So tonight I was reading my devotion for the day, and it was about counting your blessings. The passage was Psalm 34:1- "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth" (ESV). And I was like, "oh that's all well and good. I can definitely try to do that. As a matter of fact, I'm getting better at it." But then I switched to my usual translation of the Bible, God's Word Translation (GW), and it stopped me in my tracks. "I will thank the Lord at all times. My mouth will always praise him."
"My mouth will always praise him."
Wait....what? That's not what I read before!
Yep, totally stopped me in my tracks. It's all well and good to count my blessings, but is what I say pleasing to God? See, we're not here on this earth for us. We're here for God's glory. If all I do is count my blessings and not speak love, then what good are my blessings? Why should God give me blessings if I'm not going to praise Him with what I say and do? Being a Christian does not mean just living differently inward and reading the Bible. It also means that we shine a light to the world around us. This morning I read Matthew 5:14, and it's been on my mind since I had to read it for one of my classes. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden." For some reason, this verse has just been going through my mind over and over since Monday.
It makes me think of a scene from the movie To Save A Life. If you haven't seen it, you should really consider seeing it. It's a Christian movie that deals with teens and suicide. But in this scene, Jake is at youth group listening to the pastor speak. He just came back from watching his girlfriend leave because she felt judged by the other youth. The pastor told the youth to take a few minutes in silence to think about who they've wronged, and the youth start whispering among themselves. Jake gets upset and tells them that his girlfriend just left because she felt judged. And he gets right to the point with this line, "What's the point of all of this if you're not going to let it change you?"
He's exactly right. What's the point of Christianity if we're not going to be a change in the world? What's the point if we're not going to be a light that people can look to? What's the point if our words aren't pleasing to God? What's the point if we aren't living for God instead of ourselves? We're the only beings who can celebrate and praise God's Magnificence and Power.
I have two song suggestions for you if this really spoke to you: "City on a Hill" by Casting Crowns and "My Own Little World" by Steven Curtis Chapman.
"I will thank the Lord at all times. My mouth will always praise Him." Psalm 34:1
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 5:14
Friday, January 31, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Winter Wonderland
I felt like a little kid yesterday. Nothing excites me more than the prospect of snow. As the hours dragged on and the snow came closer and closer, I got more and more impatient. When it came, I almost cried I was so happy (almost screamed from excitement too)! I was just like a little kid on Christmas.
To me, there is nothing more absolutely breath-taking than watching snow fall. It's so quiet and peaceful. It's like a hush just falls over the city while the flakes turn the landscape into white dust. I sat by my window watching the snow fall for 2 hours. It was like watching a movie scene the way the snow was falling. It was an absolute dream come true for me.
Isn't our God amazing? Watching the snow fall in Middle GA made me realize once again how big my God is. People know we rarely get snow down here. And to get the inch that we did is a miracle. I'm sure most of us have heard that no two snowflakes are just alike. But have you ever really stopped and thought about that? Imagine how many snowflakes fell last night. Probably trillions! And yet none of them are the same. How incredible is that! I cannot fathom designing trillions snowflakes. I cannot even imagine designing all the stars, galaxies, and people that exist! God is so awesome! It reminds me of the song "Indescribable" by Chris Tomlin. I have loved that song for years. I normally equate it with outer space, but honestly it could go for snowflakes too.
"The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world."
(Psalm 19:1-4 NLT)
Listen to me, O family of Jacob,
Israel my chosen one!
I alone am God,
the First and the Last.
It was my hand that laid the foundations of the earth,
my right hand that spread out the heavens above.
When I call out the stars,
they all appear in order.”
(Isaiah 48:12-13)
“Who is like you among the gods, O Lord—
glorious in holiness,
awesome in splendor,
performing great wonders?"
(Exodus 15:11)
"O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?"
(Psalm 8:1,3,4)
I praise my Maker for showing me His majesty once again! How anyone could look at the world and believe evolution, I'll never understand! Creation screams out God's name. Thank You, Lord, for this winter wonderland!
To me, there is nothing more absolutely breath-taking than watching snow fall. It's so quiet and peaceful. It's like a hush just falls over the city while the flakes turn the landscape into white dust. I sat by my window watching the snow fall for 2 hours. It was like watching a movie scene the way the snow was falling. It was an absolute dream come true for me.
