Trials.
We all go through them on a regular basis. Some are small; others are not so small. Some are easy to get through and move on; others...well...not so much. Sometimes trials are as little as failing a test or getting a speeding ticket; but other times they are on a much larger scale. They could be things like losing a loved one or getting emotionaly hurt. They come in all shapes and sizes but whether we like it or not, they are impossible to get around.
If you are a girl or anything like me, when a trial comes around...you over-think and completely analyze the entire situation. I tend to pick apart every little detail and replay everything in my head. I dissect it all and attempt to figure it all out myself. Then after I have sufficiently evaluated and considered everything possible to evaluate or consider, I go vent to my friends and talk their ears off for as long as I feel so inclined.
Hmmm, as I went back and re-read that last paragraph I realized that it sounds unbelievably silly because honestly, analyzing the situation...never helps. In fact, sometimes it makes the trial harder to get through. It makes it hurt worse.
God is sovereign.
God is all-powerful.
God is in control.
God is good.
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
So...
Why the heck am I so inclined to think everything over by myself?
Why don't I immediately go to the One who can actually help?
Why don't I pray right away?
Answer: Well that would be because I am a self-righteous sinner.
Even though I fail everytime when I lean on my own strength, I don't seem to learn. Why? Because, I am arrogant. Prideful. Selfish.
I need to learn that when I am weak, Christ is strong. I can lean on His strength. In fact, He WANTS me to lean on Him.
Trials are hard. But we can get through them. Not on our own, but through the power and help of Jesus Christ. In Him we can find peace, comfort, and strength. In Him we can find joy, happiness, and love. In Him we can find grace, mercy, and truth. Through Him we can get through our trials...whether they are small or big...He is there. He will help.
Jesus, grant me the humility to lean on You through trials. Grant me the strength to get through them.
"When the storm is raging all around me
You are the peace that calms my troubled sea
And when the cares of this world darken my day
You are the light that shines and shows me the way" -Beautiful Lord, Leeland
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
Sovereign God
Trust.
What does it really mean?
Dictionary.com--"reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence."
Sovereign.
Dictionary.com--"being above all others in character, importance, excellence, etc."
What the heck do these words have to do with eachother, you ask? Good question.
Well let's think about it for a second...if someone was truly above all others in character, importance, and excellence then wouldn't you rely on that person's integrity, ability, and strengh assuming they were a just person? I would.
Seems simple, right?
Now let's say that not only do you have to trust that person with some things, but ALL things. You trust that person with your entire life. You give them control and let them run everything. No exceptions.
Seems a little harder now, huh?
Well this is what I have been struggling with. As christians we are called to surrender our lives to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We need to trust Him with everything. We need to give Him all control because when it comes down to it...He's in control of everything anyway. Take it from me, this is not an easy task. But why is that? Shouldn't it be easy? We know from the Word of God, that He is in control. He's got it all covered. He is Sovereign. All-powerful. All-knowing. Everlasting. Faithful. Loving. Forgiving. Just. Wrathful. Merciful. Wonderful. Perfect. Shouldn't it be easy to trust someone as awesome as Him? It should be.
Sin.
Dictionary.com--"any act regarded as such a transgression, esp. a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle."
Selfish.
Dictionary.com--"devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others."
Pride.
Dictionary.com--"a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc" (In other words, the root of all sin.)
We are sinners. We are selfish. We are proud.
Because of our sinful, selfish, proud nature, we find it difficult to completely give over our lives to Christ. We think that we can handle everything on our own. We think that we are so amazing that it will be no big deal. When it's all laid out like that...we are really stupid people. Everytime, however, we fail on our own. We need His control in our life. We need to trust His sovereignty to survive. If we have the option to let God sit in the driver seat of our lives than why would we even want to drive?
God is continuing to show me in many ways that there is no way I will make it without Him. I always trust Him for awhile and then fall away again. But the great thing is that God is faithful and he constantly brings me back to Him and reminds me that I MUST trust Him.
We are weak and powerless. God is sovereign.
"13I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen." I Timothy 6:13-16 ESV
What does it really mean?
Dictionary.com--"reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence."
Sovereign.
Dictionary.com--"being above all others in character, importance, excellence, etc."
What the heck do these words have to do with eachother, you ask? Good question.
Well let's think about it for a second...if someone was truly above all others in character, importance, and excellence then wouldn't you rely on that person's integrity, ability, and strengh assuming they were a just person? I would.
Seems simple, right?
Now let's say that not only do you have to trust that person with some things, but ALL things. You trust that person with your entire life. You give them control and let them run everything. No exceptions.
Seems a little harder now, huh?
