You are who you are for a reason.
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God's special woman or man.
You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He knit you together within the womb,
You're just what he wanted to make.
The parents you had were the ones he chose,
And no matter how you may feel,
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,
And they bear the Master's seal.
No, that trauma you faced was not easy.
And God wept that it hurt you so;
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you'd grow.
You are who you are for a reason,
You've been formed by the Master's rod.
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God.
~Russell Kelfer
I hope this brings some encouragement to your day! Strive on!
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Casting All Your Care
Do you ever have those moments where you're like, "Whoa, I never realized that before"? Totally just had one, and let me tell you, it was mind-blowing.
As a kid, I memorized 1 Peter 5:7. I could quote for you in a flash. I knew it like I knew the back of my hand. "Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you" (good 'ole King James Version days). My quiet time today was actually on that very verse (minus the KJV). However, it also mentioned the verses preceding that.
Context is so important. I've seen that more and more as I've been digging deeper into the Word. 1 Peter 5:7 to me for years has just been one of those verses I pull out when I'm stressed- kind of like a "Get out of Jail Free" card, only it's a "Get out of Stress Free" card. I've used it so flippantly, which is probably why I never stopped to realize the context.
In the same way, younger people should be willing to be under older people. And all of you should be very humble with each other. "God is against the proud, but He gives grace to the humble." Be humble under God's powerful hand so He will lift you up when the right time comes. Give all your worries to Him, because He cares about you. (1 Peter 5:5-7 NCV)
This passage is talking about submitting to God and coming to Him humbly, not about calling on Him whenever you need help. Yes, you should call on Him when you need help, but God is not a genie. He doesn't exist just to appear whenever we can't do things on our own. We need to come to Him humbly, admitting to Him that He is much bigger than we ever could be.
This passage really spoke to me because I am probably one of the most prideful people I know. I hate asking for help. I like to do things on my own. I usually carry everything on me until I am at my breaking point- that's when I go to God. That's not what He wants though. That's not the relationship He's looking for. That's really not a relationship at all. That's keeping Him at arm's length until I absolutely can't do anything on my own. I like to be in complete control, but what I've been slowly learning throughout the years is that I can't control everything. I have to trust God.
What this passage has showed me is that God wants me to come humbly. "He gives grace," "will lift [me] up," and "cares about [me]." Why not live humbly for Him? It's definitely not going to be easy, but it will be worth it.
I'm attaching a link to the song "My Sweet Lord" from Crowder's new album Neon Steeple. The song is a good example of coming before God humbly. Plus I just love this song and the whole album, really. If you like that song then you should also listen to "Here's My Heart" on the album.
Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble. (Proverbs 3:34 NKJV)
Friday, May 23, 2014
No Condemnation
As I was doing my quiet time tonight, two words stuck out to me: no condemnation.
Immediately they hit me with full force. How can a big God Who deserves nothing but honor and glory forgive all the wrongs I've done? How can He look past them all like I never did them?
You may be carrying something around that you feel terribly guilty about. You may feel like this guilt comes from God to remind you, or punish you, for what you have done. But that is simply not the case. Jesus forgives us of our sins and takes them from us. When Jesus went to the cross He paid the price for your sins, once and for all. You don't have to keep paying for your sins through guilt. You don't have to carry them around anymore. You don't have to live with shame anymore. If you are in Christ, you are forgiven. (excerpt from Transformed)
I will never understand how God can love me enough to send His Son for me, but I will always be grateful. As I was thinking about this, however, I realized, do I live like I'm forgiven? Do we live like we're forgiven? If a debtor is forgiven his debt, does he go out and obtain another one? If a beggar is given a home, does he leave and go back to the streets to beg? The challenge for those of us who have experienced God's forgiveness is to live like we've been forgiven.