Isn't our God amazing? Watching the snow fall in Middle GA made me realize once again how big my God is. People know we rarely get snow down here. And to get the inch that we did is a miracle. I'm sure most of us have heard that no two snowflakes are just alike. But have you ever really stopped and thought about that? Imagine how many snowflakes fell last night. Probably trillions! And yet none of them are the same. How incredible is that! I cannot fathom designing trillions snowflakes. I cannot even imagine designing all the stars, galaxies, and people that exist! God is so awesome! It reminds me of the song "Indescribable" by Chris Tomlin. I have loved that song for years. I normally equate it with outer space, but honestly it could go for snowflakes too.
"The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world."
(Psalm 19:1-4 NLT)
Listen to me, O family of Jacob,
Israel my chosen one!
I alone am God,
the First and the Last.
It was my hand that laid the foundations of the earth,
my right hand that spread out the heavens above.
When I call out the stars,
they all appear in order.”
(Isaiah 48:12-13)
“Who is like you among the gods, O Lord—
glorious in holiness,
awesome in splendor,
performing great wonders?"
(Exodus 15:11)
"O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?"
(Psalm 8:1,3,4)
I praise my Maker for showing me His majesty once again! How anyone could look at the world and believe evolution, I'll never understand! Creation screams out God's name. Thank You, Lord, for this winter wonderland!
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Personal Blog: Mind-Blowing Day
So today started out like any other Sunday. Woke up at 7, got ready for church, headed out at 8:20. I work as a greeter for the 9am service so I have to be there at 8:30. After that, I actually go to the 10:30. So I'm at Harvest from 8:30-11:30. When it was about 10 o'clock, I got super tired. It didn't make any sense to me either because I hadn't gone to bed later than normal and technically I was sleeping in half an hour. I almost went home to sleep- after all, I had already heard the service. But I persevered and made it through the service. It helped that they played Not Ashamed which is one of my favorite songs.
After church, I went to Stevie B's to eat with my sis. I don't know if you know anything about Stevie B's, but it's a pizza buffet (with the BEST cheeseburger pizza) and a game room. Besides cheeseburger pizza, the game room is the best part. So I'm in there using my tokens, just playing the games, you know the usual. Trying to get a lot of tickets. Out of nowhere, I hit the jackpot on one of the games and won 1,155 tickets. No lie. Okay it actually gave me 1,105 because it ran out of tickets at the 50 mark (shame on it), but hey I was still amazed. Never done that in my life. On another game I got the 500 ticket bonus. I end up with 2,000 tickets and hadn't even used all my tokens. I was utterly speechless. Mind = blown.
When I got home, I took a nap. But it was not just any nap- I actually dreamed (or is it dreamt?). I NEVER dream when I nap; I only dream at night. It meant that I was sleeping deeply. Very usual for a nap. For that reason, it just struck me as amazing. Naps rarely help me that much. Mind = blown again.
Then it came time for homework. Yippee right? I was doing my Biblical Texts & American History assignment which was to identify different statements as academic history, religious studies, devotional, or hearsay. It wasn't that bad, but a couple of them I was just like I have no idea. I started thinking to myself that I needed to find someone to get there opinion on it when Justin messaged me. Literally the moment after I was thinking that. He wanted to compare answers! Mind = blown once again.
It really was just a mind-blowing day. After the jackpot and bonus I thought to myself, "What did I do to deserve this?" After my nap I thought, "This has been a mind-blowing day. What good did I do to deserve this?" And it was in that moment that God spoke to me. It has nothing to do with the good I've done. I was blessed. See, that's the point of blessings. We don't deserve them. We don't even deserve God's love. But He bestows all those things on us because of His love and mercy.
"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." (Romans 5:6-8 NLT)
I am so thankful for God's blessings. I don't deserve even half of what He's given me, and all that He gives me is truly mind-blowing. Wanna know how I know this semester is going to be amazing? Because in the first week of school, I have become so much closer to two girls I practically consider family, started gaining more friends, found out how awesome BCM is, and had my mind blown three times today. My God is an Awesome God and I know He has big things planned for me!!!
"For the Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
"For you have rescued me from death;
you have kept my feet from slipping.
