Hey everyone! I am really sorry for not writing lately; it's been over a month! Life has just been crazy. I'll try to get back into writing more often. For those of you that said you missed it, thank you! I wasn't even aware some of you were reading it :) To be honest, I started writing this blog because 1) I wanted to and fnally got around to it. 2) Because I felt led to start a blog. Now I realize that my writing was some of your weekly dose of Jesus outside of Sunday. So I apologize for dropping the ball ............ totally not living up to my purpose. But hey, I tend to do a pretty crappy job of living up to my purpose in general :) anyway ... BLOG POST. So I just recently came across this the other day. It's Isaiah 60:18-20 ...
"Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended."
Ah, I love that. It's really just a beautiful and true description. Yet, I'm not going to lie. This past month has been all over the place; a lot of highs and a lot of lows. While I'm not saying it's wrong to feel sad or happy, I also realize that life's circumstances are some of the last things that should effect me. I mean, 1 Cor 13:11 says I am to "rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you." What more could I ask for?
Let me break this down: I have JESUS inside of me. He died because He loves me. He thinks it's the best thing that happened to Him! He loves me enough to rejoice in my joy and mourn with my sadness. He's there all the time and sometimes ... I ignore Him. I pretend like He's not even there. That's what I have to give back. There are days where I go my entire day without even a quick thank you to my Saviour. If your best friend is with you, do you completely ignore them? No. Does that make me a sinner? Yeah, I most definitely am for a lot of reasons. That's just one of them.
What I love about Jesus is His never ending love and grace for me. I am nothing without Him, though for some reason, I like to think I am worth something WITHOUT Him in the picture. But then, that day comes, where everything goes awry. I reach rock bottom and realize I truly am nothing and I need the One who is EVERYTHING. And what does He whisper while I lay in bed wishing to change things? "Daughter, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Thus, boast gladly in your weakness that My power may rest upon you. Be content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when you are weak, then you are strong" (2 Cor. 12:9-10). Why He chose to save me I'll never quite fathom.
He my "hero" and my King who stooped down to rescue me -- a little slave in the millions of faces. He spotted me in the midst of the crowd, looked at me straight in the eye and said, "I want you." He adopted me into His family and made me His own. He tells me everyday that He loves me with the beauty of His creation and little blessings in the day. He cleaned me and made me new. He even calls me His heir. What King does that? What person in their right mind would do that? Who is this God ... He even devotes His time and life to me. As Galatians 4:1-7 says, "I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as songs. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God." My Jesus saved me from the "prince of the power of the air" and made me the princess of all that was and is good in this life (Eph. 2:2). In the richness of His mercy, grace, and love, He made me alive in Him and He placed me right next to Him (Eph. 2:1-10). Gah ... idk how to express my gratitude. No amount of feelings could really return all He has done for me. And you. And your ancestors and your children and your children's children. He loves so well.
So ... yeah, life's not perfect. I have to get over that just like everybody else on this planet. At least I know I'm just making a stop for gas before I get home, throw my arms around my Daddy's neck, and tell Him that I've missed him. Isaiah 64:8 sums up what I'm trying to say well I think:
"[N]o eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him. You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand."
Mold me into the person I'm meant to be. Help me forget my desires and make Your desires my desires. Keep my focus on You that everything else can fall into place, even if it's not in the place I want them to be. I love you and I can't wait to spend eternity in the heavenly realm where I am not forsaken, but loved. Who are we as Christians? "Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken" (Isaiah 62:12). Don't let me forget ...
Showing posts with label Mercy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mercy. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Crushed and Seized Opportunities
"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."~Alexander Graham Bell
Have you ever gazed upon an opportunity and failed to seize it? Did you regret it later? I know I can say "yes" to both of those questions.
When God gives Jacob an opportunity to see Esau again, he shrinks from it. Jacob literally fears for his life at this opportunity to see his brother again. After all, the last time they saw each other, Esau desired to kill Jacob, right? So it's pretty logical to see why Jacob sends gifts in front of himself to Esau [doesn't he know that giving gifts doesn't satisfy people?! ;)]. But God had a different plan. He wanted Jacob to see Esau again. After Jacob sends his animals and servants ahead of him -- not to mention wrestles with God! -- he finally sees Esau face to face. I wonder how much time Jacob must have imagined this moment. I wonder what their expressions looked like when they saw each other for the first time after many years. I wonder if they wondered why God had offered them this time to see each other again. I wonder ... well, Jacob shows reverence to his brother by bowing "seven" times (obviously he was anxious). What if this was your brother? You couldn't find the words, the love, or even a simple joke to break the ice -- all you could possibly do was bow in shame and fear in the presence of a brother you had wronged greatly in your youth. Esau must have dreamt about this day so many times; seeing his brother and inflicting the pain he had felt. And he does just that, right? No. Instead, he runs to meet his long lost brother, embraces him, and weeps. You know a man's moved when he cries in front of so many people! Haha ;) But Esau didn't care -- and neither did Jacob -- because the only thing that mattered in the crowd of people were each other.