I think sometimes we hold onto the guilt because we're afraid if we let go then it'll be erased from our memory. Or if we let go then God is gonna smash us over the head. Or if we hold on long enough then the wrong will go away. Whatever the reason is, don't live with guilt. Trust me, it'll weigh you down and steal your joy. Romans 8:1 says, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Perhaps you're reading this, and you've never experienced God's forgiveness. Perhaps you're looking back over your life and feeling discouraged because of all you've done. Please don't be. All God wants you to do is just accept His gift. You don't have to understand why He would offer it. I never will. All I know is that the Maker of the universe desired to have a relationship with us so much that instead of turning us into robots, He sent His Son to die, conquer sin, and come back to life to give us freedom so that we can have fellowship with Him. We have a choice to make. Who wants to live with guilt? You don't have to be fancy, just talk to God like you would a friend and ask Him to forgive you and cleanse you. He's waiting for you!
We all have a past. We all have things we wish we could fix or just things we regret happening. One of my favorite verses that I have seen lived out so many times is Romans 8:28, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. One of the sayings in the Transformed study that has really stuck out to me is Your greatest ministry will come from your deepest pain. God uses what we go through to help others, but we can't help them if we're still living in guilt. We'll never be transformed if we aren't emotionally healthy. Don't let Satan win by being burdened by guilt. Embrace God's forgiveness today and live a life full of joy!
No condemnation. Two words with a powerful meaning.
Immediately they hit me with full force. How can a big God Who deserves nothing but honor and glory forgive all the wrongs I've done? How can He look past them all like I never did them?
You may be carrying something around that you feel terribly guilty about. You may feel like this guilt comes from God to remind you, or punish you, for what you have done. But that is simply not the case. Jesus forgives us of our sins and takes them from us. When Jesus went to the cross He paid the price for your sins, once and for all. You don't have to keep paying for your sins through guilt. You don't have to carry them around anymore. You don't have to live with shame anymore. If you are in Christ, you are forgiven. (excerpt from Transformed)
I will never understand how God can love me enough to send His Son for me, but I will always be grateful. As I was thinking about this, however, I realized, do I live like I'm forgiven? Do we live like we're forgiven? If a debtor is forgiven his debt, does he go out and obtain another one? If a beggar is given a home, does he leave and go back to the streets to beg? The challenge for those of us who have experienced God's forgiveness is to live like we've been forgiven.
I think sometimes we hold onto the guilt because we're afraid if we let go then it'll be erased from our memory. Or if we let go then God is gonna smash us over the head. Or if we hold on long enough then the wrong will go away. Whatever the reason is, don't live with guilt. Trust me, it'll weigh you down and steal your joy. Romans 8:1 says, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Perhaps you're reading this, and you've never experienced God's forgiveness. Perhaps you're looking back over your life and feeling discouraged because of all you've done. Please don't be. All God wants you to do is just accept His gift. You don't have to understand why He would offer it. I never will. All I know is that the Maker of the universe desired to have a relationship with us so much that instead of turning us into robots, He sent His Son to die, conquer sin, and come back to life to give us freedom so that we can have fellowship with Him. We have a choice to make. Who wants to live with guilt? You don't have to be fancy, just talk to God like you would a friend and ask Him to forgive you and cleanse you. He's waiting for you!
We all have a past. We all have things we wish we could fix or just things we regret happening. One of my favorite verses that I have seen lived out so many times is Romans 8:28, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. One of the sayings in the Transformed study that has really stuck out to me is Your greatest ministry will come from your deepest pain. God uses what we go through to help others, but we can't help them if we're still living in guilt. We'll never be transformed if we aren't emotionally healthy. Don't let Satan win by being burdened by guilt. Embrace God's forgiveness today and live a life full of joy!
No condemnation. Two words with a powerful meaning.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Broken Hallelujah
I heard this song for the first time today while listening to K-Love radio in the Starbucks drive-thru.
Let me back up.
