹ And gave their land as a heritage,
    For His mercy endures forever;
²² A heritage to Israel His servant,
    For His mercy endures forever.

²³ Who remembered us in our lowly state,
    For His mercy endures forever;
²⁴ And rescued us from our enemies,
    For His mercy endures forever;
²⁵ Who gives food to all flesh,
    For His mercy endures forever.

²⁶ Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven!
    For His mercy endures forever.

Storing up treasures in Heaven

I will be going to University in the fall and I have been getting worried about the cost. There are so many things involved in going to University which will cost me money. On top of it all, I am supporting a little girl in Indonesia through Compassion International. I started getting stressed out about it. That little girl depends on me and I can't let her down, but I have to support myself as well. Then I was reading Luke chapter 12. God gives us exactly what we need from His word! Luke 12:33-34 says, "Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." So, when I help my little girl and give to those who need help, God will store up treasures for me in heaven! He so richly blesses us when we do what He wants us to do! Store up your treasures in heaven! Don't worry about money, God has it all in His hand!