Gifts and Riches

Hello!! It's been a while since I've blogged... But this is going to be a good one :)

I was in church today and I was thinking to myself, why am I just sitting around waiting for something to happen when I can MAKE something happen! Sitting around won't do anything for anyone. So I decided to read my bible today, was praying to God to give me something that I can use, and I flipped to 2 Corinthians 8.

2 Corinthians 8:1-15 is super amazing..... But I've got just a couple of verses I want to talk about here.

2 Corinthians 8:7 says,
"But just as you excel in everything- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us- see that you also excel in this grace of giving."


I have a couple different things I want to say about this one... But it's really such a good verse!! 1) God is all of these... And to me this says that we can have all of that too!! God grants us with such great gifts and these are some qualities we can have through God! That is so amazing... He gives us these in order to spread His undying love to people. Personally, I think that is why giving is separated from everything else, it is important to give to others, not just objects but love, care, forgiveness and LOVE. Not just any type of love but the kind of love Jesus has for us... Unconditional.
So I am wondering though, what does earnestness mean?? On dictionary.com it means:
adjective
1.   serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous: an earnest worker.
2.   showing depth and sincerity of feeling: earnest words; an earnest entreaty.
3.   seriously important; demanding or receiving serious attention.

So when you love people, when you do ANYTHING for God.... Do it in complete earnestness. I love those definitions... Especially the second one. :)

2) STRIVE for this.... Don't just sit around waiting for these gifts, but go out and practice these things. Practice makes perfect.... If you go out and pretend like you have all of these gifts, they will come. :) The only way you will excel in faith, speech, knowledge and have earnestness in giving and loving would be if you practice it... Also, pray for it! Have patience and ask God!

So the second verse that I also really, really love is....
2 Corinthians 8:9 says,
"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."

This verse is so amazing because it tells me that Jesus gave everything for us sinners. We are covered in dirt but because of Jesus' love, we are made clean! And because Jesus gave everything for us, God gives us so much. He gives us so many things we don't deserve, and He loves us more than we could even imagine, that is how we become rich through Jesus' sacrifice. I can't help but wonder, why do we take all of this for granted?? SERIOUSLY? We should be happy and joyful every day because of what God did for us.. And does for us!

Anyway, God has given us great futures, so don't sit around and wait for anything to happen, make it happen now. Remember: It is all about God. And all about what we can do for Him :) BECAUSE He is so great and has amazing things waiting for us! (If we follow and obey Him) ♥

Taking Up Your Own Cross Everyday

So what's been on my heart lately is picking up your own cross and dying to yourself.... Which is in Matthew 16:24 which says:
"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.'"I realized lately just HOW MUCH we get lazy!!! Jesus was consistently in God's presence.... He was always thinking about him, praising him, praying to him, obey him.... Why don't we do those things??? We always let little things and little excuses get in the way of even just saying a little thank you prayer to God. Just to keep him in our minds... You know?
God is ALWAYS thinking about us. There's a song that says that he put the stars in the sky and knows each of them by name (that is not the exact words.. but) that made me think of how many people there are and how we are just like those stars. He puts each one of us on the earth and knows us by our name. And think about how personal knowing someone by name is really..... You don't give just anybody your name. And each person's name really fits WHO they are..... (Also in the bible though it says that once we give up our old life he will give us a new name.... But that's a different topic)
Anyway, where I am going with this, is just God sent his only son to give his life for us. And do we deserve it??? Think about it, do we REALLY deserve that?? God believes we do!!!! But each and every day we decide to get lazy and do other things and save reading our bibles and praying to God for the next day. (God still loves us all the same, but...) let's try and give up something for just a day and see how different it is, give that up and read your bible instead!!!! :-) Let's take up our own cross, sacrifice ourselves for God and for other people on this earth. It wasn't easy for Jesus, it won't be easy for us!!!