When He gives you an opportunity -- especially one that scares you -- do you take it? Do you try your hardest to reach the open door or are you too busy looking at the last opportunity you missed? Do you know He's called you to do something, but let it sit in the back of your throat until you feel sick to the stomach? God presents each of us with an opportunity! He opens doors all the time and wants us to enter through them. He wants to use you. Do you think you're not worthy of the job? Look at David, for example, who lusted and murdered for a woman. Did God not use him in amazing ways?
Even Isaiah 30:18 says, "Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him." He knew David would mess up. He used it as an opportunity to show His abounding grace to David, and thus exalt Himself by showing mercy to David. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorow. He bestows the same grace and mercy to us -- every single day. Open the door to your life so He can use you as an opportunity for others to find God's redemption. Find His will and seize it -- carpe diem!
I love this quote by Charles R. Swindoll that, "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." When He beckons you, how will you react? Will you open the door or slam the door in His face?
Have you ever gazed upon an opportunity and failed to seize it? Did you regret it later? I know I can say "yes" to both of those questions.
When God gives Jacob an opportunity to see Esau again, he shrinks from it. Jacob literally fears for his life at this opportunity to see his brother again. After all, the last time they saw each other, Esau desired to kill Jacob, right? So it's pretty logical to see why Jacob sends gifts in front of himself to Esau [doesn't he know that giving gifts doesn't satisfy people?! ;)]. But God had a different plan. He wanted Jacob to see Esau again. After Jacob sends his animals and servants ahead of him -- not to mention wrestles with God! -- he finally sees Esau face to face. I wonder how much time Jacob must have imagined this moment. I wonder what their expressions looked like when they saw each other for the first time after many years. I wonder if they wondered why God had offered them this time to see each other again. I wonder ... well, Jacob shows reverence to his brother by bowing "seven" times (obviously he was anxious). What if this was your brother? You couldn't find the words, the love, or even a simple joke to break the ice -- all you could possibly do was bow in shame and fear in the presence of a brother you had wronged greatly in your youth. Esau must have dreamt about this day so many times; seeing his brother and inflicting the pain he had felt. And he does just that, right? No. Instead, he runs to meet his long lost brother, embraces him, and weeps. You know a man's moved when he cries in front of so many people! Haha ;) But Esau didn't care -- and neither did Jacob -- because the only thing that mattered in the crowd of people were each other.
When He gives you an opportunity -- especially one that scares you -- do you take it? Do you try your hardest to reach the open door or are you too busy looking at the last opportunity you missed? Do you know He's called you to do something, but let it sit in the back of your throat until you feel sick to the stomach? God presents each of us with an opportunity! He opens doors all the time and wants us to enter through them. He wants to use you. Do you think you're not worthy of the job? Look at David, for example, who lusted and murdered for a woman. Did God not use him in amazing ways?
Even Isaiah 30:18 says, "Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him." He knew David would mess up. He used it as an opportunity to show His abounding grace to David, and thus exalt Himself by showing mercy to David. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorow. He bestows the same grace and mercy to us -- every single day. Open the door to your life so He can use you as an opportunity for others to find God's redemption. Find His will and seize it -- carpe diem!
I love this quote by Charles R. Swindoll that, "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." When He beckons you, how will you react? Will you open the door or slam the door in His face?
Monday, January 31, 2011
Mercy, In-N-Out, and All Those Other Holy & Delicious Things
Such an odd day. I'm not even sure I can describe it! But overall, it was wonderful :)
First, I read the story of when God pours out his wrath on Sodom and Gomorrah. Right before He does that, Lot sees two angels entering the city. Lot presses them strongly to spend the night in his house, so the angels turn aside and enter his house. Later that night, the angels ask Lot, "Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it." Lot tells his one son-in-law, who thinks he's "jesting" (umm he'll find out soon enough that he wasn't joking!). Fast forward to dawn. The angels urge Lot to take his wife and daughters out of the city bfore they are destroyed with it, but he lingered (like really? Stuupid). Then the angels grab Lot, along with his wife and daughters -- "the Lord being merciful to him -- and brought them outside the city. Then you pretty much know the rest ... Lot's wife doubts and disobeys by lookng at the city in flames, turning her into a pillar of salt; spares the rest of Lot's family; and then the daughters do some really disgusting things! Anways ......... what's the point? Well, God shows a lot of mercy to Lot and his family. First, by letting the angels warn him. Second, by allowing Lot to tell his future son-in-law to flee. Third, by allowing Lot more time even when he's just meandering around (!). And lastly, by sparing the lives of Lot and his family (besides his wife, but hey, disobedience to God isn't the wisest thing to do). So much mercy! What's awesome is that the same God who showed that much mercy still shows that mercy -- to me! :)
Speaking of mercy, He must have mercy -- or maybe I should say pity -- on me. Today, I was going through the In-N-Out drive-thru for food. My order: 2 drinks, 2 fries, and 2 burgers (no, not all for myself haha). I order my food, approach the cashier, open my wallet -- and what do I have? $5 bucks. Yes, I am filthy rich ... for the record, 5 bucks does not buy you 2 drinks, 2 fries, and 2 burgers. I awkwardly admit, "uhhh I don't have enough money ... " the cashier girl replies, "umm ... okay, wait here. One sec" so she grabs who I'm assuming is the manager. He asks, "Would you want to take some items off?" I said yes, so he slowly start taking items off until I was degraded to 1 fry and 2 burgers. The total? $7.24. Crap -- STILL not enough! At this point I'm feeling kind of pathetic (and honestly, embarressed) so I tell him, "I'll just drive-thru if that's okay. I'm really sorry about that ..." but he turns to me and goes, "no, no. It's fine. I'll pay the $2 difference." I'm sort of shocked and taken aback. Again, I say awkwardly, "oh ... um, THANK you! That's so nice ... thank you very much." I got my 1 fry and 2 burgers at In-N-Out for 5 bucks! I recieved food because this man was willing to pay 2 bucks! I thank God, turn on the radio, to hear Scott (on K-love) saying how something insignificant to us makes a big difference to someone else. Well, today, I was on the recieving end, to a nice stranger at In-N-Out named Dave (well, his apron labled him that). Ahh ... God is so good :) "He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever." Psalm 111:5. The God of the Old Testament remembered me today ... what a thought; what a Savior.