The past 3 weeks have been an absolute struggle for me. I have felt lower than I have in months. It's like I've been crashing from a high- the school year. I loved being at Mercer. Each day flew by because I was so busy doing things. Well, now it's summer...and it has not gone at all the way I planned. I'm away from my friends, and I don't have a set schedule. Thankfully I have an internship that takes up 2 days a week, but it's still been a struggle, especially since I need to find a paid job. THAT has been so stressful and discouraging. I may have one, but I still don't know for sure yet. The past week I have felt so discouraged, stressed out, and depressed. I felt so distant from God. I prayed, I did my quiet time, and yet He still felt so far away. I cried many times. I took my frustration out on others. I tossed and turned at night. I'm not saying all this to play a pity card. I'm being real and honest. I've been trying to fill my mind with positive things the past week, especially with music. This morning, I got in my car and almost didn't turn on my radio because I was just so discouraged.
My break through came at the Starbucks drive-thru.
I am so glad I turned on the radio. This song fit me so perfectly. I instantly identified with the first lines.
I can barely stand right now,
Everything is crashing down,
And I wonder where You are.
I try to find the words to pray,
I don't always know what to say,
But You're the One who can hear my heart.
Wow! I love music so much. There's always a song that describes how I feel. I'm not gonna write the rest of the lyrics because I want you to listen to the song yourself.
I didn't blog to get pity. I didn't share for sympathy. I'm sharing to show God's wonders. He works even when you think He's far away. Yeah, my summer is not what I thought it'd be. But it's also not over. It's definitely a hard adjustment going from steady schedule and income to almost nothing. But God's not done. Today I began to make more friends at my church. A light is beginning to shine through the clouds.
Storms are going to happen in life. It's the only way we grow. It's so painful to be molded by God. It's not fun, but the results are worth it. God strips me of everything when He wants me to focus back on Him and continue to mold me, and that's exactly what He's been doing. If you're in a storm right now, don't give up. God may feel far away, but if you look for Him, you will find Him.
Here's my broken hallelujah!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo3DudOzV4k&feature=kp
Let me back up.
The past 3 weeks have been an absolute struggle for me. I have felt lower than I have in months. It's like I've been crashing from a high- the school year. I loved being at Mercer. Each day flew by because I was so busy doing things. Well, now it's summer...and it has not gone at all the way I planned. I'm away from my friends, and I don't have a set schedule. Thankfully I have an internship that takes up 2 days a week, but it's still been a struggle, especially since I need to find a paid job. THAT has been so stressful and discouraging. I may have one, but I still don't know for sure yet. The past week I have felt so discouraged, stressed out, and depressed. I felt so distant from God. I prayed, I did my quiet time, and yet He still felt so far away. I cried many times. I took my frustration out on others. I tossed and turned at night. I'm not saying all this to play a pity card. I'm being real and honest. I've been trying to fill my mind with positive things the past week, especially with music. This morning, I got in my car and almost didn't turn on my radio because I was just so discouraged.
My break through came at the Starbucks drive-thru.
I am so glad I turned on the radio. This song fit me so perfectly. I instantly identified with the first lines.
I can barely stand right now,
Everything is crashing down,
And I wonder where You are.
I try to find the words to pray,
I don't always know what to say,
But You're the One who can hear my heart.
Wow! I love music so much. There's always a song that describes how I feel. I'm not gonna write the rest of the lyrics because I want you to listen to the song yourself.
I didn't blog to get pity. I didn't share for sympathy. I'm sharing to show God's wonders. He works even when you think He's far away. Yeah, my summer is not what I thought it'd be. But it's also not over. It's definitely a hard adjustment going from steady schedule and income to almost nothing. But God's not done. Today I began to make more friends at my church. A light is beginning to shine through the clouds.
Storms are going to happen in life. It's the only way we grow. It's so painful to be molded by God. It's not fun, but the results are worth it. God strips me of everything when He wants me to focus back on Him and continue to mold me, and that's exactly what He's been doing. If you're in a storm right now, don't give up. God may feel far away, but if you look for Him, you will find Him.
Here's my broken hallelujah!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo3DudOzV4k&feature=kp
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Weaknesses- Good or Bad?
Weaknesses are good.
Wait, what?! You've got to be kidding me, right?