I just reread those couple of verses (Matthew 16:24-25) and THINK about how powerful those verses are!!!! Dying to ourselves, which means giving COMPLETE control to God. None of the control is ours..... That is really hard to do. Us as humans like to have control over everything... So we need to give up knowing what is going to happen next and trying to control that to God. It says "Whoever wants to save their life will lose it." Just think about what is holding you back from giving EVERYTHING up to God!! Because that is most likely what is holding you back from taking up your cross everyday; what makes you so lazy???

I hope this all makes sense, it was pretty much just a bunch of scrambly babbleness :o)  .... But seriously. Let's not be lazy any more. Jesus was never a lazy person. He never thought of himself, besides thinking about the relationship he had with God. He put that at Number One. So let's follow in Jesus' footsteps!! He's holding your hand throughout this life- so just remember, you're not alone :-)

And Those Who Walk in Pride He is Able to Humble

08/30/2011

I don't know why but I've really been enjoying Daniel right now. I don't even know how I began to read it, but it is so good.

Daniel Chapter 4

King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about a tree and a holy messenger coming to tell him to cut down the mighty tree but leave the stump and the roots then live with the wild animals and be drenched with holy dew... (that is definitely the short version of his dream...) After that the King called upon people to interpret his dream for him and he believed Daniel could do it because he has the holy god in him, so Daniel interprets his dream. He says that King Neb is the tree, that he is going to be cut down from royalty, since he has become too prideful in himself and has become to great and strong. He will be driven away to live with the wild animals and will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the holy dew of heaven. With the stump and roots still there, his kingdom will be restored when he acknowledges that Heaven rules.

Daniel's interpretation came true. His royal authority was taken and he was driven from his people, he lived with the wild animals and ate grass like cattle. After some time, Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:34-35) "raised his eyes toward heaven, and his sanity was restored. Then he praised the Most High; He honored and glorified him who lives forever.

His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: 'What have you done?'"

And then it goes on to say- (Daniel 4:36-37)

"At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. No I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble."

Let me say that again...
Daniel 4: 37 - "AND THOSE WHO WALK IN PRIDE HE IS ABLE TO HUMBLE."


I believe that this story has a lot to do with dying to yourself and living in God. Like, cutting down everything that you have built up and leaving the "stump" or the foundation that God has created for you. That way when you raise your eyes toward heaven, he can rebuild everything in a more glorious way, a way that you can honor Him and serve Him. He will give you beauty, everlasting life, grace, love. So much LOVE. :-) He will give you an abundance of well, everything! He will pour out his visions and his love. Your life will have meaning (not that it doesn't already, but you will KNOW it has meaning, you will FEEL that it has meaning, instead of walking around confused and feeling worthless).

And as I was praying, I got an image of this:

God looks down from heaven at us and says "What are you DOING? I'm right here, waiting for you to let me take your burdens for you. All the weight that is on your shoulders, that slows you down- that's mine. The chains that keep you from running toward me- I'm waiting for you to give up and let me break them off. I own the key to your heart- I'm just waiting for you to let me break through the walls surrounding, blocking my chances to brighten your grey heart.

I hope that makes sense :-) It was tough to put words in for what I pictured! I also got this on Friday night at my church's all-night prayer. It's a couple verses from Jeremiah..

Jeremiah 18:1-4"This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 'Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message.' So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.'"

I love those verses. If you don't know what marred means (because I didn't!), it means disfigured. Which is what we are before God's hand touches our life. We are a big blob of clay and once we give everything to him, he begins to shape us and smooth us to make us something beautiful. He fixes us and creates something glorious out of something so ugly.

I don't even know if this all somehow flowed together? Ha ha. But I hope you got something out of it!!