Well this is what I have been struggling with. As christians we are called to surrender our lives to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We need to trust Him with everything. We need to give Him all control because when it comes down to it...He's in control of everything anyway. Take it from me, this is not an easy task. But why is that? Shouldn't it be easy? We know from the Word of God, that He is in control. He's got it all covered. He is Sovereign. All-powerful. All-knowing. Everlasting. Faithful. Loving. Forgiving. Just. Wrathful. Merciful. Wonderful. Perfect. Shouldn't it be easy to trust someone as awesome as Him? It should be.
Sin.
Dictionary.com--"any act regarded as such a transgression, esp. a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle."
Selfish.
Dictionary.com--"devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others."
Pride.
Dictionary.com--"a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc" (In other words, the root of all sin.)
We are sinners. We are selfish. We are proud.
Because of our sinful, selfish, proud nature, we find it difficult to completely give over our lives to Christ. We think that we can handle everything on our own. We think that we are so amazing that it will be no big deal. When it's all laid out like that...we are really stupid people. Everytime, however, we fail on our own. We need His control in our life. We need to trust His sovereignty to survive. If we have the option to let God sit in the driver seat of our lives than why would we even want to drive?
God is continuing to show me in many ways that there is no way I will make it without Him. I always trust Him for awhile and then fall away again. But the great thing is that God is faithful and he constantly brings me back to Him and reminds me that I MUST trust Him.
We are weak and powerless. God is sovereign.
"13I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen." I Timothy 6:13-16 ESV
Friday, September 17, 2010
Learning to Love Work
Generally speaking, I am a pretty lazy person; I'll admit it. I don't do nearly as much as I should around the house and if there is anything in this world that I down right hate, it is homework. As a kid, my parents definitely enstilled a hard work ethic in me but I lost a little bit of it somewhere along the way. If I set my mind to it, I am a very hard worker but sometimes it takes me awhile to get there. It's something I need to work on and I am striving to be better.
Last year was my sophmore year and let's just say that it was less than I hoped it would be for a number of reasons. I had one hard class and the rest were pretty easy. For about half the year, I really liked having a light load (that would be my lazy nature showing through). But as the year progressed I started disliking my classes more and more and by the end I was more ready for summer than I ever have been.
All through summer I complained how it was a bad year because of drama and things that happend and because I didn't get along with my teachers, etc, etc.
My junior year has just begun and I am already realizing that this year is going to be challenging and the work load will far surpass that of last year's. But suprisingly, I like that. I love my classes and am very excited to dive in to the school year.
Once I became aware of this, something hit me. Last year was not bad because of drama or any teacher, but because I wasn't pushing and challenging myself or learning to love hard work. Instead I found myself slacking off and enjoying it.
I once heard my teacher give a talk about work and I will never forget what I learned from it. Work was not a product of the fall. It was not something that came as a punishment from God after Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. It is a blessing. We are to love work and strive to do our best for His glory!
So, I am slowly learning to love work more each day.
"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58
Last year was my sophmore year and let's just say that it was less than I hoped it would be for a number of reasons. I had one hard class and the rest were pretty easy. For about half the year, I really liked having a light load (that would be my lazy nature showing through). But as the year progressed I started disliking my classes more and more and by the end I was more ready for summer than I ever have been.
All through summer I complained how it was a bad year because of drama and things that happend and because I didn't get along with my teachers, etc, etc.
My junior year has just begun and I am already realizing that this year is going to be challenging and the work load will far surpass that of last year's. But suprisingly, I like that. I love my classes and am very excited to dive in to the school year.
Once I became aware of this, something hit me. Last year was not bad because of drama or any teacher, but because I wasn't pushing and challenging myself or learning to love hard work. Instead I found myself slacking off and enjoying it.
I once heard my teacher give a talk about work and I will never forget what I learned from it. Work was not a product of the fall. It was not something that came as a punishment from God after Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. It is a blessing. We are to love work and strive to do our best for His glory!
So, I am slowly learning to love work more each day.
"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58
Friday, September 10, 2010
Ministry
Notice that the title of this post is not "THE ministry", rather it is simply "Ministry". There is a reason for that.
I had the privalage to sit under the preaching of my pastor, Josh McPherson, for 7sessions this past weekend. The topic of his talks, were mission. Now some of this post could very well be plagiarism, but alas, here's what I got out of it:
There is an unbelievable call and a need for missionaries in our world today! There are countless countries that are starving and we have the ability to help. There are countless countries that have probably never heard the name of Jesus. We are responsible to further the kingdom of God! We need to spread the good news of His gospel.