Nope, not at all! I am being completely honest with you, weaknesses are good. And for me, that is a VERY comforting thought!
I really love the Transformed series we are doing at Harvest. Today's quiettime was on 2 Corinthians 12:9, and it talked about how God uses our weaknesses. The journal listed three promises about weaknesses, and as I read them, I realized that weaknesses are good! Here are the three promises:
1. "God's power is present in your weakness,"
2. "God works through weakness to accomplish His task,"
3. "God allows limitations to become blessings in disguise."
I really felt relief just flow through me. I am a major perfectionist, and I hate having weaknesses. I don't like it one bit. I want all of me to be perfect. But that's not what God wants. Sometimes I think we think God expects us to be perfect. He doesn't! Not at all! He knows we aren't, and that's how He shows his power! If there was no weakness in us, how would He show His strength? God needs us to be weak. He has no reason to work in our lives if we're perfect. For me, this puts a whole new meaning to the fact that God loves me the way I am. I don't have to change, I don't have to clean-up, I don't have to be perfect to follow Him!
"I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well." (Psalm 139:14)
For most of my life, I have felt like God and everyone else expected perfection from me. I am a very self-conscious person because of it. Perhaps you can relate to that feeling. How wrong I am! I don't have to be perfect! I can embrace my weaknesses because God wants to use them and work through me! The devotional also brought up the fact that we are like jars of clay. "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." (2 Corinthians 4:7) We are breakable, and God knows it. We are a treasure to Him!
I hope this truth brings you comfort and joy as much as it did me. We as humans cannot be perfect, and God does not expect us to be. Embrace your weaknesses because that is how God will work!
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Wait, what?! You've got to be kidding me, right?
Nope, not at all! I am being completely honest with you, weaknesses are good. And for me, that is a VERY comforting thought!
I really love the Transformed series we are doing at Harvest. Today's quiettime was on 2 Corinthians 12:9, and it talked about how God uses our weaknesses. The journal listed three promises about weaknesses, and as I read them, I realized that weaknesses are good! Here are the three promises:
1. "God's power is present in your weakness,"
2. "God works through weakness to accomplish His task,"
3. "God allows limitations to become blessings in disguise."
I really felt relief just flow through me. I am a major perfectionist, and I hate having weaknesses. I don't like it one bit. I want all of me to be perfect. But that's not what God wants. Sometimes I think we think God expects us to be perfect. He doesn't! Not at all! He knows we aren't, and that's how He shows his power! If there was no weakness in us, how would He show His strength? God needs us to be weak. He has no reason to work in our lives if we're perfect. For me, this puts a whole new meaning to the fact that God loves me the way I am. I don't have to change, I don't have to clean-up, I don't have to be perfect to follow Him!
"I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well." (Psalm 139:14)
For most of my life, I have felt like God and everyone else expected perfection from me. I am a very self-conscious person because of it. Perhaps you can relate to that feeling. How wrong I am! I don't have to be perfect! I can embrace my weaknesses because God wants to use them and work through me! The devotional also brought up the fact that we are like jars of clay. "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." (2 Corinthians 4:7) We are breakable, and God knows it. We are a treasure to Him!
I hope this truth brings you comfort and joy as much as it did me. We as humans cannot be perfect, and God does not expect us to be. Embrace your weaknesses because that is how God will work!
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Personal Blog: Romans 8:35-39
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future,nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8:35-39
God transcends everything. His love cannot be conquered, it cannot be removed, it cannot be broken, it cannot be lost- which is very comforting for the future.
The future is scary. It is often times dark and unknown, but Jesus is the light we must cling to, I must cling to. Nothing separates us from God's love. No mater what we go through, His love is always there and forever will remain. I can't see my future, but I can trust in the One who does. He holds it all in His hands. Worrying will get me nowhere. It won't make the future any better.
As a kid I would sing the song "He's got the whole world in His hands." It often comes back to me. I can still remember the words and the motion that accompanied that line. As a kid, you'll believe anything. It wasn't hard for me to grasp the fact that God is big. Everything is big when you're a kid. But especially being in college now, that knowledge starts to become reality. So many times I get lost in the mystery, and God shines His light and says," See? I told you to trust Me."