Worshiping Money

Everyone loves money..... It seems like a natural thing to love you know? I started reading in John today like normal when I felt like God was telling me to read in Daniel... So I flipped to Daniel and had already read chapters 1 and 2 and decided to read number 3. Chapter 3 is titled The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace-
The story is about King Nebuchadnezzar who made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide and set it up so everyone could see it and look at it and stand in front of it. The herald told everyone "as soon as you hear the sound of instruments and all kinds of music you must fall down and worship the image of gold that the king had set up and whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace."
So as soon as everyone heard the music, they fell down to their knees and worshiped the image of gold. At that time some astrologers came forward and told the king that some Jews had not worshiped the image of gold. The called the 3 Jews forward named, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and asked them that if they did not worship his god, what god would save them from the blazing furnace?
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, (Daniel 3:16-18)
"O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into this blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
After some of the strongest soldiers tied up the 3 Jews and tossed them into the blazing furnace that was cranked up to 7 times hotter than usual, King Nebuchadnezzar peered into the furnace and said (Daniel 3:25) "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." The king then told them to come out of the furnace and approach him.

Daniel 3:27 says

"So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them."
Then the king told everyone to worship the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego for no other god can save in this way.
I agree with the king!!!! No other god can save anyone from a fiery furnace!! But after I read this I was praying to God that I could trust Him in this way, no matter what people put me through, that I can still stay strong and keep to my faith. And after I was done praying that it just clicked, God was telling me to STOP worshiping money! This whole day I've been thinking about going shopping, and lately I've been just buying things to make me feel good you know.... So God is just telling me to stop. To look toward Him for that satisfaction instead. Because he truly is the ONLY ONE who can SATISFY!!!! He quenches that thirst and that hunger and that desire for other worldly things and gives you SO much more than what you ask for!!!! You only need to give it all to Him. Sounds easy, but it is not! :-) I feel though that everyone might need this message, because money can make you feel good, for a little while. But I met this couple last Thursday while I was at Night Strike who had NOTHING but they were still so happy together, and the only thing that made them happy was thinking that other people cared about them, and the God cares about them. And that's all people REALLY need, is to know that God cares soo much about you and that he will provide and hold you in His arms forever :-)

Your Life is in God's Hands

8/24/2011

John 1:43 (NIV) says,
"The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, 'Follow me.'"
While I was reading this verse for the third time, I was thinking about if Jesus knew who to talk to to be his disciple, before he talked to them, if that makes sense?
Like where he is supposed to go and why did he go to Galilee? ... Then I thought about how later in the Gospel it talks about Jesus asking God if he really has to go through what was planned for him (dying on the cross).
So since he was born, he knew his life, he knew everything God had planned for him, his 12 disciples, all of the people he healed, everything wasn't picked randomly!! Jesus picked those people for a reason, he went and looked for them, he knew where they would be! Our life isn't picked randomly either, we aren't where we are for just any reason, we don't know the people we know just because we happen to have run into them one day or anything... God put those people into our lives for a purpose, so don't miss the chance to talk to them, to love them, to care for them! God knows what he has planned for us, nothing is coincidence.

John 1:50-51 (NIV) says,
"Jesus said, 'You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.' He said then added, 'I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.'"I love this verse also because it shows what WE will also see! Jesus' 12 disciples were people just like you and me. And if he's telling just any man that he will see THE ANGELS OF GOD, we will too!!!! God has SO MUCH to show us!!! He has no secrets.... All he wants is to pour out his love and glory and let us do the same to other people.

And to throw in some Psalms......

Psalm 66:8-9 (NIV) says,
"Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping."I LOVE THAT!!!!! God has preserved our lives.... He has kept our feet from slipping... He catches us when we fall and he saves us from our death (living in complete sin, which is death). Believe that!!!! Praise HIM for that!!! :-) With out our Lord watching over us, where would we be? Lost, confused.... Living in death. Who wants that?

 And let your praise to Him be heard :-)

And to close this up, NEVER FEAR! GOD IS HERE! ;-D

The Light Shines in the Darkness

08/11/11

The first book I'm going to be blogging from is John. I asked my youth group what I should blog about first and they suggested it... Why you may ask? John talks a lot about God's love. And who can go wrong from the Gospel? We never really take the time to read the Gospels because we all know the story of Jesus, so we always think there's nothing new to learn from them. But really, there is so much to learn... The best stories and words of wisdom come from the Gospels. So, here we go!