I believe with my whole heart that those who are called to go around the world and share the name of Jesus are a valuable component of the furtherance of the gospel. HOWEVER, I also believe that those who are called to stay in their small hometown of Wenatchee, WA. can be just as much of a missionary.
Here's the point: we are ALL on mission. It doesn't matter where you are in life, if you love Jesus then you ARE a missionary. There is no way to get around it. You may not be doing a very good job...but it is your responsibility to tell the world about the gospel! We are ALL on mission.
However, NONE of this is possible without the neverending faithfulness of Jesus Christ. WE need His help to evangelize. We need the Holy Spirit to speak through us. It is IMPOSSIBLE without the help of our Lord and Savior! He gets the glory!
As I listened to Josh speak, one thing really stuck out to me. He talked about "the ministry". People throw around this phrase too flipantly. "I am called to the ministry!" Well let's think about that for a second...in light of all that I have said, aren't we all called to "the ministry"? We are all already out on the mission feild; we always will be! As the church, we are apart of ministry everyday!
So no matter where you are, spread the gospel. Though Jesus Christ's help, it is possible.
It is our responsibility. It is our call.
"There are two kinds of christians. The missionaries and the imposters." -Charles Spurgeon
I had the privalage to sit under the preaching of my pastor, Josh McPherson, for 7sessions this past weekend. The topic of his talks, were mission. Now some of this post could very well be plagiarism, but alas, here's what I got out of it:
There is an unbelievable call and a need for missionaries in our world today! There are countless countries that are starving and we have the ability to help. There are countless countries that have probably never heard the name of Jesus. We are responsible to further the kingdom of God! We need to spread the good news of His gospel.
I believe with my whole heart that those who are called to go around the world and share the name of Jesus are a valuable component of the furtherance of the gospel. HOWEVER, I also believe that those who are called to stay in their small hometown of Wenatchee, WA. can be just as much of a missionary.
Here's the point: we are ALL on mission. It doesn't matter where you are in life, if you love Jesus then you ARE a missionary. There is no way to get around it. You may not be doing a very good job...but it is your responsibility to tell the world about the gospel! We are ALL on mission.
However, NONE of this is possible without the neverending faithfulness of Jesus Christ. WE need His help to evangelize. We need the Holy Spirit to speak through us. It is IMPOSSIBLE without the help of our Lord and Savior! He gets the glory!
As I listened to Josh speak, one thing really stuck out to me. He talked about "the ministry". People throw around this phrase too flipantly. "I am called to the ministry!" Well let's think about that for a second...in light of all that I have said, aren't we all called to "the ministry"? We are all already out on the mission feild; we always will be! As the church, we are apart of ministry everyday!
So no matter where you are, spread the gospel. Though Jesus Christ's help, it is possible.
It is our responsibility. It is our call.
"There are two kinds of christians. The missionaries and the imposters." -Charles Spurgeon
Monday, September 6, 2010
Overtaken
Today I found myself sitting at the computer, perfecting my stalker skills on facebook, listening to loud music, and texting 3 people all at once.
Now, when it comes down to it, this could only mean 1 of 2 things. 1) I have incredible multi-tasking skills. OR 2) I am incredibly caught up in the technological advancements that we have at our fingertips in our world today. As much as I would love to go with the first option, I'm gonna have to pick the latter.
We live in a world that is completely overtaken by technology. We love it. We thrive on it. We live for it. What would we do with out it? How could we survive a single day without the use of an ipod? What if computers didn't exist and therefore, no facebook? *gasp* What if we didn't have phones that enabled us to surf the web at any time, any place? What if our iphones didn't get a live feed from E! news so we couldn't be in the know about the new drama of Bradgelina's marriage at the exact moment something new happened? What if (dare I say it?) texting didn't exist?!? Would our world crumble around us? Would we all fall down dead?? I hate to break it to you, but probably not. In fact maybe, just maybe we would learn to enjoy moments of silence and peace. Maybe we wouldn't waste so much time stalking so-and-so's FB profile just to see if she is really "in a relationship". Maybe we would be more social and learn that the real world is a little bigger and a lot better than cyber space. Maybe we wouldn't get so caught up in drama and gossip. And maybe, just maybe we would be forced to actually hang out with people and have a face to face conversation. I don't know, maybe...it could happen.
Since all these things do, in fact, exist, what if we all just made an effort to not get so sucked into techology? What if?
Now, when it comes down to it, this could only mean 1 of 2 things. 1) I have incredible multi-tasking skills. OR 2) I am incredibly caught up in the technological advancements that we have at our fingertips in our world today. As much as I would love to go with the first option, I'm gonna have to pick the latter.