I am so glad God is real. There is no way I could live my life without the knowledge that there is a God up in Heaven orchestrating my life and waiting for the right time to bring me to Him. Life is so empty without having anything to live for. You can live for people, but they will only let you down. Everything in this world will let you down. God has never let me down. He is constantly by my side. His love knows no end.
Last semester, I thought I had my whole future planned out. I was gonna major in Christianity, take Greek and French, go to grad school, etc etc. But this semester, I got thrown a curve-ball and now I have absolutely no clue what is in my future. Oh sure, I still want to go into ministry. But now that I might double major, I can't do all the classes I want to do, and I have no clue how I'm going to get everything done in 3 years. Not to mention, I have absolutely no clue what the summer holds for me. I am going through a dark cave now, but God shines just enough light for me to see the next step. I don't know what lies for me at the end, all I can do is continuously trust and rely on God.
I am so glad God's love is a constant. I almost didn't read my devotional today, but I am so thankful I did. I would've missed out on this truth. When I read Romans 8:35-39, the phrase that immediately stuck out to me was "neither the present nor the future." God gave me the reassuring truth that no matter what happens, no matter what is in store for me, His love is always there. He is always walking right beside me, holding my hand, and guiding me every step of the way.
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18)
God transcends everything. His love cannot be conquered, it cannot be removed, it cannot be broken, it cannot be lost- which is very comforting for the future.
The future is scary. It is often times dark and unknown, but Jesus is the light we must cling to, I must cling to. Nothing separates us from God's love. No mater what we go through, His love is always there and forever will remain. I can't see my future, but I can trust in the One who does. He holds it all in His hands. Worrying will get me nowhere. It won't make the future any better.
As a kid I would sing the song "He's got the whole world in His hands." It often comes back to me. I can still remember the words and the motion that accompanied that line. As a kid, you'll believe anything. It wasn't hard for me to grasp the fact that God is big. Everything is big when you're a kid. But especially being in college now, that knowledge starts to become reality. So many times I get lost in the mystery, and God shines His light and says," See? I told you to trust Me."
I am so glad God is real. There is no way I could live my life without the knowledge that there is a God up in Heaven orchestrating my life and waiting for the right time to bring me to Him. Life is so empty without having anything to live for. You can live for people, but they will only let you down. Everything in this world will let you down. God has never let me down. He is constantly by my side. His love knows no end.
Last semester, I thought I had my whole future planned out. I was gonna major in Christianity, take Greek and French, go to grad school, etc etc. But this semester, I got thrown a curve-ball and now I have absolutely no clue what is in my future. Oh sure, I still want to go into ministry. But now that I might double major, I can't do all the classes I want to do, and I have no clue how I'm going to get everything done in 3 years. Not to mention, I have absolutely no clue what the summer holds for me. I am going through a dark cave now, but God shines just enough light for me to see the next step. I don't know what lies for me at the end, all I can do is continuously trust and rely on God.
I am so glad God's love is a constant. I almost didn't read my devotional today, but I am so thankful I did. I would've missed out on this truth. When I read Romans 8:35-39, the phrase that immediately stuck out to me was "neither the present nor the future." God gave me the reassuring truth that no matter what happens, no matter what is in store for me, His love is always there. He is always walking right beside me, holding my hand, and guiding me every step of the way.
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18)
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Never Too Young
It's hard to believe this semester, this school year, is almost over. I'll be a sophomore and have successfully completed my first year of college. Whats even harder to believe is I've influenced two people this semester alone in their walk with Christ.
Wait, what?
There's no way. I'm only 19. I'm not in ministry yet!