So now I can walk in your presence, O God,
in your life-giving light." (Psalm 56:13)
After church, I went to Stevie B's to eat with my sis. I don't know if you know anything about Stevie B's, but it's a pizza buffet (with the BEST cheeseburger pizza) and a game room. Besides cheeseburger pizza, the game room is the best part. So I'm in there using my tokens, just playing the games, you know the usual. Trying to get a lot of tickets. Out of nowhere, I hit the jackpot on one of the games and won 1,155 tickets. No lie. Okay it actually gave me 1,105 because it ran out of tickets at the 50 mark (shame on it), but hey I was still amazed. Never done that in my life. On another game I got the 500 ticket bonus. I end up with 2,000 tickets and hadn't even used all my tokens. I was utterly speechless. Mind = blown.
When I got home, I took a nap. But it was not just any nap- I actually dreamed (or is it dreamt?). I NEVER dream when I nap; I only dream at night. It meant that I was sleeping deeply. Very usual for a nap. For that reason, it just struck me as amazing. Naps rarely help me that much. Mind = blown again.
Then it came time for homework. Yippee right? I was doing my Biblical Texts & American History assignment which was to identify different statements as academic history, religious studies, devotional, or hearsay. It wasn't that bad, but a couple of them I was just like I have no idea. I started thinking to myself that I needed to find someone to get there opinion on it when Justin messaged me. Literally the moment after I was thinking that. He wanted to compare answers! Mind = blown once again.
It really was just a mind-blowing day. After the jackpot and bonus I thought to myself, "What did I do to deserve this?" After my nap I thought, "This has been a mind-blowing day. What good did I do to deserve this?" And it was in that moment that God spoke to me. It has nothing to do with the good I've done. I was blessed. See, that's the point of blessings. We don't deserve them. We don't even deserve God's love. But He bestows all those things on us because of His love and mercy.
"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." (Romans 5:6-8 NLT)
I am so thankful for God's blessings. I don't deserve even half of what He's given me, and all that He gives me is truly mind-blowing. Wanna know how I know this semester is going to be amazing? Because in the first week of school, I have become so much closer to two girls I practically consider family, started gaining more friends, found out how awesome BCM is, and had my mind blown three times today. My God is an Awesome God and I know He has big things planned for me!!!
"For the Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
"For you have rescued me from death;
you have kept my feet from slipping.
So now I can walk in your presence, O God,
in your life-giving light." (Psalm 56:13)
Thursday, January 2, 2014
A Look into 2014- Psalm 56:13
As I mentioned on Facebook and Twitter, my verse for 2014 is Psalm 56:13. My verse for 2013 was Psalm 86:11, "Teach me Your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to Your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor You." As I look back over the year, He did exactly that. He chastised me when I needed it, and over the past several months, He brought me closer to Him more than I've ever been. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have a purpose. I can see what He wants me to do with my life. But He had to break me to do it. Why do we think we can live our lives on our own? Why do we think God is just an option, something we can use when we are in desperate need? He is the source of life. He created us to have a relationship with Him; we'll never feel fulfilled without Him.
I've been saved since I was 5 years old. I grew up going to church, so God was not a foreign concept to me. I could tell you every story in the Bible, front to back. I knew Scriptures. I considered myself a good kid because I went to church and even used a Christian curriculum at home. Oh, I tried to follow God. I really did. But I'd get close and then get pulled away by something else. But I considered myself good because I didn't drink, cuss, smoke, do drugs, etc etc. I didn't do any of the really bad stuff. Through the years of being on the same rollercoaster, I was slowly going farther and farther away from Him. So He did what He always does, He took away my distractions. He broke my stone-coldness and started warming my heart with His love. This last semester of college was my biggest spiritual growth period. Finally, I started yearning and hungering to read the Word. I read through Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians- I was reading more than I'd done in years. Then, a knew feeling came to me, something that I'd never felt before- I wanted to go into ministry. I wanted to use what I'd learn to teach others and point them to Christ. I am sadly disappointed by churches in America. They preach one way but act completely different. Everything Christianity stands for is being torn down because Christians no longer act like "little Christs" but like the world. Christians no longer stand for the truth but are calloused of things in the world. We're not going to change the world with judgment and condemning; we're going to change by loving others and following Christ's example. I have a passion in my life to bring revival in America. I want to make an impact in this world and nation like George Whitfield and Jonathan Edwards. I don't know how God is going to use me. But I'm hoping this blog is a start. I'm hoping one day this blog will impact hundreds.