Lastly, if you get a chance, you can help someone else who called K-love today asking we vote for Pepsi to support kids with a certain disease/disorder. All you have to do is text "105582" to the number 737-74 (if you want to know more about it, go to http://pep.si/adoCG3). Note: it ends TONIGHT so be sure to text before midnight! Hey, it's "Make a Difference Monday" and all you have to do is text a few numbers. DO IT! :)
First, I read the story of when God pours out his wrath on Sodom and Gomorrah. Right before He does that, Lot sees two angels entering the city. Lot presses them strongly to spend the night in his house, so the angels turn aside and enter his house. Later that night, the angels ask Lot, "Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it." Lot tells his one son-in-law, who thinks he's "jesting" (umm he'll find out soon enough that he wasn't joking!). Fast forward to dawn. The angels urge Lot to take his wife and daughters out of the city bfore they are destroyed with it, but he lingered (like really? Stuupid). Then the angels grab Lot, along with his wife and daughters -- "the Lord being merciful to him -- and brought them outside the city. Then you pretty much know the rest ... Lot's wife doubts and disobeys by lookng at the city in flames, turning her into a pillar of salt; spares the rest of Lot's family; and then the daughters do some really disgusting things! Anways ......... what's the point? Well, God shows a lot of mercy to Lot and his family. First, by letting the angels warn him. Second, by allowing Lot to tell his future son-in-law to flee. Third, by allowing Lot more time even when he's just meandering around (!). And lastly, by sparing the lives of Lot and his family (besides his wife, but hey, disobedience to God isn't the wisest thing to do). So much mercy! What's awesome is that the same God who showed that much mercy still shows that mercy -- to me! :)
Speaking of mercy, He must have mercy -- or maybe I should say pity -- on me. Today, I was going through the In-N-Out drive-thru for food. My order: 2 drinks, 2 fries, and 2 burgers (no, not all for myself haha). I order my food, approach the cashier, open my wallet -- and what do I have? $5 bucks. Yes, I am filthy rich ... for the record, 5 bucks does not buy you 2 drinks, 2 fries, and 2 burgers. I awkwardly admit, "uhhh I don't have enough money ... " the cashier girl replies, "umm ... okay, wait here. One sec" so she grabs who I'm assuming is the manager. He asks, "Would you want to take some items off?" I said yes, so he slowly start taking items off until I was degraded to 1 fry and 2 burgers. The total? $7.24. Crap -- STILL not enough! At this point I'm feeling kind of pathetic (and honestly, embarressed) so I tell him, "I'll just drive-thru if that's okay. I'm really sorry about that ..." but he turns to me and goes, "no, no. It's fine. I'll pay the $2 difference." I'm sort of shocked and taken aback. Again, I say awkwardly, "oh ... um, THANK you! That's so nice ... thank you very much." I got my 1 fry and 2 burgers at In-N-Out for 5 bucks! I recieved food because this man was willing to pay 2 bucks! I thank God, turn on the radio, to hear Scott (on K-love) saying how something insignificant to us makes a big difference to someone else. Well, today, I was on the recieving end, to a nice stranger at In-N-Out named Dave (well, his apron labled him that). Ahh ... God is so good :) "He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever." Psalm 111:5. The God of the Old Testament remembered me today ... what a thought; what a Savior.
Lastly, if you get a chance, you can help someone else who called K-love today asking we vote for Pepsi to support kids with a certain disease/disorder. All you have to do is text "105582" to the number 737-74 (if you want to know more about it, go to http://pep.si/adoCG3). Note: it ends TONIGHT so be sure to text before midnight! Hey, it's "Make a Difference Monday" and all you have to do is text a few numbers. DO IT! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)