Last night, I was utterly shocked when I was told that I had pointed yet another person to Christ. I burst into tears. What had I done to deserve God's favor that He would allow me to be a testimony for Him as a freshman at a liberal school? To someone older than me as well! It's absolutely overwhelming. You never know how big of a difference you're going to make. You never know how God is going to use you. He works in mysterious ways. Honestly, I didn't see myself making a difference until after grad school when I'm in the ministry. I've been so focused on following that path and wondering if it's right that I feel like God has rewarded my faith by using me to influence others. I'm not saying all this to brag. I'm saying all this to show how awesome God is.
The passage that came to mind last night was Jeremiah 1:5-10. God calls Jeremiah to be a prophet for Him. He says "Hey, Jeremiah, I formed you. I watched you as you were being made. Even before that I knew what you would do with your life." Jeremiah is like "Whoa, God! There's no way! I'm too young!"
"The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth! Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant.”
God said "Hey, Melissa, I've got a great plan for you. I've known about since before you were formed in your mother's womb." And I'm over here like "Hey, that's great, God! In a few years right? Gotta get that master's degree!" He said "Nope, I need you right now."
I realize I'm interpreting the Bible lightly, but I'm trying to get a point across. Since when do we have to be out of college with a high degree to be an example for Christ? Who said that? The world will not change if we live under the umbrella that we're too young. Satan wants us to live that lie. He doesn't want us to be used by God. He knows that if teens and college students would stand up, a change would be made across the world. We really do have so much influence we just don't even know it. Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12, "Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity." That means when our friends are going out to party and drink, we stay behind so we don't appear to be just like the world. We shield and guard ourselves against sexual images and lyrics (hard to do nowadays isn't it?). We protect not only our purity, but our girlfriend's/boyfriend's as well. We treat others with respect even if they don't deserve it. None of these are easy, but Jesus never promised it would be. He said that since the world hated Him, it's gonna hate us if we follow Him.
You're never too young to make a difference. Don't get caught in the trap that you are. Each of us can influence different people around us. God wants to do big things with us. Let Him begin His work through you! Step out in faith!
Wait, what?
There's no way. I'm only 19. I'm not in ministry yet!
Last night, I was utterly shocked when I was told that I had pointed yet another person to Christ. I burst into tears. What had I done to deserve God's favor that He would allow me to be a testimony for Him as a freshman at a liberal school? To someone older than me as well! It's absolutely overwhelming. You never know how big of a difference you're going to make. You never know how God is going to use you. He works in mysterious ways. Honestly, I didn't see myself making a difference until after grad school when I'm in the ministry. I've been so focused on following that path and wondering if it's right that I feel like God has rewarded my faith by using me to influence others. I'm not saying all this to brag. I'm saying all this to show how awesome God is.
The passage that came to mind last night was Jeremiah 1:5-10. God calls Jeremiah to be a prophet for Him. He says "Hey, Jeremiah, I formed you. I watched you as you were being made. Even before that I knew what you would do with your life." Jeremiah is like "Whoa, God! There's no way! I'm too young!"
"The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth! Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant.”
God said "Hey, Melissa, I've got a great plan for you. I've known about since before you were formed in your mother's womb." And I'm over here like "Hey, that's great, God! In a few years right? Gotta get that master's degree!" He said "Nope, I need you right now."
I realize I'm interpreting the Bible lightly, but I'm trying to get a point across. Since when do we have to be out of college with a high degree to be an example for Christ? Who said that? The world will not change if we live under the umbrella that we're too young. Satan wants us to live that lie. He doesn't want us to be used by God. He knows that if teens and college students would stand up, a change would be made across the world. We really do have so much influence we just don't even know it. Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12, "Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity." That means when our friends are going out to party and drink, we stay behind so we don't appear to be just like the world. We shield and guard ourselves against sexual images and lyrics (hard to do nowadays isn't it?). We protect not only our purity, but our girlfriend's/boyfriend's as well. We treat others with respect even if they don't deserve it. None of these are easy, but Jesus never promised it would be. He said that since the world hated Him, it's gonna hate us if we follow Him.
You're never too young to make a difference. Don't get caught in the trap that you are. Each of us can influence different people around us. God wants to do big things with us. Let Him begin His work through you! Step out in faith!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)