God's love amazes me. How can He love me so much? Why would an Almighty God send His only Son to take on all of the sins of the world and die to save us? We don't deserve it. No matter how "good" you are, we don't deserve God's free gift. Psalm 56:13 is a reminder to me of what God has brought me through and that it is only by Him that I live. I don't want to forget last year. I don't want to forget anything of my life. He used it all to mold me a certain way. He made me special, unique, so that I could make an impact in someone's life with His love. "And yet, O Lord, You are our Father. We are the clay, and You are the potter. We all are formed by Your hand." (Isaiah 64:8) Being molded and shaped isn't easy. Sometimes it hurts, but I'm thankful. I can be a light for Him now. "You are the light of the world- like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise Your heavenly Father." (Matthew 5:14-16) I want others to see Christ in me, not for my glory but for His. It reminds me of part of a song- a song which happens to be my song for 2014:
"Give me one pure and holy passion,
Give me one magnificent obsession,
Give me one glorious ambition for my life-
To know and follow hard after You.
To know and follow hard after You,
To live as Your disciple in the truth.
This world is empty, pale, and poor,
Compared to knowing You, my Lord;
Lead me on, and I will run after You."
(One Pure and Holy Passion)
It's not going to be easy. Satan is going to throw everything he can my way. But I hope that I can be like the Apostle Paul and run the race with everything I have. I hope that when I get to the end God will say to me, "Well done, my Good and Faithful Servant!" Wouldn't that be so amazing to hear that after everything you've done in your life? Who's with me?!
Psalm 56:13, "For You have rescued me from death; You have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in Your presence, O God, in Your life-giving light."
I've been saved since I was 5 years old. I grew up going to church, so God was not a foreign concept to me. I could tell you every story in the Bible, front to back. I knew Scriptures. I considered myself a good kid because I went to church and even used a Christian curriculum at home. Oh, I tried to follow God. I really did. But I'd get close and then get pulled away by something else. But I considered myself good because I didn't drink, cuss, smoke, do drugs, etc etc. I didn't do any of the really bad stuff. Through the years of being on the same rollercoaster, I was slowly going farther and farther away from Him. So He did what He always does, He took away my distractions. He broke my stone-coldness and started warming my heart with His love. This last semester of college was my biggest spiritual growth period. Finally, I started yearning and hungering to read the Word. I read through Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians- I was reading more than I'd done in years. Then, a knew feeling came to me, something that I'd never felt before- I wanted to go into ministry. I wanted to use what I'd learn to teach others and point them to Christ. I am sadly disappointed by churches in America. They preach one way but act completely different. Everything Christianity stands for is being torn down because Christians no longer act like "little Christs" but like the world. Christians no longer stand for the truth but are calloused of things in the world. We're not going to change the world with judgment and condemning; we're going to change by loving others and following Christ's example. I have a passion in my life to bring revival in America. I want to make an impact in this world and nation like George Whitfield and Jonathan Edwards. I don't know how God is going to use me. But I'm hoping this blog is a start. I'm hoping one day this blog will impact hundreds.
God's love amazes me. How can He love me so much? Why would an Almighty God send His only Son to take on all of the sins of the world and die to save us? We don't deserve it. No matter how "good" you are, we don't deserve God's free gift. Psalm 56:13 is a reminder to me of what God has brought me through and that it is only by Him that I live. I don't want to forget last year. I don't want to forget anything of my life. He used it all to mold me a certain way. He made me special, unique, so that I could make an impact in someone's life with His love. "And yet, O Lord, You are our Father. We are the clay, and You are the potter. We all are formed by Your hand." (Isaiah 64:8) Being molded and shaped isn't easy. Sometimes it hurts, but I'm thankful. I can be a light for Him now. "You are the light of the world- like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise Your heavenly Father." (Matthew 5:14-16) I want others to see Christ in me, not for my glory but for His. It reminds me of part of a song- a song which happens to be my song for 2014:
"Give me one pure and holy passion,
Give me one magnificent obsession,
Give me one glorious ambition for my life-
To know and follow hard after You.
To know and follow hard after You,
To live as Your disciple in the truth.
This world is empty, pale, and poor,
Compared to knowing You, my Lord;
Lead me on, and I will run after You."
(One Pure and Holy Passion)
It's not going to be easy. Satan is going to throw everything he can my way. But I hope that I can be like the Apostle Paul and run the race with everything I have. I hope that when I get to the end God will say to me, "Well done, my Good and Faithful Servant!" Wouldn't that be so amazing to hear that after everything you've done in your life? Who's with me?!
Psalm 56:13, "For You have rescued me from death; You have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in Your presence, O God, in Your life-giving light."
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