I started out with John chapter 1, the first half. I want to kind of take this a little bit at a time because I don't want to read a whole lot then have to write a book about a whole chapter... You know. :)

Summary of what I read:

Well John talks about the Word. How the Word is God and through the word all things were made.

John 1:4-5 (NIV) says,
"In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."
(The Message)
"What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out."

I really love it both ways. I like the way NIV put it because of the last half-sentence when it says "but the darkness has not understood it", you really don't expect it to say that and to me it didn't make sense at first, but I like it because we really DO use the Word as our life/light. That is our shield and sword, our defense against the Devil, even though the Devil might know the some bible verses and people that are living in the darkness might know some bible verses, but the only reason some people might be not living in the light is because do they really understand the Bible?? If they understood what it was saying, you'd think they would believe in it. And the Devil might know what the Bible says, but he really doesn't understand it at all. You understand things by FEELING... By living it. And that's how the Word is our life, our light. It keeps us alive. (By the way, I have no idea if this makes any sense, so I hope you can stay with me!!)

I also like the way the Message puts it though because it says "The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out." What I picture when I read this is a forest fire at night.... Ha ha. Just a huge fire that no one can put out, and that's what our faith should be like you know! A huge forest fire that is raging in our hearts, and NO ONE can put it out!!! People want to bring us down, by questioning our faith (that's what Satan tries to do, is test our faith and he wants us to fail..) and putting out that fire in our hearts, but we won't let it happen! Because that forest fire will bring new and wonderful things into our life :)) Ha ha.

So moving on to the next part here....

After that, John talks about the Word becoming Flesh. Which means, Jesus! The Word is God and it's becoming flesh, which is God, sending his one and only son to earth, becoming a human like all of us.

John 1:12-13 (NIV) says,
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."
(The Message)
"But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves. These are the God-begotten, no blood-begotten, not flesh-begotten, not sex-begotten."

So in other words.... RECEIVE GOD!!!! He loves you so much. Want Him with all your heart!!!! Love him back!! Don't you want to be a child of God? Your TRUE self???? I do :) That sounds way better than being worldly... The world really has nothing that I want, nothing that satisfies me more than my God. Whenever I walk a different path than the one God has for me, even just for a few days, I feel like I'm being a fake me. A whole different person...

(I hope this doesn't sound too cheesy, ha ha.)

John 1:14
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

He is totally full of grace and truth! I love how this verse says "he made his dwelling among us" Jesus walked this earth with us mere humans that believe we're so worthless, but in God's eyes, we are totally NOT worthless to Him! When we die we're going to up there with God, the one who can move mountains, cure diseases, the one with our lives in his hands. It's just so amazing to think of!!!!!!

Okay, I'm done with my rant. :o)

After that, John denied being the Christ, everyone thought since he was baptizing people and was so wise (which he totally was and did have visions from God about Jesus coming!!) and told everyone about how little he was compared to Christ. I don't know why but I love this little section about John denying being Christ. He's being so true to everyone and God while the Levites are getting mad at him for baptizing... Even though he knows that what God called him to do. I just like that he doesn't care that they're getting mad, he stays true to God while he tells them who he really is.

So that was all I read today. But it definitely was GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't you agree? :)

God loves you so much and I really hope these blogs make sense and encourage whoever starts to read these... Ha ha. Post your view on these verses, I would love to know what you think!! Open your hearts to God, he wants to use you in so many amazing ways. You just got to let him.

I Found My Calling....

Alright!!! So I found out what I'm going to blog about!! (Insert excitement here)
I'm going to read the bible and write about what verses I read and what I'm learning and how I'm growing to be a woman of Christ :)

I am REALLY psyched for this!!!! This will definitely motivate me to read my bible, because then I get to blog about it... And I like blogging.

I can't wait to write about what God does through my life! He has already done so much, but I am super excited to share with people and grow spiritually!!!!!

Wish me luck!