We live in a world that is completely overtaken by technology. We love it. We thrive on it. We live for it. What would we do with out it? How could we survive a single day without the use of an ipod? What if computers didn't exist and therefore, no facebook? *gasp* What if we didn't have phones that enabled us to surf the web at any time, any place? What if our iphones didn't get a live feed from E! news so we couldn't be in the know about the new drama of Bradgelina's marriage at the exact moment something new happened? What if (dare I say it?) texting didn't exist?!? Would our world crumble around us? Would we all fall down dead?? I hate to break it to you, but probably not. In fact maybe, just maybe we would learn to enjoy moments of silence and peace. Maybe we wouldn't waste so much time stalking so-and-so's FB profile just to see if she is really "in a relationship". Maybe we would be more social and learn that the real world is a little bigger and a lot better than cyber space. Maybe we wouldn't get so caught up in drama and gossip. And maybe, just maybe we would be forced to actually hang out with people and have a face to face conversation. I don't know, maybe...it could happen.
Since all these things do, in fact, exist, what if we all just made an effort to not get so sucked into techology? What if?
Friday, September 3, 2010
Ill-deserving
As I sat in my comfy bed all snuggled up in my pj's, I had an overwhelming urge to start a blog. Where did this urge come from, you ask? I have no idea. Ideas raced through my head and there was no way I was going to be able to sleep because my mind was wide awake.
I ran downstairs, grabbed my dad's laptop, settled back in bed, and began to think of name ideas. What would I name this ingenious blog that probably a grand total of 7 people will ever read? I tossed around several ideas and decided that I wanted it to have something to do with the word "sinners". So I opened a new tab and went to one of my favorite websites, thesaurus.com. I searched "sinners" hoping to find some interesting, unique synonym to my, oh so, creative idea. What I found was definately unique and absolutely intersting. On the screen in front of me were words like delinquent, hooligan, thug, and my personal favorite, slippery eel. As entertaining as all this was, none of these words really portrayed the true meaning of sinners. Instead they dumbed it down and the essence of the word was weakened.
I have often heard pastors preach about how we are un-deserving sinners and we don't deserve any of the blessings we have been given. However, in listening to men like Mark Driscoll and John Piper, I have come to realize that this statement is only partly true. No, we do not deserve ANY of the blessings we are given, but we are not UN-deserving sinners. Instead, we are ILL-deserving sinners. Because of our unthinkable sin and delibrate rebelion against God, we deserve nothing but to suffer in the firey furnaces of hell. We don't deserve nothing, we deserve agony.
There is light at the end of this tunnel, however, because our story does not stop there. Because God loved His children and because of His overwhelming mercy (not getting what we do deserve) and grace (getting what we do not deserve), Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice for us. He suffered. He bore our punishment. He died. And as a result, we are free. We are forgiven. And we can spend eternity with God.
There are many temptations in the christian life but some of the hardest to deal with are not losing sight on what Christ did for us and on what wretched sinners we truly are. We are saved by the grace of God from hell. Hence,
The Ill-deserving.
I ran downstairs, grabbed my dad's laptop, settled back in bed, and began to think of name ideas. What would I name this ingenious blog that probably a grand total of 7 people will ever read? I tossed around several ideas and decided that I wanted it to have something to do with the word "sinners". So I opened a new tab and went to one of my favorite websites, thesaurus.com. I searched "sinners" hoping to find some interesting, unique synonym to my, oh so, creative idea. What I found was definately unique and absolutely intersting. On the screen in front of me were words like delinquent, hooligan, thug, and my personal favorite, slippery eel. As entertaining as all this was, none of these words really portrayed the true meaning of sinners. Instead they dumbed it down and the essence of the word was weakened.
I have often heard pastors preach about how we are un-deserving sinners and we don't deserve any of the blessings we have been given. However, in listening to men like Mark Driscoll and John Piper, I have come to realize that this statement is only partly true. No, we do not deserve ANY of the blessings we are given, but we are not UN-deserving sinners. Instead, we are ILL-deserving sinners. Because of our unthinkable sin and delibrate rebelion against God, we deserve nothing but to suffer in the firey furnaces of hell. We don't deserve nothing, we deserve agony.
There is light at the end of this tunnel, however, because our story does not stop there. Because God loved His children and because of His overwhelming mercy (not getting what we do deserve) and grace (getting what we do not deserve), Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice for us. He suffered. He bore our punishment. He died. And as a result, we are free. We are forgiven. And we can spend eternity with God.
There are many temptations in the christian life but some of the hardest to deal with are not losing sight on what Christ did for us and on what wretched sinners we truly are. We are saved by the grace of God from hell. Hence,
The Ill-deserving.
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